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“MasterMeK, please come with me.Thereis a back entrance to the medical chambers where no one, includingMistressLacie, can or will see you.”

“Howdid you knowIwas there?Iturned off all the sensors in the shuttle and my comm unit.”

“TheCommandertold me to look for you.”

“Howdid he knowIwas back there?”

“Hesaid that is what he would have done and that he expected nothing less from you.However, he also said that you better not do anything that makes him have to come to medical.”

“Well, that explains why the cold didn’t infiltrate the cargo hold.”

“Thisarea is sealed off fromMedical, but you will be able to observeMistressLacie.However, let me warn you, if you cause her one ounce of distress while on board,Iwill personally send you out an airlock.MistressesLacieandBlairare two of my favorites, andIhave already seen how you treated them.Iwas able to retrieve some of the feed from the perimeter fence of the altercation she experienced.Itwill be sent to your comm unit.Ithink you need to witness what occurred.”

“Wasthe male’s body recovered?”

“No, it appearsEthratakes back what is freely given.Ifyou perish on that moon, your body is reclaimed.”Wecome upon a small viewing area. “Iwill have clean clothing and sustenance delivered, but you are not to leave this area, do you understand?”

“Thankyou,ANDI.Idon’t thinkIcould bear to be separated from her right now.”

“Donot thank me.Iwas going to imprison you the moment you stepped out of that shuttle, as your neglect is what led toLacie’sinjuries.Forsomeone of your intelligence, when it comes to females, you seem remarkably uninformed and just plain stupid.Youcan thank your father for understanding the need for one’s mate.Ihave personally learnedIprefer their happiness to their tears and go out of my way to be blessed with their brilliantsmiles, andIam a computer.Youare a sentient being that should know better.”

ANDI’sholo form disappears, andIpress my face against the glass, my eyes devouring the small figure lying below me.Sheseems so small, prostrate there.Icannot hear what is happening, butIcan see the arms of the medical center moving all over her.Severalseem to be thoroughly cleaning damaged areas before bandaging them up.Atthe same time, another arm is putting sutures in her leg.Asthe arms move her around cleaning the dirt from her skin,Icould have swornIsaw a bright mark on her hip.Butthey are in the way, and they move her again beforeIcan make sure.Twoseparate arms are maneuvering her wrist back into the proper position.AndIam thankful she is sedated and not experiencing any further pain.Tearsfill my eyes asIlook over her bruised and battered body.Allof this is my fault.IfIhadn’t ignored her when mother came.IfIhad simply realized how muchIenjoy and need her, she would have been safe by my side.

Thelight on my comm unit goes off, andIhit the play button.Aholo recording pops up in front of my face.Thepieces seem to be fragmented, but my eyes instantly seek outLacieas she walks cautiously through the brushy, wooded area, wearing the clothesIhad thrown at her asIwas trying to hide whatIfelt at the time was a sin.Piecesseem to be missing, but the words come through clearly.ThemoreIsee the angrierIget, and when that male strikesLacie,Islam my fist into the wall, splitting my knuckles wide asIpicture it is his face instead.Thefeed completely cuts off after she starts running through theTimbers, butIcan still hear him taunting her and their combined screams when the rockface gives way.Butit is her cries for help that their speakers were picking up that have me sliding to the floor.Ipull my knees up, gripping my hair tightly asIfight through all theemotions flooding my system.Onething is for certain, if that male had survived, nothing would stop me from tearing him to pieces.Mycomm unit goes off several times, and simply by the sound,Iknow it is my mother.ButbeforeIcan answer her,Ineed to get myself together and figure out my path forward.

Standingback up,Isee thatLacie’swrist is now in a bubble cast, and for the most part, all of her other wounds seem to have been healed completely.Atfirst,IthoughtANDIwas the one doing all this, untilIseeLeX’sface on the screen.Hittingmy comm unit,Irequest a call from him when he finishes, andIam relieved whenIget a confirmation.Rightafter she is covered with a heating blanket,Iwatch as the equipment begins to return to their normal positions.LeX’sface appears, andIproject it onto the glass in the room.

“Brother, you commed?”

“Itis about the female you were just working on.Willshe be all right?”

“Yes.Shehad a severe wrist fracture and lost a lot of blood, butIwas able to patch her up.Therewill be a slight scar on her leg, but that can be removed at a later time once healed.Why?”

“Ibelieve she is my mate.”

“Areyou not sure?BecauseIbelieve you should know.”

“Motheralways told me that our people do not form bonds like that.So… well wait, let me show you.”Ijerk the pantsIhave on down far enough that he can see the glowing mark on my hip. “Butright after we were intimate, this showed up.Honestly, ifIthink about it … it has been bothering me for several rotations now, but it did not fully form until afterward.Doesshe have something similar?”

“Yes, she does,MeK.However, you need to realize that you are more than just your mother.Thoserunes that cover your body are a gift from dear old dad, as myRyliewould say.Noneof us have reacted in the same manner when it comes to our mates, but we all have one thing in common.Thepull toward that one person, the very thought of them coming to harm or being unhappy, bothers us way before the physical confirmation shows up.”

“Ido not understand,LeX.”

“Okay, let me say this another way:Didyou miss her when she was not around?Ordid she overly aggravate you because she was always in harm’s way?Didyou find yourself seeking her out in crowds?”

Iclose my eyes and shake my head before nodding. “Yes, to all and more.”

“MeK, do not beat yourself up too bad for not knowing.Wehave all messed up one way or another.However, before her surgery,Fatherquickly briefed me on how this occurred and your part in it.Brother,Ihate to say this, but you have done a fine job of royally screwing this up.”

“Canyou help me,LeX?Imust speak to her, even thoughIhave no idea what to say.”

“EventhoughIshould notIknowIwould have gone on a rampage if they had kept me away fromRylie.Iwill unlock the main door right after the ship’s sleep schedule commences, but you have to leave before the rising.Iam not getting in trouble with father.Yourfemale should sleep throughout the night, but at least you can sit with her, and this hopefully will give you some time to figure out your path forward.”

“Thankyou, brother.Iwill not forget this.”

“Yes, well don’t let father or anyone else catch you, or we will both be in for it.”

“Areyou on deployment,LeX?Ican see you are back on the ship.”