Charming Charly (English Edition) (Lords of Arr'Carthian 3) (4 page)

“You’re nervous,” he said. “You don’t need to be. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I’d like you to learn to trust me. I will never hurt you.”

Charly was silent. How was she to respond to that? Her memories of her ordeal had returned to her. She had carefully locked them away in a safe, for a long time, and now it had suddenly sprung open and all the evil that lay hidden within it was threatening to come out. A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away.
 

“Do you want to tell me what happened to you?” he asked gently.

She shook her head.
 

“That’s OK. I’m not going to force you to do anything. I wanted to speak with you to make you an offer.”

She looked up. He looked concerned. Either he was a good actor or her senses were playing tricks on her.
 

“An offer?” she asked, uncertain as to how she should take this.
 

He nodded.

“Yes, an offer. I’d like to hand my cabin over to you. I’ll find quarters elsewhere. All I want of you is that we spend the days together and get to know one another. I promise you that I will not touch you. I only want to talk with you – nothing more. What do you think?”

“O-K,” she said cautiously.

‘Where’s the damn catch?’

“Good,” he responded happily. “Would you like something to eat?”

She nodded. Her stomach was actually hurting with hunger.

“Then let’s get something to eat. Here or in the canteen?”

Charly thought this over. She would not be alone with him in the canteen. On the other hand, she did not feel like being with a whole hoard of gigantic aliens.

“Here,” she decided at last.

Amano rose.

“OK, I’ll sort something out for us.”

1. Chapter 3
   

Kanavirius System

On board the Cordelia

33rd Day of the Month of Jakus in the Year 7067

Federation Time

Charly waited impatiently for the door to open. One of the men had informed her that Lory had woken up and wanted to see her. When the door finally slid open, she burst excitedly into the sick bay. She was delighted to actually see Lory conscious. She had been worried.

“Lory, you’re awake,” she said, taking her friend carefully in her arms. Then she sat on a chair next to Lory’s bed.

“What’s going on here?” Lory asked, more than surprised. “What happened? And has anyone done anything to you? You know what I mean.”

Charly smiled reassuringly at Lory and shook her head.
 

“So many questions all at once,” she said. “I was afraid that you were going to die on me and now you’re sitting here, looking as if you want to go straight into battle again. I’m fine, Lory. And no, no one has touched me. I’m being treated very well and Amano …”

“Who’s this Amano?” Lory interrupted her.
 

At the mention of Amano’s name, her heart beat faster. She tried not to let anything show. He had kept his word and not touched her. They only talked, and at night she slept alone in the big bed. But, without wanting it, her attraction for him was growing. He was charming and considerate. He even made her laugh. She realized that Lory was looking at her impatiently, expecting an explanation.

“Amano is the captain of the
Cordelia
and he looks after me,” she said at last. “He thinks that we belong together – that I am his mate – but I’ve told him that that won’t work. He’s quite stubborn …”

“I’ll kill the swine!” Lory became angry and leapt off the bed. “Show me where he is!”

Charly grabbed Lory’s arm.

“Stop! Not so hasty. It’s OK,” she assured her. “Amano is trying to charm me, but he is accepting my ‘no’. He would never force himself upon me, believe me. He’s given me his room and he sleeps elsewhere. He often keeps me company, but at night I’m alone. So there’s no reason to get angry. And I don’t want you to try anything. He … I like him.”

Lory looked at her in disbelief. It was easy to see that she was not happy about what Charly had just told her.
 

“Just sit down for now and be calm,” Charly said firmly. “You still need to rest. You were seriously injured.”

“What happened to me? I can’t remember anything,” asked Lory, once she had sat back down on the bed.

“You fell back onto the glass table and a large shard went through your body. That’s apart from all the small splinters that you had all over your body. Kordan was completely beside himself. That was the only time that I’ve seen emotion in that man. Otherwise he’s as cold as a dog’s nose.”

“Kordan?”

“That’s the blond bloke who came into our suite. He’s hardly left your side since you went into the medical unit and then came in here.”

The door opened and the general of the
Cordelia
entered.

“Speak of the devil,” murmured Charly.

Kordan approached and she noticed Lory visibly tense up. She did not blame her. The general really did come across as anything but trust-inspiring. He appeared to be ice-cold and he was huger than any of the other warriors that she had seen so far on the ship. Charly estimated that he was over seven feet tall: a real fighting machine, and if she had not seen for herself, how worried he had been about Lory, she would consider him to be a robot –an emotionless machine.
 

“You’re awake,” said Kordan in a deep voice.

“I am and I have a lot of questions!” snarled Lory, clearly angry.
 

“Leave us alone,” Kordan commanded and the doctor hurried out of the room.

Charly looked at Lory uncertainly. She was not happy about leaving her friend on her own with the general. She was sure that he would not hurt Lory, but she did not like his interest in her friend at all. These alien chaps were a possessive pack, that much she had already figured out, and Kordan seemed to be particularly bad. She was glad that Amano at least did not go about things as aggressively. His attempts at intimacy were more subtle, even if they were no less dangerous.
 

“It’s OK,” said Lory. “I’m fit again. I can defend myself. It’s OK for you to go.”

Charly glanced skeptically at Lory and Kordan alternately. Finally, she glared at the general.

“I warn you,” she said, threateningly, and with more courage than she actually possessed. “Touch one hair on her head and I’ll kill you!”

