Bound to the Alien Engineer (Alien Brides Book 2), page 13
"Aprendemos mucho a traves de besos," he said. "Usted debe besarlo."
"Tienes?" she nodded to Damina who narrowed her eyes at them.
"Si," he said with a grin.
"Did it help you make a decision?"
"I'm not inclined to leave," he said, switching back to English. "I'd like to pursue this and see where it goes."
Trina grinned at him. "The Commander is wise," she said. "And sneaky."
"Not sneaky," he said. "Just curious."
He leaned over and placed a delicate kiss on one of Damina's horns. She shivered and clutched at the syringe gun.
"We should probably ask our guest if she's interested in getting the shot or being confined to the medical bay," Mindy said, turning to the regen table. The woman was glaring at them with hatred in her eyes but Mindy could see the fear in her body language.
Chapter 20
It always took longer to dock with the ship than Alvola thought was necessary. Granted, the opportunity for things to go wrong was everywhere so he was willing to take the time to do everything right, especially with the special cargo on board the shuttle.
When the docking bay doors had closed behind them and the air pressure around the shuttle normalized, he was out of his chair, leaving Chaegar to finish powering down the engines. He could have sworn he heard the Captain chuckling behind him.
The women were helping to finish cleaning the medical bay, putting away the chairs and powering down the regen table that, until recently, had been occupied. The woman the prince had carried into the medical bay was talking to him in the corner and she looked less angry, though her arms were still crossed over her chest and she was frowning.
Alvola shrugged. Until her presence impeded his work or his pursuit of Min-dee, she was not his problem. Chaegar had offered to take responsibility for her and he was inclined to let him work it out with the Captain.
Everybody turned to look at him as he walked through the doorway and he nodded to the Prince, his eyes fixed on Mindy. "We've docked and there are people waiting to greet us. I believe you were wanting to see one of them."
"Oh!" Min-dee exclaimed. "Molly's there? Why is she waiting for us at the dock? Is something wrong?"
Trina grinned and put her arm around Min-dee's shoulder. "I think she missed us," she said.
Alvola nodded. "If you'll come with me, I'll escort you to your friend."
Mindy hurried to his side and he put an arm around her shoulders, holding her tight against him. Despite his calm demeanor, his heart was pounding in his chest. They were almost home, almost to the place where he could begin his pursuit in earnest.
"Could you ask Mintonar to meet us in Medical?" the Prince asked behind him. "I will be escorting the ladies there."
"Medical?" Alvola turned. "Is something wrong?"
"You're not shooting me up with whatever you've got in those needles," the strange woman spat at him. "I don't care if that means you're going to lock me up, I'm not letting you poison me."
The strangeness of the accusation made Alvola pause. "We're- we wouldn't-"
"I declined as well," the other woman said softly. "Until I can talk to your chief doctor about what the vaccine will do to my condition. I understand it takes some skill to program the nanos."
Alvola nodded. "It does. Very well, I will have Mintonar meet you. I'll inform Captain Cretus, as well."
"My thanks," the Prince said, his arm pulling the soft-spoken woman closer.
Min-dee stayed close to him, fairly vibrating with anticipation, and Trina followed right on their heels. Chaegar was in the pilot's chair, filling in the reports about any anomalies they'd picked up on the mission. There hadn't been much for concern that Alvola had seen but it was unfamiliar territory so everything was going to be marked. There had been no problem with the engines and the few tests they'd done of slipping while breaking orbit had appeared to go mostly unnoticed.
He led the women through the galley to the Cargo Bay of the shuttle. The large space was filled with light-weight crates, most of them strapped to the walls or the floors to prevent moving during flight.
"Are all those full?" Trina asked, looking around as they walked through.
"Yes," Alvola said. "They're easier to balance when they're full."
"Of what?" Min-dee asked, her neck craning to look around.
"I understand Maw-lee asked for quite a few of her things," Alvola said. "And Mintonar requested other things she had mentioned craving. I understand Aidan had quite a list of things to gather for her."
