Tdwen woke up feeling pain in places she'd rather not think about just then.

She could not

remember why she was in so much pain either. That annoyed her she liked to be in control. She tried to
move her arm, but that sent a wave of burning pain through her left shoulder. Ujolos Oun! That hurt. t
was worse than that time she'd been shot by a human.
! gunshot. That was it! She opened her eyes and tried to sit up. !nother wave of pain, this time
through her stomach, forced a shocked gasp from her lips. That was right. "er bastard brothers had shot
her. #ot once, but twice. The ne$t time she saw them they were dead. She was been lucky that they
were using normal guns. #ormal guns killed %ae only in the luckiest, or unluckiest, of circumstances.
"er injuries weren't deadly, but they hurt like... &ell like getting shot. Tdwen was grateful enough
about their choice in weapons that she considered possibly killing them in less painful ways. 'ut,
probably not.
She rela$ed into the soft bed, planning her ne$t move. (relisa would need someone to speak for
her or )other would certainly kill her. !fter that, there would be the matter of her revenge and...
Tdwen fro*e. She was lying on a soft bed. "ow had she gotten there+ She knew 'aeffer and
,rostar had left her bleeding on the floor. f she was in a bed, that means someone had moved her.
-.ood, you're awake./ Tdwen was able to turn her head enough to see the speaker in the
doorway. 0ave, (relisa's human. "e did not look pleased. -#ow you can e$plain to me why you were
dying in my house. &hy my son is so hysterical that can't get him to go to school. !nd, most
importantly, why the hell !lice wrote this note and why she is missing./
-&hat note+/ "er voice sounded weak and raspy to her own ears.
-This one./ "e walked over to he bed, placing a small scrap of paper on top of the sheets. -'d
also like to know why you and !lice were hiding the fact that you were related. ,onsidering what that
note says, it seems like something should know./
Tdwen carefully picked up the note with her good arm, careful not to jostle her injured side.
The writing was frantic, almost illegible, but she was just able to make out the words.
Sister, please protect my family. Make sure Dave does
not try follow me. Mother will kill him. Tell them I love them.
- take it you've already read this+/
-&hat do you think+/ "is eyes bore into her, as if by the power of his stare he could force the
answers out of her skull.
Tdwen refused to let herself be intimidated by this mortal. -Then you know what (re, !lice
wants you to do./ The human name stuck in her throat. t felt inappropriate. -This is a family matter./
-&e are her family./
-#ot in this case. The best thing you can do for her is take care of your child and stay out of this
matter./
"e came to stand over the bed, arms folded over his chest. -)y wife is missing and it sounds
like my mother1in1law, your mother, wants me dead. !nd you are telling me to stay out of this+/
-'m so happy !lice chose such an intelligent man to run off with. 2ou must be real fun at
dinner parties./ She forced herself out of the bed, standing to make use of her height. "er every muscle
screamed in pain, telling her to lie down and stop moving. 3sually her si*e was enough to deter further
argument, but something in her stance or e$pression probably gave away how much she was hurting.
The human did not back down.
-2ou think this is funny+/ "e demanded, matching her stare. -!lice is your sister. !nd your
mother has apparently kidnapped her./ ! thought occurred and his e$pression grew more hostile. -0id
you have something to do with this. 0id you come to take her away+/
-3gh. 2es came here to kidnap my sister then had my brothers shoot me and leave for dead on
your floor. 'rilliant deduction. take back what said about you being smart./
-'rothers+/ Tdwen reali*ed she'd said too much. -2our brothers shot you+ &hat kind of
twisted family is this+ There is no way 'm letting you people take !lice./
-!s 've already said, stay out of it. (veryone will be safer if you do. That includes !lice./ She
pushed past him, ignoring his protests. That was not too hard as she was too busy concentrating on
staying conscious. "er nerves screamed at every point of contact with the other body.
She was surprised she had the strength to stalk out of the house as she did. She doubted she
could managed to shift out of her human guise right now. That bullet had come uncomfortably close to
her heart. ! few more inches and... &ell, she probably would have survived, but it would not have been
pleasant. !s it was she should have been off her feet for at least a week. 3nfortunately she did not have
that kind of time to waste. (relisa needed her help.
