Protector of the Realm (19 page)

“It isn’t necessary,” Rae said absentmindedly.

“Yes, it is. I don’t need you to support me financially.” Kellen’s face took on a stubborn look by now becoming familiar to Rae.

“All right, all right. You can pay me back, then.” She didn’t have time to argue about such insignificant details right now.

Glancing back at her old, well-used black dress, Rae bit the inside of her cheek in exasperation. “I would have bought something new too, if I’d known Gayle was going to invite us for dinner. Should I go with the black?”

Kellen walked closer and scanned the hangers in the closet. “I’m sure black suits you, but what about this one?” She took out a dress still in its protective nylon mesh bag.

“Oh, I’ve never worn that.” To her surprise, Rae felt her cheeks warm. “I bought it off a merchant vessel a while back. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m a tad old for white.” Rae was well aware that SC Fleet tradition insisted that officers wear the dress uniform at social functions, and usually she adhered to this custom.
Hence my meager wardrobe.
Tonight, she decided, was not an official event--it was a private party. Rae scrutinized the white dress.
Why not?

“Try it on.”

Rae hesitated. “If you insist. You’ll understand what I mean, though.” She slipped the winter-crinkled retrospun cotton dress with intertwined silver-gloss filaments over her head and adjusted the tiny buttons on her left side before she turned toward Kellen, feeling utterly self-conscious. “There, you see?”

“I see it fits you perfectly. Look.” Kellen took her by the shoulders and turned Rae toward the full-length mirror.

The white dress, also sleeveless, caressed her curves without being tight. Rae saw it added more femininity than she was comfortable with and was about to take it off when she noticed the look of admiration in her wife’s eyes. “You really think I should wear this?”

“It’s beautiful and fits you well. Of course you should wear something you’re comfortable in.” Kellen’s voice was noncommittal, while her eyes were not. Rae noticed a spark in the midst of the crystalline blue that she hadn’t seen before, as if Kellen really saw her for the first time.

Suddenly jittery, Rae reached for a hairbrush and straightened her short hair out. “It needs a necklace or something.” She reached for a small box on the dresser, browsing her modest collection of jewelry, and chose a three-strand freshwater pearl collar. “Perhaps this?”

“Excellent choice.”

Without thinking, Rae turned her back, expecting Kellen to help her put it on. Their domestic image that she saw in the mirror made her press a hand to her midsection. This was dangerous.
I can’t fool myself into thinking this is for real. Kellen’s married to me because it was our only option. Stay sharp, Jacelon.

Kellen slowly placed the necklace around Rae’s neck, fiddling briefly before she closed the clasp. Her fingertips touched bare skin and sent small shivers down Rae’s spine.

Stepping into white knee-high, mesh-covered nuevoskin boots, Rae turned around to face her spouse. “Guess we’re ready, then. Where’s Armeo?”

“Already there. Dorinda paged him and asked him to join her and David for a game of…I forget what it’s called.” Kellen looked embarrassed. “Some new terms pass me by.”

“Don’t worry about it. You haven’t been here that long.”

“It feels like a long time already.”

Stepping closer to Kellen at her solemn tone of voice, Rae touched her arm. “Are you okay?”

“Of course.”

Rae suddenly realized she was getting to know Kellen better than she thought.
How cool she sounds when she tries to cover up. Something’s disturbing her and she’s not about to tell me.
Rae didn’t want to get into a discussion with Kellen just before a dinner engagement. Instead she gently squeezed her bare arm for emphasis. “I know you’ve seen too much change over the last month. I’ll do my best to help you think of me as your friend and our quarters as your safe haven. Yours and Armeo’s.”

Rae winced at her own spontaneous words and wracked her brain for something to say that would put them into a sensible context. “I mean, it’s important for Armeo’s case that the two of you acclimatize as quickly as possible.”

“I know. Right now…I feel stateless.” Kellen’s mouth became a fine line after the last, revealing words.

