Cali & Drake (The Alliance Book 1) (14 page)

“Cali, wake up.”

Cali groaned and snuggled deeper into the blankets. She didn’t want to
move. The bed was so comfortable, and the covers so warm. Over the last three
days,
she had learned an appreciation for this
bed, and not just for sleeping.

“Cali. It’s important,” Drake insisted and pulled the covers down her
body.

“Drake,” she protested feebly. “Just a few more minutes.”

“I’m leaving a dress and sandals at the bottom of the
bed,
” Drake spoke softly next to her ear. “Get
up.” He smacked her bottom through the blanket.

Cali felt the answering
thill
run
down her body. His lips were so close to her neck, if she moved just a bit, he
would be caressing her. Tilting her head, she tried to get him to brush his
lips closer only to have him move away.

“We don’t have time this morning sweetheart.” Drake pulled open the
curtains by the bed and sunlight flooded the room. “I was at the Council with
my father when we heard, I have to hurry and get to Jataci.”

“Jataci.” Cali murmured sleepily. “Why do you have to go to the justice
clan?”

“Others were found and brought to the Jataci for trial.” Drake sat at the
bottom of the bed.

Others were the unaffiliated, or rogue men on the planet. Why did Drake
think she would want to see them?

“I have to go as a Renari representative to break the tie vote. I thought
you might want to join me.”

He just wanted her to come along so they’d be together. How sweet. “I’ll
take a quick shower and be right out.” Cali jumped out of bed and hurried to
the bathroom. She knew how the shower
worked
and made sure to grab a towel so she could dry off. It was going to take
getting used to, and she didn’t know if she would ever be taking a “bath” as
Drake called it.

Scrubbing her hair and body with the nice smelling soaps, Cali thought about
The Reliant
and her friends. It felt
like a lifetime ago that they had entered the Buffer Zone.

Cali rushed a comb through her hair, drew on the clothing Drake had left
and was ready ten minutes after he had woken her up.

“The pod can take us to the Teleporting Center, from there we will get a
complimentary travel pod to take us to the detention center.”

“Where are Horace and Bella?” Cali had fallen into a routine these past
few mornings. If Drake was home, they made love, showered together, ate breakfast
and then planned their day. If he was already gone, she would shower, eat and
then play with the pets. At some point during the
day,
she always made time for them and she was surprised they
weren’t waiting for her this morning. Cali looked around for them as they swept
down the entryway stairs.

“I sent them out hunting,” Drake helped her into their pod and followed.
“They’ll be home by this afternoon, I’m sure. Computer, take us to the
teleportation center.”

“Confirmed, with current traffic conditions, arrival will be
approximately fifteen minutes.”

Cali felt the pod pulling away from the driveway and pick up speed. With
the added time of travel, she assumed the teleportation
center
must be outside of Renari. Taking her mind off the passing
terrain, she turned to Drake.

“Why are the strangers that were found being held in Jataci detention
cells?” Cali asked. “Wouldn’t they be brought to the nearest clan for holding?”

“Jataci is the center for all justice. The clans do have holding cells,
but determining justice is swift and most offenders are moved to Jataci until a
determination of guilt can be made. The strangers were found on Metari land,
and moved to Jataci a short while ago.”

“So why do they need you?” Cali asked.

“When the Jataci
court is
in a tie
as to punishment, the other clans send a representative to vote. Since the
offenders were found on Metari land, they will abstain from a vote. The Jataci clan
is
already represented, so that leaves
Renari,
Takari,
and Denary. Those
representatives are
me
, Tae and Dak.”
Drake looked out the window on his side of the pod, “We’re almost there.”

“So Tae and Dak are the heirs to their clans? Let me guess, Arik and Mica
as well? Why would you all have been allowed in space? Each clan almost lost
their heirs in one fell swoop.”

“It wasn’t deemed a dangerous mission, we were only doing a run to Atheon
and hadn’t imagined the dangers, but that mistake won’t be made again.”
Drake’s
voice held a note of steel.

Cali nodded absently and looked out her side window. They were coming up
to a large building with a
strange
symbol
on the front. She really needed to work on learning their written language.

