~This chapter may contain some adult situations and imagery. ~
Tat’iana was VERY bored! Only Phantom’s
occasional visit helped to aleve the feeling of isolation she sometimes felt
what being effectively trapped in Hawk Haven. She missed having Seymour
around and found herself thinking of him often, which surprised her.
Back in Russia, she had no time to form real relationships because of her
war efforts and now, she had time enough on her hands and no one to waist
it with.
He hadn’t come to visit her since he had left.
Was he truly so busy that he couldn’t come and visit, even for just a little
while? Or was it something else? She hugged herself, wanting
to think of more pleasant things but nothing came to mind. Then the
pain in the back of her neck sprung suddenly on her. It hit her so
hard and so without warning that she staggered and was momentarily blinded.
She cried out and tried to find her balance and had her arms out to try to
grab hold of something. She heard the ever-vigilant Sonic give out
an anxious squawk and if she could see, she’d have seen him leave her side
for the first time since he’d been given to her, going out the door in search
of a Silverhawk.
The pain grew and she grit her teeth.
She dropped to her knees and her left hand reached for the neck apparatus
that for some reason was just now inflicting harm upon her. The pain
seemed to radiate from a point in her spine where the damning thing penetrated
and it shot out all the way to her toes and finger tips so that her hands
couldn’t keep from shaking. She was still blinded, by what, she didn’t
know and she was terrified. Was it permanent? A headache was
born and she bowed forward, curling herself into a tight ball, trying to
will the pain away.
“Tat’iana!” She heard Will’s deep voice,
full of worry. Heard him run towards her.
“Steel Will, something’s… happen…ing….” and
then Tat’iana passed out.
On Brim*Star Hardware had never felt so giddy
before the new ship arrived. He poked and prodded and assured himself
that the biounit he attached to Tat’iana would not need any augmentation
when it came time to place Tat’iana at the helm. Their spies had been
very accurate. The technology the Bedlaman’s used was something he’d
never seen before, but not something he couldn’t grasp… eventually.
He was able to get around most of the code the spies had sent him and he
knew what he had to do to get one they could control to fly the ship. There
had been a lot of kinks in their plan. Things went wrong.
The scientists they had originally wanted and
needed all ended up dead in the struggle to obtain them and their secrets
they hoped to take to the grave with them. Tat’iana, the daughter of
the brains behind the weapon they sought, had been their last salvation.
Trapped in her brain were the plans that they had needed. They had
taken her and discovered that she also happened to meet the special requirements
needed to fly the ship. The ship was a bioship. It had to have
a living organism to help fly it. Its fuel was the organism’s blood,
but it was economical, it could take what it needed without harming the host
organism. But that wasn’t what attracted the Mob. It was the
fact that it could also travel at the speed of thought. Wherever, whenever
you wanted to go, the host had ultimate control of destination without the
dangers or inconveniences of wormhole travel.
Hardware looked at his timepiece and grinned.
The attachment should be doing a final dump of its contents in their future
host symbiot, Tat’iana. They’d be getting her back soon, he just had
to figure the in’s and out’s of the thought ship first.
Zeeke was running off at the mouth again, but
Seymour wasn’t paying attention. He had been trying, rather unsuccessfully,
to think of a good excuse to go to Hawk Haven without an invitation.
He had to see Tat’iana again. Wait. That was it! If he
could just get up the nerve, he could offer Tat’iana a chance to temporarily
escape Hawk Haven. He could take her on a tour of Limbo. He sighed
as he was reminded of Zeeke beside him. He had to get rid of the nuisance
so he could spend some time alone with the girl.
“Hey, Zeeke, you can go ahead and take the
rest of the day off. I got it from here.” He said.
Zeeke shrugged and didn’t argue for a change.
The beak didn’t even wait for Seymour to pull over and just opened up the
door and flew out into space. Relieved, Seymour stirred up some courage
and headed towards Haven.
When he set the cab down in the hanger, he
noticed the lack of activity and didn’t like it. He wandered deeper
into the heart of Haven and looked for Tat’iana. He finally found a
grouping of Silverhawks in the infirmary, where he had spent too much of
his time at one point. What was going on? Then he saw someone
lying on the med table that he’d been on. Oh dear… he quietly entered
the room to get a closer look at who was on the table.
It was Tat’iana. Hey, what was going
on?
“What happened?” Seymour blurted out.
The Silverhawks turned around, startled that
he had just appeared out of nowhere.
“Seymour.” Steel Heart said. “We
have no idea what’s happening to Tat’iana. That thing in her neck just
released a massive dose of whatever it is that’s its been slowly pumping
into her and she had a bad reaction to it. She’s stable now.”
Seymour swallowed and looked up at the prone
form of Tat’iana. His plans dashed in one fell swoop. Those Mob
bastards! What had they done to her?
