Katieran Prime 4 - Kiljorn Prime (3 page)

Lindsey rolled her eyes at him. “Oh yeah, I missed having to play referee between you and GI Jane downstairs.” She turned to RendEL and said, “I deserve a raise just for having to deal with all the crap your brother causes.” Noticing that RendEL didn’t catch her joke the way she intended, she added, “I’m just joking about the Commander. I don’t need a raise.”

Prime Leader smiled, understanding the joke was about his brother causing trouble. He felt he could relate. “Tell me what you found out from the Earth females involved.”

Lindsey got right down to business. “After I made the Commander leave the room where we were questioning the women, I found out the brunette in fatigues, the one I called GI Jane, is actually Captain Jaxon Malone. She’s an active Air Force captain and a member of the military exchange team that will be going to Katiera for training.” Lindsey paused as Commander KydEL sighed heavily and made some kind of remark that didn’t make it through her translator.

She continued with her report. “Captain Malone says that she had convinced her friend, the redhead, to come with her and apply for relocation to Katiera. The redhead’s name is Cassandra Anne Tomlin. She is twenty-five years old. She had been working as a legal assistant up until six months ago. She quit her job and then went missing.”

“Why would she just take off like that when she obviously knew she was breeding and would need special care?” RendEL asked.

“Captain Malone refused to answer any questions pertaining to Miss Tomlin’s pregnancy. However, I did some digging and found out that Miss Tomlin did not apply for a special license.” Lindsey pulled her digital tablet out to verify the facts she had entered earlier.

Both men looked confused. Prime Commander KydEL asked, “What does this special license mean?”

“One of the things the EWG implemented in an attempt to control the population problem was to require special licenses for all pregnancies. No license means that you are guilty of an unauthorized pregnancy. You can resolve the issue with a government-mandated abortion. If you do not consent to the abortion, you are then arrested and may still be subjected to a government-mandated abortion. Anyone aware of a woman with an unauthorized pregnancy is required to turn them over to the EWG or they could face serious charges for aiding a criminal.” Neither of the men said anything as they thought about this.

Lindsey continued to relay the information she had gathered. “I had a friend of mine check the databases for special licenses. Miss Tomlin is not registered.”

RendEL cleared his throat, “So … she has broken the EWG law and is now a wanted criminal?” He ran a hand through his dark hair.

Lindsey shook her head, “That was what had me confused. Miss Tomlin was never reported to the EWG for being in violation. If I had to take a guess, I would say the father of the child was someone with political connections and wanted to contain the situation.”

KydEL’s comm link beeped. He stood up and walked into the dining area to answer the call. “Commander KydEL here.”

RendEL sighed. “What can we do for the female that won’t leave us in any kind of violation with the EWG?”

“The Katieran Nation can offer Miss Tomlin political asylum,” Lindsey offered.

“What is this political sylum?”

“Political asylum. It’s a type of protection and safe passage that a nation can offer to refugees.” Lindsey added, “The EWG can do nothing if Miss Tomlin accepts the offer of asylum.”

“Do it. Offer Miss Tomlin this A-sylum. Is there anything else that needs to be done?”

Lindsey looked at RendEL and had a sinking feeling. He seemed way too protective of Miss Tomlin. She saw her chances to win RendEL for herself diminishing by the second. But she was a professional and would do her job no matter what her personal feelings were.

“Miss Tomlin needs to get off the planet … immediately—Tonight, if possible. The longer she remains on Earth, the greater the chance the EWG will discover her presence.”

“I understand. I was planning to leave in a couple of hours in my personal shuttle to join our transport ship orbiting the planet. I will take the female with me. Is there any official paperwork required for this A-sylum?”

Lindsey checked over information that she had previously entered into her digital tablet. Digital tablets were very similar to laptops and eReaders, but with a lot more functionality. She had been given one when she first accepted her position with the Katierans. She used it to make notes, schedules, and to keep track of her emails.

