Chiana secured the transport's main hatch behind her. Berret looked around the craft, it was much larger then his Wraith, which actually was stored not to far away in a private berth. The Shrike thought it best to hide the stolen ship from prying eyes. A Wraith-class craft was essentially a Peacekeeper three-man surveillance vessel. Larger than a Prowler but smaller than a Marauder or Transport Pod, the ship was packed with high-gain electronic surveillance equipment and a stealth system that rendered the craft invisible to scans and other detection sensors. The wings, which tilted up and back for landings, held deployable sensor sails used while in surveillance mode. Arckatius had found the ship useful for spying on other Syndicate houses and had the craft's weapon's systems modified to include a pair of multi-barreled pulse cannon that rotated at a high rate as they fired. In the belly of the Wraith was also a missile rack that held up to twelve missiles depending on the type. Berret had yet to drop the rack into firing position to verify and see what the ship was armed with, checking the weapon systems' computer only told him that there were seven missiles in the launching rack but he didn't recognize the code for the type they were. Luckily, Berret's DNA had been programmed into the Wraith's A.I. computer, allowing him access to the ship and enabling him to steal it for his get-away. He knew Arckatius would be keen to recover the craft and its lack of military Peacekeeper markings would make it stand out if he'd left it parked in an opened landing bay, so he rented an enclosed one for it.
"There. All safe and private now," said Chiana as she walked around him and into the Pod's pilot cabin. Off to the right was the access-way that led to the ship's cargo hold. Straight ahead of him and across from the main hatch was a small kitchenette and what looked like a cramped living area for the crew while on long transport runs. Berret supposed it was just as good as renting a room, and cheaper, assuming Chiana had already paid the port's landing berth fee.
The Nebari woman shrugged out of her long coat and unwound the scarf from around her head. She tossed them into the pilot's seat and turned to face Berret, an easy smile graced her delicate features.
"Go on and take your coat off," she told him, "Make yourself comfortable."
Berret set down his retrieved bundle of groceries and slipped off his jacket. Chiana took the opportunity to apprise the man while he removed the garment and found a place to hang it up out of the way. She found he didn't look anywhere near as massive without the scale-like armor on, in fact he looked kind of... normal, she concluded.
Berret was as tall as Crichton though of somewhat slimmer build. She knew that the appearance was deceiving as Berret could very easily break a man of Crichton's size in two if he was of a mind too with the microbe augmentation. However, she also knew that performing such a feat would cost him. The microbes over-driving his muscles and tearing them, the stress possibly snapping bone, which the microorganisms would then have to rush and repair the damage they caused to Berret's body. The demand for raw material would be immense on the Shrike's system. Berret would have to eat a large quantity of high protein food to pacify the need or the microbes would start ripping what they required from less important areas of his body. The military application of the illegal microbes became apparent - keep the war machine going for as long as possible, no matter what the cost.
Despite the unseen alterations, she found she was pleased with the way he looked without the armor. He wasn't overly handsome but he was pleasant to look at. His eyes were that ice blue once again and he had nice cheekbones and strong, but not overbearing features. She noticed that his long braid was now gone and that his raggedly cut dark hair could use a trim to straighten it up. While his relatively passive face showed no emotion at the microt, there was a hint of wariness around the corners of his eyes that again led her to suspect that Berret wasn't taking proper care of his special needs with the microbes. She tabled that observation for the moment. When she got him away from this world she was sure it would be a simple matter for her to correct the problem.
Her eyes quickly travel over the rest of his body. He was on the lean side for sure but she knew from the few times that she touched him in the alley that his muscles were well toned. They'd probably have to be to bear the constant weight of the armor even with the augmentation. All in all, compared to the usual radical type of males she was attracted to... he was just, well, average.
She couldn't quite figure out why she was so drawn to the ex-Enforcer.
She moved closer to him with a nervous smile. Berret stood there in place and when she was close enough that the tall man was forced to look down at her, his lips tightened into a straight line as he waited for her to say something further.
Chiana found herself wanting to kiss those lips and wrap her arms around him now that she had him alone.
Her hot Nebari passion that was so repressed by her people on her homeworld rearing itself until she was forced to seize control of the urge and beat it back down into submission. When it came to physical pleasure she was use to taking what she wanted, but with Berret she instinctively knew that her aggressiveness would confuse the man. Time was the key with the Shrike... time and patience.
Right now the important thing was to get him out of the situation he was now in.
She broke eye contact while letting out a tense little giggle to hide her moment of weakness.
After a quick moment to compose herself, she looked back up at Berret and asked,
"Would you like something to drink?"
As Chiana removed her coat, Berret saw that she had replaced her old ruined outfit that she'd had when she was captured by the Syndicate with one that appeared to be almost like leather armor itself. Though it clung to her and hugged her lithe body like no armor ever did. The outfit left her upper arms and midriff bare except for a black see-through body suit of some sort. Berret had seen the girl wearing considerably less after he had killed the Syndicate men bent on raping her, for some reason the Nebari's cool gray skin hadn't registered on him like it was now. He had simply handed her his cloak when it became apparent that she would not be able to fix her torn clothing well enough to attempt an escape. He supposed it was the danger of the moment that kept him from noticing then, now alone with her in the Transport Pod he found himself becoming uneasy in her presence.
He fumbled around to find a place to hang his coat at her invitation. Afterwards as she approached him he discovered the unease turning to nervousness. She glided up so close to him that he imagined he could feel the heat radiate from her small body. She was so close to him now that she had to look up at him through the untamed bangs of her snow-white hair. For a microt Berret sensed something wild in the black eyes that gazed up at him. Her mouth parted questionly as she tilted her head ever so slightly to regard him.
The Shrike suddenly though she would find something about him wanting with her close inspection, and he felt his own lips press tightly together in apprehension.
Something predatory passed through Chiana's eyes in that instant and something deep inside Berret tried to answer her unspoken challenge. Cycles of wearing the collar had conditioned him to hide and suppress whatever feelings might arise and give away his intent to an opponent... or target. His face remained blank but his focus moved to her glossy black lips. He wanted her to pressed them against his again like she had before... he wanted her to kiss him again. He wanted to seize the initiative, to make a preemptive strike, and kiss her before she could move away.