He overheard the twins talking quietly back
and forth to each other. “I think it’s attacking her immune system.
But I can’t be sure.”
Will whispered back, “But why? For what
reason?”
Quicksilver looked at the readout, “Who knows
what twisted reasons the Mob can come up with. At least she seems to
be all right, for now. Keep an eye out for any changes, okay?”
The twins nodded and Jonathan left the room.
So Seymour stayed the rest of the day. He dined alone in the mess hall
and had drug a chair into the infirmary so he could watch over her while
the Silverhawks had to go about protecting Limbo. This was not exactly
what he had in mind as a first date. Yes, he had finally admitted it
to himself. He wanted to be with her. She stirred things in him
that he hadn’t felt in years. Eventually he fell asleep in his chair.
Tat’iana woke finally. The pain was past
and she found herself lying flat out on the med table. She looked about
her and smiled when she saw the sleeping figure of the cabbie beside the
bed. No one else was in the room and she enjoyed the painless quiet
for a moment. Sonic was there. She finally spotted him.
He sat on a perch on the wall and cocked his head as he noticed her wake.
It was the first sort of personal gesture she’d ever seen out of the hawk.
Was he finally warming up to her?
“You’re awake! How do you feel?”
She turned her head to see Seymour standing
in his chair so he could actually look at her.
Tat’iana rewarded him with a smile, “I feel
much better, thanks. What are you doing here?” She was glad to
see him but curious as to what his reason may have been.
“Um, well,” Seymour said nervously, “I was
going to see if you would be interested in me giving you a tour of Limbo.”
Tat’iana’s smile broadened. That was
so sweet! “Can I take a rain check on that offer?”
Now was Seymour’s turn to smile, “You bet.
As soon as you’re well enough.”
A few days later, Tat’iana left Hawk Haven
for the first time since she arrived. It was a much more pleasant ride
in the cab than her first time. Seymour played tour guide and Tat’iana
enjoyed herself immensely. Sonic flew beside them the whole way.
Tat’iana crawled about inside the cab for better views. He wasn’t cleared
by the Silverhawks to take her to Bedlama for fear of the Mob but he did
a fly by of it and Tat’iana looked at the breathtaking view with a new sense
of wonder. From a distance, it looked much like Earth. One day,
she’d get down there to see for herself.
Seymour made for a good guide. He knew
where everything was in Limbo. He also explained to her in great detail,
the places they were not allowed to go, such as Bedlama and the Light Year
Limit. She ate it up and was disappointed when the tour was over with.
“When will I see you again?” She had
gotten out of the cab, standing in the safety of the hanger. She was
beside the driver’s door.
That took Seymour by surprise. He hadn’t
really expected her request. It bolstered his confidence and he replied,
“I can come by to tomorrow, if you like.”
“I’ll be waiting. And again, thanks for
the tour!”
She watched him drive off and happily went
to her quarters with Sonic on her shoulder. She was in a good mood
for a change. After all that’s happened to her lately, she was due for some
happiness.
She absently stroked Sonic’s feathered chest
and was further pleased at his acceptance of her attentions. Maybe
her little emergency had softened the great bird towards her. He still
watched her, but only directed his full tilt aggressive gaze at others who
came near her. Unfortunately, Seymour still was favored with one of
those glares. She took her shower and afterwards gazed out her window
at the view of Bedlama as she dried her short hair. Maybe, once all
the trouble with the Mob finally died down, she’d make it down there.
Phantom had suggested a few ideas that had appealed to her. She could
make herself a new life there.
When she fell asleep, her neck ached a little,
but that was it. The next day, she eagerly waited for Seymour’s arrival.
Thank God Phantom had taught her how to properly work the kitchen equipment.
She fixed them dinner and advised that the Silverhawks eat elsewhere for
their evening meal that only got a few knowing chuckles out of them as they
had an inkling of her plans. She blushed, but she didn’t bother to
argue or correct them. She wasn’t going to deny her intentions.
And if all the Silverhawks knew, then so be it. In fact, they were
quite encouraging. They seemed to be downright pleased and were enthusiastic
in helping her decide what to cook. Even Will, helped.
Once she was certain that she could take things
from a point, they left her, but not without all the hawks guarding her.
Seymour arrived in the hanger just as all the
Silverhawks were taking their places in the Miraj. “Where are you guys
going?” He wondered.
Bluegrass tipped his hat at Seymour from his
post in the cockpit, “Giving ya’ll a chance to have a nice, quiet dinner
for two. Have fun, kiddies!”
Seymour was stunned to silence and watched
as the Hawks flew away. Dinner for two, he thought and tugged on his
scarf nervously. He went straight to the mess hall where a wonderful
scent led the way. Bluegrass wasn’t kidding. One of the tables
by the window was arranged with Bedlaman settings and some Bedlaman wine.
