Trapped
Though she’d only spent a few days on Betta’s Station, she thought of it as her home. Now that she was on a strange station far from her own, it felt uncomfortable, yet familiar. The last feeling, she knew, was some remnant of Jadis in her system.
Since her uniform was in shreds, she was outfitted with an aquamarine dress that hugged her comfortably and ran down past her ankles. It was what befitted a Human noble in Drafer society. The fabric was specially made to attach itself close to the flesh in the low gravity of the station. Several turns in the mirror and she was unhappy with the look of it, but she admitted that it wasn’t too bad. A part of her wished her hips were smaller or that she filled it out like the Lyten female, Jalys.
Betta sighed, letting her bare feet enjoy the plush carpeting of the chamber. The pain in her chest was immense. She could feel her healing ribs protesting against her movement. She’d refused the pain killers the medics prescribed because she wanted her mind clear. That, and she worried about how her body would respond now that it was different.
The change was subtle, but she could feel it down to the hairs on her arms. It wasn’t as extreme as what Jadis felt. There were new secretions, glands that released hormones just above her forearms, and there were old ones that operated far more enthusiastically than in the past, especially when she had thoughts of Jadis.
Betta surveyed the sitting room. There were two sitting chairs and a chestnut table between. It was a simple chamber, but, much like her own on Betta’s Station, she had a waste chamber with a bedroom off to the side. There were no kitchen or dining facilities, forcing her into the station’s café where she could sit with the crew and eat what they were provided. For the time being, Betta kept to her nutrient drinks and concentrated on healing rather than exploration.
A notification beeped from her communication terminal and Betta gritted her teeth, preparation for the onslaught that was to come. She found it better to stand than sit, her back straight. A wave of her hand and the holographic image of a creature with long mandibles and greyish flesh appeared. The mandibles moved quickly with the chirping and grunting that hinted at the language of the Antogin. The translator revealed the approximate wording with heavy latency. Betta suspected the Queen had an accent that was difficult for it to decipher.
“Betta of Arys!” The Queen of Five announced or accused or spat. The tone was difficult to interpret.
“Queen of Five.” Betta had answered every call, responded to every threat, and even sent a possible contract for treatise prepared by Teena. Each and every one ended with the same outcome.
“This hour marks your last opportunity to hand over the abomination. As I have stated in previous communications, there is no room for negotiation. He must be neutralized for the peace of the hive. He cannot exist. He cannot continue.”
“And I have told you that he will continue. You haven’t given me any justification for your actions. Jadis has not committed any crime or offense against the Antogin. If you have a true grievance, file it with the feds, otherwise back off.”
The focus dove deeper on the mandibles, their movement more aggressive and the translation taking longer. “His mere existence is offensive.”
“You are responsible for the murder of five federal agents. Your hive is under their custody and a warrant for your arrest was issued. You are the one at fault here.” Betta tried to keep calm, tried not to think of the fiery ring of agents falling to the ground before Jadis wrapped his body around her, but the images came unbidden. “You’re the one that caused offense!”
“Betta of Arys will pay the price for not handing over the abomination!” The communication ended abruptly.
Betta waited. She took a few short breaths to calm herself and allowed her eyes to adjust to the suddenly dim room. She sent a copy of the conversation to the feds and paced for a few minutes. It was a smart move to return to Betta’s Station. There wasn’t much she could do and Jadis’s princess—the thought of some other female made her grit her teeth harder and pace all the more—was not far with an armada according to Manager Tylen.
The feds were also amassing near the power station. Teena informed her in the med bay that there were Pilo battleships monitoring from the outer edges. If a conflict did erupt, they would eradicate the Queen of Five and her hive.
This was why she stayed, why she paced. The Five were her responsibility. By freeing the Antogin she’d brought their queen to this sector and put Jadis in danger. Not just Jadis, she reminded herself, every inhabitant of the sector.
But what could she do? When she looked up next, she found that her pacing had turned into a walk, and that walk had taken her to Jadis. His snores echoed off the walls of the med bay. The sound was so Human, so normal, that she smiled despite how tense she felt. Sitting in the chair next to his bedside, she reached out a hand to touch his.
Jadis’s lids lifted immediately. Betta could feel the strange tactile adhesion as their flesh became one, melding into one another. She was immersed in his memories, in his mind, in his emotions and he with hers. It was a feeling that went from deep inside her and spread throughout her body. It was primal, instinctual, agony and ecstasy mixed with loss, an emptiness that needed filled that only Jadis could provide.
When she looked into his eyes, they were pleading, begging her to either take him fully or stop the connection. It was in that moment that she understood that it wasn’t Jadis creating this connection, it was her. Betta concentrated her will to free him. Their hands disengaged, as did their connection, their emotions, and memories. She wept at the separation, her face in her hands. Time passed like this, her endless weeping, the pain of separation, and then his hand was there, caressing the lines of her face.
“Go home,” he said softly, his own eyes wet with tears. “Go home, Betta.”
“I am.” She grasped his hand, not caring, letting her body connect with him once more, and allowing all that he was to fill her while also pushing all that she was into him.
Jadis moaned from a place that mirrored her own pleasure. Betta was on top of him then, her lips falling against him, and then the pain struck her. The brace that held her ribs was out of place, the feel of bone, flesh and nerves tearing. They both cried out and Betta cut the connection, sliding off Jadis and onto the floor of the med bay.
They both panted, the pain coming in waves that caused her back to spasm. She covered her mouth against the cries that threatened to become shrieks. Soon she was able to bear it and stand.
“Why won’t you go?” Jadis asked.
“You know why.” Betta leaned forward, carefully, and gave him a less passionate kiss, this one soft, almost apologetic. “I don’t know what this is, but I want it. I can feel you want it.”
“It’s not real,” Jadis protested.
“Maybe. Even if it is, it isn’t fair if I force it on you, is it? Can I just sit here? With you? I won’t touch you unless you say it’s ok.”
“As long…” His lids were falling downward and Betta felt her insides warming to see him drifting to sleep. “As long as you don’t touch.” And he was snoring again, far louder than he had previously.
Betta reached out a hand to grasp his and stopped herself short of touching. Instead, she crossed her arms, holding her hands close to her ribs. This halted some of the pain, radiating a dull throb against her chest. It was enough that she could finally rest.
Before letting her eyes drift shut, she hazarded another glance toward Jadis. He snorted and a ripple of content passed through her as she drifted to sleep.
A hand on her shoulder woke her some hours later. Teena Maverick stood above her, the glossy lines of her uniform causing a soft moan of jealousy from Betta.