XORA

OLIVIA RILEY

XORA

Vrisha Warriors

Copyright © 2021 Olivia Riley

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including, but not limited to, photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing by the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, locales and events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, places or events are purely coincidental.

Cover by Olivia Riley

Stock Photos: Depositphoto

Created with Vellum

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Epilogue

Newsletter

About the Author

CHAPTER ONE

Xora

The planet was on fire. Flakes of ash and embers scorched the dry air, whipping up into the sky from the furious winds. The ground was scorched and barren, nothing more than coal-black rock. Lava spat up from various wells along the earth, trickling and pouring down the mountainside. Great clouds of steam and smoke billowed into the air.

Varacor looked like a hellish, desolate, and ultimately useless planet to those who didn't know better, but to the vrisha it was ripe with resources that would serve their homeworld of Tryth quite well. The blazing, fiery atmosphere turned others away, but for the vrisha, it suited them just fine. The heat, they liked. The cold was what irritated them.

Xora knew he should be grateful, in that regard, for being sent to Varacor when he could have been placed on an ice planet like Oris or Synia. Thankfully, few vrisha were punished that severely. As he walked along the vast lava fields, hopping over small streams of liquid fire, he tried to consider himself lucky. The heat licked at him but did not burn as the thick scales of his body were resistant to the flames. Only thick metal boots did he acquire, for even his feet would melt against the rock if unprotected. He breathed steadily through his metal face-helm so as not to breathe in the toxic vapors, stopping occasionally to examine the steamy horizon as a scanner across his vision told him of what elements lay ahead. Keeping his spiny tail up high so as not to accidentally graze it across the burning ground, he crossed the landscape on long legs, keeping a tight hold on the air-tight container across his back.

When he found a patch of brightly colored rocks as smooth as glass, he crouched down carefully, examined them, then placed each into his container. The stonelights made for an efficient light source back on Tryth but could be melded into other means for ship parts. Gathering them wasn't particularly dangerous work, though tedious and, sometimes, mindless. But it was a job that needed careful handling. Xora couldn't say that it was fulfilling, but, again, he attempted to remind himself that it was better than being on Oris or Synia, collecting the freezing red metals that accumulated at the bottom of lakes for the making of cold-resistant materials.

The council had been merciful in where they’d sent him.

A red light went off in his face-helm, and a voice grumbled in his ear.

"Xora. You are needed at the core-base."

Rysna's words made Xora pause, his muscles tightening. Hardly was he ever needed at core-base, especially in the middle of a shift.

He drew himself up and, making sure the container was shut tight, slowly started back toward the vrisha base. The winds picked up, throwing dry heat and ash against his body, turning his deep red scales a light gray. As he approached the central base, he crept past the ship dock—one ship being prepped for take-off and already packed with resources to be taken to Tryth. He glanced at the ship and felt a sting of bitter regret before brushing the feeling aside as he approached the door. He slapped the pad on the side of the wall and watched as the blackened metal slid slowly open. Head bent, he slipped inside the small room, then waited for the door to close from behind. The howling of the wind died out, and the ash that had followed him inside fell slowly in flakes to the ground.

Xora carefully took off his helm and set it on a hook on the wall, then took off his boots and set them and the container aside before turning for the door opposite and entering into the main control room. As he sauntered past the main console, he paused to stare at Rysna's back who was watching the monitors.

"The callroom," Rysna said without looking over at him. "The council wishes to speak with you."

Xora didn't move at first. Then he turned his head to look over at the door leading to the callroom. His breath caught in his chest, and his hands clenched into fists. He couldn't imagine what they needed to say to him now after everything. Confused and a little annoyed, he approached the callroom door, paused again, then stepped inside.

The room was dark save for the dim orange glow along the floor. Xora approached the center, and the lights brightened. The walls that had been nothing more than dark slates of metal transformed to create an image of a larger chamber with figures seated in an arch around him. The holographic images made it seem that he was now standing before the council on Tryth as if teleported back home when, in reality, he had not moved an inch.

The council that made up several vrishan queens stared down at him, most solemn in their expressions. Red eyes of various shades studied him quietly before one queen in particular rose. Xora recognized Queen Shira and bowed.

"I see Varacor has left its mark on you, Xora," she stated as her eyes peered down at his ash-covered torso.

Xora placed his hands behind his back and stood tall, refusing to give away his thoughts and feelings through expression. "It has certainly kept my spirit warm."

Queen Shira dipped her head, her tail flicking behind her. Xora couldn't help admiring her powerful, yet rigid form. Her tall, slender horns curving across her skull were decorated with beads of red and gold jewels. Vain as it was, Queen Shira still held an air of tight authority.

Her eyes narrowed on him. "I imagine the work hasn't been too difficult for the likes of you?"

"It has not," Xora replied. He thought it over, then said, "Did you expect otherwise?"

Queen Shira's mouth twitched. "No," she admitted. "But it is a sad waste to see such potential thrown to the fire."

Xora bent his head. He did not let his eyes fall from hers despite the tight knot of shame welling up in his chest. He'd heard her and the others say the same many times before. And yet still they had agreed to his sentence.

"What is it you want from me?" he asked. If all they wanted was to tell him again how disappointed they were and to see that he was fulfilling his work as necessary, then he would have thought twice about taking their call.

"We want to give you another chance," Queen Jezil, an older female beside Shira, confessed.

Xora grew still. Before he could think of a response, Queen Shira addressed him.

"You and I both know you were not made to work the fire fields, Xora," she said. "You are of the warrior class, and such lowly work is beneath you. But we cannot allow you back to Tryth or within another queen's haven without some measure of payment for your mistake."

Mistake. Such a weightless word for his crime.

"And my rank?" Xora asked, curious now at the turn of this new decision.

Queen Shira lifted her head. "It will not be restored. But we will consider unexiling you, and Queen Matis"—she gestured to the female to her right—"is willing to allow you within her group of warriors under the command of her predomis, Axus."

Predomis. The queen's guardian; her mate and highest warrior. That was supposed to be his. Now, all he could hope for was to be one's underling. Still, he could not expect a better offer. As Queen Shira stated (and with which he thoroughly agreed) the work of the fire fields was no place for a warrior of his caliber.

"What is it you ask of me then?" Xora said, his curiosity growing. He couldn't pretend he wasn't pleased by the possibility of restoring some measure of status amongst his people.

"Look before you," Queen Shira ordered. In front of Xora, the image of a small blue and white planet hovered before him. "This world is called Oceanus," she said. "It is a water-based planet several systems outside of Tryth's. It has been partially settled and worked upon by few. The mineral and element-rich ground beneath the ocean is its biggest draw."

Xora's eyes narrowed on the bright blue orb. "Who settles on it?"

"Humans mostly. But there are many gyda and some corax as well. They have built small city hubs beneath the waters."

It took effort for Xora not to grimace. Corax, he had only seen in images, so he had no impression yet of them. Gyda, he had seen a handful of times, and he found them to be mostly docile and unproblematic. Humans, however...

He'd encountered them briefly on his missions. Usually from crossing paths with trader ships on open-trade worlds. There was the human queen too, but he had never met her. What humans he had encountered were always distrusting in their nature. Every single one who'd gotten a look at him had stunk of fear, some with a murderous intent in their eyes, others who looked ready to bolt, as if expecting to be chased by a vicious predator.

Which he was, no doubt. But ever since the alliance, the line between predator and prey had been blurred. Not that there hadn't been fights despite the pact. Not all vrisha had been accepting of their weaker looking allies. It was a fragile alliance at best. And with the rebel vrisha and their mad queen now hiding out somewhere in the neutral zones, attacking humans and otherkin alike, the alliance was becoming even more shaky.

When Xora had been amongst his warrior class, rising in status to become a predomis, he had been for such an alliance. Now he found it meant little to him.

"There is one resource on Oceanus in particular," Queen Shira continued, "that has our special interest. A crystallized rock we call ulimir. We were given a sample of this mineral by the gyda and have found it holds useful properties. If melded, it creates a stronger base for materials, more so than the stonelight you harvest. And if broken down even further, it could expand and double our energy source. We are talking more powerful and durable ships and tools."

Xora could already guess what she was asking of him. "You want me to go and collect these crystals."

She bowed her head. "Yes. But do not fret. It is not an easy task like the one you have here. You will be able to make use of your warrior skills. For the ulimir can only be found in and around caves at certain depths. And it is said an aquatic species called murza call such places their territory. They are nasty little beasts, but we are greatly confident you can handle them."

Xora stared across the planet's surface, studying each side. There were no landmasses, just endless water. "What about a ship?"

"You will take one to the city named Greenloch."

Xora looked up at her. "And a crew?"

"Only you, warrior," she answered.

His mouth twitched in another almost grimace. "I’m to stay in the humans’ territory alone? Will they even allow me to enter?"

"Negotiations have been made. They cannot withhold you from the city, and you will be given permission to work within a base where you can properly collect and store the crystals until enough have been acquired."

Xora's eyes narrowed as he wondered what sort of deal had been struck in order to allow him near so many humans. Despite the alliance, most vrisha kept their distance as his kind made the humans nervous and panicky. Even sometimes violent. More than once, a band of male humans had tried to take down one of his own and had, unsurprisingly, failed each time. Their arrogance astounded him as did their stupidity.

"When do I go?" he asked finally.

"A ship is ready for you now. Pack whatever you require. The rest will be onboard." Queen Shira leaned forward to lock eyes with him. "Succeed in this, Xora, and your sentence will be lifted. You can return home."

Xora hardly moved, then gave a quick bow before stepping back. The queens disappeared, and the room returned to darkness. He left the callroom and started across the main control room before stopping and looking over to Rysna.

"I'm leaving," Xora told him. "And I'm taking a few things with me."

CHAPTER TWO

GRACE

The heating system was broken again. Grace knew for a fact because it was damn freezing when she woke up in her room and the lights had flickered on, informing her it was morning. She could see her breath puffing in the air as she sat up from her bed with a groan, her body as cold as a corpse.

Walking like a zombie on stiff legs, she made her way into the bathroom and got herself into the shower to warm herself, cursing the entire way. It seemed the heating system on this piece of junk went off once a month, and Grace wondered just how lucky they'd been that the pressure system hadn't failed as well. Brushing her teeth, then braiding out her hair, she quickly dressed in her thin gray uniform before forcing herself out of her unit. Filling up her canteen with a mediocre coffee blend from the kitchen, she made her way down the narrow tunnel leading to the main building of the rig K32. She barely had time to look out through the thick window glass along the tunnel to see across the deep reef bed and the brightening waters above before entering through to the locker room. Her rig was about halfway down the mountainside, not too deep below the surface but just far enough down that the waters looked murky and bleak. Not the crystal-clear waters that some observed farther up but at least not the dark, nearly black waters some endured below, where instead of rocky reefs, one saw tentacled monstrosities flitting around the tunnel-side, unblinking eyes peering in. Here, there was very little life save for the schools of silverspines that were as plain as any fish she'd seen in images from Earth.

As she slipped on her oversuit, she muttered, "Morning," to a few of her rig mates who were already out the door to start their shift. Stifling a yawn, she made her way to one side of the locker room, over to a kiosk.

Taking out her ID card, she slipped it into a narrow slot and waited.

"Grace Monrow, number 5324, K32," the machine droned out. "Today's assignment number..."

The screen blinked out several times, and Grace banged on it with the side of her fist. It worked itself for another moment, then revealed a number.

"Number 12: Leasehand and sanitization."

Grace let out a soft curse under her breath and took back her ID after the kiosk spat out her card. The third time this week, she was served on cleaning duty. The assignments were supposed to be randomized, but she was starting to wonder if they really were or if someone was out to get her. That someone being Kristoff, but she really couldn't imagine even he had the power to change or control the program. He certainly wouldn't change it for her now if she asked.

"Gonna be a great day, Grace," she muttered as she went over to the closet by a set of lockers and began grabbing supplies.

She muttered that to herself every day, despite the majority of the time, it never being the case. Some days were manageable or passable at best. Other days were 'scream inside your room till your throat cracked' at worst. Thankfully, those were far and few, but every day was long and hard regardless of if they were good or bad.

Grace clipped a small metal tank to her belt. The tank was fixed with a hose that connected to a metal rod with a spray nozzle at its head. Then she took a collapsible mop and clipped it to the other side of her belt. Stuffing a few rags in a thigh pocket, she put on a pair of gloves and a ventilator, then made her way out of the locker room.

As she started across the long bridge, she nodded to a pair of gyda who passed by. The fish-like males that reminded her of the swamp creature from the black lagoon regarded her quietly but didn't say hello. She knew some of their language without having to use a translator but not enough to have a serious conversation. She'd only picked up a few words from what she'd heard. They were the only alien species she had any inclination to talk to as they were known to be of the friendlier type. Any others, she didn't expect to ever run into, and corax were just mean, scheming bastards she had no interest in talking with.

As she entered into the central core of the drill site, she went to work, starting with spraying the walls and pipes and scrubbing off the black and green slime that was accumulating in corners and between pipe connectors. They could have had a bot doing her job, but the companies that controlled the rigs claimed they couldn't afford the maintenance of such bots. Also, they claimed the bots to be a safety hazard if they were ever to malfunction. Grace thought it was a bunch of bull really, but what could be done?

The drill behind her made a dull roar, and Grace looked up at the massive circular machine with wandering curiosity. Its top reached several stories above, yellow lights beaming upward as if the drill was some kind of massive statue made to be studied and idolized. On one wall a few stories above was a window where several people worked at the controls and watched monitors. Grace frowned and felt a pang of bitterness, wishing she were up there instead. Or better yet, in the sub-robotics level where she could control the mechs that went across the surface of the reef to collect various rock deposits. Anywhere really besides cleaning around the facility.

"Monrow," came a voice close by.

Grace looked over and saw Kristoff waving angrily at her to come over to where he stood beside the drill.

"Where's your head at, Monrow?" he growled at her when she stopped beside him. His sneer made him look like an angry bulldog with a frown that nearly went past his chin.

"My head?" Grace asked, pretending she didn’t know what he meant. She'd gone through this routine with him before.

He jabbed a finger toward the drill. "It's only ten minutes into your shift, and I find you gawking."

Grace looked up at the drill, then back at her dog-faced supervisor. "It's a really nice drill."

Wrong answer. Kristoff's face went red. "Get your head straight. Now."

Grace nodded her head. "Yes, sir."

His jabbing finger pointed at her face. "Don't let me catch you standing there with your head in the clouds again. You're lucky to even be here."

Grace mouthed the same words underneath her ventilator, thankful he couldn't see. He said those words to her so often it was becoming his new catch phrase. He walked off, and she watched him go before returning to her task. She glanced up at the drill and sighed as she took out a rag, sprayed around the banister of the drill deck, and scrubbed halfheartedly.

Yeah, she was really lucky to be here.

In all seriousness, she knew she was lucky even despite her circumstances. Greenloch and the rigs weren't so bad compared to her home city. At least here, she was paid and fed and had a roof over her head, even if it was several leagues below the ocean surface.

Could it be better? For sure. But it could be far worse. And she'd been to far worse. It was an awful place.

The rigs were nothing to boast about. They were filled with cold metal and industrial piping, held together just enough to not drown them, though small leaks did pop up every so often, and there was always some dripping from above in the areas not sealed properly. The lights bathed the place in an ugly smog-yellow shade, and there was always that scent of salt and steel wafting in the air, mixed sometimes with a damp musty smell that meant mildew buildup. If Grace could have chosen anywhere in the galaxy to call home, Oceanus would not have even made it to her top ten. But she hadn't had that many options at the time and desperation made her choose what worked best.

Pausing to look around, Grace took a pair of earplugs from her inner pocket and popped them into her ears. She tapped on her left ear, and music began to play softly, just low enough to where she could hear it without canceling out the noise around her. She returned to her mindless cleaning. She hummed softly to herself, and no one paid her any attention.

The first half of the day consisted of spraying and scrubbing in and around the pipeways, dusting electrical boxes and machines, even fixing a few leaks and tightening up bolts, while replacing the shell cases around light fixtures. She mopped floors and washed windows, pausing to watch a group of fish swim by and noticing a sub-bot hovering out in the distance by a coral rock. She took care of an infestation of watermites underneath a large tankard and thought that was a good time to call for a break when a ping went off in her ear. She checked her wristpad and read the message:

Cafetaria on L3. Meet me in ten.

Grace wasn't sure whether to smile or frown. She bagged her dirty rags and threw them in her bucket before heading to the locker room. Taking off her oversuit and throwing the supplies back into storage, she clocked out for break, then made her way toward a separate tunnel that took her to the train car station.

The station was empty. She got into the first car she saw—a pod with five seats on each side and windows—and pressed a green button by the door before taking a seat. The car groaned to a start, then began to make its way in an upward slant, its track connected by a thick cable and rail laid out on the curved earth.

If her rig had been farther down the cliffside, the car would have merely floated up like an elevator. From her seat, she could see several other cars in the distance taking people to and from the surface to the bottom. The waters began to clear the farther she went, and the shadowy giants in the distance lit up to reveal large buildings, domed and towering in some places or small and flat in others. Many were connected by tunnel ways, but those that weren't could be traveled to by the train car.

The car began to slow, then came to an inevitable stop at one of the community buildings. Grace got up and went to the door. She went to step out as it opened, then fumbled back as she nearly ran into a pair of cold-eyed soldiers waiting to enter.

Her eyes drifted to the guns at their sides. "Scuse me," she mumbled. They parted, and she slipped past them. As they switched places, Grace glanced back before the door closed, then quietly walked away, her body relaxing.

She didn't stop to wonder about them as she headed down a hallway then through another tunnel to the medium-sized building ahead. As she entered the facility, she curved around one last passage before stopping at the wide doorway to peer into the cafeteria.

Most tables were filled by groups of workers all wearing the same gray uniform as she. Grace searched around until she saw a lone woman sitting to one side waving at her. Grace made her way through the tables until she plopped down in a seat next to her.

"What's up, Anne?" Grace gave her a small smile.

"You look awful," Anne replied as she pushed over a plate of crab meat and bread. "Bad sleep again?"

"Just the usual." Grace's smile didn't slip despite her friend's blunt remark.

"Did you hear what happened?" Anne's black eyes widened as she leaned forward.

"No, what?"

"There was another attack. This time, one of the labs near F412."

That was near the city outskirts, in the research sector, closer to the kelp fields. Grace looked over at the large monitors on the walls and saw a video being played on repeat, showing a large explosion and a massive hole puncturing one side, pouring dark water into a large storage unit. The feed was from a worker who watched the water cascade into the room before rushing down a set of passages. The worker entered a warehouse and hid themselves behind a large mech. From there, they caught on video a group of individuals in shiny blue and black armor with helmets covering their faces. Round red eyes glowed from their masks like stop lights. They drew up guns and began blasting white and blue light through the room. The feed went black, then started over again.

Grace turned back to Anne. "They say if it's pirates?"

Anne shook her head. "It's the Black Gills for sure."

So pirates but also terrorists. Or so they'd been called. No one knew just yet who they were exactly. Rumors were it was corax looking to pillage the warehouses and labs, destroying the rigs and taking control of the cities.

"First Redcliff, now us. It's getting worse," Grace commented.

"Oh, god, I hope we don't end up like Redcliff," Anne said. She tapped Grace's arm. "Did you see the soldiers though?"

"I did." Unfortunately, Grace thought.

"At least the government is finally bringing more men in. Maybe they will actually do something."

"Maybe," Grace said.

Anne frowned as she looked over at the monitors, then her face lit up. "Oh, did you also hear? Jamie and Kori broke up."

Grace gave her friend an odd look. "You make that sound as devastating as the attacks."

"I mean, they were such a sweet couple."

Grace rubbed at her eyes, then laughed. "Yes, I guess so." She dropped her hand and met Anne’s gaze. "Speaking of couples, how did your date go with Reese?"

Anne's face turned sour, and that was all the answer Grace needed.

"That bad, huh?" she said.

"He wouldn't stop talking about his knife collection. And his...little figurines."

Grace's brow furrowed. "Figurines?"

Anne looked away, her face going red. "He has a thing for anime girls."

"Ah."

Anne sighed and placed her head in her hands. "It's hopeless. This place is utterly devoid of quality men."

"A little harsh..."

"But it's true!" Anne dropped her hands and looked at her. "And if there are any, you know they are all farther up toward the surface in the emerald sector. And there's no way I have a chance up there."

Grace smiled and patted her friend's arm. "Do you really want to meet someone here that badly?"

"Not here." Anne looked around, then said in a lower voice, "But it's not like I have any choice. I don't want to wait until I'm home."

"Why not?"

"Because who knows when I'll be back there."

Grace's smile dropped. She understood that too well. If she even had a home to go back to. Still, she and Anne were both in a similar situation and so she could relate to her friend's feelings in that regard.

Because they couldn't leave Oceanus. Not until they had the financial means to even support themselves and could afford a ticket off this rock.

"What about you?" Anne asked. "Anyone catch your eye?"

Grace shook her head. "You know I'm not as adamant about that whole thing as you."

"It's not like there's anything better to do around here," she sulked.

"Really? What about the game rooms?"

Anne scowled. "That's your thing, not mine."

Grace shrugged, and Anne's gaze shot behind her and grew wide. Grace looked around and saw a group of gyda enter. They took seats away from the others on the far wall. Despite having been years since the gyda had been introduced into human civilization, people, like Anne, still looked at them like they were some rare beasts out of the pages of a fantasy novel.

"They are so strange, aren't they?" Anne said. "They are so quiet and keep to themselves."

"I can't blame them." Grace took up a fork and stabbed at her mush of crab meat, then tore off a piece of bread. "What race likes being around us and wants anything to really do with us?"

"I know some of my rig mates who are friends with them. But I hear it can be difficult at first."

"It's that way with all aliens."

Anne shrugged. "I guess so."

Grace wouldn't argue. She had no real problem with other races. She herself had even been keen to communicate with those she worked with. But she also knew trust didn't come easy on both sides. The gyda were nice enough. But that was because they'd been around the longest, and their natures were a lot easier to handle. Others—like the corax—were newer and not so nice. Grace had never met an alien until coming to Oceanus, but she had seen plenty of videos and images of others from outer systems. She'd watched and read about the various conflicts that had popped up over time. From the pirate attacks to the xolian and human fights off the working worlds, to the nillium crimelords and the fyrien assassins. The galaxy was a chaotic mess, even more so now than before.

A hand smacked down on the table, and Grace looked up to see Bri—a nosy lab assistant who had somehow garnered Anne's friendship, likely through their shared love of gossip—glaring down at them with a blank sort of expression. "Hold on to your asses when you hear about what I just learned," she said. "Head Management is about to announce it."

Anne's face lit up. "What? What's happening?"

Bri grabbed a chair from another table and took a seat between them. "We got another alien coming."

Anne's eyes widened in excitement. "Really? Is it another xolian?"

Bri grabbed Grace's bread and took a bite. "Even better."

Anne's eyes somehow widened more. "Like...a fyrien?"

Bri chewed on Grace's bread with a grin and dropped it on her plate. "It's a vrisha."

They each went still. Anne's mouth opened slightly, and even Grace looked at Bri like she just told her pigs could breathe underwater.

"You're messing with us," Grace blurted.

"Am not. Heard it from the horse's mouth myself."

"You were up by the head manager's office?" Anne asked.

"I was there to talk to HR about my payment transactions when I overheard it," Bri explained.

"Maybe you heard them wrong," Grace countered.

Bri sniffed. "Don't believe me if you want, but I know what I heard. They are gonna call a meeting for everyone to talk about it."

Just as she said it, Grace and Anne's wristpads went off simultaneously. Grace looked down and read the text:

Meeting at 1800. Report to your designated meeting room at your assigned station. All staff must attend. No exceptions.

Grace looked up at Bri with a confused frown.

"See?" she said smugly.

Anne's face seemed to turn a shade paler. "They are really going to bring one of them here?"

Grace glanced back at Anne with concern, then stood up. "I need to get going. Gotta get back on shift. I'll see you later." She turned away and started back for her rig.

The rest of her shift went by in a blur. She barely paid attention to what she was doing as her mind raced with thoughts and questions. Why of all the races were they allowing a vrisha to come here? And for what purpose? Grace knew very little about the devilish race. Only that they were by far the rarest seen by any outside of the known systems. The only world besides their own that they settled upon was Terra Centra, and even on that world, there were few, assigned mostly as so-called "peacekeepers" or alliance fighters. They were notoriously secretive. A race even today most people knew hardly anything about. Even their home planet's location was still a mystery, given to only a special few. Their mystique coupled with their terrifying appearance made them known to some as "space devils" or "galactic terrors." And rumors were always abounding about what people claimed to know. That the vrisha were lethal killers. Monsters who only kept from eating and violently destroying everything in their path because of the alliance made many years ago. Some argued against these claims, citing the famed scientist who was made into one of their queens as well as those who swore they had been aided greatly by them. But then the attacks happened—vrisha who denounced the alliance and went rogue, slaughtering those who were unlucky enough to encounter them.

After that, all bets were off, and those arguments began to hold little weight to them.

Maybe Bri was losing her hearing and had been mistaken. Or she was really pulling their leg. It seemed more logical than the idea that a real vrisha was coming to their city.

The end of her shift came faster than she expected. Quickly, she dropped her supplies back in the locker room and changed before returning back to her unit. Taking a cold, hurried shower, she put on a clean set of clothes and headed for the designated meeting room on her level.

When she arrived, she found the room already full. She saw Kristoff standing by the other supervisor at the front where the head manager of K32 stood centered in front of a monitor. Grace got up a little closer and, as everyone seemed accounted for, the meeting started.

"Some of you might have heard some rumors," the head manager began, "about a new addition coming to our city. An alien known as a vrisha." Murmurs started, then quieted as the manager put up his hand. "I'm here to say they are true. We are allowing a lone vrisha to enter the city and work down below."

The murmurs started again, growing louder.

"They can't be serious?" someone grumbled beside her.

"Are they trying to get us killed?" someone else hissed.

"I know this is worrisome for many of you," the manager continued. "But be assured, the vrisha will not be working within this rig and will remain separate from the rest until it is gone."

"Where is it staying then?" someone asked on the other side of the room.

"It will remain down within sector gamma and stay in the substation TR7," the manager answered.

Grace crossed her arms. That substation was right on the borderlands of the ghost caves. Few worked down there save for using sub-bots and collecting data.

"Those who work in substation TR7 will be relocated. However," the manager spoke louder to stifle the crowd once more, "by regulation laws, we cannot abandon the station completely for to do so could cause system failures or damage to occur. The station must be maintained as it will not be up to the vrisha to do so. We have direct assurances that the vrisha will not harm or engage with staff who choose to volunteer to work below."

The crowd started again in their arguments as the manager finished his sentence.

"No fucking way I'm going down there," a man said to Grace's right.

"Better pay me extra," said another.

"Leave it to management to care more about their equipment than our lives," said a third.

"We cannot force anyone to go below and maintain the station, that is true," said the manager. "Therefore, we ask for those who will go willingly. If you are interested, please fill out a card, and we will place it in a box. We will draw every two weeks for a new volunteer."

"Two weeks working down there with that thing, no way," a woman mumbled.

"If and when you are chosen," he said lastly, "you will be given an agreeable pay bonus as left up to the heads."

That got a few quiet. Even Grace would admit she was thinking it over. If the pay was large enough, maybe it would be worth the risk. Maybe.

After his speech, they allowed for more questions. Many asked how much the bonus would be, but the manager couldn't give a solid answer, which put many off. When it was revealed that, if you put your name into the draw, you likely would be called to go down more than once (and you wouldn't accumulate another bonus for doing so) that turned people off even more.

Sure, people were desperate for more money. But not that desperate, it seemed.

The meeting was called after that, and people left, returning quietly to their units or talking amongst themselves. Grace had started for her own room when she was suddenly caught by Kristoff.

"Follow me," he said.

Grace hesitated, then forced herself to follow, allowing him to lead her down a tunnelway back toward the rig. When they entered the locker room, they were alone. Kristoff turned and glared down at her with dark eyes. Grace couldn't tell if he was angry or maybe hopped up on some drug.

"Open the closet there." He gestured to the one where she had taken her supplies.

Grace stared at him for a moment, wondering what he was on about, then steered her eyes over to the closet. Slowly, she walked over and opened the door. Her supplies from before came crashing out to fall at her feet along with a dirty garbage-filled bag.

Confused, Grace picked it up, and Kristoff snatched it from her hand.

"You left this garbage in the closet. And you know what else?"

Grace felt her face grow hot with embarrassment as she shook her head. In her haste and thoughtlessness, she must have forgotten to throw the bag out.

Kristoff opened the bag and brought out a smaller plastic bag she had never seen before. He opened the contents, and inside were several vials of bluum—a potent alien drug.

Grace's face went pale. "That's not mine."

"Bullshit it ain't. But it doesn't matter, I'm going to have to report this. And you know what that means."

Grace's heart began to race, her throat constricting. Anyone getting caught with such a substance was fired immediately and given up to the authorities. Likely to be dragged off the planet.

"I swear I don't know how that got there. It isn't mine!" Grace protested.

"You're done, Monrow. How else could it have gotten there, huh?"

"I don't know!” Grace burst out. " I have no idea how—" She stopped and looked at him, bewildered. "How did you know to find it there?"

Kristoff's face turned into a sneer. "I should report this. However, if you play your cards right, Monrow, I'll see it disappear instead."

It took her a full second to realize he was blackmailing her before she said, "What the hell do you want?"

He dropped the bag on the ground and wiped his hands on her shoulders before grasping them. It took all her strength not to rip his hands off.

"I am not sleeping with you," she said outright. And meant every word. She'd rather get thrown out than touch him.

"Relax, I'm not asking for that. I have a chance at a promotion with a significant pay raise, and you can help me get it."

Grace stepped back, forcing his hands away. "How so?"

"Let's be honest, no one wants to volunteer to work down in TR7. And the pay won't be worth it once people find out how much they'll get, especially if they get picked again and have to go down there for another cycle. If I get an outright volunteer from our level to go down to TR7, no questions asked, it puts a mark on my record for good management. Volunteer to do the two weeks down there at the very least, and I won't report you."

You unimaginable asshole, Grace thought.

"And listen, you'll get rewarded too. You'll still get the pay, and I'll even put in a good word for you to transfer to a better department."

Grace had no words.

Kristoff frowned at her silence. "You can't afford to lose this job anyway, and we both know it. You don't want to end up like your brother and uncle, right?"

Grace closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She really hated that they had the records on her and her family.

She opened her eyes and glared back at him. "Fine," she breathed. She hadn't planned on volunteering to go down there. Anxiety gripped her at the thought of being alone with the alien. But fear of getting fired and put away felt, at that moment, like a far worse prospect. As long as she kept the maintenance up for two weeks and steered clear of the vrisha, she would turn out okay.

And if Kristoff was true to his word about getting her into a different department, she might be rid of him entirely.

Kristoff's frown turned upside down, revealing a crooked-toothed grin. "Good." He stuffed the drugs in his inner pocket. "See to it you dump this, then" —he kicked at the garbage bag — “And I will inform the head that you are going down starting tomorrow."

Grace's stomach twisted unpleasantly. She picked up the bag and had started to head out when Kristoff stopped her.

"And pack up your things from your unit. You'll be staying down there for the two weeks."

"They didn't say we would have to sleep down there!" Grace argued.

"Yeah, that was going to be mentioned once the volunteers rolled in."

And likely turn the remainder of those volunteers completely away. Grace let out a frustrated noise and left.

CHAPTER THREE

GRACE

"Day 411 in Greenloch, Oceanus. The date is September 30th, 2181. This is the first entry in my vrisha series." Grace shifted in her seat and looked into the camera atop her computer screen where a white light beside it indicated she was recording. "I have volunteered to go down to the substation TR7 in order to perform regular maintenance as per regulation law." Grace rubbed a hand across her forehead, then looked back at the camera. "I will be staying with another individual. An alien known as a vrisha. They are said to be a very...intimidating race." Grace closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing hard, then stared back at the screen. "The vrisha came in at approximately 3:02 in the morning and has since been down below. It was said that the vrisha's ship dove right into the water and headed straight down. This greatly confused and fascinated some as our ships aren’t yet able to traverse from space to water without causing significant damage. No one has seen the vrisha, and it has not come out from the station nor will it supposedly need to. It is..." Grace looked at her clock. "9:10 in the morning now. The crew of TR7 should be out already, and I will be heading down in about twenty minutes." She took a deep breath. "I will be staying down for two weeks and recording to my journal when I can. If asked how I'm feeling about the whole situation, I'd say the best answer is...I'm pretty darn pissed."

Grace stopped the recording and sat back, staring at her laptop screen. She hadn't recorded a journal entry in two months because nothing significant or interesting had happened until yesterday. The journaling had been her own sort of therapy for awhile, until she found she had little to say. Now she had a boatload.

She could record more and rant on for an hour if she had the time. But she didn't and so she left the first entry at that. Closing up her laptop, she placed it in its case, then went over her things one last time. She had her bag of clothes and her bathroom bag, a small lantern, her handheld game player, her computer, a canteen, and her earplugs. It was all she had and would need for the time being. Stuffing what she could in a larger duffle bag, she hauled it over her shoulder and exited her unit.

She made her way to the train car dock and was greeted there by Kristoff and the head manager of K32.

"Grace Monrow." The head manager put out his hand. Grace took it and forced a smile. "We deeply appreciate your volunteering. Be assured your bonus will be sent to your account after the two weeks are up, and we will see to placing you in a more accommodating position after, if you so choose."

Grace kept her smile tight. "Thanks," she said through gritted teeth. The manager nodded and turned just as the train car was coming up, returning from below. Grace gave Kristoff the stink eye as the manager’s back was turned. Kristoff merely smiled.

The train car docked at the station, and Grace was surprised to see one lone man carrying a small bag onboard. As the doors opened, the young man nearly burst from the car and stumbled out onto the platform. He was covered in sweat and breathing heavily, eyes wide with terror.

"You all right, son?" the head manager asked.

The man nodded his head, even though he looked far from all right. "G-good.”

“What were you doing there, eh? All TR7 personnel were supposed to be out by now.”

“I was but...realized I forgot a few things...had to go back down and grab them..." He lifted the bag. His wide eyes looked over at her. "Lock your unit door no matter what. Don't go past the warehouse if you can help it. Keep a light on you at all times." He slipped past her and didn't look back as he disappeared down the tunnelway.

Grace looked back at the head manager, her stomach in a knot. He frowned back at her, then stepped closer and patted her shoulder. "Overdramatic. Good luck, Monrow. If you need assistance with anything, don't hesitate to call."

He started out of the dock, and Kristoff began to follow. Kristoff turned toward her and mouthed, "Don't mess this up or..." then made a slicing gesture at his throat and pointed to her. When his back was turned, she gave him the finger.

Alone now in the station, Grace clutched her bag tight. Cursing softly, she stepped into the train car. Before she could lose her nerve, she smacked the green button by the door and stepped back as it closed. She took a seat, hugging her bag, and watched as the car began to move, making its slow descent down to TR7.

The murky waters turned murkier. The light from above grew more distant. In its place, artificial light began to pop up around her. She could see the lights of a few other buildings going by and the tracks of other train cars. The car she currently occupied descended through a few small archways and short caves before coming out the other end and connecting with more level ground. It floated onward till Grace could see the light of TR7 ahead. A medium-sized substation with a ship docked along its side.

Grace stared at the vrisha ship as if it were some leviathan monster floating in the darkness. She clutched her bag tighter, her knuckles going white as the car came into the station, slowing to a halt and stopping at the dock entrance.

Even as the doors of the train opened, Grace found she couldn't move. She peered into the dimly-lit station beyond and could only see the doors that led farther into the building. Carefully, she peeled herself away from her chair and stepped out of the car.

"It's fine, Grace, just relax, it's not even supposed to bother you," Grace tried to assure herself as she came to the doors. "Just go inside and act chill, stop being a wuss." She opened the doors and braced herself, only to find a darkened hallway. Relaxing a little, she continued on until the hallway ended at a large central chamber, what looked to have been a lab. The computers were shut down as were the machines. Grace padded quietly across and saw from above a small circular window. As she wondered why in the hell anyone would add a window there, something hit her foot and clattered across the floor, making Grace jump. The soda can rolled underneath a desk, and Grace froze, looking around.

The place was deadly quiet, save for the soft drops of water and the whirring of the air and pressure systems and the soft buzz from the fluorescent lights. Grace let out a breath and forced herself to move forward. She slipped down another hallway which took her past several other rooms, some looking to be storage while others looked like offices. Then there was a breakroom to one side and finally a large doorway leading into the warehouse. Grace poked her head in and saw it was pitch dark save for a small white light hanging from above and another dim glow coming from a passage at the opposite end. She could hear a soft clinking like that of chains and could see water dripping down from above, creating a puddle in the center. Grace thought of the warning the young man had given her about not going past the warehouse and so she stepped away and quickly moved on.

She turned down another hall and, through a short tunnelway, found the living quarters. There, the lights seemed brighter and warmer. At least TR7's heating system was working. She found the kitchen and the washroom along with several units she could select for her bedroom. She went with the biggest room and dropped her things on the bed. The bathrooms were communal, unlike the small private one she had been given in her old unit, but that didn't bother her one bit seeing as she was alone. She was also relieved to find that there was no evidence of the alien taking up any of the other rooms. No sign of it at all, really, and that was just fine with her.

When she was done unpacking her things, she turned on her laptop and signed into the station's remote data system. Using a key given to her by head management, she was able to access several files and programs including one that showed a map of the station and access to all the light switches and door mechanisms. She also had the ability to check the status of the air and pressure systems, the power levels, and whether there were any known leaks or serious electrical damage. The pressure systems had to be checked regularly as did air. Thankfully, based on the map, the room where the tanks and control gauges were stored lay in one of the rooms she had passed near the lab. She would also need to run a check-up on all software systems run by one of the computers in the main office just across from the warehouse entrance. Some of the servers were in a back room as well, and the room needed to stay cool constantly, so she would be having to check that daily. Apart from that, she would have to do some cleaning and mechanical maintenance and that was all. Despite being alone in a large, creepy building with a supposed lethal alien, the job was in no way difficult. In fact, if she got her check-ups done early and made sure there were no major issues, she'd be finished before noon. Assuming a problem didn’t spring up at some random hour.

If she played things right, she could get everything done in the morning, then lock herself in her room until she had to check again at night before going to sleep. And, if lucky, never have to run into the vrisha.

Ah, but there was one little problem, she noticed. Looking at the map, she saw that the sub-bot control room was past the warehouse. She was supposed to go there at least every so often to check that the bots stationed outside were in good order, that no ringcrabs had started nesting along the sides and underneath the bot's arms or that the fans weren't backed up with sea mold and snails. If they were, they were supposed to be cleaned thoroughly from the droppool which was also located outside the warehouse.

She'd have to think about that later. Thankfully, she had a status updater for the sub-bots as well and could at least get readings on their energy levels and any alerts if there were major damage.

Grace played around with the programs to get a feel for them and found a way to organize the status of each check-up. The system highlighted areas that were in need of scanning and possible fixing. Blue meant all was good, yellow was for if something needed to be looked into at the earliest convenience, and red meant something was wrong and needed to be fixed pronto. So far, everything was in blue save for yellow in the lab for a possible pipe leak and red in the warehouse for the electrical because it was clearly out, the white lights meant for emergency only.

She wasn't going to worry about the lights in the warehouse for now. She took her sweet time unpacking instead, making her room more comfortable. Afterward, she went to the kitchen and found it to be well stocked with supplies, enough for at least a month or two, mostly consisting of seafood and canned vegetables. At least there was coffee.

When she had no more excuse to putz around, Grace finally forced herself out of the living quarters and back into the work areas. This time, however, she came a little more prepared. Gripping a pocket knife she found in one of the drawers in the kitchen, she kept it hidden in her pocket as she made her way for the lab. Like a child, she raced by the warehouse entrance, then fast-walked back into the large octagonal chamber. She located the possible leak and found it to be nothing more than a drip. She patched it up quickly with sealant found in a supply closet nearby, then made her way into the tankard room to check the pressure and air. Finding it to be good, she then made for the main office. Server room was good to go, so she went on over to the desk and started the computer. She sat down and waited as it booted up when something caught her eye.

Through the wide window of the office, she could see partially into the warehouse. She thought maybe she was seeing things when she noticed a flash of red light.

Grace frowned and glanced at the computer, then back at the warehouse as another flash of light blinked out like a beacon. She sat there for a long moment, trying to ignore it until, with a frustrated groan, she got up and went to investigate.

Hesitating outside the warehouse door, she peered in and saw the light was coming from an inner room on the far left wall of the warehouse. Red meant a problem, and clearly, the status shown in the system must not have meant the electrical like she had first thought. Grace realized she couldn't just ignore it now. Biting her lip, she went over to a maintenance closet and took out a flashlight, then returned to the warehouse door. Pushing down her fear, she bee-lined toward the inner room, refusing to look around her. She clicked on her light and directed it inside the room and found a large storage space filled with giant tanks, each connected with nozzles from the bottom. One of the nozzles was loose and spilling what looked like dark blue oil onto the floor. The smell was strong and bitter like vinegar, stinging her nose and making her eyes water.

"What the hell?" she muttered under her breath. She drew closer and beamed her light on the floor. The oil in question was a type she didn't recognize but was clearly being collected and used by the workers. Her best guess was it was meant for use on the mechs or possibly the sub-bots. From a sign below the flashing red light, it read "Caution" and that was all.

Great. So no idea if it was toxic or not but it clearly wasn't supposed to be leaking all over the floor. Someone must have not noticed the issue in their haste to get out of the station. Annoyed, Grace put on a pair of gloves from her inner pocket and tried the nozzle, finding it jammed. She would have to use a wrench. She went back to the closet and returned with one, then attempted to move the nozzle. Gritting her teeth, she pulled with all her strength, the nozzle barely budging but at least moving.

"Come on, you stupid thing." Grace tugged hard. The nozzle turned easier, then let out a spray of oil, hitting Grace in the face and drenching the front of her uniform. Grace let out a yelp in surprise. Panicked, she quickly tugged and turned the nozzle until the spray lessened and the oil was no longer spilling on the ground. She wiped at her face and looked down at her soiled uniform. Cursing, she tried to wipe off the oil, but it only spread more, making her gray uniform now black. She could feel some of it seeping through, the oil on her face falling down her neck.

Grace looked around and saw a sink in the corner with a hose attached to the faucet. She grabbed the hose and turned on the water, spraying her face and neck. The water was freezing, but the oil, she found, was starting to burn.

Horrified that the oil might actually be toxic after all and would burn her skin, Grace unzipped the front of her uniform and let the top half fall to her waist as she quickly doused herself in more water. As the oil finally started to dissolve away, her panic lessened as she looked over her skin and found it unmarred though tingling slightly.

Drenched now and looking, what she imagined, a hot mess, Grace stood there in her bra, trying to come to terms with her situation. Then she started to laugh. She knew she looked like a mad woman, but she couldn't help it. The whole thing was so unbelievably unfortunate and absurd. And yet it could still get worse, she knew, because her whole life so far had been pretty unfortunate. A big drag.

Taking a deep breath and still giggling, Grace took her light and left the room. The red light no longer blinked at her, so at least there was that. She was going to take a shower, then she was going to hide in her room the rest of the day because she was seriously done.

As she slunk across the warehouse, her wristpad went off. Grace looked down and caught a message from Anne:

Are you seriously down in TR7 right now? What the hell were you thinking??

Grace laughed some more. She wished she could tell Anne the truth, but instead, she'd have to let her friend think she was either crazy or stupid. Probably both.

As she started for the warehouse door, something made her stop and turn. She couldn't explain what it was at the moment. Perhaps the soft scraping of something on the ground or the slightest puff of air against her neck. Or maybe it was just the telltale feeling of being watched. Whatever it was made her direct her light upward.

In the light was a face. A demon face with dark red eyes that reflected the light back to her, pupils shrinking. The face bared its teeth, showing off black fangs, a soft hiss slipping from the mouth. Grace took in a sharp inhale of breath, her heart dropping to her stomach, body going cold all in one instant. Then she screamed.

The face disappeared as Grace flung herself away and ran toward the warehouse exit, her scream echoing through the station. She sprinted down the hallway and through the tunnel into the living quarters, then straight into her room, punching the lock and backing away, her back slamming against the opposite wall.

She remained there for ages it seemed, her heart thumping, her body tense and unmoving, until she finally slipped down the wall and sat with her knees bent, staring at the door.

Her mind whirled, fear still twisting her insides. For a second, she was even mortified she'd pissed herself but found it was only the water seeping down into the lower half of her uniform. Still, despite her uncomfortable wetness, she remained at the wall, wondering how the hell she was going to survive for two weeks.

CHAPTER FOUR

Xora

The waters were endlessly dark and cold. Xora could not remember a time he had felt uncomfortable at the bite of water, considering all of Tryth's seas were pleasantly warm. He certainly missed them now as he swam down a small cliffside toward a row of narrow caves below. Thankfully, he wore a suit of thick kelva to keep parts of him warm and several pieces of grivhide along his stomach, arms, and thighs as extra protection against murzas’ toxic bite in case they attempted to break the skin. Not that such a bite would kill him, few things could, but it could weaken him and that would greatly irritate him as much as slow him down.

Despite the depth he swam at, he had little worry of the pressure increase as his body was able to accumulate naturally to the change. The oxygen he had filled into his body through the inner vents underneath his neck-scales had helped stabilize him enough to keep his organs from being crushed. The ability could also be used to keep from having to draw breath underwater, but Xora found wearing his face-helm to breathe was more convenient. The helm also allowed him to scan his surroundings. Below him, he could see the caves, where smatterings of soft-glowing light could be observed. This light came from the ulimir which Xora could see peeking out from the entrance of some of the nearby caves. As he drew closer, he slunk down behind a large coral rock and peered around, looking for signs of the murza.

He could see no signs of any yet, but he knew they would be hiding close by. The murza were an odd species, not so sentient that they had the ability to grasp anything beyond hunting, mating, and feeding, but they were intelligent enough to know how to do such things well. They were also extremely variant in their size. Some could be as small as a fledgling child while others could be the size of a small ship. And, though the larger ones were threatening, the smaller ones were those that Xora looked out for. For they were the most cunning and could slip far easier into the smaller cave openings. They also usually came in packs.

Xora waited a moment longer, then slowly made his way toward the nearest cave. As he approached, he peered within and saw nothing but the glow of thin and twisting crystals, shaped oddly like tongues. He clung to the outside of the cave and reached for a cluster on the outer wall. He placed several in his tank before movement caught his eye, and he sprang back, whipping out his arm and catching hold of a murza's throat as it snapped its jaws at him. It clawed at his hand and writhed in his grip, but Xora didn't loosen his hold. The reptilian beast glared at him with white, pupilless eyes, its long snout reaching for him. Its back fins sprang up as its tail swung at Xora's legs. Xora tightened his grip and slammed the murza into the cave wall behind it. Bubbles sprang up as it snarled, struggling to break free. Xora pinned it there for a long second, then drew up his other hand and swiped his talons across the murza's neck. Blood seeped out from the long gash, and Xora released the beast, watching as it sank down to the bottom, its mouth still open as if still hoping to get a bite. This particular murza had been icy white which had made it easy to spot, but others were usually a deep purplish black, making them far harder to detect.