In the next instant Berret strangled the desire as surely as he had killed countless beings. Chiana had first kissed him because she was happy about a slim chance for them to escape Arckatius' stronghold. Since then, Berret had observed enough humanoid couples to know that the contact also had a deeper meaning.
What he had just wanted was the deeper of the two, something he dare not ask of the Nebari woman.
Thief though she may be, he had been around enough true evil in his time to be able to recognize a basically good soul - a soul such as Chiana possessed. That fact that the girl given up everything she had to rush off to save him when she perceived he was in danger had more then proven that.
The girl deserved much better then what life had dealt her; he couldn't add more misery to it by asking her to feel something for him. Even if the girl felt what she thought she did for him, he wasn't sure he'd be able to learn how to give her what she needed back. He'd been too long under the collar... committed too many atrocities; to be sure he could learn to truly feel again. Besides he told himself, it was only a matter of time before Chiana opened her eyes and saw him for what he really was. When she had killed, it had been in self-defense. When he killed, it was usually murder. The sooner she realized it, the better for the both of them. All this passed through his mind in mere microts, his face revealed none of his heavy contemplation to the Nebari girl standing in front of him. He pushed the thoughts and feelings aside. Thinking or acting upon them would do no good. It was just another score to settle with Arckatius and the Syndicate when the proper time came.
Chiana unexpectedly broke the spell by looking off to one side for a microt, a little pleasant giggle fluttered from those lips he so desperately wanted a micron ago. When she looked back at him her eyes seemed more normal, less intense then they were a moment before.
"Would you like something to drink?" she asked.
Berret shook his head. "No, thank you," he replied politely, perhaps more politely then necessary to cover his flash of debility.
Chiana either didn't notice or she chose not to notice.
"Then let's go into the living compartment," she said. "I need the holo-viewer there to start to show you what I'm talking about when I said the Zem'Fury have been lying to you."
Berret consented and followed her into the confined quarters amidships.
Chiana was glad to have something to occupy her mind with beside the proximity of the Shrike.
She keyed the holo-viewer build into the small room's all-purpose table over to another of the local channels.
"You see? The Zem'Fury's section of the city is just as clean and well maintained as the Eilaan's and the Roentgen's sections. There aren't any slums for any of the races co-habiting here. This commerce port is one of the most prosperous I have ever seen. It's a snurcher's paradise. All the citizens seem to live comfortably here."
Berret had to admit; the Zem'Fury rebels had allowed him to see little of the entire city since recruiting him. "How can you be sure the local stations just are not showing the slum areas?"
Chiana rolled her eyes. "I already showed you what the Pod's flight recorder recorded of the city when I landed... there are no slums here."
"What about the restricted areas?"
"There are areas of the city restricted to each species. The Zem'Fury have areas of their own that the Eilaan and the Roentgen are not allowed to enter. It's sort of a buffer zone, giving each race a private place of their own to go to. Makes sense to me," she explained. "We've already accessed the central library and learned that there are strict regulations and guidelines established for all working areas. There hasn't been a single work related fatality, let alone an injury, in almost three cycles here... of any of the three groups."
Berret's mouth turned down in a frown. The couple had been forced to use the lower bunk as a couch while they watched the viewer in the restricted living space. At least the news reports and the discussion were able to keep his mind off the closeness of the gray girl.
"News reports and library records can be manipulated," he told her.
"Frell it, 'Ret! Open your eyes," Chiana said in slight frustration. She grabbed up the viewer remote and flipped back through several news report clippings. "Look! None of these 'operations' you've carried out for the rebels makes any sense. There's no reason to them except one... shock value."
She glanced over at the man beside her to see if he was following her.
"I know a little something about revolution... and this is not the way to run one. Whatever your friends are up to it's not a fight for freedom."
She could tell by the thoughtful look on Berret's face she was beginning to reach him.
Chiana flipped to a more current news clipping.
"And this... this was you too, wasn't it?"
Berret looked up and saw the face of the Eilaan he had eradicated that afternoon. He found he didn't want to admit the killing to the gray woman. Chiana pressed on, ignoring the look of guilt that was developing on her companion's face. Now was not the time to back off on him if she wanted to win him over.
"This one makes sense only if you look at it a certain way," she explained. "It wasn't who he was that they had you kill him... its where he was. A central government building with tight security."
She paused a moment to give her next words the desired impact.
"They're proving something to someone. That they're not safe anywhere and that they can get to them no matter where they are."
She turned off the holo-viewer and let the remote fall to the bed.
"This is not a rebellion... it's terrorism."
The Nebari woman waited and gave the man a chance to digest what she'd just said.
Berret's usually passive face darkened considerably as he turned her argument over in his mind.
Now was the time to start talking some sense into Berret, but in a very careful way. She knew that he was going to have trouble accepting the knowledge that he'd been used once again for a malevolent purpose.
She placed one hand lightly on his chest, feeling the slow beat of his heart.
"Its not your fault. They tricked you," she told him.
He looked back at her, his eyes hard to read for the moment.
"If what you say is true, who else is to blame?" he asked. "I did those things for them."
Chiana rolled over closer to him. Her own suppressed fury showing through. How dare these bugs hide under the cover of being revolutionaries... a mantle her brother Nerri proudly wore and sacrificed everything for. She'd be damned to hezmana if she was going to let Berret shoulder the blame for what was happening here.
"The Zem'Fury rebels... I blame the Zem'Fury," she said in a hard tone. "You were doing what you thought was just, and they used that against you."
Chiana's ire had taken Berret aback. She realized she wasn't helping her cause by becoming overly emotional so she calmed herself before going on.
"You can't... you can't take the blame here. At least not all of it," she said to him. She picked at a piece of lint at his wrap-around shirt. It seemed only natural when her hand slid in-between the wraps and came to rest on his bare chest underneath. "Goddess, his skin is so warm," she thought idly in passing. Berret didn't seem to notice so she left the hand there as she continued talking.
"These 'rebels' have to be held responsible for whatever their game is. You were what Crichton calls 'a pawn'," she said.
