Chapter Text
Sikozu didn’t know where she would end up after making her escape from the water planet. Scorpius had ripped the Scarran comms out of her back, banishing her. Outcast. Betrayer. She somehow made her way to Tormented Space – back to the planet of Cortannan. It was somewhere she could disappear or wait for him to find her and kill her. Either way, she was tired of running. She’d gotten a job in a woman run bar, washing dishes, slinging drinks, and dancing on occasion to entertain high ranking males. Her fall from grace was complete. At least she could let her Kalish features return without feeling out of place. Genetic modification could take away the tattoos along the side of her neck, down her abdomen and back. She placed a protective hand over them. They were the last link she had to Scorpius – to the life she had before the war. She wasn’t ready to let that go of that.
HALF A CYCLE LATER:
The night was busy. Sikozu had been behind the bar for nearly six arns pouring drink after drink to thirsty Peacekeepers. She did her best to keep her head down and not make eye contact with any of them. Hevala, the new owner, finally sent her off after the tenth arn. She was glad to drag herself outside, heading to an out of the way building where she rented a small room. There was nothing she wanted more than to peel off all her clothes before crawling into bed to sleep.
Sikozu entered the room, shutting the door, before leaning against it heavily. She’d felt an itch at the back of her mind all night. It hadn’t been noticeable at first, but as the night cycle wore on, she felt it grow. Memories came to the surface that had threatened to bring her to her knees. They center around her capture at the hands of War Minister Ahkna. In the end, she had no choice but to betray Scorpius. She’d been reduced to a frightened child believing the lies the Scarran had told her.
“You should run while you can.”
Sikozu’s breath caught in her lungs. The voice she heard could only belong to one being. “Scorpius…” she couldn’t help but call out his name. Cautiously, she stepped away from the door, opening it, and peered out into the corridor. No one was there. Closing it quickly, she secured it – though she knew it was futile. If Scorpius wanted to get through the door to kill her, he would. She chalked up the hallucination to exhaustion.
There was nothing for it. Sikozu stripped out of clothing and walked into the modest bathroom. Turning the water on near to boiling, she let her mind wander while she washed away the days grime. She touched the back of her left shoulder where Scorpius had ripped out the transmitter. The scars were soft and pale orange after healing. She hadn’t sought medical attention for it. There was no point. Sikozu left it to scar as a reminder to never fall for anyone’s lies ever again.
After Sikozu felt refreshed, she shut the water off, the little tiled room having filled with steam. She breathed it in, allowed the warmth to relax her so she would fall into sleep faster. Tomorrow was a new day that would leave her wondering if she would be captured and killed. Shaking her head, she wrapped a towel around her body, and looked at her reflection in the foggy glass. A flash of black caught her attention. Turning, she saw him, looming larger than life. “Frell!” she choked out, stumbling back against the wall. Sikozu recovered from the surprise and gathered as much courage as she could. “Are you here to kill me?” she asked, her voice calm when the rest of her wasn’t.
“I’ve come to warn you.”
Something was wrong. Sikozu’s hand immediately went to the back of her neck, her pinkie resting below the base of her skull. “You are a neural clone,” she stated. The image of Scorpius nodded, giving her a little amused smirk. It cut through her heart. He would give her that look when he was about to touch her intimately. “Why appear to me now?” she asked.
“Your brain is complex, and it took me some time to learn how to navigate it,” Neural Scorpius answered.
“I would only be seeing you if Scorpius were nearby,” Sikozu surmised. She wouldn’t admit that her heart skipped a beat at seeing him again – and not in fear.
Neural Scorpius touched two gloved fingers to his temple.
“I am not running. If he wants to kill me, he can do it here,” Sikozu snapped defiantly. She walked away from the hallucination, returning to the main area where the bed waited. There he was, again, lounging against the wall, his hands at his side looking relaxed. “Go away,” she snarled. “Go back the darkest corner of my subconscious and leave me in peace.” He said nothing as he came to her, his hand reaching out, the tip of his finger pressing against her lips. Fear and relief went to war inside her. She’d missed his touch more than she wanted to admit.
