The Build Up (Darkstar Mercenaries and Dark Planet Warriors Short Stories)

3. Abbey

THREE

ABBEY

In the bright light of the morning, the angry clouds have all but disappeared, leaving a fresh, glistening landscape in their wake.

I’m sitting at the kitchen table alongside Ami, who’s battling with a hard-boiled egg, trying to remove cracked pieces of shell.

We’re so lucky to have access to real eggs, thanks to Aunt Kenna’s insistence on keeping chickens. Not that there’s anything wrong with recombinant egg protein—I used to eat it all the time when I was on the mining station—but it just doesn’t taste the same.

I look across at our guests, who are helping themselves to the breakfast platter I’ve hastily put together this morning—with the help of the kitchen-bot.

Soft-boiled eggs, smoked salmon, hash browns, sliced avocado, sun-ripened tiny tomatoes, freshly picked baby spinach, crispy bacon.

Not a bad spread, if you ask me.

Xal is heaping a plate with all the proteins. Sera is more measured, taking a bit of everything.

Their twins—Mia and Erik—are seated between them in high chairs. Mia is smooshing avocado and egg around in her tray, occasionally pausing to pop a bit in her mouth. Erik is nibbling on a piece of salmon, one tiny fang emerging from his pink gums.

As I’ve learned, in Kordolians, the fangs emerge first, followed by the other teeth.

The twins aren’t identical. If Mia is the golden bronze of a late sunset, then Erik is starlight. Mia Akiina favors her mother. Erik Taruk takes after his father.

The interplay between our human and Kordolian genes is fascinating. I can’t wait to see how our little one turns out. Will he or she be more like Tarak or me? Or a combination of both? Ami has certainly inherited the best of both of us.

Sera takes a sip of her coffee and flicks through information on a datapad while Xal tucks into his food. Out of all the Kordolians, he’s probably the one who’s adapted most quickly to human customs.

He’s curious and open-minded, surprisingly so for a former prince of the now-extinct Kordolian Empire.

“Tarak’s out on business?” he asks between mouthfuls, a knowing smile hovering on his lips. Xal looks casually elegant in his navy blue button-down shirt, slim jeans, and leather boots. His long white hair is unbound, its moonlight-hued silkiness contrasting with his dark, curving horns.

He’s always had this ease about him; a certain gracefulness, like a cat, domesticated when he chooses to be, but not without claws and fangs. I know for a fact that he’s a highly skilled fighter—not on the same level as Tarak and the First Division guys, but certainly able to hold his own.

“Sparring with the First Division,” I inform him. “Then, a quick dip in the frigid Southern Ocean. Your kind enjoy that sort of thing, apparently.”

Sera laughs. She looks bright and refreshed—so very different from how she was in the early months after giving birth. The demands of looking after two babies weighed on her heavily, but Xal adapted quickly, and now they’re all thriving.

Xal shrugs. “I do. The oceans here are unique. Salty. Cold—especially if you go deep enough—and filled with interesting creatures. I swam next to one of those large beasts a few rotations ago—a whale. ”

I shudder. “Just be careful. There are great white sharks.”

“The ones with the sharp teeth?” Xal is nonplussed. “I’ve seen a few of those. One tried to attack me once. I gave it a thump on the nose, and it went away.”

Sera rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “You can’t warn them about anything, Abbey. Humans and Kordolians have very different standards when it comes to being afraid.”

“I want bread!” Ami announces.

I pass her a bit of buttered toast, and she dutifully goes about removing the crusts.

She’s picky when it comes to food, just like her father, who still prefers bland, boring things like gelatinous protein bars and raw meat.

He’s coming around, though. I actually think he secretly enjoys some things more than he lets on. He just downplays it so as not to appear too taken with human frivolities, as he sometimes calls them.

“What are Kordolians afraid of, anyway?” I ask Xal.

He frowns. “Sunlight, for one,” he answers after a pause. “Getting caught in the ultraviolet without any form of protectant. And… extinction .”

