He nodded. “I want to fix this.”

  Haru’s body started to shudder and shake, and Jenok checked the monitor. “She’s seizing.”

  She prepared an injector and jammed it into Haru’s neck.

  The thrashing stopped, and she slowly relaxed and slumped. Jenok wiped her brow. “That’s seven.”

  Nyik-Yosh frowned. “Seven?”

  “Major seizures. If we don’t get her in stasis while we figure this out, she has about a day left.”

  “You seem very calm about this.”

  Jenok looked at him and put all of her pain into her expression. “Is this what you want? Fuck, you are bad at reading women who have the responsibilities of a world on their shoulders.”

  He stepped back and nodded to the doctor. “Get the stasis chamber. Also, get me the medical archives. There is something that feels familiar about this.”

  Jenok frowned while the medical crew moved into action. “How do your children become full Kek?”

  “They get injections that pull out the Kek DNA, and it allows them to develop normally. The injection occurs at three years old.” He watched as the medical staff removed the bodysuit on Haru, and under the fabric was a mottling of grey and golden-green.

  “Doctor, are you seeing this?” The commander asked the physician.

  Ural-Thed stared and looked at the colouration. “I have to do some research.”

  “Fine. Get her into the pod, and we will research it.”

  Jenok watched as lines were run, and when she was ready, two men settled her daughter in the pod. Blood was replaced by the oxygenated fluid, and Haru finally relaxed.

  Jenok looked to the team. “Don’t tell anyone about this. Just pretend that she’s fine and with the commander.”

  She grabbed a chair and sat next to the chamber, and then, she let her tears fall.

  Chapter Five

  Nyik-Yosh brought up the medical archive and looked for skin mottling. There were a few conditions but not the one he was looking for. Then, he looked up rejected-mate symptoms in Kek women.

  He got some information that was useful, and then, he checked on cross-genetic transformation in half-Kek toddlers.

  He had been at this for ten hours, but he finally brought his findings to medical. The doctor was asleep at his station, and Jenok was asleep next to the pod. He walked up to the unit and pressed his hand on the small view window. “I am so sorry you are going through this, Haru-Vel.”

  “She doesn’t blame you.” A light voice spoke from behind him.

  He turned and saw a standard Myvik with Kek eyes and a solemn expression.

  “She doesn’t blame anyone, but that was never her way. She knew she was different from the time she went to school, and she never blended in after that.”

  The small woman pressed her hand against the pod and smiled sadly. “She so tired. She hurts so much.”

  “Can you hear her?”

  “Sure. My name is Crix-vah, by the way.”

  He recoiled at the name Vah. “I did not know that there was a Vah on the mission.”

  “He was in training. He was young. When my mother smiled shyly at him, he didn’t hesitate.”

  “How do you know that?”

  She looked at him and smiled. “He told me. I have been conversing with him since I was fourteen. Through me, he told Haru-vel that no living Kek would refuse or flinch from their mate, so by her logic, if you flinched, she wasn’t your mate. That was the last thing she was holding on to, and when it was snatched, she stopped fighting her body and let this take over.” Crix patted the pod. “She is worried that you are guilty for what happened. She says she understands that she wasn’t right. She’s never right.”

  “She is right. She’s the only one that has ever been right. But, what do you do when you get everything you ever dreamed of and can’t believe your luck? In my case, make a joke and drive her away.”

  “She was already half-dead and frantically trying to get some contact with you to keep her tethered. She is very sorry for the attack on you.” Crix smiled. “She isn’t subtle.”

  “But she is strong. What did she want from me?”

  “She has no idea, but having sex with you was life or death.”

  “So, you are reading her thoughts?”

  “Of course. I have been in her mind since we met.”

  “You look Myvik.”

  “Yeah. But the gold eyes are a giveaway. The guess is that the guys weren’t trying to link to our mothers. They just wanted the recreation. We were just a side effect.” She chuckled. “My father was very specific about that.”

  “Is Mentalist Vah on the way?”

  “He is on the same ship as General Vel.” She tilted her head. “They will be here in four hours.”

  Nyik blinked. “What?”

  “They learned of Haru’s condition from Jenok and took some dangerous shortcuts.” Crix looked at him. “If you would like to get some rest, I can stay in contact with her so she knows she isn’t alone.”

  Nyik scowled. “Does she feel alone a lot?”

  Crix chuckled. “Of course. She is exceptional even among the half-breeds. She went from school to the peacekeepers and spent her time in uniform breaking up fights and comforting citizens. She’s a mom to us. To the whole world, actually.” She shrugged. “Well, not anymore.”

  “What is the government position?”

  “That the blight of the Kek bloodline is gone. They thanked the altered for their service and wished them well in their future endeavours. Like it was their choice.” Crix grunted. “They are planning a memorial, so it is obvious that they don’t want them back. We just left under the request for us to join the Kek.”

  He nodded and yawned.

  “Go and sleep somewhere. I will share your findings with the good doctor.”

  He looked around and dropped onto a medical bed. “I will be here if I am needed.”

  “Good. I need you within fifty feet to get into your mind.”

