Lesser (2 page)

Over the next two weeks, she learned many things about the weapons at the Alliance and Yentak learned that accuracy was not an issue. Her precision was born of a life of being watched. Everything had to be correct the first time or judgement would rain down on her. Each part of her life had been graded, from how she poured tea to how many crumbs were left on her plate, her school reports and her attire. She had wished to become invisible and that is what had happened. The accuracy and precision with which she moved was a side effect.

“It seems that we will move to bladed weapons next, Recruit.” Yentak put the apple that he was munching down.

“Why blades?”

“Hundreds of species wish to trade with high-tech planets for luxury items but do not wish to break their culture into shards with that evolution. Several have set up colonies with low tech to appreciate the way that their ancestors evolved. They restrict the tech and do not allow it past the spaceports. You will still need to defend your charge if need be, so you need to know how to use blades, sticks, whatever is handy.”

Yentak tossed her a dagger and got to his feet.

She faced off against him and the training was on. It was the first day and first weapon of many, but she didn’t proceed to the next one until the current one had been mastered.

The myriad cuts and bruises that she got during training were taken care of after each session. Healers learned their trade on her skin, and she got used to being touched with compassion.

Iridia felt something surge inside her with every passing day; she felt optimistic for the first time in a very long while.

She spent three months learning everything from how to use a variety of bathrooms to the etiquette of meeting an insect empress. When she was ready, her file was offered to the Alliance and the Nyal Imperium. Once the offer was made, she had to wait.

Iridia was sitting in the common room, watching the earthrise and Ikvaro plunked down beside her. “How are you handling the wait, Iridia?”

He was speaking Nyal Common, so she responded in the same language. “I am getting some detailed research done on Yentak. I have never seen hair that colour in any of the species monologues that I have gone through. I am seeing Moreski listed but only the nobility, and he says his father was a Harkhan.”

“He probably was. The hair colour is genetically encoded, and the Moreski do not acknowledge any of the half-breeds if they can help it. Mind you, now that they are a locked world, their involvement in planetary politics is nil. Only their half-breeds survive outside their world.” He smiled.

“That explains a lot.” She made a mental note to research the Moreski more fully. They sounded a little screwed up and that always made for good reading in her estimation.

She put her tablet aside. “Was there something else you wanted to talk about?”

“Your assignment has come through. You leave tomorrow.”

“I am guessing that my assignment is in the Nyal Imperium.”

He shrugged. “The Sector Guard and their recruitment have taken off with many of the first wave in place. The Imperium was initially not invited to participate in the Second Wave of Terrans but some of your people spoke on their behalf. A new Nyal Guardian outpost wants you and that is where you shall go.”

“Do you know what it is called?” she gave him a curious glance.

He grinned. “It’s classified.”

She sighed. “So, you came down here to tease me?”

He patted her on the shoulder. “No, I came here to give you a gift. It has taken a lot of negotiating to get you this present, but I believe that it will suit you and protect you as you leave the base.”

At his signal, one of the base personnel came forward with a garment box made of metal.

Iridia opened the box and looked at the soft grey fabric. “Great. What is it?”

“Masuo. It is a living plant that will be dependent on you for life the moment you put it on. This one has been grown on a hostile world, and it can and will act as body armour if necessary. It also can blend with you when you recede into the background.”

She blinked. “Isn’t it illegal?”

“It is illegal to sell it. It is perfectly legal to give it away.”

She snorted and lifted the fabric free. “Like sex in most places on Earth. Thank you for this.”

“All of your instructors had a hand in it. We petitioned Udell base and the Terrans there managed to push the request through.”

It was soft, grey and had a quiet warmth that made her smile. “It feels like a pet.”

“It is alive, born of vegetation and completely invested in keeping you whole once you put it on. It will transmute from bodysuit to formal wear at your will.”

She looked at him and smiled. “I am sold; now excuse me while I go put this on.”