"A pawn?" Berret repeated, trying to ignore that hand that was causally stroking his chest.
"A small game piece in a very complicated game," Chiana explained.
Thinking about what the girl was telling him, Berret become conscious of the fact that he wasn't uneasy anymore of her closeness. It seemed natural to be having this discussion with her laying this near him.
With the trials they've already shared it seemed illogical to be nervous of her and he knew that she only had his best interest at heart.
She propped herself over him on one elbow so she could look down at his face.
"You've had a hard life... and you may have done some wrong things... but you're not a bad person," she told him. Without being aware of it, their faces were drawing closer together.
"How can you be certain?" Berret asked almost in a whisper back.
"I just am," she got out just as their lips touched.
This time Berret was prepared for the kiss, but unsure of what to do he let Chiana take the lead.
The Nebari girl mentally kicked herself for letting things get carried away faster then she had planned.
Still Berret seemed to be handling it just fine and taking his cues from her.
"Slow...slow..." she thought to herself over and over again as she made herself more comfortable against him.
Chiana stirred in her sleep beside him and Berret became immediately alert. The Shrike didn't know what to think. He'd unexpectedly gotten the kiss from the Nebari that he wanted... in fact he had gotten quite a few kisses from Chiana before they both tried of alternately kissing and talking and had fallen asleep. He cursed himself for letting it go that far. It would just make it harder for the girl to come to her senses about him later. He wasn't fooling himself either; it was going to make it harder for him to let her go when the time came also. At times he felt as if Chiana were restraining herself, which helped him do the same. He wasn't experienced but he understood the concept of the mating ritual and he was glad it didn't get that far.
The girl had made a good argument except for one fact. She had been unable to explain why the Eilaan law enforcement officers had killed the three hive-brothers they found in a restricted area. Arrest should have been good enough if that were simply the case. They'd only managed to find a small article about the killings just after it had happened and the authorities were just starting their investigation. After that there was nothing in the news reports. Almost as if the entire incident had been covered up. That is what made Berret suspicious about the validity of the rest of the news articles and library records. If the Eilaan could cover up one instance of police brutality, why not others?
Chiana had raised some very good questions but he believed she didn't quite have the whole picture seeing she'd just been planet side for barely three solar days. The only way to find out for sure what was going on would be to return to the rebel headquarters and dig out the actual truth for himself. He'd gone too far and killed to many to just turn around and walk away like nothing ever happened.
The Nebari with her survivor mentality wouldn't understand the need he had to know for sure... and maybe set what he could of things to right. The stubborn girl was going to be a problem but one he thought he could deal with as long as he could keep her and the Zem'Fury rebels apart for the time being. She hadn't exactly proven her point to him, but she'd left him with enough doubts and new questions that he felt it would be unfair at this time to ask the girl to honor their bargain and leave to find her friends again.
The arn had gotten later then he realized and he knew there would be questions to answer when he returned to the hide-away. Right now, his problem was getting away from the Nebari girl who was peacefully sleeping beside him without waking her. He was relatively sure she wouldn't let him return to the rebel headquarters now.
Chiana murmured in her sleep as he gently probed along the side of her neck until he felt the artery fluttering just under the warm gray skin. He gradually pressed to restrict the blood flow and held it long enough to put the girl into a deeper sleep. When he was sure she wouldn't awaken, he untangled himself from her arms and left the bunk. Finding his jacket again he slipped back into it, gathered his supplies, and left the Pod, making sure the hatch was locked behind him. Sticking to the shadows as much as possible to avoid detection, he left the spaceport and headed back to the abandon storefront.
Chiana would most likely be angry with him for leaving like he did, but he was seriously thinking now that maybe regardless of what the real story was, he might tell the Zem'Fury he was finished helping them and leave with the girl. It might be good for him to spent some time with the Nebari... at least until it came time for them to part ways. But for the moment, now that he knew she was here, he was positive he could avoid meeting her on the streets until he was finished with what he had to do and was ready to do so.
He made it back to the abandoned storefront without incident. Just as he expected, the rebel leader and Swirl were waiting for him in the first set of rooms off the dark corridor. He had no doubt that the hidden sentries placed out in the long murky hallway had informed their commander of his return.
"Where have you been?" inquired the insectiod leader.
"Yes, account for your whereabouts," demanded Swirl with a hard snap of his mandibles.
The electronic voices that issued from both Zem'Fury's translators were virtually identical. However the polite questions from the leader contrasted darkly with the challenging tones from Swirl's device.
Berret set aside his supplies and wondered if he were ever going to get a chance to put them away before they spoiled. He purposely ignored Swirl and his demands, directing his response to the leader.
"I was detained by a personal matter," he replied. "There was no problem with the operation."
The Zem'Fury leader clicked his mandibles. "We are aware of your success," the translator said. "What we do not know is... who was the Nebari female you met with?"
Berret cursed inside but dared not show a reaction on his face. He wasn't sure how well the Zem'Fury could read humanoid expressions, but taking into consideration that they lived on a world they shared with two other humanoid life forms... he was willing to wager they were adapt at it.
"She is a business acquaintance of mine," he answered, hoping that would satisfy the rebel.
"Oh?" clicked out the device around the leader's neck. Both Zem'Fury glanced at each other and exchanged hand and arm gestures briefly. "If she is an acquaintance?" the head insectiod asked after he turned back to the ex-Enforcer, "Why did she appear to be following you discreetly for some time?
Berret felt like swearing out loud. The rebels had more eyes on the streets then he had taken into account.
"And why the short conflict between the two of you in the alley way?" Swirl added from his own translator. At that point, Berret just assumed they knew everything and hastily constructed a cover story as best he could.
"There was a 'misunderstanding' about a prior... assignment, and some missing funds," said Berret. "She followed me for a short time before approaching me because she knew we had not yet concluded this manner between us. After we settled our differences she inquired if I would be interested in a new assignment."
The Zem'Fury looked a little unsure of the explanation. Swirl uncertainly shuffled one leg.
"What?" asked the Shrike after they didn't say anything. "You believed I always offered my services for free? A just cause doesn't always put food in my belly, clothing on my back, or fuel in my ship. I have to make a living someway, do I not?"