Xora returned to the cave to pocket a few more ulimir before another murza found him. This one was smaller than the last, but Xora crushed it well enough against a rock. Others would soon show up, so he had no choice but to stop for the time being and return later. He turned back, annoyed more than anything by the lack of crystals he'd yet harvested. He understood now why the task was more challenging than first thought. The murza were relentless in their attacks, and in great numbers, they were harder to keep away. They had no fear of him. Even if they saw him kill their brethren, they never ceased to fight back. Because of this, it would be a slow process harvesting enough of the ulimir to send back home.

He had considered other, faster strategies to collect the crystals and rid the caves of the murza, even going as far as using his ship's shooters to take them out. But the murza were smarter than they looked. They kept inside the caves, which were too small for his ship to enter, and if he were to fire at them, he would destroy the caves, and the ulimir, in the process.

If he only had extra help with him, other vrisha to aid him, he could finish much easier and quicker, but he was on his own and had no other way to complete his job.

Growling in frustration, Xora started back for the station, disappointment stinging in his chest. He should not be so impatient, he knew, to finish his mission, as it was unseemly for a warrior of his class to rush their tasks. Vrisha could endure much for long periods of time. They did not falter or grow irritated by the length of one's task.

And yet, he couldn't stop the feeling from festering. He wanted to be done with it, wanted to be off this cold, watery hell. He wanted to return home, even if the thought of returning filled him with bitterness. At least he could try to start over.

As he made it back to the station, he swam around to one rounded corner hanging off the cliffside and dipped underneath. From below, a pool could be seen from the underside, with lights beaming down at him from above. Xora floated up and broke through the pool's surface. He released the air from the vents along his neck and took off his helm.

The pool room was cold but not as freezing as the water below. Xora took the container from his back and set it aside, then unclasped his grivhide and kelva suit and let them drop on the ground by the poolside. Around the room, several other suits clung to the walls, but they were much smaller and meant for a different frame. Xora studied them for a moment, then slipped on a pair of thinner kelva pants he left by the pool’s edge. He picked up his container and started into the next room.

The chamber beyond was larger and lengthier. The whole of the right wall was made of thick glass where Xora could see out into the dark waters. Beyond were several human machines that looked like small ships or even perhaps drones, which were docked along the bottom half of the large window. Xora could see now some were collecting green plants on their sides and small shelled creatures with many legs were gathering on the bottom of one large machine in particular. Striding into the room, Xora passed a set of control panels and monitors before stopping at a large tank, not of human-kind but of his people's own making, and set his container of ulimir aside. He opened the tank, careful not to breathe in any of the cool vapors that escaped from the hatch, then quickly placed the crystals inside.

When it was sealed shut, Xora checked the tank's temperature gauge and found it stable. He started for the door, heading for his ship which he'd docked near the station's front.

When he passed through the warehouse and came to the passageway beyond, he paused and gazed down another passage to the right, toward a set of doors. His eyes narrowed. As he sniffed the air, he could still make out the human's scent, though it was faint. The woman had not yet come out from her hiding place.

He knew the human staying beyond the doors had to be female this time based on several differences. She was smaller and less bulky than the males, her shape more curved and rounded in certain areas, as he had seen the day before. Her features were also more delicate in nature. She had a long mane of dark hair that had been braided, the length more common in females than males of her kind.

Her scent was also different. The telltale smell of fear had permeated everywhere after she had run, and though he had expected it to stink as bad as the males, there was a sweeter scent beyond the fear that made it somehow more bearable. And with the fear scent nearly gone, he was even tempted to say her scent was pleasant. This confused him but also made him curious.

He'd only ever seen a human female at a distance or from images, like that of the human queen. It was the first time he'd been close enough to observe one. It hadn't been his goal to study humans when he'd arrived. He had expected to be alone. In fact, when he had heard her coming into the station, he'd assumed it was another of those men; some curious worker coming down for whatever purpose, thinking to get a glimpse of him, only to run whimpering away when they did see him, just like the last one had.

This one, however, had not gone seeking him out nor had they left right away. When he had heard the racket she caused in the warehouse, he couldn't help but see what her problem was. Maybe she'd lost her way or was confused and didn't know he was in the same facility. He couldn't fathom one just walking into the station to work otherwise.

Yet there she had been. He'd watched her come out of a room to one side of the warehouse, dripping wet and half naked save for the strip of garment over her chest, and he actually stood there in bewilderment, confused at the sight of her.

He had been so fixated on the strange scene, he hadn't considered just leaving before she saw him, returning to his ship while wondering about the foolishness of humans. Before he could move, she turned on him as if she had somehow detected him there behind her. Her light shined on him, and he hissed because the damn thing was bright and blinded him, but she didn't see that, he knew, and so he watched as this soaked human female screamed in his face and ran shrieking back toward the human living quarters.

Even after, he stood there dumbfounded, uncertain what to make of her or of the situation, but assuming it would be the last time he saw her.

Now, as he stepped into the hallway and glanced at the door down the way, he was surprised to find she hadn't fled the station. He wondered for a moment about what made her stay but then quickly brushed the curiosity aside. What did it matter why she stayed? He shouldn't even be concerned about the dealings of humans.

Hissing in annoyance, he stalked down the opposite hallway into the front chamber that seemed to serve as some sort of lab, then turned down a small passage to an emergency hatch to which his ship was attached.

Humans were just weak, rude, and irritating. They were nothing more than...pests.

Even to this day, it still astounded him that one of his own kind had claimed one as his mate. It had been years ago now, but it still felt like such an unfathomable occurrence.

He climbed the stairs up to the hatch door and quickly slipped inside his ship. The warmth that encased him from within made him sigh with relief. He made his way to the front and touched the terminal. Bright red light bathed the inside. Xora sat down in the pilot seat and flipped on the call system. There were no messages, but that didn't surprise him. He had no one waiting to hear from him. He instead made a report about the caves and the murza and the length of time it may take to collect the ulimir. When he finished, he sat at his seat for a moment just thinking, then tapped on the dash to pull up a map.

The map consisted of several hundred miles of the sea floor. Xora studied the map for some time, trying to find other places that might be better for discovering the crystal. The city of Greenloch encompassed a large section of where the rock could be found, but there were other places where it grew. The only problem was they were far from the city, with no stations. His ship might be able to take him to these other spots, but it was noted, based on information sent to him, that there were large leviathans that swam the waters, large enough to devour his ship with him inside. He couldn't risk going into unknown territory and creating possible damage to his ship.

Hissing with frustration, Xora closed the map for the time being and decided to meditate on his situation, to still his restless mind. He went into a half-sleep stasis, and when he eventually woke up again, he looked at the cyclecounter on his dash and saw it was growing late. Knowing he would need to try again to collect some of the ulimir before the day ended, he forced himself up and out of the ship.

As he headed down the hatch and through the narrow passage, he slowed his pace and eventually paused as he heard an odd sound up ahead. As he stood there listening, he realized it was someone purring—no, humming. Slowly, he approached the end of the passage and gazed into the lab room beyond. There, he saw the human woman, her back turned to him. She seemed to be working on some kind of power supply box on the opposite end of the room. The humming came from her, a low, soft sound.

Her humming eventually turned to singing, and Xora found himself watching her curiously as her hands moved from the box to some handheld scanner that she looked over. Though her body was rigid, she certainly looked calmer than the last time, despite glancing over her shoulder every so often to eye the hallway across, unaware that he was in the passage behind her. She was not relaxed—no—but she was far less afraid. Only wariness edged her features.

He listened to her singing for longer than he cared to admit, finding the sound oddly soothing. Vrisha could not sing, and they could barely hum without it soundly like a purr or a growl. Some were skilled in manipulating their voice (or even in his case, throwing it in a different direction), but to move their vocal cords long enough in order to sing never went well. So hearing another sing, and sing well, was rare for them.

When he felt like he’d been standing there long enough, his eyes flicked over to the hallway beyond then back to the woman. He knew she'd likely see him as he passed no matter how silently he tried.

Why do you care whether she sees you? his inner voice said. Do you worry she will be afraid? She already is.

Xora grimaced, knowing it was true, and it didn't matter. Since when did he care whether they feared him? Yes, their screams were awful, and their stinking fear stung his nose, but it didn't ever make him cautious of his presence around them.

Determined to not worry over such nonsense, Xora huffed and started for the hallway, forcing himself not to look over.

As he took a few steps forward, he heard the woman take a sharp inhale of breath and heard the sound of something clatter to the ground. Unable to help himself, he halted and looked over at her.

Their eyes locked, and he grew still. For what felt like many cycles, they did not move. Her face paled and her eyes—a light clay-like color with flecks of forest green, he noticed—widened as she stared at him. He waited for her to scream and be done with it, telling himself if she dared to do so, he would make sure he never crossed her path again. But to his surprise, she did not. Instead she let out a soft whimper, clutching at her throat in response, her other hand hiding in one of her pants pockets. On the ground, her small handheld scanner lay at her feet.

He stared back at her for several more seconds before he was sure she wouldn't go screaming and running, then he turned for the corridor. He paused to look back just to see if she was still watching, and when he saw that she did, he silently turned and walked away.

Humans really were odd creatures.

CHAPTER FIVE

GRACE

Grace knew she wouldn't be able to hide away in her room forever. She'd stayed there all that first night, getting only a couple hours sleep. She remained there for much of the morning, only going out to grab something from the kitchen and to use the bathroom and shower. She'd nearly made it to the afternoon when she knew she wouldn't be able to hide any longer. The power breaker in the lab had gone out, leaving several areas in the red. If she waited too long, the alert would go up to the heads, and in an hour's time, they would be messaging her, asking why the hell she hadn't fixed the problem. She could tell them exactly why, if she wanted to be perfectly frank: there was a giant demon alien outside her room, stalking around and scaring her so badly she thought her soul would separate from her body and float away.

So naturally, she went out to fix her problem instead of waiting to respond to the message that would inevitably come. Because she already knew what their reply would have been:

Get it done or you're out of here.

She'd worked too hard for too long to get booted now, and she definitely didn't want to end up locked up just like her uncle and brother all because her supervisor didn't get his new promotion.

She had all of last night and the morning to think it over, and, once her panic attack had subsided, she considered the idea that maybe management hadn't been lying and that the vrisha wasn't there to kill them. Yes, he'd nearly scared her to death, but he hadn't touched her, hadn't chased her.

It was closer to morning when she thought it over some more and realized that if he had wanted to kill her, he would have definitely done it already, locked door or not. Even if he had wanted to mess with her, he hadn't tried. He might be territorial, sure, but if that was the case, she could easily steer clear of his space. She'd just stick to the lab and to the office and stay away from the warehouse altogether if possible.

It seemed like a good plan, but even as she went to leave, she found it hard to set foot past the living quarters. Twenty minutes later and she knew it was now or never. She forced herself out into the hall and beelined for the lab, only letting out a small yelp near the warehouse when she believed she caught a shadow at the corner of her eye.

Once she'd made it to the lab, she went to work right away, wanting to get the job done quickly and have something to occupy her mind.

Eventually, after an hour of no sign from the vrisha, she'd calmed down enough to focus better on her task. She'd even allowed herself to hum a little in order to keep her nerves straight. Fifteen minutes later and she was outright singing because her task was almost complete and there was no creepy alien guy in sight.

Until, of course, she happened to see him stalking past at the corner of her eye.

She hadn't expected him there at all, as if he'd appeared from nowhere like a ghost. She dropped her power gauge and let out a sharp gasp, going as still as a rabbit in the sight of a wolf, or closer in this case, a dragon. She'd frozen, a small noise escaping her lips, and she'd clasped her throat as if afraid the noise would startle him. He hadn't so much as moved. He was like a panther, with his unblinking eyes and his unnatural stillness. She didn't scream, though, not this time, not when she could really see all of him for what he was. His body was a deep, dark red, almost black in color, with slender, curved horns across his head and a spiny tail at his back. He was scarily tall, with long arched legs. His eyes were a deep red as well, like the color of dark blood. He had a set of orange markings like stripes along his arms and torso, as if lightning had struck there and imprinted itself into his scaly skin. He was equally fascinating and terrifying but mostly just terrifying so up close.

She waited to see what he would do. When he finally did move, her heart leapt in her chest, her body prepared to bolt. But instead of moving toward her, he had moved away, back toward the hallway. He had stopped one last time to look at her before disappearing, and the whole while, she couldn't take her eyes off him, couldn't even move, as if she'd been hypnotized, frozen in place until he set her free.

Once he was gone, Grace had relaxed. At least, well enough to finish her work. After that, she checked the pressure and air filters, checked the servers in the office, then slipped back into the living area.

Now, she sat in the kitchen, sitting at a small metal table with a coffee next to her, just staring at the black liquid with a frown. She had smelled coffee in the lab too when she had been working, the scent growing stronger once she'd seen the vrisha, which was another odd thing because she hadn't brought any with her.

The whole experience had been rather surreal the more she thought about it. His whole existence was nightmare fuel in her mind, but she couldn't stop thinking about what she had seen. About what he had looked like. The first time, she had only seen his face, then, this time, his whole body. They were both reptilian in nature but not so much that he was anything like those from Earth. His scales were larger and thicker around his arms and thighs. She suspected they were extremely hard to penetrate. His eyes were definitely nothing like any she'd seen on any animal from Earth or otherwise. The black and red was a creepy combination. Even compared to other aliens, he was so incredibly different. The gyda looked like fish, the corax looked like sharks. Some xolians had different traits such as the nillium with their golden or sometimes blue skin, but their bodies looked similar to humans’ only taller. The vrisha's body was made of spindly yet hard looking limbs with twisted muscles and sharp spikes. A row went down his back, coming down to a long, spiny tail. His horns were slender and pointed upward at the ends, falling across his head to the back of his neck.

Even images she had seen of them before couldn't compare to seeing one in real life. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the vrisha were the apex predator.

Which should make her the prey, but with the alliance in place, her chances of getting eaten had been graciously lowered. In fact, the more she contemplated it, the more it made sense why he hadn't attacked her last night. He was here to do his job just like she was, and it wasn't to kill a bunch of humans.

After all, twice now she'd encountered him, and he hadn't even come near her save to cross paths.

But what about last night? the paranoid side of her interjected. He did scare you. What was he doing behind you like that, all creepy in the dark?

She thought that over, and the logical part of her found an answer:

Because you were making a huge ass racket, and he was probably coming to see what the hell you were doing.

Even with that logic, she still couldn't drop her uncertainty. She eyed the door that led to the outside hallway and still found her heart thumping at the idea of returning to work.

What are you, a big baby? Her brother's voice chimed in her head. He used to say that to her all the time, with a wide grin on his face and his eyes twinkling with laughter. Always when she was too afraid of something or too afraid to follow in his footsteps. He wanted her to be like him, a daredevil and troublemaker. But that fear was why she was where she was now, and he was in prison.

Still, he wasn't always wrong. He'd taught her a thing or two also. To stand up for herself when she could, to never be afraid of anyone or anything if she could help it. It didn't always work, obviously, but she felt she could at least handle herself a little better now than when she was younger.

A memory popped into her head, and she recalled once finding a spider in her hair. She was eight, the spider had jumped on her while in their grandma's garden, and she had screamed so loud her brother had come running from across the street. She had cringed away when the spider dropped at her feet until her brother had come and picked the creature up. She remembered telling him to kill it, but he refused. Instead, he had forced her to hold it. To make her unafraid, to see it wasn't going to hurt her despite her tears.

Even her grandma had taken her brother's side after Grace had told her what he'd made her do.

"Good on him," she'd said. "Spiders are harmless if you leave them alone. You know they are afraid of you too? They just want to live in peace like everything else."

"But it's so scary and grotesque," Grace had complained back to her.

Grandma had given her a firm look, leaning down to make sure Grace's gaze was locked to hers. "They can't help that they are terrifying. They still have a right to exist and live their lives. You have no right to say it should die just because you are afraid."

The lesson her brother taught was a little harsh, she admitted, but her grandma did have a point, especially now in her current situation. Despite her fear, she was stuck in the station with the vrisha, and knowing now he wasn't likely to kill or maim her, by her brother and grandma's standards, she had no excuse to be afraid.

Grace took a sip of her coffee and sighed. She looked down at her wristpad. There were several dozen messages, five of which were from Anne, asking about her time in the station. People were begging to know if she was still working, wanted to know what the vrisha was like, if he had tried to kill her yet, or if she had gone and fled. She ignored them for now. Instead, she went to her room and checked her computer. She stared at the screen with a frown, rubbing at her forehead. Small beads of sweat had formed despite the station being cool.

The sub-bot room was in red. One of the machines had most definitely accumulated some nesting ringcrabs and needed to be cleaned. She would have to pass through the warehouse to the room beyond to get to them.

Another thought occurred to her that started to make her feel more confident about having to make the trek. Something her grandma had also said.

If she wanted to be less afraid of something, it was better to learn more about it. The more you know, the less you have to fear.

This didn't work for everything, of course, but Grace couldn't deny it had helped her in the past. After the spider incident, she had found several kid friendly videos about them on the web and learned enough to curb her fear. At least enough to not be bothered by them. She was still creeped out by them for a long time, sure, but she no longer screamed when one popped out of a crack in her wall and scuttled up her hand.

If she knew more about the vrisha besides that they were devilish killing machines, she might not have to look over her shoulder every waking day.

Because if she was going to spend two weeks in the station with him, maybe she should actually try to understand him. She couldn't avoid him even if she wanted to anyway, now that the lab was a "no safe" zone once she finally realized it was where his ship was docked. They were going to cross paths many more times. She might not have to readily interact with him, but wouldn't it be so much nicer and less stressful if she could stand to be in the same room and do her job without being terrified the whole time? The answer was yes.

So if she wanted to understand, she was going to have to talk to him. Or at least try to. Because if he told her to buzz off, then she would gladly do so, but it wouldn't help her cause. Still, it was worth a try.

Grace took one last sip of her coffee, then turned for the door. Before stepping out, she hesitated.

They'd need a translator if there was any hope for speech between them.

Thinking it over, Grace left the living quarters and headed down the hallway, toward the main office. Still tensing up as she passed the warehouse, she slipped inside and started rifling through drawers.

"Come on, there has to be at least one in here—aha!" Grace grabbed hold of what looked like a pair of earphones connected by a thin piece of metal that went around the back of the head. To one side, a mouthpiece and speaker box were attached, and on the other side was a small egg-shaped piece that was the translator chip. It wasn't the best translator device, but it would do. Managers only kept them when they had new workers of alien origin who didn't yet readily know human language. And something told her the vrisha didn't know a single word.

She took a connection cord with her as well and returned back to the living quarters. She went straight for her computer and plugged the translator in to see which languages it knew. Gyda and corax of course, and oddly, lygin. But not vrisha.

She booted up the translator program and searched for an uploaded vrisha file. When she found one, she downloaded it quickly and waited for the translator to update.

Once ready, she slipped it on, securing the earpieces and mouthpiece. Once settled, she headed back out to the hallway.

She stopped at the warehouse and peered inside. Licking her lips, she called out,

"Hello?" Her voice cracked. She cleared her throat and said it again a little louder, her voice echoing across the ceiling. In response, the translator made a garbled, hissing noise.

No response. The warehouse was dark, still, and obviously empty.

Grace stood at the entrance unmoving, waiting for some sign, a shadow, anything. She waited at least five minutes before she concluded the vrisha wasn't going to appear. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself into the dark.

She went straight for the other doorway at the opposite end. As she approached, she poked her head through to the room beyond. There, she could see the sub-bot control room. A long room that took up the better part of the station's backside. The back wall was one wide, tall glass window through which Grace could see out into the dark bluish green waters and some ways past where lights beamed outward. From there, the sub-bots floated in their docking stables.

There was a terminal with monitors above and several seats where one could control the bots.

In the center of the room was a large tankard with wisps of mist spewing from its top. Grace carefully approached and saw it was not like any tank she'd seen. It was made of some dark, almost black metal, with a thin sheen of green and red in certain angles. Curious, Grace assumed it came from the vrisha's ship. She looked across one way and another and saw no sign of him. Silently, she walked over to the droppool and found it also empty.

Surprised at her disappointment, Grace stepped away and decided she'd get on with her job as she waited for him. She went over to the terminal and tapped it on. The monitors lit up, and the lights outside brightened, beaming down on the bots. Sure enough, there were crabs.

She began by sitting in one of the chairs and starting up the bot with the nest. Using controller sticks, she maneuvered the bot around into a position where she could see it better. She let off a few bursts of power from the jets, and the crabs went scattering, floating down the cliffside to the ground below. With the jets and a little tap on the propellers along the bot’s wings, the nest of seaweed slipped off and fell downward to join the crabs.

With the bot clean, Grace was tempted to take the thing out for a spin. Out of all jobs assigned, controlling the sub-bots and having them swim out to explore the depths of Oceanus was her favorite. Unfortunately, thanks to Kristoff, she hardly ever got to use them despite being certified.

She squeezed on the controllers, then released them with a sigh. Maybe some other time. She had to be careful how they were handled. If caught using them for anything other than what they were assigned for—in this case, mineral collecting—she could get into some serious trouble.

But maybe one ride before her two weeks were up wouldn't hurt. Grace docked the bot and turned off the controls. She shut down the terminal and watched the monitors go off before leaping from her seat. She turned to leave, then froze, breath catching in her lungs.

The vrisha stood as still as a statue watching her. He was soaked, dripping water on the ground. He had clearly come out from the droppool. He held the strap of a container the size of a large backpack in his fist.

Grace caught deja-vu as they stared at each other in silence. Not wanting another awkward encounter, Grace licked her lips and swallowed hard before opening her mouth.

She hadn't considered what exactly she was going to say to him. Knocking herself for not planning further, she stood there with her mouth hanging open, her mind a blank slate of nothing, except maybe a few curses. The vrisha continued to stare at her, waiting, as she couldn't think of a damn thing to say.

Just say hello, you idiot.

Grace said, "Hello," except that it came out more like "hillu," and it was too quiet for the translator to pick up.

The vrisha's eyes narrowed. He started to twist around as if to walk away. Panicking, Grace stepped forward and said the first thing she could think of.

"I'm sorry I screamed."

The translator went off in a series of hisses and growls, and the vrisha stopped. He looked back at her with what looked like a sort of scowl, or maybe it was a vrisha's expression of surprise, Grace couldn't be certain. She put her hands up in a defense stance, and when he didn't respond she said again, "About the other day...I'm sorry for screaming at you."

Heart pounding, Grace waited for him to react, her body tensing as if expecting him to charge at her and roar for her to leave. Even if he just hissed at her, she was ready to fly right out of the room without another word.

The vrisha glared at her for a second longer, then moved so suddenly it made her flinch. He stepped toward her, and it took all of Grace's control not to move backward.

He did not come closer to her, however, but went for the tank in the middle of the room. Grace watched in quiet awe as he set aside the container in his hand and opened the tank's lid. Vapors spewed out the top, falling slowly to the ground. He opened the container next, and from there, he brought out a bluish, almost translucent rock that looked like several slender tongues, or maybe tentacles if one cared to see it that way. Grace recognized the rock-crystal from the resource and element charts back on the rig. Its scientific name was ulimir, but most just called it ghost tongue.

The vrisha placed the ghost tongue inside the tank, then closed it back up. They both watched as the tank sealed itself shut. The vrisha then bent down and seemed to study a set of glowing marks on one side.

Grace hesitated, then took a careful step forward. "You're harvesting the ghost tongue? That takes some serious guts. The murza are mean. People have stopped going near the caves because they get attacked. Management says the crystals aren't worth it. They say there's no usefulness to them. At least not for us, humans, I mean. But some of the gyda will try to collect them." Grace took another careful step. "How do you get past them? The murza, I mean. They are supposed to have a pretty deadly bite."

The vrisha didn't answer. He continued to study the tank as if she weren't even there. Grace shuffled awkwardly. Maybe the translator wasn't working right. It was definitely making sounds that seemed like language, but Grace couldn't know for sure. For all she knew, it could just be a garbled mess of noise. She didn't speak or understand vrisha, so she had no way of knowing.

"Sorry, is this thing not working?" She readjusted her mouthpiece. "Maybe you can't understand."

"I understand just fine."

Grace went still. She heard the hisses and clicks from him first, then a second later, she heard the words in her own language. She stared back at him, stunned. He straightened up and turned his gaze to her.

"What do you want?" he said after a pause.

The translator wasn't good at mimicking tone, so it was just a monotonous voice in her ear, but from his own mouth, she heard a husky, kind of velvety, voice, a softer tone, but still clear and commanding with its hard clicks and long hisses. His voice caused a chill to run down her spine—not because it was creepy, she realized, though she couldn't place what about it gave her chills, just that it did.

"I, um...just wanted to say that...'' Grace thought it over, feeling her anxiety peaking at the pressure of his stare. "I'll need to come in here sometimes to check on the sub-bots and clean—but if you don't want me around, I mean, if my presence bothers you, I'll try to do it when you've gone out or whatever. Because if you need your space—" He looked at her like she was mad, that weird scowl starting to twist his expression. "I just want to make sure we are good."

"Good?" he said.

"That I can work around you and you won't..."

His eyes narrowed. "What?"

Get weird or murdery. Grace pursed her lips. "You won't be annoyed. By me being around."

The vrisha scratched at his jaw as if thinking. "Will I have a reason to be annoyed?"

Grace shook her head. "I don't think so."

He took up his container. He mumbled something too quiet for the translator to pick up.

"What was that?" Grace asked.

"I don't care if you work around me."

Grace blew out a slow breath of relief. "That's good." Her lips curled in a small smile as she rubbed at her neck, her nerves calming if only a little. "I'll try to be quiet." She dropped her hand and cautiously started for the door. "Well, then...see you around." She slipped around the tank, watching him still as she sidestepped for the door. As she neared it, he stepped in her way. Fear gripped her once more as she stopped to glance up at him in confusion.

"Stay away from this tank." He gestured to the center of the room. "That is all I demand."

Grace looked at the tank, then back at him, and nodded her head. "You got it."

He stepped aside. Without looking back at him, Grace moved through the door into the warehouse, knowing he was still watching her from behind. She stopped once just to see if he followed, but he had not. Instead, he had disappeared.

Deciding now was a good time to stop for the day, Grace made her way back to her room, forcing herself not to walk too fast, knowing now there was no threat hanging around.

She'd done the thing. She'd talked to the big scary alien. He had seemed aloof and cautious, but he had talked to her at the very least, and it hadn't been to threaten to dig out her insides or eat her tongue out for having the audacity to speak to him. It was a good start.

CHAPTER SIX

Xora

The human had grown braver since their conversation. Xora found that as the days passed, they began to cross paths much more often, the woman no longer actively trying to avoid him. She still flinched sometimes when he turned a corner and she was not expecting him, her body always tensing as he walked past. But she no longer screamed, or whimpered, or looked on the verge of scampering away in fear that he might attack her. She even bared her teeth or curled her lips at him sometimes as a form of greeting. A smile, he had been told. No human had smiled at him before, but he'd seen them smile at each other, so he understood what it was.

Her fear scent had also lessened, and admittedly, it was a relief to him. It no longer stunk up the place for one. And it brought instead her more natural, more pleasant smell, which was considerably different than that of the other humans he had encountered who mostly smelled of sickly sweat and dirt.

It was nice not having to think about whether he was going to freak her out if and when they ran into one another. Or make her angry and hostile. He had expected no human to stand being so close to him for so long. He certainly had expected that she would have left already. But again, to his surprise and curiosity, she had stayed.

He told himself it didn't matter to him either way. What was one human to him anyway? They were still annoying, troublesome pests. He'd reminded himself of this every time he saw her and she smiled at him or waved her hand at him in some odd greeting. He shouldn't trust her.

He went about his day as usual, ignoring her, forcing his thoughts to more important matters: the ulimir.

He'd grown more impatient in his need to collect it. And in turn, that caused him to be more reckless. Many times, he plunged through into the caves, grabbing as many of the crystals as he could, uncaring of the murza that hid within. They attacked him as they always did, and Xora took a few hits in his desperation to harvest as many of the ulimir as possible before too many of the aquatic reptiles sprang on him and became too many for him to fight off before he was forced out of the caves. He gathered he could take on at least five medium-sized ones before he had to retreat. Three small ones if they weren't trying to sabotage his face-helm or equipment. If they were larger in size, he might be able to take on two at the very least. But if they were giant, only one could be managed. Thankfully, the giant ones couldn't make it into the caves, but when they waited outside for him, it became a problem.

On the positive side, he was able to collect more of the crystal if he waited before retreating or fighting back. On the negative side, his grivhide was taking quite a beating, and his kelva suit usually turned out ripped or torn in a few places after each mission. Thankfully, he had been given a means to repair the suit within his ship using a mending tool, though it took some time—many hours of his night, in fact, to repair some of the damage. He had one extra pair, but he dared not use it yet save for an emergency.

The murza got their share of blows in, as it couldn't be helped. But Xora got his share too. He'd lost count of how many of the beasts he'd felled or maimed. Yet, still they appeared in great numbers as if they hadn't lost any of their pack at all. It was infuriating and hopeless to try and crush their numbers enough that they stopped their attack.

It started to worry him that they would only grow stronger and smarter the more they fought him. Xora discovered more than once that the larger of their species could take many blows and swipes from his tail—his most deadly weapon—before being brought down. And they were getting braver too. Some had started to follow him to the station. He caught a few smaller ones spying on him from a distance as he entered the pool.

He had to hand it to the murza, they were not as stupid as they looked. Even if a single one (unless it was giant) was no real challenge or threat, in numbers they were quite formidable. They were one of the few species he had ever encountered that had no great fear of him. In vrisha terms, that should garner them some respect, but to Xora, they were only aggravating. They were no true opponent. They were just a very big nuisance.

He went out again for the last time that day, determined to gain a fair amount of ground and to possess a full container of ulimir before returning to the station.

Once he made it to the caves, however, he found the murza swarming.

They must have caught on to his routine and informed others to prepare for a fight.

Seething fury burned in him as he watched them circle the caves, waiting. Still, determined to get what he came for, Xora pushed himself off the rock he hid behind and made straight for them.

He got to the caves, but he was unable to fill his container. He acquired three ulimir before the blood in the water became too thick to see through. The murza still didn't let up so, with a low growl of frustration, Xora forced himself to retreat.

He had to kill two more who wouldn't leave him alone before he could enter the pool. Thankfully, the murza couldn't breathe outside water. Otherwise, he was certain they would have followed him inside the station.

He climbed out of the pool and ripped his helm off, letting it drop to the ground. His grivhide was scraped badly in a few places, and his suit was once more torn. It would have to be mended again.

Keeping his anger barely in check, Xora strode out of the room, feeling defeated even if he knew he wouldn't, nor couldn't, quit. He made for the tank and carefully opened the lid, setting the ulimir inside. He stared at the three ulimir for a long second, then closed the tank back up and threw his container to the side, letting out a frustrated hiss.

"Are you all right?"

Xora looked around and saw the woman standing by the terminal. Her expression showed concern as she clutched at the chair next to her.

Xora stared at her as he tapped a finger against the tank lid. No, of course he wasn't all right, couldn't she see that?

But then he saw the worry in her eyes and couldn't help feeling curious at the sight. It was strange to see another being show concern for him.

He slid his hand from the lid and carefully picked his container back up. "It's fine."

"You look pretty beat up. The murza gave you a run for your money, huh?"

He didn't respond. Mainly because he didn't know how to. He didn't have money, nor did he need to run from the murza to get it. He didn't have time to understand the human’s confusing words. He started for the door, determined not to show any more of his anger in front of the human lest he scare her again.

"Wait! Maybe I could help?"

Xora stopped and looked back at her, speechless at first, then after a long pause, said, "I doubt that." He started again for the door, and, to his astonishment, the human started following him.

"Well, not with the murza, really, that's true," she said behind him, keeping her distance still, he noticed. "But I'm good with fixing clothes. Had to learn as a kid since we couldn't afford new ones. Your suit isn't a material I've ever seen before, but I think we have a clothes machine in the living quarters that I know how to use. I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to mend if you like. What is that material anyway? It's almost like leather. But it seems thicker, with little scales. Must be a weird animal you get that from. I can't imagine you have cows."

Xora kept on walking, his face twisting into a scowl of confusion as he listened. He could still detect an air of nervousness in her voice. She was still fearful, yet she made an effort to talk, even if all she did was vomit words. He was surprised to find it more amusing than annoying, perhaps only because her voice was not so unbearable to hear. He continued on past the warehouse and down the passage toward the lab, and she still continued to follow, saying more words that he didn't necessarily listen to this time but instead focused on the tone and drum of her voice.

When they got to the small corridor that led to his ship, he finally stopped and turned, watching as she nearly ran into him. Her words cut off, and she let out a small gasp before backing away a few steps.

"Anyway." She rubbed at her neck. "If you would like me to do that for you, I could..."

Xora blinked. "Do what?"

"You know...fix your suit...if you like."

Xora looked down at his suit, at the tears, then turned for the hatch. "I can fix it myself."

"Are you sure? I mean, of course, you can fix it yourself. I meant, it would be less time for you to have to work on it. I'm sure you'd just like to rest and not worry about it, you know?"

She was starting to follow him to the hatch, and, despite being curious of her odd behavior, he could not allow her to go near his ship. He might find her a strange woman, but he still couldn’t trust her. As he got to the ladder to climb up, he looked back at her and gave her a searing glare that made her stop and grow very still.

Her eyes were wide and her skin a little pale, but she stood her ground, which was kind of cute.

"I don't need help. Especially from a human." He turned away and climbed up the ladder, opening the hatch. "Go be a pest somewhere else." He didn't have to say it, but he wanted to be firm, to make sure she didn't try to follow him inside. He didn't look back as he climbed into his ship and closed the hatch, nor did he feel sorry for it.

He spent hours mending his suit. When it was finally put back together, Xora studied it, irritation rising in him as he knew it would only get torn again the next time he went out. It couldn't be helped. As he spent the time melding it back together, his mind had drifted back to the woman and her offer. The more time passed, the more he was tempted to give the suit up and let her have at it.

But he couldn't know if her machine would properly fix it, and it was his responsibility to mend his own clothes since he had no other crewmates or dirra to do it for him. It was late now, the woman likely asleep, and so should he be if he wanted to keep his strength for the fight in the morning.

For there would be a fight. Xora would tear every murza limb from limb if he had to. He considered long and hard about even making a few bombs. Once again, he couldn't risk destroying the caves and ulimir with them.

He thought over a few other ideas, none having any merit, before he sat down to rest.

He slipped easily into sleep, even if he had no bed, only his ship chair. He dreamt of being back on Tryth, his homeworld. He was in his old house, sitting on the terrace, watching the wilds and the great mountain-head in the distance. Past the small forest, he could see the plains and the many beasts that roamed. He could see the winged kikana screeching as they passed a waterfall on the mountain's side. Despite its beauty, he found little enjoyment or awe in the scene. He'd witnessed it many times before. It was nothing unusual now to him. He heard, however, the sound of humming, and when he looked over, he saw the human woman sitting near him, singing, his suit in her hands as she mended it with an even simpler tool than his own. She smiled up at him, and he found himself watching her instead, the wind and light catching in her hair.

Then the ground started to shake. Tryth had its share of earthquakes, but the havens were designed to withstand damage. Still, pieces of his house cracked, and, beyond the forest, the mountain was falling. The shaking grew so bad it actually woke him up.

The ship shook as a red light blinked at him. Xora straightened in his chair and tapped at the console. Something had run into his ship. Something very big.

Xora opened up the front shields and peered out the window of the ship.

Through the dark, he could see a massive shape passing his ship and falling onto the station. Long tentacled arms swept over the sides, causing another small shake. Cursing, Xora leapt from his seat and started for the door. He flew down the hatch and into the station. The lights were off save for a few yellow ones, which flashed on and off.

As he made his way through the warehouse to the room beyond, he felt something brush against him and heard a sharp yelp.

A light clicked on and flashed in his face.

"Oh! Sorry!" The woman aimed her light down. "Something outside. It woke me up."

"I know." Xora headed for the room beyond, and the woman followed.

He went straight for the tank at the center of the room and checked it for damage. It looked stable. He peered over at the glass and saw a large arm covering the upper half of the window.

The woman approached the terminal and looked up, cursing softly. "That's not good. That's a giant Iropos. Shit, I've never seen one so big."

Xora moved around the tank to stand by the glass. "They are threatening?"

"If you mean whether they mess with the stations, then, no, not usually, but they do attack ships from time to time. And they can still do a lot of damage." She moved to another part of the terminal and began tapping several buttons. Lights turned on along the top of the terminal as did the screens above it. "They have the large arms you can see, which are super strong and can crush metal. But it's their mouths you have to watch out for. They have spiny, long tongues. Can rip a man in half easily." She sat at one of the seats and began turning on the lights from the outside. From there, they could make out another of the Iropos' arms clinging to the cliffside.

"And this one has decided to make a bed of our station," Xora commented.

"It seems so." The woman tapped on one of the screens along the terminal. "And it's already caused some damage along the top and west side of the building." She pulled in a set of controls up to her chair and activated them. Outside, one of the waterbots he'd seen her working on before turned on. "I'm going to have to try to distract it."

The station shook again, causing the woman to nearly fall from her seat. Before Xora could ask her how exactly she planned to distract the huge creature with the small bot, he watched as she unhooked the bot from its dock and drove it upward. From a large screen above her seat, Xora could see where the bot swam.

With impressive speed, she maneuvered the bot through the water, carefully avoiding the giant arms while following them up toward the beast's head. It had one great eye that stared endlessly in one direction, hardly moving. The bot swam close and stopped, blocking the creature's vision. The woman worked the buttons on her controls, and the bot began to flash bright beams of light. The creature could not blink, it seemed, so it instead flinched and moved back slowly. The bot stretched out an arm, and from it sparked a bright blue beam. The beam hit the Iropos, and it flinched back even more, this time letting off a single loud groan.

Pink and red tentacles spilled from its mouth and started for the bot, but the woman was quick. She swerved away, dodging each one, swimming around toward the back of the creature's head.

She let off another blue beam, this time against the top of the creature's head. The creature moaned, its tongue stretching around, unable to reach. Its tentacled arms unlatched from the building, and it started to follow the bot, trying to catch it with every appendage it had.

The woman taunted it for a few turns until she forced the bot to dive lower. Below, there was another set of caves, smaller in size and not the kind to contain any ulimir. There were red plants that grew around the tops and sides with small silver fish hiding within them. The bot slipped into one of the narrow cave entrances, and the Iropos followed, squeezing its arms into the cave openings. It reached in as far as it could go, trying to grab the bot inside, but wasn't fast enough. The bot swung through another set of tunnels, then slipped out through another opening on the opposite end. The woman drove the bot around the side of the caves and through the red fields of plants where the Iropos couldn't see it. The creature continued to search for the bot in the caves all in vain and all while the bot returned back to the station.

"That should keep it busy for a long while. It'll give up eventually and likely move on when it sees better prey." The woman docked the bot with ease and switched it off. She let out a slow breath and slumped back in her chair. Xora hardly moved. He watched her for a long moment before his gaze fell over to the bots.

He rarely ever felt or witnessed it as other vrisha claimed, but he was certain then that the First—Veradis, the mighty predomis, and Rikasha, the eternal queen—were giving him a sign from the afterworlds. They had seen his struggles, and they had sent him aid—this woman. He had been blind to it before, but it now all made sense.

The woman turned to look over at him and gave him a sleepy smile. "Well, that was enough excitement for one night." She pushed the controls away from her and got up from her seat. She stretched her arms, and Xora could see the skin of her belly as her thin shirt rode up. Her scaleless legs were bare as well save for the short pants she wore.

She dropped her arms and hugged them around her chest as her face turned a shade of pink. "Um, guess I'm going back to bed. See you tommo—"

"You are to help me."

"I—what?"

"You are going to help me acquire what I need. The ulimir."

She pointed at her chest. "I am?"

"Yes."

The woman frowned. "How?"

He gestured to the bots, and the woman's eyes shifted over to them.

"You want me to use the sub-bots?" she said.

"That's correct," he answered.

The woman shook her head. "I don't know. We aren't supposed to use them for...well, what I just did, honestly. Hell, if management finds out, I'll probably get written up."

"It matters not. You must drive the waterbot and follow me to the caves."

The woman's frown deepened into a near scowl. "It does matter, you know. Three write ups, and I'm toast."

Xora stared at her, waiting for her to explain why she would become toast, whatever that was.

"I'm saying I'll get fired. You know, kicked out of here."

Xora scratched at his jaw. "Then they won't know."

"You want me to keep it from them?"

"Yes."

She crossed her arms, glancing at the bots, then back at him. "And if they do find out?"

"You tell them I threatened you," he explained.

"Are you threatening me?"

Xora thought it over. "No. But if you don't help me, I may be forced to take unsavory measures."

"Like?"

He tilted his head in a shrug as he eyed her up and down. "I scared you easily enough with my presence alone. What do you think I could do if I actually wanted to scare you?"

She gave him a nervous yet wondering look as if curious to how.

He swung his tail around, lifting it up, raising the tip slowly, then dropping it slowly in front of her.

The woman pressed her lips together, and Xora could tell she was imagining it actually touching her, maybe even caressing her. She shivered.

"All right, fine." She put her hands up in defeat. "Tomorrow, after I've finished my own work, which won't take most of the morning."

He slid his tail back. "Good. Tomorrow." Pleased with the turn of events, he started for the door.

"I'm Grace, just so you know."

He looked back at her. "What?"

"My name." She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "Figured you should know since we are working together."

He blinked at her, then decidedly bowed his head. "Xora."

She bared her teeth at him in that weird smile, and, though it was a little off putting, he found it nice enough. "Tomorrow," he repeated, and turned away.

CHAPTER SEVEN

GRACE

It didn't take long for Grace to complete her usual tasks for the morning, and by early afternoon, she had enough time to take a small break to collect herself before making her way to the sub-bot room. Her feelings on the situation were a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Excited to actually be working with the drone-like bots but worried about Xora's mission. Sure, she wasn't a bad pilot, having been trained through using a simulator back when she was taking classes and having worked the bots several times on the rig. It was like a game to her, and she supposed maybe that was why she was rather good at driving them. It reminded her of the games she and her brother used to play as kids when they were left in the house all day alone.

But Xora was talking about going up against the murza, navigating their caves and trying to dodge their attacks. A little too real to be just a game. The bots also were really only meant to be for searching and collecting resources. The reason they were so durable and swift in the first place was for defense purposes only, in case they had to run from some threat. Not to actively taunt something into attacking them.

The bots might be able to withstand a few hits, but Grace knew, if they got damaged badly enough—and management found out about it—it would be the end for her. The bots cost more than her life and then some. She would have to be extremely careful.

As she entered the control room, she found Xora already there, affixing the thick armor-like pads on his arms. Seeing him in the armor made her think of a stoic warrior about to go on a dangerous quest. The suit fit him snuggly, and she could see the tightening of his muscles as he adjusted his clothing. She caught herself staring and quickly looked away as he saw her and bowed his head.

"Afternoon," she said in greeting, her voice cracking.

"It is," was his response.

Grace cleared her throat. "So, um, how do you wanna do this exactly?"

Xora tightened a band along his shoulder. "You follow me to the caves. We wait and watch for a good opening, then you go in and cause a distraction. Get the murza to follow you, hit them with whatever that blue light was you used last night."

"Heatshots. They're like quick, powerful jets of energy," she explained. "Kinda like being hit by a bolt of lightning or fire but...well...not exactly that because you can't actually use those things underwater." She rubbed at her neck as he glanced up at her with an odd look. "So they’re more like very hot beams of water being shot at you. Made to melt rock and metal usually."

"Use those if you must, and keep them away for as long as possible," Xora continued. "Do the bots have any other way of defense?"

"Well, I don't know about 'defense' exactly, but each bot has unique abilities." She walked over to the controls and turned on the lights so that the bots could be seen at their docks. She pointed to a medium-sized bot on the left with wider wings like a ray with a device underneath it that looked like a crossbow, only instead of an arrow, it had a folded net. "That shoots out a large net used to catch certain types of fish or sea creatures. And this one over here" —she pointed to a smaller one with a rounded back and small narrow jets along its stomach— "can let out a jet of oil like a squid that stuns smaller animals that are too hard to catch in the net. Both could be used in other ways, if needed, but it's highly frowned on. The rest only have abilities concerning rocks and plants."

"But they all can use the heatshots?" Xora asked.

"The one with the net doesn't but the rest should." Grace brought up the designs of the bots on the monitor and looked them over. "The net bot would be hard to maneuver in the caves since it's made for open areas. The smaller bot with the oil could work better, but it's more fragile. One bad hit could bring it down."

Xora grunted. "Too bad. The oil could slow down the murza."

Grace nodded. "Potent enough against the small ones but not the bigger ones. It's a possibility. But I'm thinking this one here." She pointed to a medium sub-bot that was more slender in form. "It's the quickest by far and small enough to get through narrow openings. It can use heatshots and has bright lights. It's also the only one with anything close to an actual attack. Just below its mouth, it has a sort of gun—a shooter. It's meant to blast away pieces of rock and coral, but it could put a hole right through someone, or something in this case."

"Good." Xora adjusted the last piece of his armor, then picked up what looked like a metal face mask with a ventilator. As he put it on, it wrapped around a part of his head and around the first set of his horns. The mask somehow made him look more menacing as the eyeholes began to glow red. "Let's get started."

Grace watched him turn for the droppool before she settled into her chair. She brought the steering controls toward her and prepared the sleek bot, as she called it, for launch. Taking a deep, slow breath, she started up the drone, its bright white lights illuminating the dark waters, and slowly pressed off on the drivers. Her eyes flitted up to the large monitor just above her where she could plainly see where to steer. From another monitor, she could read the map of where the bot was currently located. She found her way to Xora, who waited out by the droppool, and together, they made their way toward the caves.

As they came in sight, Grace saw the glowing white and blue of the ghost tongue or ulimir as Xora called it. She also saw the shadows of the murza as they hovered near the cave openings. She and Xora stopped behind a great rock, and Xora gestured for her to start forward. Squeezing her controls tight, Grace floated upward and drove on past the rock, toward the caves.

As soon as she got close, a pair of medium-sized murza spotted her. They snapped their long jaws in her direction and darted for her, but Grace was prepared. She flashed on her brightest lights, blinding them momentarily, causing them to swerve and dart aside as if to cower away from the light. As they began to circle back around, Grace hit one of them with a heatshot, causing it to yowl and back away.

"Got their attention now," she said, even though Xora couldn't hear her. She drove the bot downward, slipping underneath a thick archway, and the murza followed.

