Star Brigade: The Supremacy (SB3) (45 page)

Tharyn took one last gaze before grabbing Sam’s hand and stepping down from the ledge.

In the past five months, the Korvenite had become accustomed to Sam in either casual attire, an Armada uniform, or her Star Brigade uniform. So whenever Tharyn’s adopted mother got glammed up, the sight always jarred Tharyn a bit.

Sam’s butter-blonde hair, parted down the middle, was tied in a sleek ponytail at the nape of her neck. She wore a white spaghetti-strapped camisole with a plunging low V-neckline, and dark orange three-quarter denims hugging her well-formed figure perfectly. Topping it off were large, silvery hoop earrings, and of course, her Cantalesian heartknot necklace—gleaming in the afternoon sun.

Tharyn sported a flowing goldenrod dress, short sleeved, the matching skirt coming just below her knees. Her tumble of lazy violet curls were up in a loose half up-down do with bangs swept stylishly to one side. She wanted to look good today, as it was the first time in almost a month she had been outside Hollus.

Tharyn and Sam strolled briskly down the bleached marble-like walkway. The Korvenite couldn’t resist twirling from left to right to take in Santurce’s seaside cliff face, most of the view embedded with a mixed cluster of short cubical and tubular buildings winding further down the coastline in both directions. Their exteriors sported either whitewashed light-cream or pale-pink shades. The cylindrical buildings always had bright red or plum domes roofing them. The architecture was euroclassical, old Spaniard and Greco-Cycladic, as Sam had explained, giving Santurce an aged look from another time altogether.

As Tharyn strode down the walkway, several angular ultramodern structures made their presences known, but their design still adhered to Santurce’s antiquity.

A plethora of exotic, mouthwatering aromas floated out from the walkway’s eateries, temporary reprieves from the constant brine the winds gently wafted at them. A string-heavy ballad emanated from somewhere behind them, loud enough to provide a melodic background to their walk. Tharyn smiled, reminded of a Korvenite halaika she used to dance to—

…a fucking limeblood? Here?!
Wow, this city really is going to shit!

The bile in that thought hit Tharyn like a punch to the jaw. Startled, she turned to where the nasty thoughts came from—a young, willowy human female window-shopping in front of another of Santurce’s swanky jewelry stores while stealing glances at Tharyn. The human was clearly a native to Navarre by the honey-brown complexion, dark hair, and the accent in her thoughts. Santurce’s serenity had lulled Tharyn into forgetting to keep other’s thoughts out.

Now it’s staring at me. Blekdritt must be reading my mind. I should probably scream…

The female now glared at Tharyn. The Korvenite shivered and looked away, trying and failing to block out the woman’s thoughts.

“Hi!” Sam barked with a fake smile not reaching her eyes. The woman recoiled, shaking her head in muted disgust before stomping off. Sam watched her go and quickly linked arms with Tharyn.

“You okay?” Sam asked softly, her brown eyes warming again.

Tharyn nodded readily. Sam arched an incredulous eyebrow, but didn’t force the issue.

The pair walked more briskly. “It’s siesta time now, so it should be pretty dead for a few orvs.”

The Korvenite nodded again, breathing in the briny air to clear her head. That female’s feelings had jumped out at her, yet Tharyn heard nothing from Sam at her side, not even surface chatter. If not for the sporadic warmth or chill of Sam’s moods, her adopted mother might as well be a ghost. The Korvenite pursed her lips in frustration. At least those moods told her when Habraum and Sam were fighting, which had occurred a lot since Cantalese.

“Not all Navarrans are like that premium waste of DNA,” Sam assured her. “Look at Lily. Born here in Santurce and she’s one of the biggest sweethearts I know.”

Tharyn frowned, having seen no evidence to support such praise. “I don’t think Dr. Cortes likes me. She gets this weird look when she sees me, like she’s choking on a chicken bone or something.”

Sam snorted out a laugh. “I got that same look when Lily and I first met. She just doesn’t know you. I’ll make sure you get some facetime with her after she returns from CT-1’s mission.”

Something caught Sam’s eye and she lit up. “We’re here!”

Sam led Tharyn along toward a descending staircase spiral off to their left. After a macrom or so, they reached an outdoor restaurant at the staircase’s bottom. The wide-open al fresco balcony stretched past the reddish-brown sea cliff where the restaurant sat, giving outside patrons an immaculate coastline view. The restaurant’s angular styling was mostly whitewashed, with smooth, deep, crimson striations. Other than a few patrons seated closer to the indoor area, the eatery was mostly vacant.