Taking Cali through the building, Drake flashed a pass at a security
gate. The guard waved both of them through the scanner and then they moved
quickly into a massive, sectioned room. There were four different lines, and
Cali assumed that each led to a different city. The lines were moving quickly,
so there wasn’t going to be a long wait.

Drake took her to the farthest right line, there were only a few other
people waiting and soon enough they were being shown into the teleporting room.
Stepping on the designated spot on the platform, Cali felt the familiar
tingling sensation and then she was in another identical room.
This must be Jataci,
she thought.

Drake led her toward an exit door, and they left the transport room, to a
larger room configured exactly like the one in Renari. There were four
different waiting lines, with small groups of people in each.

“This way.” Drake led her toward the exit. There was another security
gate, he flashed the same pass and they were allowed through. He strode quickly
to a counter and asked the service person for a complimentary pod, and he
placed his hand on a scanner and was given an access code. Once he finished,
they headed for the main doors.

Cali wasn’t surprised to see a line of pods waiting outside. Since they
were all the same, she wasn’t sure how they would know which one was theirs.

“Pod access
four-seven-two-two-alpha,
”
Drake called and suddenly a pod four down from where they stood started
flashing different colors. Cali didn’t need for Drake to lead her to that pod, it
was obviously theirs.

“Computer temporary access,” Drake requested and placed his hand on the
pod.

“Access granted. Welcome to Jataci, Chan’ Drake.” The computer opened the
vehicle door and Cali and Drake entered. “State destination.”

“Jataci Detention center.” Drake enunciated to the computer.

“Confirmed, with current traffic, time of arrival is ten minutes.”

“Now that we have time, can you tell me what crime was committed by this
group of others and what penalty it demands?”

“The strangers were found by the Metari. Due to their control of the
fresh water supply, the Metari face the most incursions by the clans not affiliated
with our Council. Trespassing on Metari land holds the most stringent penalty.
The Others face the death penalty, only because they won’t defend themselves.
Their intentions are completely unknown, and as such have to be assumed
violent.”

“Just for wandering onto Metari land?” Cali couldn’t believe such a harsh
punishment awaited the strangers the Metari had caught.

“The trick is to determine their intentions for being there. You have to
understand Cali.” Drake reached over to entwine their fingers. “The clans have
to enforce strict penalties to secure our safety. All of our lawbreakers are
the unaffiliated, and we have to deal with them severely due to their special
abilities.
Otherwise,
we would slide back
into chaos. This is an unusual circumstance, as Others haven’t committed a
violent crime in years. There has been some raiding, but nothing drastic.”

“I suppose you would have to be strict.” Cali relented. She knew that
with the added enhancements their people had, the punishment for breaking the
law would have to be strong to act as a deterrent. Still, it unnerved her that
they still punished offenders with death.

 
“We’ve arrived,” He gestured out
her window and Cali drew in a deep breath. The Jataci detention center was
large and imposing. There were black armored males patrolling atop a thick
wall. Cali knew she was intimidated by the size of the guards, and figured it
must be a scary sight for any prisoner, special abilities or not.

At the gate, their pod stopped automatically and a guard came to their
door. Cali felt a strange pressure pushing her into her seat and when she tried
to move, she wasn’t able to lift her hand or turn her head.

A guard flashed a
handheld
device
along Drake’s body and it boomed out. “Occupant is Chan’ Drake of the clan
Renari. Access granted.”

The guard bent over to fit in the pod then moved to her. Cali was
terrified
because the scanner couldn’t know
her, so what would happen then?

Scanning her, the device boomed again. “Chan’ Calinae. Chosen mate to
Chan’ Drake. Access granted.”

The guard moved out of their pod. “Move along.” The computer complied and
their door closed. The pod hummed along down a driveway, then swerved to join a
line of pods coming and going in front of the building.

“Drake.” Cali found her voice. “How did the computer know who I was?”

“A scan of you was performed on
The
Maxon
.” Drake supplied and released his restraint. Cali followed suit and
joined him at the door as it opened. “Your profile was added to all computer
systems of Titus.”

“Ohh.” Cali was mollified.

