Cali & Drake (The Alliance Book 1) (4 page)

Cali’s apprehension grew as they approached the designated
coordinates
of the distress signal.

“Scan for any additional energy signatures,” she ordered Vareen.

“No other ships detected,” Vareen answered.

“Forward scanners on visual,” Cali requested and waited to see what they
were coming up on.

“
What is it
?” she whispered to
herself. Whatever was sending the signal was small. Not a ship but not debris
either. It was cylindrical and if she had to guess was only about seven to
eight feet in length.

“It’s some type of pod,” Vareen called out. “The materials are unknown. I’m
reading one life sign, however, something is hindering our scanners. I’m unable
to tell if the life sign is weak due to injury, or if the signal is weak due to
shielding.”

“Medical, meet me at the docking bay. We have found one escape pod with a
weak life sign. Unknown origin.” Cali was moving toward the doors as she gave
commands. “Navigation you have command. Science Officer Nas, you’re with me.”

“Copy that captain. I’m heading for the docking bay now.” Nellia answered
over the intercom. Her friend was the
ship's
doctor and the unknown condition of the being in the pod made this a potential
medical emergency. Nellia might be needed.

She entered the lift with Vareen, “Level six.” They each remained silent
as the lift descended the five levels. Upon
exiting,
they were facing the docking bay doors with halls running left and right to
other areas of the docking deck.

She walked forward, toward the main docking doors and they opened
automatically. There was a force field between her and the incoming pod so she
went with Vareen to stand and wait. She barely registered when Nellia took up
position by her side, her gaze was so intent on the arriving pod.

When the gravity was restored and the scrub scanners had cleaned the pod
of any contaminants, they would be able to approach whatever it was that had
been sending out the distress signal. Standing quietly with Vareen and Nellia
they waited. When the all clear was given they entered the docking bay.

Striding forward, Cali muttered appreciatively at the sleek lines of the
pod. “Very nice craftsmanship. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

To the naked
eye,
it seemed without
joints or closures. There was some kind of panel on the outside, with flashing
symbols she didn’t recognize. Looking to Vareen she ordered, “We could probably
use an engineer. They might be able to figure out those symbols.” She moved
to
the pod unit admiring it.

Nellia was standing opposite her with Vareen at the console with the
flashing lights. “It couldn’t hurt to try some of these buttons.”
 
So saying, her friend moved to put her hand
on the console, and then pulled it back quickly. “Ow.”

“What? What happened?” Cali’s eyes fixed on her
friend's
hand.

“There was a slight shock when I tried to touch the pod.” Nellia
hesitantly reached for the console again and
this
time,
her fingers met the material of the pod. “Nothing this time.”

“Perhaps it was the shielding.” Vareen deducted. “It could have been
active when you tried the first time, and your hand somehow
deactivated
it?”

“Well, since I’m able to touch it. It couldn’t hurt to try some of these
buttons.” She started hitting them in random order.

“I don’t think—” Cali stopped her protest when there was a whirring sound
and the pod unit suddenly had a lid, which proceeded to lift off.

“Ohh.”

“Wow.”

She heard Nellia and Vareen gasp at the same time, but she was beyond
hearing anything else.

Inside the pod was a humanoid male. There were tattered scraps of purple clothing
in the pod strewn along his shoulders and stomach that Cali surmised at one
point had been a shirt. The black pants he was wearing were still snug on his
hips and legs. His feet were covered in some type of black, military style boots.
Cali wondered what had happened for his shirt to be destroyed, but the rest of
his clothing to remain intact. Not only that, how had the pod sustained him?

After her initial, clinical perusal of the contents of the pod, she
started at the top of his head and really looked this time. Then she had to try
to regain her composure. He was so incredibly handsome that he stole her very
breath. His dark black hair was a sharp contrast to his pale skin and her
fingers itched to find out if it was as soft and thick as it looked. He hadn’t
opened his eyes when the lid released, so she didn’t know what color they were,
but they were an exotic almond shape, accented by arched brows and thick
lashes. His nose had a small bump
on
it
as if broken and hastily repaired. His cheekbones were prominent, but that must
be because of lack of sustenance. His chin was square and smooth. His lips were
full and lush. Altogether his face was very masculine and appealing.

Moving her eyes down his body she realized there were a few faint marks
on his chest, arms, shoulders and stomach. Scars like that came from a finely
bladed weapon. Who, what and why was he fighting Cali wondered.

Overall, his body seemed slightly emaciated, as if he usually carried
more weight. His shoulders were broad and tapered to an indented waist. After a
quick look, she made herself skip over his groin area and then finished her
perusal by noting his thickly muscled legs and calves.

