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  Reset sighed and followed Mist out the door. It wouldn’t do for their visitor to wake and see a Kozue looming over her. She might just land a punch in a sensitive area that Reset had plans for later.

  Chapter Five

  “Do you know what a pod launch is?” Frost was behind the controls, and Finder was speaking softly to her.

  They had been on the shuttle for three meals and two naps. Ikari had no idea how long that was in standard time, but she was more than ready to get off the shuttle, by whatever means available.

  “No, what is a pod launch?” Ikari watched Finder closely. There was a certain urgency to her tone.

  “Since Dorali is marked as a quarantined world, whatever drops cannot come back until the cure has been disseminated throughout their population.”

  “When will that be?”

  Frost turned his head toward them, and his wings flicked, “The current estimate is five to ten years.”

  Finder straightened, “Right, well, a pod drop is a method by which personnel are placed in a sealed unit and propelled through the atmosphere to their destination. At approximately five hundred metres above the ground, a chute will open to slow your descent and the gel in the pod will absorb the majority of the shock when you land.”

  Ikari blinked, “Do the chutes ever not open?”

  Finder bit her lip. It was answer enough. “The equipment is in excellent shape. Fixer has gone over everything, and you will be dropping with all the medical supplies and serums we have been able to generate.”

  “Fine. What is the disease that has ravaged Dorali?”

  Frost snorted in amusement, and Finder rolled her eyes. “Designer STD’s. Sexually transmitted diseases. One city designed one to attack another city, and it spiralled out of control. Now, every city is host to a designer virus, and no one can come or go from the planet of Dorali.”

  “So, that was what I was injected with?”

  “A vaccine against the base virus that should protect you from the rest, yes.” Finder fussed with her data pad. “Are you ready?”

  Ikari looked down at the planet covered with tiny cities, each one floating in the sky. She wanted that sky like she had never wanted anything before.

  “I am ready.”

  “Fine. Frost, get into position. Ikari, get into the pod.”

  Ikari chuckled as she got to her feet, and the shuttle shifted into a low orbit. The pod was a long tube with rounded base and top. With Finder’s help, she settled into it and felt the gel pushing against her suit as the front of the case sealed.

  Finder’s face smiled, and she mouthed “good luck” while extending one thumb into the air.

  Ikari held her breath when a door slid between Finder and the capsule but she understood the need a moment later when the pod began hurtling toward the surface of Dorali.

  As a form of flying, a pod drop was just shy of terrifying and well on the way to scary as hell.

  She shivered as the altimeter in the pod showed her approaching the chute height, and when there was an explosion above her, she sighed in relief. The sudden halt of plummeting jarred her, but it also confirmed that the drop was in working order.

  Ikari watched the altimeter closely, and when it showed ground level, she braced for impact.

  The sensation she felt was that her pod was sliding into sludge. Her fall stopped, but she was still slowly moving downward. The emergency release lit up and knowing when to hit the panic button, she panicked.

  The pod shattered around her, and on instinct, Ikari took to the air. Bright light blinded her, so she hovered and blinked rapidly to clear her vision. The suit formed tinted lenses that helped her adaptation, and she looked around.

  The pod was just shy of solid land. It must have struck the edge before sliding into the thick liquid that surrounded the small island. Four other pods were embedded in the mud on the edge of the island, and as she approached them, they opened one by one.

  “We can journey to the outpost if you are done taking inventory.”

  The words were spoken in a low, masculine tone, and she pivoted quickly to face the man leaning against the tree.

  He carved a slice of fruit off and popped it neatly between his teeth. The flash of white was the most visible part of him under the shade of the branches.

  “I am guessing that you are the Citadel representative?”

  He bowed. “And you are the new journeyman to the Citadel. Well done, by the way. Many folk have died in the pods because they would not hit that button.”

  She floated toward him, “You would have let me drown?”

  “Of course not, but there was no point in rushing in if you could simply save yourself. This world will demand much of you, and I am not able to follow where you go.” He stepped toward her out of the shadows, and it was all she could do to not turn and fly as fast and as far as she could.

  “A Kozue. They didn’t tell me you were a Kozue.”

  “I have done some research on the Resicor, and I understand why they left that part out.” He sliced off another piece of fruit and held it out to her.

  She looked at him and took in the skin with a purple-bronze hue, the long black braids with small brass beads woven throughout. The only thing that made him seem less threatening was the long robes that he wore. From her research, they were the robes of a Citadel master, and he was bound to pursue education and a true focus on talent. That binding and her own curiosity made her float closer to take what he offered.

  Unable to completely fight her instincts, she snatched the fruit and then backed away. “My name is Ikari Quono. Who might you be?”

  The Kozue gave her a deep bow and smiled as he rose. “Citadel Seer Master Khivon. You may call me Khivon.”

  “Khivon, you may call me Ikari.”

  His smile grew, and she realized that she had not only come closer to him, but she was only a foot and a half off the ground, putting her at his eye level. He had the most riveting bright gold eyes and she was amazed she hadn’t noticed them first.