She left to go to the ladies’ room. She shucked out of the recruit suit and tugged the bodysuit on up and over her hips, wriggling her arms into the sleeves before the suit took over and wrapped around her completely.

The Masuo surged up to the edge of her hairline on the nape of her neck and opened into a keyhole in the front. The sleeves edged to a point and the fabric ruffled and smoothed against her body.

She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. “I only wish for boots.”

The fabric around her calves thickened and hardened into boots that ended just below her knee. She was wearing the fitted bodysuit of the instructors, and it was fairly comfortable.

Feeling impish, she closed her eyes and concentrated on wearing the recruit suit and heavy boots. She tucked her old suit and boots into the Masuo box and went outside with her shoulders slumped.

She sat next to Ikvaro and gave him a sad look. “It didn’t fit.”

He stared at her and blinked. “I have never heard that before.”

She waited a moment before the laughter overwhelmed her and let the suit shift to the bodysuit and boots. “I am joking. Thank you and thanks to everyone who helped me get it. I have been wanting a pet.”

He watched and slowly applauded. “Well done. I had no idea that it wasn’t the original suit. You had it replicated precisely.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I thought that that was the point. The suit is very comfortable.”

“I am very glad for that. You will be wearing it constantly.”

“What?”

“Once on, it cannot be removed, but it will shrink so you can take showers and attend nature, though it can deal with those as well if you are unable to groom appropriately.”

Iridia looked down at the suit. “How long does it last?”

“As long as you do. It will be your constant companion, so you had better get used to it.”

She frowned. “You couldn’t have warned me?”

“If I had warned you, you wouldn’t have put it on. Now, come to the com room. You have an appointment with a secure line to your new boss. Your vehicle is on the way, so you might want to get acquainted with him.”

“Him?”

“I have been assured that your commander is male. He is heading up a new Nyal base and he is collecting exceptional talents. You are one of four new talents on that base.”

“So, you know a little bit about it.”

He shrugged. “I hear talk. The Guardian project is very exciting. It has been a boon and a haven for talents who are rejected by their own kind and who are suddenly appreciated by others.”

Iridia smiled. “Sometimes you just need to change your venue to feel that you are heading in the right direction.”

Ikvaro grinned. “You have the right idea; keep that optimism.”

“It has gotten me off Earth; it is not going to let me fall.” She realized as she spoke that it rang true. She wasn’t going to let herself fall.

The com room was emptied and Iridia stood alone on the projection pad.

A light flickered across the room, and the person who took shape was kneeling and hunched over.

Holding onto her etiquette, she waited for a count of ten before she said, “I greet you this bright day.”

The person lifted his head and dark rainbow hair cascaded down his back. There was a smile on his iridescent blue features. He slowly stood and his wings flexed. They matched the peacock-shaded colours of his face but were greener than the blue of his skin. A tunic belted at the waist and a narrow scapular with metallic embroidery covered his body. Gladiator sandals were on his feet and two blades sheathed at his waist.

He was staring at her, and the ruby red of his eyes was rather disturbing. She stopped moving and felt herself fade as he watched.

He chuckled. “Good. I greet you on this bright day, Iridia Graves. Are you ready for your journey?”

“May I know where I am going?”

“No. It is not safe for you to know until you are here. Our base is an Imperial secret and that is all you need know until you are with the Guardians.”

“If you will not tell me anything, then why did you want to talk to me?”

He smiled. “Your instructors have told me much about you but not how you react in situations you find uncomfortable. I had to see for myself what your instinct was when confronted by something unexpected.”

“You knew I would find you unexpected?”

He chuckled and the sound was low and rich. “I doubt you have seen anything like me. If I may ask, what made you remove yourself from my sight?”

She thought about it. “It was your eyes. I have never seen a being with red eyes and that much colour everywhere else.”

He grinned. “I look forward to seeing you when you arrive. My name is Zanthan Ibin and I will see you in five days.”

