Chapter 8

"I don't suppose any of you have figured out how to play cards in zero gee yet?"

Alicia's question, like most of her more snarky comments, just washed over and around Justin without him taking much notice. That was the key to group harmony, he fully believed: just ignore things and don't take every word personally.

The kiss from the creature who had just left the ship, though ... he took that more personally than anything in his existence so far. Doing so probably wasn't any more wise, in the greater scheme of things, but for now there was nothing he could do. Daium's love, and attention, was all. Tammy and the others, he could ignore.

Chuck's humor, for whatever reason, was much more agreeable to him.

"Should we practice with our neat-o new guns? Get some apples, we'll float them over Melina's head."

"Hey!"

"Don't worry, I never shoot a girlfriend the first month."

This was the first time Justin had actually heard Chuck mention the relationship that was so obviously going on. Wanting to see the psycho stalker's reaction, he turned in time to catch her face dissolve into an expression of mindless adoration. Yup. He was so glad she hadn't focused on him.

"Well," Anthony sighed, "there's nothing more we can do until she gets back." He looked over at the dirty blonde. "What do you think, Tammy, time for a quick lunch?" She mirrored his sigh.

"Don't you mean, 'back to the kitchen, Wench'?"

"'Bitch', yes. You're not busty enough for a Wench."

"Oh, you're gonna looove what I make for you today..."

Justin's eyes went back to the hatch as the others began making their way off the bridge. There was some conversation, but he ignored it. Didn't they know how serious things were...

"Um, Justin..."

Alicia's voice came from his left. Great.

"What?"

"We need to talk, while Daium is gone."

The two drifted into the central dome.

Through the clear shell, Justin could see the space station looming all around them. The passage Daium had taken ran away from the ship, joined quickly by other tubes, flowing inward towards the center. Following their path back out, he saw the docked spaceships. The closest, dimly lit by the distant sun, floated a few hundred feet above them. It was large, dwarfing their own. Small shapes moved over its hull, congregating over patches of skin, black and mangled.

He felt exposed to the universe. What better place for a private chat.

Leaving the door to the bridge open, as much for the security of the light as so they could hear Daium return, Justin turned to Alicia. She had floated a few feet away from the guide line, hand touching the wall. Her almost nude figure, partly in shadow before the stars ... well, Justin felt his heterosexuality and human sexuality confirmed, in case he had any doubts.

"What do you want to say, Alicia?"

She seemed to gather herself. Still looking into space, she spoke.

"You ... well, you and Daium. You're a pair now, I suppose." There wasn't disapproval in that voice. He was glad of that.

"Yes. She ... well, we love each other."

She turned to him. Her smile ... was sad.

"Did you have anyone back home?"

He looked at her, uncertain of where this was going. She knew he didn't date.

"No."

"I did. Do. Did." She let out a sigh, hand brushing back and forth against the smooth wall. "Darin. I ... well, I love him. Thought I loved. You know what I mean."

He didn't but nodded anyway. At some point, she'd get to the point. Looking into his face, and obviously not seeing what she hoped, she changed subjects.

"Do you read comics, Justin?"

Well, THAT came out of nowhere.

"Some..."

"I don't. Well, I've read some romance manga that friends showed me. They were OK, although the guys looked a bit too girly for me. Anyway, my older cousin reads them. He showed me a couple once, when we were bored. One I remember was this 'furry one' ... kind of appropriate, which is probably why I remembered it." She laughed, laughter trailing off when Justin kept silent. "Anyway. It was called something like Sharon the Panda, or Shanda the Panda, or something. It was about this woman who ran a movie theater. A new guy came to town, and the two of them really hit it off, fell in love. The usual. But, her girlfriend, a lesbian, well, it turned out SHE loved Shanda too! She and the guy hated each other, naturally, competing for the same girl. Shanda, though, well ... she wanted both of them. If they wanted to be with her, and make her happy ... they had to deal with each other."

Justin was now very confused. Running a hand through his hair, he stared at her.

"And?"

Alicia closed her eyes.

"And ... I think I love Daium."

Her eyes opened. The two humans stared at each other. Justin was at a loss. This...

" ... why?"

Alicia hugged herself.

