A/N: My coworker at work requested that I work on this story, even though it doesn't have very much interest on the site. I changed Reka's appearance slightly from last chapter because I wanted her to look even more different from a typical Tranq Prime woman. After all, her mother was half-Maori so I thought that she should have dark hair and a natural tan to her skin. If you like it, let me know. I try to keep it detailed enough so that if you are unfamiliar with the books, you can still understand what is going on.

Chapter 2

Into the Unknown

A loud buzzing noise tried to invade Reka's dreams. But, her dream was so wonderful that she didn't want to let it go. In her mind the buzzing became the sharp cries of the seabirds that flew overhead as they flew out to sea from the jagged, steep cliffs that surrounded this familiar beach of her dreams. She knew Karekare beach well, having grown up not far from this place in Auckland. She stood facing the crashing waves with her barefoot toes digging into the black sand. The gauzy dress she was wearing fluttered in the breeze and her hair whipped around her face. It had been then that she had felt strong, yet gentle fingers, smooth the hair out of her eyes. She had looked up into to the cold, yet handsome face of Commander Sylvan. But, now those glacial eyes were brimming with a heat that she did not know he could possess. Her lips had parted as something inside her melted as her eyes were locked with his. He had leaned down and she knew that he would kiss her. She was afraid and she had trembled in his arms. He was her boss. He was a Blood Kindred male who would instantly recognize her deformity. She should stop him. But, she felt helpless to act. Foolish girl that she was, she wanted to feel his touch, to feel his strong arms around her. She had closed her eyes as she fought with this longing inside of herself for something that she should not want. Maybe, he felt her hesitation because his palm cupped her cheek and his thumb made a soft, sensuous caress over her lips.

"Don't be afraid, Talana," he whispered with a husky, low voice that she swore seemed to hum within her.

His lips drew closer, so close that she anticipated the taste of their sweetness. The buzzing noise came again and again. She jolted upright and found herself on her sofa as the tattered pieces of her dream faded away. Crap, that was just getting good. She must have fallen asleep after a long day in the medical bay. Commander Sylvan had gone to another Kindred ship that had sustained numerous casualties which had overwhelmed the medical staff of that ship. So, he had left her in charge. It sounded much more important than it actually was. She had basically handed out bandaids and minor medicines to the females who were the mates of the Kindred males on the ship, since no self-respecting Kindred male would admit that he suffered from such a minor ailment as a headache or stomach ache. Reka tugged her tharp around her shoulders and went to answer the door. When she touched the access panel and the door opened with a whoosh, she was surprised to find the very Kindred of her dreams outside. The memory of their almost kiss in her dream returned and she felt her face growing warm with a blush. Commander Sylvan's light blue eyes narrowed.

"Are you well?" he asked.

"I, ah, am fine. It's just hot in here," she muttered, trying to find an excuse for her reddened cheeks. She petted the edge of her tharp. "My tharp works a little too efficiently, sometimes."

His eyes strayed to her tharp and a tiny smile formed. So tiny that only someone who knew him would have noticed. Okay, stop it. You don't know him that well, so forget that silly dream.

"An old tharp, yes?" he asked.

"I've had it since being a toddler," replied Reka. "My family lived for a while on Tranq Prime."

"Yes, I forget that about you," replied Sylvan.

Reka tucked a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear. It was at that time that she noticed that her skin had a golden tone to it that was different from the pale, creaminess of Sylvan's Tranq skin. She would always look sun-kissed and was far from the pale beauties that he must be drawn to.

"I guess that I can thank my mother for my looks. They certainly set me apart on my father's home world," she replied. That was a nice way of saying that she was basically ostracized and an outcast. Thank goodness that her mother quickly had enough of the frigid world and cold ways of her father's people. From then on, they either lived aboard a mother ship or on Earth. There were many children of mixed heritage aboard the Kindred vessels that were her home and her mother's family never treated her as anything but a beloved relative.

"Yes, your exotic features would have certainly set you apart," he replied.

"Exotic? Is that another way of saying strange?" she asked with a smile.

"No, I meant….exotically lovely."

