The Kiss: An Anthology About Love and Other Close Encounters(126)

“I don't think I should.”

“You can wait on the other side of the door. I won't be able to get out or go anywhere. I just... I'd appreciate some time alone to prepare for this. It won't be easy for me.”

“All right, but no violence and no trying anything else. You just wait here and sort this predicament out with the Captain.”

“Of course, that's why I came.” She nodded at the Thorian and he stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. After taking a couple of deep breaths, she hastily pulled all her clothes off, folded them up in the corner, and slipped beneath the crisp sheets of his bed. It bothered her that the bed had been perfectly made but it couldn't be helped. She needed him to understand what she was offering without her having to say it. A part of her knew it would be difficult to get the words out. With the covers arranged neatly around her she lay back and waited for the Captain to come and discover her.





From Bad to Worse


The ship sounded eerily quiet as Dylan made his way through its halls. Other than a few staff, all of which were hard at work, the crew still slept and any non-essential functions had been switched off to conserve energy.

All he could hear was the gentle tapping of a repair bot as it tried to bend a panel back into the right shape. It sounded strange echoing through the corridor but not out of place given their situation.

After visiting Auraylia in her cell he'd needed to calm himself down, so he'd visited each of his staff who were still awake and talked to them for a few minutes. They appreciated the concern and he now had a better idea of what state his ship was in.

With each hour that passed they also put distance between themselves and the Myreen scouts. With this in mind he felt a bit better than he had since the first attack less than forty eight hours earlier.

Finally feeling like he might be able to get some rest himself, he headed back to his cabin. When he saw Varl standing outside his door with his arms crossed Dylan sped up.

“Auraylia is inside. She wanted to talk. I think she has something important to tell you and I think it will help,” the Thorian said as Dylan closed the last of the gap.

“So you left her alone in my room?”

“She can't go anywhere.”

“Varl, she attacked me!”

“Only because she thought you were someone else. You did wake her up.”

Dylan sighed. The Thorian never gave any indication that he cared what his Captain thought of his actions. Without changing the look on his face Varl opened the door and moved out of the way. Dylan heard it close behind him but it took him a second to locate Auraylia.

When he saw her lying in his bed he froze, not sure if this was some kind of joke. Then he noticed her stack of clothes in the corner.

“What are you doing, Auraylia?”

“I thought we could talk about this trial thing,” she replied as she ran her hand slowly over the space in the bed beside her.

“Well, not like that we aren't. I'm going to step out of my cabin for a couple of minutes and then I'm going to return. I expect to find you fully dressed again.”

“Captain, I... Let's just talk about this.”

“No. Up. Dressed. Now!” He stomped back out of the room and slammed the door. Varl raised an eyebrow.

“She's... Why on earth did you bring her here?”

“She said she wanted to talk to you. She had something to say.”

“Well, she must have changed her mind. I found her in my bed.”

“Captain, I really thought she was going to talk to you.”

“It's all right.” Dylan shook his head at Varl's discomfort. “Would you go find Thomas and ask him if he'd mind watching her in the brig again, at least until we can sort out a rota of guards. Varl nodded and hurried off.

After giving her another minute to make herself decent he walked back into his own cabin. It felt strange to be apprehensive in a place that had always felt his and safe, but he fought back his emotions. Auraylia stood in the middle of the room, dressed. As he strode in she wiped away what looked like tears.

“One last chance. Tell me what all this is about and what is bothering you.”

She shook her head. “There's nothing I can tell you.”

“Then you will face trial as soon as it is convenient.”

He took her arm in his hand and escorted her back to the brig. This time he locked her up personally and waited for Thomas to come back.

“Sorry about this,” he said as he handed over the key. “Hopefully we'll figure this all out soon.”

Dylan walked out without so much as a second glance at the slave. Inside he was furious, but he couldn't show it. She had let him down. After all her gratitude and promises about being worth the credits, he'd wasted most of his savings on a woman who was likely to get kicked out of the Fleet before she'd even completed a week of probation. Never before had he judged a situation or person so badly.

On his way back to his cabin his comm device went off.

“Go ahead,” he said as he activated it.

“Captain, I thought you might like to know we've entered Federations space and have been hailed by the Conchita scout ship. She's going to watch our back and let us have a free run into port.”

“Thank you. That's very good to know.” Being out of danger made him feel a little better, but he knew he had plenty to plan. Finding time for a trial where all who wanted to could attend wouldn't be easy, and he knew if she were found guilty it would be his responsibility to drop her off at the next Federations planet, stripped of rank and any money. For someone like Auraylia and the planet they were heading to, that could be a death sentence. At the least, taking her back to Lantock might mean she could get a job.