"She touches me, Justin. Her hand brushes against mine, and I feel fire. A shoulder touches me, and I break out in goosebumps. I..." She shrugged. "Darin didn't make me feel that way. My first boyfriend did, in sixth grade, but even that wasn't like this. I can feel her eyes on me, and I want ... does she talk about me, Justin? Does she say anything about me?"

How could she ask questions, after putting him in no condition to think? He shook his head, as much to clear it as to try and answer.

"No! Well, we don't talk, much, with words I mean, her vocabulary is still limited unless she studies ahead of time, although she's learning amazingly fast. But ... you love her."

Alicia's eyes were bright with tears.

"Yes. I don't want to, but ... well."

Justin rubbed his eyes under his glasses, suddenly very tired.

"And just when I had this whole alien relationship thing worked out. So, what do we do?"

Alicia floated up to him, hand touching his bare shoulder.

"We talk with her. If she ... well, if she doesn't know what she's doing to me, we get her to stop and break my heart quickly and move on. I can deal with that. But..." her hand lightly ran up Justin's neck, ending at his cheek, so reminiscent of his first night with Daium that his breath caught. " ... if there's something there, something she wants, then ... the three of us ... come to an arrangement."

Daium let the guards pull her limp body through the station.

She deserved this. Her sister was right. What Dad did ... what she had helped him do ... yes, he hadn't told her everything. Had not filled her in on the details of HOW he was trying to stop the war. But, had she asked?

No.

Maybe this is why Daium had come here, had searched for her sister. For she had doubted, had questioned, some of what Dad had said. But, only to herself.

Now she had to answer for her crime.

She paid no attention as soldiers and civilians parted around them. The world no longer existed. All her mind could do was replay her sister's words, over, and over...

Her movement stopped. Eyes closed, she noticed that. Her mind attached no meaning to the event, but the words it heard started to wake some sense of self preservation.

"Corporal. What do you have here?"

"Traitor. Taking her back to the Memusnahkan."

A strong hand grabbed Daium's head, lifting her face up by her hair. Opening her eyes ... she saw the towering figure of Commander Jeli. Her Uncle.

Her eyes and his locked for what seemed like ages. He was a tall Orang, even for a male, towering even over the human Anthony, should the two ever meet. Bluish grey fur, well groomed. Suspenders made of silver and gold links, as was his belt, which held two holstered pistols. He projected an aura of strength, power ... and, as he shook his head at her, disgust.

"What are Sumi's order's for her?"

"Sir. Take her to the Memusnahkan, lock her up, then locate her ship and take the crew." Commander Jeli shifted his eyes to the two guards.

"She knows we don't have time for this," Daium heard him mutter. Released, her head dropped back down. Would she never be able to look one of her own in the eye again?

"Corporal, I'm going to approve your transfer. Your partner, too."

"Um, excuse me, Sir?"

"I'm transferring you to my ship. Go. We leave in half an hour. I'll take charge of the prisoner."

"Um, but, the Captain..."

"The captain ... what?"

There was humor in that voice. A humor that contained all the joy its speaker would get from having you flogged for disobeying a direct order, and in fact wanted you to do so as it would liven up an otherwise dull evening. Daium felt herself suddenly released.

"She'd understand fully, Sir! Going now!"

Large hands, somewhat gentler, took hold and pulled her along. Behind closed eyelids she sensed a change in the light around her. Her back hit a smooth wall. Her Uncle's voice, full of disappointment, came to her.

"Oh, for the Tree's sake, open your eyes."

Daium did, raising her head. They were in one of the docking tubes, alone, for the moment. Her Uncle's four eyes showed no happiness to see her.

"Uncle..."

"Call me Commander, if you want to get out of this."

"Commander ... Jeli." He nodded.

"Better." Sighing, one of his large black hands went to her chin, gently raising it up. She felt like a child again, sitting on his lap as the family gathered. She had always been quieter than her siblings and cousins, preferring a warm lap to snuggle in than running around playing. His lap, when Dad was busy, had always been there for her...

"Dad..."

"I know, I know. I don't forgive, mind you, but I know. Success absolves many crimes, failure demonizes them, and I'm sure you know where on that spectrum you fall at the moment." His shoulders slumped a bit. "Why did you come here?"

"Sis..."

"Ah. You always were more intelligent than you were smart. Well, what's done is done. The question is, what do we do next."