::Bus?::
Mark sent a quick picture.
::Ahh! Mass Ground Transport
Vehicle…Treasured, the “but” is that the ElderCouncil will not be
politely put off. We are to report at ten tines next rising to
council chambers to “discuss” the Earthen Mission.::
::Will the others be present?::
::Also required to bear witness will be
Jonal, Tonas, TeZaron, TeBron, Princess Anya and the Beast, and Fem
Sinclair and her Duchess as they will be bonded to the Elders this
eve.::
::They’re taking a deposition from
Tigger?::
Mark’s astonishment blew into Juraens mind, causing
him to double over in laughter.
::Ah, my Treasured, he is sentient. You
should lose your prejudice against the Beast’s intellect. After
all, he saved the Brightstar.::
::Fuck.::
* * * *
“Where are you taking her? Anya shouted after
TeBron as he mentally asked Nafer to hold onto his belt.
“Home,” he answered succinctly as he turned
to face Jonal and Tonas.
“Admirals, would you do us the honor of
sharing moontine with us at Castle Air. Shall we say at nineteen
tines? Please extend the invitation to Dr. Stern and Duke Juraens.
Princess Anya, if you will, bring the Beast. There is much that
necessitates discussion prior to council.”
Bron followed Zaron to the largest structure
on the field.
“Zadda, we have to go back.” Nafer wiggled in
Bron’s arms. “We forgot Duchess.”
Bron turned around and found the small, white
beauty dragging a pillow-lined basket with a pink bow. Bron picked
up the basket and the beauty with the silken coat leaped into
Naffie’s arms.
::I don’t think Duchess’ personality lends
itself to being forgotten.::
Then, with an audible laugh, he
followed his Zaron and Syn to the private council area in the field
house.
Once inside the cavernous building, Bron
settled both Naffie and Duchess on the highly polished floor just
to the left of a pair of gleaming brass doors.
::Dragon, do we teleport?::
::Yes. With the both of us, plus Naffie and
the little beauty, I think we can manage to get home without undue
interest. We’ll use the teleport chamber in the small council
waiting room; the larger one is set up for the debriefing.::
Bron looked over to the brass doors. They
opened silently.
::Thus the moontine meeting—::
::Yes. I’m afraid our new BondMate will be
overwhelmed before we are able to educate her about Sarran.::
Zaron stroked her hair.
::And Council politics,::
Bron
answered.
::She’s beautiful, Zaron. Her hair is the color of
Ulna, the White and I’ve never seen eyes of such a vibrant hue,
like the petals of the purple fantasies in the foothills
surrounding Castle Air.::
“She is beautiful on the inside too, Poppie,
but she is very sad, just like you and Zadda. But she can fix it
all up.” Naffie nodded, adding his considered opinion.
Purple irises became visible under the veil
of unusually dark lashes for someone of her coloring. Syn wiggled
in Zaron’s arms.
“Naffie? Fix what up? Sir, eh, TeZaron, could
you let me down. I believe I can walk by myself,” Syn said in a
groggy voice.
“Why walk, Pa Chette, when I can carry you?
Since you are our bonded I think you can drop the honorific,
Te.”
“Syn, Cynthia Sinclair.”
“You bristled with energy when I first laid
eyes on you. Deep inside, I knew you belonged to us, yet I never
expected to be able to bond again so I dismissed the attraction.
Forgive me, both of you, for my stupidity. My refusal to recognize
the signs cost us time to prepare our Pa Chette for what is to
come.”
::Naffie, what is a Pa Chette?::
Bron
smiled as Cynthia effortlessly slipped into mind speech.
“The translation program has no Earthen word
for this animal. Wait, I know…” Naffie giggled.
A picture of a small mammal with pale yellow
spines rolled into a ball appeared in her mind’s eye. “Looks like a
hedgehog…I wonder if there is a biologist among the women?” Syn
mused.
Naffie sent another image. The little mammal
sported a flicker of flame dancing over his head.
::See, Mommie,
Chet is the mammal, te is fire. Put it together, Pa
Chette.::
“And Pa…?”
“My, of course.”
Syn actually blushed.