“I’m sorry I didn’t warn you about the inhibitor field. The Jataci use it
on all incoming pods to deter any attempts at entering without permission.”

“It’s okay, I was worried that I wasn’t in the system and that it would
create a problem.”

“I’m sorry for that as well.” Drake took her hand as they walked into the
building. “This way,” He led her down a maze of
hallways
until they came to another security
checkpoint
.

“Mica.”

Cali looked for the giant when Drake called the greeting, but they were
surrounded by very tall Jataci males and she was having trouble spotting him.

“Drake.” A loud voice boomed from just ahead of them. “Let them through.”
Cali looked past the line to see him standing with Tae, Arik, and Dak.
The
gang was all here,
she thought to herself.

“The Others are in the courtroom waiting for their sentence.” Mica
brought Drake up to speed as they walked toward a room. “They refuse to speak
to defend
themselves
or identify their
clan. They must be getting desperate. They are bringing their young ones on
raids now.”

“Why do you say that they are young ones?” Drake asked.

“You will see. They are so small to have not hit puberty yet. Only one of
them has any size.”

“They refused to say anything?” Tae asked from the other side of Mica.

“Not one word has been spoken since they were found on Metari
land,
” Arik confirmed. “Stubborn raiders. If
they would ask for leniency they might get it because of their age.”

At this
point,
they all walked
through the double doors to the sentencing room. There was a wall of Jataci
guards in front of her. Drake drew her to the side. “Wait here Cali, we should
have the sentence resolved quickly.”

Cali nodded and watched as the men walked to the front of the room. She
couldn’t see anything past the black armored Jataci.

“Now that we have our tie-breaking votes. Punishment will be decided.”
There were four males on a raised seating dais. The one in the middle had
spoken and then droned on about the intruders. Cali sidestepped to try to see
past the guards but was unable.

“Do you have anything to say for yourselves?” A male on the panel asked
again.

There was silence and Cali wasn’t surprised. These males from Titus were
very stubborn.

“Very well.” The head of the panel spoke again. “The tiebreakers will
vote.”

“Guilty,
” Tae spoke his vote
clearly.

Cali moved slightly forward to try to find Drake.

“Guilty,
”
Dak
spoke his vote.

Cali spotted a tall form and looked again. Her heart froze in her chest.

“Gu—”

“Stop!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, “Drake…stop!” She pushed
against the male guards. Fighting and bumping her way to the front of the room.
Standing on one side, tall and proud were four prisoners.

“Cali?”

“Vathral!”

“I can’t believe it!” Cali ran toward her friend, but before she could
reach him she bounced off the solid chest of Drake, and when she met his eyes
it was to see them glowing blue.

“Cali!” Vathral was struggling now that he’d seen her.

“Drake.” She put her hands against his chest. “Let me go. It’s Vathral. I
told you about him on
The Reliant
.”

“Who is this male to you?” Drake’s voice growled low in his throat.

“He’s my good friend,” Cali snapped. “Without his help, I wouldn’t have
escaped Cestori.”

“Is that all he is to you?” Drake demanded suspiciously.

“
Well,
my mother does want me to
partner with him, but—”

“This is the male your mother would have you mated to?” Drake turned to
Vathral in an obvious rage.

“What is the matter with you?” Cali wasn’t going to let him hurt her
friend. “You said that no male my mother chose for me mattered to you.”

“I also said I would kill that person.” Drake snarled and Cali felt real
fear for Vathral’s safety and she didn’t like it.

Mica came up to Drake and whispered, “What’s going on Drake? What are you
and the little female arguing about?”

“That male…” Drake glared at Vathral, “is the man Cali’s mother would
have her mated to.”

“Ahh,” Mica’s growl joined Drakes.

“I can’t believe this response.” Cali had enough of Drake’s attitude.
“Vathral is my
friend
. The males with
him are from his ship. If anything happens to them,
I will never forgive you
.” She hissed angrily, and she meant every
word of it.

 
“I think clearing out this chamber
is a good idea.” Arik came up to Drake’s side. “These males are not unaligned
raiders of Titus. You may want to rethink issuing a death sentence to world
travelers that are here for
first
contact.” His friend spoke loudly enough for the judges and other’s to hear.

