Obsolete (Terran Times Second Wave Book 24) (3 page)

As she hung the skinsuit in the cleaner and took another gel shower, she smirked as she imagined that all those folks on Earth who were against masturbation should try living in a skinsuit for a while. There was nothing like having something crawl into your nether regions to give you a respect for the freedoms of your body. She hadn’t felt like touching herself much before she arrived, but since she had landed, the manual contact had not only reassured her that the skinsuit hadn’t damaged her, but it had eased the feeling of solitude for a few minutes.

With the rest of the day off, she watched the station news vids before getting back to her studies. Now that she had seen more of it, she was looking for something, anything to link the pod she had opened to a species she could identify.

She sat on her bed in a loose robe and continued her examination of the module components and her search for their origins.

* * * *

Brin Tai Wekk followed the Hrath medics with a sense of confusion. They were not the ones who had woken him. Their minds did not reach for his, and their bodies did not summon his with soft demand.

“Where is the one who woke me?” His words were in Lomitol, but his mind forced the translation.

The medic leading the way glanced back. “I will find her as soon as we have assured your health.”

Brin nodded. “Good. I am in excellent health.”

“Of course. We simply need to assure ourselves that there is no liability. She should never have woken you without authorization.”

He flexed his hand. “She didn’t physically wake me, but she does have excellent reflexes.”

They entered medical, and he took a seat on the exam bed. The scans were minimally invasive.

“We need to provide you with clothing, and perhaps you could give us your name, sir?”

He smiled slowly. “I can craft my own clothing.”

He gathered sheets into a draped skirt that hung to mid-calf, and with a flick of his thoughts, it changed to a deep burgundy. The covering on the exam bed was dropped to the ground, and he stepped on it as it separated and transformed into knee-high boots. He was very well covered for his station. An ex-Avatar was not something that was common in the universe.

“My name is Brin Tai Wekk, former Avatar of Lomit.”

The Hrath medic clicked his beak. “That is impossible. Lomit exploded. We are next to the asteroid field that is composed of large pieces of that world.”

“I am what I am. Now, show me to the female that woke me, or I will seek her out.”

The medic flinched. “I am unsure of her location. You would be better off going through the control office.”

Brin sighed. “Fine. I will seek her out.”

He moved through the halls of the station, past members of four distinct species. His target was none of those. Her mind was bright, and it sparked with excitement the moment she found something new. He needed that. His time as Avatar had dulled his senses, and with no world to bond to, he needed a compatible mind. The woman who had woken him was what he needed to drain the power and balance his mind.

He just needed to find her.

* * * *

The knocking at her door brought her out of her study of the wiring composition of most Nyal colony ships.

Her small room didn’t come with any extras, including a screen so she could see who was on the other side of the door. A strange excitement burned in her when she reached out to open the door.

She stumbled backward and stared at the seven-foot tall figure that entered her tiny bit of personal space.

He was no longer naked, but somehow, the long skirt he wore draped and tucked to let his legs move freely was a little worse. It drew all of her attention to his abs and carried it up to his shoulders.

“Hello. Are you lost?” It was a ridiculous question given that he had found her small room in the lowest ranking of the station quarters.

His smile was slow, and she took in the gold-green glow of his skin, the leopard-like pine-green spots and the waves of rich emerald hair that cascaded down his back.

He spoke softly, and she heard the words translated as he said them. “I am happy to have found you. I have something that I must give you.”

She leaned back when he approached, but her legs were against the bed and she had nowhere to go. He reached out and lifted her up to him, kissing her thoroughly without warning.

Olena gasped as an electric shock ran from his tongue to hers. She moaned as it spread through the rest of her body in a wave of pleasurable fire.

The light behind her eyes took over, and when he pulled back, it took her a while before her lids were willing to open. His midnight eyes were smiling at her. No pupil, no whites, just solid black. It should have been disturbing, but her instinct was to curl back to him and continue the kiss.