4
Tdwen hated these orbital stations. t was only marginally better than the shuttle she'd taken
from the planet's surface. !t least here she didn't have to sit so close to a mortal that she could smell
what he'd had for dinner last night. Today she'd also discovered a hatred for pickled fish. t was better
but not by much.
There was still too much artificial atmosphere. Too much twisting steel. Too much electric light.
Too much humanity.
True, there were more mortals than just the humans. The smiling, winged 5ephryn woman who
had checked her into the station had actually been pleasant to speak with. Tdwen even thought she'd
see several Scorvain. &hat the giant insects were doing in this part of the (mpire was a mystery to her.
6f course, 5ephryns were part %ae themselves, even if they were not aware of the fact. !nd the
Scorvain were alien enough that Tdwen felt no desire to judge them.
The humans were a different matter. 6f all the mortals she had encountered in her life, they
were the most irritating. Too often they were so caught up in themselves that they would not recogni*e
that their problems were not the world shattering events they believed them to be. They were too
impatient. They always wanting things immediately when they had done nothing to deserve them.
Their selfish pride and destructive greed was matched only by their own foolishness.
! pair of young humans, a male and female, ran past her laughing together at some shared joke.
2et, even with all these faults, Tdwen felt an oddly compelling e$hilaration when she was around
them. Though she would never admit it to another %ae, she was also dreadfully fascinated by the
creatures. 7erhaps it was that same impatient rush to live that made their lives such a whirlwind of
unstoppable energy. They had so little time to e$perience the universe that it seemed they must jam
every ounce of love, of e$citement, of joy that they possibly could into each moment of their lives. 8ust
considering it was terrifying, di**ying... ama*ing.
t was this fascination that let her deal with the mortals. "er siblings simply did not care enough
to make an effort to understand their short1lived neighbors. !nd her mother. &ell, it was good that
Tdwen had been placed in charge of liaising between the %ae and mortals, otherwise her mother would
have very likely thrown the lot of them off the planet by now.
2es, she'd been the only one who had cared even a little about the mortals. 6r at least she had
that was what she had thought. That was until the day dear, sweet (relisa had met her first mortal.
Tdwen had been the one to introduce her youngest sister to mortal society so, in a very real way, she
bore much of the responsibility for this situation.
!n odd feeling came over Tdwen, making the back of her neck prickle uncomfortably. She
turned around 9uickly to see what might have caused it. !ll she saw was a milling mass of noisy life.
#o one was paying her any particular attention other than the kind her appearance normally drew. That
was strange. %or an instance she'd been sure someone was watching her, following her. She turned back
towards the berth with the lightest twinge of apprehension running down her spine.
She had been very lucky. ! ship passenger ship was scheduled to be heading out in the direction
of Vassik Orumir soon. There had not been many cabins left and even her diplomatic 0, courtesy of
her position as her mother's chief aide, couldn't get her a single cabin. She'd had to make due with
sharing with another passenger. There were a few hours still before the ship departed so she was in no
hurry which was good since her gait was still stiff from her injuries. The mind warping pain had
receded somewhat, but her body still ached monstrously.
!mong the myriad of multihued signs advertising everything from restaurants to fertility clinics
Tdwen picked out one in particular. Aarren's Fitness: full spa, gym and pool. The thought of being
able to swim, letting the water mend her aches was incredibly tempting. "er steps started straying
toward the doors. Then she remembered (relisa's e$perience with the artificial ponds. #o doubt such a
facility on a station, where water was such a valuable recycled commodity, would re9uire even more
chemical treatments. She'd never been in one of the pools and now she likely never would. The
reali*ation was disappointing.
!gain, she felt like someone was watching her, but this time she ignored it. t was probably
nerves. She was not used to being in the middle of so much activity. t would be a relief to finally be
back home.
The dock she was looking for was busy with preparations for departure. She presented her 0
and pass to the waiting attendant. The !tharian man looked it over 9uickly. Tdwen hesitated to
describe him as young. Though he looked young, it was impossible to tell an !tharian's age from their
appearance. "e smiled at her, the strange white glowing pattern on his forehead brightly declaring his
birth clan. -2ou're cabin is on the third deck, midship. &ould you like help finding them+/
-#o, 'll find it myself./
-:ery well miss./ Tdwen stopped herself from snorting. She was at least a few centuries older
than this mortal. -&elcome aboard the CTV Kressus. &e hope you enjoy your flight./
Tdwen stepped into the entry and a few steps later was in the airlock. ! slight shift in pressure
later and she was into the ship proper. (ven on her first breathe she knew what to e$pect. The air felt
too light, too sterile. t felt dead.
