Lindsey's Rescue: A World Beyond Book 3 (2 page)

Chapter 2

“Senate Leader Baruk, your absence at tomorrow’s vote is highly unlike you. Is there a way we can persuade you to postpone your personal matter to attend to the vote?”

Baruk kept his face a smooth mask as High Councilor Jakil asked his question. The query to postpone his request for one day off was not unusual. Senate meetings required the attendance of the majority members for votes to pass on any new measures. Baruk’s problem with Jakil’s request stemmed from the fact that ten of the twelve members would be present. He’d confirmed it himself before moving forward.

“There will be sufficient numbers for the vote. I’m sorry, High Councilor, but I insist my request for time off stand as is.” Baruk folded his arms over his chest, staring at the holo-screen and waited for the inevitable rebuttal.

Jakil’s mouth formed a grim line as he studied Baruk with brown eyes circled in gray. “Yes. Well, it’s just that,” he paused and cleared his throat before continuing. “Your vote carries more weight among the members.”

In other words, his fellow Senate Leaders wanted to hear what Baruk thought before proceeding on anything. Baruk held in his frustration. It negated the purpose of having a senate body if they all followed the lead of one. Then he thought of another. “What about Senate Leader Zadal? He and I may not always get along but we have similar political views.”

Baruk didn’t necessarily care for Zadal, finding him harsh in his demeanor and unmoving in his stance when presented with opposition but he did have the good of Garulax at heart when it came to official business.

The High Councilor huffed. “It has come to my attention that Senate Leader Zadal has requested time off tomorrow as well.”

This bit of news surprised Baruk. The odds of the other man taking off on the same day as he to attend the upcoming Triad Bridal Meet would be incredible. All single men of eligible age and status received an open invitation to participate in selecting a bride among those present. On their world it was a common enough practice for Triads to form.

The only reason Baruk had not attended a meet in the past was due to his lack of a Triad spouse to partner with. Every man Baruk considered, he dismissed for some reason or another. Now that he was entering his thirtieth year, he’d decided to persevere and attend alone in hopes of finding a bride and a partner to form a Triad while there. Many men did the same and successfully formed a match.

“Senate Leader Baruk, would you reconsider in light of this news?”

Baruk snorted. “I’m afraid, High Councilor, that won’t be possible. Good day.”

He ended the transmission before Jakil could go on and on about the importance of the vote or whatever else was on the agenda tomorrow. Baruk
needed
a bride for professional reasons but he
wanted
one for personal reasons. Someone to share a restful evening with and most importantly a woman he could use to relieve himself. Female sex workers, though beautiful, were out of the question. They looked for a man in his position to take care of them financially or to elevate their status but never to form a Triad and never to have children. Baruk wanted a legacy to leave behind, a family and in order to do that, he needed a wife.

“Senate Leader, will you need further assistance?”

Baruk turned toward the voice and faced his first assistant. The dark-haired woman held her data pad close to her chest and rocked back on her heels. He smiled. “Thank you, Mala but I’m done. If anything comes up, I’ll use second assistant.”

Her shoulders eased and she grinned, revealing the twin dimples she hated. “Thank you. My husbands planned a special get away this weekend and I promised work would not interfere.”

Baruk chuckled. As first assistant, Mala, covered all of his meetings and correspondence for work purposes, while his second assistant, Kimsha, handled his correspondence and financials for his personal life. “Enjoy your vacation and give Tarden and Emjor my best.”

She nodded and practically ran from the room. Baruk sighed and turned off the sensors for the lighting system in his office. He closed out all of his running computer programs and shut down for the day. His fingers stroked the petals of the fresh flowers he changed out once a week. If he was to put his best foot forward tomorrow, he needed to meet with Kimsha about what to wear. His senate robes would not do and Baruk couldn’t recall the last time he’d gone out for an evening and dressed strictly for pleasure.