“Sikozu,” Scorpius whispered her name – having not dared to speak it for half a cycle. He knew she survived the water planet and was content with eventually tracking her down to exact his revenge for her betrayal. Then, High Command ordered he traverse Tormented Space. He’d gone to distract himself from her. No sooner were they in orbit of the female repressed planet of Cortannan, he’d connected with the neural clone he’d put in Sikozu. The memories it had mined from her brain overwhelmed him at first. He was being shown her torture at the hands of Ahkna. All thoughts of revenge had vanished. He wanted to find her and bring her back to his side. Her memories had shown him something else as well – all the signs he missed of her abuse.
“Kill me and get it over with. I am tired of running,” Sikozu said in a voice filled with the exhaustion she’d felt every day since escaping. Sikozu allowed resignation to show on her face. Her people cast her aside after she joined forces with Scorpius. He braded her a traitor when he discovered the comms device in her back – without knowing it was rigged to explode. Ahkna wanted to make sure Sikozu would perish with one spoken word.
“I’ve not come to kill you. I’ve come to bring you back to the command carrier and to my side,” Scorpius replied softly. Moving in close to her, he didn’t miss the way she flinched. He leaned over her, his forehead barely touching the top of her head. “I broke us. Let me repair the damage I’ve done,” he whispered. His obsession with decimating the Scarrans had blinded him to everything but achieving his ends. “Come back with me.” He was male enough to admit that he had been wrong.
Sikozu’s heart raced. He was saying everything she had wanted to hear. It sounded too good to be true – and she knew Scorpius was adept at being duplicitous. He had touched her with a seductive hand, lulling her into a false sense of security and deceptive arousal before striking out at her. “Stay with me here, and if I should make it through the night alive, then I will return with you,” she countered. He would have no problem killing her in her sleep. If she went to sleep next to him and never woke up, it would be the end she deserved.
“Very well,” Scorpius agreed. He went to take a seat in the only chair to be found in the room. She didn’t look at him as she dropped the towel before getting into bed. He’d broken her of her modesty around him after a standard week aboard his command carrier. The low light cast on her back showed the old wound he’d inflicted on her. A pang of guilt tore through him. Scorpius was careful to keep the emotion off of his face.
Sikozu curled under the thin blanket, rolling over to stare at him. Scorpius sat in the chair slightly reclined, his arms draped along the rests and his left leg stretched out before him. His body may have looked relaxed, but she knew his mind was turning and plotting. She didn’t want to fall victim to one of his schemes. Part of feared he was going through all of this to use her in some plot. Despite what happened – Sikozu’s first instinct was to trust Scorpius. It wasn’t logical. ‘Perhaps you’re just meant to be together.’ Aeryn had said that to her. Part of her wanted to believe it. Maybe it was true. He was here, after all.
Scorpius shifted his position a little. Bending his left arm, he pressed his index and middle finger against his cheekbone while his ring finger rested along his top lip. He closed his eyes, hiding a slight snarl. The cooling rods in his head needed to be reset. Normally, Braca would take care of it, but he lacked the gentle touch Sikozu had. He would bear the discomfort until he was back on the command carrier with her.
Sikozu could see whisps of smoke rising from the side of his head. That meant he’d gone longer than he should have without getting the rods reset. Gathering the blanket around her, she got out of bed. “You have waited too long,” she said softly, crossing the room to stand in front of him. They stared at each other until he sat forward, angling his head to the side. She pressed the center, it beeped, and rotated out. The rods were bright red. She stood between his parted knees, getting to work.
Scorpius gave Sikozu a multi-tool he kept secreted inside one of the chest plates. She accepted it quietly, going to work on his cooling rods. Automatically, his hands rested on her hips. He felt her tense, but she didn’t pull away. The apparatus started to spin. He started to feel the heat of the rods reverse. A few microts later, she pressed the center control, returning the rods to where they belonged. The rush of cold that flowed through him made him hiss.
“You know better than to let them get that hot,” Sikozu scolded, handing the multi-tool back to him. “Braca should have reset them long before now.” She backed away from him, returning to the bed, sitting on the edge. Lying down, she rolled over, hiding how much his discomfort pained her. The intense red glow meant he’d been pushing himself too hard. Behind her, the bed depressed under his weight. His hand settled on her side, his thumb rubbing back and forth softly. Back on the command carrier, she had known gentleness at his hands – but only when they were alone.