The leader bobbed his head in agreement. "That had not occurred to us," he admitted.
Swirl didn't seem that convinced. It was hard for Berret to gage exactly what was going on behind those alien eyes.
"Just what kind of work did she offer you?" asked the second in command.
Berret glared at him. "That... is none of your business," he said in a hard tone.
"What did you tell her of your purpose here?" asked the leader. Berret let a cold smile grace his face.
"Nothing. That... is none of her business," he replied.
The pair of Zem'Fury carried on a conversation between themselves that lasted a few microns. Berret found himself wishing he knew what they were talking about - did they buy his explanation?
The rebel leader finally turned back to face him a few moments later.
"She knows nothing about your association with us?" he asked.
"No."
"You're certain?"
"Yes, I'm certain."
The insectiod paused for a microt. His mandibles clicked idly together as he thought.
"May I ask, my friend," the translator said for him, "how you responded to her offer?"
Berret was wondering when that question would come up.
"I told her I'd think the matter over," answered the Shrike, "And that I might consider the new assignment after I was finished with the current one here." The Zem'Fury seemed to be waiting for something more. "I gave you my word," Berret added a moment later.
The leader began to bob his insect-like head in agreement.
"You did. I'm glad our arrangement has not changed, as we need your help desperately," he told the ex-Enforcer. "I will send someone to make sure the Nebari does not interfere further in our plans."
"No!" replied Berret a little too strongly. He realized his error and toned down his voice in the next instant. "Neither you nor your people will not interfere with the Nebari woman. She is my responsibility and I will see to her should something need to be done. This is my personal business and I want neither her or your people to interact."
Swirl's exoskeleton rattled in irritation.
"She could be dangerous to our cause if she discovered..." the second started to say.
"This is not negotiable!" shout the Shrike. "This woman is worth an substantial income to me later and unless you are going to start paying me for my services..." he glared at both insectiods, "You will leave her alone... or I will alter our arrangement... into one you will not find as pleasant as the current one."
The pair of Zem'Fury actually appeared taken aback by the assassin's outburst. They were not use to the normally inert Shrike becoming agitated.
"We understand," mollified the leader, "Forgive us, we meant no harm. It shall be as you request. None with bother the Nebari woman."
"Thank you," said Berret as he picked up his supplies and moved around them to head to his quarters.
"It is also for your own protection that I ask," he added before stepping through the next doorway. "She also is a skilled assassin. And she can sometimes become... uncontrollable, if she perceives she's being threatened." He turned and left before they could ask further questions. It had been a gamble adding that last part. He'd hoped that the Zem'Fury would take him at his word and stay as far from Chiana as possible now, believing that the Shrike was keeping her in the dark about their relationship and that she might fly into a killing frenzy should she manage to catch them following her. On the other hand, they might try and kill her first in fear now, but he hoped that his threat to retaliate might be enough to keep them in check until he was able to learn the truth about their agenda. Once inside his room with the door closed he let out a pent up breath. He hoped that he had pulled off the ruse and bought himself enough time. He had an odd urge to cross two of his fingers but he had no idea where it came from or why he should want to do it.
He ignored the strange compulsion and went to his sink for a drink of water. He caught himself in the looking glass mounted on the wall behind it. He felt strangely different, but looked the same. He could still smell Chiana on his clothing... and even stranger still; he could almost still feel her lips on his.
Several arns later, Chiana pleasantly murmured to herself as she rose toward full consciousness. She snuggled against her pillow and her free hand wandered out over the cool sheets, it didn't stop until it reached the edge of the small bunk. Her dark eyes snapped open in the next instant.
"Retty?" she asked out loud.
When no one answered her call, she sat up and found her wrist chron - it was now morning.
She kicked off the light blanket and padded out to the front of the Transport Pod in her stocking feet.
" 'Ret?" she called once again. She then discovered she was totally alone in the craft. Berret's bag of supplies and his jacket were gone from where they had been the night before.
"FRELL!" the Nebari girl yelled as she picked up a nearby tool and flung it against a bulkhead in frustration. "Frell, frell, frell... FRELL!" She almost reached for another object to throw but decided it wasn't worth having to pick it up later. She settled for a good tantrum instead.
"Goddess damn him!" she cursed. "That stubborn... miserable... ungrateful..." She spun and spied the pilot's seat and decided to give it a good kick, using it in place of Berret. She remembered too late that she hadn't put on her boots.
"Owwww!" she cried, and then started swearing in Luxan as she danced around in place on one foot.
Eventually the pain in her toes subsided. She wiggled the digits as a test to see if anything was broken and found she was still able to stand on the recently abused limb.
"Okay," she said while blowing a wayward strand of hair out of her eyes. "This... is getting me nowhere." She thought about what just happened and rolled her eyes. "Yotz! I'm turning into Crichton here," she muttered.
She let herself settle into the pilot's seat and began to think. She was positive she convinced Berret last night that the Zem'Fury rebels where something other then what they claimed to be. She'd show him every thread of evidence she could come up with and wrapped them all up in a nice tidy package. She was even proud of herself that she didn't have to resort to most of her usual tricks to sway him... only the Shrike obviously hadn't stayed swayed. Maybe she should have allowed what Crichton would call "hanky-panky" to have started sooner... not that they did much hankying last night... and there had absolutely been no panky.
She involuntarily let a small chuckle as she idly thought it was usually her sneaking away in the middle of the night and not the male. So why did 'Ret leave her? Did he go to retrieve some possessions and he would be returning shortly to her? If that was the reason, then why take the food if he was coming back?
She leaned back in the seat and sighed. She wanted to believe that Berret had simply left on an errand, but she had to face the fact that she knew too little about the man to say what he would do for sure.
If she didn't have these strange feelings for him, she had half a mind to dust-off right then and there and leave him behind. "Well, its not gonna be that easy, Retty. Not by a frelling long shot," she thought to herself. "I didn't go through all this and give everything up... just so you could kiss and run. I found you once, I can find you again." Chiana let her mind wander over the subject for a few more moments and then a darker thought occurred to her. What if Berret did believe her about the Zem'Fury and deep down it didn't matter to him? What if he'd grown to like the killing? She knew how addictive the thrill of excitement could be. Some of the most infamous murderers in history had done it simply for the thrill.
