Chapter 37

THIRTY-SEVEN

She woke suddenly, her eyes snapping open, consciousness returning to her like a lightning bolt.

Oh, god. What was that?

She remembered it all. Dragek's otherworldly sanctuary. Finding him there.

The sex.

Oh, my stars.

Did that really happen?

Judging from the way her body felt right now, something had happened.

She was hot all over. Even in the relative cool of her chambers, her skin was damp with sweat. Her heart pounded, and her breath came quickly, shallowly.

Between her thighs, she ached with need.

Just for him. She couldn't get him out of her head. She wanted him to be here right now, with her.

Wrapping his powerful arms around her, pressing his deliciously honed body against hers…

But he was gone. Off on a terribly dangerous mission. Through a wormhole , of all things. So far away, there was no way she could reach him, even if she tried.

It wasn't like she could jump into a flyer and go after him.

The Universe was more vast and complicated than anything she could ever have imagined.

And more wondrous, too.

Hold onto my thread for as long as you can.

She hadn't imagined that, either. To Jade's surprise, she really could feel his presence, even though it was faint. He was bright and sharp, cold and clear, and tender and warm, all at the same time. Typical Dragek. A walking mass of contradictions.

He hadn't told her anything much about where he was going or what he was supposed to do. Did he think he could shield her from the reality of what he did? That she didn't know?

That she couldn't help but worry about him?

He probably wasn't used to anyone actually caring about him. Life had been harsh to him. It was astounding that he was actually capable of such gentleness and protectiveness when he was with her.

Oh, Dragek.

He might be a dangerous Kordolian, but he was her dangerous Kordolian, and she was afraid for him. The tension inside her was almost unbearable, and her barely controlled psychic energy was becoming swirling chaos.

She tried Dragek's glass jar trick, but her mind was too scattered, her soul overwrought.

She couldn't exist like this. She needed some sort of diversion.

Jade dragged herself out of bed and went to the wardrobe-thing where she selected a soft, deep khaki turtleneck and a pair of loose black trousers. She slipped out of her robes and carefully hung them up.

Then, she got dressed. There was even underwear and a camisole and a bra—soft, simple, unpretentious, made from some silky-cottony type fabric.

As she put on each piece, she ran her fingers over the fabrics. Everything was incredibly well made, the materials luxurious and impossibly soft. A tactile dream. There were no tags, no seams, no loose threads.

On the surface, the clothes looked human-made, but they were far too perfect to have been made by human machines.

She wasn't even sure she could identify the fabrics. Wool? Silk? Cotton? Something else entirely?

Maybe Kordolians could make anything. Even the so-called natural fibers on Earth were made with recombinant technology these days rather than being harvested from actual animals and plants.

Finally, she pulled on a pair of supple boots that reminded her somewhat of the split-toed shoes she'd seen workers wearing in Japan.

Everything was in her exact size.

The clothes fit well. Too well. Even better than some of the expensive garments she'd carefully chosen for her old wardrobe on Earth.

How did they know?

She let out a puff of disbelief and shook her head. Why even question it?

They were Kordolians. Impossibly technologically advanced and already scarily adapted to human ways.

Doing whatever they wanted.

Treating her like a guest in a fancy hotel, with everything catered for.

Huh.

She shook her head and let out a puff of disbelief, staring up at the ceiling. Her body was filled with tension. She didn't know what to do with herself, and she couldn't contain her aura.

Voices were starting to murmur in the back of her mind again.

She was edgy.

She had to do something.

Suddenly, a soft chime echoed through her quarters. Although the sound was gentle, she was so on edge that she actually jumped.

What was that?

It had come from the door area. Was it a doorbell or something? Did the Kordolians actually use these, or had they just programmed it for her benefit?

She walked across to the door… and then froze.

Whoops. She'd totally forgotten about her broken foot, and the little floating sentient crutch was nowhere to be seen.

But it didn't hurt anymore. She could walk perfectly fine.

Zyara's instructions echoed in her mind.

Don't bear weight for about a day or so.