They were fast, but she was faster. She dipped and dodged around rocks and slipped through short cave openings until she was certain she’d lost them. Before she could wonder where they had gone, however, another group of murza was swimming nearby. A large one and several small ones. Grace let off her bright lights, and once again, the murza came flying her way. She turned and swiveled and twirled her bot in all sorts of directions, slipping past each one, if barely. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck, but Grace's concentration was sharp and steady. Like a game of chase, she thwarted the murza left and right, taunting them with her lights and burning them with her heatshots. Their fury and desperation grew, and more began to follow after her to the point she was forced to hide in a deep rockbed. Her heart pounded in her chest, but the adrenaline was glorious. Sure, the fear of the bot getting caught and torn to shreds still ate at her, but fighting the murza was the most fun she'd had in months.

She knew the murza wouldn't let up for some time, so she waited nearly an hour before she decided it was safe to leave her hiding place. As she floated out of a small hole, she saw the murza still lurking close by. She wished she could ask how Xora was doing, but they had yet to establish a means to communicate.

Just as she slipped away from the rock, her bot suddenly jolted to one side. With a hiss of breath, Grace turned her bot around and saw one of the mean looking reptile-like fish staring back at her. The murza bared its long fangs, then went to swipe at her again, but Grace quickly dodged the attack, then hit it square in the face with her heatshot.

"Ha! Take that, you asshole." She turned the bot away as the murza writhed in pain. As she started back toward the main caves, she could see the murza begin to swarm around her. Packs of them swimming and following all around her. They were getting ready to attack.

Grace saw an opening between them and went for it, all while weaving around the rocks. She slipped through another cave and turned through the tunnels, praying she wouldn't meet a dead end.

Feeling confident she was losing them again, she swam through an opening at the top of one tunnel, floating out to the higher points of the cave systems. She swam on until she came to the edge of a large trench. Thinking to slip down a ways, she started to dip, when a massive shape sprang up from the depths right in front of her. Cursing, she pulled her bot back as a wide jagged mouth came at her.

Thinking fast, she deployed the gun beneath the bot's mouth, firing right into the creature's throat. The creature, a murza giant, roared. She fired a few more shots, one even hit its eye, and the murza lifted its head back and floated down into the dark depths, unmoving.

That's enough for today, she decided. She pulled the bot back around and started for the station, expecting Xora would be fine now on his own until then.

When she eventually set the sleek bot down in its docking stable, Grace pushed the controls away and leaned back in her seat, blowing out a sigh of relief. Only a few minutes later, she heard a splashing from the droppool. Too excited still to think, she leapt from her seat and met Xora just as he was coming out of the pool room.

"Did you see that? I am amazing." She grinned up at him, nearly on the verge of laughing with giddiness, when her smile dropped as he took off his mask and she got a look at his expression.

"Did I fuck up?" she whispered.

He went around her to the tank and carefully unlatched the lid. As he opened up his metal container, she watched as dozens of ghost tongue spilled out and dropped into the tank.

Grace whooped and clapped her hands. Xora turned toward her, his eyes bright with what she could only assume was satisfaction.

Grace couldn't help grinning again. "See? Not so useless for a human. Bet you didn't expect that, did you?" She stepped a little closer to the tank as if to touch it, then promptly stepped back, remembering he didn't want her to. Instead, she watched him close it back up and pick up his container.

"Not bad," he said, turning to her. "For a human."

Grace's face twisted, uncertain whether to smile or frown at that comment. "Yeah, well, we aren't all bad." She crossed her arms.

"Hmm, still not sure yet."

She glared at him and could see the glint of amusement in his eyes.

Grace huffed. "You should be thankful I helped at all." She returned to the controls and began to shut the system down. "I could have refused and," she looked over at him smugly, "been a pest somewhere else."

Xora's mouth twitched. As he began to take off his armor, he said, "You are a pest. Just a useful one."

Grace opened her mouth, then closed it. Her jaw pulsed. "Yeah, well...you're a creepy, rude...creep!" There, that would teach him. She started for the door and refused to look his way, ignoring the hiss of laughter that followed her.

CHAPTER EIGHT

GRACE

"You have a duty as a friend to tell me everything about it," Anne said, giving her a stern look from the seat opposite Grace. "And to make up for ignoring my messages."

"And again, I'm sorry about that," Grace said with a sigh. She looked around the cafeteria which was thankfully considerably empty save for one small group to the far end. A few of the men at the table did turn their heads and eye her curiously, but Grace ignored them. It was her one day off, and she’d told Anne she would only see her for part of it to talk.

"So?" Anne said, clutching her mug of tea. "Why did you do it?"

"I..." Grace had to think for a moment. She couldn't tell her she was being blackmailed by her boss, or Anne would definitely go telling everyone about it and make the situation worse. "I...wanted to take their offer. I really could use that extra money, you know?"

Anne gave her an 'are you serious?' sort of look. "Grace, there is no way that pay is worth it. You could not have been that desperate."

Grace shrugged. "Yeah, well, I am."

Anne shook her head. "All right. Well, you're still here, so maybe it was worth it." Her eyes lit up, and she placed her hand flat on the table. "So tell me all about him. The vrisha. Is he as freaky as they say? "

Grace rubbed at her neck. Well, she couldn't lie. "He's...yeah, he's a scary looking guy."

"Did he try to attack you when you first went down? Did he get mad?"

"No, I didn't see him at all, at first, until..."

Anne leaned forward. "Yes?"

Grace blew out a breath of laughter. "Until he caught me soaking wet and in my bra."

Anne's mouth dropped in shock. "What? Oh, god, he didn't try messing with you while you were out of the shower or something."

"No! No, nothing like that. I had an accident. It was embarrassing." Grace took a sip of her coffee to try and hide the blush spreading on her face. She set the coffee down and took up her fork, playing with her plate of eggs. "Anyway, he scared me real bad the first time, I'll admit. I don't know if I have ever been that scared before." She shook her head. "His face...his eyes." A small chill ran down her spine just remembering that moment in the dark. "But now, I don't know, I think I’ve grown more used to it."

Anne sat back in her chair. "Really? So you think you'll actually last the two weeks?"

"I've made it halfway. I think I can handle one more week."

Anne actually frowned. "Wow. That's...surprising."

Grace gave her a questioning look. "Why? Did you think I couldn't?"

A sheepish, guilty-looking expression played on Anne's face.

"You didn't." Grace shook her head. She'd seen that look before. "What is it?" Grace glanced over at the group of men across the room and caught a few whispering and eyeing her. Then one pair exchanged cash slips between hands.

Grace's face heated. "You're all betting on me!" She hissed.

"I…I couldn't help it, Grace. You know I could use some more money too," Anne said, putting up her hands in defense.

"How big is the pot? Who started it? Never mind, don't tell me." Grace gritted her teeth. She shouldn't even be surprised, yet still she was annoyed to know people were gambling on her success or failure.

"I'm sorry. I really am," Anne said.

More people were beginning to funnel into the cafeteria as the first shift was ending. Many eyes glanced over at her as they entered.

"But...do you really think you'll make it till the end?" Anne asked.

Grace glanced at her friend, then turned her eyes down to her mug. She thought about the last couple of days. She and Xora had been working diligently together to collect the ghost tongue. Despite their success in collecting a steady amount while thwarting the murza, Xora's tank wasn't even half filled. It was a large tank, and the crystals were only the size of her palm. He told her he had to fill the tank to the brim before he would be considered finished. And there was really no better way to collect. The crystals were fragile and could break easier than glass. There was a liquid inside them that was most important to keep. They couldn't blast away at the caves for fear of damaging the crystals. A bot could help in collecting, but Xora preferred she help keep the murza away instead as he would be quicker.

But even he wouldn't be able to gather all the crystals in a week.

So when it came to the work, Grace was certain she'd be there till the end. And for Xora? She was certain she could handle him for another week too. She'd been honest to Anne when she said she was growing used to him. Sure, occasionally he still made her jump when she didn't hear him behind her, but the more she was around him (and was confident he wasn't going to try to pull anything weird on her), the more she grew used to his presence. She felt pretty okay around him now and getting to know him, as she expected, helped. On the outside, he was a scary-ass looking dude. But inside, he was intelligent and mindful, if a little cautious. He was playful, even, and considerate of her space.

He could also be a disrespectful jerk when he liked and impatient as hell on the bad days. He had declined to use her name and mostly called her "pest" or "woman" or even just "human" despite her constantly telling him her name was none of those things. He bossed her around too, on occasion, wanting her to forgo her own duties in order to only work with him. She had to fight him even today just to be able to take her day off.

But, despite all that, the fear she had at their first meeting had lessened considerably, and she was starting to actually like working with him, as shocking as that was. It was much better than having to keep aware of each other's presence and not get startled every time they crossed paths.

"Yes," Grace finally answered. "I'm doing my two weeks." She gave her friend a small scowl. "So you can go ahead and make your bet on that."

Anne sipped her tea without saying a word. A larger group of workers entered the cafeteria, and the place started to pick up considerably. Grace gazed over at the screens along the wall, showing the news as usual, and saw another attack had occurred, this time at a farming station and market hub near the east side of the city. The Black Gills were taking more risks the closer in they got.

"So I wanted to tell you," Anne said. "I got transferred to a new rig."

"Oh? Which one?"

"It's closer to the top, near the red reefs. There's a lot more gyda there. I can see them swimming outside the station. It's so weird but cool."

"That's great," Grace commented before taking a bite of her eggs.

"Yeah. I met one of them there too. His name is Gibon, isn't that funny? He's a little quiet, but we've been working near each other a lot, as we are both in shipping and containment. He's really nice." Anne smiled, her dark eyes sparkling. "I don't know their language that great still, but he's taught me a few words."

"Really?" Grace was intrigued. "But you still use the translator?"

"Sometimes. It's far better though when you understand their actual words. Gibon laughs at me whenever I get a word wrong. But he says I'm improving."

Grace wondered about what it would be like if Xora taught her his language. How crazy would it be if she understood vrisha? She imagined trying to make sense of those hisses and clicks, to understand his words in that velvety voice. It wouldn't hurt to ask.

"So you finally decided to return to the world of the living," came a voice beside her. Grace looked up and saw Bri staring down at her.

"Hi, Bri," Anne said, smiling.

"Well?" Bri said, ignoring Anne, her dull eyes only on Grace. "Are you quitting then?"

"No. It's just my day off," Grace assured. "I'm going back down."

Bri popped a chair between them. "You don't look too freaked out. Is the alien not the hellspawn everyone claims it to be?"

Grace frowned. "He's creepy looking, but he's not evil incarnate."

"Yeah, right." Bri smirked. "Come on then, spill it, what's it like then?"

"He is big and red and just trying to do his job. He's just a worker like the rest of us."

"Not what I heard."

"Well, you heard wrong," Grace said, touching her mug to her lips.

"Is he horny?"

Grace nearly spat out her coffee. "What?"

"You know?" Bri grinned. "I heard they have a lot of horns. Like, along their head and back, right?"

"Yes, he is...He's got horns."

"And what about his ship? Have you seen inside it at all?" she asked.

"No, of course not." Grace looked at her suspiciously. "Why do you care?"

"Can't a girl be curious?"

"A girl like you? I don't know," Grace muttered, not sorry for it.

"Well, I am. I'm super curious. And so is everyone else, right, Anne?"

Anne looked between them and shrugged. "Don't you want to know more, Grace?"

Sure she did. She couldn't deny that. But she wasn't going to go snooping around either. Xora might be a jerk sometimes, but he deserved his privacy.

"Come on, Grace, we want details," Bri pushed.

"Maybe some other time." Grace rose from her seat. "I'm gonna get going. I want to go to one of the markets before heading back."

"They didn't leave any food for you down there?" Anne said, wide-eyed.

"They did, but I'm sick of fish and crab meat. I wanna pick up a few things now that I'll have a little extra money." Grace turned her eyes to Bri who looked back at her with a smug sort of expression. "Seeing as I'll be staying the rest of the week."

"Good luck, Gracie," Bri said. "Maybe you could lend me some of that extra cash seeing as I lost a lot of money because of you. I didn't think you'd make the first night."

"You'll lose more if you think I'm quitting," Grace said honestly. "See you later, Anne."

"Come see me next week, won't you?" Anne called to her as she turned for the door.

Grace waved goodbye to her. "I'll try."

"You want to what?" Xora asked, his expression pained and confused.

"I want to learn vrisharian. Or is it vrishian?" Grace said as she followed him across the control room and around the tank.

"Vrishan. Not...any of those others."

"Okay. Vrishan. Will you teach me?" Grace asked.

"Why do you want to know?"

"So we can communicate."

"We are communicating right now."

"No, I mean—you know what I mean."

"Do I?"

Grace stopped, exasperated. "I mean communicate without the crutch of the translator." She walked up beside him as he studied the markings on his tank, which she suspected were temperature gauges. "What if something happens and we can no longer talk like this?"

"So?"

Grace nearly rolled her eyes. "So. We can't work together properly if we can't talk."

"I disagree."

"Well, I disagree with your disagreeing."

Xora stopped whatever he was studying and stared down at her. "Why do you want to learn so bad?"

"Because...because speaking vrishan sounds cool."

Xora's face twisted as if he had just been insulted. "Speaking vrishan doesn't sound cold of any kind!"

"No." Grace slapped her forehead. "No, I mean, it sounds neat. I mean it would be useful."

Xora blew out a hiss of breath as he returned to his tank, his hand sweeping over its side. "What use does a human have for it? You will likely never encounter a vrisha in your life."

"I'm encountering one right now." Grace smirked.

"I mean besides me." Xora turned from the tank and started for the door. Grace followed.

"But it wouldn't hurt. And we could then communicate while at the caves," Grace suggested, seeing as they had yet to establish proper communication out in the water. "We could last longer out there, even. We could create signals for words."

Xora continued to walk on in silence, but Grace knew he was listening.

As they made it to the passage leading to his ship, Xora turned to glare at her. Grace couldn't yet tell if he was annoyed or actually a little amused or both. Probably both.

"I will teach you," he said after a long pause. "But you do as I say."

Grace pursed her lips. "I do that pretty much already."

"Then you will no longer argue or fight me about it."

Grace shuffled her feet, knowing he meant the argument they had about her not working on her day off. "I need a break sometimes, Xora."

"And you'll have it."

"I know you're impatient to be done. But I need a day to myself. The quicker I burn out, the harder it's going to be for me to concentrate, and I'll start getting sloppy. You know I can't afford to have one of those bots get broken."

His tail tapped on the ground. "Humans need more rest, don't they?"

Grace shrugged. "Yeah, kind of."

Xora scratched at his throat as if thinking, then said, "Very well."

Grace sighed in relief. "Good."

"I'll teach you right now then," he said.

"Oh, uh, okay."

Xora straightened up, growing taller as he locked eyes with hers. "Your first word is—"

"Oh, hold on." Grace fumbled with the earpiece of her translator and clicked the volume off. "Okay, go."

Xora's eyes narrowed, then he made a slow hiss followed by a "garr" sort of sound.

Grace frowned. "Say again?"

"Rishkar," he repeated.

"Reeshkur," Grace said back.

Xora stepped closer, his face bent down to hers. "Rish kar."

"Rish kar," Grace copied.

Xora grunted, then started down the passage to his ship.

"Wait! What—" Grace turned the volume back on her translator. "What does it mean?"

Xora clambered up the ladder, and Grace heard the creak and bang of the hatch door opening and closing. Putting up her arms in confusion, she waited there for several minutes, wondering if he would actually return. She paced the lab, repeating the word he just told her, very close to marching down the passage and pounding on the door, when she heard it open and saw Xora step out.

As he came toward her, he no longer wore his suit but a pair of pants made of the same material. In one hand was his suit and in the other was a strange tool she had never seen before.

He passed by her and set the suit on one of the lab tables, spreading it out. She could see it had been torn in several places where the murza had attacked him. He gestured for her to come hither, and she did, cautiously.

"Rishkar," she said, looking up at him.

"Rishkar," he repeated and turned on the tool before placing it in her hand.

"Wha—"

"Mend."

She looked at him with a confused frown. "Mend?" She looked at the tool and clothing. "Rishkar is mend?"

"Yes."

"You want me to fix your suit?"

"Yes."

Grace looked down at the tool as if it were a gun. "But I don't know—"

"I will teach you," Xora explained. "If you are going to learn vrishan, you might as well learn some other useful vrisha abilities as well. Seeing as you are now my..." He gestured for her to shut off the translator and she did so. "Leeshna."

"Leash nah," Grace said slowly.

Xora grunted. Grace clicked on her translator as he said it again.

"Leeshna. My helper."

CHAPTER NINE

Xora

Xora couldn't have been more pleased with his good fortune. Having the woman—Grace—as his little aid was making his job far easier, and he thanked Rikasha and Veradis for sending her to him. Not only was she skilled with the waterbots, which helped immensely in his work, but she was also a quick learner and had a knack for fixing things. She did better with the mender tool than he had expected, her work careful but neat. He remembered her saying she was good with fixing clothes, and now he believed her. He even felt confident enough to allow her to clean and repair some of the small damage that had accumulated to his grivhide, though he was careful to check on her as the armored padding was much more precious than the suit.

As for her grasp of language, however, she needed some work, but he couldn't have expected her to understand vrishan easily considering her small human tongue. Still, he was satisfied she could learn basic words and understand them well enough even if it took a few tries. He had been reluctant when she had first asked him to teach her, not keen to hear her butcher his language, but the more he thought it over, the more he saw no real harm in teaching her; knowing if she practiced well enough, they could at least have a simple conversation. He also found he desired to know what his language sounded like with her voice. So far, he was not disappointed.

Every day that they worked together, he taught her a few new words or phrases if she could handle it. Mostly words like "hish" —come here— or "vi nishka" — how are you. A few greetings but mostly commands which could be used when they went to the caves.

She was true to her word and didn't question his orders or demands though they were few. She seemed, in fact, happy to indulge him and interested to learn what he taught her. Even when she tended to follow him around like a lost pet, he didn't mind. He had grown used to her company and was happy to find her fear of him nearly gone, even if he still sometimes noticed her nervous gaze when he got too close. He never touched her, somehow afraid if he did, it would ruin the progress made between them. But, to his surprise, she would sometimes walk beside him, and if her arm did happen to brush against him, she did not flinch away in horror or disgust.

Their routine had become a simple but effective one as the days passed. His container was always full after their trip to the caves, however, he started to notice it was taking longer to collect the crystals as he was now forced to go deeper into the tunnels. The murza were still relentless in their attacks, but, thankfully, incredibly stupid, having yet to figure out his and Grace’s little trick. They continued to chase after Grace's bot which she had decidedly named "Fox,'' and they had yet to catch her, though they never stopped trying. There had been a few close calls but, as the murza thought to trap her, Grace had grown used to their ploys. They couldn't win.

After their trips to the caves ended for the day, Grace would check on the station's various systems and finish any of her own necessary tasks before she took her evening meal. Meanwhile, he would return to his ship to eat a small stash of dried meat and warm drink to replenish his energy as he checked over the amount of ulimir still needed to fill the tank, also making sure the ship was in stable condition. After, he would meet with Grace again for the evening to teach her more words and go over tomorrow's plan of action.

That was the usual idea he had, anyway. What happened most of the time instead was them sitting together in the lab while he watched Grace fix or clean his gear. He showed her how the sealed metal cylinder in which the ulimir was kept worked and how the tank kept the crystals cool and unbreakable. She asked about a lot of things but never in a demanding manner, more so only out of innocent curiosity.

"So the suit is made out of kelva which is made from the skin of...what again?" she asked as she sat across, mending another small tear from when a lone murza caught him lurking and snuck up on him.

"Sleethons," Xora answered as he inspected his armor.

"And they are giant lizards that live near volcanic mountains."

"Correct."

"And they seriously spit out steam when threatened?"

"Yes. And their skin keeps them warm when the temperatures lower from being so high up. It is why we use it as well for its durability."

Grace gave him an odd look. "Are you sure about that?" she said, lifting the suit with the tear.

"Water, unfortunately, softens it to a degree. And razor claws like the murza's make it easier to tear. But it is resistant to other elements like fire."

"Makes sense when you cut the skin off what is pretty much a real life dragon."

Xora stopped inspecting his armor to look over at her. "A what?"

"They are big flying lizards that breathe fire."

Xora snorted. "Sleethons cannot fly, thank the elders. And it isn't fire but steam from the boiling acid in their mouths. It could melt that soft skin of yours right off the bone."

Grace shivered. "That's awful."

"For you. For vrisha, it is unpleasant but not lethal. The marks go away after a day or two."

Grace looked down at the exposed skin of his arms and chest with wide eyes. "So fire doesn't even damage you at all?"

"Depends on the proximity and how it is used. Flames hardly leave a scratch. But lava can certainly damage if not careful."

"I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you could walk on lava."

"It wouldn't be wise, even for us," Xora said, thinking of Valacor and the boots he had been forced to wear.

"Humans can barely stand being in the sun for too long on a really hot day let alone touch fire without peeling their skin." Grace shook her head as she continued to seal up the tear in his suit. "What about the cold? You seem to do fine with that too seeing as you swim out in that icy water every day."

Xora hissed at the thought. "We hate the cold. It is uncomfortable at best and torture at worst. The suit keeps me warm which is why I can stand to swim in it."

"Ah. That makes more sense. You must really hate this place then." She smirked as she glanced up at him from her work. "It's always pretty chilly here, and you're surrounded by annoying humans. Must be hell."

"Close," he said playfully. "But I would take this place over some of the ice worlds a few of my kind are forced to endure. Here...it isn't all bad." His eyes drifted down to watch her. She had gone back to focusing on his suit, and he took the moment to study her as she bent her head to work. He gazed at the slender curve of her throat and the small of her back. He closed his eyes for a moment and caught the sweetness of her scent in his nose, no longer clouded by the smell of fear. He listened to her voice as she said something else and focused on her soft, breathy tone, remembering her singing. He still caught her humming or singing from time to time when she was working on some mundane task, and he would sometimes stop and listen. She started to hum now, perhaps out of habit, and he listened again in silence.

"So what are your plans when you're done here?" she asked suddenly. "Are you just planning to return home?"

Xora turned his eyes back to her. "Yes. I will return to Tryth." He thought for a moment, then asked, "You?"

Her eyes turned downward, her expression more solemn. "Not exactly."

He gazed at her curiously. Judging by that look he had seen before, she appeared unhappy. "You can't return?"

"More like...I don't exactly have a home to return to," she said. He tilted his head at her, and she glanced at him before turning away as if embarrassed. "I...well, my grandma raised me and my brother. But she died when we were teens. We were moved around to other families for a bit, then taken in by our uncle. Things got kinda bad after that. I was struggling to finish school and my training in hopes of snagging a job off world for better pay. Meanwhile, my brother got caught in some trading of illegal goods with my uncle and...as foolish as I was, I aided them, somewhat out of guilt. I didn't do the crime, but I kept some things secret that I shouldn't have. So my brother and uncle got caught eventually and put in jail, and I was fined and expelled from the living place we stayed at. Nowhere else to go, I was desperate and so took whatever job I could get. I got lucky and landed one here. I'm saving up to leave and find a place for myself, but currently, this is home."

He said nothing, but in a way, Xora understood. Even though he had Tryth, he had been away long enough to know what it felt like to not have a home to return to. At least not right away. To have no home at all was especially sad, and he couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

"Anyway." Grace sniffed and finished the last bit of the suit. "I can't say I love this place either. But I'll take it over living on the streets of some city." She smoothed out the seal along the suit and turned off the mender tool. "When I do get out of here, I want to live as far away from the ocean as I can."

Xora grunted in agreement. A vision of his dream from the previous night popped into his head. The one of him and Grace sitting together on his terrace. He wasn't sure why he thought of it now, but he remembered how he watched her just as he did in this moment. His home was near to the mountains, and it really had been beautiful even if he hadn't always appreciated it.

"My home was by the mountains, far from any seas," Xora said. "There is a river that is not far off, but the city is mainly surrounded by the wilds."

"That sounds so nice. I bet it is breathtaking. I'd love to see real mountains someday."

Xora' s eyes drifted over her once more, his tail waving lazily back and forth as he imagined her looking out at the land beyond his home and her face lighting up. Humans—or even most otherkin—weren't allowed on Tryth, the human queen being the only exception, but there were other places, he knew, that were just as stunning and wild as Tryth. Any planet beyond its cities could be breathtaking, perhaps even to him.

Xora rose from where he sat and took back his suit, checking the seal and finding her work better than the first time. "Someday, perhaps you will." He bent his head to lock eyes with hers, then turned his mouth upward in an attempt to imitate her smile. "And, if you do, you won't be disappointed."

CHAPTER TEN

GRACE

"Day 424 in Greenloch, Oceanus. The date is October 13th, 2181," Grace began. "This is my second entry, and, it's safe to say, a lot has happened." Grace adjusted her laptop's position by a centimeter. She sat straight and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I encountered the vrisha which is no surprise as it couldn't be avoided. The first couple of days were rough. He'd scared me nearly to death the first time and getting anything done after that had been a major challenge." Grace glanced over at her door, then turned back with a little smirk. "I thought I was a goner, but, to my surprise, I was never attacked or forced out of the station. I pulled myself together and forced myself to interact. In the end...it seemed to have paid off. The vrisha's name is Xora. For the past nearly two weeks, he has been my station mate, and I have been working alongside him to acquire ulimir. I've been learning his language and practicing when I can. I have also spent time researching more on his people when I'm not asking him a dozen questions while we are together." Grace paused and let out a soft laugh. "He tolerates me better than I could hope, though he’s still inclined to call me an annoying pest on occasion. I am well convinced now it is his little joke. He doesn't seem to be bothered by my presence, and I think I'm starting to get used to him too, even if he is one creepy looking sonofabitch." Grace's smile slipped a little as she looked down at her hands. "I'm afraid our time has come to an end, and...I will be leaving tomorrow. My two weeks are up, and it will be time for someone else to fill my role. The best I can do is relay this information back to the next person and hope it works out. I'd hate for Xora and the other worker to go through what happened between me and him the first time. Maybe I can even convince them to help in his work if they have skill with the bots..." Grace's smile had turned fully to a frown. She sat silent for a long moment, shaking her head. She bit at her lip, then sighed. "Who am I kidding? I need to be perfectly honest, and this sounds crazy, I'm sure, but..." She looked square into the camera. "I don't want to leave. Maybe it's nuts, but I don't. I've learned so much here—through Xora—I don't wanna just quit it now. It's been insane to think about, but I like working with him, and using the sub-bots has always been my favorite thing." She glanced away, feeling a little guilty. “Even if I'm not supposed to." She turned back to the camera. "I want to be here. But I don't know if I'll be able to stay. I don't think anyone would believe me if I asked. Either way, I have to let Xora know. It's been a crazy ride, but I'm thankful for it."

Grace turned off the camera and shut her laptop. She sat back in her chair and stared at the wall. Who really would believe her? Few would be convinced she wanted to stay of her own will, and even then, they might think she was being controlled or manipulated. They'd probably think that she lost her mind down in the station and needed to go to medical. Even if they didn't think that, they'd tell her she needed a break from being near the alien for so long.

But Grace didn't feel troubled by Xora's presence. Not anymore. The next person who arrived, however, certainly would, and it might not be such a nice outcome.

Grace left her seat and her room. She reluctantly made her way to the outer door of the living quarters, pausing to look over at her half-eaten breakfast in the kitchen before exiting. She didn't know why she was nervous to tell Xora she was supposed to leave tomorrow, but she was.

Maybe he won't even care, a little voice at the back of her mind said. Grace's frown deepened, but she couldn't disagree. He might shrug it off as nothing to him, and it was a realistic response on his part. What was one human to a vrisha?

And yet she still felt a pang of disappointment at the thought. Maybe they weren't friends, but they'd become allies at the very least, and she hated to lose the opportunity she now had in understanding him without being terrified.

Grace checked the sub-bot room to see if he was there first. When she didn't see him, she made for the lab. Upon entering, she found it empty as well and so she went down the narrow passage to the hatch leading to his ship. Heart hammering, she climbed up the small ladder and rapped on the hatch door. She stepped down and waited a moment before she heard the turn of the handle and saw Xora poke his head out.

"Hi, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

Xora blinked down at her. He turned his head to gaze over at something in his ship, then returned back to her. "A moment."

Grace stepped away as he closed the hatched. She returned to the lab and sat up against the table they'd been hanging out at for the past few days. She heard the groan of the hatch opening again, and a few seconds later, Xora was in front of her. He watched her as she leaned against the table with her arms crossed.

"I, um...this might be kind of sudden," she began, "but you should know that, come tomorrow, I will be gone."

Xora stared at her, his expression too hard for her to read. "Gone?" he said in a whisp of breath.

Grace peered around the room, then down at her feet. "Yeah."

"I don't understand. Gone how?"

"I will be leaving the station. Returning to the rigs above," Grace explained, clearing her throat. Why was it suddenly so tight? "I was assigned to only be down here for two weeks. They are cycling me out so someone new can take—"

"No."

Grace looked up at him, wide-eyed. His eyes were a glint of shiny blood under the dim light, his expression shadowed. "No?"

"I need you here...to work the bots. I won't expect someone better." He turned and started back for the passage to his ship as if his word was final.

Grace followed. "You don't understand. I can't exactly do anything about it."

"Try."

"You honestly want me to go to management and convince them to let me stay?"

"Yes."

"Xora."

Xora stopped, then looked back at her. "I won't tolerate someone new. I'm not done with you."

Grace frowned at him, confused. "Not done with me?" She crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I'm a disposable tool, here only for your benefit."

"That's not what I meant."

"Well, what did you mean?"

"You were brought here to help me," he said matter-of-factly.

Grace's brows rose. "No. I was brought here to regulate the station."

Xora looked at her, unconvinced. As if that weren't true at all. "You are my helper. No one else. I don't want another."

"Hm." Grace turned and made her way out of the passage. She walked through the lab, back down the hallway toward her living quarters. So that's how it was. He made it sound like she didn't have a choice in the matter. Like she was suddenly his property to use as he saw fit. Well, she might want to stay (and was decidedly happy that he felt the same), but she didn't care for the prospect of him thinking she was just his—

"Tell me you will stay," came his voice just beside her ear.

Grace jumped back and yelped, her heart shooting up into her throat.

"Don't do that!" she snapped.

"Do what?" he said, stopping to tilt his head at her.

"Don't sneak up on me!"

His eyes narrowed. "You left when we weren't finished talking."

"I'm sorry, I thought it was established that we were." Grace turned back and started walking again.

"You are upset," he said, again behind her.

"Yes. Glad you figured that out."

"Why?"

"Because you think everything is all about you. Did you stop to think that it might be extremely inconvenient for me to just convince the head management to let me stay? I cannot just guarantee they will, you know. It's a lot of pressure. Also, you never stopped to ask if I wanted to stay."

"You don't want to?"

Grace turned on him. "I do!"

They fell silent, Grace shocked by her confession.

Xora's expression lightened.

"I have full confidence that you will make it work." He turned, beginning to walk away from her.

"Hold up," she called. Xora stopped, and she approached to stand beside him. "I want to hear you ask."

He blinked at her. "Ask what?"

"Ask me to stay and help."

"You just said you wanted to."

"Yes, but I want you to ask me. Don't just say I have to." Grace stepped closer to lock eyes with him. He stared at her, never looking away. "I'm not your servant girl. But I want to help you. So, please, just ask me."

Xora's eyes flitted to the side to stare at the wall behind her, his lip twitching.

"I know it's not in vrisha to ask a lowly species such as myself for anything, is it?" She smirked. She thought it over, then said, "I'm your leeshna, right? It doesn't just mean helper, does it?"

Xora glanced back at her, his eyes reflecting the light above, dark yet shining. She could just barely make out his pupils.

"It also means...partner," he said after a moment.

"Partner. In this job." Grace smiled.

Xora's eyes fell to her mouth, then to her neck before returning to her gaze. "Will you please stay?"

Grace grinned. Her heart did a little flip, and she instinctively shot her hand out as if to offer to shake his hand, then quickly dropped it, realizing he didn't know what a handshake was. "Okay."

Grace stepped out of the train car and entered into the main office of the Greenloch sea company, a building located closer to the surface, where reefs were plentiful and the light touched over everything. It was one of the nicer buildings, to be sure, but Grace didn't waste her time to stop and look over the scenery. She headed over to the front desk located in the center of a large foyer and told the receptionist she was there to see the assistant director.

"Level five, first door on the right," the receptionist said. Grace thanked her and headed for the elevators.

She had messaged Kristoff beforehand about her wanting to stay and, to no surprise, he was a little confused but ecstatic, to be sure. Yet, even he couldn't make the decision. Nor could the head manager of her old rig, which was a little odd, but Grace didn't question when they told her they would need to have a meeting with the assistant director to make sure she could be permanently placed in the station until the vrisha was gone.

So, once a meeting had been called, Grace ventured up to the top, nervous but confident she'd be allowed to remain at her position. Kristoff, she knew, would vouch for her because it would make him look good, knowing one of his own was willing to "sacrifice to stay below for the sake of others' sanity." His chance of gaining a promotion would greatly increase. The head manager of her rig also seemed on her side. Her staying avoided the need to start the drawing process of finding others to go below and the low possibility of them staying the full two weeks. The only ones it seemed she would need to convince were the assistant director and head of human resources along with the head of the sector.

As the elevator stopped on level five, Grace turned right into another small foyer. The woman at the desk pointed to a room to the right with a large glass door. Grace went inside and found a long table at the very center of a narrow room, with one wall a thick glass window looking out into the water where several colorful fish swam. At the table were Kristoff and the heads of other departments with the assistant director and a woman with dark glasses and a sharp, stern gaze.

"Hello, Ms. Monrow. Have a seat, please," said one of the men, a gray-haired, black-eyed fella with a wide grin. "I'm Andrew, assistant director. This is James, head of your current sector," he gestured to a man on his left, a regular looking Joe with a thick physique, "and Rosiland is head of human resources." He pointed to the tight-lipped woman. "You, of course, know the others."

"Hello," Grace said in a softer tone than usual, a little intimidated by all the stares, especially from the woman. She took a seat at the opposite end of the table. The room was dim save for several lamps along the tabletop and a few yellowish beams that dropped from the ceiling, one in particular falling on her like a spotlight. Grace shifted in her leather chair and placed her hands squarely on her lap.

"So, Ms. Monrow, you wish to stay down in substation TR7?" Andrew said, raising a brow.

"Yes." Grace cleared her throat. "I would."

"Is there any particular reason?"

Grace crossed her hands. "I find the work satisfying and like the independence."

The woman, Rosiland, tapped her pen against the table as she studied Grace carefully.

"The independence." Andrew rubbed at his chin. "So you like working alone?"

"That's right," Grace said.

"But you aren't alone," Rosiland said, her voice as rigid as she was. "You're down there with another. The vrisha alien."

"Yes, I am," Grace answered.

"And it hasn't..." Andrew made a waving gesture, "bothered you?"

"No. Not really."

They each looked at one another, skeptical.

"Have you actually seen it?" James asked.

Grace shrugged. "From time to time." A little lie but she didn't want them to get suspicious about her and Xora getting close and, in turn, discover what she'd been doing down in the station with the bots.

"Really? Hasn't it made you nervous?" Andrew asked.

Grace fidgeted in her seat. "A little. But he...it hasn't messed with me. It just sticks to its own work."

"What is it working on?" James interjected. Andrew gave James a stern glare, and he cleared his throat. "I mean, its work doesn't interfere with yours?"

Grace shook her head. "No, sir."

"Well, your supervisors are on board with the decision if you are truly willing to stay, Ms. Monrow," Andrew said. "I admit I'm a little more apprehensive. I worry for your safety and the effects of being in such a position."

Grace smiled. Yeah, right, you elite jerk. It was a joke to think any of them cared enough about any worker's safety. Maybe if there was a lawsuit involved or a threat to the company, but if they were truly worried, they wouldn't have sent her down to the station in the first place.

"But I'm willing to consider it since you seem unharmed and of sound mind." Andrew drew over a pile of papers toward him and began to sign each one. "I will give permission for you to stay below for the term that the alien is there and until the previous workers are able and willing to return."

The door near Grace opened, and two men stepped into the room. Andrew glanced their way and passed the papers to Rosiland before rising from his seat. "Afternoon, Officer Myers, Officer Reed."

Grace looked over at the two men and saw their dark uniforms, badges on their left breasts. They were military but none she'd ever seen. They nodded their heads, and Andrew gestured to the others to stand and follow him.

"These gentlemen wish to speak with you for a moment, Ms. Monrow, if you don't mind," Andrew said, smiling at her. "Good luck to you down there."

As the others exited the room (Kristoff nodding his head at her before slipping out), the two men took seats on opposite sides of her, bringing their chairs in a little closer and leaning forward.

One man with slicked blond hair and dark eyes took up a file and flipped through it. "Grace Monrow, from Obyrn." He didn't look at her as he went through her file. His accent was hard to place, but it reminded her of a man she'd met through her brother who said he'd come from southern territory back on Earth. Grace glanced over at the other man, Officer Reed, as per his badge, who looked back at her and smiled, nodding his head. His eyes were also dark but friendlier looking than Officer Myers’.

"You've been here for nearly fourteen months," Myers stated. "Working on Rig K32 for about twelve of those months." He closed her file. "What work did you do there?"

Grace went rigid in her seat, her hands turning to fists in her lap. She could hear the pounding of her heart in her ears as she licked her lips and said, "All kinds, sir."

They each wrote down something on a set of ISpads they had in hand. Grace didn't know why she was being interrogated but her mind instantly went to the sub-bots. Did they know she'd been using them illegally? Did they have some suspicion about her aiding Xora?

"Can you be more specific?" Myers asked.

"Like, cleaning mostly and some maintenance, also resource collecting and data analyzing."

Myers wrote some more on his pad, then leaned back in his seat, his eyes fixed on hers. "And now you've been down in substation TR7 for two weeks, doing the same work?"

"For the most part," Grace answered.

"You've been working alongside the vrisha then."

Grace pursed her lips. "I've been working in the same station if that's what you mean."

"Exactly." Myers smirked, though it was hardly genuine. "Haven't been freaked out or anything?"

"I was in the beginning," she said honestly. "But I've grown more used to him now."

"Vrisha are a pretty scary looking bunch," Reed stated. "Can't blame anyone for being a little intimidated." He smiled. "But you're one tough girl. Seriously, I know few guys who'd have gone down there, like you did. Most would rather be punched in the nuts a few times before considering it." They laughed and Grace laughed with them.

"Yeah, I'd probably be one of them." Myers laughed.

"They gotta be paying you pretty well," Reed said. "For you to have considered it, I imagine?"

Grace shrugged. "It's not bad."

Myers frowned as he looked at her file once more and clicked his tongue. "Not nearly well enough. Shit, I know people working in warehouses, shelving boxes all day making more than this."

Grace hugged her sides as she kept the smile on her face. "Yeah, probably, it could be better."

"Way better, seriously," said Myers, closing her file again, "A girl like you deserves better than being down there with a vrisha, for fuck's sake."

Grace's smile grew tight as her nails dug into her sides. "You guys are here to deal with those attacks on the city, aren't you? Not to worry about my salary?" She laughed nervously, but inside, she was all coiled up.

They each looked at the other, Myers sliding his thumb over his bottom lip.

"That's true," Reed said. "We're here for several reasons, the attacks being a major one. Listen, Grace—is it okay if I call you Grace?"

Grace nodded her head.

"We think you have a very good opportunity on your hands. You've taken a big chance few would ever take. But you’re also taking a huge risk in putting yourself near a serious threat."

Grace frowned. "You're talking about being near the vrisha?"

"Exactly." Reed leaned closer. "It's safe to say you're doing it because of your financial needs. For the extra pay you'll receive."

"I—yes."

"And that's why you want to stay. In hope that they will pay you more."

It wasn't a question, she noted. Grace looked at each of them but said nothing.

"We can help you," Reed continued. He took out his own folder and, from it, placed a slip in front of her. Grace's eyes flicked down to it, and she knew what it was right away.

"That's one first class flight to any civilian world within the governing system," Reed explained. He placed another item in front of her, a black card with a chip on one side. "And this card holds about fifty times more pay than what they are giving you to stay in that station."

Grace stared down at each, sitting very silent and still.

"That's enough to get you a nice place and time to find work wherever needed," Reed said.

Grace licked her lips and swallowed, her mouth suddenly a desert. "I can't live in certain places. My record—"

"Will no longer be an issue." Reed tapped Myers’ file. "Your brother could even get out sooner than expected too."

Grace stared up at them. "What do you want from me?"

"We want to protect this city and the people in it," Myers commented. "We want to protect all of humanity from any sort of threat. And we want you" —he leaned forward and placed a hand on her shoulder— "to help us fulfill that."

Grace had a very good idea of what they were thinking but, still, she asked, "How, exactly?"

"We just want some information."

Just as she expected. "You want me to spy...on the vrisha?"

Myers slid his hand from her shoulder. "It's nothing major. Just, if you see anything odd, hear anything that might seem problematic."

"And you won't even have to do that if you want. All you need is this." Reed took out a small, shiny, black, square-shaped device with a half-bubble sporting a camera eye in its center. "Just leave this, preferably somewhere near or even on their ship and it will do the rest."

"What is it?" Grace asked.

"It's just a visual and audio information retrieval device."

A recorder. Got it.

Grace didn't pick up any of the things placed in front of her and so Reed placed the ticket and card back in his folder while sliding the recorder closer.

"Get this where we need it, and the ticket and card are yours," he said.

"I'm sorry, but what makes you think the vrisha is a threat?" Grace said, leaving the recorder on the table. "We have an alliance with them, so why spy on them?"

"Alliances are a tricky sort of thing," Myers answered instead. "Just because we have one doesn't mean everyone is on board."

"There's been attacks by vrisha," Reed said. "Ones who don't agree with that agreement."

"The mad queen and her warriors, the bloodguard, are killing soldiers left and right. I'm sure you'd heard about that at least?" said Myers.

Grace had.

"So you understand. A vrisha this close to a human settlement is unnerving," Reed replied.

"But he was allowed to come here by the alliance officials," Grace mentioned.

"True. But his motives could be otherwise. There are those undercover in their own ranks. No one knows till it’s too late. We just want to be sure there's nothing we need to worry about." Reed picked up the recorder and offered it to her. "And there's nothing wrong with just making sure, right?"

Damn them if they didn't have a point. But Grace still felt guilty when she took the recorder from Reed. She couldn't imagine Xora being one of the rogues, but she also couldn't know for sure either. Still, she felt confident it wasn't possible. He would have hurt her by now if it was true, wouldn't he? He'd never shown signs of anything that might make her suspicious, but then, she didn't exactly know what to look for.

Placing the recorder in her pocket, Grace got up to leave. "If that's it then."

"Here." Reed got up and handed her his card. "If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to call."

Grace took the card and placed it in the same pocket as the recorder.

"Remember, just put the device anywhere by the ship or on it, and it's a done deal," Reed said. "We will keep in touch, Grace."

I bet you will, Grace thought as she turned for the door.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

GRACE

Grace didn't make it back to the station right away. Instead, she messaged Anne to meet with her in one of the staff lounges in the same building as the cafeteria.

She wanted to return to the station as soon as possible and give Xora the good news, but she had to speak to her friend first because, for the past few days leading up to Grace's supposed leave from the station, she and Anne had been messaging back and forth about where she planned to relocate to if not her old rig. Assuming Kristoff was true to his word about getting her a better position, Grace could take a job at any of the labs, rigs, or shipment warehouses if she so desired. As soon as she had mentioned this to Anne, her friend was begging her to work within her facility.

If you come and work with me, she'd written, we will have so much more time to talk and hang out!

Of course, that shouldn't be a good reason to work together. The last thing Grace needed was to get written up every time someone caught them talking instead of doing their jobs. But she couldn't deny, at the time, the idea of working close to a friend had been tempting. She'd told Anne she'd try and work things out with Kristoff and see what she could do.

This was before she decided she wanted to stay in the station. Now, them working together was officially a 'no-go.' At least until Xora left and she had to leave the station as well.

She could have just sent a message to Anne and been done with it, but that wouldn't have been fair to her friend. Better to tell Anne face to face that she'd be staying where she was for the time being.

Grace knew Anne had a break coming up, so she messaged her as soon as the meeting ended. Thankfully, Anne got back to her almost right away, ready and willing to see her.

Jumping on a different train car, Grace rode over to the central building, then took another elevator up to the third floor, a level above the cafeteria. The lounge was of decent size, sporting several couches and tv monitors, a few old virtual gaming stations, and an ancient looking ping-pong table. The company sure knew how to treat their employees right. Give them a little entertainment and hospitality and surely the workers would be super appreciative. A decent paying wage, however, was out of the question.

The room, for the most part, was empty, save for one worker sleeping on a couch and a couple sitting at the ping-pong table that was now mainly just used as a regular table. Grace waited only a minute or so before Anne arrived.

"Hey!" Anne smiled at her. "Tell me you talked to your boss already."

"Um, yes, but—"

"You’re coming to work in my station, right? He's letting you?" Anne grabbed Grace's hand, the excitement already catching in her black eyes. "Oh, please, tell me he did. I can persuade one of the other girls to move, so your room is next to mine."

"Anne..."

"Oh! And you can meet Gibon! He's so cool, seriously it will be so—"

"I'm not working with you," Grace interjected.

Anne dropped her hand, her expression twisting into confusion and disappointment. "Oh. Your boss seriously didn't let you? But I thought..."

"It wasn't him, it was me," Grace confessed.

Now she looked hurt. "You don't want to?" she said.

"I do. But I've decided to stay in TR7 a little longer."

Her eyes widened with shock. "You're seriously staying down there?"

"Yeah, I am."

Anne looked beside herself. "Wha—are you okay?"

"Yes." Grace couldn't help the twitch of a smile that was starting to form on her lips. "I'm fine."

"But I don't understand. You did your two weeks, you made it through." Anne shook her head. "You don't have to stay down there anymore, unless..." She stared back at her now with concern. "Did someone bribe you? Or pressure you to stay? It wasn't that awful boss of yours, was it?"

"No one is forcing me," Grace assured. "I just...I want to stay. For now. I'm learning a lot, and I've really gotten used to being there."

"Ugh, don't even say that." Her friend put up her hand. "I can't honestly believe that."

"It's true."

Anne turned from her as if to leave. "You could just say you don't want to work with me, Grace. It would hurt, but I can take it, you know."

Anne looked on the verge of tears. Guilt withered its way into Grace's head as she tried to get Anne to look at her. "Anne, I swear that's not true."

"We've been friends for nearly a year, but you would rather spend time with a creepy alien than with me."

"No, Anne, it's not like that, hey." Grace gently grabbed her friend's shoulder and brought her around.

Anne refused to look at her. "I should go. I told Bri I was meeting you here first before I met with her down in the cafe. She's expecting me."

