Tazzy wrapped her robe again, snuggly covering every inch of her. She used the lift to get her back to her quarters in the garrison where she tossed the bag of clothing into her personal incinerator. It was her largest expense.
Having the ability to enthrall men and women with a simple touch was fine for the job, but it was annoying when it came to having a private life. She had sacrificed her private life, and now, there was only the job left behind. There was no room for anything else.
Tazzy sighed and curled up in her window seat again, staring out at the new sky and the foreign stars. She was going to have to make a decision, and it was not going to look good on her record.
Seated behind her desk, she checked her schedule. A call was waiting for her from Guardian control. The Imperial Guard dispatcher was also waiting for her, and since she worked for them, they were her first call.
“Good morning, Dispatcher.”
“Good morning, Commander Rikkat. We have been getting good reports from your new posting.”
“Thank you. In that regard, I am requesting that I be reposted to another world.”
The dispatcher’s cheerful face went blank. “What? But you just arrived.”
“I have a history with one of the Guardians, and as we will no doubt collide during our duties, I am requesting a reposting.”
The dispatcher rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, that leads to the nature of this call. I have received a request to have you work with the Guardians as imperial liaison. The commanding officer believes it is a good posting, and they have approved it.”
Tazzy got a headache. “You are kidding.”
“I am not joking. You have been handed over to the Guardians to be their go between with local law enforcement. They will be calling you shortly.”
“They have already called. I returned your call first.”
“Then, you had better get into communication with them soon, or they will send their commanding officer to speak with you in person. They were most insistent that you join them. Your alteration qualifies you for Guardian service, but it is subtle enough that it need not be made a matter of public record.”
Tazzy rubbed her forehead. “Wonderful. I was just settling in at the garrison.”
“Sorry. Now, make that call.”
“Yes, dispatcher. I hate packing.”
“I know. Dismissed, Commander.”
The screen went dark.
Tazzy keyed in the code for Guardian control, and she waited. The Nyal officer with deep red eyes soon filled the screen.
“Commander Anastasia Rikkat of Terra, you have been reassigned to the Guardian program as imperial liaison. You will be collected by the end of the day and relocated to the Guardian base on Decolian 12. All notices have been filed with the imperium and the royal family on Decolian 12.”
“Wonderful.” She scowled.
“Do you have any requirements?”
“Yes, I need a lock on my door, a private incinerator and an extensive and disposable wardrobe. My skin gives off a chemical hypnotic and my workout clothing can be used to sedate anyone, anywhere. It needs to be destroyed or cleaned before it can be used for ill.”
“Understood. Your biological necessities have been taken into consideration and uniforms are en route. You will begin your duties in three days.”
There was no negotiation in that tone. She was the imperial liaison to the Guardian program whether she wanted to be or not.
A knock at her door distracted her for a moment, and the Guardian control officer used her distraction to cut the call.
Quell, Flick and Silver came through her doorway without her authorizing entry.
Quell inclined his head. “Commander Rikkat, I believe that you have been informed as to your new posting.”
She nodded and set her desk to rights, “I have been, Guardian.”
“Excellent. Please come with us.”
“My bags?”
“Already packed and in our transport.” Flick smiled shyly.
Tazzy narrowed her eyes. “You went through my quarters?”
Flick nodded. “As fast as I could. In and out in under two minutes.”
Quell inclined his head. “We will do our best to respect your privacy when we are not on duty, Commander.”
“Thank you, Guardian.” She nodded and quickly made a file packet that she would be able to access from any location. Her fingers flew across the screens, and she looked up when she was done.
“Well, if you have my things, I suppose that I am at your disposal.” Tazzy stepped around her desk and smiled at Quell, grinned at Frisk and she sobered her face when she met Silver’s gaze. He was staring at her with nothing but calm in his blue eyes.
“Excellent. Shall we?”
She stood before them. “If you are ready, then we shall.”
They closed ranks around her and escorted her out of her office, down the hall and out of the palace.
The palace guards stared and whispered as they passed, but no one spoke to her.
They escorted her onto the transport, and she settled into a seat on their transport. They took off a moment later with Quell at the controls.
She watched the surface go by, and as they increased speed, she closed her eyes. They crossed oceans and skimmed along mountain ranges before they settled on the pad at their base, her new home.
Flick smiled, “Come on, it is time for the grand tour.”
She put her hand in his. “Thank you. I suppose that it is better I get familiar with my surroundings now rather than later.”
Silver was still silent, but he kept close.
The buildings were connected via covered hallways, skylights were plentiful and the square footage was mind-boggling.
“You are the only woman on base, so we have given you quarters off to one side. You will have privacy in this wing.” Flick smiled and his tail twitched from side to side.
“Thank you, and have my laundry requirements been met?”
“They have been. You have a private clothing scrubber and laundry unit at your disposal.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How long has this been planned?”
“Well, Quell knew he wanted you on board the moment that he found out your history was sealed, but before that, we were instructed to prepare quarters for a liaison. About three weeks ago, we got the orders.”
Three weeks earlier, she had just been given the clean bill of health and got into the routine of not leaving her clothing lying around. It had been her hardest habit to break. Going from a slob to being organized was the most difficult part of her change.
Flick opened a set of double doors and pushed them wide. “These are your quarters. You have a private com unit, wardrobe, bathing chamber and bedroom. When we are not on assignment, you can come here for complete privacy. The rest of the base is at your disposal, of course.”
A parade of bots carrying her bags trooped in and began to unpack for her.
Flick ducked his head. “I took placement scans of your room before I packed. We don’t have a window seat for you here, but there is an observatory in the north wing. You can make yourself at home there when you want to read in the starlight.”
She blinked. “I didn’t leave anything in the window seat.”