From the time they'd left the medical bay on Earth to now…

A day…

Had she really slept for that long? If that was the case, then it was a miracle, considering her tendency toward insomnia.

She reached the entrance. It didn't open automatically like it had for Dragek.

Jade searched for some sort of panel or control button, but there was nothing.

You have to give it an order. Noa's voice flowed through her mind: pleasant, familiar, and easygoing. You have to tell it to open. It's been programmed to react only to your voice or biological signature.

Jade formed a picture of Noa in her mind and held onto it. Then why didn't it just open for me?

It can sense your intent.

Jesus. Really?

Really. Noa's tone turned wry. You eventually get to the stage where these things aren't surprising anymore. I've found it's much easier to just go with the flow… unless, of course, there's something that really rubs you the wrong way.

Got it. Jade took a deep breath. "Open," she commanded, momentarily lapsing back into English because Noa had spoken to her in English.

The strange dark fibers of the door unraveled, revealing Noa. She wore a simple, seamless one-piece suit made of soft grey fabric and a pair of chunky sandals.

"Hello," Jade said, suddenly feeling awkward, even though Noa's demeanor was relaxed and friendly. Maybe it was because Jade knew Noa was like her—she could sense things that others couldn't. "Uh, come in."

"Thanks." Noa walked inside and looked around. "It's comfy, huh? We all get the same living quarters, although when you're here long enough, you can insist on decorating to your taste. They're very obliging."

"I'm surprised." Jade gestured toward a curved bench along the wall. Noa smiled as she sat down, as if regarding an old friend. "You know, I never expected Kordolians to be so considerate. It's as if they knew us all along."

"They're pretty adaptable. They know every last inch of the Nine Galaxies and all the populations within them, so it isn't as if they don't know how to deal with unfamiliar species. Although there were teething issues, but that's to be expected. Anyway, I hope you're feeling better and have had a chance to rest. I actually came to see how you were going and to see if you're up for starting your learning. Especially since Dragek's gone to the other side of the Universe. The thing is, we might be able to kill two birds with one stone. If you want to see if you can make a connection with him, we can give it a go. There's an elder who knows a lot about our kind—he's called Elgon. You can trust him. Ash and I call on his expertise from time to time. We've found something else, too, that might be helpful."

"Something else?" Jade frowned, unable to help the feeling that everything was moving too fast. "What do you mean?"

"Some time ago, Ash gained access to a whole lot of very old and rare information about the inner workings of the Kordolian Empire. Stuff dating right back to the beginning of their history. We're talking hundreds of thousands of years. Probably dating back twice as long as humans have been around."

"Wow." A feeling of awe came over Jade. She'd never considered that Kordolians would have their own ancient and intricate history. For such a long time, she'd been unable to fathom what existed outside the human world. It made sense, though. The things Dragek had shown her felt otherworldly and ancient. Even he had that quality about him sometimes, like a priest or a monk from an ancient religion.

Only he wasn't so peaceful, but she didn't mind that about him at all.

"It's quite incredible," Noa continued. "There are very old tomes and scrolls, some so delicate they're practically falling apart. We have to get the Sylth to quickly scan some of them before they crumble into dust and become lost forever. One of the things that keeps coming up is the existence of all old artifacts."

"Artifacts?"

"The sorts of things our kind might find in an archaeological dig site, perhaps. Before Kordolians, there were the Zor. A genetically related but slightly different species. There's so much about them we don't yet know. What we do know is that they left a lot of interesting pieces of technology scattered around the Nine Galaxies. Some are probably useful. Others could be very dangerous. Not many people know this, but there was a whole nother civilization before the Kordolians. I think having so many loose ends of the Old Empire and all these things that are potentially ticking time bombs scattered around the Nine Galaxies has gotten Tarak on edge. That's why he's thrown so much at this mission. As usual, he probably knows a lot more than what he's letting on."

"Why are you telling me all of this? I'm just new here."

"Yes, but you're very important. Do you realize how rare it is to find people like you and me?"

Jade shook her head.

"According to Ash, the odds are in the billions."

Jade's stomach flipped. "You mean there might be just a handful of people on Earth who can do this?"

