Mission Mistletoe (4 page)

“I thought you were enjoying yourself,” he said.

Archer swallowed. He refused to think about Jhex’s hands. He didn’t need to be tempted to sit back down in that chair and see where it led.

“I need to get to sleep,” said Archer, trying to ignore Jhex’s words, reminding himself the ambassador had not known what he was doing. Could not. Because if he did… then Archer would have an even more difficult time resisting.

He moved toward the door, and while Jhex did not try to stop him, he did not take a step from where he stood either. Archer pulled himself together at the threshold.

“I’ll be waiting on your destination list, Ambassador,” he said. “Good night.”

A
RCTOS
WAS
a snow-covered, freezing place that Ilin did not much care for. He spent his time walking the stretch from the landing pad to the nearby building trying to catch the captain’s eye, but Archer had not really spoken to him in days. Even now, after a shuttle ride down, he had barely said a word. Ilin had not pushed him, but he was beginning to feel wound up inside. They walked next to each other, the highest officials on the ship, and the captain could not even bring himself to look Ilin’s way.

The boots Ilin had been given crunched over the snow and into the building, and he blinked, not expecting the interior to be as bright as outside. The light reflecting off the snow hurt his eyes, and if the colonists kept their buildings lit as much as this, he was going to have a nasty headache by the end of his tour on Arctos.

“Captain Pfeil,” said a woman Ilin recognized from the records he had looked at before descending. She was listed as a Japanese American, the current governor of the colony. Next to her stood a young man, pale and scrawny, whom Ilin did not recognize. He had not researched any other officials.

“Governor Conley,” said the captain.

His face warmed as he shook her hand, and Ilin tried not to feel sour. It was uncharacteristic for him. He shook as well as he was introduced, smiling his perfected smile. The scrawny man merely stood by saying nothing.

“Shall we begin?” asked the governor, focusing her gaze on Ilin. “I’ll give you a quick walk around here, and then we’ll head into town. Any questions, Ambassador, just ask.”

“Your lights,” said Ilin as they turned and made their way down the corridor, the scrawny man and other ship’s officials the captain had brought with trailing behind them. Governor Conley misunderstood him.

“The Arctos colony has lighting that mimics the sun,” she said. “On account of there being so little sunlight most days. We find it helps with mood better than drugs.”

“I’ve noticed you have a lot of problems with your moods, Captain,” said Ilin to Captain Pfeil, watching him blink back a frown. “At the last colony there were drugs for being on the water too much. On your ship there are drugs for being in deep space too long.”

“Do your people not feel strain, Ambassador?” asked the governor. Ilin noticed she was not using his name in any form and concluded she was not comfortable pronouncing it. He glanced at the captain, wishing he was not walking on the far side of the governor, wishing he would say his name again.

“We handle it in other ways,” he said. “You’re a very repressed species.”

The governor blinked as though unsure how to respond, and the captain looked up, caught Ilin’s eye. He paled as their eyes met, then flushed and looked away, scowling.

“I’m sure Ambassador a’dlen Jhex would care to hear about all these rooms we’re passing,” said Captain Pfeil. “This is the Arctos hub, right?”

Governor Conley jumped at the change of subject.

“When it comes to paperwork, yes. Most of these rooms along the hallway here are for meetings and calls. This building deals mostly with administration of all sorts. From shipping records to new laws to marriage licenses, it’s all here.”

“Small,” said Ilin. He could not seem to stop himself from being so rude, but he was irritated with the captain’s behavior. The governor led them out into an open area that did not meet the far wall, but was instead enclosed in railings. The space was several stories high, with another level above and below, and sported massive windows across from them. Ilin walked directly to the railing, squinting out to the bright, snowy scene outside.

“We are a newer colony, Ambassador,” said the governor.

“Arctos was a suggested stop to show you what a colony might look like after a decade or two,” said Captain Pfeil.

His voice was short. Ilin’s hands gripped the cold metal railing, released it. He turned back, caught the captain’s eye again.

“There’s nothing beautiful or complex here,” he said.