“Welcome to Casa Galdora!” The peppy greeting startled Tharyn. A smiling Galdorian appeared before them at the entrance, a lithe female whose eyestalks curved in ways to indicate joy. It took Tharyn a moment to realize this was the restaurant’s auto-holo greeting. “Please sit and explore our vast menu!”

Sam winked at Tharyn and led them to a smaller rectangular table at the balcony’s edge, far away from other customers. The seats gave them an unobstructed ocean view, much to Tharyn’s delight.

“‘Casa Galdora’?” she asked after they slid into anti-grav seats opposite each other. Tharyn recalled from Union history lessons that the planet Galdor was completely covered by oceans. Crazy.

“This place serves Navarran and Galdorian fusion cuisine. Love it.” Sam fiddled around in her pockets before producing a thin blackish stick. She put the stob of stardust to her lips, igniting it with a sparking snap of her fingers. Sam took a long drag and pulled the stob out of her mouth daintily between her fingers, blowing the whitish smoke out the side of her mouth.

Tharyn could still smell “comet rock” spice despite the overpowering brine stench. Swiping with her hand, she shuffled through the table’s touchscreen menu of Navarran dishes, straight Galdorian, and then exotic fusions of both cuisines. She finally settled on a breaded fish wrap: Navarran karchuga greens, breaded Galdorian bubble fish chunks, scrambled zhihzor eggs, onions, and yellow beans covered in indigo sandroot sauce in a flour tortilla. She tapped the touchscreen to conjure a 3D image of her dish, curls of steam rising from it for greater effect.

Sam’s russet eyes brightened at Tharyn’s choice. “Ooh, that’s good! I’m getting that too.” The two placed their orders through their touchscreen menus. Tharyn added Galdorian pure water and a side of peach bread, while Sam added an Astropolitan beverage and a side salad.

…a heavenly body!
A voice imposed loudly on Tharyn’s brain.
I’d grind my face between those—

“Oh!” The lewd thoughts jerked the Korvenite upright in her seat. She tuned him out immediately.

“What’s wrong?” Sam stiffened and tossed her stob into the ashtray.

“No, it’s…” The Korvenite teenager recovered, her cheeks burning. “That male over there thinks you’re hot…and
not
in those words...” She subtly angled a quick glance in that route.

Sam stared at Tharyn blankly. “What?” She followed Tharyn’s glance. A pale, ginger-haired human male sat beside another humanoid three tables away. Pitiably scrawny-looking, his features suggested he was Tharyn’s senior in age by a few years. He spied Sam’s prying gaze and quickly looked away.

“
Christ
, he’s practically a fetus,” she laughed as her admirer took a long gulp from his water. Sam gave Tharyn a lopsided grin, which usually meant trouble.

“
Sweet Korvan
,” Tharyn groaned, “please don’t.”

“Too late,” Sam teased. She gave her admirer a sultry onceover, lips perfectly pouted, and a décolletage showcase with a provocative arch of her back.

Suddenly, Tharyn heard a loud choking cough. She glanced at Sam’s handiwork, the human’s brick-red face as water dribbled down his shirt—and guffawed. “My role model!”

“Hush, you.” Sam reclined back, overtly pleased. After their drinks and food were sent over via a floating servermech, Tharyn quickly shoveled the deliciousness down. Sam ate her salad and her second Astropolitan, but barely touched her wrap. Now she zoned out on the ocean, idly toying with her heartknot necklace. The Korvenite had seen this same look yesterday.

Before she could ask what was wrong, Sam remarked, “Habraum and I aren’t a couple anymore.”

Now Tharyn was almost choking on her water. “WHAT? Why?” she sputtered out.

“Can’t compete with a corpse.” Sam’s voice grew raspy and sad. “Jennica was the love of Habraum’s life.”

Tharyn absorbed the edge of bitterness in that answer, and her months-long suspicions came tumbling out, “You’re
soooo
in love with Habraum.”

For a moment, Sam looked ready to deny or evade like always. Then she sighed heavily, squeezing her eyes shut and rubbing at the bridge of her nose—a habit of hers when explicitly stressed.

Sam looked up again. “Maybe you’re right. Still, I will
not
give in to this.” She sounded angry.

Something told Tharyn there was more to the story. A new and oddly familiar presence slipped into the edge of her thoughts now. Tharyn kept her focus on Sam. “Love isn’t a weakness.”

Sam scowled and shook her head. This feelings talk clearly veered out of her comfort zone.

“So, why don’t you talk it out and see if he wants more?” Tharyn asked hopefully. Their conversations always felt more like close friends chatting rather than a mother and daughter.