"The way Elgon explained it to me, everyone probably has some sort of innate ability. Some have it more than others. People like Ash and Dragek are the equivalent of elite athletes in the finals at an Olympics. But a switch or a trigger is needed for it to manifest, and that can only happen in people who have extremely high ability in the first place. In my case, they think it has something to do with me being a professional musician. Maybe my music training unlocked something inside my brain."

"I thought there was something familiar about you." Jade tried to place Noa again but couldn't, really. "Are you famous on Earth?"

"I wouldn't say famous. If you know classical music, you might be aware of me."

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm not much into classical music. My latest obsession is with Galaxy Dancehall, or G-Hall, or whatever it's called."

Noa laughed. "There have been a couple of huge hits in that genre lately, right? Not many people are into classical these days. But it still has its devotees. Some things never really fade. Anyway, enough about me. Let's talk about the artifacts. Elgon's come across something we might be able to use to help you communicate with Dragek, even across these very vast distances. It's certainly worth a try."

"Why me? Can't you use the thing to talk to them?"

"I've tried, and I kinda can, but we're talking about a phenomenal distance here. Considering your and Dragek's current state, Elgon has a theory that it might be easier for you."

"I'm sorry for the hundred questions, but what current state?"

"That's perfectly okay. I know exactly how you feel. You can ask me anything you like. I don't mind at all. Even the most ridiculous-seeming stuff. Don't hold back."

"Okay, but what state are you talking about?"

"Oh, that? Where you feel like you can't think about anything else but him? Like you would do the most crazy things, like try and go after him or fight someone to the death if anything threatened him? Like you want him with every last fiber of your being, and the Universe feels like it's at a complete standstill until you both get what you're so very obviously meant to have? That kind of feeling?"

Jade tried to conceal her surprise. How could Noa describe the feeling so accurately? "I take it you've been there, done that."

"That's why I'm here, trying to make sure you have every bit of guidance and support that you need."

"What is it, exactly? What's happening to me?"

"This is the problem with our Kordolians. As well-meaning as they are, they can be absolutely terrible at explaining things, especially important things like this. Honey, you and Dragek are going through Mating Fever."

" Mating Fever? " Jade suddenly wanted to see Dragek more than ever so she could wring his neck in an affectionate kind of way. She could still feel him in the background, deep down in the essence of her being. "You're right. He really is shit at explaining things. But I do want to see if I can connect with him through my… abilities if I can. The not knowing of it all is driving me insane."

"He's fine for now. We can always communicate with them through the regular channels, but Elgon and I thought this might be very helpful for teaching you how to harness your abilities overall. When your motivation for doing something is this powerful, sometimes certain things become intuitive. It's exciting to think about what might happen, isn't it?"

"I guess…" A cloud of butterflies burst inside Jade's stomach. Of course she wanted to see if she could reach out to Dragek… and also sharpen her abilities. If this talent of hers—once a curse, now a phenomenon—could become useful, then she would do everything in her power to become good at wielding it, especially if it would help Dragek.

Knowing him, he would never complain or grow bitter about his existence and his past, but some deep instinct told her he needed her.

"All right, let's do it," she said resolutely.

"I was hoping you'd say that. Actually, I knew you would."

"We've only just met. How did you know I wouldn't be completely freaked out by all of this?"

"Some things, you just know." Noa rose to her feet and gestured toward the doorway. "Come with me."

Jade took a few steps forward, then stopped. A loud rumble came from lower down… in her belly.

Noa gave her a quizzical look. "When was the last time you ate?"

"I… can't remember, actually."

"Dragek should have attended to that first, but he has very little experience with humans, and Kordolians tend to treat their bodies like machines. Let's go and have something to eat first. Then we can get down to the tricky stuff."

"Sounds good. Food is, uh, as well-catered as everything else on this station?"

Noa smiled and nodded. "You could say that."

"I didn't even need to ask, did I?"

"Well, what else did you expect from a bunch of uber-capable, unrelenting, perfectionistic control freaks? That's why, even though I'm worried sick about Ash, I can just keep myself together. Because if it's them , everything will be fine in the end."