Chapter 4
Halfway through breakfast, there was a gentle tapping on the apartment door. "I've got it, Cole," Mel assured him as he started to rise. She pushed aside her plate and rose, hurrying to the door and opening it. "Oh, good morning, Ro'ahn," she greeted the Vardian quietly, shifting uneasily.
"Miss Porter." He inclined his head politely. "Is Daggon... Is Cole here?"
"Yeah, he's in the kitchen. We're just having breakfast. Would you like to join us?" she added, knowing that her grandmother would have wanted her to be polite, comfortable in the Vardian's presence or not.
"Thank you, but I have already eaten," he answered quietly. "May I speak to Cole? I won't take much of his time."
"Sure. He's in here." Mel jerked her head in the direction of the kitchen, ushering him inside and in that direction. "Hey, Cole, company..."
The Cirronian looked up, smiling at the Vardian. "Ro'ahn. Will you join us?" he offered.
"Thank you, no." He deferred with a slight shake of his head. He glanced at Jess, dropping his head when she saw him looking. He had his orders, and he was not to discuss business matters in the presence of third parties. The pretty human woman probably applied or one of the confidentiality briefings would have covered her as it had the human Detective. "A moment of your time, sir?"
"Of course." Cole smiled and rose, steering the young man from the kitchen. "Are you sure you won't join us?" he added. "Many humans place a great value on meat protein in their diets."
"Do they?" he asked, smiling faintly. "I was not aware. Olia will be pleased."
Cole grinned. Ro'ahn seemed like a very sweet young man. No doubt the product of a good Vardian upbringing, he was courteous, considerate of others, self-effacing... Mel would be in for a surprise if she thought she knew what Vardians were really like based on a few brief contacts with Zin and Lana.
Zin's upbringing had been emotionally sheltered, dogmatic, restrictive, isolated, and abusive. That was what made him the way he was. Lana's early childhood made the abuses Zin had suffered pale in comparison and Zin had not even attempted to lessen the impact. He recognized the value of the subservient and mercenary mindset that the girl had come to him with at the age of eight and had only fostered it, though he had never disciplined her physically. He had seen to it that she was even more sheltered and isolated than he had been, forced to rely on him for everything. She had wanted for nothing, including very copious amounts of affection, and now she was duly grateful to Zin for it. He had remade her in his image, only more so.
Ro'ahn, on the other hand, seemed much more the product of a middle-class Vardian home, stressing ideals like respect and modesty, but also recognizing the value of free thought and individuality. Cole smiled reassuringly at the obviously-anxious young man, acutely sympathetic that he had found himself so far from home and everything he had ever known. Like Cirronians, Vardians were never as comfortable as when on their home-planet, surrounded by the familiar.
"What can I do for you, Ro'ahn?" Cole asked pleasantly.
The young man was obviously new enough to life in the Tracker Corps that he had not yet realized that rank did not automatically translate into superiority. That surprised Cole far more than his race. He would not have expected Eijan to send so many rookies, yet the majority of her choices were just that. He did not doubt that there was wisdom in her selections, but he could not yet begin to divine it, either.
"Kallissa would speak to you later when it is convenient. There is much yet to be arranged."
"Of course there is," he agreed, grinning wryly. "And, selfish creature that I am, I spend my morning indulging in the pleasures of family..."
"There is no sin in this," Ro'ahn pointed out, his eyes abruptly widening as he realized that he had spoken out of turn.
"Family is important," Cole agreed with a smile. "Tell Kallissa I will not be long. Jess will require rest after her trip, I'm sure, and I will be able to join you without raising questions then."
"Jess," Ro'ahn repeated clumsily, nodding faintly as he mouthed Cole's words to himself.
"You may call her 'the human female' if you find that easier to pronounce," Cole offered with a smile. "Just not in her presence."
"Of course, sir." Ro'ahn bowed his head in acknowledgement, waiting to be dismissed.
"You don't need permission," he assured the Vardian, shaking his head and patting him on the shoulder.
"Oh. Of course not, sir." Ro'ahn nodded faintly and took a step backwards.