Grace studied her friend, a girl not unlike her, alone and trying to find her way in the galaxy. Grace didn't want to let her go like this, all angry and sad and likely to rant to Bri. She didn't want her one friend to resent her. She remembered when they first met. Grace had been miserable as she sat alone by a table, still grieving over her brother, and Anne had come up to her on a whim. She'd befriended her, a mere stranger, because she saw how lonely she had been. Anne was a good friend despite her trivial ways, and Grace couldn't just brush her aside and not give her a reason.

Grace sighed. "Okay, I'm gonna tell you some things, but you have to promise not to say a word."

Anne looked up at her, her eyes sparkling anew. "What is it?"

A group of loud men entered the lounge at the perfect time, laughing and exchanging a stainless-steel flask between them, ignoring the sign above the monitors that said no alcohol allowed in the room. Grace grabbed Anne's arm and had her follow her outside the lounge into a passageway. There, she found a small alcove situated between two metal beams and snuck her and Anne into it.

"What's going on?" Anne asked.

Grace knew Anne could be a gossip sometimes, but she trusted her to keep a secret. She was one of the few people who knew about Grace's past and her family situation. Anne might like to talk but she had yet to spill about her. If Anne had, Grace would have certainly heard a comment from Bri by now. "Promise me, Anne, you won't say a word to anyone."

"I won’t, you know I won’t."

Grace looked around the passage, then turned to Anne. "I've been working with the vrisha down in the station."

Anne gave her a confused frown. "Working with it?"

"Him," Grace corrected. "His name is Xora. I've gotten to know him a lot in the past two weeks, and he's not like what people think. I mean, he sort of is in some ways, but only at first. He's really different though, and he's been teaching me things."

Anne arched her brow. "Like what?"

"Like his language and how to use some of his technology. I've been trying to help him collect ghost tongue down in the murza caves."

"You haven't actually been going down there?" Anne asked, mortified.

"No, no. I've been using the sub-bots," Grace said. "I've been using them to distract the murza while Xora collects his crystals."

"Grace, you have to be seriously careful. You could get kicked out of here for that," Anne hissed.

"I know."

"So that's why you're really staying? To help him?" Anne said.

"Yeah, pretty much. I want to stay and learn more."

"So management is just going to let you?" Anne asked.

"Well, they don't know I'm helping him. If they knew that, they probably wouldn't, which is why I didn't want to say anything at first," Grace said. "Besides, now they don't have to worry about getting someone new. As long as it benefits them, they don't seem to care, which gives me this opportunity. Of course, they had to go and bring the military into it but—"

"Wait, what?" Anne stopped her. "The military?"

Grace went quiet, wondering if it was a good idea to say any more. But it wasn't like those officers told her to keep it all under wraps. Still... "Don't tell anyone, Anne, I mean it."

"I won't," Anne promised.

Grace bit at her lip. "I was met by a few officers once they signed the paperwork to keep me in the station. They want me to...get information about Xora."

"What kind of information?" Anne asked.

"They want me to find out if he's really here to work for the alliance council or if he's...a traitor."

"Like one of those rogue vrisha?" Anne said, wide-eyed.

"Pretty much. But he's not. At least I'm confident he isn't. Still, they want confirmation. And probably other information they wouldn't tell me."

"How exactly are you supposed to find that out?" Anne said, bewildered. "Do they expect him to just confess to you?"

"No, of course not." Grace took out the recorder from within her pocket. "They want me to use this. It's some kind of recorder device."

Anne took the recorder and examined it. "Never seen one like this before."

"It's obviously some high-end military grade. I'm just supposed to set it and forget it and they claim to do the rest."

"Crazy," Anne muttered, flipping it over in her hands. "So are you gonna do it?"

Grace took the recorder back with a frown. "I don't want to, honestly. I kind of...feel too awful about the idea. Just feels slimy, you know? And Xora...I just don't think I could do that to him now after he's let me in."

"And it's not like they are giving you anything in exchange, right? So it's too big a risk anyway."

Grace chewed her lip. "Not exactly."

Anne gave her a concerned look that told her to explain.

"They are offering me a sum of money and a ride out of here," Grace confessed.

Anne's mouth fell open. "Grace, seriously? Oh my god, that's great!"

"But only if I do this thing," Grace iterated, showing off the recorder.

Anne glanced down at it, then turned her eyes back to her. "Maybe you should think about it, Grace, that's a huge deal. You could finally get out of here, find a nice place on a civilian world. Some would kill for that chance."

"I know." Grace sighed. "I know, but for what end? I don't want to get Xora in trouble."

"Maybe you won't have to? If you firmly believe he's not a traitor, then what's there to worry about?"

"What about his privacy? It would be a huge betrayal if he found out," Grace countered.

"I understand, Grace, but—"

"There you are." Bri appeared as if from nowhere, making Anne jump. "I was waiting for you for forever." Bri gave her a lazy smile. Her dull eyes flitted down to the recorder in Grace's hand. Grace quickly pocketed it. "What are you two up to?"

"Nothing," Anne said. "We were just discussing Grace's time down in TR7."

"Oh, yeah?" Bri looked over at Grace. "Relieved to finally be out of there, I'll bet."

Grace looked to Anne, who remained quiet. "Not exactly. I'm going to be staying down there."

Bri's brows rose. "Really? Why?"

"I have work to finish," was all Grace said.

"Or is it that they bribed you into staying longer?" Bri placed a hand on her hip. "And you took the bait."

Grace smiled. "Yeah, that's about it. I'm a real fool, you know. Need that money real bad."

Bri snorted, then looked at Anne. "Well, did you want to get food or not, Anne? I'm rather busy, you know. Can't chat all day, have many places to be. "

Anne looked down at Bri's uniform, not the usual worker's uniform or lab assistant's coat but a nicer, more business-like one-piece with a badge clipped to the right side of her chest. In her hand, she held her very own ISpad.

"What are you wearing? And how did you get one of those?" Anne pointed to the pad.

Bri flicked her hair back. "I was going to tell you, but you were wasting time up here. I'm an assistant facilities and building inspector now. Have to make sure this place is running smoothly and that there aren't" —Bri looked to Grace— "any slackers."

"Wow! Good for you!" Anne said, looking honestly enthusiastic while Bri fixed her with a smug grin. "But how the heck did you get a chance at that position?"

Bri sniffed. "My lab director recommended me. I caught a bunch of codes being broken by the other assistants and told him. Changed a lot of things for the better, and a few bad workers even got sacked." She shrugged. "Got to get rid of the rotten eggs to bring in the good ones. But I have less time now to mess about, so we should go."

"Got it." Anne looked to Grace apologetically. "We will talk again soon, promise?"

"Promise," Grace said. She glanced at Bri, who was watching her with an eerie glare. "Congrats, Bri," Grace said unenthusiastically. "I’ll message you later, Anne." She stepped out of the alcove and left.

CHAPTER TWELVE

GRACE

She sat at her desk, turning over the recorder in her hands. When she'd gotten back to the station, she'd looked for Xora but found him gone. Likely, he disappeared to the caves on his own to search for more ulimir and to scout the murzas’ nest for weakness. If Grace wanted to, she could march on over to Xora's ship right now and sneak aboard his ship, place the recorder somewhere unseen, and slip out before he ever returned. He'd likely never know it was there.

She studied the recorder, rubbing her fingers over the smooth, black surface, then opened up her desk drawer and placed it carefully inside. She closed the drawer, took up her translator, then left her room and living quarters.

As she was nearing the warehouse, she heard movement. When she peered into the darkened space, she saw Xora's shadow in the room beyond. Heart doing a little flip, she approached the room and stopped just before the doorway.

She watched as he unclasped his armor pads and took off his vent mask, water dripping all along the floor. She looked him over and studied the dark horns, elegantly curved across his head. Her eyes lingered over his rigid brow and deep-set eyes. He was still scary, but she was beginning to notice the more flattering colors and shades of his skin, a deep, dark red, like maroon with a dash of purple. His eyes were pretty much the color of blood, a deep crimson encased in black. It was hard to believe something so sinister looking could be so real and alive right in front of her. But what really made her feel strange was that he was also kind of stunning. Once you looked past the horror, there was a mysterious, unexplainable beauty that was beyond the realms of what one would consider such a thing. It was like looking at something that was not meant for this dimensional plane but another entirely. One of ancient power and exquisite terror. The more she looked at him, the more her heart started to hammer in her chest, like she was witnessing a mythical creature that was not meant to be seen. Like a unicorn but from a nightmare. She almost feared if she stared too long, she might actually go insane.

As Xora unclipped the last of his armor, he twisted around, his eyes meeting hers. They stared at each other for a long moment before Grace blinked several times and cleared her throat.

"Hi," was all she could muster from her lips.

"You've returned," he said.

"Yes."

"And you are staying."

It wasn't a question. "Yes," said Grace.

He grunted, then he bared his teeth at her. Teeth black and shiny like onyx. It took Grace a second to realize he was trying to smile at her. Still, she shivered.

His 'smile' faded. "Are you well?"

Grace cleared her throat once more, her mouth still dry. "I'm fine."

He tilted his head at her, watching her carefully.

"I see you went out without me," Grace said, looking down at the container at his feet.

"Just to observe the area. The ulimir along the caves is nearly gone. I will have to delve deeper."

"Right," Grace said. She shifted on her feet. "Do you want me to get Fox ready to go out again?"

He seemed to think about it, his eyes drifting over her. "You seem tired. We will start again tomorrow."

Grace couldn't help feeling relieved. She could use a moment, her heart still fluttering. "I'm going to go check over the station." She went to leave when Xora called to her. She turned, and he stepped closer.

"I'm glad you stayed," he said.

Grace blinked, then smirked. "I am too."

He bent his head, then turned for his tank, and Grace watched him before exiting into the warehouse.

The next few days passed in a blur as Grace continued to work alongside Xora to collect the ghost tongue. The missions had grown longer and harder as Xora was forced to remain in the caves, going deeper down into them. Most of the crystals had grown scarce along the edges and entrances, no longer could she see their glow from below. The murza had also begun to predict Grace's tricks and so she had to be even more careful and alert as she baited them. She and Xora could now talk through his headset which he had somehow connected to their call system. It did not have a translator meant for vrisha language, however, so they communicated by simple vrisha words such as "hishna"—wait—and "xil ishika" —I'm returning". Grace knew quite a few short phrases now though she understood far better than she spoke. Still, it was enough to work for both of them until she got better. She practiced when she could, sometimes repeating words and phrases while in the shower or in bed. At one point, she even tried looking for an index of vrishan words on the net and was surprised to find a few even if they weren’t one hundred percent complete. Few humans knew how to speak vrishan, and those who did were not just simple workers or civilians. A smattering of soldiers, tradesmen, scientists, and Grayhart crewmen could speak it well enough to at least not initiate a fight. Some only knew as much as she did now.

But Grace kept at it and would go to Xora to confirm her speech which he would correct accordingly. They spent time in the lab after work, and Xora showed her more of the strange tools vrisha carried on their ship, from menders to builders. One tool, which could fix any part of his ship if need be, reminded Grace of some kind of advanced swiss army knife. There were also bomb makers and even a shooter that fired bursts of red flames. They didn't have much in the way of medical supplies as the vrisha were so incredibly versatile, but they had supplies for many different scenarios depending on the planet they were on. For Xora, it was mostly water-resistant containers and tools and a spear that looked like it was made from spikes just like the ones on his tail. He called it a scyth.

He didn’t allow her aboard his ship, but she couldn't blame him for that. Still, she was curious about what it might look like inside. What she couldn't wrap her head around, however, was why he refused to learn her language.

"Come on, what's the harm? I'm learning yours," Grace said one evening.

"It would be an insult to my own tongue," was his reply.

"You're just too full of yourself, that's it."

"Or perhaps I find your language too offensive and inconvenient to care to learn it. Besides, I have no reason to learn human language when I'm not around them."

"You are around one right now!" Grace protested. "You're a stubborn jerk, that's what it is."

He gave her a playful look, and she knew he was messing with her. He delighted in annoying her, she’d found, but Grace knew it was innocent enough. She smiled despite herself.

"Just try one word." She clicked off her translator. "Hello."

He scowled at her, but his eyes still remained amused. He said something in his language, then let out a long hiss followed by an "ah" sound. "Hiiiillah" is what it sounded like.

Grace stifled a laugh and turned her translator back on. "Not quite."

"What did it mean?" Xora asked.

"It's just hello. It's a greeting."

Xora snorted. "It sounds like a different word in vrishan."

"Like what?"

"Carcass."

"Ah. That's, um, definitely not right. But at least you tried."

The next day was Grace's one day off. She didn't go above to see Anne, however, but decided to remain in the station in case any issues arose. Xora had gone out to the caves again on his own, and she had stayed in, doing more research about his kind. She found an article about their social structure and sat in her chair reading while she ate a meal of crackers and fish. According to the article, their society was somewhat matriarchal, with the queens heading their council and cities. They didn't have kings but instead had what was called a predomis, some super-warrior that was their sole guardian, commander of their soldiers, and overseer of the havens’—or cities’—defenses. They supposedly were a big deal and only the strongest, bravest, most ruthless warriors could become one. They could take down full squads of soldiers if need be and were supposedly the most powerful of the bunch. Otherwise, there were regular warriors, scouts who went off world seeking resources, housekin who took care of households, or dirra, who did pretty much everything else. Grace couldn't help wondering what Xora was considered in their society. She made a note to ask him sometime.

When she'd finished the article, she took her game player and headed for the main office. Funny, even if being chased by the murza had been its own kind of game to her, Grace still wanted that fix. She went and took a seat at the cushy office chair and put her feet up and started up her player.

Only several minutes into her game and a noise coming from the warehouse caught her attention. It sounded like the gurgling of water. Grace put down her player to listen for a moment before considering that something was wrong. She put down her player and headed into the warehouse. Halfway in and Grace was splashing through several inches of water. Cursing, she worried it might be the oil tanks again, but when she passed by the room, she saw they were still full, and no water was leaking from the bottoms. She went back into the warehouse and noticed then that the water was coming from the sub-bot room.

"Oh, god, the tank," she said aloud. She rushed for the door, the water now to her ankles. From the tank's top, water gushed out in torrents. Grace moved around to the side and looked over the controls and gauges. Xora had never told her how to read them. She pressed a few buttons until the water turned from cold to hot. Panicking, she started pressing on the lighted symbols, trying to get the water to stop. She pressed on one of the gauges and noticed the light fading. She slid her hand downward across the set of symbols, and the lights dimmed to almost nothing. The water stopped and so did the vapors that usually floated out from the lid. There was no sound. The lights blinked on and off, then went out altogether. Grace pressed a hand to her forehead and stepped away. She looked at all the water and cursed again softly. The mess would take hours to clean.

Groaning, Grace headed for the cleaning closet in the lab. Thankfully, there were several drains around the station including a rather large one in the warehouse that she could siphon the water into. She grabbed a squeegee and mop and headed back to begin directing the water into the drains.

As she started to clean around the tank, she heard movement behind her. She glanced around to see Xora entering from the pool room.

"The tank just started spewing water," she said, looking back at her mopping. "It flooded half the room."

Xora went over to the tank and examined it. A soft growl rose in his throat. "It's off. Why is it off?" Quickly, he opened the top and felt inside. He growled again and said something she didn't hear. He began to reach deeper in, and Grace stopped to watch, feeling nervous as she saw his expression go from concerned to furious. A hiss escaped him as he pulled out several crystals, and they crumbled in his hand. Xora looked at her with a searing glare. "What happened?"

Grace gripped her mop handle tight. "It was spewing water so I ..."

Xora's eyes sparked fire. "You what?"

Grace's body went rigid. "I turned it off."

Xora crushed the remaining pieces of crystal in his hand and let them drop to the ground. "I told you never to touch it, damnable human!"

Heat rose in her face. "I panicked, okay! I thought it was going to flood the whole place. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Leave it alone!"

His fury was terrifying and amazing, but Grace didn't care to cower away. "Well, I couldn't just leave it, Xora. The water could damage the equipment!"

Xora bared his teeth, not in the way of a smile this time, but in a rage. Swiftly, he closed the tank back up and turned on the controls. The tank lit up once more, and vapors hung in the air from the top. Xora looked over the gauges, and a deep, guttural growl rose from him. He turned on her.

"The water is meant to filter out, it was working fine."

"I didn't know. You should have told me." She kept her voice firm and clear as he drew closer to her. "You can't just flood the place like that. If something gets damaged, I'm the one in trouble!"

"Your faulty equipment is insignificant to my own," he hissed. "And this place is surrounded by water, yet you humans can't seem to think up ways to make your things resistant to the elements."

"Well, sorry we can't be as prepared as the vrisha, but at least we know how to communicate!" Grace snapped.

"I communicate just fine," he growled. "It's humans who can't seem to follow simple orders." His tail was weaving behind him like an angry cat. "I told you specifically not to go near this tank. And now, because of you, I've lost several days worth of ulimir." His tail hit the ground, spraying water.

Several days. Grace went cold. "Xora...I'm sorry."

"I don't want to hear it!"

"It was an accident." Grace slipped into the warehouse, water splashing her boots, dampening her pants. "And, you know, I'm the one who has to clean up your stupid mess now!

Xora's eyes narrowed. "Don't bother."

"Yeah, maybe I won't!" She threw her mop to the ground. "I helped you out, you ungrateful jerk. I put my job on the line. But I make one mistake, and now I'm suddenly a careless human, huh?"

"You are!"

"Screw you!"

"Get out of my sight, you insolent female!" he snarled.

Grace turned and stomped off. She didn't look back as she made for her living quarters. Once inside, she stripped out of her uniform and headed to the bathroom. She turned on the shower, didn't wait for it to get warm as she entered, then let out an angry scream, hitting her fist against the steel wall. She hung her head in the water for a minute or two then quickly got out, dried herself off, then slipped into her room and slammed the door, locking it tight.

She knew she couldn't stay in her room forever. She had a restless sleep and spent much of the morning sulking but knew it couldn't last. She sat at her desk with arms crossed, thinking over everything said and not said and how much Xora was a real sonofabitch and how much of an idiot she was. When she couldn't stand to just sulk there any longer in silence, she opened up her laptop, clicked on her journal, and started a new entry.

"Day...I don't even remember right now," Grace began, staring at the camera. "I'm still in TR7." She leaned back in her seat and huffed. "I'm still with Xora, who...makes me crazy. He doesn't understand nor care to understand the things that might affect me and my job. All he cares about is getting his stupid ghost tongue. I'm just another tool of his to try and get off world as soon as possible. I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Grace closed her eyes and breathed in deep and let it out slow. "But I still want to help him. I don't want us to be on bad terms. Vrisha and humans already have an unstable relationship. I don't want Xora to..." She opened her eyes and shook her head. "I don't want him to think the same of us as others do. I'm still not saying he was right for what he did and what happened. But I don't want us to become...I don't know, strained. Or worse, enemies." She clutched her legs and sat straight. "I want to know him and understand him. I wish...he wanted the same." She wiped away angry tears threatening to fall. "But the best I can hope is to not let one more vrisha think worse of my kind. I won't expect an apology, but I'll do my best to fix what happened. I'll do my best to make Xora not hate me at the very least."

She ended the video and clicked out of her journal with a sigh, knowing she was going to have to finally go out and face Xora. And hope he wasn't still pissed at her.

Before she closed out her laptop, Grace noticed an alert from the station's system checker. There was an issue highlighted in red. Grace clicked on it to see more details. By the looks of it, one of the airflow vents had a tear. Not a hard fix at all as she could easily seal it up.

Only problem was, it was on the outside of the station.

Likely the damage had originally occurred when the Iropos had attacked the station and had scraped one of its tentacles over the vent’s protective plates which inevitably created a small break. The system only detected it when it got too big and was causing leakage. They had mechanisms in place so that the vents were closed, and the air flowed through other directions until the fix could be made. It kept the air going and water out of the remaining vents. Still, it would need to be sealed, otherwise it would get worse and cause more damage to the vent, making an easy fix hard.

Grace sighed and closed out her computer. It was still early enough that she could get it done before she was supposed to help Xora, if he would even let her. She dressed quickly and grabbed a protein bar from the kitchen before making her way out of the living quarters. The station was quiet save for the hum of the generators and soft buzzing from the lights. As Grace turned into the warehouse, she stopped dead and stared. There was no more water save for a small puddle in the middle of the room. Grace walked through into the sub-bot room and saw the tank with vapors spewing out and no water spilling from its top. Grace couldn't be sure if Xora had cleaned up himself or the water had drained out on its own overnight. Either way, Grace was relieved to not be splashing her way over to the pool room.

Inside, Grace found the pool dark and nearly still, like a dark mirror in the middle of the floor. Only when she turned on the lights outside could she see a little of the cliffside down below. Surrounding the pool was a set of wet suits and helmets made specifically for outside excursions. Grace stuffed the protein bar in her mouth as she selected one of the suits in her size and a helmet along with it. She slipped on the suit, tightening the straps and making sure everything was properly sealed. She took up the helmet and put it over her head, twisting it into place, hearing the sharp click as it connected to the wide collar of her suit. From her wrist, she pressed a button, and air immediately flowed into her helmet, crisp and cool. She flipped the lights on the top of the helmet then on her wrists and started over to a toolbox to one side. Taking out a welding tool, Grace trudged over to the pool and looked down.

The darkness seemed unending, but Grace had been trained for outings when she first started working the rigs and so wasn't afraid of swimming the cold deep waters. She lowered herself carefully into the pool, then allowed herself to float before falling steadily down until the water encased her. The cold touched her, but the suit kept her warm enough to make it bearable. Bubbles swirled and popped around her as she breathed slowly in and out. With the welder tight in her hand, Grace touched on another button, and a small jet at her back propelled her forward.

She swam around one side first, then started up to the top. As she came to the roof, she planted her feet firmly on the thick metal and peered around. Bright lights around the station allowed her to see at some distance. From one end, Grace could see Xora's ship, a dark, sharp-edged shape. Her eyes fell along the roof, and she could see several connecting pipes running all along the top. She began to walk and looked around for signs of the torn vent. After a few minutes of searching, she found it near the lab. She could see the bubbles rising up from the punctured metal. She lowered herself and gripped the pipe with one hand while with the other, she turned on the welder and placed the tip across the tear. Carefully, she pressed down, and an extremely hot, glowing liquid flowed out, covering up the tear. Grace watched as the glowing liquid cooled and turned into a dull gray color, bubbles no longer rising from the vent. She rose and turned off the welder.

That should do it. Easy peasy.

Grace had turned back for the pool when a dark shape flitted across her vision. Startled, she twisted back around and caught the end of a fin in her light. Heart leaping in her chest, she aimed the light on her wrist in every direction but saw nothing. She stood very still, trying to keep her breathing slow, knowing she only had a limited supply of oxygen.

Something hit across her helmet, nearly knocking her of balance. She aimed her light upward just in time to see a wide mouth with sharp teeth coming at her. Grace screamed and ducked as the murza snapped down at her, swiping at her with its razor claws. She flailed her arms out, hitting the murza with the welder. The creature dropped back enough for Grace to see it was a smaller one, its pale eyes glaring at her. It bared its teeth and came at her again. Grace lifted her arms for protection as it latched on to her, its back talons clawing at her suit. It swiped and bit at the glass of her helmet as Grace tried to pry it off. A low buzz sounded in her ear as there was a breach in her suit from the murza's nails. Grace felt the freezing cold water slip through, but there was nothing she could do. She continued to swing her arms out as the creature widened its jaws and repeatedly bit at the glass. A hairline crack formed in the helm just above her left eye. Grace hit the beast across the head, and it detached itself. She fell and hit her back against a large pipe, dropping the welder in her hand. The murza swam up and circled around, and Grace knew it was going to attack again. She reached for the welder as the murza dived back for her. This time, it latched to her side, just below her ribcage. It tore at her suit, and Grace hit and kicked, trying to pull it off her. She turned back on her welder and stabbed at the murza with the hot tip. The welder hit the side of the creature's head, and, in response, the murza snapped at her, then opened its mouth wide and bit at her suit. Its fang punctured through the material and into her skin, a searing pain rippled up her side, and Grace screamed. She stabbed at the murza once more, this time hitting it right in the eye. Bubbles spewed from its mouth as it screeched in pain, then turned and disappeared.

Grace lay there stunned. Before she could try to stand, she could feel the effects of the murza's venom. The pain was so intense she felt lightheaded and queasy, like she might throw up. Her body felt like it was on fire on one side and ice cold where the water was seeping in. She started to pant and knew she was using up too much air too quickly. The darkness seemed to swallow her as she began to lose consciousness.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Xora

It was quiet in his ship as the morning grew late. Even the sounds of the sea outside were muffled. Xora hadn’t slept last night nor had he meditated. Still seething from the loss of ulimir, he had found it too difficult to calm down and take the time needed to rest. He had stuck by the tankard for many hours, noticing some of the water had seeped into the drains while the tank itself took moisture from the air to refill itself. He had not bothered to clear out the broken crystals, knowing they would eventually dissolve into nothing but particles like small glass, the liquid within lost. Nothing could be done. Instead, he waited for the tank to stabilize before he geared up and took to the caves.

He hadn't gotten far (as he knew he wouldn't on his own), but he was in enough rage that it didn't matter much to him. That night, he acquired little of the ulimir, but he did his share of destroying any murza who got in his path. He spent the remainder of his night mending his suit yet again, sitting in his chair, thinking of nothing, then of everything wrong with the situation, then of the very thing he was trying to avoid: Grace.

She was his blessing and his curse, it seemed. She had helped greatly, he couldn't deny that. His mission would have been done far quicker if things had gone accordingly. But they hadn't, and now he was to remain longer than he hoped. But as the night waned and the morning descended, he felt his anger for her slowly begin to cease while the frustration toward himself grew. He shouldn't have been so harsh. She had aided him well and, though she could be a pain in his side sometimes, she was also a gift. He eventually concluded that the accident was likely inevitable, and it was best to mend what had been severed before he lost his leeshna for good. Then they could return to how things were.

As he exited his ship, the morning was growing late, and he predicted Grace may already be out somewhere doing her usual errands around the station. He did not find her in the lab or any of the other rooms. When he went into the room beyond the warehouse, he did not find her there either. She must somehow still be in her living quarters.

He considered it for a moment, then headed that way. He never went into that part of the station in order to allow her space, but he felt they needed to talk and perhaps it was better to do so before they started work. He slipped across the warehouse and down the hall, pausing at the door to the living area before entering. As he looked around, however, he found she was not there either. The door to her room was ajar, and she was not within, sleeping. As he left, he assumed then that she must have gone somewhere outside the station, perhaps to another building above. It was not her usual time to leave the station, but he suspected, with their fight, her routine had changed.

As he passed through the lab to return to his ship, he stopped and looked over at the entrance door of the station. It was ajar which wasn't all that unusual. As he stepped closer, however, Xora could see, beyond the door, the train car still seated in its spot. Now confused, Xora looked around the lab, then turned back for the hall. She was still not in any of the rooms, so he had not missed her. He backtracked and called for her but was given no response. As he slipped back into the room with his tank, he looked over and saw the waterbots were still resting in their docks, and the seats were empty. He twisted his head toward the pool room, and his eyes narrowed. He slunk over and peered inside. The pool was empty and still, but from one side, he could see a suit was missing. She had clearly gone out though he couldn’t fathom why.

A deep unsettling ache rested in his chest as he stared at the empty suit rack and then back at the dark pool. He didn't bother to suit up or even put on his face-helm as he started for the water. She couldn't be far from the station. He hissed as the cold water pierced his skin but did not hesitate as he dropped down and immersed himself fully into the dark. He swam downward, then across the cliffside, gazing down into the deep but seeing no lights. She could not have been so foolish as to have gone to the caves without him, yet he still swam a little out just to be sure. He saw no sign of lights in the distance and so started back toward the station, this time propelling himself along one side, then ascending to the top.

As he came to the roof, he planted his feet and peered around. He saw his ship to one side, then, as his gaze fell across the wide space, he caught a small light floating not far off, nearly concealed between a set of pipes. He swam toward it. The closer he got, the more the light took shape, and he saw the edge of a helmet.

Grace floated there, unmoving. His heart pumping faster, Xora shot over quickly and grabbed her arm, pulling her toward him. He could barely see her face in the helm as the glass was beginning to fog, but he could tell her eyes were closed. She did not respond when he took hold of her. He saw the small crack in her helm and heard a soft buzzing. As he placed his other hand to the glass, a trickle of red floated across his vision. Blood.

His eyes flicked downward, and he saw the tear in her suit and the wound in her side. Without another thought, Xora brought Grace against him, holding her tight, then shot back toward the roof's edge. He dived downward before swiftly turning for the pool. Thrashing his way back, he broke the surface and splashed into the room before setting Grace down on the poolside and ripping the helm off. Water broke from the top, and Grace's head bent back, but her eyes didn't open. Unresponsive, she was limp on the floor and so Xora quickly brought her close once more. He went still as he listened. When he heard the small but slow heartbeat and felt the slightest whiff of breath against his ear, he knew she was breathing, but barely. Her body was cold, too cold. As he tore away the rest of the suit and then the top of her uniform to expose her side, he saw the wound. A bite.

It was a small mark, the wound not very deep, the teeth not sinking all the way in, but they had grazed enough skin, and Xora could see beads of amber trickling from the wound. Cursing, he gathered Grace in his arms and started toward the door. He rushed into the warehouse, then through to the hall beyond. He made for the lab first and set her down on one table.

He went for a closet to one side and began rummaging, throwing things, searching until he found a red box. He opened it and found what he was confident were medical supplies, wrappings and ointments and other healing tools of some kind. He closed the box up and took hold of Grace in one arm while carrying the box in the other. She was losing heat fast, and her heart was slowing. He needed to act quickly.

He made his way back down the hall, then into Grace's living space. He blew past the kitchen and her room, rushing into the washroom. On separate ends were several half closed off stalls with contraptions that dripped water from their tops onto the floor. Xora turned into one stall, dropping the red box just outside it, then slamming the side of his fist against one of the buttons below the water dripping spout. Water immediately began to fall on both of them, and to his relief it was warm not cold. Xora stripped off the rest of Grace's uniform till she only wore two thin pieces of clothing that he suspected covered more sensitive parts of her body. With her cradled against him, he lowered himself into the stall and allowed the water to pour on top of both of them. With his heat and that of the water, he hoped to warm her, but he knew the amber-colored venom was seeping deeper into her skin and would need to be pulled out.

He shifted her around so that her torso was in-line with his face as he examined the wound closer. He let some of the water fall along the torn skin to wash off the blood, then, once it was cleaned enough, he placed his mouth against her. He licked and sucked, tasting the venom and blood on his tongue. The venom was a sickly taste that he spat away, but once it had started to fade, he tasted only the metallic tang of Grace's blood which was much more palatable. He was careful of his teeth grazing her soft skin which he worried would break at the lightest touch. He imagined he could sink his fangs easily into her if he wished, and it would be like biting into a tender piece of meat. But he was not interested in making a meal of her.

Grace let out a small groan, her head turning to one side to rest against his arm which he propped along the stall. Her hair had unraveled and spilled over his bicep, wet yet soft. Xora's other hand rested across her hip, her skin still cool to his touch but warming slowly. She was as soft as she was small in his arms, at least compared to his towering frame. Another muffled sound escaped her as he licked at the wound one last time, then shifted her again to rest her head against his shoulder. He brought her close, letting the heat of his body encase her, letting the warm water bathe her until her body was no longer cold as a corpse. She stirred, if only a little. When he deemed she was warmed enough, he shut off the water, then carefully lifted her, bringing her out of the stall. He wrapped her in a dry cloth hanging on a rack, then swept her out of the washroom and into her own bedroom. He set her on the bed, then went back for the red box and placed it on the desk. He caught her shivering yet, when he placed his hand on her head, he found her burning. Cursing softly, he opened the red box. The venom may still be affecting her. If it continued to wreak havoc in her bloodstream, it could paralyze or kill her. Taking out the wrappings and covering her wound first, Xora then went to the bottles of ointment. Among them was a small case containing a smaller glass bottle and a tool with a long needlepoint, reminding him of a stinger. He could not read the words on the case nor on the bottle and therefore couldn't determine if it was the right medicine needed.

Grace moaned and turned her head. She blinked several times, her eyes glassy as she looked up at him.

"Grace," Xora hissed. He sat at her desk chair to be more level with her. "Can you hear me?" Grace stared at him, and he propped her up better on the cushioned headrest. Her eyes flitted across his face and downward. "Grace, look at me." He lifted her jaw in one hand. "I need you to tell me what this is." He showed her the serum. "Is this medicine that will help you?"

Grace locked eyes with his, her furry brows drawing together. She shook her head as if she didn't understand. Xora looked around the room and saw on the desk her translator. Of course, she couldn't understand him.

Xora placed the translator against her ear, fumbling with the switch. When he was sure it was on right, he kept her head up yet again so that she could see him. He brought up the serum so that it blocked her vision. "Grace, will this help?"

Grace licked her lips, then moved them but barely a whisper came out. She lifted her hand clumsily to it, and he turned the bottle to be sure she saw the words. She blinked slowly, her eyes dulling as if she might be losing awareness. She tried again to speak, but her words were too slurred for the translator to pick up. She encased her hand around his wrist, bringing the bottle closer. She mumbled something else, her head moving up and down as she released his arm, her hand falling on his thigh as she started to slump over.

"Grace?" Xora cursed again as he caught her, then set her back on the bed. Her eyes were closed, her head falling back. Baring his teeth, Xora forced her back into a sitting position, wrapping one arm about her. "Stay with me, Grace." He shook her enough for her eyes to open again if only barely.

Her lips moved, but no words came out. She leaned forward, and her head rested on his chest, wet now with sweat. He gently pulled her back. "I know it's hard to stay awake, but I need you to show me how to use this." He brought the serum back in front of her and then the needle. He assumed her head nod meant it could help in some way, but he needed her to direct him on how to administer the medicine. She was on the verge of consciousness, nearly gone, but he couldn't allow her to sleep. Not yet. Perhaps he could take her to a human medical facility, but they wouldn't make it in time. He could only hope the serum worked.

But first, she needed to show him.

He took her hands and placed the serum in one and the needle in the other. She struggled to keep her arms up, so he covered his hands with hers. "Direct me," he commanded.

Grace's head lolled to one side as she struggled to keep it up. Though her hands shook, he could feel her trying to move them. She brought the needle to the bottle's top and made as if to direct the point into it. Xora assisted her and carefully punctured the thin top. Xora observed as she attempted to somehow pull the liquid out from the bottle into the needle. When he was sure he understood, he took it from her hands and drew out the thick serum, watching as it filled the needle's base.

Grace mumbled something else, then, with a shaky hand, touched her side. She let slip the dry cloth from her till her chest and stomach were exposed. She lifted her hand again and pressed just under her ribs.

Xora started to place the needle where she touched, but before he could break the skin, Grace fell back on the bed, her arm dropping to the side. Xora leaned in and saw she was out and there was no chance of bringing her back. Knowing he had little time left, he stuck the needle into her side, pushing the medicine in. He could only hope now that he placed it right and that it would take effect quickly. Releasing the needle, he set it and the bottle aside, then quietly listened while gently touching at her throat. Her heartbeat was faint but not gone. Not yet. He let his hand slip to her collarbone and her shoulder. The chill was starting to return. He placed the dry cloth around her, then slipped the bed cover over her. He sat back and watched her for a long moment, then rose and went to the kitchen, bringing back water. He watched again for some time before he went into another room and stole the covers, placing them over her. He checked her many times to make sure she was still breathing. Regardless of all her coverings, she started to shake.

Xora placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "Dammit, Grace, stay with me."

Her body shuddered, but she did not respond any other way. Xora's eyes fell over her, a low growl catching in his throat. "Ah, shis xina hilvit," he said softly. He rose up and pulled back the covers.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

GRACE

Grace flitted in and out of sleep many times, dreaming of deep, dark waters and monsters, blood red eyes and talons, ghosts and demons and dark worlds. She dreamt of sitting in her grandma's house playing games with her brother, only they were underwater and somehow didn't need to breathe. She dreamt of mountains and forests and a burning red sun. She shifted through these dreams until only a fading dark remained, and a dull light brought her back. Waking, she breathed deep and took in the scent of delicious coffee. Boy, she would love a cup right now.

She breathed deep again and shifted, feeling a comforting warmth against her. It felt heavenly, like she was being swaddled. Her face seemed to be close to something solid and so she pressed against it and felt a smooth, rough, yet hot texture. She sniffed and realized the coffee scent was coming from whatever her face was planted against. She peeled her face away and opened her eyes.

At first, all she could make out was a dark red wall, but as her eyes focused, she found that the wall had a pattern like that of thick lizard-like scales. Then it moved, and Grace went still. Her eyes turned downward, and she saw an arm, then a hip followed by a tail which curled slowly upward, then dropped back on the bed. She made a sort of "huh" sound, her voice cracking. Then her eyes drifted back up, and she lifted her head until she saw a demon's face inches from her own.

Her breath caught in her lungs as she stared at Xora staring back at her. Except something didn't seem quite right. His eyes were narrowed, yes, but his scowl was hardly there, and he had a sort of milky film over his eyes. It took her a second to realize he was sleeping.

Grace went rigid, but she did not scream or try to push him off her. Instead, she took the moment to study him as he had never been this close. The slits of his nostrils flared slightly, and she could just make out the point of one fang slipping out from his upper lip. His jaw was sharp and brows heavy. He had no hair though the smaller set of spikes along his head and between his horns made him look like he had a sharp mohawk. Her eyes turned down to his neck and his shoulder, and she could see narrow slits like...pores? Or maybe they were even gills that were almost hidden under a set of thick scales. She came back to his chest which was right at eye level and saw he had no nipples like a man, just a hard plate of skin that dissolved at his stomach where the scales were smaller and a little more thin. He had no belly button either, but he did have a pair of sharp lines at his hip bones that angled down to the apex of his thighs. From there, she could see nothing more as he still wore his leather-like pants.

She gazed back up at him again and, with careful, yet curious, fingers, she brushed her hand against his chest. His skin was incredibly warm, his scales rough yet smooth as if she grazed her hand over a set of small gems. Only it was all of him that was like that, until her hand drifted along his stomach, and his skin became less rough and more smooth. She couldn't deny she liked the feeling.

An image of his body atop hers popped into her brain, and her heart did a little jolt. Her breath caught, and her hand stilled as she stared at his face.

His mouth twitched, and the milky film over his eyes slid away like a second lid. He stared down at her, and she returned his glare. They were suspended in that moment until he blinked once at her and shifted.

"You're awake," he said.

A weird whimpering sort of sound escaped her. She cleared her throat. "Yes," she said. She licked her lips, her mouth dry. It was hard to swallow.

His eyes fell downward to focus on his torso, and Grace followed his gaze to where her hand still touched the center of his stomach. She quickly drew her hand back and cleared her throat again.

"How...how long was I out?" she asked as heat spread up her neck and face.

Carefully, Xora moved, separating himself from her and rising from the bed. She noted that he hadn't fit completely on the matress as his legs had been suspended off the end even when curled up. He went over to her desk and took up a cup of water, then returned. The bed creaked loudly as he settled back to sit beside her. He offered her the cup, and she took it gladly. "Part of a day and all of a night," Xora answered as she sat up and took a needed sip of the cool water.

Grace drank a little more, then coughed and placed the cup beside her. "How bad was I?"

Xora was silent for a moment, then said, "There were several hours where I worried and was close to taking you above. But you started to recover before I made the final decision."

Grace nodded her head and smirked. "I'm glad you didn't have to. You probably would have scared the medical staff to death before they could consider taking me."

"Probably."

And rumor would have spread fast of a vrisha carrying a half-dead woman. They probably would have thought he was the one who did it too. That turnout would have been ugly to say the least.

"Thank you," Grace said after a pause, her eyes falling to her hands. "For helping me."

Xora's tail flicked lazily to one side. Grace knew he watched her, but she found it hard to meet his gaze.

"You are a pain," he said in a hiss of breath.

Grace couldn't help smiling. " I know."

His hand drew up so quickly she barely had time to react. Grace went still as his knuckles brushed against her forehead, gently sweeping away a lock of her hair. Grace glanced up. She stared into his dark gaze and felt an odd ache in her lower stomach. Her pulse quickened, and another crazy image slipped into her head that she brushed away.

"I'm sorry about the other day," Grace said quickly, her voice cracking.

Xora lowered his hand, setting it close to hers. "You are forgiven." He turned away from her as if to hide his expression. "I'm sorry too."

Grace had a great urge to take his hand. Before she could, he twisted around and took her cup. He rose from the bed and left the room. Grace blew out the breath she had been holding and let her head fall back, trying to make sense of the situation she found herself in. She had woken up to an actual vrisha cuddling her. And she hadn't freaked out. In fact, she felt things she never would have expected to feel. A swirl of different emotions she wasn't ready to even think about. Not yet. She would have to worry about those later.

She sat up a little more, letting the covers fall off her, and found she was nearly naked too. Not going to think too deeply about that either.

Xora returned and offered the cup back to her which she took gladly. This time, he sat at her desk chair, watching as she drank. She took her fill, then set the cup down, wiping at her face. She was beginning to feel embarrassed, her mind racing with the idea of Xora having to save her and care for her. She couldn't shove the thoughts away. For whatever reason, it made her feel weak, and she didn't want to seem that way to him, even if he likely already saw her as such.

"The morning is probably already gone, but we can get out to the caves as soon as I check the station over. I will get dressed and meet you outside." Grace started to move out of the bed. Xora leaned forward, stopping her with a hand to her shoulder.

Xora gently pushed her back down. "You'll stay. And rest."

"Xora, I'm fine, I can do—"

"No," he said firmly. "You're not ready."

Grace frowned. "But—"

"No arguing." Xora placed the covers back over her and straightened. "You'll do as I say."

Grace sighed.

"Say that you will stay here."

Grace crossed her arms. "I will...stay here."

"Good." Xora turned for the door.

Grace sat up. "Xora, wait."

Xora paused, his huge frame covering the door. He looked back at her.

Grace chewed on her lip, then said, "I'll help you get back the crystals lost. I swear it."

Xora stared at her, a spark in his gaze. He bowed his head and turned out of the room.

Grace tried to lay there for as long as she could muster, but eventually, she became too restless to sleep and so got up and moved around, stretching her legs and arms, finding them stiff and a little achy. She was a little light-headed too but nothing more serious that she could tell. No headache or nausea or any other pain save for the pain of hunger. As she changed into something cleaner, she observed the bandages on her side where the murza had bitten her. Curious, she peeled back the wrapping to get a look at the damage. What she found made her freeze in shock. She expected to find the wound still open, even bleeding, but, surprisingly, it was already beginning to scab over. She looked over at the medical box on the desk and opened it, sifting through the various ointments, but none were of the higher grade to be able to heal a wound like hers that quickly. Closing the medkit up, she wondered if Xora had used some kind of alien treatment on her, but she couldn't remember. Shrugging it off for the time, Grace rebandaged herself, then put on a fresh uniform before slipping out of her room.

She took her time moving as she still felt weak and lethargic. She moved to the kitchen and started grabbing food, breaking open bags and opening cans and eating little by little until she no longer felt the pangs of hunger. She returned to her room with a soda and a couple meal bars, then turned on her laptop.

She did a quick journal entry to update what had happened and how Xora had saved her life. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to pay him back, but she would always be grateful. She closed out by saying she would find a way to thank him somehow, then ended the video and clicked over to the station's system checker.

She cringed as she looked it over. There were several issues in yellow and one in red. The one in red was in the office. A server was out. She wouldn't have to do anything physical, just reboot the system. Still, the issues had built up all through the day, and eventually, management would be checking in, asking why she wasn't fulfilling her work. She knew she had told Xora she would stay, but she had to at least fix the server. As she slowly made her way out of the living quarters and out into the hall, she found it quiet. She had a feeling Xora was still around somewhere, perhaps in his ship, and he would come checking on her soon. She went into the office and did a quick reboot. She found her game player still on the desk where she had left it and so she took it back with her to her room. She wouldn't dare try to fix the issues in yellow. If Xora found her out of bed, he would have her skin. But she knew she would have to eventually explain to management why she was "slacking."

Not worrying over it for the moment, Grace spent part of the day on her laptop, doing a little more research. She had never seen Xora eat, but she knew he had to take in some kind of food for, as incredibly durable as he was, nothing could live without sustenance. Still, she had never thought to ask. Curious about it now, she looked it up and found that, to no surprise, they were big meat eaters. Preferably cooked and spiced. Grace drummed her fingers on the desk, then continued her search. She ended up in a rabbit hole of information, learning about how they hunted and made their meals. She even found an article about a drink called sivas. A disgusting mixture of milk and blood.

"No, thanks," she mumbled as she tapped out of the article to another she had saved. A link about vrisha phrases caught her eye, and she clicked on it. She skimmed the article and found it was not just phrases but verses. Like poems or short prayers according to the author. One in particular caught her eye which someone had translated into her language beside the vrisha text:

You are the storm, you are the fire.

You are the sun.

Blinding.

You are the moons, dark drowning.

Bone and blood, binding.

You are the wild heat all through me.

I burn for you.

Grace caught herself humming as she followed the words. She wondered if it was also like a song. But according to the author, vrisha did not or could not sing which made her feel utterly sorry for them. Still, the verse could be sung, she bet, if one took the time to form the right notes. She remembered her grandma sitting at her piano, making up verses to sing and she as a child would follow along. It was through her that Grace learned and found enjoyment in singing just for the fun of it. She never went to school for it as it wouldn't help land her a job, but her grandma had been a singer and so she found a love for it as well.

Perhaps in another life, she would have gone on to follow her grandma's footsteps, but sadly, no one needed singers in the working worlds.

Grace looked over the verse again and believed she could learn the vrishan words well enough. She didn't know who the verse was for exactly, but she liked it. She downloaded the text to her laptop for later observation.

Xora returned some time later, after she had decided to lay down again, finally feeling tired. He caught her playing on her handheld game player as he came to sit in the chair beside her bed.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing to her game player.

"It's a gaming console," Grace said, showing him the screen.

"Gaming console," Xora repeated.

"Yeah, you play games on it, see?" She showed him the screen.

Xora's eyes narrowed as he looked at it. "What sort of games?"

Grace sat up a little more and shifted across the bed, offering him a space to sit. He tilted his head, then moved over to sit beside her. His shoulder brushed hers, and Grace felt a flutter in her chest which she tried to ignore as she brought her console into view. She showed him the game she was playing first, a shooter.

"See, you go around and you kill the other players with your gun and collect points," Grace explained. "Whoever’s team is last standing wins."

"Like a battle?" he said.

"Yeah, but there are alie—other non-humans that will try to kill you too, but the more you take out, the more points you'll get."

He watched her for a moment as she fought alongside her teammates to take out a Zorgin. Unfortunately, another team arrived after their kill and wiped them out.

"Interesting," Xora said.