Scorpius stretched out behind her, his hand going to hold her throat gently. It didn’t stop the shudder of fear that raced through her. “Sleep,” he whispered, feeling the way she swallowed against his palm. She exhaled slowly, trying to settle herself. Knowing her body the way he did, he moved his hand down to her chest, his thumb rubbing back and forth in a soothing gesture. Her breathing synced to the movement – and soon she was nodding off. Once he was certain she would not wake, he pulled free the device that would take the neural clone from her mind. He moved her hair aside, inserting the tip below the base of her skull.
SUNRISE:
Sikozu rolled over, stretched, and noticed she was alone in the bed. Opening her eyes, she saw Scorpius had resumed his relaxed position in the chair, watching her intently. “I am still alive,” she muttered, rolling onto her side. During her slumber, she had dreamed of the last time she’d seen him – all rage and righteous indignation because of her betrayal. Even in that moment, she hadn’t feared him. She had been afraid for him.
“Yes, you are,” Scorpius confirmed, nodding his head slightly. After removing the clone, he’d re-integrated it back into his mind. He saw more than he thought he would. During her incarceration, she endured her physical torture as best she could without giving anything away. It was the psychological torment she hadn’t been able to withstand. Ahkna had found her one weakness. Him. The war minister had played on Sikozu’s fears of losing him. “In the time you were spying for Ahkna, you only lied to me once. A feat if ever there was one,” he said, rising from his seat.
Sikozu laid on her back, looking up at the ceiling. She knew the lie he spoke of. He demanded to know what the Scarrans had promised her. “They never promised to free my people,” she said in a sigh. Even she wasn’t that delusional. “I was promised freedom – yours and mine. The moment Ahkna offered it to me, it showed her how emotionally entangled I had become. My only thought was of you, of what I could do to keep you alive.” She couldn’t pinpoint one moment through their relationship where she had made him more important than her duty to the Kalish Resistance. It had just happened. The bed sank in as he sat down. He loomed over her, his face unreadable, but his eyes told her all she needed to know. “She said if I did not agree to spy for her that she would have you killed. An agent she employed was within striking distance aboard our vessel.”
Scorpius saw no deception in her. What she was telling him aligned with what he learned from the clone. “She told you she had a Scarran agent aboard the command carrier?” he asked.
Sikozu nodded slightly. “I did not want to take the chance that she was lying,” she responded. Of all the things she had done, being the cause of his death would be the worst to her. She could live with his hatred, so long as he was alive.
“If it was you who was being threatened, then I would have done the same thing,” Scorpius confessed. He couldn’t bear the thought of Sikozu being killed because of him. She was the one being in the universe he couldn’t afford to lose – he knew that now. Her look of shock cut through him. She had become his one weakness.
“You were right,” Sikozu whispered turning her head to the side, “I ruined what was unique between us.” She closed her eyes to keep him from seeing the tears that had come. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him.
Scorpius tucked his face in against the side of her neck, breathing her in. “I was angry when I said that.” Angry and hurt. He hadn’t wanted to believe that she could turn on him – not after they had shared so much. “We’re not ruined,” he assured her. His lips touched her skin, drawing in the taste of her that had been missing from his palate for too long.
Sikozu issued a shuddering whimper. He was saying everything she wanted to hear but the most crucial thing. She wanted to hear that he had forgiven her for being weak. That would be the one thing he would never say. Scorpius valued strength. “We will never be the same,” she argued sadly.
“We’ll be stronger,” Scorpius replied with utter certainty. He got up and held out his hand to her. “Now, a deal’s a deal. You said if you survived the night, you would come back with me.”
Sikozu couldn’t help but give him a small smile as she took his hand. “A deal is a deal,” she agreed, letting him pull her up and out of bed. His grip was gentle – as it had always been for her. The sheet fell away from her body, leaving her naked in front of him. She missed the way his eyes roved over her skin. He always looked as if he were debating where to explore her first.
Scorpius touched the tip of his finger to the Sebacean tattoos, drawing it down slowly, making her shudder. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time for more,” he said regretfully, growling.
“But we will have more?” Sikozu asked, rolling her gaze up to meet his.
“Oh, yes,” Scorpius agreed, inclining his head, pressing his brow to hers. “Now, get dressed and pack a bag.”
MARAUDER:
Scorpius guided Sikozu through the streets, eying every man that dared to look at his Kalish companion or him. She had returned to wearing the metallic orange traveling clothes he’d first seen her in. “I prefer you in black,” he whispered, leaning over to her. They were near the marauder and soon they would be back on the command carrier.