Cali knew this was Arik’s way of telling Vathral to go along with this
reasoning
if he was asked. Telling a room full
of Jataci that they were here for
first
contact would go over much better than the truth. That he’d been chasing her
all over the Buffer Zone, with the intent of dragging her back to Cestori.

Embracing Drake, she implored softly, “Please, Drake. You have no idea
how much his friendship has helped me. We can’t let him be punished. I need a
partner who will fight
for
me, not
against
me.
Please,
Drake.”

Cali felt a shudder go through his body. “Very well Cali. I’ll see to his
release.”

Cali rubbed her head against his chest, “Thank you.” They would be having
a long discussion about his reaction. Cali could handle jealousy. She had felt
the emotion herself when thinking of anyone touching Drake like she did. Blind
rage over her having a male friend was a different story.

“Mica. Clear the room please,” Drake requested.

“I request a short recess to discuss new evidence with the Four.” Mica’s
voice boomed over the males in the room.

“Granted.” The male in the middle of the judges
stands
agreed. “We’ll listen to your evidence as the Four.”

The guards behind Cali moved out the doors. Everyone cleared away, except
for two guards watching over Vathral and his men. Mica, Tae, Dak, Arik, Drake,
the four men on the stands and herself were all that were left in the once
crowded room.

The male in the middle looked to Drake, “Explain what is going on Chan’
Drake.”

Drake drew in a sharp breath and Cali clung to his side trembling.
Vathral’s life was hanging in the balance. “The prisoners are of Cestori.” The
four males on the stand didn’t like the sound of this by their reactions. “The
Council was going to announce it, so I feel safe in telling your honor this as
well. What we have heard of that people isn’t accurate. My chosen…” he pulled
Cali closer, “is of that world.”

This caused the rumbling from the four judges to get louder.

“We are sending a scout ship to Cestori to engage them in diplomatic
talks,
” Drake informed the room and Cali
gasped. This was another thing she needed to speak with Drake about it would
seem.

“This group of males
are crew members of
the ship that is to be our escort. A misunderstanding had them arriving early,
and outside of the teleportation center in Metari lands. Our sincerest
apologies to the court.”

Cali suppressed her astonishment. Drake just handed the judges the
largest load of nonsense she had ever heard. The question was would they buy
it.

“Why the anger you exhibited a moment ago?” One of the judges asked
suspiciously and Cali groaned.

“I learned that the male leader was previously chosen by my mate’s mother
as
her
betrothed.” Drake didn’t lie about
this part. “My chosen mate has no desire to partner with him. My reaction at
seeing him was instinctual.”

“Ahh.” The judges all murmured.

“That is understandable.”

“Very wise young Chan’ Drake.”

“You show great restraint.”

Cali wanted to laugh. He was coming off like a superhero to the judges.

The main judge hit a gavel and everyone quieted. “We cannot allow these
prisoners to be punished or held any longer. If the Council is requesting
first
contact with the Cestori, we will allow
these men to leave.” He glanced at all the parties in the room. “In the supervision
of Mica of the Clan Jataci. Since it would be pushing the bounds of patience to
make Chan’ Drake responsible for them.” The judge gave Drake a knowing look.

“Thank you, your honor.’ Drake bowed to the judge and then moved toward Mica.
“Where can we meet?” he whispered.

“I will bring them to your home once they are cleared for release.”

“Thank you, Mica.” Drake started to move away. “Tae, Dak, and Arik you
are all welcome to come to my home as well.”

All three men were shaking their heads.

“I have matters in Takari to deal with.” Tae announced, “but thank you
for the offer.”

Dak bowed to Drake. “There is still so much lost time to make up for. I
cannot leave Denary. Another time perhaps.”

“Sorry, Drake.” Arik shook his head and his braids
clinked
together. “I have too much going on in
Metari at the moment.”

“It’s okay. We’ll see each other for the challenges soon enough.” Drake
drew her out of the chambers and Cali didn’t protest. Her first visit to Jataci
had been an eye opener, just not in the way she had assumed.