Did Commander Sylvan just call me pretty? Reka fought against another blush that threatened to travel to her cheeks. She lowered her eyes, to hide her thoughts. Don't embarrass yourself. He was just being polite. He must have thought that you were fishing for a compliment.

"May I come in?" he asked. "Holding a conversation out in the hallway is rather awkward."

"Of course," she replied, standing aside to allow him entry. He walked passed her and she noticed again how tall he was. She was tall for a female, certainly above average for an earth woman at five foot ten. In heels she towered over most of the human males of her hometown. Her brother had tousled her hair and told her that she had the height and looks of a supermodel and to stop whining. There were plenty of guys who wouldn't mind the view, he had said. Reka couldn't stop from noticing that even in her highest stiletto heels, she wouldn't tower over Sylvan.

"Please have a seat. Would you like a beverage?" she asked.

"No, thank you," he replied. He remained standing and seemed a little uncomfortable. "I came here to apologize."

"Apologize? I don't understand."

"You should have gone with me today. I could have used your skills," he said.

"Then, why didn't you take me?" she asked.

"I have been limiting some of your duties because you are a woman," he replied.

At least, he had the decency to look embarrassed about it. "Do you somehow feel that I'm not competent enough to perform my duties? I can assure that I was at the top of my classes and I can provide references if-" Reka replied.

"It's not that," cut in Sylvan. "I have no doubts about your abilities. In fact, you are probably the best intern that I have ever trained."

"Then, are you going to start treating me like a skilled member of your staff and not like a weak female who needs protection?" she replied with her arms crossed over her chest. "Because I don't need anybody to hold my hand."

"I did say that I came here to apologize," Sylvan replied with that tiny smile again on his lips. "I can only say that I've never had anyone else like you on my staff. You are technically a civilian and it's in my nature, my Kindred nature, to protect all females who I am responsible for."

"Are you saying that you can't overcome your nature?" asked Reka. She realized that her heart was beating faster. She wanted to stay here on this ship. Here with Commander Sylvan more than she had wanted to admit. But, if he could not look past her sex, then she would have no choice but to find another assignment. As much as it pained her, she might have to give up her dreams and return back to Earth.

"Neither one of us can overcome our nature," he said.

Hold it together. Be proud, the same Tranq blood flows in your veins as well as his. Don't let him see how much his rejection hurts. Reka blinked quickly and kept the tears that threatened to fall back.

"But, that doesn't mean that we can't try to work around it," he added. "Since most of the fault lies with me, I will do my best not to limit your boundless talent."

Reka gave him a genuine smile. "And I promise to my best not to be a damsel in distress. Deal?"

"Deal," affirmed Sylvan, show off his fangs in a smile that reminded her of her dream Sylvan.

"It's customary on Earth to shake hands after forging a deal," said Reka. Why did you say that? Now, you can't take back those words.

Sylvan stared at her for a moment and she was about to blurt out that it was just a silly ritual and to forget about it. Then, he held out his hand to her. She counted the passing of time with the beats of her heart as she slowly slipped her hand into his larger one. His fingers closed around her and her breath went out with a sigh. Their hands shook and his fingers withdrew from hers. But, her heightened senses felt every touch of his fingers as if in slow motion until they slipped from hers. Back at her side, her hand still tingled from his touch.

All business now, Sylvan said, "You will report to the shuttle bay tomorrow morning at 0700 and leave with me. We have a long day ahead of us, so get your rest."

"I'll be there with bells on," she replied.

Sylvan's brows knit in confusion. "Why would you be wearing bells?"

"It's just an Earth saying," replied Reka. She gave him a devilish smile and added, "I'll be there bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to leave."

"Yes, I'm not familiar with much of Earth's colorful vernacular," he replied. He turned to leave, but stopped before leaving. "Can I ask you why you didn't chose to stay on your mother's home world and pursue your career there?"

Did she admit the truth? Nibbling her lip, Reka replied, "After growing up among the stars, how could I settle for anything less?"