***

Zadal’s first assistant skipped to keep up with the rapid pace he set going down the hall separating his work space from his personal. Already he ran behind and Zadal had no intentions of showing late for his first Triad Bridal Meet scheduled this evening.

“Senate Leader Zadal perhaps I can—.”

Zadal spun on his heels and pinned the wiry man with a fierce glare. He cut Zumei off before he could finish his sentence. “No. I don’t want help on this. I’ve already made my feelings clear. Do you question my authority in the matter?”

Zumei shoved a hand through his thinning, dark hair, gaze shifting to the side in the face of Zadal’s annoyance. “No, Senate Leader. Of course not. I only question the wisdom of attending a meet without a spouse partner selected in advance.”

Zadal tensed, his back going up. He inhaled slowly and exhaled to regain his composure at Zumei’s attempt to gainsay him. This had been a sore subject between them yesterday and today. Crossing his arms behind his back, Zadal asked in his coldest voice, “Do you have a suggestion since you insist on encroaching where you don’t belong?”

Zumei’s gold skin paled, blue eyes meeting his gaze. “I only meant—”

“What did you mean?” Zadal snapped.

Zumei took a hasty step back, fumbling his data pad in his grip. The obvious fear reassured Zadal. He couldn’t let anyone close to him get away with the smallest measure. His status as a bastard made him an open target for belittlement and his newly elected role as Senate Leader opened him to an entire wealth of doubt from those around him.

Zadal had and would continue to negate all attempts to undermine his authority starting with Zumei, who he’d inherited from the former Senate Leader Darvis. Like a beggar cast out to accept crumbs, Zadal had to keep Zumei until he found another first assistant. Especially since the man also covered the duties of a second. Unfortunately, no one was jumping at the chance to join his household and serve under a man whose mother used to be a sex-service worker. Thus his desire for a Triad marriage.

If Zadal could connect with a powerful spouse partner and a fitting bride, it would give his status legitimacy and shift attention from his poor birth beginnings.

“Will that be all, Senate Leader?” Zumei asked, tone properly chastised.

Zadal held his silence a moment longer, not missing the bitter darkness in his first assistant’s eyes. “Yes, that is all for the day.”

“Very well.” The man bowed, back stiff as he turned to retrace his steps down the corridor to their offices.

Zadal continued on the path toward his private rooms. Behind the closed doors, he took a deep breath and exhaled. One by one, he unclenched his fingers and flexed them. This was why he needed a bride.  A woman around would help ease his frustrations. Someone soft to allow him moments to vent. Zadal’s mouth curved into a smile. The sex would be a definite plus for having a Triad marriage.

Thinking about a Triad also meant thinking about a spouse partner. Zadal’s smile fell. His main concern now would be finding someone at the event tonight who’d yet to select a partner and who’d accept Zadal as the third. His rank and position should have assured him someone compatible but as always his birth status as a
briot
would be a hindrance.

Chapter 3

“All passengers debarking please line in an orderly fashion.”

Lindsey ran through a last minute tally of everything she needed to do. With a lingering glance, she left behind the language disc she’d spent the week studying. She loved learning new languages and spoke several fluently back home. Garulax boasted six native languages and thanks to the discs and length of the journey, she’d mastered two, well on her way to grasping the basics of the third. Hypheti was giving her the most difficulty because it didn’t follow general English syntax and the word order initially threw her off until she figured it out. With time, Lindsey knew she’d get it.

A small line formed in the departure bay where a silver, multi-winged craft waited on dual electric tracks glowing red. The dull roar of engines competed with the overhead speaker and the raised voices of those present. Uniformed members of the ship moved at a brisk pace, orders called out and hand signals denoting some unknown command. It appeared hectic but no one looked upset.

“Good luck, Lindsey.”

A smile of welcome bloomed on her face. “Hi, Rojer.”

The uniformed man hurried over to her. Rojer Mierkle worked as a crew member on the flights from Earth to other planets. He mainly kept the women aware of each stop but Lindsey always enjoyed their brief, daily exchanges. It had made them friends of a sort.