The governor was very much beginning to look uncomfortable. Captain Pfeil scowled again.

“Look, Jhex, I understand you don’t like the cold, but this colony is not meant to be beautiful. It’s meant to be functional.”

“‘Functional’ does not seem to be good for your moods.”

“We handle our moods just fine. You don’t have to approve of the methods.”

Governor Conley was shooting the captain a strange look, as though considering the level of intimacy he must have to completely drop Ilin’s formal title, to bicker with him. In the end she seemed to decide to overlook it and cleared her throat.

“Arctos is a work in progress, Ambassador. We are predominantly a mining colony at the moment, though there has been talk of seeding the oceans for fishing and some of the tundra for game. With a larger population, we will undoubtedly have more beautiful things, buildings with a bit more architectural interest, artists and performers. We are currently building a library, if you care to follow me to take a walk through the town….”

Ilin put up with the tour, but he was less than pleased with Arctos. In order to avoid the cold, the streets were navigated either aboveground in a shuttle or belowground along a series of brightly lit tunnels. The library was tiny and had few actual texts, as well as only three reading terminals. And throughout the entire stroll, Captain Pfeil kept on the opposite side of the governor, as though trying to ignore Ilin as much as possible. By the time they had finished the tour and were on their way to the main building for food, Ilin was annoyed.

“Any further questions, Ambassador?” asked Governor Conley as she led them into a large room full of tables and chattering people. She motioned for her scrawny companion to wait here, and Captain Pfeil reluctantly did the same for his officers. As they hung back in the public mess, the governor led them to a private room.

“No, thanks,” said Ilin, attempting to be polite again.

“Please, sit,” said the governor as the door closed behind them. This room too had windows showing the unending snowy expanse outside. “It’s the time of the year for cheer, wouldn’t you say? I have cider or mulled wine for refreshments, if you’d like.”

Ilin watched as Captain Pfeil’s face lit up just slightly.

“Mulled wine? I thought you must have something good to send the others away,” he said, standing. “Care for a hand?”

He followed the governor into a side room, and they pulled the door nearly shut behind them, but Ilin could still hear them. It wasn’t difficult to focus on their words. There was nothing else to do in the room.

“Is he always so obstinate? Must be a ride,” said the governor.

The captain sighed.

“No, it’s my fault. I’ve been avoiding him.”

“Did something happen between you two?” asked the governor, and Ilin heard the clink of mugs. “You seemed very… casual at times.”

“Nothing happened,” grumbled the captain. “You’d think he wanted it to, the way he acts, though. Aliens. You can never really tell if they want what they act like they want. And he won’t use a translator.”

“His language skills seem good.” The governor paused to put something in the food printer and activate the heat function. “Aren’t you in a relationship, anyway?”

“Not anymore. I swear this entire assignment has been a series of issues. They switched my fuel on me to some new bioshit, and now we have to stop to clean the systems constantly. We’re not on schedule, we’re going to lose several stops, and that’s just the beginning of a long list of problems.”

“Problems that he’ll report back.”

“I’d rather not lose my job on top of everything else.”

“Understandable.”

The door to the food printer opened, and the noise of mugs met Ilin’s ears again, the sound of someone sipping.

“That’s good. How hot does he want his?”

“Do it the same,” said the captain. “Any advice on keeping him happy? His word means a lot to my career.”

“What, you think I entertain people like him all the time?”

“I think you lead a colony that hasn’t had any major issues since its start-up. You must know some tips on appeasement.”

The governor laughed, took a mug out, put the last one in.

“Advice for your situation? Give him what he wants. I’ve met a few diplomats who swear that’s the best way.” There was a pause while she waited for Captain Pfeil’s response, but when there was none, she continued. “Not attracted to him?”

“That’s not the issue here,” said the captain, irritation in his voice.

“Then what is? It looks straightforward to me if you like him well enough.”

The printer shut off, the last mug warmed. There was a long pause, during which Ilin considered walking in on them. That the captain was interested greatly improved his mood, and there was a part of him that wanted to see his expression when he appeared in the doorway. But Ilin resisted, not wanting to make him even more annoyed than he already seemed to be.