“The pod was some type of stasis unit.” Nellia was moving a portable
scanning unit over his body. “That would account for the slight loss of body
mass, but he seems incredibly well preserved. I have no idea how long he’s been
in stasis. It could’ve been days or years.” Her friend was making a ticking
noise, as was her habit when thinking about something. “I think it’s safe to
transfer him to a medical unit. I’m not finding any contaminants or pathogens
with my portable unit.”

Forcing her eyes away from the male, Cali looked to Vareen. Her friend
shrugged and waved her hand at Nellia. “I’ll be on the bridge, working on the
mystery of the metal used to make this pod. Let me know if you need me.” Vareen
moved off toward the elevator, leaving her and Nellia with the unconscious
male. Cali watched as Nellia attached a small chip to his skin.

Nellia tapped her comm badge, “Transporter room, lock onto medical chip
one and transport patient to medical bed one. Voice authorization, ships
doctor.”

“Confirmed.” The mystery male shimmered and then disappeared from the
pod.

Tapping her badge again to close the link Nellia turned to her, “I need
to get to medical, why don’t you come with me.” Nellia hurried toward the lift doors
and she followed.

“You’re trained in diplomacy, self-defense, and interrogation. If it
comes to any of those things, I think you’re the best person for when our
mystery male wakes up.” Her friend smiled weakly and waited until they were
both settled in the lift. “Computer, level two.” Nellia requested, then turned
to her. “I’m sorry, I know you have other duties, but that male radiates
something unsettling…”

“It’s okay Nellia. I don’t mind coming to medical with you.” Cali
exclaimed softly. “I’m
curious,
though. Your
patient is out cold and more than likely will be weak from stasis when he does
wake up. What could you possibly find unsettling?” Cali had seen only an
exceptionally handsome male, with a virile body.

“Did you see how large he was?” Nellia shuddered. “If he has half the
strength his body mass suggests, I’ll need guards in the medical room.”

“He wasn’t that big. Perhaps slightly taller than Vathral, and you never
found him disturbing.” Cali laughed, “You’re over exaggerating.”

“I’m the same height as you Cali and I say he’s huge. Vathral may have
been the tallest in our class, but he was also refined…a gentleman.” Nellia
shuddered again and Cali took mercy on her.

“You’re right of course.” She rubbed her hand over her chin in thought. “I’ll
stay close just in case you need me.” What she was supposed to do if the male
was violent was beyond her. As Nellia said, she was the same size as her friend.
Even with advanced self-defense she didn’t feel confident about taking on
someone his size. “As protocol
demands,
I’ll
have guards stationed close by.”

“Thank
you,
Cali.” Nellia seemed
genuinely relieved and Cali thought back on the male again. Why did her friend
feel unsettled, when all she saw was good looks? Now she was impatient to get
to the medical unit. She was going to look the male over again,
only, this time,
she would try to see what had
her friend so nervous.

Cali stifled a huge yawn, stretched her arms over her head and went to
check on the still immobile mystery man on the bed next to hers. She had
volunteered to stay in the medical ward and a grateful Nellia had gone to get
some rest. Snuggling into bed number two, Cali had spent the last few hours
examining the stranger. No matter how long she looked at him, she couldn’t see
anything upsetting about him. If anything, the opposite was true. She found him
exceptionally appealing.

Nellia had left his pants on since the initial scans were clear and there
was no need to cut them off. With his footwear removed for comfort, Cali had
tucked him into a solar blanket to try to keep his temperature regulated.
At first,
they had no idea what setting his
body required. Nellia had experimented and they had him stable for now. It
seemed wherever he was from, he preferred about the same temperature as her
people on Cestori. The solar blanket was
in
a setting similar to their tropical region.

Biting back a groan at her protesting back muscles, she found herself moving
to stand over the male once again. She had unfastened the top of her uniform,
and taken down her hair to allow for comfort. The bun was beginning to give her
a headache and this male wasn’t awake to see her in this state anyway. His
breathing was even, the rise and fall of his chest lifted the blanket in the
steady rhythm of sleep.

Cali was surprised to see his face was beginning to show a bit of hair
growth along his cheeks and jawline. It must be a good sign that his body was
starting to function again. She wondered if the stasis pod had kept him in the
exact state as when he had entered it. If that was the case, then the state of
his body might tell her something about him. Tentatively she took his hand into
hers, telling herself this was purely for the purpose of gathering information
about him. She almost laughed to herself over the lie. She had been dying to
touch him since the pod had opened. She was honest enough to realize this was
the excuse she was using.