“Go figure.” Sera grabs a cloth, wipes Erik’s chubby cheeks, and plants a kiss on his wispy white head. Then, she does the same with Mia. “You’re afraid of the sunlight, and we’re instinctively scared of the dark.”

“But you don’t have to be afraid of the dark,” Xal says. “You have us now.”

“It’s a throwback to more primitive times. These things are hard to shake off.” Sera takes Erik from his high chair as he starts to fuss and cry, getting up to bounce him on her hip. Ami has made her way to Mia’s side, waving her buttered toast. As Mia tries to grab it, Ami pulls it away, laughing.

“Ami, share,” I growl, giving her the look. “We don’t tease. Mia’s much smaller than you. She can’t ask for things so easily.” I offer Ami another piece of toast. “Give this to Mia.”

“Okay.” Ami waddles over to me and takes the bread. “She’s littler.”

“Yes, she is. You have to be like a big sister to her. Look after her. Protect her—until she’s big enough to do things on her own.”

“Okay.”

She shuffles back toward Ami, looking adorable in her pink onesie.

I give Xal a pointed look. “Well, I don’t think you don’t need to worry about extinction when we’re around. “I’m curious, though. Did Zharek ever get to the bottom of why… things got to that point on Kythia in the first place?”

A shadow crosses Xal’s elegant features. “Still working on it. Zharek knows more than he lets on, but he isn’t willing to reveal all yet.”

“I understand.” Xal is at least a bit more forthcoming than my selectively guarded husband, but I know not to probe too much. It’s a delicate topic, even if Kordolians aren’t known for being so sensitive—they’re much more blunt and direct than we humans. “Well, I really hope it’s fixable.”

Suddenly serious, Xal leans forward, his golden gaze becoming hard and crystalline. “Only recently, I learned I have a sister. She’s about ten revolutions of age. I believe there’s a reason she exists.”

Sera places a reassuring hand on Xal’s shoulder.

I nod but don’t push it further. Not too long ago, Tarak, Ash, Enki, and the new Silent One, Dragek, captured Xal’s brother—Amun, the one they all thought was dead—and rescued his sister from an enemy ship.

Xal has been processing a lot.

There’s still so much to uncover.

“ Dada ,” Mia says cheerily, completely oblivious to the solemn mood. “ Dada babagadoo. ”

She puts her hands out, reaching for Xal.

“Oh, all right.” The former imperial prince melts beneath his daughter’s innocent gaze. “Come here.”

He picks her up.

Kids. Ha.

“What ‘bout me?” Now Ami wants to be a part of the action, too. She returns to me, moving surprisingly quickly.

Her toddling little walk is deceptive. She can be fast sometimes, and as I grow bigger by the day, it’s getting harder and harder for me to keep up.

“All right, cuddle time.” I pick her up as best I can and let her perch on my lap. Ami puts her hand on my belly and starts rubbing it as if I’m a laughing Buddha.

I sigh, looking up at Sera. Rocking back and forth, she’s managed to lull Erik into a trance-like state. “Someone’s had a little too much warm milk.”

“That’ll do it. So, any luck on that special person we’ve been searching for?” I ask.

Xal narrows his eyes. “What mischief are you two plotting now?”

“Well, it’s about time we started looking for a qualified person to educate our kids. As much as I wish it were an option, it just won’t be practical to send them to a regular Federation school. Tarak would never allow it. You know how he is when it comes to matters of security, and rightly so.”

“So you’re recruiting? To set up a school?”

“It’s absolutely necessary,” Sera says. “They’re going to get bigger, Xal. They will have needs. They occupy an incredibly unique position in the Universe, and they’re going to have to learn both Kordolian and human ways. So Abbey and I decided to start small and search for a human teacher who’s suitably qualified to take on this task. Someone with solid education chops who also has a working understanding of your language and history. Not an easy task, but I think I’ve narrowed it down. There’s one particular candidate I really like. She lives not too far from here, actually. She’s worked as a teacher in a number of Earth schools and has an impressive background in both human education theory and intergalactic studies. Impeccable referee reports. I believe she also speaks passable Kordolian. Do you know how hard it was to find a candidate who ticks all those boxes?”