Sylvan's blue eyes raked over her and she felt as if he were weighing and measuring her. What does he see when he looks at me? Is that lonely little girl still there who didn't seem to fit in anywhere? Neither in her mother's world nor her father's? She began to feel an ache in her upper gums and a growing pressure against her dental implant. As if along her nerve endings that ache traveled over her body in an instant and found it's destination in the area between her legs. A spreading warmth there both excited her and embarrassed her. Sylvan inhaled sharply and his lids lowered, seductively, for an instant before they opened back up.

"Well, goodnight," he said, abruptly.

He stepped outside and her door closed, leaving Reka alone with her body that refused to obey her careful control. She removed the offending dental piece and felt immediate relief. Moving into her bathroom, she examined her teeth. The tingling had stopped and they looked normal. Well, as normal as they ever did, she amended. She touched the tip of one of her fangs. It was still dull and the length was barely past her other teeth. Maybe, she should try having them filed down? It would be a relief not to wear something foreign her mouth. Do dentists have a patient confidentiality rule? The only problem was that her fangs could grow both in length and sharpness depending on those emotions that she was having problems being in control of. She moved to her bed and set her alarm. Snuggling within the comfort of her tharp, her thoughts returned to Commander Sylvan. Did he have any idea of what a hottie he was? Probably not. He was confident, but not conceited. He was obviously Tranq, but even on Tranq Prime, he would have also been set apart as different. His Kindred heritage would have been evident. Had he ever felt like an outcast growing up? She smiled and chastised herself for getting such a rush of pleasure from his compliment. But, still, he had called me pretty….or rather exotically lovely. She closed her eyes. Maybe Sylvan was waiting on Karekare beach for her again.

XOXOXOXO

Sylvan hurried to his quarters and took in several deep breaths. In the cramp space of Reka's quarters, he had been able to smell her all too well. The vanilla scent of her body lotion and the pear scent of her shampoo had evocatively drifted on the air. She was taller than a typical human female and her slender and graceful form reminded him of alluring women of Tranq Prime. Yet, those thick, dark tresses and the golden tone of her skin marked her as something else. Something so very beautiful that caused something inside of him to clench as he had gazed upon her before leaving her quarters. When she had answered his question, she had revealed the truth to him. He had wondered why she was among them, when she could have passed as a human and lived her life on Earth. Surely, Earth men would be as drawn to her beauty as he was. He had seen that wistful longing in her eyes. She would never be satisfied with an ordinary life and there was nothing ordinary about his intern. She was brave to follow her dreams. But, she was Kindred, after all, and bravery seems to be a genetic trait. A Kindred female was so rare. He had never met one, except for the priestesses that served the Goddess.

He stepped into his much larger and nicer quarters. Room for two he thought. He frowned and tried to clear his head of those highly inappropriate thoughts about his intern. Your responsibility is to watch over her, not notice how the lights bring out the warm, golden tint of her skin. With her hand in his, he also couldn't help but notice how fine boned her fingers were and how satiny soft her skin was.

He had also smelled a faint scent that could only be that of her arousal. It had been so faint that he thought that he had to be imagining it. Had it only been wishful thinking? Had his mind tricked him? Or had Reka's lovely eyes enchanted him? Those deep, gray blue eyes which were as dark as a twilight sky and filled with hidden secrets and desires. Or was it only his own secret longings that he saw reflected in their depths? Were her otherworldly eyes still Tranq? When she was possessed by her first lover would those beautiful eyes turn color? Or had she already given some lucky male that precious gift? A Tranq Prime female is severely pressured by social constraints to remain pure until marriage. But, Reka seemed to identify herself more as a human than Tranq. The brave Reka who followed her dreams to the stars would also be brave enough to take a lover on her terms. But, that didn't stop his cock from wondering the same thing as his mind did. He felt himself grow hard as he wondered what it would be like to be inside of her and look down into her eyes as he watched them change. To know that he would forever leave his trace upon her.

XOXOXOXO

"Commander Sylvan, you are being a butt-head!" Reka cried.

"You can't speak to me like that," replied Sylvan, the fingers of his one hand flying over the controls.

"I just did," retorted Reka. "Now, give command of this vessel over to me."

"I'm fully capable to flying this craft," replied Sylvan.