  He felt the prickle of her touch on his mind, and she whistled. “You were really trying. I think you were onto something.”

  He heard her wake Ural-Thed, and they talked, and the doctor got more excited.

  Nyik was delighted that they were excited by the information he had gleaned.

  * * * *

  He felt a scowling presence over him and dodged as a hand slammed down where his head used to be. “What did you do to my daughter?” The enraged bellow rang through medical.

  “Back up, big fella. Before we go any further, we need your blood. There was a mix-up when she got boosted, and there is incompatible Kek DNA in her blood. We have the scrubber on while she is in stasis, but we need your blood to fix her.” Crix was on the general’s back with her hand to his forehead.

  “Me?”

  “Yes. She’s your daughter. She needs your blood to help her reset her system. We also need some bone marrow, but the blood will save her life right now.”

  General Vel grunted. “Where do you need me?”

  The doctor arranged a transfusion seat and hooked the general up, running the dark green line to the input in the stasis pod and hooking it up as the dark red started flowing out, and the green flowed in.

  Nyik rubbed his face. “Will that work?”

  The doctor nodded. “It should, at least to get her out of danger. From there, she needs a bone marrow match, and that is a bit more of a procedure.”

  General Vel grunted. “I will donate what she needs.”

  “General, it’s against protocol to allow you to participate in such a procedure.”

  “Uh-huh. And these bars on my tusks say that I don’t have a mate or a child when I have both. Make the arrangements, and let’s get her back on her feet.”

  “You will need a day or two to recover. Even with us pushing fluids, you are losing a lot by transfusing into Haru-vel.”

  “Do it as quickly as possible.”

  Jenok was standing nearby, and she reached out and put her hand on the general’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

  With his free hand, he covered hers. Nyik felt a pang of jealousy that they had one night three decades earlier, and they still comforted each other. He had no idea how to even start with Haru, if she even let him close again.

  General Vel asked, “How did you fuck it up, Yosh?”

  “I said something that resonated with a painful memory, and she went from playful to cold.” Nyik swallowed. “And then it got worse.”

  The blood began to emerge green, and the doctor smiled and stopped the transfusion. “Right. Now we need to wake her up and see how she feels.”

  Jenok removed the transfusion cuff from the general, and she watched while the protocol was gone through and the pod finally opened.

  Haru-Vel’s eyes slowly opened, and Nyik leaned toward her. Her smile was warm and welcoming until memory streamed in. “Oh, gods. I am sorry. I am so sorry. I won’t bother you again.”

  He reached out and took her hand. “Please, bother me. I don’t think I can breathe if you don’t bother me.”

  She lifted her chin. “Thank you for being polite, but no means no, and you said no.”

  “I never said no.” He kissed her knuckles and turned to kiss her palm. He saw the bright crescents where she had dug her nails in. “Did you hurt yourself, sweet?”

  “No. I don’t want to try touching you if you don’t want me doing it.” She glanced down and groaned. “And I look gross.”

  “The mottling is fading, sweet. General Vel has offered the marrow transplant you need. Part of your condition is due to something that happened in your alteration. You are basically having an autoimmune response.”

  “Oh.”

  He lifted her out of the pod and held her. Her mother put a blanket over her, and Haru kept herself stiff.

  The doctor walked in and disconnected the clips and tubes from her body. She didn’t even flinch.

  “We have all the samples we need. We will confirm that the bone marrow is a match, and then, we will quickly and quietly do the donation.” Dr. Ural-Thed was serious, and he muttered, “We can get into a lot of trouble if the council catches on.”

  Haru blinked. “Why? Is something wrong?”

  “General Vel is the leader of our society, and he mediates between clans. To endanger him like this would not be looked at in a favourable manner.”

  Haru muttered, “I don’t want anyone getting in trouble. I am sure I can get along the way I am.”

  Jenok walked up to her and cupped her face. “Baby, if you don’t do this, you are dead.”

  She looked to the general and asked, “How many women do the warband have that don’t and won’t take a mate?”

  “None. We let them live on worlds or stations of their choosing.”

  “Great. Fine. Fix me, and I will leave. Mom, don’t look like that. I’ll be fine. I usually am.” She smiled. “Anyone I meet won’t have the Myvik to compare me to.”

  Nyik understood with a depressing understanding. If she had a lover, it was before she finished growing. Now, she was larger than the males of her species, close to the height of the altered ones from what he had seen. He must have glowed like a dream to her. She had certainly glowed to him.

  “I watched vids of you fighting. There were broadcasts of it streaming through your satellites. I watched you take down a shuttle, rescue one of your team, and get fifty citizens to safety. You were spectacular.” He murmured it against her ear and felt her relax... for a moment. Then, she tensed up again.

  “General Vel, how many females of the Kek are allowed into combat?”

  “None. They are too precious to allow into combat.” He grunted. “We would never endanger a possibly pregnant female.”

  She cocked her head. “What about me? I doubt I will find a mate, so it would give me something to do if I could join the warband.”

  Nyik tensed. “You don’t know what you are asking. The trials...”