!t least the air in the station had been strangely spiced with artificial scents and the multitudes
of particulates produced by the varied forms of alien life. "ere there was nothing. (very bit of artificial
had been relentlessly scrubbed clean of anything that so much as hinted at nature. t was no wonder that
the most common death among long time spacers who went dirtside was complications from sever
allergic reactions.
Still, the interior of the great ship was fascinating. !dmittedly, her e$periences with these
passenger vessels was limited, but every time she'd been aboard one she'd been surprised by how much
space there was. %rom the outside it seemed that the enormous 9uantity of alloy, synth1fiber, and glass
would allow for room for air much less people. n short, a claustrophobic's nightmare. 2et, once inside,
the hallways were spacious enough that Tdwen, used to the sprawling, shimmering vistas of Vassik
Orumir, felt, if not e$actly comfortable, at least moderately pleased.
6n a user panel embedded in the wall Tdwen called up an image of the ship's directory. !fter a
moment of staring at the blur of colored of lines which she assumed appro$imated directions she began
to regret her decision to refuse help. "e ship was looked much the same as the others she'd been on so
she had thought it would be easy to navigate. She'd been wrong. She looked around and saw there was
no one around to help her so she headed in the direction she thought the elevators would be, hoping for
some luck.
She did not find them. !pparently the spirit of luck was sleeping on the job. nstead she
stumbled upon a series of large semi1transparent tubes she recogni*ed as the ship's low1. personnel
transport system. The system allowed crew members to move from one point of the ship to another
much more 9uickly than the elevators. #ormally passengers did not use the things. t was not that they
were particularly dangerous or that access was restricted, but most people found the e$perience of
traveling at high speed through an enclosed tube in low1. to be unpleasant and disorienting.
Tdwen was not a normal passenger. She picked one at random and grabbed hold of the handle
attached to the guideline. She was tired and didn't feel like walking around searching for the elevators
or stairs. How hard could it be? She asked herself as she hopped into the tube and *ipped away.
!fter about a half hour flying about in low1. without coming close the the right area Tdwen
reali*ed the answer to the 9uestion was very hard. She stumbled out of the tube, legs unsteady, fighting
the urge to decorate the opposite wall with the contents of her stomach. t turned out that there was a
good reason why most sane people avoided the tubes. Spacers had to be a special kind of cra*y. The
effort of propelling herself forward without crashing into a wall and concentrating on which turns to
take was much more physically ta$ing than she had e$pected.
-3h, ma'am+/ Someone asked in an unusual accent Tdwen had never heard before. ! crewman
in a gray jumpsuit was looking at her with concern. -!re you alright+/
-'m fine,/ Tdwen answered, forcing herself upright.
The young lady, for that was what the crewman was under the neutral jumpsuit and short,
utilitarian hair, looked unconvinced but didn't press the point. -0id you need help with anything./
%or a moment Tdwen considered refusing help again, but her multitudinous aches told her that
would be very foolish. - seem to have gotten lost. ,ould you point me to he fastest way to reach the
third deck. think can find me way from there./
-&here on the third deck+/
- believe midship. ,abin ,1;<= if that helps./
-6h, there's a service line that runs right through that area so the fastest way would be through
the chutes./ She said pointing at the tubes Tdwen had just escaped.
She eyed it apprehensively. -s there another way+/
- wasn't gonna say anything, but you've managed to get into engineering. (ngine's are just a
couple doors down./ The woman said pointing over her shoulder. She sagged a bit when she reali*ed
what she had just said. - probably shouldn't have told you that. %or all know you could be trying to
blow the ship up./
-'m not trying to blow the ship up./ Tdwen said, trying hard not to sound e$asperated.
-sn't that e$actly what you would say if you were trying to blow it up+/
->ook, 'm tired. f you help me find my room promise 'll forget about you telling where the
engine room is./
-6h! Sure. n that case just follow me./ The girl started towards the tube.