I gasp. “No way. How do we get her onboard?”

“Well, that’s going to be the hard part, and I’ll leave it up to you to convince her, Abbey, because I think you’d be a lot more persuasive. My name is searchable, and with my background as a journalist, people like that naturally become suspicious.”

“I can certainly try, but what’s the catch?”

“Well, she’s just taken on a new role as a principal. In a recent interview, she said it was her dream job. ”

Ami grabs a strand of my hair and starts twisting it around her fingers. It hurts a little, but I let her because it distracts her, and this conversation is important. “A generous salary might be helpful in winning her over, don’t you think?”

“Well, that’s the thing. She has generational wealth. She probably isn’t in it for the money.”

“If this is the person you believe is most qualified, we can give her a very compelling reason to work for you.” From behind, Tarak’s voice threads into the conversation. “The humans in government know not to oppose me. Other humans can easily be made to understand this, too.”

He’s here already, stealing up on me like always.

“No!” Sera and I both shout at the same time, turning to glare at him.

“We do not threaten or coerce the people we would like to come and work for us. Especially when this is the person we want teaching our kids.” I look up. Suddenly, he’s looming beside me, his commanding presence drawing all the energy in the room. “Let me handle this, Tarak.”

Xal chuckles softly as he gently wrestles with Mia.

“Very well. I’ll leave it to you.” Now Tarak is smiling ever so slightly. He’s wearing a deep blue kashkan . His hair is damp, and he smells faintly of sea salt and crisp pine.

Is he teasing me again?

I can’t even tell sometimes.

I turn to Sera. “So, where is this person, exactly, and who is she?”

“Principal Delia Bonsen is the head of Capricornia College. She currently resides in Darwin, in the North State.”

“Oh, lovely. I know Darwin well.” It’s where my dad was born. We used to spend the winter holidays up there, escaping the cold.

I look up at Tarak. “I think I’d like to visit. Have a small break. Show you around. Ami will enjoy swimming in the waterholes. Actually, I think I need a break.”

“Hm.” Tarak folds his arms, regarding me for a moment.

Ami reaches out. “I want Daddy.”

“ Hm. ” Of course, he takes her. It’s funny. When she’s sitting on my lap, she seems so big. When she’s in Daddy’s arms, cradled against his big, powerful body, she looks so small. “This Darwin… it’s a place you would enjoy going to?”

“Yes. I think we could mix business and pleasure.”

Tarak tips his head ever so slightly. “Then, we go. For relaxation, and to carry out your recruitment objective. Whatever you wish, my amina. ”

Xal lets out a low whistle of surprise. Sometimes, I forget that the other Kordolians aren’t used to seeing this side of Tarak.

My husband doesn’t care, though. He has nothing to hide.

“Darwin in November,” Sera muses. “That could be interesting. That’s when the Wet Season starts, isn’t it?”

“It does get hot.” I glance up at Tarak. “But there are quite a few… pleasant ways to escape the heat.”

“You’ll just have to show me, then.” He remains perfectly impassive even as Ami shoves a hand into his cheek for reasons that are logical only in her two-year-old mind.

I’m almost surprised at how quickly he agreed to the whole thing, but he gets like this sometimes. And I suspect he isn’t exactly clueless about Earth’s geography, either.

Tarak always knows a lot more than what he lets on.

He probably knows exactly what he’s getting into.

But he’s doing this for me.

To make me happy.

It makes me giddy all over again, the way I felt when we’d just met.

As if reading my mind, our baby starts kicking again.

“I can show you,” I murmur, half under my breath, because I know he can hear me.

Get a room, you two, Sera mouths.

Good thing I can lip-read.

I laugh.

The children babble, yell, and chatter. I didn’t realize three little gremlins could be so noisy.

Xal and Sera are momentarily caught up in one another—and the twins.

Tarak stands quietly beside me. To my surprise, he radiates a certain peacefulness amidst all the commotion.

For once, there are no enemies to fight.

No imminent threats.

There’s just the sublime chaos that is our little family.

And all is well.