“Any second thoughts?” He wiggled his brown brows, a mischievous grin on his tanned face.

“None. I’m just excited.”

Rojer offered a two finger salute and returned to whatever he needed to do. Lindsey joined the tail of the line. This crowd was much smaller than the one for the ship leaving Earth and more orderly though the same tangent of nerves filled the air.

“Name, please.” The attendant manning the line stopped her before she could proceed.

“Lindsey Ferra.”

He held a handheld device up to the electronic card clipped to her shirt then nodded. “Confirmed. You can move forward.”

Heart racing, Lindsey stepped up to the metal ramp leading into the shuttle. Another attendant greeted her before she crossed the threshold, his smile softer than his peer and warm brown eyes pleasant. Toole, his shirt read. He scanned her ID card. “Welcome to Garulax, Lindsey Ferra.”

She’d done it. Changed the course of her life. Lindsey’s breath whooshed out to be replaced with a warm bubble in her chest. “Thanks.”

“As soon as the shuttle lands you’ll be directed to the medical center.”

“Oh.” This was news. She’d submitted a physical with her application.

Toole stepped back and motioned toward the interior of the shuttle. “You’ll receive your language translator there.”

So much for studying the language the old-fashioned way. The ride from ship to planet surface was all too short. Besides eager glances at the violet hues of the sky, no one spoke much. As soon as they landed, space-station staff directed everyone to a clear store-front window and arched doorway. The lettering running vertical down an outside pole gave her pause. Lindsey understood the word medical and assumed the second word to be center although it was represented by a symbol instead of letters.

Going through, she and the other women were processed quickly. When her turn came, the young man read off the personal credential information on a holo screen, glanced at her ID tag and grunted. “Roll up your sleeve, please.”

Lindsey rolled up her sleeve, ignoring her clammy palms. “I’m not good with needles.”

“Hmm.” He pressed a tube containing clear liquid to the skin at her lower arm.

A sharp pinch followed. “Ouch!

Lindsey glared at the spikes of brown hair falling over his brow but he stayed focused on disposing the tube, then reached for another.

“How many do I need?”

Pursed lips and a harsh stare preceded his response. “All permanent residents get a standard three booster inoculation.”

Another pinch and then the third as her eyes watered.

“Please turn to the side for the translator.” He held up a silver-hooked tool.

Lindsey grabbed at her tender arm and flinched as he leaned closer. “Is that necessary?”

One more glare to make it an all around glare-fest.

“Fine.”

She held still, not feeling any pain. A beat or two later Lindsey thought everything was alright. While he cleaned up his supplies, her ears started to ring.

“Your processing to Garulax is complete. You can return to the shuttle or walk around the station.” He moved away, pointing at the door. 

The background hum agitated her the moment the medical tech stepped back.

“Is it supposed to do that?” She asked, keeping her hands down to keep from poking at her ear.

“What exactly is the implant doing, Lindsey Ferra?”

The bored drawl snapped her spine straight. Granted, she didn’t expect all healthcare professionals to be her bestie but shouldn’t it say somewhere that if you wear the white coat you have to smile? Although the tech wore a blue tunic top and a pair of black pants, but still.

“It’s buzzing,” she explained, reaching up to her ear where the probe had poked her. “On the spot you used to insert it.”

Brown eyes narrowed. “The translator implementation process is seamless and was perfected by one of the greatest scientific minds ever.”

Lindsey scratched the itch at the site. “Well, maybe I just need to adjust. On Earth I’m allergic to tomatoes and other acidic foods.”

“This,” the tech bit out, “isn’t Earth.”

Lindsey exhaled softly. “I know.”

“If you’re done wasting my time there are others waiting.”

Lindsey hopped off the exam table and gathered her duffle full of pretty underclothes. At least she understood every word he spoke now. “Thanks. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

She hoped.