Dekkir (Galaxy Alien Warriors #1)(8)

I felt like crying. I had looked forward to this job for the better part of two years, and now it was being screwed up by something as stupid as an oversexed, egotistical local. And somehow, the fact it was Dekkir doing this bothered me the most. It almost felt like a betrayal, like maybe we could have had something if only he hadn’t been such an ass about things. As it was, I felt like yet another woman who would end up being sexually harassed out of an important job.

I plodded up the staircase with the last of my strength. What a day. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to rest safely in Dekkir’s household. I didn’t trust him not to try something while I was sleeping. Nor did I have any idea how I was going to work with him. I had endured Norcross, but this was potentially far worse.

I didn’t catch sight of Dekkir in the crowd below, giving me hope I had escaped him for the moment. I made my way up onto the roof and looked around for a private place where I could sit. I finally found a clear spot near the overhangs that sheltered the Rilleen. I didn’t get too close since, after all, only one of them knew me.

I sat against a haystack and pulled out my white, palm-sized uplink booster. It wouldn’t be as strong as the one in the dropship, but I hoped for a clear signal anyway. I keyed it up, slotted my imager into it, and plugged one of its spooled cables into my earpiece. I heard the soft hum of the standby signal.

“Come on, you piece of crap,” I muttered. I wanted to talk to the doctor first, for the sake of hearing a friendly voice. Too bad I was overdue for my first report to Norcross.

Fortunately, he was not a fan of long communications. I touched my earpiece as the tone in my ear finally cut off. “Lieutenant Damon Norcross from Science Officer Bryant.”

The earpiece trilled softly, and I heard a click. “Miss Bryant!” Not Science Officer or Doctor, of course—this was Norcross. His voice brimmed with obnoxious cheer. “How good to hear from you. How was your landing?”

“Your techs miscalculated my landing velocity to a degree that could have killed me. The dropship was then grabbed out of midair by an animate plant, and I barely escaped with my life.” I spoke in a flatly professional tone, hiding my disgust with him. “Fortunately, my contact picked me up quickly. I am now at the Capitol.”

“Is it really as tiny as everyone says?” No comment about his team’s screw-up.

“I’m estimating the local population at roughly ten thousand.”

He chuckled. “So what else do you have for me?”

“I have made contact with the high chieftain. His name is Dorin. He is highly skeptical of our continued overtures. It may be some time before I can earn his trust.”

“Pick up any image files of their fort?”

“I have an image of Dorin and his court for you. You should find it educational. I’m drawing parallels with Britain in approximately the Eleventh Century.”

“Upload this image for me immediately. I’m interested in finding out exactly what the high chieftain looks like.” His voice held a strange note of anticipation, but I was too tired to wonder about it.

I uploaded the image. “I’m afraid that’s all I have for you so far.”

“That’s fine. This is helpful. I expect to hear from you again in three days.”

“Yes, sir.” The communicator clicked back to the standby hum.

I sighed and sat back against the haystack, staring out past the crenellations at the cloudy sky. I noticed one far-off cloud that glittered strangely. I watched it curiously as I put in a call to the doctor.

“This is Dr. Sterling. Nice to hear from you again. How are you doing after that crash? Must have been very harrowing.”

Of course he understands. “It was, but I made do. Still, the dropship is a total loss.”

“I’ll send some salvage drones to clean up the mess. Are you missing much of your gear?”

“Pretty much everything except what I had in my jumpsuit.”

“Maybe I can send you a supply drop at some point. At least your communications equipment didn’t get damaged.” There was a brief pause. “And how were you received by the Lyrans?”

I hesitated.

“Grace, is something wrong?” Concern had entered his voice, and I felt my throat tighten.

“Doctor, I have run into some unexpected social complications here. They may interfere with the mission.”

“I’m sorry. What happened?”

I noticed the glittering cloud seemed to be growing closer. After a moment, I realized it was moving against the wind. What is that? “I need to know about Lyran courtship customs.”

“That’s not something I had an opportunity to study. I do know they tend to have a good number of casual lovers but eventually settle down with permanent mates.”

“And those mates . . . they get a choice in the m-matter, right?” Damn.

“Grace, tell me what happened.”

Deep breath. “I just need to know what kind of recourse do I have if one of the men will not leave me alone?”

“I beg your pardon?” He sounded incredulous.

“Look, I know most men have never been in a situation where you feel endangered because there’s a guy around who’s three times your size and doesn’t understand the meaning of the word no. Just take my word that it’s a serious problem.”