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  “Do you have obstetrics experience?” Mala was looking queasy.

  “I do. I have successfully delivered twenty-three differing species.”

  Just like that, the conversation turned from Allie to Effin and she was relieved.

  He was assuring Carella, Star Breaker, that Hyder would go over all of his notes regarding a virus that Kale was carrying. A medical discussion got underway and Allie was left standing at the head of the table.

  “If he ordered you to sit, there is probably a reason. Take a seat, Relay.” Fixer was standing next to her and gently pushed her into the chair. “Hyder had me get this ready, but I didn’t know your exact specs.”

  A headband that would wrap three quarters of the way around had two cheek-piece extensions and a number of jacks on the inside. “A portable rig?”

  “Well, since you will be sent streams of data, you don’t need to forward the calls anymore or hold any channels open, this should do the job. Everything will be routed through Gant’s main unit and forwarded to you, here.”

  “Can I put it on?”

  “Please. I have a bit of energy right now and we need to get it set before the baby cuts off my talent.” Mala smiled, but still looked queasy.

  Allie was a little nervous about plugging strange tech into her head, but she figured that Hyder or Effin could assist if it caused her to seize. The metal was cool under her hands, smooth and gracefully curved. A deep breath and she was lining up the jacks with her ports. A small snap and the headset was in place.

  She looked over and saw Fixer watching her worriedly. A thumbs up made the agitated woman smile. Allie closed her eyes and activated the electronics, then gripped the arms of the chair as worlds of data flashed through her mind.

  She sorted through reports of flash flooding, riots, evacuations, looking for uncontrolled incidents that required intervention. As she sat and sorted, the connection became easier, smoother. “Thank you, Fixer. It is much better.”

  There was a smile in Mala’s voice. “It fits, too. It also looks striking. Hyder made a good choice in materials.”

  “Speaking of materials, do you know where I can get something other than a bodysuit? I won’t be engaging in off-world activities, so a suit is not needed.”

  “I have some spare uniforms in my workshop, but if you really want some better clothing, you will have to go into town. There is an excellent seamstress and since I am ground bound I could come with you.”

  “Perhaps Carella or Livin could come with us as well?” Her eyes closed, Allie kept rummaging through likely assignments until she came up with a possibility. She had to double check with a few more data sources, but the low-tech world was about to be hit with a meteor bombardment that could throw the development back thousands of years.

  “Wait. Delay that. Livin, Vasu, Isaro, Alomar and Carella. You are all needed.” She opened her eyes and formed a data stream that outlined the details of the events and projected it on the centre console of the boardroom table.

  “This world is about to be trapped in the throes of a meteor bombardment. There is a low-tech species and Mimic is needed to make first contact, Alomar is required because they are his people. Star Breaker will be on interception, Beast and Fury on minimization of the effects to the environment as well as moving inhabitants from strike zones. The data has been uploaded to all the shuttles and if you need backup, Commander and Pilot are standing by between assignments.”

  They all blinked and stared from Allie to Hyder and back. “The Hr’Nali are depending on you. The longer you wait, the more danger they are in. You have two days to arrive and assist the populace.”

  “You are serious?”

  “I am always serious. We have been stretching you far beyond your Sector, but as the Guard bases fill, there will be more immediate close-to-home concerns. This is one of them. This race is on the brink of extinction, as Alomar knows. One disaster of this nature could be genocide. Go. It is an order. Now get to those shuttles.”

  She was gratified to see all of the named personnel leaving the room. Hyder looked particularly cheerful and Helen looked delighted to be with her husband for the first time in months.

  A Relay in charge just might not be the worst thing to happen to the Guard.

  Chapter Six

  Allie was firmly in the data stream when she was disconnected by firm fingers on her halo.

  “What the hell?” Blinking as she took in the world around her, the walls of Medical showed that she had been transferred while she was doing research.

  “Beauty, you need to complete your recovery and being hooked up to the data stream isn’t going to help it.” Dr. Nywyn was arranging her limbs and turning on the regeneration beam that she had been in the day before.

  “Has the team left?”

  “Yes, fourteen hours ago. You have been immersed in your data for most of the day. It is time to quit for the evening.”

  That irritated the hell out of her. “What if something happens that needs immediate attention?”

  “Then the data will still be there the next morning. The Guards would not arrive in time to stop any current event from occurring and eight to ten hours will not make an appreciable difference.”

  She tried to sit up, but he pushed her back onto the table. “Who are you to make these decisions for me?”

  “I am the base physician and as such, I have a say in the work habits of every member of staff under my purview. That includes the base commander.” He had a smug look on his face.

  “That’s…not…” She blew a blast of air out of her lungs. It wasn’t fair, but it was regulation.

  “What kind of data were you surfing?” His use of a Terran term made her smile.

  “I was keeping tabs on the away teams, providing local law enforcement with Order’s and Seer’s physical attributes so they don’t get shot in the police action about to be enacted. Sending a notice to Order and Seer about the current status on the world they are on.”

  “Was that it?” The sarcasm in his voice was not lost on her.