He cut off the call, and she was left standing there wondering what had just happened. She left the room and Ikvaro was waiting for her.

“Well?”

She blinked at him and frowned. “I think I just got a date.”

He laughed and offered her his arm as he took her for her last cup of coffee in Earth’s orbit.

The next morning, she got up, braided her hair and secured it in a bun. She experimented and the Masuo became a long tunic, slit up each leg, and a soft pair of trousers. The muted sand colour suited Iridia, and the flow of the fabric suited her even more.

It was still before regular rising on the base. Only the night shift and maintenance crews were stirring.

As she left her quarters with the only possessions she still owned, she felt a certain rightness to her leaving in darkness. It was the same way she had arrived.

She walked on silent feet to the launch bay and waited for her ride.

A woman in a golden bodysuit came forward. “Iridia Graves?”

The yellow of her hair and the tan of her skin said that the woman was human, but the cybernetic implants visible around her eyes indicated that she wasn’t entirely natural anymore.

“That is me.”

The woman smiled. “I am Gaze, my partner is Shiver and the ship is the
Blue Fairy
. Please, come on. Our shuttle is waiting and we have a fast turn-around scheduled.”

Iridia walked with the stranger. “Are you Terran?”

“Yes, out of the first wave. You will learn more on board the
Blue Fairy.
”

There was no stalling, Gaze put her arm behind Iridia’s back and herded her out to the small shuttle with the Nyal script on the side. Gaze wasn’t kidding. The shuttle did belong to a ship named the
Blue Fairy.

She sat where Gaze put her and strapped in.

Gaze received the clearance for the personnel removal and they were off.

“Technically, I could have landed the
Fairy
here, but the shuttle is just faster. We will be in the ship in a few minutes.”

Iridia said, “Thank you.”

Gaze chuckled. “Don’t thank me yet. It will be a few days with the three of us and the ship.”

“The ship?”

“I will explain when we get there. It falls under Imperium secrets, and since you are to be a Guardian, it will be under your purview the moment we dock.”

Iridia was looking forward to learning something new, and this was definitely new.

The large ship swallowed them up a few minutes later.

Gaze exhaled and grinned. “Call me Gwyn.”

“Iridia.”

“Well, Iridia, are you running to something or from something?”

“To something, I hope. There was nothing really to run from.”

“Excellent. Welcome to the
Blue Fairy.
” Gaze unbuckled and got out of the cockpit, waiting for Iridia to do the same.

When she followed Gaze out into the larger vessel, a blue light with a tiny woman inside hovered at eye level.

“Iridia, that is Blue. Blue, this is Iridia Graves. She is a new Guardian bound for Tharos Prime.”

Mist coiled around their feet, and Gwyn signed. “This is my husband, Durz, also known as Shiver. I always try and keep things with other Terrans casual, because the multiple-name thing gets really annoying.”

The mist formed into a column and the column became a man who was, in Iridia’s eyes, completely and eerily perfect.

Gwyn grinned and waved her deeper into the ship. “He is a Nishan animorph. He can take any shape, but his natural form is the mist you first saw. The form you just saw is the one he uses to impress the ladies.”

Blue hovered near Iridia’s face and urged her further into the ship. By Iridia’s estimation, if a fairy flew near you and told you to get into a spacecraft, you did it.

She followed the small point of light up and into the ship. The quarters it led her to were comfortable and spacious. She put her bag away, and the blue light followed her as she shifted around. Her favourite books were tucked away in the bottom of her bag, and she verified that they were there before she closed the locker and got to her feet.

Iridia asked her Masuo to become a bodysuit, and it shifted and snuggled against her skin. Dressed much more like her hosts, she followed the blue fairy out of her quarters and up a set of stairs.

The command deck was a series of monitors and a large chair in the centre of the room. Gwyn was seated and inserting jacks into her skin. Shiver was curling around the floor in a low fog.

“Fold out the jump seat and strap in. This is going to be fun.” Gwyn’s voice took on an echoing tone.