“It smells great.” He said by way of
greeting. She was getting the last of it out of the oven. “I
was going to ask you what you had wanted to do today, but I hadn’t been expecting
this.” He said honestly.
“I wanted to thank you for your tour, sort
of pay you back for your time lost when you could have been making a buck.
Is it all right?” She asked.
He nodded, unable to think of anything halfway
intelligent to say.
“Sit at the table, I’ll bring the dinner.”
Tat’iana was not blind. Apparently neither
was Seymour. She knew she was of fair looks and had not missed the
way the cabbie always looked at her. She had done nothing about it
at first, quite satisfied that they had a firm friendship, bonded by their
Brim*Star experience. But lately she decided that perhaps she wanted
a bit more.
“So, we got some beef ribs from Earth, some
seasonal Bedlaman vegetables, Mimian salad, and my grandfather’s mashed potatoes.
I was assured this fare was suitable here?” She set the transparent
plastic platter on a nearby table.
“More than suitable.” He assured her
looking at the still sizzling ribs dripping in their own juices. The
smell was heavenly. He hadn’t eaten this well in years. When
you’re single, you tend not to cook just for yourself, too much trouble.
He’d gotten used to diner food. This was, by his standards, extravagant
and a very good sign, he hoped.
They ate the well-prepared meal and the conversation
survived with small talk. It truly was the best thing he’d eaten in
a long time. He hadn’t minded giving up a few hours out of flying time
to be with Tat’iana yesterday. She need’nt have worried about paying
him back. But he was glad she did all the same. All throughout
dinner, he had been trying to figure some way to make his intentions towards
her known. He could only think of one. But the trouble was how.
He helped her clean up. It had been a
pleasant evening and he didn’t want it to draw to a close. They still
laughed and chatted throughout the clean up. She told him stories about
home, mostly about her war experiences. He’d been impressed.
He didn’t know she was a war veteran. He understood her feelings of
isolation. Not many of his kind took to the space around Bedlama.
He spent most of his time alone. That seemed to be one thing they shared.
In an empathetic moment, he took a risk and hugged her.
Seymour was very aware of her closeness and
swallowed, preparing to release her if he had misread her signals and his
contact was indeed unwelcome. But she didn’t stiffen, and much to his
delight, she hugged him tighter. But her next move caught him totally
unawares and brought him to full arousal as she snaked her hand down and
twined her slender fingers about his antenna. His breath caught at
that contact and he gripped her tighter, willing for her to continue.
She did and his heart raced, hardly able to believe that someone so beautiful
was doing this to him. Both her hands now worked over his antenna and
he was barely aware that he was shuddering in her arms and stifled a moan
as he pressed his face into her chest. She responded with eagerness
to his obvious stimulus and knelt once more so her face was level to his
and she leaned forward for their first kiss.
Seymour’s head swam in that euphoric moment,
his body charged with the sexual energy he had not experienced before.
Indeed, he’d never been with a woman. His kind tended to mate for life
and he had pretty much given up hope on ever bonding with anyone. Of
course, her being human could complicate matters. He wouldn’t expect
her to abide by his race’s views of marriage and would explain the way things
were to her… but later.
Boldly, he began to explore her body with his
hands, amazed that such a hardy creature as she was so soft. She submitted
to his touch with a willingness that fueled his need. And the two eventually
found their way to bed and the ultimate pleasure that two lonely beings in
the close quarters of a bedroom far from either’s home could find.
Commander Stargazer walked out to the hanger
where the twins were working on the Miraj as usual. He spotted the
cab sitting there.
“I didn’t see Seymour come in this morning.”
He commented.
Steel Heart looked up from her maintenance,
grinning. “That’s because he never left last night.”
Stargazer blinked. “What? What
reason could he have for staying…?” The Commander stopped. “How long
has this been going on? Why didn’t I know about this?”
“They are both adults, Commander.” Bluegrass
joined in. “We have no right to lord over their personal lives.
Neither Seymour, nor Tat’iana are a part of the Silverhawks. Let them
sort it out on their own.”
When Seymour woke, he was confused by his surroundings.
He was in a strange bed and a strange room. Then he remembered and
he was covered in a blanket of bliss. He felt the warm and sumptuous
body of Tat’iana spooning him, sweaty bare skin against sweaty bare skin.
Her arm lay across his body and it curled up in a slack position under his
chin. He fingered her hand affectionately. He should tell her,
but how would she react? He wanted her to waken so he could tell her
but he also didn’t want to spoil the perfect moment he had waited so long
for.
