Page 1 of Soros
CHAPTER 1
Unexplained Anger
Soros
Meeting Tania was so unexpected that for a moment, I was too shocked to think. She was supposed to live a peaceful life on Earth and now she was here on Markatoria of all places. This dreaded planet was inhabited by a callous and manipulative population who committed despicable crimes against other species. My initial surprise at seeing her standing among the crew on theGreat Defenderwas quickly replaced by stress as my focus shifted from my work as a criminologist to keeping Tania safe.
“What are you doing here?” I asked her with a stunned expression.
Permanently stationed on Earth as an agent for the Federation, Tania had been my contact person when I worked there. We had shared a strong mutual fascination and attraction that had led to a passionate relationship. I had only fond memories of her and that’s why it made no sense that she watched me with pure hostility.
“I’m escorting Jade, who is human, and making sure she’s returned to Earth.” Tania’s tone was as cold as her expression.
My gaze went to the woman standing next to Tania. She had to be the human victim whom Captain Lios had talked about. I had never come across a human outside of Earth and so it made sense that the Federation would have asked an agent from Earth to escort her. And yet, Captain Lios didn’t seem to agree with Tania’s reasoning for being onboard the ship.
Turning to her, he asked, “But didn’t you say that you wanted to come so that you could meet an Ugon Master to erase some bad memories?”
Tania gave a short nod, which reminded me of a rumor I had dismissed as nonsense.
The last time I contacted K’rem, our mutual contact person at the Federation, he told me Tania had asked for a meeting with an Ugon Master to erase all her memories of me. For all this time I had been convinced he was mistaken and that she had been joking. But there was no trace of humor in her eyes as she stood glaring at me. Last time I saw her she looked at me with love and affection. Now, her nose was wrinkled as if I was a bowl of Kennel Worms.
Disappointment burned in the pit of my stomach as I figured that K’rem had been right after all. Tania truly wished to erase all memories she had of me… of us.
Revealing that I was fully aware of what memories she wanted to erase, I said, “But you still remember me?”
Tania narrowed her eyes. “I’m afraid so.”
A thousand questions and answers were tripping over each other in my mind. I was confused about how she had gone from declaring her love for me to hating me. We had been so close, and it seemed surreal that she wouldn’t be happy to see me again. Why was she so rude and indifferent to me?
Memories of us naked and tangled up while declaring our affection for each other made me want to reach out and pull Tania into a tight embrace. But it was as if the Tania standing in front of me was a stranger who didn’t remember the laughter and joy we once shared.
If we had been alone, I would have asked her what had happened to make her close off to me. It was frustrating that she couldn’t communicate with me through telepathy.
There were too many people around for us to have a private conversation in verbal form. The atmosphere was tense, and I could tell that the crew members watching us were confused about the hostility between Tania and me.
One of the soldiers took a step forward shielding Tania a little from my view. He was tall and well-built with green eyes and dark-blond hair. Captain Lios, who had requested my help to find a group of criminals, had introduced this man to me the first time I met them through a hologram. Searching my memory, I recalled the soldier’s name as Nerix.
“How about I show you to your cabin,” Nerix said in a curt tone. “It’s right next to the one Tania and I share.”
My spine stiffened. What did he mean that he shared a cabin with Tania? I stared at the man and then back to Tania, who remained cold in her demeanor. She met my gaze but didn’t say a word.
I’d been excited to meet the team on theGreat Defenderand praise them for their impressive work of collecting evidence.
With the way Nerix scowled at me with his shoulders squared and his chin held high, it felt as if I wasn’t welcome.
Why was he being so strangely protective of Tania, as if he considered me a physical threat to her? None of this made any sense to me, except for his comment that he slept with Tania. Maybe he wasn’t so much protective as territorial. And maybe her hostility was a signal that she didn’t want me causing trouble between her and her new love interest.
Glaring back at Nerix, I instantly disliked him and was relieved when another soldier came over and addressed me. This man was younger and less rigid in his body posture. He looked fit, but not as tall or broad shouldered as Nerix.
“I’m Elan; since you’ll be staying in my cabin, I thought I could show you where it is. I have a few things I need to grab since I’m sleeping in Ayedin’s cabin while you’re onboard.”
“Thank you,” I told Elan and with a last hard and disappointed glance at Tania, I turned and followed the soldier.
As we walked away, I had to stop myself from glancing back to see if there was any physical contact between Nerix and Tania. With their odd behavior, the only explanation I could find was that they were now in the same sort of passionate relationship that Tania and I had once shared. Back then, Tania had told me that humans typically kept to one person at a time. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense that her attitude was really a warning for me to stay away because she had given herself to Nerix.
I should be a bigger person and be happy for them. After all, I had been in plenty of fleeting relationships with Eidron women and never found it difficult to let go when the affair ended. So why was I so affected by Tania’s rejection?
The answer was screaming at me in my mind. Tania was like no other woman I had ever been with. She had made me feel treasured and special. Everything about her had drawn me in, from her rare beauty to her vulnerability and tough attitude. She was complex and I had thought about her a million times since I was forced to leave her. I had missed what we had together and now that the unexplainable forces of the Universe had brought us back together, it felt like a sick joke that she didn’t want anything to do with me.
