Rykhan (Book 1 of Mate Search Series) (4 page)

Bron’s eyebrows rose up sharply at
the name of the latest star-cruiser consigned. He was more than
familiar with it, following the newsfeeds describing the craft
under construction. Touted as being ‘the best in Galaxian starship
building’, the
Searcher
was said to be faster than any other starship
available, but also more comfortable. Reports cited it contained
many amenities during space travel only previously available on the
planet’s surface. It also was large enough to carry a scout-craft,
or shuttle allowing the
Searcher
to remain in orbit while the scout-craft could
carry a complement of six.

“The starship is being stocked with
enough supplies, extra parts, and rations to last twenty
merts
.” Allwyne’s voice
sounded regretful, but firm. “You and your team will have
six
merts
to
travel to ‘Earth’, only six to meet and secure brides before
returning. We have allowed two
merts
leeway in your mission.
Something I know isn’t much but was all we could do in the time
allotted.”

Bron nodded while his mind filled
with all the different scenarios that could skew that timeline
to
Posket
and
beyond. All it would take would be an engine failing twice or more
than one thruster going awry at the same time. On the other hand,
they could encounter navigational issues that might send them
off-course in an unknown star-system. Moreover, none of those
situations addressed any issues encountered with their potential
mates. The list was endless.

Nevertheless, the quest would happen because
there were no other options in securing their future.

And the clock was ticking.

Chapter Three

“I think I’m ready,” Leah announced sotto voce,
tipping her chin down to Pam’s ear so she could hear over the noise
in the coffee bar where they were waiting to pick up their orders.
“To you know, like, date again.”

Pam’s head whipped up in shock. Leah had
avoided the conversation for months. The convo about when she was
gonna put her toe into the pool of dating again.

“Seriously?” Although her question was soft,
incredulous even, there was a happy note in it. Or was it along the
lines of ‘it’s about freaking time’?

“Yeah.”

“So what do you want to do? Where do you want
to go? A club? Maybe that new Jazz bar on 7th?” Her enthusiasm made
me smile.

Leah carefully considered the question. She’d
already worked out certain rules for herself: nothing but the
one-on-one thingy at the beginning, and that the venue would be
somewhere where everyone knew that the other was actively seeking a
partner, not just a hook-up. Because she absolutely didn’t want a
potential guy to have any allusions about being together. She
wanted more than just a warm body to fill her bed.

She needed a man to fill her heart.

“Speed-dating might work as would a single’s
mixer. I’m not opposed to meeting someone on the one of those
dating websites although that’s going to take more time to weed
through the dicks and assholes.” Of course, Leah had done her
research before confessing to Pam.

“We’ll need pictures and to word your profile
just right. Not to mention to get our names listed with the
different single clubs in and around Phoenix.” With her words
coming faster and faster, Pam’s ideas flowed freely.

“So you’re gonna join me?” Leah wasn’t like
Pam, who she knew liked to play fast and loose with her men,
declaring she wasn’t marriageable material. According to Pam, her
early twenties were for partying and having a good time. Too
premature for her to consider connecting with just one guy. Once,
she’d even drunkenly announced she would search for ‘her future
children’s father’ in her thirties and not a moment
before.

“Be your wingman? Why not?” Her exclamation
included a shrug as she aimed a sultry smile at the young, gorgeous
barista who handed her the tall cup. She licked her bottom lip and
both women smiled at his blush as he followed her tongue’s
trajectory. Turning away, Leah heard her utter, “god but I love
their innocence!”

Leah rolled her eyes before searching out a
table. “You love how you can rattle them, you mean.”

Plunking her paperboard cup on the table, Pam
grinned before dropping down into the comfortable armchair that was
her seat. “I’ll admit it. Proudly too.” She looked around her
high-backed chair at the kid still mesmerized by her attention. “I
like to make a guy who only finds brunettes interesting, notice me.
The ones that like big ba-dungas look at and pay attention to my
perky chest. And those that enjoy long, long legs? My goal is to
find their gaze on my curvaceous but much shorter ones.” She
shrugged and Leah giggled.

Her eyes drifted back to her companion with the
smile in them. “I want them to realize they really don’t have a
type, that it’s not just one kind of girl that floats their boat.
And by the time we’re deeply into swabbing each other’s tonsils,
their idea of what’s perfect has gone right the hell out the
window.”

Leah brought her cup to her lips to both blow
and sip on her hot chai latte. “Cruel, much?”

“Nah,” Pam muttered before she also took a
drink. “Just trying to educate them and get them to think outside
the box. Challenge them a little on what’s sexy.”

Her words hit Leah hard. “You’re talking about
what I confessed to you about Tony?”

“Damn straight!” Her eyes were dead serious and
stared into Leah’s. “He was an ass-wipe of the first order. Sunk so
deep in his fantasy that he didn’t recognize the beauty he’d been
holding since high school. Politics? Smolitics! He wants arm candy
but I’d be willing to bet this first Mrs. Lachlan will be cheating
on him within a year.”

Leah shot straight up in her chair.
“But…”

Her flattened palm came up and severed the
stare. “Save it. I have no love of Tony. Nor should you.” Her hand
drifted down until Leah could see her face again. “He was a douche
of the worst sort. Which means he strung you along before he
finally let you go in order for him to begin his ‘grand plan’ with
that blonde doll? What was her name? Lauren.” Tilting her head
back, Pam let long loud laugh loose. “Lauren Lachlan?
Seriously?”

Leah turned away, knowing her friend was only
speaking the truth as she saw it.