"Your injury is affecting your abilities. You can barely use your left hand."

"I'm right-handed," replied Sylvan, his fingers rapidly moving to maintain control.

"Stop being a Kindred male for once and listen to me," replied Reka, with an urgency in her voice. "I'm a good pilot."

"The last time I checked flight training was not part of medical students curriculum," replied Sylvan.

On the way from the other ship, they had been hit by a surprise attack of Scourge fighters. Sylvan had been up and securing some loose cargo in the rear of the vessel when their ship was hit by a forceful blast. Their shields had not even been up and Sylvan had been thrown several feet into a reinforced metal bulkhead. He had managed to scramble back to the controls, but his shoulder was painfully damaged and perhaps dislocated. The ship had also sustained some damage that made flying it harder than normal.

"My brother taught me how to fly," replied Reka. She put her hand over Sylvan's. "Please, believe me. I know what I'm doing and….and I don't want to be captured."

Both Sylvan and Reka both knew what fates would befall them if they were taken captive by the Scourge. Their enemy was known for their depravity and they had no honor when it came to females. He would fight to his last breath to protect her, but even he acknowledged that it might not be enough to save either one of them. Sylvan reluctantly nodded and began to unbuckle himself from the seat. Reka helped him out and quickly strapped both of them in. Taking over the controls, she drove the ship down with a stomach lurching drop to the surface of the moon in their path. She accelerated and skimmed the craft only a few feet above the rugged terrain of the surface.

"Do you know how close we are to crashing!" demanded Sylvan. "Pull up!"

"Stop being a backseat driver."

"There is no backseat in this craft," replied Sylvan in confusion.

"Nevermind, just trust me."

Confidently holding the controls, Reka kept the craft going as fast as possible as she managed to keep it from hitting anything in their path. Sylvan turned and looked into the monitors.

"They are right behind us at the same crazy elevation," he said.

"It's a male thing," she replied. "They wouldn't be able to resist the challenge of seeing us outfly them."

Sylvan made a noise suspiciously like a snort, but otherwise didn't comment. He looked ahead and his eyes widened. "You do realize that we are heading directly into that mountain face, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah," she said. "Time to separate the little boys from the big girls."

If anything the craft seemed to move faster as Reka coaxed every ounce of power out of it. She kept scanning the sonic mapping instrument and slightly adjusted her course until a break on the sheer wall became evident.

"That canyon is barely wider than this vessel. You are aware of that, aren't you?"

"Plenty of room by my calculations," Reka replied.

In a flash, they slipped into the canyon and sheer, rocky walls shot steeply up on both sides of the craft. The channel turned and winded and Reka was forced to slightly slow down to make the turns. But only slightly, as they were flung in their seats by the gravitational forces caused by Reka's sharp handling. Amazingly, her hands never rose from the controls and her eyes remained focused. They were jolted by a blast to the rear of the ship as the Scourge ships entered the canyon and kept up their pursuit.

"Hold on," Reka warned.

"What?"

Immediately, Sylvan detected that the turn ahead of them was too narrow for them to pass through it. Just as he was going to order her to pull up and out of this dangerous game, she turned the vessel on it's side and slipped through the passage without nicking the rocky outcroppings with the wings. His hands clenched the dash in front of him with white knuckles. Damn, but she could fly! He grudgingly admitted that she was a better flier than he was. He again tried to raise somebody, but all long-range communications were taken out with that first blast. A huge fireball roared behind them.

"One down, two to go," said Reka, with a calmness that belied their current tenuous situation.

It was then that one of the ships began to fire. But the blasts when wide and hit the rock walls in front of them. As boulders and debris began to fall, he realized that they hadn't missed the target that they were aiming for. Reka gave a soft cry and the ship lurched as she tried to avoid the falling rocks. Several ominous bangs were heard and a few stomach quivering drops were felt, but thankfully nothing big enough to knock them out of the sky hit them.

"Dirty bastards," murmured Reka.

"They're Scourge," replied Sylvan.