He felt her breathing rhythm change as she
slowly woke. Her right arm that draped across him moved down with a
predictable destination. He held his breath and she gripped his naturally
ribbed fifth appendage with eagerness to continue what they had been at all
night long. He let her do as she wished and she worked him until he
came again. He panted in the aftermath, her name still echoing in his
ears. By the Goddess of Bedlama, she was good! He thought.
“Good morning, Seymour.” She said quietly
and hugged him closer.
“For the first time, it is.” He breathed.
He should tell her now. He’d waited much too long. He should
have told her before they made love that night. “Listen. I have
to tell you something about my people that’s, well, important in situations
like, um, this.”
“Yes?” Her delicate fingers traced lightly
over his body and his skin tingled at the contact.
“Well, I know I should have told you earlier,
but… I thought that it might not apply to you since you aren’t even from
my planet.”
“What’s bothering you, Seymour?”
He sighed. “When a male and a female
of my species mate for the first time, well, that’s it. It’s for life.
Technically, in the eyes of my people, we’re married.” Of course, in
their marriage ceremonies at home, the family of both the man and woman stayed
in the room during the act, to be certain it was legitimate. Then they
would feast afterwards. He wasn’t about to subject Tat’iana to such
a spectacle. Seymour waited for the loud protests.
To his astonishment, she laughed with gladness.
“I have waited a long time to find my soul mate. For the first time,
I’m glad I came to Limbo.”
He grasped her hand, surprised at finding tears
in his eyes. She wasn’t upset. She appeared to even accept the
fact. He couldn’t believe it. Finally, after all this time he
was married. Then a thread of worry threatened to strangle his sudden
happiness. How would he be able to support a wife when he could barely
support himself?
“What do we do now?” Tat’iana asked him.
“Good question.” He had no idea.
“I got it working, Boss. Now we just
need her to run the ship.” Hardware told the Planet Master. “I
think I got the remote working again for long range finally after Mumbo accidentally
broke it. The receiver on Tat’iana’s biounit should be functioning.
The last of the drugs have worked through her system, her body should be
able to accept the ship without rejecting it.”
“Very good.” Mon*Star was pleased.
Things were finally coming together. They had managed to secure some
plutonium, a fifty-pound ball and through systematic raids, had also acquired
all the necessary components to make a very powerful atomic bomb. It
wouldn’t be the largest ever seen, but it would do the job. All they
had to do was drop it off at a key moment in time and make history how it
was meant to be. Mon*Star could barely maintain the patience needed
for such an event to come to pass.
“The bomb’s on board the ship. Say, Boss, since it’s ours
now, shouldn’t it have a name?” Hardware liked all ships to have names.
He felt it bad luck to fly a ship that didn’t have a name. Even the
space limo’s all had names, though it was not widely known. He had
a tendency to name everything.
Mon*Star felt lenient that day because things were going so well,
“Name it whatever you like, Hardware.”
“Whatever you say, Boss.” Hardware looked at the ship with
a possessiveness he often had with machines he’d tinkered with. Soon,
this would be the most powerful ship in all of Limbo. All it needed
was a few more adjustments and it’s pilot. But the ship had to be ready
to go before they called her back. The bomb hadn’t been that difficult
to build once they had all the components and had sorted out the instructions
in Tat’iana’s mind. That Earthling was coming in awful handy whether
she knew it or not, Hardware mused to himself.
“Until this threat with the Mob is over with, she’s not going
anywhere.” Stargazer was behind his desk and tried to wrap his mind
around the most recent current events. Standing before him was the
two newly weds. He snorted. As if things weren’t complicated
enough around here, he thought as he stared down at a mildly guilty looking
Seymour and a confused Tat’iana. “Couldn’t you two have waited at least
until we got a handle on things?”
“It wasn’t as if we planned it. It… just… happened.”
Seymour grunted, feeling torn between embarrassment and pride.
Steel Heart said, “Commander, you’re not making things any easier
for them, if you don’t mind my saying so.”
“Well, I do mind!” He barked. “I have to keep things
running around here. I can’t do that if you people can’t control yourselves.
We have the Mob up to God knows what and Tat’iana’s got their interest piqued.
And now you two go and, well… how am I supposed protect Tat’iana when you
do as you please?”
“Are we in trouble, Commander?” Tat’iana asked, feeling
like a child before her father and him finding her in the backseat with a
boy.
Stargazer scrubbed his face tiredly with his flesh hand and sighed.
“No. Of course you two have the right to…” Stargazer felt uncomfortable
going there, so he didn’t. “Look, she’s going to have to stay here
until the Mob looses interest in her. That’s that. You can come
and go here as you please, Seymour. I know the ways of your people
and I can’t deny you that. But please, I can’t take any more surprises.”
Stargazer grunted and leaned back into his chair. I need a vacation,
he thought.
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