“The official paperwork will take a little time for me to draw up and then it has to be submitted to the EWG. Miss Tomlin’s situation is one that cannot wait for the ‘red tape’ to be cleared. With your permission, I can verbally offer her political asylum by the authority of the Katieran Nation. As long as I have two witnesses present to testify that Miss Tomlin accepted the offer of her own free will, that is all that is required at this time. I can later have the official papers drawn up and submitted after Miss Tomlin is aboard the transport ship.” Lindsey put away her tablet.

RendEL nodded his agreement. He then stood, indicating the meeting was over.

“Thank you so much, Miss Carreli, for the great job you’ve done for us here.” He waited for Lindsey to stand and walked her to the door. “Would you do one more thing for me regarding this matter?”

“Of course, what do you need?” She gave him a gentle smile.

“The male—I want to know the name of the male who abandoned Miss Tomlin and her young.”

“I will do my best, Prime Leader.” Lindsey walked through the open door. She hoped this Miss Tomlin was deserving of RendEL’s attention. It was rare to find a man of worth, and Prime Leader RendEL was very much a man of worth.

Kiljorn Prime City

“Are we sure, Commander TylOR?” Prime Leader KadEN asked his Commander.

“Yes, sir. We have sighted Morin warships near both the Katieran Solar System and the Kiljorn Solar System.”

“Where are their transport ships? Warships cannot remain in deep space for too long without refueling with a transport ship.”

“Sorry Prime Leader, we are not sure if the Morins are hiding between the two Solar Systems or if they are traveling through a wormhole.”

“Have you notified the Katierans?” KadEN ran his hand through his hair. If the Morins were back, that would be disastrous for the Kiljorns and the Katierans.

“We’ve sent a request for direct communications with the Katieran Prime Leader, but the second commander relayed the Prime Leader and Prime Commander were unavailable at this time.”

“Unavailable? Where in Kitana are they?” KadEN demanded.

Earth

Lindsey wanted to hate the other woman. She really did, but the moment she walked into the medic room where the pregnant woman had been taken and looked into her scared green eyes, she couldn’t summon up the hate or even dislike.

“Miss Tomlin, my name is Lindsey Carreli. I am the Katieran Nation’s Legal Advisor for Earth Relations.” Lindsey saw the fear in the young woman’s eyes and felt compassion for a woman who only wanted to keep her baby.

“Miss Tomlin, let me reassure you that you are safe here. I represent the Katieran Nation, which has authorized me to offer you political asylum.” She gave Cassie a warm smile.

Cassie looked confused. “Political asylum? What does that mean?”

“You will be offered safe passage to Katiera. You and your baby will be given living quarters, just like the other refugees, and you will have the best medical care.” Lindsey waited while the young woman processed what was happening.

Lindsey looked at both Dr. Morris and Medic JadEN as she asked them to stand witness. Then she asked Cassie, “Do you accept the offer of political asylum from the Katieran Nation?”

“I accept,” Cassie said with a tearful voice.

Chapter Three

Lindsey sat with her family in the small, silver, spherical shaped shuttle. The smaller shuttles were used to transport people from the planet to the awaiting transport ships that orbited Earth. There was no jarring or shaking at lift-off. The shuttle just slowly and gently floated up toward the heavens.

She watched the whole process in awe with her family looking at the viewing screens. Viewing screens were used in place of windows that displayed digital images from outside the shuttle. She felt guilty for dragging her ailing father and little eight-year-old sister into space with her.
What was she thinking?
This was crazy.
She was really in space.
Like an astronaut.

“Are you okay, Dad?” She leaned over to peer into her father’s face.

“I’m fine, Lindsey girl. Whatever their doctors gave me sure is working. I haven’t felt this good in years.”

“Medics, Dad, they’re called Medics. I’m glad you’re feeling better. You look much better,” and he did. There was color returning to his deathly pale cheeks. He was able to hold down his lunch, which was a relief. Maybe he would be able to make this long trip without any mishaps.

It had been heartbreaking watching her strong father deteriorate right before her eyes. Leo Carreli was only fifty-eight years old—too young to have suffered through cancer. He had to raise his two little girls himself when their mother ran off. He dated a few women through the years, but he had never remarried.

“I can’t believe we’re in space. Never thought it would be possible,” her father commented as he stared out the viewing screen.