"He's not like that," she murmured to herself the next instant. Refusing to believe that the person who had held her so tenderly last night would enjoy causing others' deaths. There had to be another reason.
The opposite end of the analysis struck her in the next moment. What if he did believe her and had gone to kill the Zem'Fury rebels in retribution? What if he failed and they killed him instead?
The thought froze her blue Nebari blood.
"Dren," she muttered as she rose from the chair and headed aft to finish dressing.
"There. All safe and private now," said Chiana as she walked around him and into the Pod's pilot cabin. Off to the right was the access-way that led to the ship's cargo hold. Straight ahead of him and across from the main hatch was a small kitchenette and what looked like a cramped living area for the crew while on long transport runs. Berret supposed it was just as good as renting a room, and cheaper, assuming Chiana had already paid the port's landing berth fee.
The Nebari woman shrugged out of her long coat and unwound the scarf from around her head. She tossed them into the pilot's seat and turned to face Berret, an easy smile graced her delicate features.
"Go on and take your coat off," she told him, "Make yourself comfortable."
Berret set down his retrieved bundle of groceries and slipped off his jacket. Chiana took the opportunity to apprise the man while he removed the garment and found a place to hang it up out of the way. She found he didn't look anywhere near as massive without the scale-like armor on, in fact he looked kind of... normal, she concluded.
Berret was as tall as Crichton though of somewhat slimmer build. She knew that the appearance was deceiving as Berret could very easily break a man of Crichton's size in two if he was of a mind too with the microbe augmentation. However, she also knew that performing such a feat would cost him. The microbes over-driving his muscles and tearing them, the stress possibly snapping bone, which the microorganisms would then have to rush and repair the damage they caused to Berret's body. The demand for raw material would be immense on the Shrike's system. Berret would have to eat a large quantity of high protein food to pacify the need or the microbes would start ripping what they required from less important areas of his body. The military application of the illegal microbes became apparent - keep the war machine going for as long as possible, no matter what the cost.
Despite the unseen alterations, she found she was pleased with the way he looked without the armor. He wasn't overly handsome but he was pleasant to look at. His eyes were that ice blue once again and he had nice cheekbones and strong, but not overbearing features. She noticed that his long braid was now gone and that his raggedly cut dark hair could use a trim to straighten it up. While his relatively passive face showed no emotion at the microt, there was a hint of wariness around the corners of his eyes that again led her to suspect that Berret wasn't taking proper care of his special needs with the microbes. She tabled that observation for the moment. When she got him away from this world she was sure it would be a simple matter for her to correct the problem.
Her eyes quickly travel over the rest of his body. He was on the lean side for sure but she knew from the few times that she touched him in the alley that his muscles were well toned. They'd probably have to be to bear the constant weight of the armor even with the augmentation. All in all, compared to the usual radical type of males she was attracted to... he was just, well, average.
She couldn't quite figure out why she was so drawn to the ex-Enforcer.
She moved closer to him with a nervous smile. Berret stood there in place and when she was close enough that the tall man was forced to look down at her, his lips tightened into a straight line as he waited for her to say something further.
Chiana found herself wanting to kiss those lips and wrap her arms around him now that she had him alone.
Her hot Nebari passion that was so repressed by her people on her homeworld rearing itself until she was forced to seize control of the urge and beat it back down into submission. When it came to physical pleasure she was use to taking what she wanted, but with Berret she instinctively knew that her aggressiveness would confuse the man. Time was the key with the Shrike... time and patience.
Right now the important thing was to get him out of the situation he was now in.
She broke eye contact while letting out a tense little giggle to hide her moment of weakness.
After a quick moment to compose herself, she looked back up at Berret and asked,
"Would you like something to drink?"
As Chiana removed her coat, Berret saw that she had replaced her old ruined outfit that she'd had when she was captured by the Syndicate with one that appeared to be almost like leather armor itself. Though it clung to her and hugged her lithe body like no armor ever did. The outfit left her upper arms and midriff bare except for a black see-through body suit of some sort. Berret had seen the girl wearing considerably less after he had killed the Syndicate men bent on raping her, for some reason the Nebari's cool gray skin hadn't registered on him like it was now. He had simply handed her his cloak when it became apparent that she would not be able to fix her torn clothing well enough to attempt an escape. He supposed it was the danger of the moment that kept him from noticing then, now alone with her in the Transport Pod he found himself becoming uneasy in her presence.
He fumbled around to find a place to hang his coat at her invitation. Afterwards as she approached him he discovered the unease turning to nervousness. She glided up so close to him that he imagined he could feel the heat radiate from her small body. She was so close to him now that she had to look up at him through the untamed bangs of her snow-white hair. For a microt Berret sensed something wild in the black eyes that gazed up at him. Her mouth parted questionly as she tilted her head ever so slightly to regard him.
The Shrike suddenly though she would find something about him wanting with her close inspection, and he felt his own lips press tightly together in apprehension.
Something predatory passed through Chiana's eyes in that instant and something deep inside Berret tried to answer her unspoken challenge. Cycles of wearing the collar had conditioned him to hide and suppress whatever feelings might arise and give away his intent to an opponent... or target. His face remained blank but his focus moved to her glossy black lips. He wanted her to pressed them against his again like she had before... he wanted her to kiss him again. He wanted to seize the initiative, to make a preemptive strike, and kiss her before she could move away.
In the next instant Berret strangled the desire as surely as he had killed countless beings. Chiana had first kissed him because she was happy about a slim chance for them to escape Arckatius' stronghold. Since then, Berret had observed enough humanoid couples to know that the contact also had a deeper meaning.
What he had just wanted was the deeper of the two, something he dare not ask of the Nebari woman.
Thief though she may be, he had been around enough true evil in his time to be able to recognize a basically good soul - a soul such as Chiana possessed. That fact that the girl given up everything she had to rush off to save him when she perceived he was in danger had more then proven that.