  Suddenly nervous in her form-fitting suit, she used the wind to move her hair to hide the intricate design that the Masuo had decided suited her.

  “Your eyes are hidden, Ikari. What colour are they?”

  She blinked and the eye protection faded away. “Purple. Like most of the Resicorian.”

  Her conversational partner swallowed heavily. “So I see. Did you pick your suit?”

  She blushed and backed away from him. “No, it took this form on its own.”

  Her suit hummed happily against her skin. She knew what he was seeing. Twisted designs caressed bare skin on her legs, her midriff was decently covered, but while her left breast and arm were decently clothed, some very charming and elegant swirls and spikes incidentally covered her right.

  On Resicor, this suit would have her arrested or dating a guard within minutes. Here, it was just part of her uniform.

  Her mask was her favourite part of the costume. It distanced her from the man in front of her in a way she couldn’t define.

  “Your hair is also impressive. Do you know it is moving on its own?”

  She shook her head. “It isn’t. Wind is moving it.”

  “How long can you stay aloft?”

  She shrugged. “So far, I have managed about six hours while herding on my farm. This is new territory for me.”

  Khivon grinned. “If you would help me retrieve the med packs, I can show you your new home.”

  She blinked and followed him to the pods lodged in mud.

  He pulled pack after pack from the first pod, slinging the straps over his shoulders and loading up.

  Ikari flew to the next pod and mimicked him, gasping when the first pack weighed almost as much as she did. With the help of wind, determination and the urge to make a good impression, she managed to carry four of the packs to his dozen as they walked up the only hill on the tiny island. Well, he walked and she glided.

  “Did they tell you that you were an elemental?” He s
eemed un-phased by the weight he was carrying.

  She fought for breath and smiled, “No. They said I would learn what was needed when I got here.”

  “So you shall. The first thing is that you cannot do your job if you injure yourself. Do not take more than you can comfortably handle again. This is not a contest. There is no time constraint. Take the time you need to do the job well and safely.”

  She blushed. “I am sorry. I was unsure as to what the appropriate procedure was, so I took all I could lift.”

  “I am depending on you to keep track of yourself and your safety. I cannot stress that enough.” He walked into a modestly sized building and placed the packs on a wide, steel table, one by one.

  She followed suit, and together, they turned back to the drop zone. Ikari paused during her second load and assessed the weight of the two packs she was carrying and lifting. With concentration, she set the packs on the ground and lifted the straps as she rose from the surface of Dorali. It took some balancing, but once she had herself stabilized, she zipped back and forth four times faster than Khivon could walk.

  When he made it up to the house for a third time, she had all of the other packs waiting for him.

  His grin said that she had done a good job.

  “Now, let’s get you something to eat, and then, we will find the supply packs that they sent for you.” He nodded to the rest of the small outpost, and she followed his gesture, walking on bare feet into the kitchen and dining area.

  Khivon joined her in a moment and motioned for her to have a seat. “You can make dinner tomorrow. Today, you are still my guest.”

  Bemused, she watched something that her mother told her never occurred in nature. A man was making dinner, and he was doing a very competent job of it.

  Chapter Six

  “I have to admit, you are a pretty good cook, Khivon.”

  He laughed. “It was so rare on my home ship to have fresh food that we all learned to prepare simple meals as soon as we could stand to reach the counter in the family quarters. My father taught us each time he managed to lay hands on a new fruit, vegetable or piece of meat. It is one of my favourite memories, and I relive it every time I am in the kitchen.”

  She blinked at the insight into Kozue family life. She had not been expecting him to be so candid.

  “My mother did all the cooking in the family. My father was in charge of the farm, and I have the dubious honour of having exposure to both worlds and excelling at neither.”

  “You are an only child?”

  Ikari swallowed the water that she had been drinking and coughed. “Yes. I had a younger sister, but she died when I was seven and she was five. Landslide.”

  “Her death triggered your talent, did it not?”

  Ikari closed her eyes as if it would take away the images burning her brain. “Yes.”

  He did not pursue it any further but piled the dishes in front of her. “I cooked, you clean.”

  She looked up at the clatter and smiled warily. “Of course.”

  He left her to her thoughts.

  She took the dishes to the sink, located the soap and got to work.

  How one man could make two dishes and dirty nine pots and pans was beyond her, but she managed to get everything clean, dried and put away in what was the most obvious spot she could locate.

  Everything in the cupboards was neat and tidy. In preparation for her duties the next day, Ikari started opening spices and tasting the contents. She located the hot peppers in the first dozen flavours and had to give up after that point. Nothing else could make it through the numbing burn.

  Looking for Khivon to find out where she was to sleep was more of a chore than she thought. He was not on the main level, but when she found a set of stairs, Ikari guessed that there was more to this tiny outpost than was visible on the surface.

  She sought out the lower level and found a recreational room that took up the entire area and another set of stairs. The bedrooms were on the third level as were the bathing units. There was another set of stairs, but Ikari didn’t care. She was eager to get some privacy to try and remove the suit.

