Creating Harmony (3 page)

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we have met on assignments before but never been deployed on one. They have mentioned that we make an effective team, but I don’t see it. He simply freezes those with aggression in place, and then, he can lead people around them or arrest the instigators as he sees fit. It doesn’t improve the people in any way.”

Tether grinned. “You are all about making improvements to those around you.”

Iara shrugged and handed the cup back to him after she finished draining it. “It’s a hobby and a calling.”

“I know. I happen to be the beneficiary of both. Now, let’s get you to that shuttle before the dawn is firmly entrenched. We don’t want your fan club clogging up the works like last time.”

Iara sighed. “They meant well.”

He snorted and his third eye blinked. “I am sure that they did. They still decorated your shuttle with banners and bunting. Your pilot was enraged.”

She winced. “I am aware. It was a three-day flight to my assignment, and I heard about it every kilometer of the trip.”

They walked the still-quiet halls and chatted all the way down to the main entryway. Iara went to the rack and hopped on one of the personal skimmers, cruising across the courtyard and out toward the launch area. The sleek, shining Sector Guard ship was waiting for her, and the man she dreaded to be locked in a ship with was leaning against the hull.

“Ah, the little peacekeeper is finally awake.” Lock straightened as she stepped off and collapsed the skimmer.

“And the loudmouth has been awake for hours. Shall we be on our way?”

She took the skimmer with her and her bag was still over the other shoulder.

“As you wish, princess.”

She growled as she passed him and headed into the ship.

Dealing with another talented Kozue was not her idea of a fun time, but Lock was both a Kozue and an annoying bastard.

His family had not dismissed him because of his paranormal issues; they had trained him as one of their own and offered him a chance to leave for the Sector Guard when the opportunity arose.

He had a different clan, a different tradition and a different family. She tried not to be jealous of his luck when they worked together, but it was hard and it shook her calm. It was really the only thing that broke her inner tranquility, and she hated that he brought this out in her with his grinning face and swinging braids. As far as she could think, he was the only creature in the universe that she wanted to punch on a regular basis.

It was a ten-day mission and she was going to have to keep her own impulses under control.

She didn’t hide in her quarters. She put her bag in her storage locker and joined him on the command deck.

“Still dressing in white, princess?”

“Still a butthead, Lock?” She settled into the navigator station and watched him run through preflight checks.

She snidely thought that he could have done the checks before she got on board.

“Apparently in your eyes, I am.” He called ground control and got clearance to leave Zakaru.

“And in your eyes?”

“I am merely observant of the little things. New robes?”

She scowled at him. “A gift from a friend.”

She brushed at the white-on-white embroidery, the crystals and silk that bordered the cloth. Tether’s sister had made it in thanks for getting her brother somewhere safe where his particular skills could flourish.

“What did you have to do to get that kind of elaborate gift?” He pulled on the controls and they lifted straight upward.

“Just make a mark on someone’s life. That is all.” She smiled and brought up the assignment specs and flicked through what was expected of her.

Two great planets were putting aside war and beginning the first steps in a trade agreement. She was there to calm a city and Lock was there to stop anything that got through her harmony.

That the two worlds had sought out help from the Citadel was proof enough that they suspected some sort of break in their tentative peace.

They flew in silence for a few hours while she sent confirmations of movement to the Sector Guard Udell and the Citadel archive.

“You always were good at reporting to authority.”

She gave him a cold glare. “And you always suck at compliments.”

He sighed. “How do I always start out with my foot in my mouth?”

“You are dancing, not me.”

Lock sighed. “Do we always have to start so awkwardly?”

She looked at him seriously. “I don’t know any other way to be around a Kozue.”

He set the autopilot and swivelled toward her. “Can we start again? I am Lock of the Sector Guard. Who are you?”

Iara thought about it and extended her hand. “I am Specialist Iara of Citadel Zakaru.”

He took her hand and smiled. “I am pleased to meet you. What are you a specialist of?”

She chuckled. “Crowd control.”

“Fascinating. That is my area of expertise as well.” He grinned and released her hand.

“You really think this new start is going to work?”

“We can try it for a while. If it doesn’t take, we can go back to sniping at each other.” He winked and his golden brown eyes gleamed.

Iara was startled into chuckling. “Well, at least you have a plan.”

He gave her a surprised smile. “I rarely hear you laugh.”

“That is because you are always talking. Shall we get back to working together for the first time?”

Lock blinked. “Right. Sorry. What are you planning for the assignment?”

She shrugged. “I will be in the room with the negotiators and broadcasting harmony and tranquility to everyone within the borders of the city. You will manage any incoming attacks or outbreaks of hostility that don’t chill down when they hit my radius.”

“So, I am the second line of defense.”

“Well, you are the first line of defense; if they get to me, they have come through you. I am merely the one with the largest span of influence.” She brought up the projection of the meeting chambers and the central square. “We need to study avenues of attack and the most likely terrorists.”

“I have the files uploaded and ready for review. We will be there in two jumps and nine hours. Are you ready to do your homework?”

“Why not? I always enjoyed studying.” She opened the files in the projection and flicked through the threats that had been coming in fast and furious when the two planets had agreed to peaceful trade after years of attacking and thieving. It was hard for planets to put away the past, but some were so fixated on the past, they could not see the future.

It would take years to settle all grievances and centuries before factions ceased to rise up and fight the peace. Naktu and Deran had been born in each other’s shadows, and from the moment they became aware of the other population, they had fought to gain ground. Space exploration escalated to warfare in a matter of decades.

She broke the threats down into categories. Credible threats went in one category and psychotic rants went into the other. Iara was glad that Tether had met her with tea. She was going to need it.

Lock brought her a cup of tea, and he said, “Take a break.”