"And you can turn your back on superior officers in the Corps," Cole added, shaking his head. Vardian rank-consciousness at its worst. He had always joked that it was a wonder that more Vardians did not break their necks tripping over their own tails.
"Of course, sir. My apologies." Smiling contritely, the young Vardian turned and half-ran from the apartment.
"Skittish enough?" a quiet voice asked from the direction of the kitchen.
Cole turned to face Jess, shaking his head. The conversation had been whispered, but the body-language had screamed that Ro'ahn was entirely out of his element. Perceptive as she was, Jess had easily picked up on the fact. Cole could accept that and trust to the girl's discretion, but he did not like the smile she was wearing, either, or the glint in her eyes that always preceded teasing. Friendly joking was all well and good, but most Vardians were not exactly known for their senses of humor, either, and Ro'ahn was more than self-conscious enough already.
"Please be kind to him, Jess," he requested, rejoining the ladies in the kitchen. "He is shy."
"I'd noticed," Jess agreed, shrugging and sitting back down.
Normally, she would not have bothered even trying to resist the urge to tease someone so obviously susceptible to it, but Cole's simple request warned her that there was more going on than a simple case of shyness that could be gotten over with a good teasing. One of those anxiety problems, maybe, or low self-esteem. Either way, Jess knew when not to push. Cole's handsome friend was clearly in chronic need of a good drawing-out, but there were other ways to accomplish that than teasing.
"Everything okay, Cole?" Mel asked, trying to sound casual. And, judging from the look Jess shot her, failing miserably.
"Everything is fine. I will be needed later, but everything is fine."
"Well, I guess if it's important," Mel said with mock-reluctance. "I should have known it was too good to last."
Cole regarded her uncertainly. "What was too good to last, Mel?"
"Having you all to myself." She winked at him. "Just let me know if you have to... work."
"I should not have to... work," Cole assured her, catching himself as clumsily as Mel had. Jess' presence would take some getting used to. "It is only an organizational meeting."
"Oh. Good." Mel smiled and nodded faintly. "Because you work too much as it is."
"I know, Mel," he agreed quietly. "But not for much longer."
Her smile widened at that thought. "So... did you want to go now or..."
"I think if neither of you mind, I will go now so that I may have the rest of the day free to spend with you."
"Good idea. How long?"
"As short as I can make it," Cole assured her, giving her a quick hug and peck on the cheek. "Welcome back, Jess," he added, giving her a hug and kiss as well before turning and leaving the apartment.
"Some things never change, it seems," Jess noted smugly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mel demanded, startled.
"I'm back less than two hours and you're already keeping me out of the loop. 'Work' my bum, Mel! What is he really up to?"
"I've told you, illegal aliens." Mel turned and started picking up plates, biting her lower lip. That phrase got a little harder to get out with a straight face every time she used it. "They're setting up a new field-office," she added honestly. "So things are a little hectic."
"Ah." Jess nodded her understanding. "So Mr. Bermuda and the ninja are co-workers of Cole's?"
"Ninja?" Mel repeated. The term Mr. Bermuda was as obvious as Bendal, but ninja was harder to comprehend.
"Black hair, black eyes, black leotard, hides in shadows..." Jess clarified.
"Oh, you mean Ol... Olivia!" Mel shook her head. "Yeah, they work with Cole." She nodded.
"So, what is the ninja's story?" Jess asked, grinning and helping Mel clear the table.
"Uh, I think Cole said she does Crime Scene Investigation." She shrugged.
"That wasn't the question, Mel," Jess pointed out, grinning. "I asked why she acts like some kind of Goth ninja."
"Maybe it's classified," Mel suggested.
"You don't know," Jess guessed.
"Not a clue. But Cole seems to think highly of her."
"Maybe she is a ninja..."
"Jess," Mel laughed, shaking her head. It was less amusing when she realized that Jess could well be right. She was going to have to sit down and talk to Cole, find out what everyone actually did and what their respective covers were.
They finished the dishes in silence, then retired to the living room with two mugs of cocoa. Mel kept enough on the stove to allow Cole a few mugs when he got back. He always pouted when he found out that she had been drinking cocoa without him.