Sam picked up her stick of stardust to take a long drag. “Who knows, kid?” Her voice was rough, guarded.

“You do!” Tharyn beamed brightly. “Ask him after he returns from his mission, see what happens.”

When Sam had no answer beyond another puff of her stob, Tharyn was nearly bursting with impatience. “Well?!”

“Well
what?
You’re not getting love advice from a teenager!” said Sam with a short, hard laugh. She stubbed her stob in the ashtray while watching Tharyn. “I will strongly consider the possibility.”

“YAY!” The Korvenite clapped her hands with delirious glee. The teenager still believed in the true love espoused by folktales. “You love him!” she teased. “You two will have like five hundred babies!”

“W-O-W!” Sam gaped with scandalized delight. “You actually went there!”

“Oh, I live there…Babymaker!” The two began giggling hysterically…

…which was why Tharyn
never saw or heard it coming, only feeling a sharp cuff upside the head followed by something cold and mushy oozing down her face.

Applesauce. She opened her mouth but shock had stolen her voice, followed by a tidal wave of laughter. The human female from the jewelry store had joined the two males.

Sam stared back at Tharyn in horror. In an instant, she was upright and at Tharyn’s side.

Throbbing in the Korvenite’s head intensified, and her self-control to tune out others crumbled.

…NAILED her. Should get the blekdritt to leave!
the female perpetrator mentally crowed.

Ooph! Right on the side of the head! HAW!
mused her strange-looking humanoid friend.

Liza, you’re an IDIOT! Now I’ll never get her friend’s TriTran address!

The thoughts blared so loudly that she barely heard Sam ask, “Tharyn, are you okay?” Sam was urgently wiping away applesauce from Tharyn’s clothing with a table napkin.

“I…I’m fine,” Tharyn lied unconvincingly, realizing she was shivering.

Sam whipped around on the giggling culprit. The Korvenite sensed Sam’s mood plummeting several degrees. She unhooked her hoop earrings, placed them in Tharyn’s hands, and stood up. “Stay here.”

Tharyn didn’t need mindreading to know what she was about to do. The young Korvenite offered a weak “Sam, don’t—” but Sam had already marched over to the offender’s table.

“Hey!” she barked at the seated female, hands on hips. “Apologize.” She nodded toward Tharyn.

She brings
that
out here and she asks
me
to apologize?!
“Piss off, you limeblood-loving bitch,” Liza hissed nastily, going back to forking her seafood dish. The larger of the two males, bald and flat-faced with beady eyes, hooted approvingly. Her fair-skinned human friend looked down at his lap, embarrassed.

Sam sighed with a smile sweeter than sugar. “Well, if that’s how you really feel...”

SPLISHKLOONK!
It happened so fast, Tharyn would have missed it if she had blinked.

The next thing she knew, Sam was rubbing Liza’s face into her entrée like a scrubbing sponge. Three humans a few tables away gawked.

Sam then yanked Liza’s head back up roughly, all but throwing her back into her seat like a rag doll.

The Korvenite watched slack jawed as both Liza’s hair and face were covered in dribbling buttery white sauce and chunks of seafood. Incoherent horror spilled from Liza’s thoughts as she sat trembling. Her friends were all overflowing with similarly disjointed shock.

Sam offered a smile that cut like razors. “Enjoy the rest of your meal.” She marched back to scan her wristcom on their table’s pay interface. “We’re leaving.” Tharyn mutely rose and followed.

The Korvenite spotted the owner marching out, his eyestalks arched in anger. “What did you—”

“Bitch had it coming,” Sam snapped, “and I’m not tipping.
Move
.”

Angered thoughts sprang into the Korvenite’s mind. “Samantha!” she blurted out.

A larger, heftier human rushed in to seize Sam roughly by the arm, yanking the Star Brigadier almost off her feet away from Tharyn. The human sported a quickly receding salt-and-pepper mane with a face full of pockmarks. “You ruin our meal with that…
filth
.”

“Antonio—” the bistro owner raised his webbed hands in appeal, “I have this under control.”

Terror squeezed Tharydane’s throat. The thoughts of this human Antonio were cold…merciless. He was a regular at Casa Galdora and evoked a scary menace.

As Antonio gripped her arm, Sam stared ahead with flat, dead eyes. “Let go of me.”

Tharyn’s breaths came in shallow gasps at the thought of this human hurting Sam. And before she could stop herself, Tharyn’s mind lurched back to that awful final day on Bimnorii so many months ago.