blamed it on the wind. Working my forearm across my face, I searched for Jana, the happy bride-to-be. But there was still no sign of her.
I’d first met Jana ages ago, and we had formed an easy friendship that didn’t require daily or even weekly chats. We both led busy lives, but while she was blessed with the silver tongue of a natural-born diplomat, I’d been born with rocket fuel in my veins. I needed the open space to feel free. Jana was happy to kick ass while climbing the career ladder. I’d always figured she’d seek an even higher office in the confederation, but instead she’d fallen for an alien, a Dezrian, and she gave up everything she’d built for herself on Earth. I wasn’t sure if I admired her, felt jealous of the love she’d evidently found or if I should try to talk her out of it.
Jana had been vague when I’d asked her how a wedding was celebrated on Dezra. But she’d asked me to fly her, be her bridesmaid of sorts, and whatever her other reasons were, I wouldn’t say no to the opportunity of being able to visit Dezra.
I grinned as I finally spotted her, waved. She was fidgeting around, visibly nervous. I didn’t blame her. It took guts to do what she did. I closed my hand around the sleep-aid I brought her to ensure that she got some rest during the flight. And prevent her from throwing up.
“Here, drink,” I said by way of greeting, and pressed the drink into her hand. “Or you’ll hurl for the next eight hours straight. And that’s with the gravity switch pulled.”
“Not funny,” Jana answered, but obediently sipped. She made a face but bravely kept on sipping, despite the drink’s foul taste.
“That’s all you’re taking with you?” I looked her over. “After twenty-nine happy years on Earth, all you take is one lousy bag?”
“I don’t need much as long as I have Qay.”
“By the stars, you are in deep.” I managed to keep the jealousy out of my words, but little warning bells went off in my head.
I was about to fly Jana to a planet that had one of the harshest environments for humans. I flew her into the arms of a man, an alien, who I’d never met and knew only from watching the news. He was a handsome, towering male with coppery skin and eyes so piercing I’d think twice before trying to bullshit him. All in all, a worthy companion for my friend.
“I love him if that’s what you mean,” Jana said, raising her voice over the hissing noise of a bigbellied trader, sounding defensive as all get-out.
But Jana’s future husband was the ruler of Dezra. And once I touched down, I too would be at his mercy. Confederation laws and rules, already sketchy at best in many places, where null and void on Dezra. Whatever he did to us, he wouldn’t even be punishable on Earth, ever. Not until Dezra joined the confederation. And who knew when that would happen.
“I guess his looks don’t hurt either,” I said with a grin to lighten the mood, cursing myself for being so bitchy.
“He was the best thing that happened to me after…after—” she broke off, and it took me a couple of seconds to get what she meant.
“After what happened with that…guy? Sorry,” I said quickly, kicking myself, remembering.
Jana had been attacked while doing her job as a trade official by a Dezrian male. While I didn’t know what really happened between him and her, how badly she was assaulted, I knew that it had shaken her to the core. But this had happened quite awhile ago, and to this date, Jana hadn’t confided in me and I hadn’t pushed the topic. Some wounds needed to heal in silence. “I know you don’t like to talk about it.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I aimed my phaser at him, threatening I’d shoot him if he didn’t back off. He not only backed off, next day he was gone. Qay came to continue the negotiations. I fell for him.”
“Wow,” I said, wondering if I should tell her that the sleep-aid she was drinking often made people talkative as well.
I’d first met Jana ages ago, and we had formed an easy friendship that didn’t require daily or even weekly chats. We both led busy lives, but while she was blessed with the silver tongue of a natural-born diplomat, I’d been born with rocket fuel in my veins. I needed the open space to feel free. Jana was happy to kick ass while climbing the career ladder. I’d always figured she’d seek an even higher office in the confederation, but instead she’d fallen for an alien, a Dezrian, and she gave up everything she’d built for herself on Earth. I wasn’t sure if I admired her, felt jealous of the love she’d evidently found or if I should try to talk her out of it.
Jana had been vague when I’d asked her how a wedding was celebrated on Dezra. But she’d asked me to fly her, be her bridesmaid of sorts, and whatever her other reasons were, I wouldn’t say no to the opportunity of being able to visit Dezra.
I grinned as I finally spotted her, waved. She was fidgeting around, visibly nervous. I didn’t blame her. It took guts to do what she did. I closed my hand around the sleep-aid I brought her to ensure that she got some rest during the flight. And prevent her from throwing up.
“Here, drink,” I said by way of greeting, and pressed the drink into her hand. “Or you’ll hurl for the next eight hours straight. And that’s with the gravity switch pulled.”
“Not funny,” Jana answered, but obediently sipped. She made a face but bravely kept on sipping, despite the drink’s foul taste.
“That’s all you’re taking with you?” I looked her over. “After twenty-nine happy years on Earth, all you take is one lousy bag?”
“I don’t need much as long as I have Qay.”
“By the stars, you are in deep.” I managed to keep the jealousy out of my words, but little warning bells went off in my head.
I was about to fly Jana to a planet that had one of the harshest environments for humans. I flew her into the arms of a man, an alien, who I’d never met and knew only from watching the news. He was a handsome, towering male with coppery skin and eyes so piercing I’d think twice before trying to bullshit him. All in all, a worthy companion for my friend.
“I love him if that’s what you mean,” Jana said, raising her voice over the hissing noise of a bigbellied trader, sounding defensive as all get-out.
But Jana’s future husband was the ruler of Dezra. And once I touched down, I too would be at his mercy. Confederation laws and rules, already sketchy at best in many places, where null and void on Dezra. Whatever he did to us, he wouldn’t even be punishable on Earth, ever. Not until Dezra joined the confederation. And who knew when that would happen.
“I guess his looks don’t hurt either,” I said with a grin to lighten the mood, cursing myself for being so bitchy.
“He was the best thing that happened to me after…after—” she broke off, and it took me a couple of seconds to get what she meant.
“After what happened with that…guy? Sorry,” I said quickly, kicking myself, remembering.
Jana had been attacked while doing her job as a trade official by a Dezrian male. While I didn’t know what really happened between him and her, how badly she was assaulted, I knew that it had shaken her to the core. But this had happened quite awhile ago, and to this date, Jana hadn’t confided in me and I hadn’t pushed the topic. Some wounds needed to heal in silence. “I know you don’t like to talk about it.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I aimed my phaser at him, threatening I’d shoot him if he didn’t back off. He not only backed off, next day he was gone. Qay came to continue the negotiations. I fell for him.”
“Wow,” I said, wondering if I should tell her that the sleep-aid she was drinking often made people talkative as well.
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