"So, who was the babe?" Jess asked as they sat sipping at the cocoa.
"Babe?" Mel repeated, blinking.
Jess rolled her eyes in disgust. "So since getting involved with Cole, you've... completely lost your eyesight?"
Mel snorted and shook her head faintly. "I can still look!" she protested, grinning.
"Then how did you miss what a babe Cole's friend was?" Jess challenged.
Mel frowned for a moment, then shook her head as comprehension set in. "Oh, you mean Ro'ahn."
"Ro'ahn?" Jess repeated, smiling to herself. "Nice name. Exotic. Kind of like him..."
"Exotic?" Mel repeated dubiously, shaking her head. "Were we looking at the same guy?"
"Oh, don't let the suit fool you, Mel," Jess told her, shaking her head. "If there is one thing I know, it's men. Under that shy, besuited exterior, Ro'ahn has a wild side..." She smiled faintly, savoring the idea. It was a lovely one to go with a gorgeous face and a fair-looking body.
"Let me get a towel," Mel suggested, shaking her head. "Because you're starting to drool, Jess."
"Hey, unlike Cole, I don't see an off-limits sign on that one." Jess shrugged blithely. "I'm telling you, Mel, it's in the way he moves. Under that teddy-bear exterior is a great big tiger."
Mel gaped at the comparison before firmly reminding herself that there was no way in hell that Jess could have known that, in his normal state, Ro'ahn really did have fur and claws.
"You really don't see it?" Jess asked, shaking her head. "Amazing. Looks like Cole's not the only one who's been thoroughly domesticated." She sighed softly. "Bloody shame I've gone off blokes."
"Jess, don't... don't let one bad experience make you bite-shy," Mel advised, shaking her head. "I've been in that place and it's not somewhere you want to put down roots."
"You honestly reckon there's only been the one bad experience?" she scoffed, shaking her head. "No, Mel, not by a long-shot."
"Jess... God, if Cole's taught me one thing, it's that there are decent men out there. Don't give up on the gender, just... learn to be a little more discriminating."
"Easier said than done." She sighed softly, shaking her head. "I thought I'd found a good thing in Ewan and look at how that came out. Who'd you have me date? A womanizer like that Shawn Bendal? A guy like Ro'ahn who's so shy that he finds his shoes more interesting than my face?"
Mel winced at the thought of her Jess dating a Vardian. Almost as bad as the thought of her dating Bendal, if for other reasons.
"I'm just saying that true love can exist. Don't give up on it."
"You introduce me to another Cole and I'll think about dating again," Jess told Mel, shaking her head. "Blokes like him are few and far between and I am bloody sick of trying to weed them out."
"Jess," Mel sighed, squeezing her friend's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Mel," she answered, shaking her head. "I'm really not as bitter as I sound, you know. Just... tired right now, I guess."
"I know that feeling," Mel confessed. "Get some rest, Jess. You're exhausted."
"Okay, Mel. I'll see you later?"
"Yeah." Mel nodded and rose, accompanying her to the guestroom. "You take it easy."
"You, too, Mel. Try to relax a bit. I've never seen you so..."
"I know," Mel sighed, nodding. "It's just been a long few days. I'm usually a lot more serene."
"You?" Jess laughed, shaking her head. Her Mel? Serene? "That I'll believe when I see it..."
.
.
.
"Logistically, we should have at least two more points of entry if we're to make the Vault our Headquarters," Bendal murmured to Cole as they leaned over a map of the city.
"It makes sense," Cole agreed. "We'll have to secure the locations, though."
"Security is to be our main concern overall," Kallissa assured him. "The Security Council was adamant in that respect. Everything you've sent us on this planet indicates that we could be in more danger from the natives than from our own people should our cover be compromised."
"Would you consider that a fair assessment, sir?" Olia asked, frowning at Kallissa's bluntness.
Cole paused, considering. "Yes, I think so. As individuals, many humans are or may be rendered sympathetic to us and to our goals, however, the human military has an understandable interest in investigating and eliminating any potential threat to their race."