About to say something consoling, Rae stopped to think how she might feel if she had to leave everything she knew and cared about for an uncertain destiny in an alien environment.
What if I were at the mercy of Onotharians who wanted nothing but to send me to an asteroid prison with the prospect of wasting away?
It was an unfathomable vision.

Not sure where her intense urge to reassure Kellen came from, Rae pulled her into a friendly embrace. Smiling inwardly at the surprised gasp followed by a stiffening of muscles, she spoke softly. “Have faith in me, Kellen. You’ll find your place here at the station, just like Armeo is beginning to. It’s easier for a young person, but you’ll get there, trust me.”

Rae felt Kellen slowly relax in her arms. Tentatively she returned the hug. “Thank you.”

“We better get going. Gayle is rather big on punctuality.”

“The way you say that tells me it’s not always your strong suit.”

Rae smirked. “Have me pegged already, huh? Let’s just put it this way: I’ve only been late to the home of Alex and Gayle once.” She gave an exaggerated shudder, which turned into a pleasant thrill when Kellen returned her smile.

*

“Surprise!”

Lights suddenly switched on, and people jumped out from behind bulkheads and furniture, startling Kellen enough to make her raise her arms in a defensive
gan’thet
pose. Among the smiling faces of at least twenty people, she recognized Alex and Gayle de Vies, Gemma, Lieutenant Todd, and Lieutenant Grey. Dorinda, David, and Armeo giggled at the stunned couple in the doorway.

“You didn’t suspect a thing, did you?” Gayle chuckled as she hugged Rae. “I thought Armeo might have slipped.”

“You knew?” Rae grimaced toward Armeo, who merely laughed.

“Yes, I did.”

“Traitor.” Rae ruffled his hair. “I’ll get even with you.” Looking at her wife, she shook her head. “Look at poor Kellen. She must think you’re all mad.”

Gayle hooked her arm around Kellen’s. “This is one of our traditions. We knew you didn’t have a proper wedding reception, so I decided if anyone deserves it, it’s the two of you.”

“So this celebration is for our union?”

“Of course! Now let me introduce you to the ones you haven’t met yet.” As Gayle led Kellen around the room, she wondered if she was supposed to remember all the names. However, shaking hands and smiling seemed to do for now. After they went through this repetitious ceremony with everyone, the hostess guided Kellen toward a large
U
-shaped table decorated with flowers and ornaments.

Around her plate, as well as around Rae’s, tiny pink flowers were tied into the shape of hearts. “Is this also tradition?” Kellen gestured toward the decoration.

“Yes. It symbolizes how you two are not only joined legally, but also in your hearts.” Gayle’s eyes glistened from unshed tears. “I can’t believe how mushy this is making me.”

“Aw, you’re always mushy,” Alex said, hugging his wife from behind. “Let the lovebirds take a seat so we can get down to the essentials. Food.”

Swatting at him, Gayle wrinkled her nose. “So much for romance. He’s right, though. Places, everyone!”

“Can you tell she’s married to a military man? She’s used to giving orders.” Rae smiled at Kellen, who followed her wife’s example by sitting down on the adorned chairs.

“So much of the decoration is in pink,” she mused. “Why is that?”

“Because this is a same-gender marriage. Pink for women, blue for men.
Very
ancient tradition.”

Kellen looked around the table and noticed several other familiar faces.
They’re here to celebrate my union with Rae. Do they truly accept me, or is this, as our marriage, merely for appearance?
Careful to keep her features neutral, she glanced to her left. A few seats down, a young woman sat next to Lieutenant Grey, involving the tactical chief in what looked like an intense conversation. “Lieutenant…D’Artansis, isn’t it? Wasn’t she piloting the
Ajax
?”

“Yes.”

“She seems so young.”

“Don’t let Leanne’s youthful looks deceive you. She’s my pilot of choice when I expect to do battle.” Kellen watched Rae scan the room, stopping when her father marched through the door. “How on earth did Gayle manage to persuade him to come? Ah, well, he’s always had a soft spot for her. Of course.”

Kellen wondered if Rae was aware of the tone of loss in her voice.
“This is our reception. Why wouldn’t your father want to attend?”