Yes, Zaron interrupted with a chuckle, “That
is the literal interpretation, my offspring. You missed the
subtlety.”
Syn turned her face into Zaron’s neck to hide
her expression.
::Prickly, and short tempered.::
“Poppie, you laughed. See, I said Mommie
would fix it…”
“So you did, Naffie, so you did.”
Zaron set Syn on her feet. She turned and
found herself encased in a second set of heavily muscled arms.
Looking up she saw a very broad man with chestnut hair and golden
eyes. A new voice tickled at her brain.
::Welcome, Pa Syn, I am Bron, your bonded
and the WarriorMate of Zaron. I’m very afraid we have inadvertently
thrown you into the middle of a volatile situation about which we
have little time to explain.::
Bron’s face looked as if he
smelled something foul.
“The idea that a traitor perpetrated the
incident on the
Brightstar
will cause much distress in
council at rising. I’m afraid we host for this moontine instead of
courting you properly.”
“Just tell me what you need and I’ll help to
the best of my ability.”
Bron brushed her forehead with his lips. “No
worries Pa Chette. Your mates thought of this and asked one of the
chefs from the
Brightstar
to prepare the Earthen
dishes.”
“Oh, no!”
“What distresses you so, Cynthia?”
“The menus that the chefs on
Brightstar
used to fabricate Earthen cuisine came from the
worst take-out menus in Washington D.C. We can’t serve that.”
::Take-out?::
three voices asked
dubiously.
“Coffee, I need some coffee,” Syn murmured to
herself.
::Coffee?::
asked Bron.
“A sludge-like beverage to which the Earthen
fem seem addicted,” Zaron answered.
Nafer put in, “That is only because our chefs
know squat about making it.”
“Squat?” Zaron inquired with a raised
brow.
I’m going to tape that brow to his eyelid,
Syn decided.
::I’ll immensely enjoy your attempt,::
Zaron said as he kissed her lightly on the nape of the neck.
* * * *
Syn shivered as molten heat spread between
her legs.
“Squat…It is a word in an Earthen language
called Slang, Poppie. It means they do not know how to do the
job.”
“Naffie, there are some times when it is best
to stay out of our minds.”
Syn’s brain worked at a feverish pace. She
didn’t doubt the bond, she felt the pull and heat that Anya
described along with the invisible tethers to these Warriors. She
worried about the inevitable consequences.
These men are at the
highest social level on the planet. What will happen when they find
my history? Maddy will be at great pains to tell them. If we
complete the bond, they will be stuck with me forever and that will
harm the Sarran cause. I need time to think.
“And you shall get it, Pa Chette.”
Two lines appeared atop Syn’s forehead.
“She doesn’t realize we know what she is
thinking. She has many layers of deeply felt pain. But now is not
the time.”
She spoke aloud. “Princess Anya said that all
of our household goods were transported onto the
Brightstar
.
Is that true?”
::Yes, Pa Chette,::
Zaron
answered.
“There was a refrigerator, a type of cold
storage box filled with Earthen food, and cabinets with boxes,
cans, and dishes. Where would they be?”
“We put the items from the cold box in
stasis. The crew packed the things in the storage units into crates
and labeled each one. They can be transported home immediately if
you like.”
“Cooking is a hobby of mine. I will need some
assistance, but I believe I can produce an acceptable Earthen
dinner along with Sarran delicacies by this evening with the help
of the chefs.”
“Cookies and milk, Mommie?”
“If your Daddies can arrange for my things
and I can figure out how the kitchen works, you will be eating
cookies by twelve tines.”
Zaron interrupted her train of thought. “Pa
Chette, you need rest and at least one rising to accustom yourself
to the slight gravitational difference as well as the richer
oxygenation of our air.”
Syn’s violet eyes blazed back and her jaw set
in stubborn rebuke.
“We don’t have one rising. I have only one
chance to dispel the ugliness Maddy spread. I need to do this
right.”
She was overcome by the realization that she
desperately wanted these two men and their boy to be hers.
Syn saw Bron nod discreetly at Zaron.
“It can be arranged.”
“Close your eyes, Pa Chette. We will teleport
home.”
“What?”
“It will be all over in a mot.”
“Teleport?”