The girl deserved much better then what life had dealt her; he couldn't add more misery to it by asking her to feel something for him. Even if the girl felt what she thought she did for him, he wasn't sure he'd be able to learn how to give her what she needed back. He'd been too long under the collar... committed too many atrocities; to be sure he could learn to truly feel again. Besides he told himself, it was only a matter of time before Chiana opened her eyes and saw him for what he really was. When she had killed, it had been in self-defense. When he killed, it was usually murder. The sooner she realized it, the better for the both of them. All this passed through his mind in mere microts, his face revealed none of his heavy contemplation to the Nebari girl standing in front of him. He pushed the thoughts and feelings aside. Thinking or acting upon them would do no good. It was just another score to settle with Arckatius and the Syndicate when the proper time came.
Chiana unexpectedly broke the spell by looking off to one side for a microt, a little pleasant giggle fluttered from those lips he so desperately wanted a micron ago. When she looked back at him her eyes seemed more normal, less intense then they were a moment before.
"Would you like something to drink?" she asked.
Berret shook his head. "No, thank you," he replied politely, perhaps more politely then necessary to cover his flash of debility.
Chiana either didn't notice or she chose not to notice.
"Then let's go into the living compartment," she said. "I need the holo-viewer there to start to show you what I'm talking about when I said the Zem'Fury have been lying to you."
Berret consented and followed her into the confined quarters amidships.
Chiana was glad to have something to occupy her mind with beside the proximity of the Shrike.
She keyed the holo-viewer build into the small room's all-purpose table over to another of the local channels.
"You see? The Zem'Fury's section of the city is just as clean and well maintained as the Eilaan's and the Roentgen's sections. There aren't any slums for any of the races co-habiting here. This commerce port is one of the most prosperous I have ever seen. It's a snurcher's paradise. All the citizens seem to live comfortably here."
Berret had to admit; the Zem'Fury rebels had allowed him to see little of the entire city since recruiting him. "How can you be sure the local stations just are not showing the slum areas?"
Chiana rolled her eyes. "I already showed you what the Pod's flight recorder recorded of the city when I landed... there are no slums here."
"What about the restricted areas?"
"There are areas of the city restricted to each species. The Zem'Fury have areas of their own that the Eilaan and the Roentgen are not allowed to enter. It's sort of a buffer zone, giving each race a private place of their own to go to. Makes sense to me," she explained. "We've already accessed the central library and learned that there are strict regulations and guidelines established for all working areas. There hasn't been a single work related fatality, let alone an injury, in almost three cycles here... of any of the three groups."
Berret's mouth turned down in a frown. The couple had been forced to use the lower bunk as a couch while they watched the viewer in the restricted living space. At least the news reports and the discussion were able to keep his mind off the closeness of the gray girl.
"News reports and library records can be manipulated," he told her.
"Frell it, 'Ret! Open your eyes," Chiana said in slight frustration. She grabbed up the viewer remote and flipped back through several news report clippings. "Look! None of these 'operations' you've carried out for the rebels makes any sense. There's no reason to them except one... shock value."
She glanced over at the man beside her to see if he was following her.
"I know a little something about revolution... and this is not the way to run one. Whatever your friends are up to it's not a fight for freedom."
She could tell by the thoughtful look on Berret's face she was beginning to reach him.
Chiana flipped to a more current news clipping.
"And this... this was you too, wasn't it?"
Berret looked up and saw the face of the Eilaan he had eradicated that afternoon. He found he didn't want to admit the killing to the gray woman. Chiana pressed on, ignoring the look of guilt that was developing on her companion's face. Now was not the time to back off on him if she wanted to win him over.
"This one makes sense only if you look at it a certain way," she explained. "It wasn't who he was that they had you kill him... its where he was. A central government building with tight security."
She paused a moment to give her next words the desired impact.
"They're proving something to someone. That they're not safe anywhere and that they can get to them no matter where they are."
She turned off the holo-viewer and let the remote fall to the bed.
"This is not a rebellion... it's terrorism."
The Nebari woman waited and gave the man a chance to digest what she'd just said.
Berret's usually passive face darkened considerably as he turned her argument over in his mind.
Now was the time to start talking some sense into Berret, but in a very careful way. She knew that he was going to have trouble accepting the knowledge that he'd been used once again for a malevolent purpose.
She placed one hand lightly on his chest, feeling the slow beat of his heart.
"Its not your fault. They tricked you," she told him.
He looked back at her, his eyes hard to read for the moment.
"If what you say is true, who else is to blame?" he asked. "I did those things for them."
Chiana rolled over closer to him. Her own suppressed fury showing through. How dare these bugs hide under the cover of being revolutionaries... a mantle her brother Nerri proudly wore and sacrificed everything for. She'd be damned to hezmana if she was going to let Berret shoulder the blame for what was happening here.
"The Zem'Fury rebels... I blame the Zem'Fury," she said in a hard tone. "You were doing what you thought was just, and they used that against you."
Chiana's ire had taken Berret aback. She realized she wasn't helping her cause by becoming overly emotional so she calmed herself before going on.
"You can't... you can't take the blame here. At least not all of it," she said to him. She picked at a piece of lint at his wrap-around shirt. It seemed only natural when her hand slid in-between the wraps and came to rest on his bare chest underneath. "Goddess, his skin is so warm," she thought idly in passing. Berret didn't seem to notice so she left the hand there as she continued talking.
"These 'rebels' have to be held responsible for whatever their game is. You were what Crichton calls 'a pawn'," she said.
"A pawn?" Berret repeated, trying to ignore that hand that was causally stroking his chest.
"A small game piece in a very complicated game," Chiana explained.
Thinking about what the girl was telling him, Berret become conscious of the fact that he wasn't uneasy anymore of her closeness. It seemed natural to be having this discussion with her laying this near him.
With the trials they've already shared it seemed illogical to be nervous of her and he knew that she only had his best interest at heart.
She propped herself over him on one elbow so she could look down at his face.
"You've had a hard life... and you may have done some wrong things... but you're not a bad person," she told him. Without being aware of it, their faces were drawing closer together.
"How can you be certain?" Berret asked almost in a whisper back.