-That's alright. just need directions./
-0arlin, if all you needed was instructions you wouldn't be standing in the middle of
engineering now would you+/
The hyperactive young woman had a point. - suppose, but how am supposed to be able to
follow you+/
-That's easy./ She pressed a section of the wall, revealing a small closet, which she promptly
dove into. !fter a moment of rummaging she emerged with a short length of cable which she was
attaching to a metal carabiner on her suit. -0on't suppose you got something can string this through+/
Tdwen looked down at herself. ! lilac t1shirt and a pair of denim pants which were too small
for her. She hadn't though about it until now but these clothes were not hers. They were probably
(relisa's. That meant someone had changed her out of her other, doubtless bloodstained, clothes. !nd
that had to have been 0ave. To her horror, she also reali*ed she was not wearing a single scrap of
underwear. Tdwen felt her face heating up.
-That's a mighty impressive shade of red you're turnin. (verything alright+/
- just remembered that need to beat the living daylights out of my brother1in1law./
-6oh, sounds fun./ The cra*y girl actually looked e$cited about it. -)y uncle had to do that to
my pa when he tried to run out on ma and me. ,ourse, he eventually managed to slip away anyway, but
not without a few bruises. "e wasn't very good as far as dads go... 2ou didn't need to know all that did
you+/
-#o./ !nd mortals thought %ae were strange.
-!nyway, since you don't got any dangly bits for me to attach this to, guess 'll do it the old
fashioned way./ She deftly fastened the cable around Tdwen's waist.
-This can't be safe./
-t'll be fine. did this loads of times when was little. ,ourse, compared to you guess am
still little./ She said, having to tilt her head back to address Tdwen directly. -,'mon, times a'wasting./
She turned and jumped into the tube, pulling a surprised Tdwen along.
Thankfully, the trip was neither as difficult or long as Tdwen had feared. The cable had not cut
her in half as she thought it might. t did pinch and chafe a bit, but that was the e$tent of her
discomfort. "er guide navigated through the tubes with confident ease. Tdwen suspected she'd even
slowed down considerably to accommodate her metaphorical barnacle. t was clear she'd been doing
this for a long time.
!t some unrecogni*able cue the girl abruptly slowed her headlong hurtle. !t the ne$t e$it she
gracefully hopped out, striking a pose like a gymnast after a routine. She turned around to grin at
Tdwen who's e$it had been more hapha*ard. -"ere we are, block ?1,./
-Thanks,/ Tdwen siad, untying the cable and handing it back to the girl.
-2ou can call me Teri by the way./
-3m, thanks Teri./ She scanned the hall to see which way she should go. %inding the
appropriate numbers she headed in that direction. !fter a few steps she reali*ed Teri was following her.
- can find my own way from here. Thanks./
-&ell, see ma'am. !fter helpin you this far feel obligated to make sure you get to your room./
-That really isn't necessary./
-t's alright. The other engineers won't be missing me too much. !ll the really important prep is
done anyway./
-@ight./ She suspected the girl was probably just using this as an e$cuse to skip out on work.
-Suit yourself./
-&ill do!/ .oodness, the girl was certainly spirited.
The walk was short so Tdwen did not have to put up with Teri's chattering for long. !s she
opened the door to her cabin she heard the shower running. The other passenger had already arrived.
She flopped face down down on the bed that was just long enough to accommodate her height and
heard the shower shut off. She turned her head in time to see a man in a towel e$iting the barhroom. !
man she recogni*ed.
-263!/ She shouted, practically flying out of the bed.
-"i,/ 0ave answered as he rummaged through his thing in search of clothes. -%inally made it.
was wondering where you were since you got such a big head start./
-&hat are you dong here+/
-'m going to rescue my wife. figured you could help me with that./
-"uh, who's that+/ Teri asked from the doorway. Tdwen had forgotten she was still there. !t
least she had the satisfaction of seeing dave jump a bit when he reali*ed there was someone else
present.
-Sorry miss. 0idn't see you there. 'll be decent in a sec./
- don't mind. !in't like never seen a man's bits before./
Tdwen thought 0ave was more embarrassed than Teri. -Teri, this is the man need to beat the
crap out of./
-&eird, thought he'd be more creepy lookin. )ind if stay to watch+/
-.o ahead./ Tdwen responded absentmindedly. "er attention was still focused on the half
naked man in the room. -0on't you have a son to take care of./
-Tony is staying with my sister until bring !lice home./
-So you abandoned your child. 'm so glad !lice has such an intelligent and caring husband./
0ave did not appreciate the sarcasm. -)y sister is a very successful psychologist and counselor.