  “No, I was also tracking the meteor event that our crew is heading toward, using a series of unmanned satellites. I checked in on the royal family of Moreski, making sure that none have broken the quarantine and generally made sure that all planets and populations touched by the Sector Guard were not affected in any negative way by the contact.”

  “This is why you are now the base commander.” He nodded as if it all finally made sense.

  “Indeed. I also checked the supply status here on Morganti, requested additional personnel. Made an invitation to the Citadel operative supervising the construction of their new facility on Morganti and selecting students who showed the greatest potential to be of use to the Guard in a future capacity.”

  “All that on your first day? You are very thorough.” He monitored her body carefully, watching the progress of her muscle and bone on a screen above her head.

  “Fixer did an excellent job on the connection. It is almost as good as the wires and tank, but far less invasive. Not to mention less unwieldy.”

  “She made extensive modifications to the unit and your ports while you were hooked up. She mentioned that you were an excellent project, she could feel the feedback immediately when the connection improved.”

  So, it hadn’t been her imagination. Someone had been touching her while she was connected. Dang. “So, the halo has its down points.”

  “Well, I believe the problem resides in your total immersion in the data stream. You are very used to simply running the data and ignoring your body, but I believe you may be able to keep working unconsciously while you are in the stream.”

  That was a new one. “How?”

  “You will have to train yourself. I can help.” His smile was hiding something. “We will begin tomorrow morning.”

  “Tomorrow morning I was planning a physical examination of the facility.”

  “Excellent. We will begin your practice then. Tonight, you need your r
est.” Effin stopped the restoration machine and pushed it out of the way.

  Allie accepted his help to sit up and cursed as she looked down at her body. “Who changed my clothing?”

  “Myself and Fixer. She noted that your bodysuit was rather threadbare and had this one standing by.”

  A deep pewter with black accents wrapped her in complete comfort. Her hands were gloved, her feet booted in a standard black boot and as Effin handed her the halo, she noted that it now echoed the shape, colour and style of the uniform.

  Allie ran her hands over the suit, noting that it came halfway up her neck, had substrata supports and hugged and massaged her body while it kept her warm. Nice.

  “It’s very nice. She does good work. How is she doing, by the way?”

  “I provided her with my mother’s recipe for flatbread which should take care of the nausea. For any other details, you will have to ask her.”

  “I am the base commander. I have the right to know.”

  “You only have the right to know if any medical condition is going to affect her ability to engage in her duties. You are already aware of her restrictions.” He sighed and helped her to her feet. “I will, of course, be filing a report and as base commander, you will have it, but it is not for casual conversation.”

  “Gotcha.” For the first time in years, her stomach rumbled. “I think I am hungry.”

  “There is a cafeteria on the grounds. Come with me.”

  He held out his arm and it was at that moment that she noted he was wearing a dark bronze uniform with the same black accents as her own. “We match.”

  “That we do.”

  The wealth of meaning in his words made her shiver. She was going to have to face their connection one day soon, but it was too much for today.

  Kale was in the cafeteria having a solitary dinner.

  Allie approached him and asked, “May we join you?”

  “Of course. Please be seated.”

  Effin placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. “I will fetch your dinner. Don’t go anywhere.”

  As the last of his species, Kale was a striking specimen. If Gant had not taken him on as his avatar, he would have remained in cold sleep for eternity. The virus in his system had killed his entire planet. He had only been a boy when it had killed his family and a young man when the Alliance had sent teams to look for survivors and Scorchers to burn the dead.

  The information flowed into Allie as easy as breathing. The halo simply connected and disconnected as her mind asked the questions.

  “As avatar of Gant, I would like to thank you for allowing the Sector Guard to set up base here.”

  Kale’s eyes swirled black in an instant. “It was no trouble and if it gets some more people on the surface, I will welcome the company.”

  “Speaking of surface populations, do you allow hunting?”

  “Of course. It is endemic to Kale’s people as well as some of the others.”

  “Good. I believe that Effin uses it as a method of stress relief.”

  “Effin?”

  “Dr. Nywyn.”

  “Ah. Your mate.” He smiled as if he knew that it made her a little uncomfortable.

  “I suppose, although that has yet to be tested.”

  “I am currently embroiled in a traditional courtship with mine. It makes it more difficult when she is called off world though.” There was a chastisement in his words.

  “She is a woman of unique skills and abilities. There is no separating her from her talents.”

  He sighed just as Effin returned. “I suppose you are right and we have to wait until Isaro is back from assignment for the wedding as well. She wants to be a bridesmaid. A Terran tradition of some kind.”

  The smile that crossed Allie’s face was spurred by warmth that filled her heart, drawing a quick glance from Effin. “When we are out here and we can’t go home, tradition is all we have. I will try to create a favourable schedule if you fill me in on how much time you need before the courtship can be concluded.”

  “Well, I have already woven the fabric and made the gown, so whenever you can get her home, less than three days of formalities and we will be wed.”