She blinked and took the cup from him. “How long have I been at it?”

“Four hours and one jump.”

“I suppose a break is in order. I will also need a nap before we arrive. Will that be a problem?”

“Of course not. If you need a shower, I promise not to peek.”

Iara snorted and sipped at her tea. “I think I can manage to close the door.”

“I still promise not to peek.” He winked.

She blinked. “What is it with the winking? Are you flirting with me or is there something in your eye?”

His bronze skin darkened. “Perhaps there is a little bit of flirting going on. You are a very attractive woman, and despite the fact that I know you do not like the idea, you are my own species, which makes things easier.”

“Because you can recognise my expressions and I have the same general base for social upbringing?” She twisted her lips in amusement.

“It sounds so unromantic when you say it like that. I prefer to think that we have a lot in common.”

Iara sipped at her tea. “We will discuss this at length on the way back to Zakaru.”

“Really?” He looked hopeful. It was rather endearing from such a large man.

Looked at with an unprejudiced eye, he was rather handsome. His rich brown bodysuit was trimmed with metallic bronze that matched his eyes and the metal bands in his braids. The breadth of his shoulders was standard for a Kozue warrior, as was the barrel of his chest and the narrow waist and hips.

He reminded her of the warriors she had watched preparing for battle before her talent had swelled out of her control. Her family and clan may have had different colouring, but the expressions flitting across his face were easy to read.

“Really. I will even give you my clan name if you ask nicely.”

It was as if she had promised him a moon of his own.

“Then, dear Iara, I will make sure to get you home in one piece. Up until now, I was aiming for ninety-five percent of a piece.”

She was startled into laughing and he grinned.

Iara finished her tea and rose to her feet to get a meal. It was going to be a long five hours.

“We are on our way down. Are you ready?”

Iara grimaced. “I just have to finish tying up my hair.”

She wound the braids around her head in a wide coronet. It had been one of the first hairstyles she had learned at the king’s court and one that she enjoyed because it provided her with an aura of authority that few folk even noticed.

“Why do you tie it up?”

“It was required while I was growing up, and I just got used to it. Now it is a habit.”

“There is a story there.”

She grinned. “On the way home. Get me out in one piece and as soon as I wake up, I will tell you everything you want to know.”

“Wake up?”

“My plan for the next week is to be in a trance state maintaining the peace. I am not going to be able to eat or drink, so I will be a bit of a mess when this is over.”

“How can you do that?” Lock’s expression was completely appalled.

“Priest training. I was given extensive training in my second home. I was allowed to pursue any educational avenue available for my talent. Mediation meditation was one of those avenues. A tutor was brought in and I got my education.”

“What is your longest time in a meditative state?”

“Seventeen days. I had to calm a city during a festival. They fed and watered me every two days or so.”

She checked her robes and did a quick diagnostic on her specially prepared suit. It would keep her clean during her trance time.

“So, final rundown. I will be in the room with the delegates and you will be anywhere that we have identified as a threat.”

“Yes, Specialist Iara.” He snapped a salute.

“Well, we have to organize this now. They are suspicious of aliens and need as little interference as possible. I hope you can move without being too interruptive to the local security.”

He put an innocent look on his features. “I can be quite stealthy when the occasion calls for it. I can also move swiftly.”

She nodded. “Good. In my trance state, I might be able to give you some hints as to where trouble would be, but I won’t be able to speak.”

“How will you communicate with me?”

Iara gave him a droll look. “I have spent enough time with you to recognise your mind, and I can keep you from being affected by my talent. If you feel it touch you, head toward the source of the calm. I can use it to steer you around.”

He blinked. “That will work?”

“A Kozue mind rejects the very idea of sweet serenity. I will make sure to make the hint foreign to your mind.” Iara snorted.

“That would be helpful.” Lock grinned.

The twin worlds filled their view screen, and Iara checked her hair and clothing one more time. She was as ready as she was going to get.

It took three hours to be admitted to the chamber, but once she was, Iara settled in her chair and asked, “When are they expected?”

“The Naktu have been in orbit, waiting for the notice that you have arrived. They are on their way down now.” The head of the Deran Guard bowed shortly. “Do you have what you need?”

“I will need to be hidden from view. I believe that was mentioned.”

“There is a screen that will rise from the floor; may I ask why you must be hidden?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Your protocols involve a lot of standing and sitting in turns. I will not be able to move once I engage my influence. I do not wish to appear disrespectful.”

“If you are ready, I will summon it immediately.”

“Please. My partner is on alert, and he will come and get me if anything arises that he cannot deal with.”

“As you wish, Specialist.” General Girn bowed and his wide grey ears flicked back and forth. “We appreciate your assistance in our security plans.”

Iara sat and settled in the chair with her arms resting on the warm wood. “It is a duty and a pleasure to see this brought to fruition.”

He placed his clawed hand over his heart and bowed. He turned sharply on his heel and he removed himself from the council chamber.

As she sat in the empty room, she looked around. The tables and chairs were lined on both sides. Fifty representatives from each planet would be present, and it would be a tremendous moment for their people if peace and trade were agreed to.

The golden mesh rose from the floor, surrounding her in a cage that allowed her to see shapes and hear voices. Nothing else could penetrate, and as long as she was still, they would not pay her any attention, though her presence was integral to the events.

She smiled at the physical proof that though the two planets were sisters, the species were only living in the same neighbourhood. The Naktu were insectoid and the Deran were mammalian. Their first conflict had been on religious basis because they could not believe that they were not the only species designed by their creator. Both species had gone through their evolution believing that they were the only one. When their war attracted the notice of other species, they had to sit back and admit that their creators had multiple children. That realisation had led to this moment.