A truth Leah was beginning to agree with on a
cellular level.

Tony hadn’t loved her, even though he’d said
the words often enough. What he’d loved was that she’d never denied
him access to her body. He’d loved the way she cut classes when
he’d said he needed her. That was until she found her scholarship
in jeopardy for non-attendance.

“You need a whole new breed of men, Ley,” Pam
intoned sagely. “A man that towers head and shoulders above you and
is dazzled by all the awesomeness you bring to the
table.”

Leah ducked her head, bringing her lips back to
the cup. Yeah, like that would happen. Towering above her? Those
men were so few and far between, so rare it was
laughable.

However, Leah couldn’t leave her
girl hanging.

“From your mouth to God’s ear,” she offered up
as almost more than a prayer.

*.*.*.*.*

“Mela trey fra
blesod
!” Wyst yelled, jumping up from his
chair in order to pace.

“English only,” Bronsyn advised for
the fifth time during that morning’s meeting. Although he too was
frustrated by what was fast becoming an exercise in futility with
their studies of the planet that they were going to be calling home
for the next six
merts
.

“English?” Rykhan asked, sarcasm dripping in
each syllable. “This is very crazy. Which is a word-for-word
translation. And I must agree with Wyst’s pronouncement no matter
what language we use.”

Bron looked over the group, gauging each man’s
reaction to the latest data received—the one reporting Earth did
not have a single universal language, a single universal anything!
“I have sent a detailed request to the Quest Committee as well as
both the Galaxi Herald and the Nutrolite Conclave explaining our
situation while asking for more specific coordinates so we can
narrow our fields of study…”

“As if that will help,” Arbrynt
complained loudly, tapping his fingers on the tabletop. “Even with
coordinates, our research has shown land masses, even within 1,000
square
gipe
areas,
has different laws, political and monetary systems…”

“Culture and mores, diets and diseases…” the
blonde Nutrolite, Laxon, interjected.

“As well as different styles of dress and
expectations regarding the conduct of their males,” Gyard stated
from his place next to the large window of the observation deck,
which Bron had commandeered as the conference room for his group.
Actually outside of the fitness room, no other area on board would
comfortably hold all seven of the large warriors.

Bron cleared his throat to subtly regain both
the attention of the men and take back control of the meeting. “I’m
sure once we’re given the Committee’s best idea of where we’ll land
to begin our quest…”

“That’s
fracking
ridiculous!” Arbrynt’s voice
was loud in the chamber, giving testament to his frustration.
“We’ve been studying for six
werts
now only to discover, what? That English is the
primary language for most but not the entire planet, and is only
one of thousands that are spoken? What about the different
varieties of English, different accents and word choices in the
various regions? We don’t have the time, or the skill-set to learn
all of them even with the help of the sleep tapes!”

Tyshar, the most studious of the group, finally
spoke. “Commander, with your permission, I can provide an example
of just one of the many things I’ve discovered that are illogical
and cause for our concern.”

Bronsyn nodded to the black-haired warrior as
he opened his communication device pulling up a display to hover
over the center of the table. “Here is a satellite image of one of
the separate land masses on the Earth planet.” Pushing another
button on his unit, another more colorful image appeared of the
same continent, but bisected with multiple lines. “This is what in
English is referred to as a map. Now watch what happens when I zoom
in on an exact location on each.”

All eyes were on the images as Tyshar adjusted
them. More lines became visible on the colorful map while only more
distinct terrain was seen on the satellite image.

“What causes that?” Arbrynt asked quietly, his
confusion evident.

The shrug of Tyshar’s shoulders was eloquent
enough, but he explained what he had surmised anyway. “It appears
they have divided their world into segments. As near as I can
determine, the different segments are broken into countries,
states, and then counties of this particular area.”

“But what does that mean?” Gyard demanded,
coming closer to the table to better peer at the dissimilar images.
“Why aren’t the lines showing on the one taken from their air
space?”

“And who the
frack
are ‘they’?” Rykhan grumbled,
running a hand over his head to smooth his chestnut-colored waves
although the expression in his unusual blue-green eyes did not seem
questioning in the least.

The tension in the room was high, enough that
Bronsyn’s own body tensed as he tried to formulate an answer.
However, he had never experienced what Tyshar exposed, not in any
of his travels. For a single world to divide itself, to segment
their societies and systems deliberately was unheard of even in the
far reaches of his exploratory missions.

A two-note bleep rang out before communication
officer Myrrick’s voice resounded within the room. “Committee call,
Commander Llent.”

“Thank you. On screen in observation if you
please, Myrrick.” Bron was glad the tension he was feeling was not
evident in his voice. The window switched to the image of Gwynt,
and Bronsyn’s shoulders relaxed. Perhaps the Committee had finally
chosen a landing site.

“Greetings, Quest warriors!” Stege’s face
seemed more weathered, more lined than the last time he had seen
him. Bronsyn thought it was due to the all the numerous projects
that Gwynt was entrusted with as head of the Committee. “It seems
the markers dropped at the relay points are functional and we can
finally talk in real time.”

As the
Searcher
had traveled, small
electronic markers had been set next to each of the relays the
droids had left behind on their journey in the hunt for sentient
life. The markers boosted communication signals and the closer the
starship remained to one, the less time their communications took
to travel the distance between their home worlds and the
ship.

“Greetings. What news do you have for us?” Bron
hated to be so blunt but with the frustration his warriors were
exhibiting, he thought it was important to get down to business as
soon as possible.