She's probably more 9ualified than am to help Tony with his trauma./
-So you admit you're an awful father+/
->ook, if you want to have this discussion can have a moment to get decent+/ "e didn't bother
waiting for an answer, just gathered his clothes and reentered the bathroom.
There was a forlorn sigh from the doorway. -#ot enough action for you+/ Tdwen asked.
- don't mind that. 'm just sad won't get to see any good bits./ Teri answered. -"e looked real
nice without a shirt./
-The man is married./
-&hat's your point+/
-'esides, aren't you a bit young for this kind of thing./
-"ey, 'm plenty old enough./ Teri said defensively. -#ineteen's good enough for the (mpire to
collect ta$es on me./
Tdwen was a little surprised. That was relatively mature for a human. The girl looked like
she'd never escaped the awkward, gangly teenage phase. 0ave came out again, this time fully dressed.
There was a distinctly red tinge to his face which had nothing to do with the temperature in the
bathroom. t was then that Tdwen reali*ed what had been bothering her about the situation. -&hy are
you in my room+/
-f you want to yell at me you might want to start from where you left off instead of starting
from the beginning again./
-#o. &hy are you in my room. 0id you follow me+/
- didn't really need to. t was pretty obvious where you were headed./
-'ut my room+/
0ave sat down on his bed, looking Tdwen directly in the eyes, not flinching one bit.
-,onsidering what know about the rest of your family thought it would be a good idea to keep an
eye on you./
-They told me the ship was almost completely booked. There is no way you got this room ahead
of me./
-t's not that hard when you have the proper clearance./
-!nd what is that supposed to mean+/
0ave almost smiled. -!lice never told you what do for a living did she+/
Tdwen vaguely recalled something about that. -Something about working for the (mpire./
- work for the )inistry of ntelligence, nternal nvestigations, speciali*ing in organi*ed
crime./
-6oh, plot twist!/ 'oth Tdwen and 0ave glared at Teri who retreated around the door. -Sorry,
don't mind me./ She said from behind the metal wall.
Tdwen turned her acidic glare back to 0ave. -0oesn't the (mpire frown on abusing positions
for personal reason+/
-&hat personal reasons+ This case has all the hallmarks of a well organi*ed crime syndicate.
The fact that my wife might be related to it just gave me the first lead./
Tdwen was about to reply with another acerbic reply when she heard someone scolding Teri in
the hallway. -There you are./ ! male voice said, none too pleased. -&here have you been+ 0id you
check the conversion calibrations like 8aden told you to./
-, uh, well you see.../
-2ou didn't did you+ 6h, 8esus. #o wonder the reactors have been running slow. 2ou can't just
go running off whenever you feel like it./
- was just helping one of the passengers./ Teri's accent was noticeably more pronounced now.
-@ight ma'am+/ She said, popping into the doorway.
Tdwen wasn't sure how to respond, but was saved when the young man came into view, -'m
really sorry. She's always doing this sort of thing. She won't bother you again./ "e said.
6ddly enough, Tdwen felt the need to defend her erstwhile guide. -t's no problem. She really
did help me find my room./
-6h./ "e sounded surprised. -n that case, 'm glad she was able to help you. &e hope you
enjoy the journey./ The young man grabbed Teri's arm and dragged her out of sight. -&e undock in ten.
(veryone needs to be in their stations./ "e said to her.
Teri's head reappeared a moment later. -f you need help again feel free to ask./
-#ow, Teri!/ ,ame a thoroughly annoyed e$clamation from down the hall.
-6ops. .otta go./ She smiled brightly, waved, and was gone.
The door slid closed and there were a few seconds of silence. -That was interesting./ 0ave said
as he sprawled out on his bed. -&ell, 'm bushed. ,hasing after a suspect is hard work. 'm sure we'll
have things to discuss later, but for now 'm gonna grab a 9uick nap./
-'m not finished with you yet./ The only answer was a snore that sounded suspiciously faked.
t was clear she would be getting nothing else out of the human for a while so Tdwen flopped down as
well. The days accumulated aches and e$ertion 9uickly pulled her mind into sleep.