Grace showed him another game, a fighter, with various fantasy characters and creatures, then a platform game where one played a cat hopping through obstacles and destroying robots. "This one is pretty leisurely, but the story is good," Grace explained. "My most played game is this one." She showed him a racing game where she drove a ship through uncharted worlds, avoiding monsters and other dangers while flying against other players. "This was mine and my brother’s favorite as kids. My brother was the best. He even was in competitions. Probably would have gone pro if not for..." Grace trailed off. "Anyway, I went against him a lot, so I got pretty good too." Grace offered him the player. "Do you want to try?"

Xora took the player, his hands engulfing it. But he was careful to not crush it in his grip. After she showed him the proper way to hold it and how to work the controls, she let him pick one of the games to try. He picked the shooter.

"You can follow your team into the base. Oh, and watch out for blasters. They can take your whole team out," Grace mentioned.

Xora walked his character in and shot at a rival team, taking out several in one instant. Grace was impressed as she watched him carry his team to the center and became the second to last team to survive.

"Do I have to use the shooter?" he asked.

"No, not at all. Some use melee to sneak up on people and take them out, but it's much harder."

Xora changed out his weapon for a curved blade and nothing more. On his second game, he wiped out several teams nearly on his own before he got too cocky, and the last few teams swarmed him. On his third try, he wasn't so hasty. Once he understood his controls, he carried his team yet again to the end and won.

"Wow...that's crazy good for a newbie," Grace confessed. "You're sure you've never played these sort of games before?"

Xora gave her back the player. "Never."

"If the vrisha got into them, I'm pretty sure humans wouldn't stand a chance."

"I think not."

Grace looked up and saw an amused gleam in his eyes. "What kind of games do vrisha play?"

Xora seemed to think it over. "We have hunting games. Whoever can catch a certain animal or species first wins. We have fighting arenas and dueling pits if you consider those games. There are long range shooters some compete with and how well they wield their scyths. We have racing too, only it is by foot and mainly for fledglings. We don't allow our ships to race," he stated. "We have strategic battle games on flat boards for the less active and childish games for the infants. There may be others I am missing off the top of my head."

"I bet it would be entertaining," Grace said, "to see the vrisha hunt and fight."

Xora grunted, his tail swinging off the bed as he stared at the wall as if reminiscing.

"They say the fighting tournaments on Terra Centra are wild. Seeing all the other kinds of...people fighting," Grace said, recalling several videos she had seen of the fights. She smirked up at him. "I'd pay to see how you fare in one of them."

"I would win," he said in full confidence.

"Against who?"

"All of them."

Grace snorted and shook her head. "Arrogant."

"Truth," he said.

Grace raised a brow as she studied him. "You might be a vrisha, but you're a worker too. What about the warriors? Are you saying you could take them too?"

"I am one of them," Xora said.

Grace stilled beside him. "You're part of the warrior class?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

He looked down at her. "What did you think?"

Grace shrugged. "I wasn't sure, to be honest."

"But you were curious?"

Grace fiddled with the controls on her player. "Yes."

Xora looked away. "This is my last mission before I am to take my position amongst other warriors. I was..."

Grace tilted her head. "What?"

Xora rose from the bed. "Nothing." He turned back to her. "Get some rest. I will see you tomorrow."

"We are going back to the caves?" Grace asked, excited.

"Yes. Be ready."

Grace rested well and was feeling better than new the next morning. She went and fixed all the issues in yellow (some having turned to red overnight) and checked over the station before heading to the sub-bot room. There, she found Xora. She smiled happily at him as she took her seat at the bot controls.

"I've seen larger murza lurking about lately, so we will need to be extra careful," Xora said as he adjusted his suit.

"Nothing I can't handle," said Grace.

Xora huffed. "Now who is being arrogant?"

Grace grinned as she started up the console, the monitors displaying video feed and a map, the lights turning on outside.

"I have something for you," came Xora's voice right beside her ear. Grace nearly jumped out of her seat.

"I told you not to—what's that?" she said, staring down at a strange crescent-shaped device in Xora's hand.

"Take off your translator." He gestured to her ear.

Grace did as told, and in return, Xora fixed the strange device around her neck. They waited a second, and then Xora began to speak to her.

"Can you understand?"

Grace gasped. "Yes, I can!" And unbelievably better than her translator. It was like they were speaking without one at all. The instant he spoke, she heard exactly what he said in her language. "But how...?"

Xora tapped at the same kind of device around his own neck. "Vrisha translators. Much more efficient. I found them behind some supplies in one of the storage units on the ship. Must have been an afterthought of the crew. I configured them with human speech per the ship's computer. They are waterproof as well. "

"Wow, this is great. Now we can..." Grace drifted off, her hands falling from her neck. "Oh, but I guess this means...you won't have to teach me vrisha anymore. Now that we can just..."

He gazed at her curiously. "If you wish to still learn, I will teach you. But these will be much more convenient."

Grace smiled, nodding her head. "That would be great."

Xora bent his head, then placed on his mask. "Let's get to work."

As soon as he was out in the water, Grace was back in gear and ready to fly. Controlling Fox, her swift and agile bot, she drew all her concentration into the journey.

Several hours passed, and they had successfully gathered the ghost tongue. With the new translators, Grace couldn't deny they could communicate much easier, being able to give each other a quicker update of where they were and what was happening around them in more detail.

"Once I lose the rest of these small murza, I'll start back," Grace said.

"I will be right behind," Xora answered.

Grace did a few evasive maneuvers through a set of small caves before she was certain she'd gotten away from the murza. She slipped out easily, then started back for the station.

As she drove the bot through the seemingly endless dark, she had an urge to do something for Xora, to thank him better for taking care of her. She knew he had no use for human tech, so he wouldn't bother with human trinkets. He didn't wear jewelry, and she read online only the queens and the dirra cared to wear such finery. She considered maybe a weapon like a knife, but his own natural weapons were far better. As her bot weaved through a school of fish, she remembered the article she read about vrisha liking seasoned meat. At the end of the article (though she had wondered if it was a joke), it swore they also liked wine and that it was one of the few things they might trade with humans.

All things need to eat, Grace reminded herself again. And who doesn't love good food and drink?

Grace made the decision then that she would go up to the markets sometime after work. Maybe tomorrow.

The sound of something clattering behind her made Grace fall out of her thoughts. Frowning, she looked around but saw nothing. She turned back to the monitor, thinking it was just her imagination, when she heard a noise again coming from beyond the warehouse.

Curious, and a little concerned, she put the bot into automatic drive, letting it make its way on its own back to its dock. She pushed out the controls and got out of her chair, sneaking over to the door to peer into the warehouse. As she saw nothing, she cautiously made her way through the warehouse to the passage beyond. She slipped into the office to take up a pocket knife she had hiding in one of the drawers, then made her way down to the lab. She saw a shadow and heard a shuffling and knew now someone was there. She kept her knife raised slightly as she crept closer. As she peeked into the lab, she froze.

Bri was there, looking at something on the table. One of Xora's mender tools was left out.

"What are you doing here?" Grace said, breaking the silence.

Bri whirled around and, as she hid something behind her back, Grace did the same with her knife.

"Grace." She tugged a tight smile over her lips. She revealed her ISpad in her hand, bringing it up closer to her face. "How's it going down here?"

Grace frowned. "It's fine."

"Is it?" Bri started to look around. She went around the table and over to the air pressure tanks as if to inspect them.

"Yes." Grace dared not glance behind her. Any time, Xora might come lurking down the hall. "You really shouldn't be here."

"Is this gauge broken?" Bri asked, ignoring her.

"I—what?"

"This gauge. It reads rather low."

Grace glanced over at the pressure gauge. "No. It's fine." Unless a new issue had arisen while she was using the bot.

"Hm." Bri made a note on her ISpad. She walked past a set of desks and went over to the electric box. "What happened here?"

"I had to make a fix," Grace answered like it was obvious.

"It doesn't look properly fixed."

"Well, it is."

Bri made another note on her ISpad.

"Am I in trouble or something?" Grace asked, pocketing her knife while Bri wasn't looking.

"No. At least, not yet." Bri examined the desk monitors and clicked her tongue. "Haven't you done a speck of cleaning?"

She hadn't. But she kept her mouth shut as Bri walked toward her, placing a hand on her hip.

"Really, Grace. Have you been working at all?"

"Yes. I have," Grace said through gritted teeth.

"Hm." Bri started to walk around her toward the hall beyond, but Grace blocked her.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm inspecting the station," Bri said, her dull eyes staring at her. "You know, my job?"

She tried to go around her again, and Grace once more blocked her. "Why now?"

"Why not?"

"Now isn't a good time," Grace said.

"It never is," Bri countered. She slipped past her. "But it has to be done."

Grace followed close behind her as Bri walked down the passage and looked into each of the rooms. "Listen, Xor—the vrisha is out, and he's a bit testy about others. He only barely tolerates me, but if he sees you, I can't guarantee that—"

"I'm not concerned. The alien is using our resources and living on our company's dime. It too has to comply to company policy."

It hurt Grace's head not to roll her eyes. "I don't think you understand. He doesn't care about that, and he will—"

"Why are the main lights off in here?" Bri pointed to the warehouse.

"The electrical needs to be fixed..." Grace mumbled.

"And why is there water?" She clicked her tongue, making another note.

"I was going to clean that..."

Bri started through the warehouse for the passage beyond, and Grace tried to get in her way again.

"Stop being childish, Grace. I have a duty to inspect every room."

"Why did you come down?"

Bri stopped with a huff. "I was sent down to check on you, obviously. Since there were several issues that hadn't been fixed in the last few hours."

Dammit. What she feared came true. With her being sick and not fulfilling her job, they had gotten suspicious.

"I was... sick." Grace chose to at least give half the truth.

Bri frowned. "Then why didn't you report?"

"I was going to."

Bri shook her head and sighed. "I'm afraid this is just no good, Gracie. I see several violations and you not reporting right away is also a breach in company policy. You'll have to be written up on your permanent record." She made a note on her pad.

"Please, Bri, it was a mistake. I'm doing the best I can on my own."

"Are you? Because it looks to me like you should be moved out of here right away."

Grace shook her head as panic swarmed her brain. "No, please. Please, I need to stay."

"As assistant inspector, you understand I can't be easy on a friend." Bri looked around and sniffed. "However, lucky for you, the heads have already complied to let you remain here until the alien is gone. So I guess I can't do anything about that. But you will have to be written up."

"Fine," Grace snapped. "Write me up, I don't care. Just go."

"Not until I..." Bri's eyes drifted upward, and she grew very still. Grace could see the blood draining from her face by the light of her ISpad.

Grace looked around and saw Xora standing in the doorway. He stared at Bri, fangs slipping from his upper lip.

Before he or Grace could say a word, a strange, baby-like noise escaped from Bri's mouth, growing louder. She backed away, nearly slipping and falling from the puddle on the ground. Grace started toward her as if to assure her Xora wasn't a threat, but Bri had already turned and run out of the room. Grace glanced at Xora, then chased after her.

Bri got to the train car first and slipped inside, slamming the door shut on Grace. Bri slumped down in a chair, clutching her ISpad tight as the car started to move and ascend. As it disappeared into the dark, Grace turned back to the lab and found Xora there, waiting.

"What was that woman doing here?" Xora asked.

"She was an inspector." Grace shook her head. "Inspecting the station."

"Should we be worried?"

Grace looked over at the table with Xora's mender tool still sitting atop it, then back over to the now empty train car dock. "No. I think you made sure of that."

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

GRACE

Grace hopped off the train car that stopped right at the eastern market within the shopping sector. The building was massive, a cross-shaped mall with a long two-story foyer decorated with an arched glass ceiling, thick and sealed against water damage. Soft light caught on the roof from the surface above, and tiny trails of fish lingered, swimming from one end to the other. There were shops on every side and stalls filled with all kinds of necessities or gifts depending on one's wants or needs. The eastern market was said to have the best catch of seafood and fish meat in the city. There was also other unique produce like salted kelpweed and roasted seashrooms. It was also a place to mingle with all kinds of people. There were gyda and humans, of course, but Grace also spotted a few corax here and there as well as a pair of amphibious-looking men she believed were called skra.

The place wasn't too busy yet, despite there being enough of a crowd to have to work around. Grace walked a little ways past the train car docks and stopped just before entering the market. She searched around, looking for a head of black hair, when she spotted Anne waving to her from beside the first stall.

"You have to try a sample of this crayfish, it's amazing," was Anne's greeting as Grace approached. Grace tried it to appease her friend and found it was tasty. But it wasn't what she wanted, so they continued on deeper into the market.

"I haven't been to the market in forever," Anne mentioned as they walked leisurely past several shops. "Thankfully, I saved up some credits."

"You didn't have to come, Anne," Grace said as she eyed a stall of bulbed jellyfish. "You don't need to spend your savings just because I am."

"Oh, but I wanted to come!" She gasped and skipped over to a stall selling decorative pearl bracelets. "Aren't they beautiful, Grace."

"Yes," Grace sighed. "But I'm really only here for a few things."

Anne turned and grinned at her. "I bet I know why you're here."

Grace pursed her lips. "I don't know what you mean." She turned from the stall, and Anne followed her.

"You can't fool me, Grace. In your message, you said you were looking to buy wine of all things. And several expensive meats? I know you're not just getting them for yourself. You never drink wine."

"How do you know?" Grace said, avoiding her friend's bright gaze.

"Since I've known you, I have never seen you drink. Remember the company party on L34? Cause I do. You didn't touch a single glass." Anne smirked.

"So? Maybe I wasn't in the mood."

"So you're saying you're suddenly in the mood to drink a whole bottle of wine by yourself? Come on, Grace, who is it for?" Anne curled her arm around hers. "Who are you seeing?"

Grace had to bite her lip to not smile. Her friend was so innocent and caring but sometimes a little naive. But then, who in their right minds would honestly think she was getting such a gift for an alien like a vrisha? So maybe not so naive. Maybe Grace was just crazy. Her friend would certainly think so if she told her.

"No one. I'm not seeing anyone," Grace answered. "It's just a thank you gift for...a friend who helped me, that's all."

Anne gave her a serious look. "What friend?"

"You're not the only friend I have, Anne."

"Okay, but who?"

"Just...a coworker."

Anne stopped, forcing Grace to stop with her. "Are you...talking about the vrisha?"

"Maybe."

"Oh, my god, you are!"

Grace pulled at her to keep on walking. "It's not a big deal."

"Yeah, right." Anne laughed. "I can't imagine the vrisha accepting anything from us." Another stall, this time selling colorful rock coral, caught Anne's eye, and she dashed over, "oohing" and "ahhing" at the pretty rainbow of colors.

Grace sighed and shook her head. Maybe she shouldn't have told Anne she was looking to go to the market. But Anne had been adamant about talking with her, and Grace figured it was better to have her friend tag along instead of meeting her beforehand.

As they entered into a small shop selling various meats and bread, Grace looked over the fish, considering which to choose. "So what's going on with you?" she asked Anne. "You said you wanted to talk."

From the corner of her eye, she could see Anne fidgeting, tugging at the ends of her hair. "Well, you're going to think I'm a little crazy."

"I already do," Grace joked. "But seriously, why?"

"I asked Gibon out on a date."

Grace shot her gaze over at her friend, actually shocked. "Really?"

Anne blushed. "Yeah."

"Wow, that's...honestly, that's awesome, Anne. I didn't think you were into otherkin."

Anne shrugged, tugging another lock of her hair. "I didn't think I was either. I mean, I never really thought about it. But after getting to know Gibon…oh, Grace, he's so much more considerate and caring and interesting and nice. I like him so much." She frowned, her eyes shifting to the people around them. "The problem is...ah, I feel awful."

Grace's brows furrowed. "Why?"

Anne looked at her as if ashamed. "You know how some people are...they don't like seeing...you know...others mixing that way. Especially women. I've heard stories of fights breaking out just from a couple holding hands in public. Some long-term ones even have to live super private lives."

Grace shook her head. "Who cares what they think, Anne? It's not illegal. If they start anything, they'll be the ones punished, not you."

"I know. But it still worries me. People will stare and talk and...I just don't want Gibon to get hurt."

Because the people against such coupling wouldn't hurt Anne. They never went for the woman, although they did berate them. It was the male who they became violent with. As if the alien was stealing away their women. It was truly despicable and barbaric behavior, but it was still a problem. Since other races had only been around now for a couple decades, there were still many civil issues to deal with. And it would take some time before they could be sorted out.

"I see what you mean," Grace said.

"So I was thinking then maybe you could tag along?"

"What? Me?" Grace turned to face her. "How am I supposed to help? I alone can't protect you."

"I know. But maybe we could make it a double date." Anne grabbed her hand, squeezing it.

Grace gave her a suspicious glare. "That's not a double date if it's just me. I'd be a third wheel."

"Not if you go with one of Gibon's friends."

Grace took her hand back and turned away. Anne followed her across the shop.

"Come on, Grace, please!" she cried.

"No way."

"His friend is a bigger guy. With four of us, it will be better."

"Forget it."

Anne grabbed her arm, making Grace stop and turn. She fixed her with a pair of puppy dog eyes. "I just don't want us to get harassed. People might not try to if there are more than two of us, you know?"

Grace stared at her friend and knew, if anything, having two couples would only make things worse. Still, she felt for her friend. It was a risky situation, going outside the working sector with a non-human date. But she could see Anne was smitten by her gyda friend and wanted to enjoy a moment with him outside of the rigs. She'd likely go whether Grace agreed to be with her or not.

Grace rubbed at her temples. "I will...think about it."

Anne shook her arm and grinned. "Thank you, Grace."

They continued their shopping, Grace eventually finding a seller of red wine which she purchased one bottle from. She came upon another stall selling smoked white fish that was said to be some of the best in the market, and she bought two. Anne bought a few things herself. A bracelet for Gibon and a piece of eel tail. As they made their way back toward the dock, Anne dragged Grace into a large shop selling various clothing, from thick work jackets to blouses to overalls and everything in between.

"We don't need clothes," Grace said as she followed Anne inside.

"But I want to find something nice for my date! I refuse to wear this ugly uniform," Anne protested. She took Grace over to an area displaying nicer clothes, ones meant for being seen in the emerald sector, the city's only entertainment and dining sector. There were suits and dresses of all shapes, colors, styles, and textures. Some were loud and bright, meant for clubbing, while others were more refined for high class parties. There were some very rich folks who came to Oceanus to work the upper levels of management and business in the city, even though they were far fewer than the working class. Still, there were enough to be catered to.

Anne looked over a light blue-green dress made of thin material as Grace stood there waiting. She studied some of the clothes, knowing she couldn't afford most of them. She was so used to her uniform now anyway. It had been years since she wore anything really nice. She considered telling Anne she would meet her outside once she was done when one dress did catch her eye. Grace walked over to where it hung and looked it over curiously. It was a simple black dress, but the material used was odd. She pressed her fingers against the material and found it smooth and sort of grainy. As she looked closer, she could see a fine layer of scales making up a small pattern across the top and in a V-shape along the midsection.

"Cute dress, right?" said someone behind her.

Grace looked around and saw a young woman. Her nicer clothes and badge told Grace she was the shop owner.

"What is this made of?" Grace asked.

The woman stood beside her and checked the material herself. "It looks outerworld-made. Maybe like leather? Hard to tell." She let the dress slip from her fingers. "I get odd donations of material to sew into things all the time. Sometimes just scraps. It's a nice material, though, and seems pretty durable."

That's because it looked like kelva, the same material as Xora's suit. Only a little finer and softer.

"How much is it?" Grace asked, unthinking.

"Hmm, that one? About a hundred and forty credits."

Definitely out of her budget. She touched the material once more, then dropped her hands. "It's nice."

"Do you want to try it on?"

"Ah, that's okay. I can't afford it anyway."

The woman eyed the bag in her other hand, filled with the wine and fish, and seemed a little unconvinced but didn't press. "Well, I'm willing to make a trade as well, if you got anything nice. Or you can rent it for thirty." She took out a card from one pocket and gave it to Grace. "Our shop number and online store. We can deliver too, of course, if you change your mind."

Grace pocketed the card. "Thanks."

The woman left, and Anne returned with a bright orange dress and a green one. "What do you think, Grace? I love the orange, but Gibon likes green."

Before Grace could answer, the building shook. A few racks clattered to the ground, and the lights flickered. A large boom in the distance made the glass on the ceiling above vibrate. Anne dropped her dresses, and they rushed out of the shop just as a team of soldiers ran past, guns at their sides.

There were shouts and screams as people scrambled the opposite way, looking to get to the dock.

"Everyone clear out," yelled a red-faced officer. "To the train cars, now." The building shook again, and a loud buzzing echoed across the long passage.

"We are under attack. Oh, my god, Grace!" Anne cried.

Grace grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her around, heading quickly for the train cars.

As they reached the dock, the train cars were already nearly full. Grace and Anne squeezed their way in before the doors closed. As the car moved out of the building, they could see a lone ship to one side and the clouds of bubbles and steam from the shots fired at the building. Thankfully, the attack had come from the side of the warehouses attached to one end of the market, far from where they had been. Still, they watched in horror as the ship tore away and disappeared into the deep.

"That was the closest one yet," someone said beside them.

"Damn Black Gills," mumbled another.

Grace and Anne glanced at each other, Anne's face full of concern as they drove on toward the next sector.

Grace climbed up the ladder to the hatch and knocked on the ship door. She stepped down and waited as she heard a muffed shuffling on the other side. There was a groan as a wheel turned, then the creak of the door opening. Red eyes stared down at her as she smiled up at them.

"Hey," Grace said. "Are you busy?"

Xora seemed to think it over as if considering that statement. "No, not busy," he said eventually.

"Would you mind joining me down in the lab?"

"What for?"

"A surprise."

He seemed suspicious and skeptical. "What kind of surprise?"

Grace crossed her arms. "Will you just come down? I promise it will be worth your while."

He hesitated as if being worth his while didn't mean a whole lot to him. He looked back behind him at something in his ship, then turned again to face her. "A moment."

Grace waved him off as the hatch door shut. She strolled down the passage and into the lab. She'd cleared off and cleaned one table, setting two work chairs to either side. She'd unwrapped the fish from its paper and poured wine in two mugs. But only a little to taste at first in case he didn't like it. She'd found a tacky orange and white cloth from the kitchen and spread it on the table, then set everything on top including two green plates. She started cutting into the fish, the smokey scent wafting in the air. As Grace finished cutting her own, she started on Xora's just as she heard the door creak open and slam shut.

"What is this?" Xora asked from behind her.

Grace twisted around and fixed him with a sheepish grin. "I went to the market and got a few things." She looked away as she cut some more of his meal using a slim kitchen knife. "And I got you fish. It's really good. Also, there is wine. It was on sale, and I heard...er, I thought maybe you'd like to try some." She felt her face heat up as she glanced back and caught him watching her. She cleared her throat as she cut out the last pieces and set the knife down. She turned to face him as she wiped her fingers on her pants. "Will you try it?"

Xora tilted his head, his eyes slipping from her to rest on the table. His nostrils flared as he took in the scent of the fish. "All right," he said. He slunk over and took the chair Grace offered. Grace placed the fish on a plate and set it before him.

"Have you ever had it before?" Grace asked as she took her own seat.

"Have I had fish? Yes," he answered as he took some meat between two sharp fingers.

"There are fish on Tryth? I figured it would be too hot." Grace also took some for herself and brought it to her mouth. She chewed carefully, tasting the spicy sweet tenderness mixed with a small hint of sea salt.

"They live in the deeper parts of the seas as well as in cold springs." Xora brought the fish to his mouth, then snapped it up in one bite. He licked his lips as he swallowed. "We usually cook ours on hot rocks. But this is...very good."

Grace smiled. "Oh, and the wine." She took his cup and placed it beside his plate.

Xora gripped the cup and brought it to his mouth. He sniffed first, then took a careful sip.

"It's more bitter than sweet," Grace confessed. "They said vrisha aren't big on sweet stuff."

"Who said that?"

Grace's face heated again as she took her own cup and drank. The wine was dry with a hint of fruitiness. She set the cup down and swallowed, trying to keep her face blank. "Just something I read online...on a human network, I mean."

Xora tapped a finger on the side of his cup. "You have been reading about us?"

"Just a little."

He looked at her curiously. "Like what?"

Grace shrugged as she tore another piece of meat. "Just...I don't know...anything."

He looked at her with an expression that told her to elaborate.

"Like...just random things that people have learned. For instance, you can pretty much eat anything, but, strangely, some human-made stuff doesn't sit well. You can't sing worth a damn, but you make your own kind of music." Grace thought about it some more as she chewed her meat and took another drag from her cup. "You can actually survive for long periods of time in places with low or even no oxygen if you have to, and you're very good at finding ways out of dangerous situations. You are pretty resistant against electricity and fire and can endure great damage or pain before it kills you. Which is a crap ton. Honestly, I was surprised at how much I found. But it was still very little compared to other races. You guys are pretty mysterious, you know?"

Xora tore a piece from his fish and snapped it up easily. "You could always just ask me."

"I didn't want to pry..."

"Too afraid to ask?"

Grace smirked. "I guess so."

Xora huffed. He drank down his cup, then took the bottle and poured more. "A shame. I thought you'd be over that by now."

Grace looked at him funny. "Over what?"

Xora brought his cup to his lips. "Your fear of me."

Grace snorted, then took another drink. She set the cup down, swallowing hard. "I'm not afraid of you."

Xora fixed her with a sly stare. "Is that so? I could bet that you still are."

"After the other night, I'd say I'm over it." Her heart fluttered a little at the memory. But she was convinced after finding herself curled up beside him she could no longer say she had the same fear as before. Maybe nervousness, but now, it was for a different sort of reason.

"Ah, but you were asleep then, with a clouded mind. Even now, you are tense, I can tell."

"Look, don't feel bad that you no longer can intimidate me." Grace smirked as she clutched her cup tight. "I'm sure it pains your ego to know that you can't make a soft little human like me—Ah!" Grace jumped, letting out a short shriek as something slithered across her ankles. Xora's tail.

Xora hissed as he bared his sharp teeth at her in a wicked grin.

"That's not fair! And it doesn't count!" Grace said, pulling back her chair so that his tail couldn't reach.

Xora hissed again with laughter. "You see?"

Grace shook her head. "That is totally different. That thing is a damn weapon."

"And yet you think I would honestly use it on you?"

Grace opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "I...no...I don't know."

Xora's eyes narrowed. "Even without that, you decided to sit as far from me as possible."

"I just wanted to give you your space."

"Funny how that doesn't happen anyway."

"So you want me to leave the room?" Grace asked.

"No, I want you to stop fussing over your uncertainty and realize I'm not going to harm you."

Grace frowned, suddenly feeling guilty and a little sad that he thought that she thought he would harm her. She rose from her chair and went around the table, setting her cup down, then moving his plate aside so she could sit on the table as close to him as possible without touching. He'd followed her with his eyes and now locked them with hers.

"I'm not afraid, and I'll prove it," Grace said after a pause. Xora gave her a skeptical look as she unrolled her sleeve and put her arm out in front of him. "Touch me and see."

Xora's eyes flicked down to her arm, her wrist, her hand, then back to her. He didn't move at first as if uncertain himself. Then slowly, as if expecting her to bolt, he lifted his hand.

His fingers brushed against her skin, and Grace was proud to say she didn't even flinch. Xora too seemed relieved. He gently grasped her arm, lightly pressing his nails to her skin like a cat, then rubbing a thumb across the soft inner side of her wrist. Grace felt her heart do a little flip as she took slow breaths, letting herself relax. Even though she still felt butterflies in her stomach at his touch, she knew better than to think it was from fear.

"See?" she said in an exhale of breath.

Xora didn't release her right away, as if he were too intrigued to stop. He trailed his fingers over her arm, watching as goosebumps followed. He took her hand and pressed his thumb against her palm and observed as her fingers flexed. As he grasped her hand, Grace curled her fingers around his.

Xora gazed back up at her as he kept hold of her hand. "It's a start," he said quietly, squeezing her hand.

Grace couldn't help smiling. "Now we just need to work on your disdain."

"My disdain?"

"Your despise of humans," Grace explained.

Xora gave her a funny expression. "I don't despise you."

"Your indifference then," Grace corrected. "I read that online too. Despite the alliance, most vrisha either were indifferent or didn't see the value of humans in any way except for a few who proved themselves worthy. Some even think we are pests or dislike us altogether." She gave him a smug look.

"Did you actually see the word pest or is this a quip toward me?"

Grace shrugged, then laughed. "Does it matter?"

Xora seemed to think on that seriously.

"Shall I prove that too?" Grace said in challenge. "You can touch me, but I've seen the scowl of annoyance more than once. Maybe you tolerate me only on a certain level. But deep down...I'm like a spider. You've allowed me to make a web that keeps all the bugs out so they can't bother you while you work. But once your work is done...and the spider jumps on your shoulder...you brush it aside.

Xora gave her a confused sort of look. "I don't follow you."

Grace looked down at her hand which he still held. "I'm your leeshna. But that's the most I could be. Something of use. Not..." A friend. She glanced back up and fixed her eyes with his. "I think...I could scare you away just as easily as you think you can do the same to me."

Xora snorted. "There is nothing you could do that would ever scare me."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yes," he said firmly. "The very idea is absurd."

Grace thought it over for a short moment. He believed scaring her with his tail was some indication she was still afraid. Well, she would show him. She considered the most over the top approach she could try. One that she was certain would get a real reaction—the kind she was seeking—out of him.

Before she could stop herself from wimping out, she leaned in quickly and drew her face down to his neck. She pressed her mouth to the side of his throat and even nipped him, tasting the tang of heat from his skin. She instantly felt him still, becoming as unmoving as a living statue. She drew back to face him, her heart pounding up her throat and ears as she braved to look. To see his response.

He wasn't scowling, at least. But his eyes were bright as if she had ignited some kind of fire in him. She couldn't say if it was anger or something else. She hadn't considered him becoming angry, and she worried now she'd crossed a major line. From his rigid manner to his unreadable face, the most she could guess was that he was stunned speechless. Now she could only wait for the storm.

Scared now of facing that storm, however, Grace wracked her brain for something to say before he could make a move. "Will you go with me somewhere?"

He blinked. Then slid his hand from hers to grip at his own thigh. "Where?" he said softly.

"Above. With a friend. To have another meal like this," she said, almost monotonous. Maybe she was in shock too.

"That could cause a problem..." he said.

Grace was confused at what he meant at first, then realized it had to do with the fact he'd likely cause a scene just by his presence alone. "Maybe," she said. "But would you anyway?"

Xora finally looked away from her to eye the fish and wine on the table. He seemed to think for a long moment, and Grace waited with held breath.

Eventually, he looked back at her, his eyes glancing at her own neck before he settled on her face. "If there is more of this..." He didn't indicate exactly what this was but she assumed the food. "Yes, I will go."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Xora

Xora clasped the last part of his suit, making sure the fastenings were secure and tight. He didn't wear his usual suit, now covered in slashes covered by sealment that kept it together. Instead he wore the spare he had that was much nicer and cleaner looking. He wore a pair of arm pads as well, just for good measure. He didn't think he was in any danger but being prepared for any surprises didn't hurt. After all, he was about to find himself among more humans than he had ever expected (or really wanted) to be around. He wasn't worried about a fight, but if a large group of them swarmed him, he would at least be ready.

He didn't think about just how odd and, really, insane it was that he was going to allow himself to be seen by so many in the first place. But as he secured the last of his armor and stood in the center of his ship, the thought started to jab at him.

Why was he doing this?

The answer seemed simple at first. He was doing it because Grace had asked him, and he decided it was a good gesture on his part to accept, seeing as she brought him the fish as a gift, and she had stuck by her promise to help him gather back the ulimir they had lost. The past few days had been long and tiring, but she had kept at it all the same in order to help him restore back the needed ulimir. Now they were not only back to what they had previous but even more so. Xora predicted it wouldn't be long till he had all the ulimir he needed to ship back to Tryth. And it was thanks to Grace.

So that was his reasoning for accepting her invitation. Or so he told himself. He tried, and failed, to not think about the night they had sat down at their first meal, and she had kissed him. A true vrisha kiss. He suspected she didn't know that. A bite to the neck was seen as a highly intimate gesture meant for lovers and mates.

His vrishan upbringing told him he should have scolded her for such an act as it was considered rude to touch a warrior like that without warning. But she wasn't vrisha, and she wouldn't have known, and, besides being too stunned at the time to say anything, he hadn't felt compelled to reprimand her either.

It was funny how Grace claimed she would scare him with such an act. She hadn't. But the images that ran through his brain after had scared him a little. He was more concerned about those thoughts—like how much he liked the feel of her mouth against him, or the soft graze of her teeth. Even the memory of her lovely scent filling his nose and the tickle of her hair against his shoulder wouldn't stop drumming against his mind.

He felt a hot stirring in him as he remembered the touch again for what felt like the hundredth time.

What the hell was wrong with him? She was human.

And yet...

Xora went over to the ship's front and looked over the caller. No messages. He checked the tank’s status one more time. Everything was stable. He had nothing more to do but go down into the station and meet Grace by the train car. She would be waiting for him. Yet he was hesitating.

It wasn't a big deal. There was nothing wrong with two people—even of completely separate worlds and cultures—sitting down for a meal. Many vrisha had done it before on missions to outerworlds. This would be no different. Just a meal with a fellow worker.

Xora found himself pacing back and forth along one side of his ship until he finally stopped and looked down at the hatch door. Growling softly, he picked up his face-helm and attached it to a clip at his side, expecting he might have to don it if too many people started panicking at the sight of him. He moved over to the door and lifted the lid, then forced his way down the ladder.

He swept down the passage and moved across the lab, determined to not let his thoughts control him, when he froze at the doors to the entrance.

Grace waited there like he expected with her back turned to him. But she didn't wear her usual uniform. Instead, she wore a tight, black garment that, for a split second, he believed was made of kelva, the same material as his suit. The lower halves of her legs were exposed as were her shoulders and back. He noticed she also wore her hair up in a wavy tail held by a band at the back of her head. Bewildered, he stood there until she turned and saw him.

"Hey." She smiled. She wrung her hands and shifted from one foot to the other. She was wearing odd shoes that arched at the heel, making her seem like she was nearly on her toes. It made her legs look longer and her taller. "Um, ready to go?"

He realized he hadn't said a word or even moved. "Yes." He started toward her and allowed her to enter the train car before him.

They sat at opposite sides, Grace crossing her legs as she settled in her seat. The doors closed, and the train car began to move, to ascend toward the shallower, brighter waters.

They sat in silence, Grace fixing him with a nervous glance.

"You shouldn't have to worry about my friend, Anne, by the way," she said. "She might be a little taken aback at first, but I warned her you were coming and told her to be prepared."

"That's...good," was all he could think to say.

She fidgeted in her seat. "And we picked a place that's a little more secluded, so you hopefully won't have to encounter too many...people."

Xora couldn't help letting his eyes fall across her body. "Where did you get that?" He gestured at her garment.

"My dress?"

"The material..." He started to say.

"Oh! I saw it at the market. It looked like--"

"Kelva—"

"Yes!" She blushed, rubbing at her neck. "I just thought...I didn't buy it. I mean I couldn't afford to. I'm just borrowing it. The shoes are a friend of a friend's also. Not mine."

"It's nice," Xora heard himself say. "The dress."

Her blush deepened. "Thanks," she murmured.

As they traveled on, he found she hardly met his gaze like usual while it seemed he didn't care to look at anything else. Why wouldn't she look at him? He wondered even as the train car stopped at one station, forcing them to transfer to another. More people had gathered, and he heard the sharp gasps and loud curses around him, but he paid them no attention. Grace was assuring people that everything was fine, but he had no interest in looking at the terrified people around him. He was more interested in watching her.

It took some time before they made it to what Grace called the emerald sector. At one station, they had been stopped by guards and Grace had to convince them to let him through. He saw her passing something to them like a set of cards or small slips of paper before they finally, reluctantly, let him pass. A pair followed them in, with guns in hand. A precaution. Once inside the sector, people parted for them like a wave. Their eyes staring, fear stinking up his nose. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"We are almost there," Grace said nervously. Many people stopped to gawk at them, all keeping their distance. The guards continued to follow, their presence the only thing keeping the others from panicking.

The main part of the sector was the only portion they had to get through before they could find themselves in a less populated area. The crowd thinned out as they came to the edge of the sector, passing through a secluded tunnelway. There were more otherkin than humans walking about. This side of the city was apparently more catering to non-human crowds and therefore was mostly composed of gyda and xolians like the corax. They too still eyed him warily as he and Grace passed but nothing more. Some even bowed their heads to him, and he returned the gesture. The otherkin respected vrisha at least a little more than they feared them.

By then, the guards had stopped following as well. They stuck by the entrance of their own part of the sector, watching them from afar. Grace led him a little farther down past different buildings encased into the very large, enclosed hub they now traveled in. There were brightly colored signs indicating what each building possessed, whether a shop or some kind of trading business. He understood some of the words as he had taught himself a little xolian when he had been forced to interact with them on one of his longer missions.

A woman waved to Grace from below a wide archway. She wore a garment like Grace's, a dress, only of a brighter and thinner material and like the color of water. Beside her was a gyda male. The woman smiled happily as Grace approached. When she saw him, her smile dropped slightly, and her eyes widened.

The pair embraced and said a few words in greeting while Xora waited a few feet away, not wanting to get too close lest he frighten Grace's friend. With his translator, he could understand both of them.

"I know it was a pain to get up here," Grace said.

"What about those who saw you?" Anne said, glancing at Xora nervously. "Did they...?"

"Yes, people stared the whole way. Are you really surprised?"

"No, not really. Thankfully, we came up a separate dock that wasn't as crowded so few noticed us. This is Gibon by the way!" She waved her hand toward the gyda. The gyda made a salute, and Grace returned it in kind.

"This is Xora," she said, gesturing to him. "Xora, this is Anne and Gibon."

Xora took a step or two closer and bowed his head. The woman stared up at him and made a sort of whimpering greeting in return while the gyda, to his relief, bowed back in kind. Anne saw this and repeated the gesture. Grace gave him an encouraging smile before turning back to her friend.

"So where are you taking us?" she asked.

"Oh, it's a place Gibon suggested. Come on, we'll show you!" Anne waved for them to follow.

They passed the arch into another wide passage that took them to other buildings until they reached a place tucked away to one corner. What looked to be an open food stall with a long table around each side where others sat and ate. Grace called it a bar. There was a small roof covering over the bar though the shelter seemed unnecessary as high above the large city hub was thick glass, showing the blue-green sea above them, where small fish gathered.

They took seats to one side, Xora placing himself at one end so that no one could sit next to him except Grace. Her friend sat on Grace's other side, then the gyda sat opposite. Another gyda working behind the bar talked with Gibon and motioned to a sign on one wall that was in several languages. Some kind of menu from what he could gather.

"What do you think?" Grace asked him. "It looks like more fish."

Xora thought it over. "You order for me," he said. "I trust your judgment."

Grace didn't seem too put out by the decision. She looked to her friend who looked to Gibon. A few suggestions were made, then the gyda ordered for all of them. As they waited, cups of some hot beverage were placed before them. Xora tasted the murky green drink and found it was slightly salty and bitter with a hint of the sea. Liking the flavor, he drank his down. Grace tried hers and made a pained, twisting face before spitting hers back into the cup.

"I think I'll stick to plain old water." She slid hers over to him, and he took the cup, drinking the rest. "I'm not sure whether to envy you."

"I think you are just over dramatic," Xora said.

"Or maybe I just don't like drinking salt water," Grace replied, smirking. "I shouldn't be surprised you do. You drink blood milk of all things."

Xora looked at her curiously. "You speak of sivas?"

Grace shuddered.

He flicked his tail in amusement. "On Tryth, it is tradition to have one after every meal. Offworld, we don't have access to such a treat. Even put into cold storage, the milk turns quickly. And loses its taste."

"Too bad." She made circles with her finger along the bar. "You must miss it a lot then."

"The sivas?"

"And home."

Xora looked across the bar. He took another swallow of his drink before saying, "Yes. In some ways, I do."

"You're still planning to return after you're done here, right?"

He glanced down at her and saw some emotion pass over her face that he couldn't quite read. "Yes, that is the plan," he said honestly.

Her eyes dropped, and she seemed...disappointed.

"I will take my place as part of a queen's warrior guard," he continued. "If all goes according to plan. I will still have missions, but they will be with my assigned queen or by her orders alone. Some go offworld or ask those to do so for their own personal goals, or they remain on Tryth seeing over their havens." He didn't know why he was rambling to her about such personal things, but he seemed compelled to explain, wanting her to know, to understand.

"Well, it shouldn't be much longer before we grab enough of the ghost tongue and have you back home." She smiled but it seemed almost sad. "Your family probably misses you too."

"My nesting haven rarely keeps up with their fledglings. Once we grow to adulthood and prove ourselves in our fights in order to be ranked, we are on our own. Our mentors and teachers watch over us for a while until we go on our first missions. After that, we are set with our queens and into our havens or placed on working worlds depending on the council's decision.

"So you don't really see your parents?"

Before he could answer, the food had come and was placed before them. Several dishes of cooked fish and seafood along with a bowl of broth containing some kind of long pale worm. Grace explained that they were called noodles. Xora tried the fish first and found it just as good as the kind Grace had offered him many nights before.

"Those who conceived, grew, and nested us, placed fledglings together to be overseen by caregivers," he stated after tearing another piece of his fish. "Who our parents are initially does not matter. All of the nesting haven is comprised of those who raise us. Some will stay in touch with brothers or sisters from the same haven if they rank similarly or grow a bond but that is all."

"So you just go on your missions and never really stay in touch with anyone? Sounds kind of lonely," Grace commented as she took a piece of some tentacled sea creature between her fingers.

"Some missions are alone...others can be with a team if the council or a queen wills it. It all depends on the kind of mission and what it entails."

"And you just do the same thing once you're placed in your new haven and commanded by a specific queen?"

"Correct."

"But how do vrisha have time to do anything? You have to have off time, right? Or personal time?" She took a bite of her food.

"Of course. When a mission is done, we will have time to rest," he answered. "We will either hunt or travel or spend time with siblings or look for a mate if we so choose."

"Oh, I thought...don't warriors mate with queens only?"

"Only the predomis. The guardian of the queen. Warriors may choose amongst those of their haven or, on some occasions, outside it, say on working worlds or if on missions together."

"Females can be warriors too?" She actually looked surprised.

"Of course."

Her lips curled ever so slightly. She hid her gaze from him as she ate. "Yeah, but once you go back on your missions, you must hardly ever see them. Your mate, I mean."

"They usually go with us, either to aid or to remain on the ship. If one's missions remain on Tryth, a mate need only travel wherever they are needed, or one can remain at the haven until the other returns. That is the case for warriors or possibly scouts. If we are talking dirra or caregivers, then they usually remain on Tryth and within their havens, hardly leaving them."

Grace nodded her head as if to say she understood. "Do you have only one then?"

"One what?"

"A mate?"

"Yes, a lifelong partner unless one were to perish."

"So you'll be looking for one once you return?" Her face reddened a little after she said it as if she were embarrassed, though he couldn't see why. She seemed ready to ask something else instead when her friend, Anne, who had been talking with the gyda, turned and implored Grace to try something from her plate. Blue eel, she called it.

Xora watched her as she tried the eel and made a face. She laughed with her friend, her hair falling across her back save for one small lock sticking to her throat. Xora had a sudden urge to brush the lock of hair away, to touch and see if it was as soft as it looked. Instead, he returned to his food and took up the bowl of broth as if to distract himself. Steam rose from the bowl, and he could smell spice within. Curious, he drank the broth and ate some of the noodles, letting them side down his throat. A tang of heat clung to his tongue and mouth, and he greatly enjoyed the taste. Grace took hers also and drank from the bowl. She made another face, then grinned up at him, and he liked the sight of that too.

When the meal was finished, they walked along one large tunnelway that some called the banks. With clever engineering, a sort of river crossed alongside their path where fish from the outside could slip through and swim along the stream. It was similar to how the droppool worked back at the station. There was light below so that coral and other rocks could be seen and plants that sprouted upward to break the surface. He and Grace lingered on these banks for only a short while before Grace's friend and the gyda said their goodbyes.

"We are going to go back to Gibon's place," Anne said. "He pays for a bigger apartment. You’re welcome to join..."

Grace glanced at Xora. "I think we are going to stroll for a few and start back for the station if it's all the same to you."

A group of human males passed by them, their eyes glaring first at the gyda and Anne until they saw Xora, then they turned off, keeping a wide distance.

"You sure you will be okay getting back?" Grace asked, her eyes shifting to the men as if concerned.

"Don't sweat it." Anne smiled. "I think we will be all right. There's a dock nearby. We will sit a seat apart just in case."

Xora was confused by her statement, but she did not elaborate. Why should they sit apart, and why were they worried about returning to Gibon's resting place? Were they afraid to be seen?

The pair embraced again, and Anne bowed to Xora, giving a nervous smile. "It was really good to meet you, Xora," she said. She seemed to actually mean it, even if she was still wary of him. The gyda bowed too and then took the woman's hand. Anne seemed to like this as her eyes lit up at his touch. Her hand curled around his, and, as she waved them off, they made their way opposite, disappearing around the bend.

Xora wondered at their hand holding, and it dawned on him that the pair were not just coworkers meeting for a meal. They were clearly more.

A soft tap on his shoulder brought him around.

"Um, I was thinking, if you're down for it, I'd like to go to one more spot before we head back down," Grace said. "If it's not too much trouble."

"Is it trouble?" he asked.

"What?" Her brows furrowed. "Oh. No." She laughed. "I mean if it's all right with you. If it's not inconvenient."

Xora scratched his jaw. "Then it's all right with me."

He followed Grace out of the banks. They turned down a tunnelway and into a set of tall rooms with large glass windows looking out onto colorful reefs. There were sections of plants of all varieties within each room, some reaching up to the very top of an arched ceiling.

"They call this area the sea gardens. I always wanted to check it out but never got around to it." Grace skipped over to one of the massive windows and looked out as a giant fish with large yellow eyes floated by. She placed her hand on the glass as she looked on in awe. Xora came to stand beside her, but he didn’t pay much attention to the seafloor beyond. He peered down at Grace instead, watching her face light up.

"Wow, this is so cool!" Her voice reverberated off the ceiling and walls in an echo.

"This is cold?" he said half-teasing.

She looked at him, confused, then giggled. "Yes, it's super cold." Her laughter rang out, a sweet tune in his ears. "No, really, I know I rant about how much I hate this place sometimes but..." She shook her head. "Maybe it's just the human-made aspect of it that I despise. This, though, is truly beautiful. Don't you think?"

His eyes didn't drift away from her as he said, "Yes. Beautiful."

She looked up at him, and they locked eyes. He could see the colors of her irises, a sort of amber in the light, almost like the colors of the mountains of his home. A lovely shade. Xora felt an itch to grab her hand, but he kept himself at bay. His tail, however, seemed to think on its own as it lifted and touched along her leg, a light caress. She didn't move, not right away.

"Yeah, it's stunning." She laughed nervously. "Maybe I will actually miss it here. When I finally go. Still, I don't think I want to live by the ocean."