“Silver mentioned that you liked to look up at strange stars while you read.”
The man in question was nowhere near them.
“He did?”
“Yes, he said that when he knew you before, you could never pass up a look at new stars and constellations. How long ago was that?”
Tazzy tried to play it off. “A year, maybe two.”
Flick smiled, “Shall we begin your tour?”
“Certainly. Am I to address you all by your call signs at all times?”
“It is preferable until you are an official Guardian yourself. You are not bound by the same regulations as we are. Rules must be maintained.”
Tazzy nodded. “Understandable.”
They walked back toward the transport bay; he showed her the skimmers and the larger shuttles, some with weapons and others without.
He took her through the pool area, the gym, showed her the observatory and they ended in the common rooms. The kitchen, dining area, seating area and what appeared to be a games section were all in one open-concept collage. Quell and Silver were sitting next to each other and in deep conversation that stopped the moment Flick and Tazzy entered the room.
Silver jumped to his feet and inclined his head. “Commander Rikkat. Welcome to the base.”
“You were with me on the transport, Silver.” She cocked her head at his diffident manner.
Quell coughed. “We are attempting a new start. You have something in your past that will need to be dealt with at some point. Until that moment, you both need to begin again.”
Understanding dawned. “Pleased to meet you, Silver. I will endeavour to stay out of the way until I can be useful.”
Quell asked hopefully, “Can you cook?”
Silver winced.
Tazzy grinned. “Not particularly, but I do attempt it with enthusiasm.”
“I would enjoy trying your efforts.” Quell was trying to be polite, but there was fear in his gaze.
Silver closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Flick looked cheerful, and it was his attitude that decided her. She was going to bake cookies.
“Well, since I am not on official duty for a few days, I am going to try to bake some sweets.”
Flick perked up. “Sweets?”
Quell snickered. “He has a fast metabolism. His meals are our greatest expense.”
She opened the tight closure of her uniform sleeves and folded them back. “Let’s see if I can remember how to do this.”
With three men staring at her with trepidation, she entered the kitchen. Chaos was about to commence.
“It is more of what I would call a granola bar, but I think it turned out pretty well.” Tazzy sat with her feet up and a cup of caf in one hand, a cookie bar in the other.
Flick was eating them by the dozen. “I don’t care if you can’t make anything else. Make these and I will be your servant.”
The other two laughed, but they were consuming their own share. Leftovers were not something that was going to be an issue at this Guardian base.
Silver had removed his mask after Quell had announced that Tazzy could be trusted with their identities. She looked at the familiar face of Arkenor, and her heart flipped every time he met her gaze.
When the light dimmed and her body told her it was time to sleep, she got to her feet, excused herself and headed for her quarters.
Three hours later, she slipped on one of her long, loose crystalline robes and headed for the observatory with a book tucked under one arm and her hair tumbling loose around her shoulders.
She settled in a chair under the dome of stars and read her book for an hour before fatigue ran through her body. When she stood, Silver was standing in the doorway, watching her.
“You haven’t changed that much.” He stepped toward her slowly.
“No, only in all the ways that count.” Tazzy shifted to one side with her book under her arm.
“What happened to you?”
“You have clearance now, you tell me.”
“I want you to tell me.” He reached out and caressed a few locks of hair. “This is new.”
“After the incident, a lot of my hair bleached out where the fragments hit. I decided that I wanted them to be memorialized in colour.”
“And your eyes?”
“They changed composition in the chemical flash.”
“I like them; they are jade pools into your soul.”
She twisted her lips in a grimace. “You couldn’t see it before?”
“I am trying to flirt a little.” He stepped closer to her.
“Yeah, that doesn’t really do much for me anymore.”
She reached out and stroked two fingers across his jawline. She leaned in and whispered, “Kneel.”
He dropped to his knees with an expression of confusion on his face. “What is happening?”
“Things have changed, Arkenor. I am no longer the woman you knew. You had better get used to it.” She moved past him and through the doorway. Her hold would wear off in a few minutes, possibly less if he had a fast metabolism.
She padded back through the facility and returned to her quarters. She pulled a pillow in and held it while she sobbed for the moment missed and the cruelty of fate to bring her back to him when she was no longer an option as a lover. Her body was scarred, her mind was set and her biology was off the charts. No one would have her now.
* * * *
“Are you satisfied?”
Arkenor was regaining use of his body. The time trapped by Rikkat had been good for him. He had seen her pain in that flash when she froze him to his knees.
“I am aware of her abilities. She is more than she was.”
Quell squatted near him. “Will you be able to work with her?”
“Easily.”
“She has requested a transfer.”
The panic that rushed through him sent Arkenor to his feet. “What?”
“She doesn’t want to work with you. She believes it will be difficult.” Quell patted him on the back.
“What happened, precisely? She will not give me details.”
Quell sat him down and leaned forward, explaining about the setup, the explosion and the damage. Rikkat’s partner had been blown to bits, she had suffered extensive damage and exposure to chemicals that should not have bonded to her system, but they had. Ten months ago, she had been blown to hell, and two days later, she had come back.
“They don’t know how she survived, but she did. Her body rewired its neural and chemical signature into something new. She should not even be able to stand, but she does.”
It fit with the damage that Arkenor had seen. The gouges of torn flesh were across her nerve bundles, her spine should have been severed in a multitude of places, but she was up and glaring at all around her. “What about her chemical signature?”
“She can enthrall anything she touches or that touches her. On a place like Decolian 12, that means any male who meets her at a formal function can be under her spell. You would not believe the active uniforms that they have prepared for her. Contact with bare skin will not be an issue.”
He knew enough of her modesty to shake his head. “She won’t like that.”