"Potential threat?" Kallissa repeated, frowning herself. "Am I to understand, Daggon, that they would not, then, distinguish hostile from sympathetic non-terrestrials?"
"They haven't to date," Bendal pointed out. "You've read Daggon's report on the matter. To say nothing of the debriefing of the Nodulian Kres. The poor man will probably be in therapy for life."
"Well, given the threat Zin's people pose, I can hardly fault the human authorities for being a little indiscriminate," Olia said.
"Yes, well, Enixians are hardly known for tact, are they?" Teya inquired, glancing sideways at Ro'ahn.
Olia narrowed her eyes but did not comment. Ro'ahn just stared at his shoes, his expression mortified at having been drawn into the matter.
"Come to order, Teya," Kallissa directed quietly.
Olia wordlessly squeezed Ro'ahn's knee under the table and continued, "I was merely pointing out that this planet is at a stage in its development where it continues to fear that which it can not understand. Discretion is called for. From all of us," she added firmly, giving Teya a look that promised that his next round of training simulations would not be even slightly pleasant. "Bendal?"
"Thank you," he said, ignoring the momentary tension that had prevailed. "I have several promising locations in mind already. Recon will begin to narrow the field appropriately. Mylik will, of course, have final say in the matter."
The Dessarian looked up from the report he had been reading. "Olia suggests a minimum of three additional points of entry. In such matters, it would be foolish to but take the advice of an Enixian. This is not a guerilla war, admittedly, but many of our adaptations must be similar. We must have the ability to disappear to a safe locations at a moment's notice and to appear anywhere in the city in a matter of minutes. These considerations as well as security must be taken into account."
Kallissa pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Olia, kindly elaborate," she directed.
"The humans call them 'bolt-holes'," the Enixian said. "My own people found them quite useful during the Vardian incursion." She glanced at Ro'ahn to gauge his reaction before continuing. "As Mylik suggested, in any hostile environment it is vital to have multiple escape routes to secure locations. However, of even more importance while fighting a hostile enemy is the ability to appear suddenly and in force. Multiple escape-routes are further useful in remaining hidden from prying eyes. The Vardians never did discover our cave networks."
"And now every one of us studies Enixian tactics as a child," Ro'ahn murmured. "The Vardian Imperium erred fatally in trying to take their land. If anyone may hide more effectively than a Dessarian, it is an Enixian."
"High praise," Mylik noted mildly. "But I would have to say from my own studies of the campaign that our young friend speaks true."
Kallissa leaned towards Bendal and the two murmured a quick conversation before she straightened and nodded. "Then, by all means, Olia shall spend several hours of each rotation conferring with you, Mylik. However she can not be allowed to neglect her other duties in so doing..."
"But that I were a Cirronian and did not require sleep," Olia answered ironically, giving Kallissa a crooked grin. "Still, I shall not shirk my other tasks while--" She stopped, looking up. "Miss Porter comes," she announced.
Aware that all eyes were on him, Cole asked, "Is she alone?"
"She is," Olia answered. As Cole rose to meet Mel, she leaned over to Ro'ahn. "Have you finished that reading on long-range transmitter usage I set to you?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Wonderful. Then get back to work on those micro-charges. I'll test you on the material after the evening meal."
"Thank you." He inclined his head and rose, walking back to his work-station.
"Teya, Ro'ahn's duties require him elsewhere this afternoon, which I believe means that you just got pushed to the top of the list for the environments simulator," Olia informed him sweetly.
The Orsusian and his twin both groaned at that pronouncement. Extreme environment training was probably the least pleasant of the routine recertifications that all members of the Tracker Corps had to undergo. And, with resources spread thin, Olia was in charge of administering recertification tests and forwarding the results to the appropriate parties.
"Problem?" Olia asked quietly, smiling faintly at them.
"Just because he said something to piss you off--" Taya began to protest.
"I am a hard woman to offend, Taya," Olia informed her. "It was his deliberate baiting of the boy that has earned him this punishment. Now don't the two of you have some work to do in the barracks?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, ma'am," came the quiet, grumbled response. Taya glared at her brother for a long moment before stalking off.