“He’s not much for doing the ‘family scene.’ Granted, we haven’t had much family scene to attend.”

Kellen was uncertain how she should interpret the wry tone. She watched the admiral kiss Gayle on the cheek and shake hands with Alex before rounding the table and approaching her and Rae.

“Congratulations, again,” he murmured. “Mrs. de Vies wouldn’t take no for an answer. May I sit by your side, Kellen? It’s my privilege as your father-in-law.”

“I’ve never heard this expression.” Kellen turned toward Rae for an explanation.

“It’s an ancient Earth term,” Rae said. “It means that my parents are now your parents too.”

Refusing to let her inner turmoil show in the company of Rae’s friends, Kellen merely dipped her head.
Ancient tradition? Gods of Gantharat, it’s impossible to keep track of all these human traditions. How am I supposed to know if they’re valid or just for appearances? Is this “father-in-law” term legitimate? Is this man now my “father” as well?
Her thoughts whirled as she motioned toward the empty chair next to her. “Then, Ewan, it’s a privilege for me too, to have you here next to me.”

The steely gray in the admiral’s eyes lightened at her words. Taking her hand in his, he kissed it with universal old-fashioned chivalry. “The pleasure is all mine, Kellen.”

The catering staff brought in the first course, steamed vegetables with several small bowls of different sauces, and soon everybody was eating and talking. Kellen enjoyed the meal, relieved to find more evidence that SC food was not too alien for her palate.

Having grown most of their vegetables and roots on her estate, she wasn’t used to synthetic or cryo-preserved foodstuff. During the spring, summer, and fall, she and Armeo rarely ate meat, but it had been introduced as a source of food again, having been almost unheard of before the Onotharian occupation. Hunting was one of the few ways for Gantharians in sparely populated areas to get by in the winter season. The Onotharians had taken their opportunity to choose away from them by forbidding Gantharians to own anything high-tech, such as food-synthesizers and computerized cookware. Of course, nobody of Gantharian descent could own any weapon without the required paperwork. To hunt for wild game, the populace could use only low-impact rifles.

Kellen looked at the end of the table where Armeo sat with David and Dorinda. He was laughing and doing the food justice, sometimes glancing her way. She felt both pride and relief that he was settling in so well.
What if I have to uproot him again? He’ll end up hating me if I can’t provide him a home.

“He’s checking to make sure you’re okay.” Rae’s whisper made Kellen jump. “He’s doing so well, but I think he’s still concerned someone may snatch you away before his eyes.”

“Did he tell you that?”

“Not in so many words, but you’re all he has. He’ll fear losing you for a while yet. If you’re happy and secure, so is he.”

Kellen considered this. Rae’s reasoning was logical. If she settled and found the strength to shape a new life for them, his happiness would follow. Yet she’d begun anew so many times after losing the people she loved; how could she commit to anyone here?
I can’t pretend for a second that this fake union with Rae is anything but a sham, a five-year sentence Rae probably can’t wait to finish serving.

The sound of metal against glass interrupted her trail of thoughts. Ewan Jacelon was standing with his glass raised. “Kellen, Rae, I want to join this long line of friends in congratulating you. I hope the future will bring you happiness and fulfillment, with each other and as Armeo’s parents. To come here and find my daughter with a ready-made family was a pleasant surprise…one I’d given up on, to be blunt.” Kellen noticed that a steely glare from his daughter made him pause. “Please, everyone, join me in a toast to the happy couple. To Kellen and Rae.”

“To Kellen and Rae!” Everybody sipped their beverage of choice, only to begin to clink their glasses with utensils.

Kellen looked at Rae, uncertain of what was going on. Obviously she needed to do something, but she had no idea what.

Candles reflected in Rae’s eyes, making them sparkle as she smiled. “We’re supposed to kiss.”

“Kiss?”
This can’t be true.

“That’s what they expect.” Rae motioned with her head toward the smiling guests still making the noise. “It’s our reception, after all.”

Stunned, and unsure how to proceed, Kellen looked at Rae and tried to signal her dismay.