Her little eight-year-old sister Lisa pouted, “I thought I would be closer to the stars. They are still too far away.”

The Katieran shuttle pilot laughed, “Are you hoping to catch a star, little one?”

Her sister giggled. It was heartwarming to hear her sister’s laughter again. There hadn’t been much to laugh about the last few years in her family.

Lindsey found it fascinating the Katierans were fantastic with children, at least with Lisa. She worried her sister would be spoiled rotten by the time they reached Katiera.

“What is Katiera like?” Lisa asked the pilot.

“The City of Katiera is sometimes referred to as the Golden City. It is called that because when our two suns set in the evening, there is a golden glow that covers the buildings, the land, and the waters,” the pilot answered her.

“I can’t wait!” Lisa would have jumped up and down if she was not strapped down in her seat. Lindsey and her father exchanged a knowing look.

“Will you have a lot of work to do on the Transport Ship?” her father asked.

“I will have a few meetings with the EWG representatives. But most of my work will have to wait until I reach Katiera. So I will actually get to spend a lot of time with you and Lisa. There are Katieran Culture Classes we can take together that will help teach us about Katiera.”

“I have to tell you, I was really worried when you first told me you took a position working for a bunch of aliens. But our lives have benefited greatly from it.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”

“Dad, you’re the one I should thank. For taking such good care of Lisa and me. It couldn’t have been easy.”

“No, not easy, but very rewarding.” They rode the rest of the way to the transport in comfortable silence, listening to Lisa’s excited chatter. The poor pilot was going to need a nap after this flight.

The transport ship was extremely large. It reminded Lindsey of a cruise ship. No wonder they couldn’t land it on the surface of the planet—it was a silver color like the shuttles. Katierans used it mainly for space travel. That was how they would continue on their journey to the Katieran home world.

Their living facilities reminded Lindsey of naval crewman accommodations. All the doors operated like pocket doors and they were usually kept open unless someone physically closed them.

In an attempt to reduce misunderstandings caused by culture clashes, several doctors and educators came together and created culture classes. Classes were held daily. These classes were designed to educate the Earth women. Though, Lindsey already knew quite a lot about the Katieran people from having worked for them a whole year, she and her father took turns attending the classes.

The classes were held in the Meal Room, which was like a large cafeteria. Everyone on board was expected to share three meals a day in the Meal Room: Morning Meal, Midday meal, and Evening Meal.

One of the current teachers for the Culture Class was a Dr. Elizabeth Connell. She told everyone to call her Lizzie for short. She was short maybe four feet and nine inches tall, very curvy, strawberry blond woman with sky blue eyes. Lizzie had a PhD in linguistics, a doctorate in social cultures, and a doctorate in foreign languages. She had a very pronounced southern accent, which Lindsey thought was adorable.

“The first ten minutes will be a Q and A session. Ya’ll can ask me questions about what you want to know most about the Katierans and I will do my best to answer ya’ll back. If I don’t have an answer for you today, I’ll get back with you later. If you can’t make it to a class, you can use the digital tablets that you will be given at the end of the class to view recorded classes,” Lizzie explained.

There were a lot of questions about how to use the digital tablet. The most asked question was whether personal mail could be accessed. Lizzie explained, “Yes you can access it, but it will be in view mode only. It’s not safe to send out unfiltered communications while we are in transit. Once we reach Katiera, you will have full access again.”

Lindsey learned even more from these culture classes. The Katierans believed in a mated pair of Gods. KatieRI was the female Goddess and KiljOR was the male God. Because of this religious belief, which was the foundation of their entire culture, the Katieran people believed strongly in mating for life. There was no such thing as divorce. Mating was till death.

Lizzie explained that SEX was different from mating. A mating involved the exchange of scent markings, sexual intercourse, and an official ceremony with word exchanges. Lindsey found herself blushing when Lizzie explained that if engaging in regular sex with a Katieran male, he would not release his seed into the woman’s vagina. He would pull out before that happened. For it to be a mating, the male had to release his seed inside the woman. A mating is considered the Katierans version of marriage.