Xora let his tail drop and tilted his head. Before he could respond, Grace lifted her head back, staring up at the glass.

"Woah!" she called as a huge serpent-like fish swam passed, snapping up some smaller prey in its jaws. Her cry of surprise echoed through the room. Grace looked up at the ceiling as the echo died. "Wow, the reverberation in here is something else." Her eyes brightened. "Oh, watch this!" She stepped back from him and lifted her head up. She started to hum, then sung a few words, the sweet sound seeming to come from all around him and through him. He shivered even, which greatly surprised him, a warm heat starting to rise in his chest.

"Pretty cold, huh?" She went to step back over to him when he put up his hand.

"Don't stop," he said.

Her brows rose in surprise. "Like it, huh?" She gazed all around and looked back at him, biting her lip. "I have one...Ah, but I might mess it up pretty bad."

"Try it." He wanted to hear her sing again.

"All right. But don't be upset when I'm done."

"Why would I be upset?"

Grace took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She started to sing, and at first, all he heard was her soft, delicate, voice. But after a moment, he realized he recognized the words.

You are the storm, you are the fire.

You are the sun.

Blinding.

You are the moons, dark drowning.

Bone and blood, binding.

You are the wild heat all through me.

I burn for you.

Time seemed to stretch into nothing as he listened. The shiver had turned into a suffocating ache. He stood there utterly amazed at the sound of his tongue being formed into song by her lovely voice. When she finished and opened her eyes to peer at him, her smile dropped, and her face paled.

"Xora, I'm sorry. If I offended you..."

He had a guess that he had a scowl on his face. It was not out of disgust, however, but by the ache that made his heart actually begin to race. He felt his already hot body grow hotter as he stood there hardly moving.

"Where did you learn that?" he hissed.

She rubbed at her neck. "I found the verse online. I'm sorry, was it wrong of me to say?"

"It was Xela's verse," he spoke.

"Oh...?" she said,

"Veradis' granddaughter. Made for Viyan."

"Oh..."

"Her mate."

"So it was bad for me to say?"

The ache in him seemed to drive him, and he felt a wild hunger, as if something that had long been festering in him had snapped. He made for her in two long strides, then wrapped an arm about her before nuzzling the side of her throat.

A soft gasp escaped her, but she did not push him away. Her body turned rigid, but she did not scream. He could feel Grace’s pulse against his mouth, beating fast.

"Xora?" Her hands gripped his shoulders, but she did not struggle away like he feared. She instead lifted her head back, her body softening against him.

He took that as an invitation and so he flicked his tongue, tasting her, and let his fangs graze gently along her skin, careful not to break the flesh. She moaned softly in his ear, and a growl slipped from his throat. He nuzzled her again, letting her scent spread over his senses. He held her in that embrace for a long moment before he carefully released her. Her face was flushed, and her eyes bright, not the look of fear but of wanting. He took a lock of her hair and twined it in his fingers. It was as soft as he imagined.

She didn't move away, though she seemed hesitant to come closer. As if uncertain. Then, she mumbled something he didn't catch and leaned up to press her mouth against his. Her lips touched the side of his mouth then down his jaw before falling to his neck. He hissed and grasped the back of her neck gently before going for her throat once more, hungry to taste her again.

As he trailed his mouth over her, there was a dull booming in the distance, growing louder. Xora imagined at first it was only the sound of his heart pounding in his head until the ground beneath him began to shake.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Xora

Xora unlatched himself from Grace but did not readily release her as he brought her behind a thick pillar, away from the glass.

"What's happening?" Grace said, still clinging to him. There was another low boom close by, the ground moving beneath them. Cracks formed along the floor, creating a web around them. Xora tightened his hold against her as a shadow drew over them. They looked to the glass, and a ship overtook their view.

The ship let off a set of flashing orange missiles that slammed into one side of the city hub. The glass vibrated.

"Xora." Grace's voice was now filled with fear.

Xora pushed her back against the pillar and shielded her as debris fell from the ceiling. A few pieces hit his backside, but he hardly noticed. He looked only to her, seeing the fear in her eyes.

"It's the Black Gills. Pirates," Grace explained. "Oh, hell, they are going to bring the whole place down. We will be trapped!"

Not if he could help it.

"Stay by me," he ordered. He looked around for an exit and saw one at the opposite end.

"What are you—"

Xora twisted her around as another explosion rocked them. Larger debris fell, splattering onto the floor. Xora unclipped his face-helm and lifted it to Grace's head. "Wear this. Don't take it off." She didn't argue as he fixed it to her. He tightened the latches as best he could, yet it was still rather large. It would have to do. "Can you see?" he asked. When she nodded her head, he grabbed her arm and pulled her around. He led her as swiftly as he could to the exit. Unfortunately, with his long strides and her shorter ones, it was slow going, at least for him. They made for a tunnelway and slipped through. Water gushed from a small crack on one side, lights flashing on and off as they splashed through ankle deep water.

They made it through to the other end, entering a high chamber where water spilled from the top. To one side of the roof was another hole. Xora was wondering how they couldn't have security for breaks such as these when a sudden barrier slid across the glass and cut off the water. Well, that was good at least.

They rushed across the chamber and through an open doorway. Xora could hear the screams and shouts of people close by. Through another short tunnelway, they came into the larger section of the hub. People were running in all directions or hiding behind statues. The buildings and their signs were dark. Half the lights above were out.

Xora felt Grace squeeze his arm, but he didn't look around to her. Instead, he fixed his gaze far down to one side of the long passage between the buildings and saw black-armored individuals with guns. White and blue shots hit against unseen targets like flashes of lightning. Beyond the gunmen was the main dock which was now compromised. Pops and cracks rang out as Xora could see that there were human soldiers fighting back. They would have to take another route.

Xora didn't know the area well, or he would already be making his way out of the hub. He had no choice but to turn to Grace.

"Where is the other dock?" he asked. Her friend Anne had mentioned one.

Grace pointed down the opposite end, back the direction they had come from. Xora pulled her around and started down the passage. The place seemed nearly empty now, though Xora suspected many still hid, likely in the buildings around them. Without halting, he led Grace back down the way they had gone when first entering the hub until they came to the same archway where they had met her friend.

"It's a little ways beyond. There's a short tunnel that goes past the banks," Grace directed.

Xora slipped under the arch, leading them back into the more secluded part of the sector. He focused ahead, searching for the short tunnel. He was ready to pick Grace up and throw her over his shoulder so that they could make better time when the glass above shattered. Water and glass shards fell a few feet ahead, spraying them. Grace cried out as she turned away, trying to cover herself. Xora swung her to one side and shielded her. As they backed off, something much bigger and darker dropped from the opening. A Black Gill, as Grace called them, stalked out of the spray toward them. Its face covered in a dark helm with glowing red eyes. Another dropped from above, then another and another until there was a group blocking their way. The barricades slid into place and covered the openings, blanketing them in near darkness. Grace screamed as red eyes rushed at them.

In a split second of thought, Xora pushed Grace back and leapt forward to meet the men head on. He took down the first with ease, sinking his talons into his chest. He whipped his tail around at the second, hearing the thump of their severed head hitting the ground. The rest fell just as quickly, the spray of their blood hitting his chest and arms. He could practically taste the iron in the air.

He heard footsteps coming toward them and could see in the dark, more men coming. He turned back for Grace. He needed to keep her with him, but he couldn't keep hold of her while fighting. He curled his tail around her hips instead and drew her close, keeping her up with the strength of his tail so even if she lost her balance, she would not fall. He picked up one of the guns from the fallen and shot at the men coming down the hall. Grace cried out something behind him, but he didn't have time to look around. He swept quickly down the way with Grace essentially tied behind him, the men falling at his feet as he passed.

One man rose just as he stepped over him, still attempting an attack. Xora broke the gun against their helm as he smashed their face to one side.

When they made it to the end of the long passage, Xora found the short tunnelway that went around the longer end of the banks. Grace, behind him, struggled in the wrap of his tail, but he did not yet release her. As they raced through the tunnel, more of the Black Gills were waiting.

Keeping Grace still at his backside, he struck first, kicking at the nearest man with one powerful leg. The Black Gill flew and smashed into a pillar behind him. The men were too close now to use their guns, so they went for blades at their sides. Xora didn't hesitate. He released Grace momentarily to rip through the men, cutting them down so fast they didn't have time to react. As they dropped, Xora turned back for Grace and found her kneeling on the ground. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, then strolled through what looked to be a vendor's market filled with stalls to each side. He slipped past with ease down into another tunnelway that brought them to the end of the banks.

The banks were empty, but Xora could hear voices down through another tunnelway leading to the dock at the far end. He set Grace down at the tunnelway and told her to wait there. She looked at him as if to protest, but he didn't stay to hear it. He crept quickly down the last tunnel and peered through to the dock. The Black Gills stood, blocking the doors to the train, making sure no one got on board. They had their guns readied, aiming at the tunnel. As soon as they saw him, they fired.

Xora backed into the tunnel as beams of light ricocheted off one side. He bared his teeth and growled. Something crunched under his foot as he slunk back. When he looked down, he saw shards of glass under his feet. He picked one up the size of his hand and another around the same length before moving back to the edge of the tunnel passage. He stretched his tail out for the men to see, and a wave of shots hit the side of the wall opposite him. In the split second that they stopped, Xora broke from the tunnel and threw one shard, hitting one man in the eye. They shot at him again, but by then, he was too close. He shoved the remaining shard into one throat, then ducked and whipped his tail around, slicing the sharp tail tip into the legs of the rest. He grabbed the gun of one who aimed at him, letting off a few shots as he dropped, the beams barely missing Xora's head. Xora ripped the gun from the man's hand as he kicked the attacker hard across one side of the room. He turned the gun to the men still struggling on the floor and went to fire when a hand grabbed his arm. He twisted around and saw Grace there before him. She removed his helm from her face.

"It's enough, Xora, they are down." She looked pained. And scared. "Please, let the human soldiers come and handle them. Let's just go."

Xora's hand tightened on the gun as if his body wanted to protest. But Grace's face was so pale, and her hand was shaking on his arm. He threw the gun aside instead, then wrapped an arm around her and led her to one of the train cars. She pressed one of the buttons to the side, and they backed into the car as the doors closed.

He kept hold of her for most of the way down, only releasing her when they made a stop at a halfway station. He went out first to make sure there were no other threats before they took another car to a different building. From there, they found the car that would take them back to their station.

Grace was quiet most of the ride, her dress soaked from the water that they had splashed through. She sat beside him, her body close to his, hugging herself tight. She shivered, despite his arm being around her.

When they finally made it to the station, he was able to relax. Still, he ordered her to stay put by the entrance as he checked the building out of precaution. No one was there. He popped his head in his ship and found nothing out of place. When he returned, he found Grace leaning against the door.

"I think I'm going to take a shower," she said as he approached, giving him back his face-helm. She didn't meet his eyes as he stood before her. She kept one arm still around her waist, her other now clung to the end of her dress as if to keep it from riding up. She moved past him, and Xora turned to watch her. As she walked across the lab, her movements were odd, as if she could only place her feet a little distance, forcing her to shuffle across the room. Water dripped from her onto the floor making a trail as she went.

Xora let her go as his mind raced, thinking he must have done something wrong, but he couldn't gather what. He had gotten them safely away, back to the station, and taken out all necessary threats. Yet Grace did not seem relieved. In fact, he could sense her anxiety. He worried that it was toward him somehow, except she hadn't seemed uncomfortable being close to him after, so perhaps not. Then what was it?

Determined to know, Xora decided to follow her to the living quarters and ask. As he placed his helm on a table and took several steps across the lab, his eyes drifted over the ground to the small puddles of water. He froze.

The water was laced with red. Bright blood scattered across the ground in small droplets. Xora started forward again, passing the lab, moving quicker with each step. He raced down the hall, following the bloody trail into the living quarters.

At the door of the washroom where the blood ended, Xora stopped. Placing his hands on each side of the door, he listened carefully, hearing a shuffling from within.

"Grace?" he called.

There was a small noise like a hiss of breath and more shuffling.

"Grace," Xora repeated, growling.

"I'm fine, it's nothing."

Xora's grip tightened on the door, his head bowing. "I wish to enter."

He heard her laugh softly. "Yeah, right."

"Open the door, Grace, and let me see you," Xora commanded.

There was a pause. Hesitance. "Really, I'm fine, Xora, please just go."

Not likely. Xora bared his teeth and searched around the door. She had it locked from the other side, but locked doors didn't bar vrisha from finding a way in. He saw a vent to one side and tore off the grate, then slipped his arm inside. He popped out the grate on the other end, the metal piece clattering to the floor.

"Hey! What are you—"

Xora slipped his tail in and positioned the end exactly where the latch on the other side of the door would be, then hit the button. The door slid open just as he pulled his tail out.

"Xora!"

Xora barged in, then stopped abruptly. Grace was still in her dress, one side loose as if she had unclasped it. She held up the front with her hands. Xora's eyes flickered to her legs and saw light trails of blood along her outer thighs.

"You're hurt," he hissed. "And you would not tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry about it," she mumbled.

He brought himself next to her. "How can you say this?" he said angrily. "Why would you not want me to know?" His hands tightened into fists. "If one of those men hurt you..." He couldn't fathom it. He was certain he had kept her completely under his protection. No shot had hit her, no knife had grazed her. Was it the glass from the ceiling? That had to be it. But why would she want to keep it from him?

Grace could barely look him in the eye as she said, "It wasn't the men..."

"The glass, when it shattered..."

She shook her head, which he knew now meant 'no.' Xora stood there, confused.

"Let me see," he said in a gentler voice.

Grace hesitated. She closed her eyes and let out a low hiss of breath, then carefully undid the rest of her dress, letting it fall to the ground.

There were cuts all along her thighs and along her abdomen. Little tears, as if she'd been cut by tiny blades. They were not deep, thank Rikasha, but they still bled lightly and must sting. Xora stared at them as realization finally hit.

It had been him.

He picked up her dress and saw the tiny holes along the bottom half. Like a fool, he had been so focused on the fight he hadn’t accounted for his sharp tail against her soft skin. He let the dress fall.

Grace crossed her arms over her bare chest. "I really didn't want you to worry. I know you didn't know."

Xora stared at her for a second longer before turning toward the wash stalls. He turned one of the faucet heads on and let the water fall across his hand before he returned to Grace.

"Your suit..." She gestured to his torso.

Xora looked down and saw it was splattered with blood. Quickly, he shucked it off. He noticed her eyes drift down his naked body, but he felt no reason to be embarrassed. No vrisha felt ashamed of their nakedness. They only wore clothes for the extra protection. He took hold of her to bring her to the stall, and she did not fight, only stopped to strip away the last bit of clothing. She covered herself with her hands, as if self-conscious, but she followed him into the water all the same.

They stood close, her body near flush against his. He could hear her heart beating faster, though she did not seem afraid. The blood along her legs and around her stomach washed away with the water, but the cuts would still need to be remedied.

Cautiously, Grace dropped her arms, her eyes flickering up to his face. She seemed to watch him, and he did the same for her.

Grace licked the droplets of water from her lips. "Do you think I'm ugly?" she asked.

Without pause, Xora looked down at her naked body. Of course, she was built nothing like a vrisha. Females of his kind did not have swollen breasts but flat ones like the males. They also didn't have a slit between the legs but a fine set of scales that spread apart only when ready to mate. Obviously, Grace did not have scales, or horns, or a tail. She did not have black teeth or red eyes. She was in many ways the opposite of him. Soft to his hard, round to his sharp. In every natural way, he should not be attracted to her. In any other sense, a regular human would not make him feel anything except indifference to their physical form. But Grace was not regular. Not to him. There was a sweetness yet boldness to her that made him realize his want of her in more ways than one. It made him shiver at the thought.

Grace frowned and looked away as if noticing his reaction. He cupped her jaw and made her look back at him.

"No, I don't think you are ugly," he said with strict honesty. He smiled. "Odd, yes, but not ugly."

Her mouth twisted as if she were fighting back a smile too. "I'll take odd."

"But there are parts that I do enjoy, despite their oddness," he continued playfully. He tilted her head up. "Your eyes. They remind me of the fiery mountains of my old home. And your throat..." He released her jaw to trail a finger down the curve of her neck. "Is very biteable."

Grace laughed softly. "I'm glad."

He lowered his face close to hers. "And me?" he asked, now curious. "Do you think I'm ugly?"

Grace looked him over. She seemed to think about it, then quickly shook her head. "The truth? Scary, but you already knew that."

That he did, but he wasn't ashamed.

"I think..." she continued. "I think you are terrifyingly beautiful."

Xora snorted. "Beautiful?"

"Once you get past the terrifyingly," Grace joked. She smirked, placing the flat of her hand against his chest. "And, not that it should matter—it doesn't or anything—but I don't care that you don't...you know...that you’re not..."

He looked at her, confused. "What?"

Her eyes drifted downward to the apex of his thighs. Xora followed her gaze. There was nothing there, just a slate of hard rimmed scales with a V-shaped slit.

"You think I am barren?" he asked, surprised.

She opened her mouth, then closed it soundly and just shrugged. Xora blinked at her, then let out a hiss of laughter.

"What? What's funny?" Grace said, almost defensive.

"Ah, neela, you are too much sometimes." He brushed a lock of wet hair from her face, then licked away the water trickling just below her ear. He felt her shiver violently against him. "Let's get you fixed up," he whispered softly as he shut off the water.

He let Grace wrap a dry cloth around herself and put her hair up before he gathered her in his arms and carried her back to her room. He set her down on the bed, the dry cloth nearly unraveling from her as she shifted herself into a comfortable position.

"The medkit should still be under the desk." She pointed toward the ground. "You could probably just use whatever ointment you used on me last time. Can't believe how quickly my wound healed from that murza attack."

"I didn't use an ointment," Xora stated.

Her brow furrowed. "Really? What the heck did you use then? Cause there's no way it healed like that on its own. Unless we missed something about murza."

Xora found he couldn't readily respond. It felt silly to have to say, "I sucked at your wound and licked it." Instead, he said, "I tended to you in my own way."

"What? Like with vrisha medicine?" Her eyes widened. "That would explain the fast healing then."

His eyes shifted away. "Yes. It would."

She waited, watching him curiously, and smiled. "Well, are you going to use it or...?"

"You might not like it. I only did it then to try and stifle the venom and stop the bleeding."

She arched a brow at him. "Well, I trust you if that matters."

It did. With that, he turned his gaze back to her and sat down on the bed. "Take this off," he said, gesturing to the dry cloth.

She looked at him questioningly but did as told. Carefully, she undid the cloth, now stained with small blots of blood, and set it on the ground beside the bed.

"Now lie back," he said.

She gave him a suspicious look now but did not argue. She shifted her body, sliding it forward. Then she settled back with a sigh.

Xora leered over her for a moment, then leaned forward. "Lie still."

He saw her watching him as he bent his head down to her thigh and then, with one slick movement, licked at a small cut.

A hiss of breath sucked between Grace's teeth as she gasped. "Xora, wait, what—?”

"Trust me," he said. He tilted his head back a little, waiting for her to tell him to stop.

She gave no reply but nodded her head. He knew that meant 'yes.'

He continued his so-called "treatment," this time keeping his eyes on his work and not on Grace. He could taste her again, and she was as savory as he remembered, only now he could truly appreciate it.

She sucked in her breath as if in pain, and he tried to be slow and careful, taking his time, going from one thigh to the next, then across her abdomen.

Something changed in her demeanor that he only barely caught. She had gone rigid, and her breath had quickened as did her heart. At the corner of his eye, he could see one of her hands tightened into a fist, clinging to the bedsheet. Her body warmed under him. He could feel the heat radiating against his chest.

He wondered if she was in more pain than he reckoned. Or perhaps she was somehow afraid. Her reaction was similar to fear, there was no doubt, but something was different.

"Do you need me to stop?" he asked, only to make certain.

She shook her head no.

He continued on, noticing she started to writhe under him. Curious, he moved his mouth to different cuts at different places and noticed her reaction was more intense the closer he came to the center of her thighs.

Something deep and dark in him said that she was enjoying his treatment far more than what was considered normal and that she would find the greatest pleasure in it if he tasted her between her thighs. What that pleasure was, he had a feeling he understood.

For vrisha certainly felt pleasure when mating, and they were known to do intimate things like bite and lick. That, he knew well. But this. This was a human intimacy he had no knowledge of but craved now to learn.

The idea of tasting her there and seeing her reaction, however, felt deeply forbidden. Still, he was not opposed to the idea. In fact, he felt excited by it.

Stopping himself before he did the act, he tilted his head up and locked eyes with hers. Her face was flushed, her eyes bright. Her breath quickened as she gazed at him, her mouth parting. Her eyes told him all he needed.

Without breaking her gaze, he grasped her thighs and parted them slightly, then, lowering his mouth to her, he licked up her slit in a slow caress.

She cried, then cursed, then called his name. But she did not tell him to stop. She bucked under him, arching back. She moaned, and it was more than he expected. An intense pleasure that had her wild. That excited him as did the exquisite taste of her in his mouth. He felt heat rising in him like a great fire. She grabbed his horns, and he did not mind. Not one bit, in fact. A growl escaped his throat as he sucked and licked against her. His heart roared in his ears, and a sound like thunder seemed to be rising in his chest.

Grace suddenly let out a loud cry and bucked back, pushing his head away. She sat up on her elbows, her chest rising and falling as she breathlessly watched him.

"Xora...?"

He was huffing like a savage animal, breath blowing out through his nose. He licked his mouth and fangs, his limbs shaking.

When he could catch his breath, he rose a little and said, " Forgive me...I...got too excited." He let out a deep, guttural breath.

She covered her mouth as if to stifle some emotion, and her eyes shot downward and widened. "You're telling me," she murmured.

Confused by her statement, he looked down, and his cock had slipped from its protective sheath and was hard. Even the bulge at the base was fully out, and he was slick with his natural oil.

"Ah," was all he could seem to say.

He moved as if to rise from the bed to try to handle himself. The ache was intense now that he was no longer distracted and could feel it fully. Could even feel the pulse underneath his shaft and along his thighs.

Grace stopped him before he could turn away. "Wait, I—" She paused, curling a lock of hair that had escaped from the top of her head. He saw her throat move as she swallowed. In a shaking voice, gentle as a wind, she said, "I...want you."

Xora stilled. He assumed at least by her reaction before, but actually hearing her say it made his heart race. "You don't fear that?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't." She smirked, a timid smile, as if she had a secret thought, but she wouldn't say what it was. She shifted forward, her hand falling on his arm. She traced his arm much like he had many days ago, then she placed her fingers along his palm. His hand clasped around hers.

She leaned in and nipped his throat, and he knew he couldn't wait another moment. The idea of lying with her felt deeply forbidden as well. But the need to feel that part of her was far greater than the fear of what others might say if they ever found out. For vrisha, to mate was a sacred act with, well, their mates obviously. But also it was never in a vrisha to hold back their needs and wants and desires. And he knew what he wanted.

He grabbed her waist and considered placing her back on the bed. But the bed was uncomfortable for him. He didn't like how it held weight under them and he feared to crush her. Instead, he positioned her on his lap, spreading her legs against his outer thighs. He let her straddle him, letting her hold on to his shoulders while his fingers trailed her waist to grip her hips. She rose a little and positioned her center over him before sliding down the length of him. Her warmth covered him in a slick heat, and his body responded as if on its own. He let her move first, watched her settle deeper with every rise and fall. He pressed his sharp, talon-like nails into her flesh but did not break the skin. He liked seeing her over him like she was and liked seeing her face twist with pained pleasure. Liked hearing her soft moan in his ear. He could watch her till he found release if he so wished it.

As she moved on him, however, it quickly became too hard for him to remain still.

Xora thrust his hips up, then halted as Grace winced.

"I'm good. I'm all right," she breathed.

No longer caring for the position, he lifted Grace, moving her to the desk. He placed her on one side, her back atop the smooth metal, her legs bent. He pinned her and thrusted again, and this time, she didn't wince. Her soft gasps turned into low cries. The scent of her filled his senses, and another deep rumble grew in him.

Every fiber in him felt alive, the heat in his belly, like the heat coursing in his veins and along his skin, was a burning throb he longed to unleash. He nuzzled his mouth against her throat once more and tasted her there. She was so warm and soft, and she tasted of the sea. He nuzzled up her jaw and then across her shoulder, lapping at beads of sweat and water. He was astounded by how deeply he felt, for this small, delicate human woman. He moved faster against her as he could feel her arousal between them, a wet heat that drove him just as wild as she had been a moment before.

She clung to him, dug her nails into him, and he relished the pain, the feel of her, the essence of her. The desk began to move and bang against the wall in his force of passion, but he didn't care. Face to face as they were, he could see all of her as well as all of her differences, and he felt the rush of how deviant their mating was, as his belly rubbed against her with each mind numbing, and wonderous, stroke.

In the moment she tightened around him, crying out as she did, he felt his release come in a great wave. A hiss ripped from his throat as he stilled above her. A tight snarl followed as the heat rushed from him, as his heart hammered in his chest and throat. He groaned, then nearly fell atop her.

He caught her up before he crushed her, and her arms flew around him. She pressed her face into his neck, her legs still clinging to him as he lifted her and brought her back to the bed.

He laid out with her and, as his heart began to quiet, he listened to hers, still pounding away, her panting breath brushing against his neck, her body shuddering.

The shock of what they had just done started to take hold of him, and he could hardly move or speak. Grace, on the other hand, had begun to shift in his arms.

As she relaxed, she looked up at him and smiled, brushing her fingers over his brow. He saw the look in her eyes, holding a feeling that matched his own. Some realization about each other.

"I'm glad I changed my mind," she said suddenly.

"About what?" he asked.

"About you." Her hand moved from his brow down his nose. "When I first encountered you, I was planning on staying as far away as possible. But I eventually decided against it. I had a feeling if I spoke to you, that would change. I had a bad assumption about the vrisha just like everyone else. But I'm glad I was wrong."

As she snuggled closer to him and he wrapped his arm about her, he found he felt the same.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

GRACE

Grace pushed back her desk and moved the chair into place before sitting down. She took her laptop off the ground where it had fallen, grateful to see that it turned on properly when she opened it. She booted up her programs, then opened her journal, creating a new date.

"Day 444 in Greenloch, Oceanus. The date is November 2nd, 2181. I've been down in TR7 now for a while now. We are nearly finished collecting the ghost tongue and filling the tank." Grace swept her hair from her face. "Me and Xora...we went out with a friend and a lot of crazy things happened. We were in the emerald sector, and the Black Gills attacked. It was pretty horrifying, but Xora got us out. He's a total badass at fighting. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I got a few cuts, but they are already on the mend from Xora..." She cleared her throat. "From Xora's help." Damn, she was already feeling hot again from the memory. "We, um..." She looked away from the camera, wondering if she should even mention what happened, but it was her journal, and no one else was going to see it, so to hell with it. "We had sex. If you think I'm crazy, trust me, I know. I feel a little crazy. About Xora." She couldn't help smiling. "And, you know what, it was amazing." She covered her eyes with her hand and laughed. "And I don't care. I don't care what people will think. It's not like it's the first time one of us has gotten with one of them, right? And I had my shots, so it's not like getting anything was an issue." She dropped her hand and shook her head. "We talked some after and slept badly because Xora can hardly fit in the bed. We ended up spending more time fucking, honestly. I'm exhausted. He's out checking the tank." She crossed her arms and inhaled deep. "I...I'm going to miss him...a lot. But I'm grateful to have had this time with him." Her voice cracked a little as her throat tightened. "I think...I hope he feels the same. I'll never think of the vrisha as I once did. I wish others could know. They aren't what they seem."

Grace heard the door to the living quarters open and saw Xora stop at her doorway. She looked up at him and saw him tilt his head.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just recording in my journal," she replied. She turned the laptop to show him the screen which showed him standing in the doorway, then her in her seat when she turned it back. "I'm done now." She stopped the recording and switched the camera off, shutting her laptop. "I'll get dressed and meet you near the warehouse." She got up and started for her small closet. She wore only a shirt and underwear now. Once she got her uniform on, they could get to work.

"Come here first."

Grace looked around and saw Xora scowling at her. No, not scowling exactly, just staring intensely. Hungrily even. She was starting to tell the difference. She walked over to him and lifted her head. His mouth drew down to her, and he nuzzled her shoulder and neck, biting down gently, letting his teeth graze over her. Grace shivered. He rubbed his mouth over her jaw and her ear before lifting his head to meet her eyes.

"After we work, I want to mate again."

Grace flinched and tried to stifle a laugh at his bluntness. "Man, you really have a way with words, you know?"

He looked at her, not understanding. "Do you not want to?"

"Yes, I do. I just mean, when you say it like that, it's weird."

"Why?"

She wasn't sure how to explain, so she just said, "We will have time together." She patted him on the chest, then turned back for her closet.

"We will go on my ship this time. Perhaps I can make a better bed for us. Or we can do it on my chair. I can move it easily."

Grace flinched again as she picked out her uniform. "I'm sure," she said, smirking. Now she'd finally get to see his ship at least, though she had hoped it would have been sooner and under different circumstances.

"Good." He turned away. "I'll see you at the warehouse."

Grace dressed quickly. She checked the station's systems and saw no immediate fixes, so she snagged a breakfast bar from the kitchen and headed for the warehouse. They met inside, then made their way into the room beyond. Xora geared up, and Grace went to her usual spot at the terminal and started up Fox. In a short time, they were on their way toward the caves.

Grace knew they'd likely be at it all day and maybe even into the night. The crystals were becoming more scarce as Xora was forced to swim deeper to grab them. The murza were in a frenzy now. They were desperate to catch her, but they had also begun to swarm the cave openings, so she was forced to steer clear of certain areas altogether. She flashed her lights at them and taunted them, stinging them with her heatshots, and it enraged them well enough still to have them chase her. Larger ones were showing up to fight, yet they still weren't smart enough to form a plan or trap. Like many times before, Grace drove Fox toward the caves and beamed her brightest lights on them and, as always, they started for her. Grace let them chase her away from Xora's usual hunting spot and piloted Fox into another set of nearby caves.

"All good," Grace said. "They're following."

"There were a few stragglers, but I took them out," Xora replied.

Grace dodged one of the murza's attacks and swam into a covered reef before slipping into a small cave. "Maybe they are finally starting to figure out our trick."

Xora huffed. "Doubtful."

She slowed her pace as she turned, zigged, and zagged through several small tunnels until breaking out into a much larger cave passage. She'd lost the murza for now, but she knew she'd need to find a way out and let them see her again so that they didn't think she’d disappeared. She drove straight through the tunnel and was surprised she hadn't run into a single one. She found an exit and slipped through, ready to sweep past several murza. The tops of the caves, however, were nearly empty. Curious, Grace turned a full circle and thought she spotted a few murza in a cave a little farther off from their usual spot. She made her way cautiously over, then flashed her lights to get their attention. The murza came, and she dropped Fox, diving down into a small pit before shooting through another tunnel. She’d started for another opening when a medium-sized murza popped out and slashed at her. Cursing, she backed up and shot a beam of heat at it before it could grab her, then she swerved out of the way and passed into a separate tunnel. She tried another opening and once again was met by murza. They too attacked her, but as she swam back, she noticed they didn't try to chase her. Instead, they slipped back into the opening. Odd.

Grace maneuvered around until she found an opening not blocked by murza and took it. "They aren't chasing," she said to Xora. "They seem to be sticking around this system and blocking certain parts." The cave tunnel suddenly stopped, but there was a wide crevice to one side she could just fit inside. "I think maybe they are trying to defend—oh, shit."

She slipped carefully through the crack and found herself in a deep well-like cave with murza circling around the edges. Growing along the rock were several dozen ghost tongue which the murza seemed to be defending. They shot straight for her.

Thinking fast, Grace turned on all her lights in hopes of blinding them. Some fell back while others did not. She shot at them with her heat gun and swerved, but one got a good hit and batted at her, striking Fox's side. Fox banged against a rock, and Grace pulled up as several small murza got a hold of one of Fox's arms and nearly ripped it off before Grace shot them with her gun, shattering a few rocks, spewing bubbles and dust. She steered up and flew toward the top where she could see an exit. One murza sliced at Fox's back just as Grace was able to break out of the cave. She drove Fox into a reef and hid behind some rocks.

"Crap," she hissed. From the screen beside her, she could see Fox had taken some bad hits, and the arm was going to need to be replaced. That was definitely coming out of her pay. First, the dress which she still needed to message the owner about and now this. She was definitely going to be in the red.

"What happened?" Xora asked. "Were you hit?"

"Yeah, I ended up in a murza nest." She hesitated at first to mention the ghost tongue she had seen. It was more than enough to fill the rest of the tank and would take only a couple days to collect. Which meant they'd be done even sooner than expected. Which also meant Xora would be leaving sooner than expected. She chewed on her lip, thinking. She wasn't one to lie. Still, they could likely find more of the crystals somewhere else. Unfortunately, now with Fox somewhat damaged, they were on a clock unless she picked a different, less reliable bot. And dodging the murza might take more time and effort.

Grace remained there for a long moment in silence.

Damn.

"You should know," she said slowly, "there is a ton of ghost tongue in there. If we can find a way to drive the murza out..."

There was silence for a moment on the other end. "Show me," Xora said.

Cautiously, Grace drove Fox over to where Xora was, then had him follow her back near the reef where she had hidden. "Do you see the set of sharp rocks sitting together in a crescent shape? There's a large hole down to it." Even now, she could make out a small glow illuminating the entrance. She knew Xora could see it too.

"Perfect," he said in a hushed tone. He turned to the bot. "How bad is it?"

"I'll have to look. If not too bad, I should be able to get you in there in a day or so. Otherwise, a little longer if I need to make a few repairs." If they were easy repairs, she noted, though she didn't mention it to him. She was no bot engineer, but she could at least test and fix any dents and misalignment of parts if need be. If something was truly broken, like the arm that she thankfully didn't need, then not much could be done.

"I'll collect what I can find today, then we will make a plan of attack," he concluded. "If you need to return with the bot to check on it, do so. I should be fine on my own, for a few."

Grace did that, knowing she couldn't risk Fox getting more broken than he might already be.

When she got Fox back to the station, she brought him to the droppool instead of his dock in order to properly look for damage.

There were dents and scrapes along his armored shell, and the arm would have to come off. Once she did that and found no other damage, she let the bot fall back into the water. She tested it by doing a few maneuvers around the station. So far, it seemed to be working. A part of her was greatly relieved while another part of her was disappointed, knowing she'd be good to still use it at least for another day or two in order to help gather the rest of the ghost tongue. And once they had them...

She looked back at the tank and felt her heart sink.

They planned out their attack on the cave. She would go in first, of course, and get the murza out by firing heatshots at them. Some would make chase while they predicted some would stay behind to guard the "nest." Xora was confident he could take out the rest.

The night they planned it out, Grace got to go inside Xora's ship for the first time. He let her look around, even let her sit in his chair and hold the manual controls, letting her pretend she was piloting. The ship was dark inside save for the red and orange lights that came from the console and a few that covered the sides and upper half like glowing wires. Grace was astounded despite it being nothing more than the pilot deck and a small room in the back with a supply compartment. Grace would have liked to explore more of it, but Xora had other ideas. When he had decided she'd seen enough, he had her on her knees with her uniform around her ankles, positioned on the ground as he mounted her. She couldn't say she was upset by the choice of location, but as she rocked and moaned underneath him, she wouldn't have minded the chair. Thankfully, Xora's heat at her back didn't make the hard floor so uncomfortable.

When they'd finished, he'd let her out of the ship to clean and meet him back in the lab to eat dinner and discuss more of their plan. When it grew late, he returned with her to her room and stayed with her until she fell asleep.

When the day came for them to return to the caves, Grace started to feel the restless ache of knowing they were nearly done. Once they journeyed to the large, well-lit cave, the plan worked almost perfectly, most of the murza taking her bait and Xora attending to those who hadn't. A part of her wished the plan had been a bust, but she never seemed to be lucky in her wishes.

As Xora came back with a full container and a look of pure delight at their progress, she smiled too, but deep down, she felt that awful sinking in her stomach. It wasn't until the next day when she was cleaning around the station while Xora attended to something in his ship that she wondered why the hell she didn't just say something. Was it so absurd for her to ask him if he would take her with him? Sure, he only had one seat, but she could easily fit in his lap.

But that sort of thinking only turned to darker ideas. Such as: What if he didn't want her to come with him? Or: What if this was just a fling to him? A weird, funny exploration of one's awakening to a new kink? After all, he said himself he was going back to Tryth. No one besides vrisha went to Tryth. Unless they took their mates.

And she wasn't his mate. Just because they banged a few times didn't make it so. And it wasn't like she wanted to be, right? It was an absurd idea.

Too bad her heart thought otherwise. It fluttered just at the idea. Stupid heart didn't know what it was thinking.

Because, despite everything, they were from separate worlds. Xora knew, that was why he hadn't offered to take her with him. Because he couldn't.

As she cleaned in the head office, scrubbing around the cabinets and the desk, she wiped away a few tears.

Stupid. Maybe she'd made a huge mistake in getting this close. But she couldn't regret it. At least they could stay friends, right? Surely, he had some alien phone device along with an alien number that she could call.

"Get real," Grace whispered to herself. But the idea of him leaving her and them never speaking again nearly drove her into a panic attack.

She was in too deep now. Was she really going to let him go without saying anything? Was she too afraid of what he would say?

As she scrubbed too hard against the desk, a drawer popped open to one side. Grace went over to close it, then stopped. The drawer was shallow and positioned between two other drawers. She hadn't noticed it before and could see it was meant to be hidden. Curious, she opened it up more and saw only one item lay within. A folded up paper that looked like a pamphlet. When she unfolded it, she found it was actually a map.

She stared at it for a long moment and could see it showed a section of Oceanus several leagues past the boundary of Greenloch, to a place called ivory field. She'd never heard of the place or seen it on any map, but according to the one in her hands, the field was located just a little way past the dawn trench. The map might seem like nothing unusual but for one small marker within the ivory field that caught her full attention. Eyes wide, she refolded the map and placed it in one of her uniform pockets.

As she left the office, she pondered about what the map supposedly showed. Maybe it was a fluke or a fake. But maybe not. And maybe she would have enough time after all to find the courage to talk to Xora and tell him how she truly felt.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Xora

They were nearly there. A day, maybe two and the tank would be full with enough ulimir to take back to Tryth. Once again, his Grace had come through for him with finding that cave. The nest of murza was a nuisance, yes, but they wouldn't stop him now. The few that stood in his way would be of little issue. He had looked over the tank earlier, letting his hand slide over its metal casing, checking the temperature several times. The water had filtered out again as scheduled, and this time, he had made sure Grace didn't try to touch it, assuring her the water would evaporate back or drain into the vents just like last time.

Now, he was in his ship, assessing the supply room where he would place back the tank when ready. He had used the droppool before, and he would do so again. There was another door on the ceiling which he would open once he set the ship in place above the droppool.

He searched around the tools and found the grippers which he would use to move the tank securely in place using several magnets on the ground. Even if he were strong enough to move the tank himself, the grippers would make the job much easier.

Everything was falling into place. He found it hard to believe he was going to be back on Tryth so soon, even if it might not be the best homecoming. There was only one issue he had yet to solve before his inevitable return.

What to do about Grace.

The night of their joining, as he watched her sleep, he had thought over everything. About what the future held for them. Because he knew he couldn't leave her. Not after what she did for him, yes, but also because she meant more to him than just a work partner. They were tied now, in more ways than one. And he was struck by the notion that it would actually be painful to him to be apart from her. That both scared and excited him. The only question was how would he go about taking her? Getting her on the ship wasn't the problem. She could easily sit in his lap. But what of the after? How would he convince the council to let him keep her?

Because humans were not allowed on Tryth nor were most otherkin. The only exception was the human queen whose predomis had had full rights to mate her once he took his rank. It had been a very rare and odd circumstance that was still the talk of discussion even now. It even sparked a feud between packs which gave birth to the bloodguard.

He could take Grace away from Oceanus, but he may not be able to take her home.

And to add more doubt, he didn't yet know if Grace would be willing. She had told him about wanting to leave but not in detail of where she would go, just that it would be somewhere far from the sea. But that could be anywhere. If her plan was to go to a world in her governing system, he would never see her. And he couldn't expect her to want to just leave with him, knowing she may never be with her kind again.

It was a hard decision that he had yet to find a solution to. He knew he would need to talk to her eventually, but for now, he tried to keep his mind focused on finishing his mission.

The lights flickered, and a low buzzing sound came from behind him. Xora turned and saw the console flashing red. Someone was calling him.

It must be the council, he thought as he slipped out of the storage space and headed for his pilot seat. They likely wanted a status update.

Xora tapped on the screen to take the call. A screen appeared along the ship's window, but it did not show the usual queens from the council sitting in a semi-circle to stare down at him. It was, in fact, only one queen, who sat by herself on a groundmat within what looked to be a cave. There were others around her who moved, but they stuck to the shadows.

"Xora," the queen purred. "It is an honor to finally speak with you."

Xora knew it was a queen by her gilded crown of horns and the markings on her grivhide. But she was not a queen he recognized. "Do I know you?" he asked.

"We have not met though you have perhaps heard of me. My name is Queen Theda."

He did know that name. The mad queen.

"Why are you calling me?"

Her pinkish eyes narrowed as her tail flicked in annoyance at his rude greeting. He hadn't even bowed. "I'm here to make you an offer," she said in a smooth voice. "Will you hear it?"

He didn't say no out of curiosity but didn't say yes out of suspicion.

She continued anyway. "I know about your mission to collect the ulimir. The council will regrant you the rank of warrior and a chance to return home if you succeed."

He shouldn't be surprised she knew of it. That there were spies, perhaps even among the council, was, however, concerning. "Yes, what of it?"

"Do you think that decision was fair?"

"What do you mean?"

Her hand clasped around a chain at her neck, her fingers rubbing against some kind of jewel. "I mean are you happy with your reward, Xora? Or would you even call it that?"

He said nothing, unsure what she was getting at.

"I think you aren't," she said. "And you have every right to be unhappy. To be bitter. Enraged. You are a warrior of the highest rank, promised to be made predomis. But they stripped that from you, all for an honest mistake."

His eyes narrowed. "The council judged me by our law. What I did was an offense."

She tilted her head in a shrug. "Getting a few of our kind killed because of a call you made may seem like an offense to the council, but to me, it was justified." She bent her head to leer at him. "And those warriors were weak. That isn't your fault. You are better than them, and you deserve better, Xora. Do you wish to return home, only to be seen as a failure, to bow to a resentful queen and a predomis who will never trust you to fight beside him in his pack? You'll be ordered to slink away to your home and to remain, always in the shadows."

"What's your point?" He tried to keep the anger from his voice but failed.

Her lips curled, showing the tips of her fangs. "What do you know about the ulimir?"

He raised his head as he glared at her. "I know everything I need to know."

"That it is an abundant energy source for the vrisha and can expand the power of our ships." Her finger curled around her necklace. "But I'm willing to bet they didn't tell you it could also be used to make powerful weapons."

Xora stilled, his hand clamping around the armrest of his seat. "No, they did not."

"It's true. They would not tell you this, but it is their plan as well," she said.

"Why would the council need more powerful weapons?"

"Can't you guess? We are sharing this galaxy with many that are becoming too close to home. Some that are even seen as threats. The xolians—especially the nillium—and the fyriens. Even the human worms are seen as a possible threat."

"We are within an alliance with all of those people."

"For how long?"

Xora was speechless.

The queen tilted her head, her eyes glowing with quiet amusement. "There may be fighting again soon. The humans are always after our tails, and many others don't trust us. They fear us, Xora. And they should. Because they are little more than prey. No matter how close we become, whether they might see us as allies, friends...mates." She spat the last part, and he knew she was referring to the human queen. "It will all end the same. Their fear will drive them to try and destroy us. The council will act too late. They might harness the ulimir for the making of weapons, but they will only do so out of defense. Their real goal is to update all larger ships in case they need to escape."

"Escape from where?"

She laughed. "From home, of course."

Xora's eyes widened in shock. "That's not possible," he hissed.

"But I tell you it is. My little shadows in the council chambers have heard them talking. If the alliance is broken and those who have an idea of where Tryth is find it, they will band together to destroy it. We might be the very best fighters on the ground, but every vrisha knows our weakness is fighting in the sky. That is how they will come."

Xora was uncertain whether to believe her. But a vision of the many times he had come across otherkin and seen their untrusting eyes could not escape him.

"The truth of why I call to you," she continued. "Is that I want you, Xora. I want you with me. A fighter like you should not be wasted on some queen on Tryth who can't appreciate you. But if you join me, you will be a part of something greater. You will fight meaningful battles instead of doing lowly work."

Xora glanced down at his console, to the image of Tryth, slowly revolving. His hands tightened into fists at his sides.

"You will have the power you deserve," she said. "As my predomis."

He stared back at her, his heart feeling like it was freezing over.

Her eyes shone with delight. "Yes, my predomis. You will be the head of my warriors. My vicious bloodguard. All you need to do is give the ulimir to me."

"So that you can make the weapons for yourself." He hardly recognized his voice. It was so low.

"So that we can be prepared. Because when the fight comes, and it will, you want to be on the right side. The vrisha are meant to rule not to cower or comply with others. The xolians, or even those humans you are forced to be around now, they will turn on you, on us. They will show their true colors, mark me."

Xora didn't want to believe her. He thought of his Grace and did not want to think she would ever turn from him.

"I will make it easier for you," the mad queen said. "Call on me when you are ready and in need of help, and I will give it. When the ulimir is ready, inform me and give me your reply. I will be waiting."

Before he could respond, the call ended, and the queen disappeared.

Xora sat there in the darkened ship. He had half a mind to call her back right there and then and tell her no. He wouldn't believe her or let her ideas spread through his thoughts like venom. Yet, some of her words cut through him all the same.

Predomis. What he was sworn to become. Now another chance. But it would be beside a wicked queen. And Grace would truly be gone from him forever.

CHAPTER TWENTY

GRACE

Grace sat back in her seat and blew out the air she'd been holding for what seemed like hours. She let the controls slide forward and watched from the screen above as Fox started its way back to the station.

Finished, finally.

It had taken some time to convince the murza to give chase. She'd poked and prodded them until their rage blinded them enough to slip from the cave. Still, others had remained, but Xora—as promised—took care of them. Fox had taken a few hits in the process, and Grace knew she was going to need to prepare for the inevitable talk with the head managers when the workers found the bot once they returned. She tried not to worry too much about it. She already had a story in place (an Iropos attacked the station, and the bot was an unfortunate casualty of one of its tentacles), but she couldn't be sure how well that story would hold up, and she may still be reprimanded for not taking better care of watching the docks. Still, it was the best scenario she could hope for.