  Allie made a mental note to bring everyone home for a few days as soon as she could. Since Kale and Carella were toxic to any other species, their match was of extreme importance to the team. If they were unhappy, it would affect the entire team, so keeping them happy was her priority after assuring the safety of their Sector.

  She also made a note to see what was necessary for officiating nuptials. Just in case she was asked to witness anything, she wanted to be prepared.

  “Kale, Hyder has told me a bit of your condition as well as forwarded the samples to me. With access to you for additional samples, I believe that we might be able to come up with something in the next few months.” Effin started in on his meal, digging through it with enthusiasm.

  “Thank you. He also assured me that you are a far more dedicated physician than he ever was and I found it hard to believe until I saw you interacting with our new base commander. Since you have not yet consummated your union, your ordering her around was rather daring.”

  Allie almost choked on her salad. “Consummated?”

  “You have not yet had sex.” Kale was looking at her as if she was a little dim and Effin chuckled quietly as he ate.

  “Why is it daring for him to order me to attend to my medical requirements?” She raised her eyebrows.

  Kale squirmed and his eyes turned black again. Gant was amused. “You know, he rarely hides anymore. He picked up on your irritation much more rapidly than he ever did before Carella. She’s touchy, too.”

  Effin joined in. “Do you think it’s a Terran trait? From what Hyder has mentioned, Helen is a little on the cranky side.”

  “It is possible. With Carella, I am sure part of it is her missing memory. It is still trickling back to her, but I think Helen just likes to pick fights so that they can make up.”

  They spent a few minutes discussing Terran women and their constant irritation. Alessandra was just about to explode when the man and the avatar burst into laughter, Effin reached out to hug her to him.

  “You held out much longer than I thought you would, Beauty. Bravo.” He gave her a quick kiss to the forehead and she tried not to inhale at the sudden burst of warmth that ran through her soul.

  “Well, I will leave you two to finish dinner. I am expecting a check-in call from Carella and she gets irritated when I don’t answer immediately.” Kale chuckled, back in control of his body, Gant, the planet’s soul, having retreated to leave the avatar in control. The eyes were the only way to tell who was in control, Gant’s presence signalled by the swirling black energy that animated the planet.

  “Good evening, Kale. Please give my best to Carella.” Allie nodded as he stood to leave.

  “And mine as well. It was nice meeting her today.” Effin rose with the other man and as Kale left, he scooted into position across from her, brining his meal with him.

  “Good evening, Relay, Effin. Enjoy your meal.” He moved gracefully from the room, an air of anticipation in his step. Despite his complaints, he was looking forward to the call from his intended.

  “He loves her.” It was surprising. Allie was aware of the matches made amongst her own kind and the races they were bonding with, but genuine affection never entered her mind.

  “He does. It shows in every move that he makes and every time he speaks of her.” Effin continued with his dinner and pushed his plate aside when he was done.

  She picked at her plate and frowned. She felt the touch in her mind again. This time, a trickle of heat mixed in with the warmth. “What is that?”

  “Just sharing my emotional overflow with you, as is appropriate in a link relationship. You seem surprised by Kale’s affection. Why?”

  The statement said it all. She was surprised, shocked really. “I suppose I never imagined that Terrans would find love when they left Earth. I im
agined that we would leave, live our lives and then die alone. The mating is in our contracts, but I never thought any of us would live happily ever after.”

  “Why not? My cousin’s wife is very happy and they make no secret as to their complete link. Love practically radiates from them when they are together and occasionally, it literally does.”

  “We have no home. We are alone in the Alliance and have nowhere to call home. I miss having a home.” She must be exhausted. Tears started to flow as she thought about her years in the tank, yearning for another person to talk to, to touch.

  The link between them flowed wildly as her emotions spilled. The strand of connection grew to a yarn…a rope…a cable and finally, a bridge of emotion between them.

  “Ah, Beauty.” He sat next to her and pulled her into his lap, running his fingers through her hair.

  “I shouldn’t be doing this. I am base commander. I can’t be seen blubbering in the arms of the medical officer.”

  “Fine.” He stood and carried her through the halls until they reached her quarters. Well, she thought they were her quarters, luggage that was obviously not hers sat in the front room.

  Effin sat on the bed, his back against the headboard and used the link to stir her emotional storm back into full fury. She wailed, she sobbed, she sniffled and years of pent-up frustration and loneliness spilled out.

  When she was done, he dried her tears and kissed her gently. “It’s all right, Beauty. I knew who and what you were the day I touched your mind. Nothing you can do will drive me away and nothing I do will ever be to hurt you.”

  The touch of his lips on hers sealed his promise. He was giving her his promise, his fealty and his soul. She could give him a little trust and trust was the issue.

  Blinking through swollen eyes, she met his cat-like gaze and leaned up to kiss him, closing her eyes at the last second. The kiss was sweet and in it, she returned his promise.

  “I will probably be pushy, headstrong and ignore doctor’s orders more than I should, but I swear to keep you in my heart and mind at all times, even if I don’t show it.” The pledge was true. She knew that he was hers the instant that his mind had touched hers.