As she walked off, Olia turned her attention, if not her gaze, to Cole and Mel.
"Jess was pretty tired, so she's taking a nap," Mel told him. Sighing she added, "Just as well. She's already coming out with the conspiracy theories about your friends..."
Cole frowned faintly. "What does she think, Mel?"
"Well, she thinks that Bendal is just strange, which I'm inclined to agree with, quite honestly, and she keeps calling Olia 'the ninja'." She frowned up at the silently laughing Cirronian. "What?"
"She is not far mistaken, Mel," Cole managed, shaking his head.
"And what, pray, is a ninja?" Olia inquired curiously.
"An ounsha," he explained, shaking his head.
Olia frowned faintly. "How did she know that?"
"She didn't," Cole assured her. "Ninja is a human concept, a warrior known for having the ability to hide in shadows and strike without warning..." Raking his eyes over Olia's outfit, he added, "They stereotypically dress in tight, black clothing..."
The Enixian snorted, shaking her head. "Some things, it seems, really are universal. Imagine that..." Looking up abruptly, she added, "Please excuse me, sir. Mylik requires my input." She inclined her head towards Cole and then towards Mel. "Miss Porter. Good day."
"Enixians have ninjas?" Mel asked, glancing up at Cole.
"Ounsha, yes, Mel." Cole nodded placidly. "They are not exactly the same, but they have a formidable reputation throughout the Alliance and in most of the outlying planets."
"What do they do, exactly?" Mel asked, looking at Olia as she bent over the desk with a dark man who Mel could not recall having met yet, studying schematic maps. There was little formidable-looking around her.
"Traditionally, they have defended Enix from hostile invaders. In more recent times, they have made themselves quite useful to the Tracker Corps. They are very powerful and very hard to detect unless they wish to be detected. During the Vardian incursion, fewer than three dozen ounsha managed to kill several thousand Vardians each night without detection while they slept."
"Brutal," she murmured.
"In defense of their own people, their own children, the Enixians are fierce. The Vardians thought twice about sending additional miners to Enix. Ultimately, they declared the planet untenable for colonization."
"All without ever ascertaining that it contained intelligent life," Ro'ahn contributed quietly. "Unofficial accounts called it haunted." He smiled faintly. "To this day, older children frighten younger ones with whispered tales of the ghosts of Enix." Smirking and shaking his head, he picked up a notebook and left the table.
"The ounsha spirits come in the night," Cole told Mel, noting her obvious curiosity. "They cut your throat before you can cry out and wake your companions and then they vanish under the snow. Nally's older sisters used to terrorize her with the tales."
"Nally? Nallia?"
Cole shook his head. "Zin's youngest," he explained, taking her arm and steering her into an empty, and quiet, side-room. "Named for Nallia," he explained. "Mel, have you told Vic that the others are here yet?" he asked abruptly.
"I haven't actually talked to him."
"Good." Cole nodded faintly.
"You don't want to tell him?" Mel asked, startled.
"Eventually, of course, but Vic is a Detective and a human we can trust. He will make a good test of their ability to blend into human society."
"Good thought." Mel nodded faintly, feeling sorry for Vic. The number of bizarre revelations he had been forced to deal with lately...
"As will Jess," Cole added.
"Oh, Cole, no!" she protested, shaking her head. "Come on!"
"Jess is as perceptive in her way as Vic," Cole told her. "And she, too, can be trusted." he paused for a long moment. "I am not currently sure who else can be trusted."
"Cole?" Mel asked, narrowing her eyes. He sounded so tired when he said that. "Is there something going on?"
"I don't know, Mel," he admitted, shaking his head. "Never mind. Jess is a good judge of character," he added. "It would be nice to have her back."
"Cole?" she repeated.
"The others wish to go out for dinner in a few days," he told her. "To celebrate the inauguration of the Terran Tracker Corps. After Jess has returned to England, ideally. Vic is also invited." Smiling down at her, he patted her shoulder. "Please excuse me, Mel. I must speak with Olia and Mylik again."