Just a sim…just a sim…
The com signaled again. “Captain, our diplomatic emissaries will appear on your bridge. In three…two…one.” Before Emi had time to register they’d said “diplomatic,” the air shimmered behind her, like heat waves off the New Phoenix pavement. Two large, humanoid figures appeared. The air glowed faintly yellow around them, and from the way her hair felt like it was standing on end she suspected they had an energy barrier protecting them. Emi thought transporter technology like that was the realm of futuristic stories, a favorite topic for writers for hundreds of years, not something any race really possessed.
Both were huge, nearly eight feet tall. They could almost pass for human except for their size, the way their black eyes were set much wider apart than a normal human, and their flat noses. They wore matching flowing blue tunics and didn’t appear to hold any weapons.
Then again, if you could materialize inside another ship through their defense shields, you probably didn’t need weapons.
The taller one turned to face Aaron. “Are you the captain?” Apparently the ship’s computer was still translating.
Aaron stood. “Yes.”
“Our sensors show four crew total. This is your crew?”
“Yes.”
The alien’s black eyes settled on Emi. An uncomfortable mental chill swept through her. She wanted to move closer to either of the twins but suspected a movement like that might be misinterpreted.
The second alien still had not spoken. The first alien looked at the twins, then back to Aaron. “Disarm. You will be transported to our ship to speak with our executive.”
Executive. That can’t be too bad, right? Just a sim…just a sim.
Aaron nodded, but his eyes focused on Emi. She felt him trying to send calming thoughts to her, sensing she was close to panic. If he was calm, she had to stay calm.
The twins and Aaron disarmed, laying their holsters in their seats.
Emi tried, but she fumbled the catch on the buckle and couldn’t get it.
The harder she tried, the more upset she got until she was nearly in tears.
The alien apparently sensed it. “Captain, you may assist your crew member.”
Aaron walked around the aliens and placed his hands over hers, waiting for her to look up and meet his eyes. He touched his forehead to hers.
“It’s okay,” he whispered, then smoothly released the catch and placed her holster on her seat. He turned, holding her hand, his thumb stroking hers.
“Gather here.” The alien pointed at the floor in front of them. All four moved to comply. When they were standing where indicated, Emi felt Aaron’s fingers tighten around hers, his thumb pressing into her palm, trying to distract her. Next to her, Ford caught her other hand. Behind her, Caph placed his hands on her waist, pressing close.
The air shimmered, shifted, and they stood on the alien vessel.
It was chilly, nearly uncomfortably so. “Follow us.” The aliens started down a corridor. Behind her, Caph gently nudged her forward when he realized she was too scared to move.
As one, the four trailed after the aliens.
Okay, so they didn’t have weapons trained on them. That was good, right?
Just a sim…Just a sim. It wasn’t working, but it was that or she was going to scream and succumb to the hysterics threatening to take her over.
They stopped at a closed doorway, and a low tone sounded. After a brief moment, another tone sounded in response, and the door slid open. Inside stood another alien, even larger than the first two. Naked.
And if their physiology was similar to a human, he was male. Emi was shaking, shivering, her teeth chattering in the chilly air and from the stress taking her over. From the size of the alien’s…appendage, either he was really large when he was aroused, or they liked it cold.
She prayed he wasn’t looking for a little loving either, because he would rip a human apart.
Head naked alien dude wasted no time. “What is your purpose?” Aaron subtly stepped in front of Emi without releasing her hand, sandwiching her between him and Caph. “We are a research vessel.”
“You are armed.”
“Only for defense, not attack.”
The alien nodded. “You are humans?”
“Yes.”
Naked alien dude stepped forward, but Aaron didn’t flinch. Emi watched from over his shoulder.
“What is your relationship?” The alien pointed at them, circling his hand, indicating all of them. Now she realized he had six fingers on each hand, and six toes.
Bet their decimal system is whacked…
She struggled to choke back the hysterical laughter. If she started, she knew damn well she wouldn’t stop.
Emi had no idea how Aaron kept his voice so strong and firm. “I am the captain of the Tamora Bight. This is my crew, my first officer, mate, and medical officer.”
The alien looked at Emi. “She is your mate?”
“She is our medical officer. We call our third in command the mate.”
The alien nodded. “Ah, I see. She is not your mate, then?”
“She is not my second officer, no.”
“I meant your mate. Your… female.” Aaron tensed. “We are bonded crew. We are partners together.” The alien’s eyes looked at each of them in turn, then lighted on Aaron again. “You are not a family unit? Spouses?” Emi felt tension build in the men. This couldn’t be good.
“No,” Aaron said. “We are designated as bonded crew by treaty¯”
“But you are not…married?”
Now Aaron’s voice tightened. “No.”
“So you are not spouses?”
“No.”
The naked alien turned and muttered something in a clicking, chirpy language to the alien who spoke to them on their ship, then walked behind a long, heavy purple curtain dividing the room in half.
Okay, that wasn’t so bad¯
“Our executive says one of you will stay here, he doesn’t care which one. The rest of you are free to go.” Okay, not good.
Aaron shook his head. “We all leave.”
“Captain, either one of you stay, or all of you die. There is no exception. You are not spouses. We would not separate you if you were spouses, but since you are merely crew, one of you stays.” Aaron’s voice was tight. “Why?”
The alien shrugged. “Our executive is bored. He wants a new toy.
Whoever stays will…service our executive.” Okay, very bad.
Aaron tensed. “I will not leave one of my crew.”
“Either one of you voluntarily stays behind with us and services our executive, or all of you die. You will have five minutes to give us your decision.” He stepped back to the other alien in the blue tunic and talked to him in their native language in low, clicking tones.
“You said you wouldn’t harm our crew!” The alien looked over “We won’t, if one of you willingly stays and submits.”
“That will harm our crew.”
The alien shrugged. “I don’t see how, it’s just…sex, but you have five minutes to choose.”
Aaron stepped back, forcing Emi and the twins to move. He left her standing there and pulled Ford and Caph a few feet away, huddling with them for a moment. Whether it was their nerves or the weird energy in the ship or what, she couldn’t read what was going on, couldn’t hear them.
Caph said something, sharp, and Aaron shook his head. Ford’s voice reached her, but she couldn’t tell what he was saying, only that he was arguing with Aaron.
The last thing she made out before they broke their huddle was Aaron’s firm, “…that’s an order, officer. Do it. You’re my first, that means you’re in command.”