* * * *
Before the word completely left her mouth,
Syn stood before a massive stone, wood, and glass structure, built
into a cliff face. She saw terraces, gardens, huge windows and
arched doorways on every level. Green clay-like roof tiles covered
open lanais and flowers bloomed everywhere. She heard the gurgling
of several fountains including a vast metal art piece. Cascading
water decorated the main courtyard. Fish-like creatures swam in its
depths. She could almost hear Duchess smacking her lips.
Syn stood wide-eyed before the sprawling
home. She lived in a “McMansion” as a child but this looked like a
combination of a modern home set in the woods disguised as an
English castle and next to a cottage garden blessed with a riot of
blooms.
I can’t make up my mind as to which.
“Are all Sarran homes this large?”
Zaron took hold of her elbow and guided her
toward the door. A massive wooden structure hobnailed with
decorative silver metal studs stood before her. The top portion of
the door shone with stained glass and pictured the traditional
Sarran Tierest tree with clouds swirling around the branches. A
brief glance around the courtyard revealed a long winding lane
lined with the three-forked trees covered in silver leafed vines
that hung down from the branches. Further down from the vast lawn
stood massive conifers with teal blue needles sparkling in the
sunlight. Going through the door, Syn marveled at how realistically
the glass on the door emulated the Tierest trees on the drive. She
could see snowcapped mountains in the distance.
“Our family has one of the larger estates
because of our council status. However, the planet is
under-populated and has slightly more landmass than yours, so space
is something we possess in abundance. We hunt our meat and game, so
the forests are preserved. Those who hunt provide provender to the
shopkeepers and trade for other goods. Fresh meat and game are a
luxury since we synthesize food through the nano-fabricators.
Because Bron is a brilliant engineer and I did well in PsyOps, we
live better than most. On Sarran, handcrafted goods and
non-synthesized foods are prized. It is for this reason that the
Senior Warriors always invite their Juniors to their home as they
have more to give. Hospitality is a revered custom.”
“So, no one goes hungry?”
“There is no poverty or hunger on Sarran. The
Codex guarantees every citizen food, shelter, medical care, and
education. We treasure artists and artisans, musicians and
performers, and scientists and engineers in our culture. Every
talent is respected because each one has worth. Without the
woodsman there would be no food. Without the scientist and
engineer, no fabricator. Each has equal value. The Elder Council
draws Warriors from all of those at the top of their professions,
not only Warriors, although all Sarrans are Warrior-trained.”
“The flowers are lovely. Some resemble
Earthen flowers and I can see mountains in the distance.”
::Beyond the mountains is the sea, Mommie.
The river on the grounds runs to it,::
Naffie piped into the
conversation.
Bron interrupted. “Dragon, must we stand in
the courtyard while you pontificate?
I’m sure Syn would like to see her quarters
and freshen up and we must arrange for the kitchen goods.”
“Yes, Poppie, the cookies!”
“Only after Mommie has rested.”
Garlance and Stoker miraculously materialized
inside the portico and opened the door for their party. Zaron and
Bron sent Nafer off to find the cooks who Bron arranged to hire
even before he found his family had expanded. His touch of
pre-cognition served him well. Bron felt the slight anxiety that
rolled of Zaron and the exhaustion that radiated from their fem.
They needed to get their fem settled in their bed, safely, before
they could deal with the ancillary issues of mind locks and their
long separation.
“Pa Chette, I think it would be in all of our
interest for you to take a brief nap. After which Warriors will
come to you and attempt to explain some of the Sarran traditions,
customs, and protocol you will need to handle our affairs. I’m
afraid that due to our position, there will be a host of duties you
need perform in addition to any life path you wish to pursue. Zaron
and I will always be available to you, and in the rare instance
where we are not, one of our aides will be close by. I’m sure by
now you realize that you telegraph all of your thoughts to Zaron,
Nafer, and me. After your nap we need to teach you how to filter
and to only direct what you wish to convey.’’
“I could use a light nap, but no longer than
an hour. I want to make dinner.”
“It shall be as you say, Pa Chette.”
Their fem seemed to consider his words as she
made her way up the staircase between them with Duchess padding at
their heels.