Whyt’s Plea (4 page)

She went through her day of theory, finished repairs on the fighter pod and reported to the research department an hour after lunch.

Commander Arguat smiled, and they pretended that there was nothing wrong and nothing was about to happen. It was a delightful fiction, and Whyt was halfway through assembling a control module when the door flew open to show Colonel Whisk and Tevan and Hyaki Beiencar.

Whyt smiled, “Mother, Father. I was not aware that you had clearance for this base.” She carefully set her assembly aside and wiped her hands off.

“Whyt, how dare you run from home?” Her mother was on her in a moment, not touching her.

“I didn’t run. I escaped the night before I was formally engaged. Father, you know my fiancé.” She gestured to Arguat, and her father’s shock was apparent.

It took a moment, but Tevan spoke, “I do, but I don’t know why you know that he is your intended.”

She snickered and kept wiping her hands free of all traces of oil and copper. “We had a long talk.”

Hyaki bristled, “Well, he isn’t your intended now. We have found you a new fiancé.”

Whyt paused. “That is inconvenient, Mother.”

Colonel Whisk cleared her throat. “You might have to check her genetic disposition for that one. My kind mate once and for life, Hyaki. You knew that when we signed the agreement.”

Her mother backed toward her father and frowned. “I thought that it just meant…mating.”

Whyt sighed and checked that her hands were clean. She extended them to her mother. “It won’t work. Whatever is in madam’s genetics, I am now part of Styvin and he is part of me. I feel it when he looks at me, touches me or thinks about me.”

Hyaki took her hands, and Whyt read her frustration, her uncertainty and her fixation on the safety of her child.

“I will always be safe, Mother. I have a talent for self-preservation that you have never seen, because I have never been able to use it.”

She was engulfed in her mother’s arms and emotions. An entire lifetime of worry over her only child ran through Whyt, and it made things a little clearer for her. When Tevan joined the hug, she shivered as the guilt that he had always felt being unable to have a child with an Athuunan woman ran through her. It was too much. Whyt sobbed and pushed away from her parents, stumbling into Styvin’s arms.

The world immediately righted itself, and she knew where she stood.

She looked up at him. “Stay close. I may need you again.”

He grinned and gave her a quick kiss. “I will be at your service, Private.”

Her three parents stood by with varying degrees of approval. Her father was scowling, Hyaki was beginning to look pleased and Colonel Whisk was delighted.

Whyt didn’t care as long as she was allowed to continue on where she was. She was finally finding herself, and she wanted to see what she could become, given the right encouragement.

The rest of the day was lost as they got together in a private office and hashed matters out. It was only when Colonel Whisk got an insistent summons that the party was broken up.

A skimmer took her parents back to Nathrin, and she and Styvin followed the colonel at her command. They were back to rank.

Whyt really wanted to know what was going on, but when they arrived at the repair hangar, she had an idea.

Sarge was inside, talking to a dark-haired woman and a dark-haired man. He looked up in relief when he heard her boots on the flooring. “This is the woman who effected the repairs, Captain. Please address your questions to her.”

The woman turned, and Whyt froze in place. The woman did the same.

Finally, Colonel Whisk broke the tension. “Captain Rhoe, this is Private Whyt. You have something in common.”

Whyt was staring into a dark mirror while Rhoe was staring into a light one. They slowly circled each other.

Everyone in the room stood back while the sisters sized each other up.

Finally, Whyt said, “Do you have a problem with the repairs?”

Captain Rhoe laughed and reached out to clasp Whyt’s hand. “No, but my partner wishes for the same repairs to be done to his vessel.”

The moment they touched, a spark issued that was visible throughout the repair hangar.

Colonel Whisk had tears in her eyes.

Rhoe’s hand gripped Whyt’s tightly. “Hello, sister.”

The hug that resulted from that phrase sent another wave of light through the room. Whyt heard Sarge ask, “What the hell is that?”

The Colonel laughed, “Power. I am very proud of my girls.”

When they parted, Whyt looked at her older sister. “For improvements to the other vessel, you might have to get him to smack it into a rock or something. I am not exactly sure how it would end up in my clutches otherwise.”

Rhoe grinned. “Did you hear that, Hiiron?”

The dark swan snapped off a salute. “Yes, Captain.” He grinned and looked at the two women side by side. “I knew she would be similar, but yeesh.”

Whyt looked over, and Styvin was running his hand over and over through his hair. The neatly bound mass pulled loose and a snow-white cascade ran over one shoulder. He looked so adorably befuddled that she walked up to him and tucked his hair over his shoulder.

“Why so surprised? I have always known I was a second contract child. It is unsurprising that we would take after the strongest genetic parent.”

Colonel Whisk stood straight. “Well, I had help. Athuunans are good, solid stock.”

Rhoe smiled. “And now that you are mated to one, you are even more attached to our world.”

Whyt blinked. “You are mated, madam?”

Whisk winked. “Only on the weekends. I have a few years to go before I retire.”

They laughed as a unit, a family of strange parts woven together, and Whyt felt the emotions of the moment dance along her skin. Whatever her birth mother was, it was a little above the standard grade. She would get the full story one day, but today, she had a fighter pod to tweak.

* * * *

It took three years for the wedding that her parents had planned years earlier. She was two months pregnant and couldn’t put off the joining any longer.

“Oh, for the love of the first feathers! Stop foolin
g with that engine assembly and get into your wedding gown, Commander!”

Sarge was still Sarge but for the sake of propriety, Whyt had been given a rank to match her mate.

“You are going to be late, Beiencar!”

She sighed and scrubbed her hands. “I was just trying to keep calm.”

“How did you even get that here? We are in your home prefect and that is proprietary equipment.” He sighed and helped her clean her hands thoroughly.

She stood still as he removed a smudge from her nose. She looked around her room and smiled at the gown and robes hanging on the walls. “I suppose it is time.”

Sarge was her honour guard. He would lead her to the official and watch over her while the vows were spoken.

She turned her back and slipped off her loose morning robe. Her hair was already woven with bright pearls and diamonds.

The engine was still in the centre of her preparation rooms, but a quick change had her ready for the ceremony where her entire family was waiting.

Hyaki was smiling, every inch the mother of the bride. Tevan was sitting with a tremendous look of relief on his features.

Captain Whisk was sitting with her mate, Rhand. Next to them were Rhoe and Hiiron.

Styvin had his family on his side of the event, and he met her in the middle. She took his hands, and they swore to bind to each other until death. Their minds were already bound, and their bodies tangled regularly. Their happily ever after had begun six months earlier, but now, it was official.

There was nothing like signing the paperwork on joy, laughter and a happily ever after to warrant an enormous party.

Yup, all the sex took place off screen. Sorry, but in the story of Snow White and Rose Red, there is always a sister that gets the prince and the other gets…the other guy.

Whyt’s Plea was all about her desperate attempt to find herself. I think she did well.

Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.

Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.