"Two can play that game," she replied. She gritted her teeth and sharply swung the ship to the left. A loud, scraping groan erupted and the ship's bucked as if being caught by greedy fingers. Then, Reka twisted the craft back the other direction. Sylvan realized that she had hit the rock wall on purpose and caused an avalanche. The roar of falling rocks echoed behind them and he looked into a rear view monitor. One of the Scourge vessels which was traveling closest to them was battered by rocks that rolled down into their path. It wiggled and dived and it's wings tipped back and forth until a large boulder hit it and knocked it down into the canyon wall. It burst into flames and disintegrated on impact. But, the other vessel nimbly avoided the falling rocks and followed them.

"That pilot is good," she admitted. "I won't outmaneuver him in here."

She pulled the nose of the craft up and they rapidly gained altitude. They shot out of the ravine and again flew over the uneven surface of the moon. Reka dodged and dived, keeping the other craft from managing to hit them. Suddenly the communicator crackled into life.

"I'm impressed with your flying, Kindred Warrior," came a silky voice.

"You're not so bad yourself," she replied.

There was a long pause. "A female? Your craft is piloted by a female?"

"Does it piss you off to be out flown by a woman?" she taunted.

"You haven't out flown me, yet," he retorted. "And when I capture you, I just might keep you all to myself."

"Thanks, but I don't think that you are my type," replied Reka.

"If you touch her and I will kill you," hissed Sylvan.

"Oh, is she your mate? As much as I might want to keep her, I'm afraid the AllFather will demand such a prize. It would be a mercy for me to kill her before he gets his claws on her."

"Some mercy," mumbled Reka. She switched off the communicator. She gritted her teeth again and Sylvan knew enough to know that she was going to do something crazy.

"Reka?"

Suddenly, Reka jerked the vessel up. Straight up and both of them were jerked hard in their restraints. She only accelerated faster and they turned upside down, causing a crash of anything that wasn't latched tightly down. Sylvan closed his eyes as a wave of nausea passed over him. He didn't want to be sick in front of the brave Reka. Opening his eyes, he saw the rear of the Scourge ship. Unbelievable, Reka jerked the accelerator and the ship dove forward with a lurch. Sylvan watched in horror as the enemy ship filled their view screen alarmingly fast.

"Brace for impact," Reka called out.

Sylvan grabbed his armrests just as they slammed into the other ship. Sylvan almost called her crazy, but wasn't dying quickly better than the alternative. Reka hadn't shrunk from making that choice for both of them, he only regretted that he had not properly protected her in the first place. He had failed in his duties. Yet, miraculously, they didn't explode or crash after the jarring impact that caused their ship to rattle and groan as metal was pushed to the point of breaking. But, the enemy vessel seemed to pitch and dive as it's pilot strived to control it.

"What happened?"

"We took out some of his steering controls on impact," Reka said. "He might be able to limp back to his ship, he's a good pilot. Otherwise, he will need to stop and make repairs."

"Brilliant," praised Sylvan. "Remind me to thank your brother for teaching you how to fly so well."

Reka looked over the star maps. "The bad news is that he would have been in communication with the Father ship and his friends are probably already on their way. We are essentially still cut off."

Sylvan turned to the maps. "There is a worm hole nearby that opens up into a mostly uncharted area. It is a lawless place filled with pirates and criminals, but it might be our only hope of avoiding the Scrouge and repairing our vessel."

Reka adjusted course and they headed towards it. She flashed Sylvan a game smile and said, "Buckle up, we might be in for a bumpy ride."

With those words, she flew the vessel into the unknown.

A/N: For anyone not familiar with the novels, perspective Kindred mates begin to dream-share with each other. Reka dreamed of Sylvan, but she does seem to have a little crush on him. Or, is it something more?

Kindred are very protective of their females, so I think that Sylvan isn't exactly being a male chauvinist, but he merely had wanted to keep Reka from situations where she might be in danger. This includes keeping her from the attentions of unwanted males. But, not all of his thoughts are protective as he wondered about the color of her eyes. Kindred males also have a heightened sense of smell and scents are an important part mating activity.

The Scourge pilot is Zairn even though I did not identify him as such. Again he is the AllFather's son for those unfamiliar with the books.