"Pickles and ice cream," Mindy said and Trina laughed.
"Hopefully it's not dirt," Trina answered back.
"Oh, if they have a crate full of potato chips, I'm totally stealing some."
The women laughed and Alvola shook his head.
"Are they refrigerated?" Min-dee asked. "Or just, like, foam packed?"
"Some of them have the ability to regulate the temperature inside to preserve the things stored in them. Others are just large storage crates, though they all have a lining to keep them from being damaged by extreme temperatures."
"Well, that's handy," Trina said. "Wish I'd had something like that for my last move."
"The technology isn't beyond what I've observed on your planet," Alvola said.
"Yeah," Trina said. "But nobody's thought of it yet. Or, at least, figured out how to make mass producing them viable. Means there might be some on Earth but not where I could call up and get some to pack up a house over a weekend."
"You'd need all of them for your warehouse," Min-dee added. "And then some. Unless you got rid of a bunch of stuff, first."
"I keep meaning to sell off the stuff I'm not using anymore," Trina admitted. "And then I'll get a big contract and not only use it but add to it. Which is why I have so many gorgeous fabrics with just enough length to make it hard to throw them away."
"And all the props you had to make to get the right one," Mindy said. "You should at least put those up for auction."
"Someday," Trina said with a smile. "Someday, I'll go through and organize and clean it out so my grandkids don't have to."
Alvola looked over at Trina. Grandchildren? He wondered if the Captain knew. Maw-lee having a son had already caused more complications than they'd been prepared for. Of course, Molly existing at all had caused more complications than they'd expected, and of a different variety.
"As someone who's cleaned out a storage unit or two, your grandchildren thank you."
The door to the Cargo Bay started sliding open as they approached it and a grinning pair of young men were standing outside. Normally assigned to the cleaning crew and kitchen duty, they had been barely old enough to join the crew when they'd left Orvax.
"Reporting for duty, sir," the first one said, giving him a casual salute.
"Cargo first," Alvola told them. "Then cleaning. Make sure you scrub everything and the shuttle's ready to return to duty within twenty-four hours."
"You're going back that soon, sir?" the second asked. "Will you need any volunteers?"
Alvola smiled at them. "No missions scheduled right now but I'll consider you for the next one if I'm part of it. We might need a couple of cooks."
Their shoulders slumped slightly and they nodded. He knew it wasn't the exciting work they'd been hoping for but most of the work on a space ship wasn't.
"Any chance there will be more of those translators available?" Trina asked.
"Of course," Alvola said. "Mintonar will likely have several ready for those who wish to have them. I didn't realize we'd need more than two or I would have asked for them."
"You knew you were going to need one for Aidan," Mindy said. "Who was the other one for?"
"The people they were intended for have them," Alvola said. "And we can manufacture more if we go through our supply of premade ones."
"Wait," Min-dee said, her voice suspicious. "What do you mean the people they were intended for have them? You brought one for me? Specifically, for me?"
"Of course," Alvola said. "I always intended for you to understand what I was saying and to be able to do the same."
They were walking through the docking bay to the doors that would lead to the rest of the ship, Alvola focused on the exit to the large space as though it would also lead him out of the conversation. He didn't regret being prepared for Mindy, taking note of what Mintonar did with Molly, but he had the feeling she would take exception to being his target from the start.
With a glance, he could see her mouth working though no sound was coming out. Behind them, Trina gave a soft laugh and he smiled. He had, if not an ally, then someone who would not impede his hunt.
Thankfully, the doors opened to reveal a smiling Maw-lee and Mintonar. A squeal of delight pierced through the sound around him and Mindy started bouncing and making a similar sound. The women ran to each other and hugged, squeezing each other tight and talking all at the same time. Trina walked up next to them and pulled Maw-lee in for her own hug, before pushing her away to look her over.
"Woman, what are you wearing?" Trina demanded, pushing Molly around in a circle.
"Isn't it gorgeous?" Maw-lee said, holding out the skirt. "And they're so comfortable!"