As she waited for Xora to return to the station, she slipped a hand in one of her uniform pockets and took out the map she'd found the day before, unfolding it in front of her. She hadn't said anything about it to him just yet. They hadn't talked much at all the other night, Xora seeming more quiet than usual as he slept beside her in her too small bed, but she had chalked it up to anticipation for their last trek to the caves. Now that it was over, she was going to ask him to take one last trip out. Just one small adventure until...

Grace refolded the map. They'd go out and when they found the marked place within the ivory field, she would finally get the courage to spill her heart out to him. Only then would she know if she'd be seeing him off after or not.

Several minutes after Fox had returned to its stall, Grace heard a splash from the droppool. Rising from her seat, she started toward the tank, meeting Xora as he entered.

"I can't believe this is it," she said as he slipped off his mask. She could see the glow of anticipation in his eyes as he took two great strides over to the tank and slid back its lid. Grace watched as he opened his metal container and spilled the contents into the tank. Once it was emptied, he closed the top back up and, for a moment, stared at the glowing marks on its side until they blinked and glowed a bright yellow. He stepped back, then looked at her. "Full."

Grace grinned, ignoring the sinking feeling in her chest again. Xora stepped beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"And it is in great thanks to you, my leeshna," he said, nuzzling the top of her head. He pulled away, returning back to the tank, checking its gauges.

Before she lost all nerve, Grace followed him as he inspected around the tank. "I know you'll have to start preparing your ship and move the tank, but I was hoping for one last favor," Grace said carefully.

"What's that?" he asked.

Grace unfolded the map. "I'd like to take a little trip. It would be short, only an hour or two that we are gone. What do you say?"

Xora glanced over at the map in her hands. "Where?"

"To this marked place here." She pointed on the map. "It's called Dr. Monicru's base."

"Who is that?"

"He was one of the first explorers of Oceanus back when it was discovered. He did a ton of research, helped discover a lot of what we know about the planet today. He and his team lived in one of the first cities, but people claimed he had built his own personal base far out somewhere, no one knew where. He went missing some years ago." Grace glanced at the spot on the map. "If this map is real, it claims to know where his old station is at. I figured maybe we could go check it out." She turned her eyes back to him, heart fluttering nervously.

Xora took the map from her hands to study it.

"If we take your ship, we could be there in no time at all," Grace continued. "I don't know if he will actually be there, but it would be interesting to find out."

"You wish to go find this strange doctor just to see if he is alive?" Xora asked.

Grace shrugged. "It could be insightful."

He looked back at her with narrowed eyes. Grace was afraid now he might actually say no. "You just want to satisfy your curiosity, right?"

"More or less." She took the map back, trying not to wring it in her hands. "He's kind of a legend around here. Some of the stories are probably not true—like the time he took on a leviathan in his small ship—but he was said to have found ancient hidden places and treasure. He's like a wizard of science and the sea."

Xora gave her an odd look. "A wizard?"

"It's a wise old man who knows things and can do magic."

"Magic?"

"It's—never mind," Grace said, waving a hand. '"It's just metaphorical. Bad example."

"Right." Xora slipped around the tank, and Grace went around the opposite side to meet him.

"Please, Xora, it would make me happy." She hated to use that sort of emotional tactic, but she was desperate for the chance to go with him.

Xora sighed, scratching his brow. He stared down at her for a moment, as if thinking. "All right." He smiled. "If it will make you happy."

"Day 447 in Greenloch, Oceanus. The date is November 5th, 2181," Grace began. "I only have a few minutes for this as Xora is getting the ship ready for our journey to Dr. Monicru's base. I know I just made one of these recently, but I wanted to make another in case we somehow find ourselves in a bad way, like being eaten by a leviathan or something. Xora says that won't be a problem, but he's never seen one of those monstrosities. Course, neither have I, at least not with my own two eyes. But I've seen video feeds from the lower rigs, and the shadows alone are nothing to scoff at." Grace straightened in her chair, placing her hands on her lap. "Anyway. I, um..." She brushed back a lock of her hair and sighed. "I guess, in case I'm a total wuss, I just wanted to put it out there now. I'm going to ask Xora to take me with him when he goes. Another crazy idea from yours truly." She laughed softly. "I don't know how it will work out, but I have to try. I at least have to know how he really feels." Her throat tightened, and her eyes started to sting but damn if she'd lose her composure now. "Because...I know how I feel now. It isn't a ‘what if’ for me or a ‘maybe.’ I feel my heart is going to burst out of my chest any moment. Funny, I thought I'd felt love before when I was in third grade and the neighbor kid, Trevor, gave me a silkflower weed for my birthday. Boy, was I a silly girl. In all seriousness. I've never felt this way, not for anyone. And if he tells me no and leaves me behind, I know I'm going to be crushed into a million pieces. But I won't regret a thing between us." She laughed again, a sadder laugh this time. "And I won't be bitter. Even those stupid military guys can tell me how much of a fool I was for not spying on him and taking the easy way. I don't care. If I were given the choice of a do over, I still wouldn't betray him. I couldn't bring myself to hurt him. And if it's logic that must separate us, then so be it. I'll love him all the same."

Grace stopped the video and saved it to the file with the rest. She ate a little bit of fish left in the kitchen before she headed toward the lab. When she got to the entrance of the passage, she found Xora waiting.

"Ready?" he asked.

Grace nodded. "Ready."

They made their way down the passage, then up the hatch, slipping inside Xora's ship. Xora closed and locked the door, then made his way over to the pilot seat. "Let me see the map," he said as he turned on several controls. Grace took the map from her pocket and gave it to him. Xora looked it over, then plugged the coordinates into his own map on the console. As he sat back in his seat, he gestured for her to come and sit on his lap. Grace did so gladly, barely keeping her excitement at bay. His arms came around her to take up the steering device before them.

"Hold on," he said.

Not sure what she could hold on to exactly, Grace's hands went over his on the steering device. His chest rumbled behind her in a soft laugh. He moved his below hers and placed them atop so that her hands were between his large ones and the steering controls. He gripped her hands and moved them forward, and in response, the ship started out of the station, turning in the direction of the coordinates now marked on Xora's map.

They swam through the darkness, the lights on the ship beaming out in front, showing the great rocky terrain around them and the trenches below. Fish of all shapes and sizes moved out of their way. They passed the caves and could see the murza slinking around the entrances below, a soft blue illuminating some areas where the ghost tongue still remained. Some of the murza spotted them. With great thrashing, they tried to catch up to them, but the ship was too fast, and they quickly sank back into their caves. As they passed the great trench next, they could see below a great shadowy shape moving slowly. It did not come up to join them, and they drove onward without issue.

Once they passed the trench, there was hardly anything for a long time save for bits of rock formations and small gatherings of reefs. They made it eventually to the dawn trench which was one of the deepest on Oceanus, and Grace shivered as they crossed the great black divide, scared that a great mouth would appear at any moment to swallow them whole. They did hear a low moaning sound like singing, but they did not dive lower to investigate. Once they hit the other side of the trench, it was back to reefs and rocky mounds until finally she spotted in the distance a strange white coral that looked like a small shrub or tree. First the one, then another and another until they were floating in a field of ivory coral. When they drew closer to the coordinates on the map, Grace could see a station coming into view. One that seemed to float above the coral until she noticed it was actually standing on several dozen pillars.

Xora slowed the ship as they came upon the station. There were no lights on the outside, and the inside appeared dark. He parked above a hatch door, much like the one at their station, and connected to it much the same way. When they were secure, he powered the ship down, and Grace leapt from his lap.

"I can't believe there was actually something here. The map worked after all!" She skipped over to the door, feeling like an excited puppy wanting to explore.

"You didn't think it was real?" Xora said, coming over to unlatch the door.

"I mean, I just found it in an office drawer, so who really knew?"

"Well, I'm glad we didn't take a trip for nothing then." Xora yanked back the ship's door, then started on the hatch. It was way more rusty than the one at their station. As he turned it, the opening creaked and groaned in protest. They heard the pop of the latch, and Xora pushed the door open.

Beyond was darkness. Xora went down first and told her to wait as he went ahead. When he came back, he took her hand and helped her down. "It seems empty," he said as she dropped to the ground.

"Empty how?" she said. "Like there's nothing inside?"

"There are things but not of the living," he answered.

Grace took out a small hand flashlight from one of her pockets and clicked it on, brightening the passage. The air was stale but not unbreathable, which meant the pressure system was still working if barely. As they stepped into a wide room, Grace moved over to the electrical box. She turned up every switch, and the lights flickered on. A low hum started nearby from the oxygen filter system. Grace looked around, finding the wide room to be in similar shape as the lab back at their station. Only instead of tables and computers, there was a large aquarium set in the center, empty of any life. Only rocks covered in brown and orange algae remained. There were machines along the walls covered in dust and a white board with equations and coordinates. Papers were scattered along the floor. Grace picked one up, finding it to be some sort of data log. She let the paper fall from her hands as she started for a doorway to the right.

Xora was right, there was no one. It looked as if the station had been empty for some time. Disappointment grew as Grace peered into bare rooms and empty storage closets. Xora followed, peering at the walls with small interest.

When they came to a closed off door to one end, Grace pressed at the button a few times, but all it did was blink red. The door didn't budge. She looked at Xora and shrugged.

"It must have jammed some time ago."

"Let me try it." Xora strode over on his long legs and dug his nails into the crevice between the door and wall. The door groaned as he pulled at it. Grace continued to hit at the button until the door eventually gave in and slid open only halfway. Xora pushed the door to the side the rest of the way, and Grace peered in.

It was a dome-shaped room encased in glass. There was a hairline crack to one side but no leak from what she could see. Lights from the top bathed the room in a greenish-blue glow. From outside, a few lights illuminated the strange ivory coral. The room clearly had been the doctor's private room, with a wide desk looking out to the ivory field on one side and several shelves stuffed with books and papers. There was a globe of Oceanus beside the desk, glowing softly and turning slowly. There was a tub and basin in one corner and a wardrobe and bed placed opposite the desk. A dark blue rug covered the cold cement floor, making the room a little more homey.

Grace stepped over to the desk where a computer sat to one side. She turned it on and waited, only for the screen to come up blank. Its memory had been scrapped.

"So much for finding anything interesting," Grace said.

Xora was inspecting the wardrobe, his fingers grazing over the wood. Grace's eyes drifted back to the desk. There were more printed logs, but underneath them, she spotted another map. She slid the papers away to get a better look. It was a map of an area she'd never seen. Some kind of large cave system far away. On one side, it said the void. At one end of the caves, in a space that spanned what seemed to be hundreds of miles, was one word with a question mark at the end: city.

Curious, Grace picked up the logs and started scanning over some of the passages. As she read them, she stepped closer to the globe.

"I think he's gone on somewhere. These logs read about some other exploration into the deeper parts of Oceanus," Grace said, flipping through the papers.

Xora grunted as he continued to eye the wardrobe. He opened it up, and there was nothing inside. Grace watched as he slid his hand across the bottom. She turned her eyes back to the logs.

"He talked about some visitors. Doesn't say who." She read on. "Says he will be following them home. And he's leaving everything behind. That's it." Grace dropped the papers back on the desk. "Well." She sighed, disappointed. "I guess at least we know now. He's definitely not here."

There was a click, and Grace glanced up to see Xora pulling away the bottom shelf of the wardrobe and setting it aside. She sidled over to where he now crouched and saw within a small metal case.

"Wow, clever. How did you know to look there?" Grace asked.

"The smell." Xora took out the case and straightened up to face her. He brought the case to his nose. "There is an odd scent."

Grace bent her head and sniffed. The sting of some pungent smell hit her nose, reminding her of a nail polish remover. "Yeah, that's strong."

He offered the box to her. "Open it."

Grace took the box carefully. Looking at the latch, she found it didn't even have a lock. She flipped back the latch and opened the lid a crack. The smell of polish was overpowering. She held back a sneeze as it stung her nose. Taking a breath, she opened the lid wider and let it fall back.

They both stared down at the contents within. Grace's eyes widened, and a curse escaped her lips. She pushed her hand inside and picked up a small, marble-sized object between two fingers. The smooth shape was shiny blue with trails of silver.

"Do you know what this is?" Grace said in a shocked whisper.

"No. It seems like some sort of rock," Xora said.

"Not a rock. A pearl." Grace placed the pearl in the flat of her palm. "A night pearl. A super rare gem." Grace looked back into the box. There were at least ten more, pressed into the velvet bottom. "One of these is worth..." Grace frowned, placing the pearl in her hand back in the box and then closing the lid. "A lot. It looks like the doctor shined them up himself which explains the smell. They are hard to find." Grace took the box over to the desk and placed it down carefully.

"Looks like you won't be leaving here without something after all," Xora said.

Grace turned to stare at him as if confused, then realized what he meant. "I shouldn't just take them..."

"Why not? You said yourself the doctor likely wouldn't return. And judging by the state of this place, it doesn't look like he has for a long time."

Grace looked back at the box, thinking about how just one of those pearls could pay for the dress that had gotten ripped up. Hell, it could pay for fifty more to be made if she so chose. It would be a waste to leave them. And she could pay for Fox to be fixed too. The rest, she realized, might just be enough to get her off Oceanus and on to starting a new life on another planet if she really wanted. Funny how that idea didn't fill her with as much joy anymore. Not if it now meant going on alone.

Her eyes followed Xora as he moved about the room, now inspecting the tub.

It's now or never, Grace. What's it going to be?

Grace wrung her hands. She watched him for a moment, feeling her heart skip, thinking how odd it was to be in her current situation. As if she was a nervous teen again, trying to ask a guy to go steady with her. Except her guy wasn't a human man. "Xora..." she called softly.

Xora turned to look at her, his head tilting slightly. She offered her hand, and his eyes flickered down to it. He moved across the room to take her hand in his. Grace gripped his fingers, stroking her thumb along his scales. She stared down at their entwined hands, feeling her throat constricting.

"I know...you are leaving, " she started. "I know you have to." She forced her head up, fixing her eyes with his. "But I...I don't want this to be the end. For us."

Some emotion darkened his gaze, slipping by her. "Grace..."

"I know we aren't the same. I get this thing we have is pretty bizarre and completely unexpected. I mean, the chances of us happening seemed near to impossible," Grace continued, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "But I'm not ready to say goodbye."

His gaze softened. "Grace—"

"If I can't go with you, I'll accept it. I will. But if there is a chance, even the slightest, whatever it may cost, please, Xora—"

He pulled her into him. She dug herself into the solid heat of his chest, wrapping her arms about him. He stroked her hair, his face rubbing against the top of her head.

"I want you to come with me," he said softly.

Grace pulled gently away to look up at his face. To see if he was serious. "You really mean that?"

"I do."

A sort of "hah” sound escaped her, like a sigh of relief. Xora took hold of her hands, unwrapping them from him. He held her hands for a second longer before releasing her, letting her arms fall to her sides. She was starting to learn his expressions and could see the drop of his eyes and head meant he wasn't feeling the same happy relief as her. She didn't understand. He wanted her to come with him...but he was disappointed about it?

Then she really thought over his words. He wanted her to. It didn't mean she could.

"They won't let me return with you, will they?" she said, her voice sounding almost lifeless.

Xora's eyes flitted back up to her. "I can take you off here. And I will, Grace. But I am at the council's whim. I will need to return home, at least to trade in the ulimir and take my oath as warrior to the queen I am sworn to." She tried to keep her face from showing her emotions but failed. Xora seemed to read her well enough because he then said, "And to that queen's predomis as one of his fighters." He gripped her arm just below her shoulder. "It will be up to them whether I can bring you back. But it is with you I want to be."

Grace nodded her head. Then don't go home, a voice cried in her head. But how could she ask that? After everything he'd done to go back.

His hands came up to cradle the sides of her face, lifting her face up to his. "I will find a way. I will tell them how you helped me." He grazed a thumb across her cheek. His mouth widened, and she caught the glint of his fangs. "And that I wish to keep you as my own."

"But if they say no?" she couldn't help asking.

His smile faded. "I will find another way. Whatever happens, Grace, you're coming with me."

Grace closed her eyes. It was the best she could hope for. And really, she was happy enough with that. They would make it work. Even if she had to be away on some other planet. He'd come back to her eventually. She wouldn't be without him, and that's what mattered.

"Okay," she said. She opened her eyes and placed her hands atop his. "As long as I'm with you."

He lowered his head, and Grace pressed her mouth to his. She traced her lips over him, then kissed deeper, slower, holding on to him. She enjoyed the taste of him as she flicked her tongue out, slipping between his lips, coaxing him to let her in. He hardly moved, neither opening to her or closing but instead allowing her to touch and taste as she so desired. She pressed herself closer to him, her hands sliding from his to move across his arms, then his shoulder, up his neck and then to his face. She stopped kissing him briefly, to move her lips away.

"Is this weird to you?" she asked.

"What?"

"My kissing?"

He seemed to think about it. "No," he said. "It is different. But I enjoy your touch in whatever way it comes."

Grace smiled, then kissed him again. This time, a little slower. She slid her tongue out again, grazing his teeth, and this time, he responded with his own. The slick-edge of his tongue stroked against hers, and a wave of heat hit her. She opened more for him, and he slipped in farther, exploring. As he started to draw back, she pressed her lips a little tighter, letting her teeth graze him, then biting down gently in a teasing manner. He let out a low growl in response, his hands gripping her sides. She kissed him a few more times along his mouth, then across his jaw until she made for his neck and bit down gently. A hiss escaped him, and he pulled her away. Before she could ask what was wrong, he was taking hold of her uniform and unzipping her.

"The floor or the glass?" Xora asked as he rubbed his mouth along her throat.

Grace looked around the room. "Why not the bed?"

"I don't trust human beds," he said. "They look like they will collapse under me."

Grace laughed. "The one here is bigger than mine and way sturdier looking too."

"It looks like it, but it won't be once I am moving atop you," he replied.

The image she got made Grace shiver.

He stopped. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, her lips parting to suck in a breath of air. "The glass then."

Xora nodded as if in agreement. He loosened her uniform from her, and she kicked it off. As she unclipped her bra and let it drop, Xora hooked one sharp finger in her underwear and peeled them off. His claws, like knives, grazed her skin, making her shiver again.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

She shook her head, laughing softly. "Just...your hands."

"My touch displeases you?"

She shook her head again. "No. I think...I really like it."

His hands drew up the warm, soft flesh of her thigh. His fingers brushed across her hip then along her stomach, her ribs, then her breasts. One sharp nail went across her nipple, and she shuddered. With little thought, she backed up and pressed against a metal beam between two glass plates making up one wall. Xora shrugged out of his suit before he took one step toward her. The head of his cock, a slightly lighter shade of red than himself, was already out from its protective sheath. Fascinated and curious, Grace reached her hand out and touched along the opening of his scales and the slick tip of the head. His cock slipped out more, and she could now see the hardened shaft. Xora placed his hands on either side of her, as if to brace himself while she stroked her hand against him.

She remembered the moment when he had his head between her legs and had licked her. She hadn't expected him to actually do it, but when he had, it had been both shocking and amazing. She expected Xora would feel the same if she were to go down on him now. Heat pooled between her thighs at both the memory and the idea. She dropped to her knees and placed her hands on his thighs. When she looked up, she caught Xora looking at her, a bit confused but not alarmed. Only when she brought her mouth close and breathed on him did his eyes widen and spark with a dark hunger. She kissed, then licked the side of his shaft, then underneath and heard a low snarl slip from Xora's throat. His cock sprang out from the rest of his scaled sheath, the swollen base already slick with some natural oil. With everything out in front now, Grace licked and sucked along and around him, and the hisses and groans that escaped him were loud and passionate to say the least.

He whispered something she didn't quite make out. One of his hands slipped around her head, taking a fist of her hair. "Incredible," he growled.

She released her mouth from him. "Do you want me to keep going?"

"Yes," he said at first. Then, "No." He shifted a little back from her. "As amazing as this feels, I want to feel your heat more." He released her head and allowed her to stand before his hands gripped her thighs and lifted her. Pinning her to the glass wall with an unnatural strength, Xora spread her legs, keeping her up by his arms underneath. As Grace held on to him, she felt him nudge against her center. As he slid himself easily inside her, Grace gasped and moaned at the slick, hot invasion. It was not like a human man, not by a long shot. And that somehow made her more aroused. She could feel every rimmed and rounded part of him as he drove deeper, all until she was being stretched out by his base.

"Are you all right?" he asked in a low voice. He didn't move, though she could tell he was aching too.

Grace lifted her head back and licked her lips. "Yeah, I'm more than all right."

Xora drew his hips back slowly, then just as slowly pressed them forward. Grace's nails dug into him, her body throbbing. His deep strokes were excruciating. The pleasure was a painful ecstasy that drove her mad. She whimpered and squirmed, desperate for more; for a faster, harder, beat. As she moved against him, Xora got the message. He answered her pleading movements with his own hungry ones, making her body inch up the wall.

She cried out, her hand smacking his shoulder then gripping it hard, grasping one of his spikes. Her thoughts scattered into nothing, and all she could see was Xora, all she could feel was him. The power and heat of him encompassed her.

The orgasm came hard and without warning, forcing a scream from her closed lips. Xora did not falter or pause, but she knew he was on the brink of his own release; could feel the rising heat between them. A low growl ripped from him as her body shook, the glass behind them creaking against the weight. The growl turned into a hiss, and she felt the throbbing and the spilling of his heat inside her. She clung to him, her face against his chest, breathing in the lovely and strange scent of him. A scent like coffee.

When he'd calmed and started to slow, they remained as they were for a long while before he finally set her down.

Grace pressed against him, kissing his chest, hugging him as he once more brushed a hand across her head.

"I think it's safe to say you're my new bad habit," she said, teasing.

"Oh?" he said. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm addicted, and if we didn't have to leave, I'd stay here with you all night and day and repeat what we just did several more times." She laughed, burying her face in his chest.

"Mm," he grunted in agreement. "Then you’re my bad habit also." He nuzzled the side of her head. "But there will be more time and then some, once we get off this watery planet."

"Together?" she said, just for reassurance.

"Together."

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

GRACE

Grace cleaned herself at the tub and redressed, her heart feeling a little lighter, knowing now she would be leaving Oceanus soon with Xora. She might not get to his home world, but there were other places they could stay until then. All that mattered to her now was that she would be with him.

She gave the room another once over, still finding she was somewhat disappointed that Dr. Monicru was nowhere to be found (but not that disappointed considering the empty station granted her and Xora their private moment). For all she knew, he was on some other adventure of his own, and that was fine enough. She eyed the metal container of the night pearls, wondering still if it would be okay for her to take it. But Xora had to be right. The doctor wasn't coming back. The pearls would gather dust until someone else came to claim them instead (likely the manager who had the map in his desk). She grabbed the box, thinking maybe she would make a nice bracelet of the leftover ones she didn't use to pay her debts. They left the room and headed back for the ship. Before she left, Grace turned off the lights, perhaps for the last time. She followed Xora into his ship where he started the controls. She placed the pearls in one of the supply shelves, then returned to the front, taking a seat on Xora's lap.

They steered away from the station and headed straight back for their own, Grace watching the base disappear in the distance as they left the ivory field and started for the dawn trench.

"How long do you think it will take to get everything ready?" Grace asked.

"A day or less," Xora answered. "We will sleep tonight and worry about it in the morning. Do you need to prepare anything?"

"Not much really. I should probably let my manager know I'm leaving at least." She felt a sudden pang of guilt stab the middle of her chest. "Crap, I didn't even tell Anne. She'll be devastated. I better do that too. At least we can stay in touch."

Xora didn't say anything, so she continued with, "If her and Gibon actually make it out of here too, they could come visit us. Unless I'm allowed on Tryth, then maybe not. But then I'll come visit her if that's the case. You could join me too if you wanted. Right, Xora?"

Xora turned quiet, his hands tightening on the steering controls.

She looked up at him and saw he was very still, his eyes focused on the ship's console.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. She looked around, afraid something was coming up from the deep or following them.

"The tank," Xora said in a quiet, near angry voice. "Someone has tried to tamper with it."

Grace grew still as well. "How do you know?"

"The sensors on the tank are connected to the ship so that I can read it from here." He pointed to one of the screens on the console. "Someone has tried messing with the gauges. Thankfully, I had them locked before we left."

"But that means someone is in our station."

"Yes. We need to hurry." Xora drove the ship on faster. Grace felt a slow drip of anxiety filling her as they flew past reef and rock. Who would be trying to mess with the tank?

It felt like hours before they finally saw the station before them, but it had only been a quarter of an hour at best. They saw no ship docked or any other sign of entry. Xora parked his ship as it had been before, connecting the ship's door to the hatch. He quickly turned down the ship, then began opening the doors. As he climbed out, Grace followed suit, staying close behind. As they slipped down the passage, Grace couldn't hear a thing.

"Maybe they've left," Grace said quietly, trying to keep up. They broke into the lab and found it empty. Xora looked around, then over to the hallway leading to the warehouse. He let out a soft growl and started quickly down it. Grace ran with him. "Wait, Xora!" she hissed.

He didn't stop. Grace ran blindly through the warehouse after him until she nearly ran into him at the door on the other end. She heard him growl louder and heard another voice.

"Get back. By the wall."

Fear ripped through her at the voice. She recognized that voice. As Xora slipped into the room, giving Grace a chance to see inside, she saw more than a dozen men standing around the tank, by the terminal and to the entrance of the droppool, guns drawn and aimed at Xora.

"Come on in, Grace," Myers said.

"I don't understand," Grace said softly.

"It's all right, Grace" Reed said from beside him. He lowered his gun a little and gestured to her. "Why don't you come to me?"

Xora snarled in response, and Reed's gun went up instantly.

"Don't move, vrisha," Myers warned. "Or you get good and shot."

"What is this about?" Grace snapped.

"We got him," Myers said. "Caught him right and good."

"Just calm down, Grace," Reed replied, ignoring his partner. "If you come to me, you won't get hurt."

"I want to know what you’re doing here."

"You know why we are here," Reed said calmly.

Grace looked at him, confused, then back at Xora, whose eyes drifted from the men to her. Grace shook her head. "No," she said softly. "I don't..."

"The recorder, Grace, the one we gave to you," Reed explained. "We got him talking with the mad queen. He's in aid with her."

Grace froze, her heart turning to ice. "I...no, that's impossible."

"Afraid it's not," Myers said, cocking his gun. Xora bared his teeth at him. "We got confirmation." Without lowering his gun, Myers took out a small disk-shaped device and carefully set it on the ground. A holographic image popped up before them of Xora in his chair and the mad queen displayed on the screen of his ship. The image began to move.

"You will have the power you deserve," the queen said. "As my predomis..." The video skipped. "Yes, my predomis. You will be head of my warriors. My vicious bloodguard. All you need to do is give the ulimir to me."

"So that you can make the weapons for yourself." Xora hardly sounded like himself. A guttural, venomous voice she hardly recognized.

"So that we can be prepared..." The video skipped again and then, "I will make it easier for you," the mad queen said. "Call on me when you are ready and in need of help, and I will give it. When the ulimir is ready, inform me and give me your reply. I will be waiting."

The video stopped, and Myers returned the disc device to his pocket. "The recorder we gave you got it all," he said. "Which means by alliance law, the vrisha is under arrest and will be brought into custody by the governmental forces. Fight and we have the right to use lethal force."

Grace felt sick. "No." She shook her head. "No..." Her head began to spin. "Xora...he wouldn't."

"Grab her," Myers ordered. Men started for her, and she tried to back away. Myers turned to Xora. "Vrisha, you are commanded to turn and face the wall. If you fight, we will—"

Xora growled and whipped his tail around to keep them back. "Stay away," he hissed. "All of you."

Grace turned to go to him. "Xora!"

He snapped his head toward her, and she felt her heart turn to lead. She could see the utter shock and pain of betrayal in his eyes. "Xora, I swear I didn't record you, it's a mistake!" She felt hands take hold of her arms and bend them back, pain shooting up her shoulder.

Xora's face twisted with rage. He snarled at the men, who backed away.

"Destroy the tank," Myers said.

"No!" Grace cried.

There was a moment of time that seemed to stretch on as she watched the men turn their guns toward the tank and Xora leap at them. Grace watched in horror as Xora kicked one man aside, making him fly back into the terminal. Guns turned on him and shots fired, blinding her with white light, the blasts making her ears ring. Grace could see nothing, could only hear the shouts of men and the endless drilling of their guns. The hands that held her let her go, and she fell to the floor on to her knees. She bent forward, slapping her palms over her ears and crying out, afraid to open her eyes.

When the shots finally ceased, Grace dared to uncover her ears and look around. More than half the men were on the ground groaning in pain, others were staggering to stay on their feet. Myers and Reed and only two others were surrounding a body—Xora's—lying face down on the ground.

"What have you done?" Grace cried out.

Myers ignored her. He brought his hand up and spoke into his wristpad. "All clear."

More men came through the door. They must have been waiting, hiding around the station.

"Bring the ship around and take him to the containment cell on Z43," Myers ordered the men.

Grace staggered to her feet. She stumbled, then started for Xora's unmoving body when a pair of hands grabbed her to keep her back. "Don't do this, it has to be a mistake!"

Myers glanced at her, then to Reed, shaking his head. Reed came around to face her. "I'm sorry, Grace, but he's a danger to this city now and must be taken in." He nodded for the man who held her to let go, then Reed placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You’re gonna have to come with us too. We need to talk."

Like hell they did. Grace's eyes fell again to Xora, wanting desperately to go to him. "What have you done to him?"

"He's just out. The guns are loaded with tranquilizer and a temporary paralyzing agent. Took more than we expected, so he probably won't come around for a while."

Grace shook her head, feeling on the verge of tears. She tried to take another step toward him, but Reed held her in place.

"He isn't bad. I know it. That video has to be a lie. I never placed the recorder!" Her voice got louder the more she spoke.

Reed gestured for one man to take hold of her again, placing her arms behind her back. Grace struggled in his grip.

"Take her to the headquarters," Reed said. He looked at her, disappointed. "We'll get this sorted out."

The man started to drag her away, and in a frenzy, Grace cried out, kicking her legs and pulling her arms, trying to get free. She called to Xora, but he didn't wake, didn't move. The man holding her stopped and hit the back of her knees, making her collapse again to the ground. She felt cuffs wrap around her wrists, keeping her hands secure in place. The soldier tugged her back up and pulled her away. Two others soldiers joined him as they took her back through the warehouse, then to the lab. More men were waiting for them at the train car. They pushed Grace inside and forced her into a seat.

Tears of anger and devastation fell down her face, but she couldn't wipe them away. No, this couldn't be happening, this was a bad dream. She tried to tell the soldiers around her that it was all wrong, but they easily ignored her. As the train car moved on from the station, Grace saw a military subship passing by to dock in the train car's place.

Grace felt like she was going to be sick, her heart sinking into her stomach, her head pounding. Less than an hour ago, she and Xora had been planning their escape from the planet. Now, she was likely never going to see him again. He was going to be locked up, and she was going wherever the military wanted. She couldn't even contemplate her own fate when she could only think of Xora. How he would rot in a cell believing she had betrayed him. Worse, if it was actually true that he was on the mad queen's side and he had somehow tricked her after all, he would want vengeance. The thought made her body shake and put her in a cold sweat.

"I think...I'm going to throw up," she said, bending forward.

"Keep your head up," the soldier ordered, grabbing her hair and pulling her to sit straight. Grace took deep breaths, trying to remain calm.

They took the car up to one building before moving on to another. It was still night outside, so there was no light that came from above save from the artificial ones along each building.

They stopped at one of the main facilities and HR offices—L34—where several docks connected and where many workers would usually congregate or meet before their shifts. It was nearly empty now, considering how late it was, but there were still some nonhuman folk walking about, likely those who took a later shift and were passing through. Grace kept her eyes down most of the time as they took her through the halls and tunnelways over to another side where a set of cars, used only by special personnel, would take them to their last destination—the security headquarters.

"Everybody move out of the way," one soldier called to a group standing in the middle of a hallway leading down to the security docks. Grace glanced up to see it was a group of gyda staring as they passed. She felt like a criminal and an outcast being surrounded by a bunch of men with guns. Feeling ashamed, she went to lower her head as if to hide, until one gyda in particular caught her eye.

Gibon was among the group. She could tell it was him by his coloring and unique markings along his headfins. They locked eyes, if only for a few seconds, before Grace turned her head and looked away.

Great, now Anne was going to know she was in trouble. Grace's wristpad was going to go off for hours once Anne found out.

They came to the next dock and took the train car to security. When they entered the stocky, nearly windowless hub, Grace let the soldiers lead her down a bland, colorless hallway and up another level before they finally stopped at a room with a long table and a couple of chairs. They uncuffed her, and, as Grace turned to them, one soldier with stony gray eyes put out his hand.

"Your wristpad," he said.

"What if I need to make a call?" Grace replied, trying to hide her hand behind her back like a little kid.

"No calls until an officer authorizes it. Give me your wristpad, or I'll have to use force."

Guess no calls from Anne after all. Reluctantly, Grace unlatched the band and handed it over. She knew she had no chance of fighting them.

They took her wristpad, then left the room, closing the door behind them. Grace heard the lock slide as they shut her in. She stared at the door as if believing any moment one of the men would come back in and say, "Big mistake! We were all wrong! The video was a fake, and you can go back to your vrisha boyfriend now, he's in medical." But no one came and, after several minutes of staring, Grace called defeat and sat in one of the chairs to wait.

Four hours passed before Grace heard the lock slide and the door open. She was lying under the table, her eyes stinging from tears, her mouth and throat dry from need of water. She lifted her head up and saw several black boots shuffling into the room.

"Grace?"

Grace crawled out from under the table and looked around to see Reed and Myers and two men she didn't recognize who stayed by the door.

"Why don't you have a seat, Grace," Reed said, moving out a chair for her.

Hesitantly, Grace rose to her feet and took the seat he offered. They in turn sat opposite her.

"Why am I here?" Grace asked in a raspy voice.

"Let's get you a drink first, how about that?" Reed looked to Myers who rolled his eyes and took out a flask. He gave it to Reed, and Reed handed it over to Grace who took it. She popped the top and sniffed. Not alcohol. She took a sip and tasted stale water. She drank a few more gulps, then gave the flask back to Myers.

"Why am I here?" she repeated.

"We need to ask you a few things, Grace, that's all. About the vrisha and your relationship with it," said Reed.

Grace's expression twisted. She fidgeted in her seat. "Where are you going to take him?"

"We are not at liberty to disclose that. Grace, where did the vrisha take you in his ship?"

Grace wanted to lie or maybe even spit in their faces, but she also thought if she complied and played nice, they might let her see Xora. "If I tell you anything, I want to see him," she blurted.

"We can't—"

"I just want to see him!"

"...We will consider it," Reed said. "But first, answer the question."

Grace took a deep breath. "We just went to Dr. Monicru's base."

"The old sea explorer?" Myers laughed. "That old man has been gone for ages. No one's seen his place. You're honestly gonna make up some shit like that?"

"I'm not making anything up." Grace reached into her pocket and took out the map still kept inside. She handed it to Reed who unfolded it. The two looked it over, brows furrowing, frowns deepening.

"Where the hell did you get this?" Myers asked.

"I found it in the main office of my station," Grace confessed.

"Bunch of bullshit..." Myers muttered.

Reed placed the map flat on the table. "Did you find anything?"

Grace shook her head.

Reed arched a brow at her but didn't pry.

"All right, we will consider your answer honest. But we are concerned about your involvement with the vrisha. How much did you know about his job, Grace?"

"He was just collecting the ghost tongue. That's all. I didn't ask much about it," she answered.

"He never told you why? Or where he was taking it?"

"He was taking it back to his home world to give to his people to use—"

"For weapons." Myers interjected.

"No," Grace snapped. "For their ships. As an energy resource. He never said anything to me about weapons."

Reed leaned forward, fixing her with an intense stare. "So you had no idea he was in league with the mad queen?"

Grace bit her lip to keep back an angry reply. "No," she said softly. "He never showed signs of...anything sinister. He had always been kind."

"Really?"

Grace bit back another defensive retort. She tried not to think about the time he got angry at her for nearly ruining all of the crystals in the tank. He had always been very protective and obsessive over the tank because it was his mission. "He was...is," she said. "He even saved my life."

They both looked at her, surprised.

"Well, he played the long game with you," Myers stated. "So that he could use you as his little helper."

It was her turn to look at them in shock. "What makes you think...?"

"We have it on good authority that you aided the vrisha using the Greenloch Sea Company's bot technology."

Grace felt her body turn cold.

"Are we wrong, Grace?"

"I didn't...I…" Grace shook her head, panic growing.

"Because if it's true, it means you are an accomplice to aiding an enemy of the governing systems," Reed informed her.

Grace shook her head. No. No, this couldn't be happening.

"No? You didn't help him?"

"I...I didn't know..." She couldn't go to prison. She thought of her brother and her uncle, in their cold cells, the very cage she felt like she had tried to avoid her whole life. It was one thing to get fired and thrown off the planet, but to end up in prison...

Grace shook her head again as she couldn't speak. Afraid to say the truth, but not willing to confess.

Reed sighed. He looked to one of the men at the door. "Bring her in." He turned back to Grace. "Maybe your friend can give us a clear answer."

Friend?

Oh, god, Anne, Grace thought as one of the men left the room. She couldn't believe her friend would out her like this. Grace had confessed everything to her and trusted her, and Anne had promised she wouldn't tell.

But as the man returned, it was not Anne who followed him into the room.

Bri stopped at the table, ISpad in her hand as she smiled at the officers. She sat down at one of the seats to one end, not even glancing Grace's way.

"Ms. Logan, you’re an inspector of the Greenloch Sea Company, correct?" Reed asked.

"Assistant inspector," Bri corrected. "But I have nearly all the same responsibilities."

"And you were tasked to inspect TR7?"

"I volunteered," she said. "Many were too afraid to go down with the vrisha alien still there. But I mentioned to my manager that it should still be someone's duty to at least make sure everything is working smoothly and that the worker in charge was doing her job."

"And when you went down to inspect, what did you find?" Reed asked.

"This is insane!" Grace interrupted. "This isn't a trial!"

Reed put up his hand to silence her. "Calm down, Grace. The military on Oceanus has the right to interview all participants and witnesses to any crime and to judge fairly until one is taken back to Earth for sentencing." He turned back to Bri. "What did you find?"

Bri straightened in her seat. "I saw a few of the vrisha's tools lying about in the lab. Unattended. I looked for Grace, checking all the rooms. Many things looked in need of fixing, but she was nowhere to be found. I figured maybe she had slept in, so I checked her room. When I didn't find her there, I braved the warehouse despite the lights being out—another violation, I might add. When I entered the room beyond, I found her sitting at the terminal. She was talking to someone, and I could see on the monitor above her that she was driving one of the bots without permission. I saw the caves and the vrisha swimming and realized she was helping him collect ghost tongue in the caves nearby. I chose not to disturb her until she was done and had meant to speak to her about the incident when the vrisha came in and tried to attack me. I was forced to flee—"

"You're a liar!" Grace exploded.

"That's enough, Grace," Reed snapped.

"I also heard her speaking with a coworker about helping him," Bri said, not missing a beat. "I heard her confess it while they were on break."

Reed frowned at her. "You should have informed us sooner of this."

"I didn't know she was committing a crime, Officer," Bri said in a sad voice. "I just knew she was violating policy and not doing the work she was tasked to do. I have all the notes here in my ISpad as well as video and pictures. I will send them to you. I was going to give the report to head management, who would have fired her as soon as she was out of the station."

Grace couldn't believe what she was hearing. Bri had heard her and Anne talking. It explained why she was down in the station that day. She wanted to catch Grace, she wanted to—

Grace froze, her insides turning to ice. "You did it," she said aloud. "You placed the recorder. You heard me talking about it to Anne, you saw it in my hands. You took it from my room when you came to do your so-called inspection."

Bri glanced at her, then looked away with a blank expression.

Bri stole the recorder and put it on his ship when she and Xora were working. He didn't lock the hatch then, since Grace was still in the station.

"You can't accuse her of that, Grace," Reed said.

Grace glared at him, her insides now growing hot. "You know I didn't place it! And what does it matter? You got what you wanted!"

Myers shrugged, giving them away. "She's right. What does it matter who placed it?" he said, laughing. "What matters is the vrisha was caught communicating with a known threat, and you," he pointed to her, "were helping him."

Grace’s hands turned to fists in her lap, heat rising in her face and neck. "If he truly was in league with that queen, I had no idea. I was...I was just trying to help. I didn't know...I didn't know!"

"Too bad, Gracie," Myers said, rising from his seat. Reed stood as well, looking at her with acute disappointment.

"You could have placed the recorder yourself, and maybe we would have let you off, but..." Myers gestured to the men at the door. "You made your call. Ms. Logan here made hers. You chose to help a criminal, and she chose to help us."

The men grabbed Grace, dragging her around the table.

"You can't do this! You can't!" Grace cried. She kicked and writhed in their grip, screaming as they led her down another hallway. One man's grip became so tight pain shot up her arm. He wrenched her around, and the pain moved to her shoulder. Grace cried out as they brought her into a large room much like a low-lit warehouse, only it was empty of any supplies and sported a metal desk near the center and a set of metal barred cells to one side. They placed her in one cell and locked the door behind her, then left her. Grace called to them, but they didn't so much as pause in their step as they marched out the door.

"Please, please come back!" Grace yelled, her hands gripping the bars.

The door to the warehouse slid shut. Grace let out a cry of frustration, hitting the bars with her hand. Alone in the room, she let herself sink to the ground.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Xora

Xora woke in a cell. An impressive one at that. Fixed with two-foot glass and thick metal. The only opening was that of a vent no wider than his finger, pumping in air. Whatever drug they had shot into him was wearing off quickly. He could feel his limbs again. As he carefully rose to his feet, he studied the cell more carefully. There was a locking device outside his room beside the thick pane of glass that served as both the cell's window and its door. On the opposite side was a small box which he gathered was meant to be used to serve him meals. There was a drain in the center of the room not even big enough for his fist.

Outside the cell, he could only see a U-shaped table and several tools and a computer. Beyond that was more cells. Curious, he tested the thickness of the glass by pounding his fist against it and found it didn't so much as vibrate. As he whipped his tail across the metal walls, it hardly left a scratch.

They had him well caged. How fitting that humans were good at trapping things if they couldn't fight them. The arrogant cowards.

Xora bared his teeth in a low growl. This was to be his prison. Temporary, he assumed. They'd take him deeper into human territory so that the alliance and the council couldn't easily get to him. Then, he imagined, there would be some kind of experiments or torture. He wouldn't go without a fight. He wouldn't let them put him out so quickly next time, and when their backs were turned, he would rip them apart. He would tear every human soldier he saw until there was only blood left.

They had wanted an excuse to take him, he knew. That video they showed and been a total sham, and he knew they knew it as well. Those human men knew what had really been said in that conversation between him and the mad queen. But they had made some kind of illusion to make it out as if he had already agreed to her help. An awful, weak trick only a human could pull. They would know his wrath and his vengeance if he could help it. And the council would deem his actions justified.

Xora hit at the glass again with a hiss. An awful pain slithered into his chest, like a blade piercing his heart as his mind slid to the one thing he didn't want to think about.

Grace.

He didn't want to believe she would betray him. She who had been with him through most of his mission, aiding him, laying with him. Her actions had always felt true and real. She had wanted him, he had been sure of it.

But Queen Theda's words kept whispering in his mind.

They will turn on you, on us. They will show their true colors, mark me.

How he hated to think she was right. But he could hardly see it any other way. How else did they find out about his communication with her? Grace was only ever allowed in his ship, and there were times he trusted her enough to keep the hatch unlocked while he was at the caves. Those men had said themselves they had given her the means to spy on him. And she had taken it.

She had played him. There was no other explanation. And he had been an utter fool to have trusted her.

Anger overtook his sadness. No, he should not mourn her. What was done was done. Perhaps he could find her and make her pay, but his heart couldn't handle the idea of harming her, even now. He would let her go, let her have her victory. But he would make the others pay. Every human he cut down, he would think of her.

He moved away from the window and began to pace his cell. For now, he had to think of his escape. Sadly, there were little to no options on that front save to wait. Likely, they would drug him again before opening his cell, so he would need to prepare. He would take in as much oxygen as he could and store it. Hopefully, it was a gas and not the guns that they would use to try and put him out. Otherwise, he would just have to make sure he woke up before they transported him onto a ship.

He paced up and down, thinking, for a long time, perhaps hours. No one came into the room save a few guards every so often to check on him. He bared his fangs at them, and they didn't stay long.

Eventually, he tired of pacing and instead sat in the middle of his room to meditate. He considered various other ways of escaping and what he would do when he did. Whether he took his revenge or not, he still had to return for his ship and the tank. If it was still intact. They wouldn't be able to move it right away as only he had the means to move it easily, and they couldn't access the gauges as he had them locked. Only he could open it. His ship, on the other hand, might be another story as he hadn't had the chance to lock the hatch. But they couldn't fly it at least, so if they ransacked his storage unit or tampered with anything, he would deal with that problem when he came to it.

More hours seemed to pass, time stretching into nothing. His patience was wearing thin, but he had no other choice but to wait.

Eventually, he allowed himself to sleep if only a little. He didn't have to. He could go many days without sleep if need be. But his thoughts were making him weary. He went into sleep and soon was dreaming. He saw the mountains again in the distance and wilds beneath it. He looked over, and Grace was there, smiling at him. Even in his dream, he felt broken just looking at her.

The floor underneath him suddenly began to shake. Xora awoke, startled, and looked around, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him. He stood up and went to the window. Another shake, harder this time. Guards came and went through the room, running the same direction with guns raised. He could hear shouts, then loud cracks and bangs not far off. The lights in the area dimmed and turned red, and a loud whooping sounded overhead.

The doors of the room beyond blew open, and several black-armored individuals with guns rushed into the room. Xora recognized them. Those same attackers he had fought while with Grace. The Black Gills, she had called them.

They came up to his door and peered in, and Xora looked back at them, waiting to see if they were going to try and shoot him through the glass. They had seriously come all this way for revenge? How fitting. He would gladly wipe their blood from his hands as he charged out, grateful that their little attempt had won him his freedom.

The group stepped back, and one of them started working the lock beside his door. As sparks flew and the door slid open, they did not attempt to shoot him after all.

"Follow us," one said. "We'll take you out." His voice was monotonous from some kind of translator.

Xora stepped out of the cell, confused. "You are helping me? Why?"

"Talk later." The man gestured one way with his gun. "We need to get back to your ship."

Xora did not move. He leered at them with suspicion. "Why should I trust you?"

"Queen Theda has sent us," one replied. "To free you. In hopes you will bring her what she desires."

He didn't even bother to ask how she'd known. They were working for her which meant she had spies here as well. A troublesome thought that he didn't care to wonder more about. For now he was free, and he could at least agree with them on one thing. He needed to get back to his ship.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

GRACE

Grace sat on the ground of her cell for a long time. Her mind wandered from one place to another, memories overtaking her. She thought about her grandma and her brother. She usually called him around holidays and his birthday. The next time she called, she realized, would be from whatever prison she now called home. She laughed even, thinking how ironic it would be if she was taken to the same planet and sector as him, only ending up in the women's ward. Hell, she might even see him on the grounds.

