Page 34 of Keeping Freya
He takes a sip of his tea before he starts talking. “This shipalready had great shields and cloaking ability. I enhanced those with Arracate technology, which means nobody can see through our shields. I also enhanced the ship’s scanners, so we will be notified if any other ship even thinks about coming near us. We are also able to get detailed scans of the planet once we are in orbit. It won’t take more than an hour to get a read on the planet and find the Den.”
“Wouldn’t the scanners mix up the results with regular settlements?”
“Not necessarily,” he says. “This planet has no indigenous species, so any settlements there are unofficial ones. They are being tolerated as long as nobody gets hurt. I also expect the Den to have a lot of space traffic. Ships leave traces in the atmosphere, so if the scanners locate a lot of different species, combined with a lot of activity, we have a winner.”
I take a sip of my tea and a bite of my breakfast, letting those words run around in my head. “So, what do we do when we find the Den?”
“I am going in to kill the High Commander, you will stay hidden on the ship.”
I snort. “Yeah, no way, buddy. You are not going to leave me behind on this death trap, while you get yourself killed.”
He gives me an indignant look. “I will not get myself killed. I am T’Rak, fiercest Warrior of Arracate. I have never lost a fight in my life.”
I arch an eyebrow. “And what about that run-in with a sword your face had?”
“Ha. That is nothing. I am still breathing, and my opponent is long dead. I am not taking you with me.”
“Well, suck it up, buttercup. You promised we would be a team, and I would have a say. And I say, take me with you.”
Fire blazes in his eyes, and he already opens his mouth to speak, but I’m not having it. He’s not pulling this macho crap on me again.
“No. You’re not leaving me. I’m not saying you should take me with you to witness whatever you are going to do to this High Commander guy. I am saying, don’t leave me behind on this ship. All alone and vulnerable. I can handle a gun, a roll of knives. I am not helpless nor useless. You made sure of that. As long as I can stay close to you, I can stay hidden or something, just don’t leave me.”
His shoulders sag, and he gives me a resigned look. “Okay, you can come.”
T’Rak
The words took tremendous effort,but she beams at me the minute they are out. And that makes it the right choice.
“Thank you! You won’t regret it.”
I just grunt, because a part of me already does. I get up and move towards the captain’s chair. It will take us another day to get to Tekrov and I need to be on top of my game.
We spent the day training, working on Fr’Ya’s skills. She is highly motivated, and that shows in her capabilities. She gets better every time and has managed to throw and disarm me a couple of times now. We should see how it all holds together when there is actual danger, but at least I feel better about taking her with me to the Den.
Her knife-throwing skills are excellent. She attributes them to something called darts, a game with little arrows she used to play on Earth. Her eyes get all misty when she brings it up, so I avoid the topic afterwards.
Tonight, she will take the first watch again. She insisted, saying she needed the time to think. I would much rather have her in my arms, sleeping together, but I will give heranything she needs, even if that is time spent apart from me.
I wake up in the middle of the night, hearing nothing but silence. There does not appear to be anything out of the ordinary, but I feel an uncontrollable need to check up on my mate.
Not wanting to disturb her, I pause before I enter Command, but all I hear are her soft snores. Grinning, I walk inside, finding my mate fast asleep in the captain’s chair. She is curled up to one side, and her braid softly falls across her shoulder. She looks mesmerizing like this, and I think I can stay here for hours, just looking at her.
She starts to twist and makes an uncomfortable sound, pulling me out of my admiration. She would be way more comfortable in a bed. My bed. I gave her space, and now that she is sleeping, there is absolutely no need for her to be alone. Gently, I gather her into my arms and take her to my room, safely tucking her into my bed, in my arms.
I wakeup to a muffled gasp, putting me on full alert immediately. “What is wrong?”
“I’m in your bed!” Fr’Ya says in slight dismay.
“Yes, is that all?” I bury my face in her hair, cocooning her petite body with mine, making my tail curl around her waist.
“Yes, but…” she begins.
“You were asleep. I did not want to leave you uncomfortable in the chair. So I took you to bed.”
“You could have just taken me to my bed,” she grumbles.
My body tenses. “I did not think. I am sorry. Did I overstep?”
