The Bonding (20 page)

The Grazans would each expel twenty small
probes that would surround the pirate ship and shoot reminol beams. These would
burn completely through the hull and out the other side. The pirate ship would
immediately loose all pressurization and oxygen. The reminol beams would also
destroy anything else that they touched, usually taking out the primary
controls and engines.

The pirates had countermeasures for the
Zentus and the Tolpaks, but not the Grazans. However, the Grazans were only
effective if the Zentus neutralized the ship’s shields.

“I heard that the universal police force
was going to have heavily armed decoy ships out here. I think this is one of
them,” the first officer said.

“Bullshit!” the captain shouted. “This is
just some wise guy who thinks he’s tough enough to take us on. I’ll show him
who he’s messing with.”

The pirate commander saw the Zentus
coming, but didn’t know that Tarku had also launched the Tolpaks. He wasn’t used
to anyone fighting back, and especially with this type of weaponry. His
arrogant attitude of having the superior firepower, in every previous attack,
made him vulnerable, in that Tarku took him totally by surprise with his
offensive maneuver.

Normally, the pirate’s victims would try
to run and fight back with limited, outdated weapons, which were no match for
the pirates. Many of the victims had no weapons at all and were easy prey.

The pirate commander launched his
Kalitides, to destroy the Zentus, and was preparing to launch his own Zentus
when his Kalitides exploded. He watched in dismay. “What? How could he?”

Tarku’s Zentus were the latest models and
had built in self-defense mechanisms. As the Kalitides approached, the Zentus
fired reminol beams, destroying them.

The pirate’s proximity warning system
blared out an alert. “Warning! Impact in three seconds!” The pirates all stared
at the monitor in horror as the Zentus exploded, knocking out their Phemix
Shield and jolting the entire ship. Several of them fell to the floor. The
pirate commander quickly reached for his console to change course, trying to
miss the Tolpaks. But he was heading directly for them and couldn’t get out of
the way. They exploded and neutralized all of his ship’s electrical functions.
The ship immediately dropped into sublight speed and began drifting aimlessly
as the engines stopped. The artificial gravity generator was gone and the
pirates scrambled to hold onto anything solid. The monitors and lights died,
and the interior went pitch black and deadly silent. They knew what was coming.
A few seconds later, the two Grazans deployed forty probes, which immediately
surrounded the pirate ship and began burning holes in the hull with the reminol
beams.

Inside the pirate ship, the reminol beams
burned through from forty different directions. In the darkness, the only thing
the pirates could see were the burning beams of death piercing the hull and
melting everything they touched. Many of the pirates died instantly as the
beams burned through their bodies. One screamed with pain as his arm was
severed and drifted away.

Tarku and Janet looked at the monitor,
watching the death of the pirate vessel. Tarku saw that he had beaten them and
turned his ship back on course.

“We shouldn’t have anymore problems with
them, and neither should anyone else.”

No sooner had the words left Tarku’s
mouth and the pirate ship exploded, filling the monitor with a brilliant flash.
In less than three seconds it was completely gone, leaving only the beautiful
starlit view of space. The entire battle took less than five minutes.

Janet was still glued to the monitor. She
had never seen anything like this, except in the movies. She couldn’t believe
that she had just been a part of two spaceships actually fighting each other to
the death.

“Did you understand what just happened?”
Tarku asked.

Janet looked at him and nodded. “We just
destroyed a ship full of people.”

“A ship full of Pirates!” Tarku reminded
her. “Pirates who would have killed both of us, then taken our ship, and not
thought anything about it. You must learn to react exactly the way you just saw
me react – quickly and decisively. If you don’t, you will die a horrible
death. Being a woman, and a beautiful one at that, after every member of the
pirate crew got done having their way with you, you would have been sold into
slavery to the highest bidder at a slave market.
Never
to be seen
again.”

They quietly stared at each other. “I
understand,” Janet replied.

“When we get back, you need to go to the
simulator and practice as I have,” Tarku said. “Then you will be prepared.”

Janet silently nodded and looked up at
the monitor again. There was nothing but stars racing past them. The incident
stayed on her mind for the remainder of the day. She was sure that, given the
same situation, with her military fighter training, that she would react
properly to defend herself.

The business trip continued as planned.
Janet made a large sale of four spaceships and they returned home. This trip
seemed to bring Janet and Tarku closer together. Perhaps it was the incident
with the pirates, or perhaps it was simply the bond that was forming between
them.

Chapter Twelve

           
The
months had turned into two and a half years since Tarku found Janet drifting in
space. They still lived together and were inseparable. You rarely saw one
without the other. Although they had never actually engaged in a romantic or
sexual relationship, there was a love there that everyone recognized.

           
This
evening, they were at Tarku’s parent’s home, just finishing supper, and Jema
was looking at Janet and smiling.

           
“Okay,
Jema, what are you up to? I recognize that look,” Janet said.

           
“Since
you asked, I just happened to be passing by the doctor’s office today, and I
asked him if Tarku’s sperm would be compatible with a human?”

           
“You
did what?” Tarku blared.

           
“Oh
relax, Tarku. I was just curious that’s all. But the doctor said that you two
could easily have a baby. It will actually be kind of a new species, half
Zintandian and half Earthling.”

