Join (3 page)

Brigs smiled and helped her to her feet. “I will add a practice dome to the schematics of the base if you choose to join. Water tanks would ease your generation, right?”

“They would. Pulling water out of the air is tiring.”

Brigs was making mental notes as she and Deniali walked across the barn and out into the bright sunny light of day. They were standing in the front yard when the matriarch and Solos joined them.

Brigs nodded respectfully to the matriarch. “She has a decision to make and I am sure that you will help her reach a conclusion that is right for her. You have my contact information. I will be waiting for your call.”

Deniali lunged for her and gave her a hug. “Thank you, Recruiter Brigeet.”

“It is your choice, your chance. Think it over.”

Solos caught her tone. “You may be in touch with the recruiter anytime. Our suits have com implants. We will never be out of com range.”

The talent reached out and held her matriarch’s hand as Solos and Brigs left.

Brigs could feel the excitement in Deniali, but she wanted her to come to the project calm and determined, not desperate and enthusiastic.

She settled into the skimmer and Solos directed their vehicle to the next location ninety minutes away.

“It seems you have your first recruit.”

Brigs smiled at him, “I don’t know that. All I know is that I have contacted and confirmed the first theoretical talent on my list. Now, on to number two.”

Solos inclined his head. “As you like. Second destination is eighty-eight minutes away.”

Brigs settled into her seat and closed her eyes. The next candidate was going to be a handful.

The cheering and shouting led her to her next candidate. Solos was at her side as she eased through the crowd until she had a full view of her candidate.

Brigs grimaced as she watched the candidate shatter rock by clapping his hands and directing the wave. The crowd was putting bets on the quantity of rock shattered.

He was not an ideal candidate, but he was powerful. He needed to focus his energy and not just try to make the biggest hole.

Brigs was gaining looks from the surrounding crowd, and when her target had finished his exercises, she approached him.

He leaned back and draped a towel around his neck, smiling at her in a suggestive manner. Brigs could feel Solos stiffening up beside her.

“Kardu Nehal, I am a recruiter from the Nyal Imperium. You have been identified as a possible candidate for the Guardian project.”

He rose to his feet and swaggered. “Of course, you would come to me first.”

Solos chuckled. “Oh, you were not first, Kardu.”

That comment made her target jerk with shock. Brigs kept her expression calm but inside she was sniggering. This is why Kardu could not be the first call. She had meant to leave him for the last, but her instinct had ranked him as second, and she did enjoy going with her gut from time to time.

Kardu looked at them and turned to the gathered crowd. “That is all for today. Go!”

Brigs inclined her head politely. “Would you care to discuss this in greater detail?”

Kardu huffed and led them to a bar with a closed sign. He pushed inside and moved behind the bar, pouring himself a glass of glowing green liquid.

“Can I offer you anything?”

Solos nodded. “The recruiter will have water. Her species requires it frequently.”

Brigs grinned and took the glass of water her extended to her, hopping up onto a barstool. Solos stood behind her, with a watchful vibe in his posture.

“Well, Kardu, the Guardian project has received permission to open a base on Jaluum, and I am here to recruit Guardians to fill that base. Your service to your world is well known, but that is not why I am here. I am here because of why you stepped into action.”

Kardu blushed. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Your sister was having her first child when the invasion began near your home. You fought off the incursion on your own because your niece was coming into the world and you wanted her to be safe.”

Kardu frowned. “How do you know about that?”

“Her birth announcement was in the news reports immediately after the defensive movement. You appeared in the family recording posted around the baby.”

Kardu blinked. “Those records made it to the imperium?”

“When the possibility of a Guardian outpost here was raised, we received a complete dump of all public records. That is how I found the candidates for recruitment.”

“It must have taken you months to pore over all that data.”

With only five days behind her on the Jaluum project, she smiled slightly. “That is my job.”

She sipped at the water and forced herself to swallow. The metallic tang was definitely present and the primary flavouring agent. Brigs had consumed water on half a dozen worlds and none of them tasted like home.

She casually reached over and stuck a straw in the glass, quickly draining it before she could gag.

“What would you want from me?”

“If you chose to partake in the Guardian project, you would be a member of a minimally three-person team, deployed around Jaluum as needed when the situation calls for it. You would be on an on-call rotation, and during that time, you would be confined to base.”

Kardu scowled. “I am not sure that I like the idea of being confined.”

“The base will have plenty of entertainment options but no inebriation or off-base personnel allowed. It will have to be a secure facility to protect the identities of the other Guardians. Most of them are unknown to the public and they might wish to stay that way.”

He nodded with understanding. “That sounds like a logical practice. If I had not been involved in the defense, I would have preferred to not have been known. Sure, the females are appreciative, but my family gets harassed for my presence. My mother would like me in a nice, stable occupation and away from the scandalmongers.”

Solos inclined his head. “You have been asked to father another generation?”

Kardu blushed, “Several times. My mother has refused to allow me to spawn until there is a proper offer so I can enjoy the attentions of the ladies, but a family of my own is out of the question.”

Brigs enjoyed the by-play. Solos and Kardu shared a moment of understanding. When they had first gotten together, Brigeet had gotten a quick and graphic understanding of Jaluum mating practices. The men were traded for family alliances and social position. They were sterile until their matriarch freed them into a formal union. A man without a matriarch on Jaluum had no chance of a family.

It was a world with strict rules when it came to male behaviour. Women were responsible for engaging in activities that would raise the profile of their own matriarch until they had families of their own. From that point on, all responsibility for the family organization rested on their shoulders, no matter how many mates they had.

Kardu had been given a certain amount of freedom by his matriarch, but only because of his public exposure. She had wanted to keep him as far away from the family as possible to reduce the annoyance of his popularity.

Brigs nodded, “So, why do you engage in the show outside?”