"I just am," she got out just as their lips touched.
This time Berret was prepared for the kiss, but unsure of what to do he let Chiana take the lead.
The Nebari girl mentally kicked herself for letting things get carried away faster then she had planned.
Still Berret seemed to be handling it just fine and taking his cues from her.
"Slow...slow..." she thought to herself over and over again as she made herself more comfortable against him.
Chiana stirred in her sleep beside him and Berret became immediately alert. The Shrike didn't know what to think. He'd unexpectedly gotten the kiss from the Nebari that he wanted... in fact he had gotten quite a few kisses from Chiana before they both tried of alternately kissing and talking and had fallen asleep. He cursed himself for letting it go that far. It would just make it harder for the girl to come to her senses about him later. He wasn't fooling himself either; it was going to make it harder for him to let her go when the time came also. At times he felt as if Chiana were restraining herself, which helped him do the same. He wasn't experienced but he understood the concept of the mating ritual and he was glad it didn't get that far.
The girl had made a good argument except for one fact. She had been unable to explain why the Eilaan law enforcement officers had killed the three hive-brothers they found in a restricted area. Arrest should have been good enough if that were simply the case. They'd only managed to find a small article about the killings just after it had happened and the authorities were just starting their investigation. After that there was nothing in the news reports. Almost as if the entire incident had been covered up. That is what made Berret suspicious about the validity of the rest of the news articles and library records. If the Eilaan could cover up one instance of police brutality, why not others?
Chiana had raised some very good questions but he believed she didn't quite have the whole picture seeing she'd just been planet side for barely three solar days. The only way to find out for sure what was going on would be to return to the rebel headquarters and dig out the actual truth for himself. He'd gone too far and killed to many to just turn around and walk away like nothing ever happened.
The Nebari with her survivor mentality wouldn't understand the need he had to know for sure... and maybe set what he could of things to right. The stubborn girl was going to be a problem but one he thought he could deal with as long as he could keep her and the Zem'Fury rebels apart for the time being. She hadn't exactly proven her point to him, but she'd left him with enough doubts and new questions that he felt it would be unfair at this time to ask the girl to honor their bargain and leave to find her friends again.
The arn had gotten later then he realized and he knew there would be questions to answer when he returned to the hide-away. Right now, his problem was getting away from the Nebari girl who was peacefully sleeping beside him without waking her. He was relatively sure she wouldn't let him return to the rebel headquarters now.
Chiana murmured in her sleep as he gently probed along the side of her neck until he felt the artery fluttering just under the warm gray skin. He gradually pressed to restrict the blood flow and held it long enough to put the girl into a deeper sleep. When he was sure she wouldn't awaken, he untangled himself from her arms and left the bunk. Finding his jacket again he slipped back into it, gathered his supplies, and left the Pod, making sure the hatch was locked behind him. Sticking to the shadows as much as possible to avoid detection, he left the spaceport and headed back to the abandon storefront.
Chiana would most likely be angry with him for leaving like he did, but he was seriously thinking now that maybe regardless of what the real story was, he might tell the Zem'Fury he was finished helping them and leave with the girl. It might be good for him to spent some time with the Nebari... at least until it came time for them to part ways. But for the moment, now that he knew she was here, he was positive he could avoid meeting her on the streets until he was finished with what he had to do and was ready to do so.
He made it back to the abandoned storefront without incident. Just as he expected, the rebel leader and Swirl were waiting for him in the first set of rooms off the dark corridor. He had no doubt that the hidden sentries placed out in the long murky hallway had informed their commander of his return.
"Where have you been?" inquired the insectiod leader.
"Yes, account for your whereabouts," demanded Swirl with a hard snap of his mandibles.
The electronic voices that issued from both Zem'Fury's translators were virtually identical. However the polite questions from the leader contrasted darkly with the challenging tones from Swirl's device.
Berret set aside his supplies and wondered if he were ever going to get a chance to put them away before they spoiled. He purposely ignored Swirl and his demands, directing his response to the leader.
"I was detained by a personal matter," he replied. "There was no problem with the operation."
The Zem'Fury leader clicked his mandibles. "We are aware of your success," the translator said. "What we do not know is... who was the Nebari female you met with?"
Berret cursed inside but dared not show a reaction on his face. He wasn't sure how well the Zem'Fury could read humanoid expressions, but taking into consideration that they lived on a world they shared with two other humanoid life forms... he was willing to wager they were adapt at it.
"She is a business acquaintance of mine," he answered, hoping that would satisfy the rebel.
"Oh?" clicked out the device around the leader's neck. Both Zem'Fury glanced at each other and exchanged hand and arm gestures briefly. "If she is an acquaintance?" the head insectiod asked after he turned back to the ex-Enforcer, "Why did she appear to be following you discreetly for some time?
Berret felt like swearing out loud. The rebels had more eyes on the streets then he had taken into account.
"And why the short conflict between the two of you in the alley way?" Swirl added from his own translator. At that point, Berret just assumed they knew everything and hastily constructed a cover story as best he could.
"There was a 'misunderstanding' about a prior... assignment, and some missing funds," said Berret. "She followed me for a short time before approaching me because she knew we had not yet concluded this manner between us. After we settled our differences she inquired if I would be interested in a new assignment."
The Zem'Fury looked a little unsure of the explanation. Swirl uncertainly shuffled one leg.
"What?" asked the Shrike after they didn't say anything. "You believed I always offered my services for free? A just cause doesn't always put food in my belly, clothing on my back, or fuel in my ship. I have to make a living someway, do I not?"
The leader bobbed his head in agreement. "That had not occurred to us," he admitted.
Swirl didn't seem that convinced. It was hard for Berret to gage exactly what was going on behind those alien eyes.
"Just what kind of work did she offer you?" asked the second in command.
Berret glared at him. "That... is none of your business," he said in a hard tone.
"What did you tell her of your purpose here?" asked the leader. Berret let a cold smile grace his face.
"Nothing. That... is none of her business," he replied.
The pair of Zem'Fury carried on a conversation between themselves that lasted a few microns. Berret found himself wishing he knew what they were talking about - did they buy his explanation?