He smiled, and his strange language rippled over her. “I wish I had had time to ease you into your situation, but I am confident you will come to accept it in time.”

“What? Who are you?”

He grinned, showing sharp teeth that had somehow escaped her notice. “Brin Tai Wekk, former Avatar of Lomit. The world is gone, but I live on with all the powers granted to me. I required a companion, and you were a very suitable match. You are now bound to me.”

Olena scowled. “I don’t understand.”

He looked around. “Is there somewhere else we may speak? I am afraid that the bed is not the best way to tease me right now.”

She tried to jerk back, but he was still holding her. “I am not teasing. This is my room. My only room. I am not trying to seduce you. I don’t even know who you are?”

He set her on her feet. “I am the man who has slept eons waiting for you. Finally, you came, and now, I am here to answer your call.”

She grimaced. “Horseshit.”

He paused and laughed. “You prefer honesty?”

“It usually helps me deal with things.”

“I was waiting for a mind I could share my burden with so that I would not immolate within hours of my rising. There is a world waiting for me, but I must have a companion or death and destruction will follow in my wake.”

Her tone was whiny, and she knew it, but she said, “But I just got here.”

His lips twitched, and he started to laugh. “I will need to gain access to the com centre to call us a ride.”

“Us?”

“I am taking you with me.”

“You can’t.” She reared back. Technically, she had no rights, no freedoms, no ability to choose where she lived. She wasn’t assigned to the Alliance where she could be guaranteed recognition. She wasn’t even in actual Imperium space. She was nowhere that she could get help.

“I can and I will. You will get used to the idea when the power begins to bloom in you. You will need a planet beneath your feet.”

She put her hand to her abdomen and was brought to the awareness that her robe had opened sometime after his arrival. She jerked it closed, and he sighed in disappointment.

“Come with me. I need to make that call.” He beckoned her to enter his personal space and stand next to him.

“I need to get dressed. Please wait outside.”

He shook his head. “No. I will soon know all of you and you all of me. There is no time for false modesty.”

She scowled and grabbed her work suit, slipping it up under her robe before she turned her back to him and dropped the one luxury item she had brought with her from Earth. The sleeves fought her, but she managed to get them over her shoulders and the closure done up before she grabbed her boots and stepped into them.

“That is an unattractive costume.”

She felt like sticking her tongue out at him, but she wasn’t sure how his species would take that. “It is my only option. The robe is for inside my quarters only.”

With her body clothed decently, she nodded toward the still-open door. “Let’s go.”

He bent to clear the doorway, and he waited for her on the other side of the threshold. When she followed him into the hall and she closed her door, she got the strange feeling that it was for the last time.

Chapter Four

Olena was bemused as she watched Brin Tai Wekk order the Hrath around and get what he asked for every time. The fear in their eyes was obvious.

She sat back and tried to feel anything different inside her. She was aroused, but then, he was the nicest thing to look at that she had seen in months. Even back on Earth, she had been too absorbed in her work to go looking for a relationship.

When she realised what she was thinking, she stopped lazing casually and sat upright. The last time she had a relationship, it had lasted fifteen years until her cat had died. Sparks had been a great cat and her best buddy. When he died, she hadn’t wanted to replace him with anything or anyone else. Now, her hormonal brain was trying to figure out how to fit Brin Tai Wekk into her life in a manner that would cause the least disruption. Olena’s logic centre knew that there was no chance that she wouldn’t be disrupted. He had already begun the process.

The ex-Avatar was on the com and speaking in liquid tones that she couldn’t understand. When a surprised voice on the other end returned the greeting, her new companion grinned. The conversation was quick, and Brin Tai Wekk was sober when it was over.

He glanced at Olena. “They are coming for us. They will be here in two days, and they will take on all financial issues we generate in the meantime.”

She cocked her head. “What do you mean by that?”