           
“I
can’t believe you did that,” Janet said.

           
“I
can,” Tarku replied.

           
“It’s
not like you’re not already part of the family, Janet,” Jema said, ignoring
Tarku.

“Tarku and I have a very special
relationship and we don’t want to spoil it with any romantic commitments.”

           
“I
agree,” Tarku said. “We are more like a brother and sister than two lovers.”

           
Vela
gave him a knowing glance. “That’s not what I see.”

           
“That’s
not what I see either,” Kuwal remarked.

           
“You
can see whatever you wish to see, but Janet and I have a great relationship
just the way it is.” Tarku looked over at Janet.

           
She
nodded. “I have to agree with Tarku.”

           
“Well,
if you ever do decide to take it to a romantic level, I just wanted you to know
that you
could
have a baby,” Jema said.

           
“Okay,
it’s time to change the subject,” Tarku moaned. “Father, I hear that the
scientists have been thinking about releasing some new planets for business.”

           
Tarku
and Janet successfully steered clear of any more relationship comments from
Jema and Vela. On the way home that evening, they were both unusually quiet.
Jema had stirred some thoughts that they both had but refused to admit to.

           
A
few days later, at their home, Tarku came into the living room and Janet was
looking at television broadcasts from the Earth. She was still fascinated at
how the Zintandian satellites could send the information so far, in only two
weeks, and read the signals so clearly. It allowed her to see what was
happening back on Earth and that was good enough for her. Only tonight, she
seemed a little different, kind of quiet and withdrawn.

           
“Janet,
are you all right?”

           
She
was turned away from him and he saw her move her hand to her face, as though
wiping a tear from her eye.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

           
Tarku
heard a faint sound of despair in her tone. He walked over and wrapped his huge
arms around her. She immediately buried her face in his chest and the tears
flowed. He gently stroked her hair as she sobbed, and a tear rolled down his
cheek. He was feeling her agony. He stared at the pictures on the monitor.
Pictures of the evening news from the United States of America.

           
Tarku
knew that Janet was homesick, but he never realized just how homesick, until
tonight. He could only imagine how he would feel if their roles were reversed.

           
Janet
looked up into Tarku’s caring eyes. Tears were still streaming from hers. “Will
you hold me tonight, and love me,” she said softly.

           
Tarku
nodded one time and picked her up like a feather. She was cradled in his arms
as he carried her to his bedroom. Tarku commanded the lights to dim as he
gently set her down. Janet looked up at him and pulled his face down to hers as
she began to kiss him. This was the first time they had ever passionately
kissed on the lips, and the kiss was the most passionate that either had ever
experienced. Tarku very slowly undressed her and she undressed him. Their naked
bodies meshed as one as they stood embracing. Then, Tarku gently lifted her and
laid her on the bed. He was concerned that his weight would be too much for her
so she got on top. His manhood entered her moist heat and within minutes they
were moaning from the most enjoyable sexual experience that either had ever
encountered. Janet whispered into Tarku’s ear. “I love you.”

           
“I
love you too,” he whispered back.

           
They
silently held each other and fell asleep with Janet’s head on his shoulder and
his arm wrapped around her.

           
They
slept late the next morning, and when they finally awakened, most of the day
was spent making love and cuddling naked as they watched movies. This was the
beginning of a new segment in their lives. Their bonding was now complete. As
they made love it was as though each of their feelings flowed into one another.
They were as one. Neither had ever felt such closeness before.

           
That
evening, they were to have dinner with Tarku’s parents and Jema. When they
arrived, hand-in-hand, Vela and Jema looked at each other and smiled. Even
Kuwal took notice.

           
“Is
there something you two need to let us in on?” Kuwal asked.

           
Janet
smiled at Vela and Jema, and Jema came over and hugged her. “You guys had sex,
didn’t you?” Jema asked.

           
Janet
smiled and raised her eyebrows.

           
“Hey
now!” Tarku said. “That’s none of your business.”

           
“Oh
bull,” Vela grumbled. “It’s about time you two became an official couple.
Everyone else could see that you were in love.”

           
Kuwal
also hugged Janet. “I’m very happy for you.”

“Thank you, Kuwal.”

           
At
this moment, Janet felt the same as the day they had originally welcomed her as
a part of their family. The women went to the living room and chatted while
Tarku and Kuwal went to the bar to mix some drinks.

           
“Is
this going to affect anything with the business?” Kuwal asked.

           
“Why
should it?” Tarku questioned.

           
“I
don’t see any reason why it should. I just thought I’d ask. Sometimes it isn’t
good to mix business with pleasure.”

           
“I
think it would be great. We won’t have to be apart when we travel, like you
used to be with mother.”

           
“That
is true,” Kuwal agreed, looking over at Vela. “There were some very hard times
back when I was traveling the universe and starting up the business. Thank God
your mother is such a dedicated and understanding wife. She could see the big
picture and had a lot of patience with me.”

           
The
men walked over to the living room and Kuwal leaned down and gave Vela a kiss.
She looked up and smiled. “What brought that on?”

           
“Tarku
and I were talking about my early days in the business, and how I used to be
gone for weeks at a time.”