The rebel leader finally turned back to face him a few moments later.
"She knows nothing about your association with us?" he asked.
"No."
"You're certain?"
"Yes, I'm certain."
The insectiod paused for a microt. His mandibles clicked idly together as he thought.
"May I ask, my friend," the translator said for him, "how you responded to her offer?"
Berret was wondering when that question would come up.
"I told her I'd think the matter over," answered the Shrike, "And that I might consider the new assignment after I was finished with the current one here." The Zem'Fury seemed to be waiting for something more. "I gave you my word," Berret added a moment later.
The leader began to bob his insect-like head in agreement.
"You did. I'm glad our arrangement has not changed, as we need your help desperately," he told the ex-Enforcer. "I will send someone to make sure the Nebari does not interfere further in our plans."
"No!" replied Berret a little too strongly. He realized his error and toned down his voice in the next instant. "Neither you nor your people will not interfere with the Nebari woman. She is my responsibility and I will see to her should something need to be done. This is my personal business and I want neither her or your people to interact."
Swirl's exoskeleton rattled in irritation.
"She could be dangerous to our cause if she discovered..." the second started to say.
"This is not negotiable!" shout the Shrike. "This woman is worth an substantial income to me later and unless you are going to start paying me for my services..." he glared at both insectiods, "You will leave her alone... or I will alter our arrangement... into one you will not find as pleasant as the current one."
The pair of Zem'Fury actually appeared taken aback by the assassin's outburst. They were not use to the normally inert Shrike becoming agitated.
"We understand," mollified the leader, "Forgive us, we meant no harm. It shall be as you request. None with bother the Nebari woman."
"Thank you," said Berret as he picked up his supplies and moved around them to head to his quarters.
"It is also for your own protection that I ask," he added before stepping through the next doorway. "She also is a skilled assassin. And she can sometimes become... uncontrollable, if she perceives she's being threatened." He turned and left before they could ask further questions. It had been a gamble adding that last part. He'd hoped that the Zem'Fury would take him at his word and stay as far from Chiana as possible now, believing that the Shrike was keeping her in the dark about their relationship and that she might fly into a killing frenzy should she manage to catch them following her. On the other hand, they might try and kill her first in fear now, but he hoped that his threat to retaliate might be enough to keep them in check until he was able to learn the truth about their agenda. Once inside his room with the door closed he let out a pent up breath. He hoped that he had pulled off the ruse and bought himself enough time. He had an odd urge to cross two of his fingers but he had no idea where it came from or why he should want to do it.
He ignored the strange compulsion and went to his sink for a drink of water. He caught himself in the looking glass mounted on the wall behind it. He felt strangely different, but looked the same. He could still smell Chiana on his clothing... and even stranger still; he could almost still feel her lips on his.
Several arns later, Chiana pleasantly murmured to herself as she rose toward full consciousness. She snuggled against her pillow and her free hand wandered out over the cool sheets, it didn't stop until it reached the edge of the small bunk. Her dark eyes snapped open in the next instant.
"Retty?" she asked out loud.
When no one answered her call, she sat up and found her wrist chron - it was now morning.
She kicked off the light blanket and padded out to the front of the Transport Pod in her stocking feet.
" 'Ret?" she called once again. She then discovered she was totally alone in the craft. Berret's bag of supplies and his jacket were gone from where they had been the night before.
"FRELL!" the Nebari girl yelled as she picked up a nearby tool and flung it against a bulkhead in frustration. "Frell, frell, frell... FRELL!" She almost reached for another object to throw but decided it wasn't worth having to pick it up later. She settled for a good tantrum instead.
"Goddess damn him!" she cursed. "That stubborn... miserable... ungrateful..." She spun and spied the pilot's seat and decided to give it a good kick, using it in place of Berret. She remembered too late that she hadn't put on her boots.
"Owwww!" she cried, and then started swearing in Luxan as she danced around in place on one foot.
Eventually the pain in her toes subsided. She wiggled the digits as a test to see if anything was broken and found she was still able to stand on the recently abused limb.
"Okay," she said while blowing a wayward strand of hair out of her eyes. "This... is getting me nowhere." She thought about what just happened and rolled her eyes. "Yotz! I'm turning into Crichton here," she muttered.
She let herself settle into the pilot's seat and began to think. She was positive she convinced Berret last night that the Zem'Fury rebels where something other then what they claimed to be. She'd show him every thread of evidence she could come up with and wrapped them all up in a nice tidy package. She was even proud of herself that she didn't have to resort to most of her usual tricks to sway him... only the Shrike obviously hadn't stayed swayed. Maybe she should have allowed what Crichton would call "hanky-panky" to have started sooner... not that they did much hankying last night... and there had absolutely been no panky.
She involuntarily let a small chuckle as she idly thought it was usually her sneaking away in the middle of the night and not the male. So why did 'Ret leave her? Did he go to retrieve some possessions and he would be returning shortly to her? If that was the reason, then why take the food if he was coming back?
She leaned back in the seat and sighed. She wanted to believe that Berret had simply left on an errand, but she had to face the fact that she knew too little about the man to say what he would do for sure.
If she didn't have these strange feelings for him, she had half a mind to dust-off right then and there and leave him behind. "Well, its not gonna be that easy, Retty. Not by a frelling long shot," she thought to herself. "I didn't go through all this and give everything up... just so you could kiss and run. I found you once, I can find you again." Chiana let her mind wander over the subject for a few more moments and then a darker thought occurred to her. What if Berret did believe her about the Zem'Fury and deep down it didn't matter to him? What if he'd grown to like the killing? She knew how addictive the thrill of excitement could be. Some of the most infamous murderers in history had done it simply for the thrill.
"He's not like that," she murmured to herself the next instant. Refusing to believe that the person who had held her so tenderly last night would enjoy causing others' deaths. There had to be another reason.
The opposite end of the analysis struck her in the next moment. What if he did believe her and had gone to kill the Zem'Fury rebels in retribution? What if he failed and they killed him instead?
The thought froze her blue Nebari blood.
"Dren," she muttered as she rose from the chair and headed aft to finish dressing.