“I thought you might want to get some new clothing. You will need it as my consort.”

Olena blushed. “There isn’t anything available here. Just the work suits.”

The Hrath com officer shrugged. “Apologies, Avatar. While we have a modification centre, there is no place for clothing that would match your purposes.”

“Fine. Bring me fabric. As much as you can spare.”

The officer nodded and paused. “Where, sir?”

He frowned. “I believe that I require some new quarters as my old quarters have a large hole gouged into them.”

She shrugged. “Sorry. So, are you leaving the pod to the scavenger?”

He nodded. “Of course. I have no need of it. He is welcome to the profits he can glean from it, though if the salvager does not have your touch, he will soon find it a mess of metal.”

“I would like to think it is flattery, but I get the feeling you are serious.”

“I am. Without a compatible mind, the mechanics will dissolve at the touch of the unsympathetic salvager and be rendered useless. What you have already removed was removed and stabilised by your mind. Well done, by the way.”

Olena cocked her head. “We are still here for two days?”

He nodded. “We are.”

“I will take the rest of the pod apart, as long as the controller will allow it.”

Her companion smiled. “Let’s find out. I would enjoy seeing you at work.”

She nodded to the com officer. “Thank you for your assistance.”

The com officer clacked his beak in acknowledgement.

She was almost rubbing her hands together at the thought of taking that pod apart with wild abandon.

“You enjoy your work as a salvager, don’t you?” Brin Tai Wekk was right behind her.

“Yes, I truly do. I enjoy grafting pieces together more, but the salvage will get me enough credit to start over wherever we end up.”

“Finances are not an issue. As my consort, you are entitled to half of my earnings.”

She quirked her lips where he couldn’t see her. “I am your consort now. You will probably change your mind and pick someone more suitable.”

“You are suitable. You have already absorbed the spark. If you were not a suitable mate, it would not have been possible.”

Olena dismissed the idea of a spark. She didn’t feel any different.

In the controller’s office, she waited until he looked up. “Yes, Salvager Olena?”

“I would like permission to resume my salvage. The occupant of the pod is amenable to my continuing the deconstruction.”

The controller looked at her and cocked his head. “In light of the discovery of the usefulness of the pod, I am assigning it to Salvager Mrekk. He will complete the deconstruction.”

Olena felt her soul sink. “The ex-Avatar has indicated that if one of the Hrath attempts to remove the more delicate electrical units, they will be rendered inert.”

The controller sighed. “I doubt it. You have the pay from the morning, minus the atmosphere fees for filling the workspace. The units you rescued are impressive enough to render a large payday for one of your seniority.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Controller.”

She fought tears as she turned on her heel and nearly plowed into the ex-Avatar.

He caught her elbows and rubbed her back. “I will see to acquiring larger accommodation, and you will join me.”

“The stationmaster’s office can arrange for larger rooms.”

“That is our next stop.” He kept an arm around her and walked with her but let her lead the way.

The stationmaster took the money out of her account, but they got a luxurious suite with an actual shower and tub. An attendant went to her quarters and brought her personal effects to the new suite. It didn’t take long.

Olena took her data pad and entered in
Lomit.
She stared and read as fast as she could.

“You can sit down and read that, or you can ask me what you want to know.” He was remarkably cheerful as he went through the menu on the food dispenser.

“What happened to the planet?”

“It ran afoul of a comet’s recurrence and could not move out of the way. The comet’s path had been altered by those seeking to destroy a living world, and they were successful... to a point.”

Olena looked up from the images provided by the ancient Imperium archive. “To a point?”

“Lomit saw the approach and evacuated his people and his Avatar. I carry his power within me, though not his consciousness.”

“Where did his people go?”

“A world called Echoheart.”

“Is that where we are going?”

He smiled. “I believe that we are destined for somewhere else. The Lomit have moved on. They do not need me to control or advise them. There is a moon in the system that will suit us. We will begin anew.”