"I was expecting a baby bump," Min-dee said, looking Maw-lee over. "Where's my baby bump? There was one in the video call."
"Oh, get your own," Molly laughed. "I might have exaggerated my posture a bit to make a point. I'm fine not showing for a while. It took forever to get my figure back after Aidan and I was much younger then."
Alvola watched the smile spread across his friend’s face and understood. Moving carefully around the group of women, he stood at his friend's shoulder. "There's two more on the shuttle," he said. "And they're going to need to be quarantined in the medical bay. One of them has questions and the other is more than a little belligerent."
"I thought you were just planning to bring back the one," Mintonar said, his eyebrow raised.
"Only one of them is mine," Alvola said, shaking his head. "And she was alright with both the nanos and the translator."
"Where's Aidan?" Maw-lee asked suddenly. "I thought he'd be coming off with you?"
"He had a few things to do on the shuttle first," Alvola said. "He should have been packing up before we docked."
Maw-lee huffed out a breath. "He waited until the last minute to clean up and now he's probably doing a dozen other things he should have taken care of mid-flight."
"You'd think he'd be in a hurry to see his mother," Mintonar said with a frown.
Trina laughed. "Teenage boy. Sweet, wonderful, considerate, teenage boy. ADHD as well so I'll bet you he got distracted by something."
"He promised he wouldn't take the shuttle apart while he was in transit," Maw-lee protested.
"Yeah, but we've landed," Min-dee said with a smile.
Alvola felt panic rise inside him when he heard the commotion at the back of the shuttle. Chaegar and Aidan were walking down the ramp from the shuttle to the Cargo Bay and arguing back and forth. The blonde woman was walking in front of Aidan, one arm held behind her back, and she was snarling at both of them.
"Who's that?" Maw-lee asked.
"Some kind of government agent," Trina said. "She was trying to arrest us as we boarded the shuttle. Chaegar went to talk to her and she passed out so they carried her on board."
Alvola met Mintonar's eye and shook his head slightly. Chaegar hadn't actually spoken to her at all and every indication had been that she'd passed out when he'd touched her. Since the pilot had spoken about his recognition with the screeching woman, it had to have something to do with the first spark.
"She's one of the ones who's going to need to be quarantined," Alvola said.
As they got closer, the woman attempted to kick Aidan, who pushed her off balance to keep her heels away from his shins. "Stop it," he told her. "I don't care if you kick me but if my mom sees you, she's gonna get pissed."
The woman's attention snapped to the three and she hissed. "Traitors."
"She seems nice," Maw-lee drawled.
Mintonar sighed. "Bring her through here. We'll start the quarantine. Has she eaten?"
Min-dee started and the look on her face told him she'd forgotten about feeding her.
"No," Aidan said. "I don't know that she'd have accepted food, anyway."
"You tied me down to an interrogation table!" she shouted. "I wouldn't trust anything you'd feed me, anyway."
Aidan shook his head and followed Mintonar, pushing the woman in front of him while Chaegar protested half a step behind him. That was not something Alvola wanted any part of and he wished his pilot luck.
"I guess I'll have to wait to introduce you to my husband later," Maw-lee said with a small smile. "But I have lunch! And we were going to do a tour of the ship but-"
"I'm happy to escort you for the tour," Alvola said, putting his hand in the small of Min-dee's back. Part of him itched to get her alone so he could start his courtship in earnest, the other knew how much she'd missed her friend. As much as he wanted her to himself, he'd have to wait.
The anticipation in his belly grew and he felt like he did as a child, waiting in the tall grass to hunt the wild tarro. His limbs trembled with the need to move but he smiled and gestured for the door.
"Thank you, Alvola," Maw-lee said with a smile. "Did you guys want to put on something besides pajamas first?"
"We don't have anything else," Min-dee said, her voice annoyed.
"Everything was packed in the crates," Alvola told Maw-lee, careful to avoid Min-dee's eyes. "I did not think to leave out a change of clothes. That was an oversight on my part. If they'd prefer to put off the tour until after-"
"What do you mean, all of our stuff is packed in the crates?" Min-dee demanded.