Sighing, she enjoyed the feel of his hand in hers. The weight was
surprising and his skin felt warm and smooth. Turning his hand over, she saw again,
a few of the faint lines of scars on his skin. So maybe he used his hands in
his profession. Not knowing where he was from, she couldn’t say what level of
technology they enjoyed. Perhaps he was a blacksmith. She had read about them
in ancient history class. They used a hot forge to mold metals into different
items. These hands would fit the image she had of that type of male. Also, his
body size would certainly attest to working a physical job.

Turning her attention back to his fingers she realized they weren’t
calloused or rough, but they weren’t baby soft either. The fingernails were
trimmed and free of dirt so he must take care of them. Placing her palm against
his, she smiled at the difference in size. His fingers were almost a digit
larger than hers. It was fascinating to her. The males of Cestori were not into
physical displays of affection. Holding hands
were
strictly for partners and since she was single, she hadn’t held hands like a
couple did.

The fingers she was examining suddenly twitched and she dropped his hand
with a small startled gasp. Her eyes flew to his face and her mouth dropped
open.

He was awake and watching her. His eyes were an incredible cerulean blue
color. They reminded her of the ocean waters of Cestori, mysterious and
shadowed. His brow furrowed and his eyes changed to an electric blue. His hand reached
to clasp around her wrist and squeezed. There was strength in his grip which
surprised her, and at that moment she thought,
Maybe Nellia was right to be worried.
 
Remembering the guard, she turned to see they
had rushed forward.

She immediately waved them back to stand by the doors.

“Please don’t be alarmed.” She returned her attention to the now awake
male and placed her hand over his again. The pressure lessened and he dropped
her wrist. His eyes were a normal blue color and Cali figured it must have been
the lighting that made them appear to be glowing. “You’re safe on this ship.”

His mouth moved but no sound came out. He was suddenly struggling to sit
upright. The fear and frustration flashed across his face to be replaced by a
determined glare in her direction. She hastened to push him back before he
overexerted himself. His shoulders were warm against her palms and she couldn’t
resist running a finger against the skin.

“Please stay still.” Her voice was unexpectedly
throaty
and to her
surprise,
he froze instantly. “You can understand me?” At his curt
nod,
she continued. “That’s good.” Their eyes
locked and she couldn’t look away. “I’m not doing anything to keep you from
speaking.” She insisted, the accusation in his eyes came across as loud as any
words. “You were found in some type of stasis pod. We’re not sure how long you
were in that state, but it has to have impacted your ability to speak. I
imagine you are feeling slightly weakened also.”

He moved his hand from under hers to rub at his head. Her eyes followed
the play of muscles as they flexed. When his fingers went through the black
strands she could only watch with envy. His fingers moved to his face and he frowned
again. Her eyes immediately locked onto his full mouth. The desire to run her
finger over his full lips was strong. Mentally shaking herself she raised her
eyes to his. Was it possible for such blue eyes to appear to be burning?

“Your facial hair has just begun to grow. It’s not that we have been
neglecting your care. In fact, you’ve only been on this ship for about twelve
hours.” She hurried to say something else. Not sure if he had caught her
staring at him.

He smiled slightly and she caught a flash of white teeth before his eyes
moved around the room, taking in the medical equipment, the guards, and then back
to her. Looking at her suspiciously, he ran his hands over his body,
patting
roughly every so often. When she saw
the relief in his eyes she knew he thought he was injured. Raising an eyebrow,
he looked around again, then pointedly back to her.

“From what we can tell you weren’t injured. Is that what you were worried
about?” she asked and he nodded his head. The action caused a lock of hair to
fall across his forehead. She resisted the urge to tuck it back and continued.
“I can’t speak to what happened to put you in that stasis pod. I can only tell
you our medical scanners have found nothing wrong with you. Either the pod was
designed to fix the
injury
, or you didn’t
have any injuries to find.” She had moved her hand to pat his again. His
intense gaze fell on her hand over his, then flew to her face. With the hand
not covered by hers, he tapped at his throat and made a “tipping glass”
gesture.

“You’re thirsty?” She could have slapped herself.
Of course,
he must be. “Do you drink water? H2O?”

He nodded excitedly and Cali hurried to the food dispenser. “Water. Room temperature.”
She knew colder water might taste better, but it would
be harder on
his body to process than warmer water. Room
temperature would be easier on his system for now. Taking the water the
dispenser provided, she walked back to his side. Using the controls of the bed,
she adjusted the angle until he was in a sitting position. “Here you are,
please take small
sips
.”

Averting his face, he put the cup to his lips and sipped urgently. Wondering
at his lack of eye contact Cali asked, “Are you feeling better?” She was watching
him intently when his
eyelids
floated
closed and the cup slipped from his still fingers.

Her fingers flew to her comm badge, “Nellia medical emergency!”