The corners of Kordan’s mouth twitched briefly, as if he wanted to smile. No! She must have been mistaken. She was certain that this ice block never smiled. With an unsettling feeling, Charly got up from her seat and left the room. She had made a decision. She would ask Amano if Lory could move into his cabin with her. That would be best … before that giant came up with any other ideas.

She had just entered Amano’s quarters, and was about to make herself comfortable, when the alarm suddenly sounded. She turned round immediately, to run from the room, but one of the men caught her at the door.
 

“Lady Charly. The captain wishes for you to stay in his quarters until he comes to you.”

“What’s happening?” asked Charly, worried.
 

“We’re being attacked. Don’t worry. We’ll get this under control. Just stay here and don’t leave the cabin before the captain returns.”

Charly stared at him uncertainly. She really did hope that the man knew what he was talking about. She had just begun to feel a little safer. If she was now to be abducted by yet another alien, then …

“Lady?”

Charly came out of her trance. She nodded slowly.
 

“OK.”

“Go into your quarters and I’ll lock the door, so that no one can take you from there.”

Charly stepped back into the cabin without taking her eyes off the warrior.

“Door close. Security level one,” he said, then the entrance closed and she was left alone, her heart pounding wildly.

‘I hope nothing happens to Amano,’
she thought, swaying slowly towards the bed to sit on it.
 

***

All hell had broken loose on the bridge. Amano was issuing orders to the crew, as Kordan burst in. “What’s going on?” his cousin asked.

“Three pirates,” explained Amano. “They’ve damaged our screen, and one of the kalo-crystals has been destroyed – simply shattered
.
They must possess new technology that we’re not familiar with. No idea where these pirates have got the credits from to purchase technology that’s not known to the Federation. They must have done business in the Black Quadrant – a pirates’ deal.”

“The substitute crystal?” asked Kordan.

“It’s being installed right now. Another team is trying to repair the damage to the protection screen. Should I send out the fighters?”

Kordan shook his head.

“Not yet. Get the main ship on the monitor for me and try to set up a connection.”

“Aye!” agreed Amano and turned to a man sitting at the communication consul. “Gresin, set up a connection with the main ship.”

“Aye, Captain,” said Gresin.

“Computer. Status report on the damage to the shield,” said Kordan, as a new wave of shots shook the ship.

“The damage to the outer shield stands at forty-four per cent. The damage to the inner shield is almost repaired. The remaining damage stands at eleven per cent. I note an energy problem,” reported the computer.

“Turn off all none-essential machines and cut off the energy supply to decks C and F, as well as to G2 and G4,” Amano commanded. “I want us to put all energy reserves into the outer protection shield.”

“Completed,” the computer reported back.

“General. We have connection with the main ship,” declared Gresin.

“To the monitor!” commanded Kordan.

The large monitor before them flickered, before displaying an image of the bridge on the pirates’ mother ship. The crew consisted of the most varied of races, but the man whose head filled the screen was a Regan – a reptilian race from the Black Quadrant. Amano could not stop himself thinking immediately about Charly. If this Regan were to get his hands on her, she would be better off dead. He could not bear thinking about it. These reptilian males were reputed for what they did to females of other races.
 

“I am Captain Horrrgahn,” the Regan’s snarling
voice came over the loudspeaker. “Surrrender and deliverrr the females to us, then we’ll perrrmit you to deparrrt. We only want the two females, nothing morrre.”

“Negative!” snarled Kordan. “The females are under my personal protection.”
 

Amano and Kordan exchanged glances. Amano knew that his cousin was thinking the same as he was. At any cost, they had to prevent the revolting lizards from getting their claws on the females.
 

“Then we will destrrroy you!” snarled the pirate captain.
 

The connection was broken after this statement.

“Fire with everything we have,” Kordan commanded.

“The inner protection screen is repaired,”
reported the computer.
“Damage to the outer protection screen still stands at twenty-seven per cent.”

“We have eliminated one ship,” reported Palic, one of the men at the station.

“Very good. Concentrate the attack on the mother ship.”

“The new crystal is installed,” reported a further crew member.

 
“In that case fire the vega-canons now, and all the lasers.
Concentrate all the shots on one point.
It’s best to aim fire at the main energy supply,” ordered Kordan.

“They’re retreating!” called Palic. “Should we pursue them?”

“No!” said Kordan dismissively.
“We have important cargo on board that we must get home safely and as quickly as possible. See to it that all repairs are put in motion and that the energy supply to the closed down decks are running again as soon as possible. I will check on Lady Lory. She is sure to be very frightened.”

Amano, amazed, watched his cousin leave. Since when did his ice-cold cousin concern himself with the wellbeing of a female? A grin spread across his face. This was, indeed, an interesting development, especially as he could not imagine that the little brunette would welcome the attentions of the brawny general.
 

Amano decided to go and check up on his mate. He handed over command to one of the high-ranking officers and left the bridge. When he opened the door to his cabin, a wild Charly flew into his arms.

“Hey! Easy, little one,” he said, cautiously putting his arms around her trembling body. “It’s OK,
mene carisha
. I’m here. Nothing will happen to you, I promise you.”

He pushed her gently into the cabin and gave the order for the door to close.

“I was so scared,” said Charly at his chest. “I thought, if … if something happens to you, then …”

“Shhh,” said Amano. “Nothing happened to me and the pirates have gone. We shot down one of their three ships and the others are damaged. They’ve fled. We won’t be seeing them again any time soon.”