Grace wiped away a few more tears. Too many now. All her life, she had been trying to avoid such a fate, but it seemed her being locked up was meant to be. It ran in the family, after all.

She missed her grandma. Missed her brother even. She'd miss Anne too.

Worst of all, she would miss Xora. Whether he truly had tricked her into helping him and was working for the mad queen, she couldn't stop how she felt. She still wanted him. And hated that she did. She felt like she was bleeding out from the inside, breaking in two.

She sniffed and got up to look around the room. It was empty. They hadn't even bothered to place a guard for her, though she could see several cameras above watching her. She hated being alone, especially in that moment. If only that damn guard hadn't taken her wristpad.

She called out, hoping someone would come, but to no surprise, there was no response. Her body felt tired and cold. It must be close to morning now, and she hadn't slept. She looked over and saw a cot to one side. She went to lay down and shut her eyes, curling up into herself. Her thoughts kept returning to Xora, and she tried to shove them away. She wouldn't think of him. She had to let him go. Doubt had settled into her mind. Even without her emotions driving her, she tried to explain logically what she had seen, and she could think of no excuse. It had been Xora in that footage. He had spoken to that queen. It couldn't be fake. Which meant he had been planning to side with her. Him returning to Tryth must have been a lie. That's why he couldn't take her there. Because he hadn't been planning to go back. He was going to meet wherever that queen was hiding.

A feeling of dread had hit her at the idea. He had said he would take her with him. Either he had lied and was planning to leave her after all, or he truly was going to take her, but he would have brought her to that queen. Grace knew she and her bloodguard hated humans. Grace's stomach twisted at the possibility that Xora might be so cruel as to give her up to slaughter.

Grace laid on the cot for what felt like hours. Only when she was able to finally calm her mind did she fall into a restless sleep. She dreamed of the murza coming out of the caves to devour her, then of falling into nothing. The dream shifted, and she was on Xora's ship. He had her in his lap, his hand gripping her throat as the mad queen looked on from a screen, smiling.

Something shook her awake, and Grace, startled, shot up from her cot. No one was around, but she was sure she'd felt something.

Thinking maybe she was losing her mind, she started to lay back down when the ground shook beneath her. Yelping, she leapt from the cot and clung to the cell bars.

A great roaring, like thunder, shook the very walls. Debris fell from the ceiling, and objects on the desk nearby clattered to the floor. Grace cried out as the lights above dimmed to red and a siren went off. She heard shouts past the door, and she tried to call for help, but no one could hear her.

There was a sudden great blast close by that made the door to the room pop open halfway. Dust and smoke blew down the hall, snaking past the door into the room. Panicking, Grace shook the bars of her cell. No one came to free her, even as she saw men rushing past with guns drawn.

"Please, help!" Grace called. She kicked at the door of her cell, but it hardly budged. She banged her fists against the bars, but there was no response.

Eventually, the smoke and dust dissolved away, and the siren quieted. She could hear guns firing in the distance and the crackling of something breaking apart. There was a sort of stillness then and she remained tense at the anticipation of another blast. She waited, staring down the door, hoping any moment someone would come through to free her.

She heard a sound coming down the passage, growing louder. It wasn't the pounding of footsteps but a sort of whooshing noise. Her heart dropped when she realized what it was.

Water rushed into the passage and into her room. Objects caught in the stream were gathering up against the door. Grace cried out, hopping onto her cot as the cold water seeped inside her cell.

She called out again, but no one was going to hear her over the rush of water. Desperate, she looked instead for a way out. She shook at the bars again, looking for any loose ends. She kicked and even climbed toward the top, only to fall back in her attempt. She tried again only to fall again, this time dropping into the dark water, soaking her pants. She climbed back on to her cot, shivering from the cold. She rattled and hit the bars, screaming until her voice cracked. No one came.

Whimpering, Grace bent her legs and hugged her knees, watching with dread as the water took over the whole room and started to rise. She didn't want to die here, not like this. But she was trapped, and no one was coming to save her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Xora

They took him back to TR7 in their ship. As they passed other buildings along the way, Xora saw some were under siege. The Black Gills were attempting to take the city by the looks of it. And he was numb to the sight. He was numb to everything, in fact. He remained silent and waiting as they docked the ship at the front of the station. When they opened the doors, Xora didn't hesitate. He went straight for the tank at the very back. When he found it still sitting just as it was, completely intact, he couldn't even feel a sense of relief. He just wanted it done.

The Black Gills followed him in, circling the tank.

"Is it ready?" one asked.

"It is," Xora heard himself reply. He placed a hand on the tank. "I'll get my ship ready."

"Hold. Queen Theda wishes to speak with you first." The Black Gill brought out some sort of receiver device and set it on the ground. An image displayed before them, and the mad queen appeared, sitting just as she had been before, in the same room.

"It is done then?" she asked.

"Yes," Xora said.

"I will send you the coordinates of where I wish you to take the ulimir," the queen said. "Do this for me, Xora, and I will keep with our bargain. You will be my predomis as promised."

Xora found he didn't feel joy at the idea. He felt bitter, angry, and wretched. He just wanted to get the tank on his ship and get the hell off the planet. Whether he would actually bring her the crystals was still undecided, though out of his bitterness, he was nearly tempted to do so.

Her image disappeared, and the Black Gill took back his receiver.

"I'll need to move my ship," Xora said.

"Do what you must. We will wait," said their supposed leader.

Xora turned from the room and made for his ship. Without pause, he passed the warehouse, then entered into the lab, making his way down the passage and up the hatch. It didn't take him long to move the ship from the top of the station down to the droppool below. After he docked, placing the roof door of his ship right within the pool, making sure it was just above the surface, he powered down and opened the top. Before he exited, he looked around the sides of his ship, at the places where lights flowed along the walls, and stuck his hand through one crevice between a light and the siding, tearing out a small black device, what he assumed to be Grace's recorder as it was certainly not of vrisha making.

He smashed the device against the wall, letting its pieces scatter across the floor. For a moment, he leaned on the wall, trying to take deep breaths, to control his emotions, to not think of Grace. When he calmed enough, he went into the supply room, took out a pair of grippers, then leapt out of the top and waded across the droppool, entering back into the room beyond.

"It's set," Xora said. He handed the grippers to the leader of the group. "Place these around the tank, then lift it slowly. I trust you can do that. I need to make sure I didn't leave anything else lying around. Put the tank into the ship. And be careful." He moved over to the tank, unlatching it from the ground as well as unlocking the gauges. "Don't mess with anything, or you'll risk damaging the crystals," he warned.

The leader took the grippers without question. The others followed him to the tank where they set the grippers around each side, then, using the handles at each end, slowly began to lift it up. Xora watched them for a moment, then turned away. He could have done it himself, but he wanted to make sure he left nothing behind. He knew one of his tools —the mender—was in Grace's room from when she attempted at one point to use it on her dress. Sadly, the fabric had been too thin to mend properly as she was used to mending his much more durable suit. The process had caused her to botch the job.

He didn't think he would feel a thing as he entered the living quarters. However, as he slipped into her room, he felt another stabbing pain despite his will to remain stoically emotionless. The memories were still too fresh in his mind. He looked to the bed and the floor, seeing what few things she had in her possession. The game player sat on her bed and a few of her clothes were on the floor by the small storage space, the torn dress covering her chair.

He found the mender on the desk. He snatched it up and turned to leave when he noticed Grace's computer was still open. He stopped to stare at it. She must have forgotten to close it before they had left. The screen was even still visible. On it, he could see a set of images, all of her sitting at her chair. At the bottom of each was a set of human symbols. What he learned to be their numbers.

It took him a moment to realize it was entries in her journal. He stood there, unmoving, looking at each one. He was willing to bet she confessed many things, including her choice to spy on him within one of those entries, and the truth of all her lies. The thought made his anger peak. Some painful part of him wanted to know.

He took a seat in the chair and clicked on the first entry within the set. He still had his vrisha translator configured to human speech which allowed him to understand. She talked about her frustration of having to go down into the station and her apprehension to work near him. No surprise. He clicked on the next and found her less upset but still nervous. He clicked on the next, watching each one from start to finish. Each entry talked about him not in a fearful or hateful manner like he expected, but with excited hope. In one, she even stated how she wanted to stay on and help him, with no mention of sneaking a device onto his ship.

There was no false air in her talk, and it confused him. Why would she make the entries without stating her true intentions? Each one confessed her eagerness to be near him. To learn of him. By Rikasha, in the second to last entry, she even confessed how amazing it had been to lie with him and how she was going to miss him. It all made no sense.

She acted as if she truly cared for him, was happy even in these private moments. Then why, why would she betray him?

Frustrated, he rose from the seat to leave. But there was one last entry left. He hesitated, then sat back down and clicked on the entry.

"Day 447 in Greenloch, Oceanus. The date is November 5th, 2181," Grace began. "I only have a few minutes for this as Xora is getting the ship ready for our journey to Dr. Monicru's base. I know I just made one of these recently, but I wanted to make another in case we somehow find ourselves in a bad way, like being eaten by a leviathan or something. Xora says that won’t be a problem, but he's never seen one of those monstrosities. Course, neither have I, at least not with my own two eyes. But I've seen video feeds from the lower rigs, and the shadows alone are nothing to scoff at...anyway. I, um...I guess, in case I'm a total wuss, I just wanted to put it out there now...I'm going to ask Xora to take me with him when he goes. Another crazy idea from yours truly." She laughed. "I don't know how it will work out, but I have to try. I at least have to know how he really feels because...I know how I feel now. It isn't a 'what if' for me or a 'maybe.' I feel like my heart is going to burst out of my chest any moment. Funny, I thought I'd felt love before when I was in third grade and the neighbor kid, Trevor, gave me a silkflower weed for my birthday. Boy, was I a silly girl. In all seriousness, I've never felt this way, not for anyone. And if he tells me no and leaves me behind, I know I'm going to be crushed into a million pieces. But I won't regret a thing between us." She laughed again, a sadder laugh this time. "And I won't be bitter. Even those stupid military guys can tell me how much of a fool I was for not spying on him and taking the easy way. I don't care. If I were given the choice of a do-over, I still wouldn't betray him. I couldn't bring myself to hurt him. And if it's logic that must separate us, then so be it. I'll love him all the same."

The entry stopped, and Xora sat there in stunned silence, hardly moving or breathing.

She loved him.

After a long, thoughtless moment of disbelief, his mind finally started to turn over memories from hours ago.

Grace's face had been shocked and devastated when the human soldiers had come to imprison him. In his rage, he had ignored her pleading words as the soldiers pointed their guns at him to attack. She had tried to tell him, but he hadn't listened, hadn't believed her. Now, the evidence was before him in her own private confession.

He really was an utter fool.

Adrenaline kicked in to his blood stream in a rush of fire, and his mind became acutely aware of his surroundings, his mind clearing of all matters except one. He leapt from the chair and flew out of the room. He rushed down the hallway and through the warehouse, then stopped as he saw the Black Gills waiting by the droppool doors. They turned as he approached.

"It's secured inside," their leader said. "Our ship will follow you out of the city."

Xora didn't say anything. They could follow all they liked under the water, but they couldn't follow him into space. He started to move past when the Black Gill leader got in his way.

"I am coming with you," he said.

"There's no room," Xora said.

"I will manage. The queen expects me to join you." He unclipped his gun. "Besides, I don't trust you. You hurt a lot of my men back at the emerald sector. I would kill you where you stand, but I have sworn myself to the queen and am willing to forgive so long as I see that the resource is taken to where it belongs."

Xora looked down at him, then at the others who had made a neat circle around him.

"So we will go together." He raised his gun.

Xora didn't move. He was sick of having a gun in his face. And he was running out of time. His logical brain told him to just comply. Let the man sit by the tank, and he would deal with him when they were out of the station. Then deal with the ship that followed him after.

But he was a stubborn, impatient bastard.

Xora whipped his tail around, slamming it into the chest of one of the men behind him. In the same moment, he clocked the leader in the head with the mender. His gun went off, barely missing Xora's shoulder. Xora ripped it from him and swung it around, smashing it into the face of another man beside him. Guns were drawn, as expected. Xora slashed another with his tail before a flash of white-hot fire from the guns hit him in the side and in the shoulder. The burns singed his suit, shocking him like lightning. The adrenaline kept him from blacking out from the pain. His thick skin, along with the suit, kept the rounds from piercing farther into his muscle and bone. He sliced into another man's throat and took fire at his back before stabbing the end of his tail into the attacker from behind.

The leader staggered to his feet and took out a dark blade. He threw it, hitting Xora's thigh as Xora charged him. Xora grabbed ahold of the leader's throat, bringing him off the ground. The Black Gill tried to kick at him before Xora snapped his neck. He fell in a heap at Xora’s feet.

The several others that were left, he cut down despite taking another few rounds of fire to his chest. The pain numbed him, but he didn't falter. When the men were scattered around him, Xora picked up his mender from where he had dropped it and stepped over them, making his way into the droppool. He dropped into his ship and took his seat, closing the door above.

He started the controls and was ready to leave. Only he found he couldn't. Because he didn't know where to go.

He had no clue as to where they would have taken Grace or how he could find her. He had a map of the ocean but not of the city itself or which buildings were where. He didn't even know which building the Black Gills had freed him from and where it might be located. He had become so blinded in his now personal mission to find Grace, he hadn't thought of the how. Growling in annoyance, Xora pushed out of his chair and opened the door back up above. He climbed out and stepped around the fallen men to head through the warehouse. There was a map in one of the offices. Or he could use Grace's computer to locate possible places she could have been taken.

As he passed out of the warehouse, he heard movement in the lab. Another Black Gill. Possibly one that might have remained on their ship. He started for the lab, preparing to strike.

As he broke into the room, Xora went to swipe at the figure standing near the passage of the hatch, then quickly aimed his hand at the wall instead, missing his target on purpose.

Because it wasn't a Black Gill.

The gyda staggered back, lifting its hands in defense. Xora recognized its coloring and markings as the same gyda Grace's friend Anne had been with. Gibon if he remembered correctly.

Xora tilted his head at him. The gyda was dripping water on the ground, and the passageway leading to the hatch was flooded with water. "Why are you here?" Xora asked.

Gibon pointed to the hatch as if he had misheard him. He had on a translator, but it clearly wasn't programmed to understand or translate vrishan.

Xora really didn't have time for this. "I need to go. I need to find Grace." He didn't know why he bothered explaining. He went to turn away, to ignore the strange gyda, when Gibon tapped his shoulder.

"Grace," he said in a raspy, quiet voice.

Xora looked back at him. "Yes, Grace. I'm going to find her."

The gyda turned and pointed in one direction, back toward the surface. "Grace."

Xora beleived now he understood. "You know where she is?"

He pointed again. Xora grabbed his wrist to get him to look at him. "Follow me."

He led the gyda back into the living quarters and into Grace's room. He sifted through the storage space and in her desk drawers until he found her old translator. He offered it to the gyda, who took it, replacing it with the one he had on.

"Where is Grace?" Xora asked again as Gibon adjusted the translator.

" Z43. Security building," he said at last. "I will show you."

They got back into Xora's ship, Gibon standing behind the pilot seat holding on to the back. Xora closed the door once more and steered the ship away. As Xora drove away from the station, he could see the lights fading to nothing in the deep dark.

"I told Anne I had seen Grace being escorted by soldiers," Gibon said softly behind him. "She became extremely worried and tried to call, but there had been no answer. She implored me to find you."

"I'm glad you did," Xora said with honesty.

"The city is under attack," Gibon informed him. "The Black Gills have struck hard; many buildings have been destroyed or taken under their control. They have not hit the west side yet, where I currently reside. Anne is safe there for now. Soldiers are keeping them back, but it is only a matter of time..."

"I know," Xora said, his hands clenching tighter on the steering controls.

"They will be taking ships out to send workers and citizens to the next city over—Marshgate. We will want to leave soon. If you can find Grace..."

"I will," Xora promised. Whether she was imprisoned or hiding, he would get her back.

"The security headquarters is just beyond the main building, L34. Follow the tracks East from L34, and it will take you right to security. The building is likely in bad shape. That is where the Black Gills attacked first."

So he had been in the same building as Grace. And he'd seen the destruction the Black Gills had caused to free him. He cursed, thinking of the worst scenario possible. If she was dead, he would never forgive himself.

"I will drop you off nearby. Think you can make it back on your own?" Xora asked.

"That will work. I'll swim back," Gibon assured him. "If you find Grace, make your way to M29 just on the edge of the city, up to level three. My apartment is 509. Me and Anne will wait as long as we can."

Xora turned off the ship's lights as they came close to a large building that Gibon claimed to be L34 and saw Black Gill ships hovering over them. He kept the ship low to the ground, taking a route toward a rig close by that looked abandoned. Once he docked and connected the ship to the building, he opened up the doors, and Gibon carefully climbed out.

"Good luck to you," Gibon said.

"You as well," Xora replied.

The gyda disappeared, and Xora closed the doors. He disconnected from the building, then steered slowly on toward L34.

As he passed the large facility, he could see several glass walls caved in, a few tunnelways broken. The lights were out on one side, and in the places where water had not yet seeped in, several rooms within were on fire. In others, there were flashes of blue light from electrical breaks. Black Gill ships hovered around near the top. Xora passed them with care. He headed onward through the dark, following the lights of the train car tracks until he spotted the next building beyond.

As the security headquarters came into view, the building looked as bad if not worse than L34. There were fires in the rooms not yet taken by water and electric breaks on several floors. Nearly all the lights were out, and the train car docked at the front was crushed and bent, halfway off the track. One chunk of the building was gone where the ships had blasted away a hole.

Somewhere inside, Grace was trapped if she hadn't already drowned.

Xora refused to believe it. She had to still be alive. The building might collapse or implode on itself at any time, but he wasn't going to leave her behind.

He steered the ship toward the building and looked for a place to enter. There was no real safe spot to dock, but he had to risk it. He connected the ship to an emergency hatch and turned down the power, putting up the ship's shields just out of precaution. He then wrenched open the hatch door and made his way inside.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

GRACE

The water had risen fast. Dark and murky, it frothed and weaved through the bars, a cold death filling the room, creeping up her body. Grace clung to the top of the cell, face pressed close to the cold bars. Soaked and shivering, she held on with what little strength she had left. The water was only a few feet from covering the top. She kicked her legs as she tried to keep herself afloat. Pieces of metal chairs and other objects stuck to the door, crushed under the weight of the water. Grace took deep breaths and closed her eyes, desperately trying to keep herself calm, waiting for the water to rise past the bars and drown her.

She just wanted it over. The slow death was excruciating. The icy cold of the water chilled her bones, made her feel tired. She wanted to just let go, to let herself fall into the murky pool around her and let it end. But each time she considered giving up, a new resilience overtook her. She had to survive for as long as possible. Even if the hope of rescue was all but gone. She just wanted a few more moments to remember what her life had been and how she had gotten to where she was now. She thought of the mountains, of the warm earth. She'd never feel the solid ground beneath her again. She didn't want to feel nothing.

She hated the idea of being forever imprisoned in a watery grave. If she could at least free herself, her body could eventually make its way to the open ocean where the murza could pick at her bones. She'd take that over being stuck in a cage, floating around until maybe someone came and found her skeleton.

The water was inching up closer, beginning to cover her shoulders.

"Help, please!" she screamed. Her last effort to call to anyone. A useless act. She let out a quiet sob, her hands tightening around the bars.

No one was coming. Even if someone heard her, the building was filling up too fast. And judging by the explosions she'd heard before and the fact water had gotten in at all, even past the metal shields, meant they were likely under attack. Anyone who was around wouldn't be someone who cared to help her.

Grace closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself again. She thought about her old home, living with Grandma and her brother. She remembered on rainy days her grandma liked to play the piano and sing slow songs. She didn't know why she was thinking of it now, but it was a happy memory, watching her play and hearing her sing. She could have heard her grandma sing for hours.

Grace licked her lips and began to hum one of Grandma's songs. It calmed her down some, so she kept on humming. Then she started to sing what she could remember, focusing on the words. Her voice shook, but that didn't matter. She just kept singing the words. Singing till her last breath. The water was to her neck now, tickling the back of her ears. She kept on singing, louder now, letting her voice fill her ears instead of the rush of water.

She heard a great splashing nearby but didn't think anything of it. She just kept belting out Grandma's song. She heard the door to the room give and expected the water had finally pushed it back.

Her cage rattled, but it must be from more debris hitting against the door.

"Grace."

Her eyes shot open. She looked over to the door and saw Xora. She let out a whimpering sob, uncertain if she felt relief or terror. Her mind already in panic mode, the first crazy thing she thought was that he had come all this way just to kill her. She pushed herself to the back of the cell as he tugged at the bars.

"Grace, I'm going to get you out." He shook the bars of her door. "Just hold still."

Her mind started to settle back into more logical thinking. He was really here. Really here to help her.

Xora shoved the debris and piles of metal out of the way of the door, then went for the lock. Grace kept her head up as her eyes, wild and afraid, watched and waited.

"It won't open without a key," Grace said in a quivering voice. "Maybe the desk, under the water..."

Xora looked around the room, then dove down. She waited a moment longer, the water beginning to pass her ears. Her heart raced as her breath quickened.

Xora came back up empty-handed. "There's nothing." He looked around again. "I'll be right back, Grace, I promise."

Grace couldn't even reply, though she wanted to call out to him not to leave her. He slipped away out of the room, and she could hear nothing but a dull roar as the water passed her ears. She crushed her face against the bars until it hurt.

It seemed like an eternity before she felt the pull of the door and the shake of metal. The cell vibrated. She took a few more breaths until she couldn't take any more. She let herself float down and opened her eyes to see the blurred shape of Xora, bending and breaking the bars with a large wrench-like tool in order to make a hole big enough for her to slip through. When he had broken a few of the bars, he reached out toward her. Grace swam for him and grabbed his hand. As he attempted to pull her through, she kicked her legs out, fighting the rush of water. The space was narrow, almost too narrow, and she felt the sharp bars scrape against her, ripping her uniform. Stuck, for a moment, she panicked and twisted. Xora tugged at her clothing, tearing it. Grace kicked out again, her leg pressing against a sharp piece of metal. She felt a burning pain as she freed herself from the cell, Xora taking hold of her arms to lift her head out of the water.

She gasped, taking a deep breath, then threw her arms around Xora's neck. Another sob escaped her as she clung to him. His arms went under her as he lifted her, cradling her against his chest.

"I've got you, Grace." His hold tightened around her. He swam toward the door, and Grace was astounded he was strong enough to carry her and face the current. He carried her through the door and out into the darkened passage. Lights flickered overhead, and Grace could hear the sizzling of electricity.

"Xora," she said nervously, his name a comfort on her lips.

"Hold on," he answered. He slipped past a pile of furniture that had barricaded a room and half the passage. Ahead was another blockade, this time of a large vent and piles of cement and steel. There was a narrow opening at the top, and he aided Grace in climbing over. She crawled till she made it to the end, then she looked back and saw Xora following close behind her.

The building shook, and Grace yelped. She slid down the other side, landing on her feet. The building shook again, and she toppled to the ground, hitting her knee against a piece of broken ceiling. She cursed and carefully stood up, pain shooting up her leg. Xora slipped out from the blockade and landed beside her. He lifted her up without a word and began to carry her on. It was shallower on the other side as the blockade had kept some of the water back. Xora waded through the water, heading toward the end of the passage and a set of stairs.

Grace clasped the back of his neck, gripping one of his spikes. "I didn't do it," she said in a shaky voice. "I didn't...spy on you, Xora...I swear."

"I know," he replied. He glanced down at her and brushed away her damp hair with his chin as he nuzzled her forehead. "I know. I'm sorry I doubted you."

Grace sighed. "It's okay...you’re not really in league with that queen, are you?"

"No."

She closed her eyes, burying her face in his shoulder. She felt the warmth of his skin even through his battered suit. He was really there. She wasn't dreaming or dead. He had really come for her.

He came to the stairs and took them two at a time. A fire crackled along one side of the stairs, and he leapt over it. He stepped over the landing, then started down another hallway.

"I knew that video had to be fake," she said after a while. "I knew it couldn’t be real."

Xora didn't say anything for a long time. When they came to a set of doors, he kicked them open, taking them through to another passage. "It was real," he said.

She lifted her eyes to him, confused. "What?"

"The footage was real. I did speak to the queen."

"Oh." She hardly kept the hurt and shock from her voice.

"She offered me something I had wanted in exchange for the crystals. But in the end, I denied her."

"What did you want?"

"To be made predomis."

Grace remembered then the queen's words. She said she would make him her predomis. The queen's guardian.

"It was what I was truly meant to become," he continued as he bent his head and crouched down to pass under a broken light fixture. There was a rush of water, and Xora was forced to quicken his pace. The building shook again, and there was a loud crash behind them. No longer having time to pry him further for the truth, Grace clung tighter to him as he raced down the hall. They came into an open foyer, and Xora turned down a hallway to the left. He raced down a short way, then took a sharp turn into a large room with a central terminal sporting several monitors, none of which were working. One computer was on fire as Xora flew by, taking them through to a short, narrow path. At the end was a ladder and above it, a hatch. He set her down and climbed up to open it. As she waited below, there was another deafening crash. Grace nearly fell off her feet as water started rushing down the way.

He flung the door open, then came down for her as water spilled around her legs. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing her against him, then he started to climb.

They entered into his ship, and Xora closed the door, sealing it tight. Grace shook with cold and shock despite her relief at being out of the building which, by the sound of groaning metal and falling rubble, meant it was breaking apart. The ship trembled as Xora took a seat. He gestured for Grace to come and sit on his lap, and she did. He started the controls, then unlatched the ship from the building. There was a sharp pounding above from something falling on the roof, and beyond the ship's window was nothing but bubbles and cloudy water. Xora backed the ship away as part of the building slowly fell and dropped in front of them. He turned the ship as a piece of wall hit the siding, then he threw on the thrusters. The ship lurched ahead and sped away, leaving the fallen building behind.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

GRACE

They sped onward through the deep dark, passing by other stations and rigs that were abandoned in the attack or nearly destroyed. As Xora spotted several Black Gill ships ahead, he slowed and lowered his lights. They seemed to be gathering close to the west end of the city now, where the military ships were holding them back. Xora kept a wide distance, turning the ship more north. He asked her where M29 was, and she said it was a little past the emerald sector by the red reef which she pointed to on his map. He drove the ship closer to the surface, then made his way farther west before turning south.

"Why are we going to M29?" she asked.

"It is where your friend waits," he answered.

"Anne?"

"Yes."

She hesitated before saying more. As much as she cared to see her friend, a part of her just wanted to get off the planet with Xora and never return. "Can't we just go? We have the tank."

"You're in no condition to travel space, and I don't have the medical supplies to heal you. Going into space would be too shocking, and the trip we would need to take is not a short one."

Grace started to protest when she felt a stabbing pain in her leg. She looked down and saw her pants were torn and she was bleeding. She'd cut herself pretty badly when escaping her cell. Her knee was stiff with pain too. Her uniform was a mess. She was cold and wet and had no dry clothes.

"I guess you’re right," she mumbled. She was tired too. Exhausted, really. But still, a part of her wanted to risk the trip.

She knew she likely wouldn't be able to change Xora's mind, so she remained quiet as they snuck by the emerald sector, then slowly dropped down near the red reef. M29 was located on the edge of the reef. Xora brought the ship around to the back and found a place to dock.

He carried her out, and they were met with groups of workers and citizens all huddling around a lounge, waiting in hopes to leave the city. They stepped aside to let them through, their eyes following them, stunned. Xora took her up a set of stairs to the third floor, then down the hall to door 509. He rapped on the door with his tail, and they waited. The door flew open, and Anne gave a cry of relief before flinging herself at Grace, trying to embrace her despite still being in Xora's arms.

"Oh, my god, Grace, you're alive!"

Grace lay in a spare bed within Gibon's apartment, clean and clothed, fed, and patched up thanks to Anne's efforts and Gibon's hospitality. Xora too had washed his suit to the best of his ability, though it would need mending. He cleaned his wounds as well, explaining to Grace about his fight with the Black Gills before coming to rescue her. She worried for him, but her concern was unnecessary. He was better off than she was. She lay on the bed on the brink of sleep, her leg stiff despite being treated. He stayed with her, but she could see he was restless. Gibon had stayed up to date on the attack, and the Black Gills were still laying siege to the city. They had taken over the market sector and part of the supply sector and destroyed the better half of the working sector. The city was likely going to be theirs. The military was still fighting them off, but many citizens had already fled. Those who stayed were mainly businessmen and workers still desperate to keep their jobs.

Grace knew Xora worried not just about the invaders but about the military too. He was still considered a wanted criminal. She hadn't seen Myers or Reed since she'd been imprisoned and she had a feeling they had gotten swept up in the battle or possibly even killed. No one was looking for him. Yet. But they would know he was out, and when they had the chance, they would start looking. He couldn't afford to get arrested a second time, though she suspected he wouldn't allow them to get another chance. Still, the ship was vulnerable where it was, and someone who knew about his arrest would say something. They would need to leave soon.

For now, she was allowed some time to rest. As Anne and Gibon watched the news in the living room, Xora sat beside Grace, holding her hand. He caressed her palm with his thumb as she watched him while he stared out a rounded window beside the bed.

"You really were meant to be a predomis, weren't you?" Grace said.

Xora looked down at her, surprised. "Yes."

"It makes sense. You're probably the most badass person I'll ever know."

He smiled, then hissed with laughter.

"But you said they would make you a warrior under a queen's predomis instead." Grace shifted to lie on her side. "Why?"

Xora didn't say anything for a long time, and she thought maybe he never would. She considered letting it go when eventually he answered, "I was primed to become predomis on my last mission. If I were to succeed, the council would grant me the rank. My mission was to rescue a group of young scouts and their crew of dirra who had been trapped by a barbaric warlord on a desolate planet far away. The warlord was a ruthless tyrant. I had several other warriors under my command to aid me and was confident we could slip easily into his stronghold and get the group out. As we snuck inside, we found he had separated them. We found the dirra first and got them out. They were badly wounded where the warlord had tortured them." Xora's hand tightened around hers. "Despite a vrisha's durability and strength, some would be disabled for life. Their tails had been cut off, horns as well. Some even lost an arm or leg. I was...enraged. The warlord knew of our rescue and taunted me and the others. Despite my fury, I focused solely on getting the scouts out as well, knowing full well he was torturing them too. I planned out another rescue and used a surprise attack along with a distraction to free them successfully." Xora bent his head low, his eyes darkening. "The mission was considered complete, despite the scouts being in the same shape as their crew. But I wanted revenge." His voice lowered to almost a growl. "I wanted his head."

Grace studied him, seeing the glow of anger in his eyes. She let him continue without a word.

"The scouts warned me not to try it. That he had traps lying in wait. But all I saw was vengeance. He had disrespected the vrisha race, and I wanted him to pay. I called upon my pack, and they followed me. They too were angered, I knew. But some worried of the risk and wanted to wait a little longer, to see if killing him was worth trying. I didn't want to wait. We went into his territory and found him in a set of caves." His eyes turned from anger to sadness. "We went for the attack and that's when...when the bombs went off." Xora shut his eyes as if recalling the memory. "Some of the warriors perished right away, being crushed underneath. Some were badly wounded, but I told them to press on. We slaughtered his men, and I took his head just like I had wanted. But not without a price." He opened his eyes and stared back at the window. "The council deemed my actions reckless and held me responsible for the warriors’ deaths. I couldn't disagree. Through my anger and selfish pride, I had made a grave mistake. And so I took my punishment without complaint. I was stripped of my rank and placed on a working world until they considered offering me back the status of warrior and would allow me to return if I completed this mission. I may not be a predomis, but I can be a fighter." He looked to her, lifting his other hand up to brush his knuckles over her cheek. "And I have someone to protect. That is enough for me now."

Grace smiled, then tugged him down to place her mouth to his, kissing him deep. As they broke away, she traced her fingers against his jaw.

"You chose to save me instead of being with the mad queen. What made you change your mind?"

"I never had a change of mind. Whatever temptation I felt, it was insignificant and short-lived. I never wanted to be with her," Xora corrected. "But after I returned for my ship, I saw your journal entries. I watched them. And heard your confession."

Grace felt her face grow hot. "Oh."

He pressed his forehead to hers, drawing a line with his finger along her throat. "I heard everything," he said. "And knew then and there I felt the same. I might not be able to make you my queen. But you are my mate, Grace. You are mine in every way."

Grace inhaled a sharp breath as his mouth came back down to hers. They kissed long and deep, Xora grazing his mouth down her jaw, then across her neck, biting down gently. Grace moaned and smiled, feeling like she could float.

Anne came into the room. "They are coming," she said nervously. "Me and Gibon are packing now. The military can't hold much longer, and the last of the ships are going to head out soon."

Grace looked over at her and nodded. "Okay, we will get ready then too."

They made their way down to the level where everyone was waiting in the lounge. Xora carried Grace while Gibon held Anne's hand, leading them through the crowd. People parted like the red sea, watching them in stunned silence. Several backed away and yelped when they spotted Xora. Ignoring them, he placed Grace down on a seat nearby while Anne stood beside her.

"I will be right back," Xora said. "I will get the ship ready."

"Don't be long," she said, taking his hand and squeezing it before letting go, then watching him slip through the crowd.

"Last ship leaving in fifteen," called a crewman from one of the entryways leading to the docks at the other side of the room.

Anne took Grace's hand in hers and faced her. Grace could see her eyes shining with tears.

"Oh, Grace, I wish all the best for you."

Grace smiled. "You as well, Anne."

Anne bent down, and they embraced. When they broke away, Anne smiled back at her. "You promise to keep in touch."

"Of course, I promise."

"There you are, Anne! I've been looking all over for—"

Anne twisted around, and Bri stopped dead before them. Her eyes locked with Grace's, and, for the first time, Grace saw her face twist into an ugly scowl.

"What is she doing here? She's supposed to be in jail." Bri moved toward Anne to tug her away. "Anne, stay away, she's a criminal! She and the vrisha are looking to kill all of us."

Anne pulled her hand away. "What are you talking about, Bri?"

"She helped that vrisha who’s working for the mad queen. I found out myself. Kristoff had her fired right on the spot when he found out, and the soldiers took her in. She confessed it all. I was there." Her blank eyes sparked for once with emotion. "I'm going to get someone. There are guards somewhere, I'm sure. I'll inform them."

"Not so fast, Bri," Grace called. She rose from her seat, making sure not to put too much weight on her one leg. "You can forget getting me arrested again. We are leaving."

She scoffed. "No. You’re not. You're wanted criminals."

"Why are you still here? I thought you'd be long gone with the ticket and the money you took once you framed me."

Her face turned red. "I was packing when the attacks came. I had no choice but to come here," she hissed. "And I didn't frame you. You're a liar."

"Why else would you put the recorder in Xora's ship?" Grace snapped. "You knew about the reward they would give if you did it. I know you overheard me talking to Anne about it."

"You’re an idiot for giving up the opportunity. I needed that money more than you," she blurted out. "You're just selfish, Grace. And I know I saw you helping the vrisha. You’re against us all." Her voice rose, and people turned their heads to look at them. "I'm calling the guards and you can rot—" Bri turned around and screamed as she nearly ran into Xora from behind. He growled and snapped his teeth at her, and she backed away, almost stepping on Grace's feet, tugging Anne to her as if to use her as a human shield.

"What the hell!" Anne cried, tugging out of Bri's grip.

Grace took hold of Bri's shoulder. "Enough of this." She twisted Bri around, then punched her square in the face. Blood gushed from Bri's nose, and she dropped to the ground. "That's for getting me and Xora imprisoned!"

Bri groaned in pain, holding her nose, which was likely broken.

Xora stepped over her and picked Grace up. Anne passed Bri by. "Serves you right," she scolded.

They moved around the crowd then stopped at the entrance that would take them down to Xora's ship. Anne embraced her awkwardly one last time, and, balancing Grace in one arm, Xora shook Gibon's hand, thanking him.

"Call me as soon as you get to wherever you are," Anne said. They waved goodbye as Xora turned away. From over his shoulder, Grace saw Anne take Gibon's hand as they disappeared, making their way to the last ship out to Marshgate.

Xora entered the ship and set her down, then closed and locked the door. He started the engines and controls, then set her on his lap. "When this starts to get too uncomfortable," he said, "I think there is a groundmat in the back. It's not the softest, but you should be able to sleep all right on it."

Grace snuggled into him, relishing in his warmth. "I think I'll be just fine."

They started off, Xora driving through the water, gaining speed before he began to ascend toward the surface. There was a sliver of light falling through the top, and when they finally broke through, Grace got a look at the sun for the first time in months, fading in the distance. The ship flew higher until it grew dark again, and the shine of stars was like the glow of ghost tongue in the deep sea.

Grace slept for what felt like days, curled up still in Xora's lap. She only awoke when Xora touched at her arm, shaking it gently.

"We’re nearly to a stopping point," he said.

Grace sat up, rubbing her eyes. "How long has it been?"

"By Oceanus time, fourteen hours," he said. "We will make a stop at a neutral base planet before continuing on."

Grace shifted in his lap to peer out at deep space. How bizarre it was to see hardly anything at all. When she had transferred to Oceanus, she had been put to sleep and barely remembered the experience. They said it had taken a week. It was astounding that Xora's small ship was faster than a larger human vessel. They still had a lot of catching up to do.

She sat quietly for a little while, just watching bits of light pass over the window every so often. She glanced down at Xora's controls and the dash full of odd symbols and images, one being of a planet with blue and brown coloring. Their stopping point, she assumed.

As they grew closer, Xora began to slow until eventually a planet just like the image on the dash came into view. Grace watched in fascination as the world grew bigger, expanding before them, until they were in its atmosphere and making their descent. The landing was smooth and quick, and as soon as the ship was securely on the ground, Xora was powering it down. Grace jumped from his lap and waited as he opened the door. Dust and dirt blew up at them, and the light nearly blinded her. Xora jumped out first, looking around, then he turned back to help Grace down.

As her feet met the ground, Grace stood there for a moment taking in the sight of dirt and sand and the scent of earth around her. She could hardly believe it. She walked out from under the ship and into the light and was happy to find there wasn't a drop of water in sight. The planet was a sort of dry, savanna terrain, or at least in the region they had stopped in. From the scent of the air, Grace suspected it might be terraformed. But it was still better than being underwater.

Ahead was a small hub. There were several other ships of various makes and sizes and otherkin standing around them. One came over, a lygin, and asked in xolian if Xora needed refueling. Xora responded back, and the lygin bowed his head before turning away.

Grace walked around as Xora went to gather a few supplies at the hub. She explored the site, kicking up dirt and grabbing a handful of sand to let it spill from her fingers. She relished in the warmth of the sun and picked at a native plant that reminded her of a silkflower as she sat near the ship, waiting. When Xora returned, he gave her a small metal box and a canteen. When she opened the box, she found small packs of food inside.

"You'll likely not care for what I have on the ship," he said. "The bottle is fresh water."

Grace opened the top and took a sip. "Thank you."

Xora stood watching her for a moment, his tail flicking behind him. "I am going to call on the council to let them know I have the ulimir and am requesting a return home. If you want to wait outside..."

Grace stood up to face him. "I'd like to join you if that's all right?" She knew, despite Xora claiming her to be his mate, the council still might say no to her returning with him and that he would have to make another stop somewhere else to drop her off. It made her chest ache at the thought, but she wanted to hear it from them. After that, she and Xora could plan where to take her. She still had the pearls tucked away in the supply storage and there would likely be a bigger port somewhere else where she could stay a while until he could come get her. Even if the council didn't say no right away, it was assumed they would have to talk it over first. Either way, she did not expect to be welcomed on Tryth with Xora's return.

Xora cupped his hand behind her neck and pulled her to him, nuzzling her head. "All right." He led her back to the ship. Once inside, he sat in his chair, and Grace took a position behind him, resting her hand on his shoulder. He tapped through the controls on his dash until a screen appeared, covering the window before them. There was a blinking light and the sound of a low buzzing before the screen turned from a blank gray to the image of a low-lit chamber and several vrisha sitting in a half circle before a small fire.

"Xora," said one, a slender vrisha, with gold beads along their horns and shoulders.

"Queen Shira." Xora bowed his head.

"I take it your mission was a success."

"It was."

"I'm glad to hear it." Her eyes narrowed as she glanced around at Grace. "What is a human doing with you?"

Grace's hand tightened on his shoulder. She was curious how he would respond.

"This is my mate, Grace," he said without hesitation.

The queen and the others around her grew still.

"Your mate..."

"I plan to enact the ritual when I return," he explained. "But I have chosen her as my own."

"I see." The queen sat rigid, her tail swaying to one side.

"I would have her return with me to Tryth after I have been sworn into Queen Matis' guard under her predomis, Axus."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," she replied.

Xora went still, and Grace held her breath, her heart already beginning to sink at the inevitable rejection.

"Why?" he asked. "I have deemed her of worth. She helped me in my mission—"

"It has nothing to do with her," the queen said. "It is not possible for you to return to take your oath."

Xora's hands tightened on the arms of his chair. "Why?"

"I'm afraid Queen Matis has been placed in the underkeep and will remain imprisoned there for the rest of her years."

Xora's eyes widened. "On what grounds?"

"Informants have discovered her allegiance with the mad queen. Her predomis is missing as we speak." Queen Shira's sharp eyes glared at him. "And I am told the mad queen contacted you as well."

"She did," Xora said honestly. "I denied her."

"So I heard also." Queen Shira rose from her seat. "You made a wise decision. Unfortunately, with Queen Matis no longer able to take any warriors, you cannot be sworn as one to her. A new queen, however, will take over her haven. I had thought to have you swear to her instead, but now that I see you have already chosen a mate..."

Grace glanced at Xora nervously. He did not look back at her as he said, "I have."

"So be it," said the queen. "There is another option. I didn't think you would be interested, seeing as I had known you to be indifferent to humans and the alliance...but I take it that has changed now." She glanced at Grace, her eyes sparking with amusement. "As the alliance grows and we evolve together as a people, so there will be changes. I know the mad queen likely mentioned the use of the ulimir to you. But such rumors are laid with falsehoods. The crystals are to strengthen the alliance and to help fight those who oppose us. For we need all the help to hold back our enemies."

"I hope that's true," Xora said.

"Know me to be honest, warrior. We would never flee, nor would we strike those we have made a pact with. Even you should know better."

Xora bowed his head. "What is it you offer me?"

"A chance to protect those who can't fight and fight those who would harm. On the alliance's main world, Terra Centra, I ask you to go. The southern region of the planet is in need of help. The fighters there are in need of a leader. I offer you the position of commander of the alliance fighters of the southern cities."

Grace's mouth dropped open. She looked at Xora and caught him glancing back at her. She squeezed his shoulder.

The queen bent her head. "Bring the ulimir to Tryth, and we will inform those on Terra Centra of your arrival if you so choose to go."

"And Grace. She will return with me."

The queen rubbed a hand over her throat. She looked to the others, who whispered amongst themselves, then turned back to him. "She may come. So that you may enact your mating ritual. Then you will go and remain on Terra Centra for as long as you hold your position."

Xora looked to Grace, and they locked eyes. Grace shrugged and smiled. "It is your decision. Where you go, I go."

He seemed to think it over. He placed his hand against hers before turning back to the queen and bowing his head. "I accept."

EPILOGUE

Xora

The planet was warm and bright. A soft breeze swept over the grassy meadow, making the long weeds sway. A weak storm passed in the distance, clinging along the side of a great mountain peak covered in snow. Below its shadow near a wide river, a small city teemed with life. Ships came and went, some taking to the sky, others floating across the river.

Xora stepped out of his own ship sitting on a landing pad placed on a hillside looking down at the city. Narrow steps made a path up the high hill and down it as well. All along the side, houses sat, lights casting out from windows. He crossed the landing pad, then stopped to look down at the city. He could see his base just along the river to one side, a little farther north.

He started up one of the stairs toward a lone house farther up the hillside. It was not like the homes he was used to on Tryth, but it was close enough. He could see the terrace hanging to one side and the domed top at the back. He shivered in anticipation as he climbed the steps.

Something rushed by him. He felt the wind whip against his horns. He stopped and looked up and saw a small jetdrone turning to face him. The drone dipped its nose as if it were bowing to him, then did a little twirl in the air.

Show off.

Xora huffed and kept on walking, unable to keep the smile from his face. His tail flicked back and forth as he took long strides up to the top. The drone followed him, dancing and flipping in the air, passing by him, then flying up and away.

When he came to the landing, he started across a small meadow leading to the house. Lying on a blanket to one side was Grace with a control pad in her hand. The drone flew back down and stopped just beside her, floating in the air. She sat up and grinned at him. "What do you think?"

"I think if they get any bigger, you'll be able to sit on one and fly away." He came to stand beside her.

"Don't tempt me."

"What's this one's name?"

"Fox Two."

"Fitting. He moves almost the same," Xora said.

"Better when it’s in the air instead of water. I'll be able to keep up with your ship now." She stood up and reached up to kiss him.

"How are your lessons going?” he asked, brushing his mouth against hers.

"The instructor says I fly like I've done it before. No surprise."

"You'll be piloting one of my ships in no time." He brushed his knuckle over her cheek.

"Like that one?" she pointed to the ship he had stepped out of some ways down.

He smiled. "Maybe."

"I might not be able to fight, but I'm your mate, so I want in on missions too," she said, following him toward the house.

"And you will be."

"Anne called me, by the way. She and Gibon are moving to a new city. Still on Oceanus but a much nicer area."

"She got the pearl you sent, I take it?"

Grace smiled. "She did. You can imagine her reaction." Grace stopped him with her hand, turning him toward her. "You swear I can help when I'm ready?"

"I swear it," Xora said. "Just like on Oceanus. You'll be safe but still at my side."

"I think Fox Two is more than ready."

Xora glanced up at the drone floating over his head. "Tomorrow, then."

Grace's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes."

She threw her arms around him, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, nuzzling the top of her head. She drew back to look up at him with a grin. "I fixed you something. A little gift from Anne in exchange for the pearl, I assume." She tugged at him. "Come on."

He followed her into the house. The place was dark and wonderfully warm, just how he liked. A fire glowed softly in their center room, and a housekin bowed from the kitchen as they passed. They crossed to the terrace, and Xora stopped to find a groundmat placed with plates of food set aside. Smoked fish and wine.

"A little something to remember Oceanus by. The good parts, at least," Grace said.

Xora brought Grace to him, bending his head to kiss her throat. "Only the good parts."

A breeze picked up, and the smell of earth and Grace's scent mingled together. Beyond the terrace, the lights of the city glowed, and the storm passed the mountain. The river was calm and beyond it was nothing but wilderness for miles. With no ocean in sight.

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Olivia Riley loves the frightening possibilities of deep space, where dark heroes and brave heroines reside. She also loves chocolate and gaming.

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Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Epilogue

Newsletter

About the Author