“Can you imagine the hell to pay for it? I can’t just sleep with an ambassador, whether he wants it or not—and I’m not sure he does.”

“Well, you obviously don’t tell anyone. Don’t be an idiot about it.” She paused. “Come on. He’s waiting.”

When they exited, Ilin made sure to be squinting outside. He already had a substantial headache but was doing his best at ignoring it. It helped to hear that Captain Pfeil was interested. It did not help to hear that he wasn’t planning on doing anything about it.

“Have you had mulled wine before, Ambassador?” asked the governor, passing him a warm mug. Ilin shook his head.

“It’s good in the cold,” said the captain, selecting a seat a good distance away from Ilin and sitting. He stared almost wistfully outside as he sipped. Ilin filed away the information and reminded himself to check with Nadine about whether there was any mulled wine on the ship.

The mulled wine was good, sweet and spicy and warm, and Ilin nodded approval.

“This is very good,” he said.

“Well, there’s one thing he likes,” mumbled the captain, so low that Ilin was under the impression he thought only the governor seated between them would be able to hear.

“I like the clouds too,” said Ilin, nodding outside. They were rolling in, dark and angry looking, but they covered the sun.

The governor nodded.

“We’re supposed to get a storm later today. Recommend you fly back to your ship before then, Captain. Some of our snowstorms can make travel difficult.”

“We’ll be orbiting Arctos for the next few days, I’m afraid,” said the captain, staring outside. “Engineering has maintenance. I’d like to give some of my crew leave to come down to visit, if that’s all right with you.”

“We can work out the details. We don’t have an overabundance of supplies, though.”

“I’ll have them bring what they need. I was also thinking that you might care to stay down here for the duration, Ambassador a’dlen Jhex,” said the captain, and Ilin looked over at him so sharply that the governor stood, muttering something about retrieving the rest of the wine.

“No,” said Ilin.

The captain frowned, swirling the rest of his wine before drinking it.

“A planet is more interesting than a ship.”

“Not this planet,” said Ilin. He hated what he had seen of this planet.

“It would give you a better chance to examine our colonization practices.”

Ilin set aside his empty mug.

“Captain Pfeil, are you trying to be rid of me?”

The captain glanced up, and their eyes met for a brief moment before he looked away.

“I’ll stay down here if you will.”

“I can’t stay down here. I have a ship to run.”

“And I don’t like this planet.” He watched the captain wince. “Do you fear I’ll report that?”

“Report whatever you want, Ambassador.”

“You’re not supposed to dissuade me, correct?” asked Ilin, finding himself irritated. Usually he was good at keeping his cool, but the captain was beginning to really wind him up, not to mention the searing lights and his headache and the fact that he was overdue for his meds so the air was bothering him.

“Jhex—”

“It’s Ilin. Or return to using a’dlen,” said Ilin, standing. “I think we should return to the ship. I haven’t had my pills for your air in a while now, and I’m beginning to feel it.”

The governor reentered then, holding a bottle. She watched as Ilin crossed to the door, then glanced at the captain, who was standing.

“The air is a bit thin for the ambassador,” he said. “Thank you, Governor Conley. I’ll be in contact while we’re still orbiting.”

Ilin hung back while the captain gathered his crew and led them back to their shuttle. He did not seem to mind that he was allowing the ambassador to trail along behind everyone, and though the crew members tried to let Ilin past them, he shook his head. He did not particularly care for them to see him having to catch his breath, anyway.

The captain lingered outside as his crew made their way to the shuttle, a light snowfall coming down around him. Ilin made his way over to him, surprised to see him looking calm, pleased even. He had shut his eyes.

“What is it now?” he asked as Ilin approached.

“I’m surprised you could hear me.”

The captain smiled, eyes still closed.

“The snow crunches. I’m not deaf, you know.” His smile faded. “So what do you want?”

“You don’t have to push me away,” said Ilin, thinking it best to come to the point with the Terran. The captain clearly needed everything to be put bluntly.