Terran Times 02 - Deal with a Dhemon (24 page)

Viola Grace

to leave the medical bay.

“Go back to your quarters Sam, I‘ll catch up with you soon. You might want to start packing.”

Etion gave her a wink and began to speak to the doctor in hushed tones.

Sam walked through the halls, ignoring the interested stares of the crew. This was the first time she had been left alone on the ship, and she had an idea why. The medical scans must have revealed her new sexual status, and Etion was being quizzed as to the possible culprit.

She frowned and slapped the coded lock on her door. Once inside, she began to pack the dozens of outfits that she had been provided with. Suddenly, the landing claxon went off.

They were early. She had not expected planet fall until after lunch. She scooted over and flipped down the landing seat, strapping herself in and waiting for the claxon to go mute, signaling their successful entrance into the atmosphere with silence. Planet fall took close to an hour on most Alliance planets.

The rest of the landing went by seamlessly.

When they had thudded to a halt, Sam undid her restraints and stretched her arms over her head.

She waited for someone to come for her, and continued to stretch as she walked around her quarters. It was in this less than ladylike pose that Etion caught her in when he walked into the 56

Deal with a Dhemon

room.

“That is possibly the most distressing pose I have seen you in yet, although the time you were on your knees under the bed was a close second.”

He smiled with anticipation. “Are you ready to see your new world?”

She dragged in a shaky breath, “As ready as I can be. Staying on the ship is not really an option.”

“Then let’s go.”

The halls of the ship were empty for the first time since she had come aboard. All of the crew must have cleared out as soon as they touched down. She didn’t blame them.

The main docking hatch was wide open, letting golden sunlight into the ship. She walked carefully toward the light, breathing in the air of Dhema for the first time.

Outside, there was a concrete landing pad. She could see crew members walking away in the distance and had her earlier assumption confirmed. Her fingers clenched on Etion’s arm as she saw a private shuttle waiting for something on the tarmac.

Etion took the lead and shoved her into the shuttle. Seconds later, they were in the air of the new planet and whipping only meters above the ocean.

She observed the sky, taking in a slightly purpler tint to the heavens than was visible back 57

Viola Grace

on earth. The cliffs that they passed had a distinct reddish cast, echoed in the grains being grown in fields just beyond the oceanic vista.

Her hands were shaking with tension. She hoped that her invitation to the ambassador’s house was still valid.

The shuttle flew for an hour and then came down in a wide courtyard. The door hissed open and Etion once again took her hand and tugged her out. A couple with a young daughter waited on the steps at the entrance to the house.

Samantha was stunned at the beauty of her hosts. The ambassador’s wife was breathtaking, a perfect specimen of Dheman femininity. Her skin was the purplish hue of the sky, silver eyes gleaming under clear winged brows her black hair gleaming in the afternoon sun. She was no taller than Sam, which surprised her, based on the height of the men, she had expected the women to be quite a bit taller than Terran women.