Kardu wrinkled his nose. “It keeps public interest in me and supports the bar. My mother has a lot invested in it.”

Brigeet stifled a grin. “I am sure that if you choose to involve yourself with the Guardian project, it will have the same effect. Heroes are great, but a hero in uniform gets respect.”

“I agree to whatever you ask.”

She shook her head. “No, talk it over with your matriarch and get authorization. We are doing everything by the book. There will be no repercussions to the project. Every man and woman on this team will be authorized by their matriarch unless one is not available.”

He grinned. “Thank you. You are the first person to treat me like a normal Jaluum citizen in years.”

Brigs inclined her head and slipped him the data chip that matched the one she gave to Deniali. “This is the contact data. Your matriarch is welcome to ask questions, and we will answer what we can. You will be offered a uniform, transport, room and board as well as a hefty stipend. All the data is there.”

He smiled and took it. “Thank you, and thank you as well, Solos.”

Solos blinked, “You know me?”

“Of course. All the males know you. You left Jaluum and made your mark in the stars. You are the first Jaluum Guardian, and we respect you for it.”

Brigs fought her grin as Solos’s cheeks darkened to lavender. “I imagine his family is proud.”

Solos muttered, “It changes on any given day. Thank you for your words, Kardu.”

Kardu inclined his head.

Brigeet hopped off the stool and smiled brightly at Kardu. “Do the research and contact me. Your contract awaits.”

Solos followed her out the door and they walked through the streets, returning to the skimmer.

“What next, Brigs?”

“That is Recruiter Brigs while we are on duty.” She laughed. “Well, I think we can get the third under our belts and then it will be time to find somewhere to sleep.”

“Would you like to return to the ship or get a guestship somewhere?” He fired up the skimmer and propelled them into the air.

“This is up to you. It is your world and I am trusting you to help me get around.” Brigs pulled out her tablet and brought up the next candidate. “This one is an unlikely agreement, but we have to offer him the chance.”

“Why is he unlikely?”

“Because, one year ago, he entered a bonding contract. His mate might not want him to leave.”

Solos looked at her. “And you are pursuing him anyway?”

Brigs rubbed the back of her neck. “I have to. If I don’t offer him the chance, it will be an insult to his wife. She will have chosen someone undesirable. That should never be the case.”

“Very good. You have thought this through.”

“I have done a bit of research on your people since we last met. I wanted to figure out why you acted as you did. Now, I know it was simply that you had no reason to stay. You are free until your matriarch offers you to someone.”

He sighed, “That was not it, Brigs. I was ordered to leave. My matriarch had me checking in, and she denied my request to remain with you. I was ordered to resume my travelling for Guardian purposes and keep my fanciful notions to myself. I was not allowed to seek a life in the stars.”

Brigeet was stunned. It was a twist to his motivation that she had not imagined. “Oh, that is going to give me a headache.”

He laughed, “Don’t worry. I have a cure for that.”

Fieryan Dacourt looked adorable holding his young son. His wife listened to her offer and promised to consider it, but there was denial in her expression. She kissed Fieryan deeply as Brigs and Solos left.

Solos smiled, “You were correct. The offer itself increased his value to his mate.”

She smiled. “Everybody wants to be wanted. His light talent would have been good for the team, but it was hardly necessary. So, where are we sleeping tonight?”

“I arranged a guestship with my family while you were speaking to Layina Dacourt.”

Brigs swallowed. “Your family?”

“Yes. The matriarch is eager to meet you. You will be able to address her as Ideera Landik.”

“You have a last name?”

“Of course. We only use our family names on Jaluum. They don’t matter anywhere else.”

She raised her eyebrows and nodded. She knew it but hadn’t experienced it firsthand. There was actually no reason to use a last name off their home world. It didn’t matter once they left their own society. She used her last name as a matter of habit, not necessity.

The guestship was the means by which visitors to a family compound were invited to stay with the status of household members. This allowed them food and shelter. Jaluum was not a place where you could buy overnight hospitality. It drove visiting dignitaries insane. They had to stay in their ships or at the alien embassy in Dalthu City. There was nowhere else to stay unless they camped out, and the Jaluum government did not take kindly to trespassing.

“Are you excited to see your family again?”

He grinned. “I am. My mother has even invited my eldest sister back for dinner.”

“And your sister’s mate?”

“She has three. They are staying home with the children.”

“Have you met her children?”

He glanced over. “I have met all three of my nieces. Tonight is a school night, so they are attending their studies. I can see them again before the Guardian project asks me to travel again.”

She watched the land skimming below her and asked, “Do you like all the travelling? I mean, your talent is useful anywhere, not just zipping through space.”

“I dream of coming home, if that is what you are wondering. This visit is encouraging me to settle down.”

Brigs sighed. Solos settled down with a nice Jaluum woman who ruled him with an iron fist was not something she was comfortable imagining.

The rest of the trip was done in silence as they both thought of his life on Jaluum resuming. Brigs had a thought that was so ridiculous it just might work.

As they landed, she asked, “Is there a chance that I can get a secure com link while we are at the Landik home?”

“Of course. The matriarch has one for when I contact her.” He cocked his head. “I am looking forward to seeing you two in the same place at the same time. You have many similar qualities.”

They exited the skimmer, and Ideera Landik extended her be-ringed hands to her son. “Solos. It is so good to have you with us again.”

Solos hugged his mother, and the woman looked small next to him, but she had the same steel in her that was obvious in her son when he chose to use it.

Brigs approached slowly, her cloak drawn around her and her back straight. When the familial hug was over, Brigs was near enough for Ideera to turn on her and assess her.

“Well, child, you are paler than he described. Your body is a little too used to immobile work, and your hair may draw males, but it has no effect on me, so your dye job was a waste.”