  She turned her head toward him, and bright gold eyes glittered at him. “Tell me more about the trials.”

  General Vel said, “No! She will not participate in the trials.”

  She turned her head. “With all due respect, I would like to be allowed to try.”

  Jenok patted her daughter’s arm. “Wait until the transplant is over.”

  Vel growled. “If she wants to run the trial, I think my marrow has better things to do.”

  Haru looked to Nyik. “Can you put me down?”

  He carefully set her on her feet, but she didn’t waver. She wrapped the blanket around her, and she shrugged. “I will head back to my quarters. Let me know if you change your mind.”

  Nyik watched her go, expecting one of the medics to stop her, but they all just stared and let her walk through, wearing a blanket.

  General Vel chuckled. “I am in the VIP quarters, I guess?”

  “Of course, General. May I go and catch your daughter before she causes a riot?”

  Jenok looked at Nyik, and she shook her head. “She won’t. There is just something about her since she turned fourteen. No one dares come near her. Well... unless it’s a dare.”

  Nyik groaned. “You have to be kidding.”

  “She’s exceptional, but she stands out. She’s used to it, but she’s been hurt a lot over the years. It just boiled over when she finally wanted someone. She hasn’t had practice playing coy or holding back.”

  General Vel grunted. “Can you, please, take custody of my daughter until we get this settled? And put a collar back on her. Why did you take it off?”

  “When she felt rejected, she broke it.”

  That got Vel’s attention. “She broke the collar?”

  “Snapped it in half and handed it to me very politely.”

  Jenok smiled. “That does sound like Haru.”

  Nyik-Yosh nodded to General Vel. “She’s quick. I had better catch up.”

  He walked through the halls and followed the stunned expressions of the crewmen who were looking toward the emergency quarters.

  He saw her sway and enter a cubby-style room that would have been fine for a standard Myvik but wasn’t sized for her. He overrode the door, and his heart broke when she lifted her head from her hands, and her face was streaked with tears. The control she pulled over her features was done with long practice.

  “This place is too small for you. I have the supply unit in my room, and you can get another boring bodysuit.” He extended his hand to her.

  She paused. “No carrying.”

  “Your feet are bare.”

  “Feet can be washed, and I know how to use your shower.”

  “Fine. No carrying.” He smiled and breathed a little easier when she slid her hand into his. She stood up, and she looked regal, even in the blanket.

  He led her out of the tiny space and said, “Did you enjoy the space?”

  “Not really, but at least when the seizures started, I wasn’t in danger of flopping around and hurting myself. There was nowhere to flop.”

  “You were conscious?”

  “Yeah. I can’t even pass out properly. I am sorry that my mom and friends read you the riot act. It isn’t your fault.” She smiled. “Glad that Crix-vah is onboard. I knew she would come.”

  “You know some interesting people.”

  “We were all schooled together. All of the half-Kek. Forty-two of us hit puberty hard. Some of us hit it harder than others. I fucking tackled it.”

  He snorted. “I do not doubt that... at all.”

  She smiled fleetingly as they got in the elevator and went up to his floor.

  “What do you do for fun?” Nyik asked casually.

  “Combat training, running, swordsmanship—”

  Of course.

  “—Luthanin dancing, Mertwin dancing, Keelo dancing.” She shrugged.

  His brain filled with a crimson rush. “You dance?”

  “Yeah. It was hard for me to adapt to the rapid growth, so Mom enrolled me in dance classes, and then, I just kept going. Any type of instruction I could get, I took. Gradually, I got control over my body.”

  “You never lose it?”

  “I have tried to... twice. The first one did it on a dare, and I hurt him accidentally, which is when it all came out.”

  “When was the second?” He suspected he knew.

  “It doesn’t matter. It was over before it started. Probably for the best.”

  “Why?”

  She snorted. “I wouldn’t want to injure you in my enthusiasm.”

  “Ah, we would have enthusiasm?”

  She flushed scarlet. “I... never mind.”

  He smiled and moved closer to her as they approached his quarters. “No, I want to know more about the enthusiasm.”

  Haru was silent.

  * * * *

  She swallowed and entered his quarters, heading to the machine and ordering a new bodysuit in black. Tears streaked her cheeks, and she moved past him quickly on her way to the shower. She got cleaned up and then tiptoed out of the bathroom, hoping that he had left to do whatever it was that he did when he wasn’t on an alien world smashing things.

  Haru snuck back to the dispenser and looked for the suit. The display said it had been delivered.

  “A black bodysuit? Really?” Nyik-Yosh was sitting there with the fabric in his hands.

  “It reminds me of my uniform. I am always better in my uniform.”

  “You’ve been crying.” He stood up and lifted her chin to make her face him.

  “Yeah, you saw that.”

  “This is recent.”

  “Give me my suit.”

  “Not until you tell me why you were crying.”

  “You are going to laugh at me,” she whispered.

  “I won’t laugh.”

  “Have you ever seen something, and you want it so bad, but you know if you reach out for it, stuff could go horribly wrong?” She shivered, “And you also have no idea about how to go about getting it.”

 

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