  The first bedchamber was obviously Khivon’s. It held his scent, and she breathed in for a moment before she returned to the hall and opened the only other option. “Oh wow.”

  The bedroom was charming, and it suited her perfectly. Blues and golds covered each surface, a large monitor was mounted on the wall and a light was blinking. Knowing that blinking lights had not steered her wrong so far, Ikari went over and pressed the switch next to it.

  Khivon’s face filled the screen. “Congratulations on finding your room, Ikari. If you look to your left, you will see the contact code for your parents, and when you initiate contact, the time difference will be displayed. You should only need to see it once before you get the hang of it. I am on the lower levels if you need me, if not, have a good evening.”

  He gave her no other direction. The screen simply went blank.

  Ikari shrugged and smiled, “Fine, if that is the way you want it…”

  She used the console and keyed in the transmit code for the connection. The screen displayed the time at her parents’ home on Resicor as five in the morning, so she clicked to proceed. Her mother would be making breakfast by now.

  It was a long conversation that was heavily censored on Ikari’s part. Reset had explained the reason for the suit retaining its appearance and once it had been explained, Ikari had removed her objection. If the Resicor were watching this transmission, they would see her in the same restrictor suit that she had last been seen in. That was important. If they suspected that the Citadel was freeing the physical talents, they might not let any more off world.

  Her mother had wept when she learned that Ikari would be able to fly to her heart’s content. Her father smiled, but there was a misty look to his eyes as well. She said her goodbyes and promised to call in seven days or less, hopefully at the same time of day.

  With her parents placated, she looked down at her body. “Okay suit, you are going to join me in a hot bath if you don’t do something to get off me.”

  To her shock, the suit writhed and shifted, forming a wide band around her left ankle. Smiling, Ikari opened the lav off her chamber and ran herself a bath. It wasn’t too bad an evening after all.

  * * * *

  Khivon took another look at the normal bio-signs that the suit was giving off. They would set the suit to only exceptional recordings as soon as all the resting and activity levels had been duly noted. When you were the only two people who could speak comfortably face to face on an entire world, privacy was something that took on a whole new meaning.

  He didn’t want to spy on her any longer than necessary. He would far rather experience her first hand.

  He pressed his fist to his forehead and dragged in a calming breath. The image that Reset had forwarded did not prepare him for her impact on his senses. He wanted nothing more than to join her in the hot bath that was relaxing her muscles and caressing her skin. Her eyes were not merely purple, they were the bright royal colour of the Viico nebula. They glowed when she called the air, and he doubted that she even knew it.

  The mask formed by the Masuo had the effect of bringing all attention to those eyes and the lush lips that pursed every time she stifled herself. His new journeyman had a quick temper, and he looked forward to seeing it loose and free. Passions were easily redirected, and to get her blood up, he would let her vent on anything that took her fancy.

  The Kozue were warriors, strategy was in his blood even if his blood was an abomination to his own people.

  * * * *

  Toweling off after an hour of soaking in hot water, Ikari was drowsy. She wandered back into her room and was treated to something that took her completely by surprise. Two objects that she had not noticed before decorated her pillow—a data pad and a flower with soft, rich red petals and a thorny stem.

  She lifted the flower to her nose and inhaled, enjoying the thick, pleas
ant scent of a world she had never seen while she thumbed the data pad to life to read the contents.

  It was a contract for services to be performed on Dorali. Delivery of medications to the specific cities, courier services between cities and information to be provided on everything Resicor.

  She was on her feet, and she commanded her suit back into position within the thirty seconds it took her to wrestle the towels off her body and reach the door.

  If they wanted information on her home, someone was going to tell her why.

  Chapter Seven

  He smelled the rose before he saw the new arrival. Khivon turned in his chair and raised his brows. “May I help you, Ikari?”

  He had to grit his teeth and curl his hands into fists to keep from touching her. Her skin was flushed and pink from her bath.

  She waved the data pad at him. “What is this?”

  He smiled when she didn’t ask about the rose. “It is a standard Citadel contract. You are obligated to study and gain complete control of your talent, as well as fill us in on every pertinent bit of information that comes to mind regarding your species.”

  She frowned, and he could see she wanted to stamp her dainty foot. “Don’t you know all about the Resicor? I mean you are Kozue, are you not?”

  He blinked. “The Resicor never crossed the path of my home ship. Why?”

  “If I tell you, do I still need to sign the contract?”

  “If you want to get paid you do.”

  She sighed, “Well, if we are going to work together, you will need to know. So, first, I will sign, and then, I will adhere to the point of the contract.”

  Khivon exhaled in relief. He had no idea what the problem was with the Kozue and Resicor, but he was about to find out why his new partner had a grudge against him before they even met.

  As she pressed her thumb to the pad, he smiled, and he felt an un-warrior like sense of relief. She was stuck with him until the Dorali conquered their viruses and after that, as long as he could manage it.

  * * * *

  She felt distinctly like an animal slated for branding as she looked up to see Khivon staring at her. He wanted to put his mark on her, and her becoming an official member of the Citadel was the first step.