"I didn't think you'd want to leave it behind," Alvola said. "Was I mistaken."
"Sneaky," Trina said, her lips turned up in a wry smile. "And I thought it was just the Commander."
"Commander?" Maw-lee asked, confused.
"I believe he's helping Damina close up the medical bay on the shuttle," Alvola said. "I'll leave the introductions to her."
Chapter 21
The ship was huge and nothing like Mindy had expected. The corridors felt emptier than they should be, far away from the bustle of the hotel for the con or even the average night in a hospital. Molly chattered excitedly about all the places they passed, including the medical bay where she waved at Mintonar through a window, the kitchen and mess hall, which were busy enough but still seemed too big for what was happening in them.
They got to Molly's rooms for lunch and, aside from the fact that everything looked different, it greatly resembled Mindy's first apartment on her own. She hadn't realized Alvola had stopped at the door until Molly turned to thank him for the escort.
"I will leave you to catch up," Alvola said. "And return when the crates have been unloaded. Enjoy your lunch."
Mindy waved and he nodded before turning and leaving.
"So, what do you think?" Molly asked, her tone expectant.
"It's huge," Mindy said. "But I guess newlywed apartments are all alike, right? Always just a little too small?"
Molly laughed. "There's room to expand. I know it doesn't look like it, but the walls are actually mostly mobile and the living quarters are pretty spread out. They were planning on accommodating families, you see, and, well, there really hasn't been the opportunity to do anything yet."
"I'm guessing there's not a lot of families to accommodate yet," Trina said. "How long have they been out here, anyway?"
"Mintonar won't say," Molly said. "I get the feeling that they're not completely certain and part of that has to do with the way they got here."
Mindy's stomach rumbled and Molly started. "Sorry," Mindy said. "I guess it's been a while since we ate. Can we do the story over lunch?"
"Of course!" Molly said, moving over to the large table with covered dishes on it. "Sit, sit. I'll explain what everything is before you eat it."
They sat and Mindy saw Molly glance at her arm and smile. "I promise, it's all edible and really tasty."
Mindy watched her friend pull the covers off dishes and start serving the food while she talked about what each dish was called, where it was from, if there were any traditions attached to them. It seemed like Alvola's people had a lot of traditions around food, some of which were eerily similar to some Earth traditions, and others which were so strange, Mindy couldn't imagine the place that had come up with them.
"Of course," Molly said, sitting down and grabbing a utensil for herself. "We're going to have to teach them about coffee. And tea. I wish there was a way to introduce them to a Japanese tea ceremony. I've described what I knew about them and Mintonar was delighted but I'm nowhere near an expert so-"
"Molly," Trina said, reaching over and putting her hand on her friends. "The food looks delicious, I'm sure we'll introduce them to as many things as they could hope for but we want to hear about you. How are you doing?"
Molly smiled, took a deep breath and burst into tears. Trina nodded while Mindy looked on in horror at her pregnant, sobbing friend. Moving around the table, Trina took her into her arms and held her while she cried.
"I've missed you guys so much," she said between sobs. "I'm so glad you're here. Mintonar is wonderful and the ship is amazing but it's all so different and I have no idea what I'm doing half the time. I feel so stupid getting pregnant."
"Hey," Trina said, pulling her chin up to look at her. "You are one of the smartest women I know. Babies happen and you'll get through this. You're excited for this, right?"
Molly nodded. "So excited. When I thought we wouldn't be able to have kids together, I was so sad for him, you know? And sad for me that we wouldn't have a little version of us running around to love an-and hug and squeeze but I was okay. I was okay because I'd made peace with my decision a long time ago and I had Aidan, even if he was stuck on Earth."
"Don't feel stupid, okay?" Trina said.
"But he told me what the nanos did. He described the whole thing and I thought it was so cool and never put together the pieces that they might undo something I'd done on purpose."