“Perhaps, you might persuade me…” Sikozu replied, trailing off. She didn’t want to dwell on how easy it was to fall back into the intimacy they had shared. If he was willing to put the past behind him, then she could as well.
Scorpius placed his hand on her shoulder, pulling her to a stop. When she turned to face him, he moved in close, his hand coming up to her throat again. This time there was no shudder of fear. The spark of interest lit her eyes. “I see arns of long, hard persuasion in your future,” he promised in a wicked little growl. She was at ease with him again. He moved his hand up to cup her cheek just as the hatch to the marauder opened and Braca stepped out.
“Sir…” Braca started to say but stopped when he saw Sikozu again. When Scorpius learned the real circumstances around her betrayal, he had confided the details to him. It hadn’t lessened the sting Braca felt.
Sikozu turned, facing the other male she had hurt by her deceptive actions. His face gave nothing away – like a true soldier. Risking it, she held out her hand to him. They had had a unique bond due to their liaison with Scorpius. For a moment, she doubted he would move. Then, his rough fingers closed over hers, pulling her in close.
Braca couldn’t keep his anger going after seeing her, after reading the shame in her eyes. He wasn’t going to comment on her torture or her traitorous actions. “Scorpius isn’t the only one to have felt your absence,” Braca whispered – conveying both hurt and relief over seeing her again.
“I could not risk being the cause of his death,” Sikozu confided in the captain. She knew without asking that Scorpius had conveyed every detail of her betrayal to Braca. The three of them worked well together when there was complete honesty.
“We can’t help but want to protect him,” Braca replied with a little knowing smirk. Being with Scorpius alone hadn’t felt right. Sikozu made things work. She had a way of captivating Scorpius that Braca could never manage. If he was being honest, he was smitten with the little Kalish as well.
“Do you forgive me?” Sikozu asked him. He was the one she could ask. Braca would be kind and honest with her.
“I’m working on it,” Braca responded quietly. Bringing hand up, he cupped the back of her neck, bringing her even closer until his brow pressed against her. “For now, I’m focusing on the fact that you’re back with us. Where you belong.”
Scorpius nodded slightly to Braca – knowing what it took for his consummate captain to embrace Sikozu again. The truth had lessened the sting of betrayal, but not by much. “You were not the pilot I had when I came down here. What’s happening?” he asked, turning the moment back to business. Scorpius wanted to get back to the ship and leave this repressive, miserable planet at once.
“Sir,” Braca stepped back, his hands immediately going to his sides. “Commandant Vellaros arrived two arns ago. He tried to contact you but your comms were disabled.”
“Vellaros? Did he not serve Grand Chancellor Merrik?” Sikozu asked. The last time she heard that name had been during the brewing conflict with the Scarrans.
“Now he’s Grayza’s eyes and ears,” Scorpius answered, moving them into the marauder. “Did he say what he wanted, Braca?” he asked moments after the hatch closed.
Braca went immediately to the pilot’s seat, initiating the pre-flight sequence. “He’s been sent to supervise the search for a neutral location for the finalization of the treaty between us and the Scarrans. He did want to know why we stopped here for so long. I told him we were retrieving our long-range scout.”
“And he believed you?” Scorpius asked, taking a seat, his eyes on Sikozu. He patted the seat next to him.
“The records confirmed what I reported,” Braca replied, setting a course for the command carrier.
Sikozu sat. “Long-range scout?” she asked, knowing it meant her.
“I didn’t formally report that you were working for the Scarrans. My logs indicated that you had been sent on a scouting mission in Tormented Space,” Scorpius replied casually. He wanted to keep protecting her despite the anger racing through his blood at the time. It made no sense at the time – nor does it still.
“Reports should also indicate that my ship malfunctioned, forcing me to land on this planet until you could retrieve me,” Sikozu added, following the path his lie would take to keep her safe from Peacekeeper High Command.
“And how did you alert me?” Scorpius asked, angling his body towards her.
“I used a coded transmission to signal my distress,” Sikozu answered flawlessly. From inside her bag, she pulled out a device to begin laying the foundation for their lie to keep her at his side.
Scorpius sat back, watching her work. He loved seeing the wheels in her head turn. Though he projected calm interest, his mind latched on to one word. Love. He’d used unique to describe their partnership – but love. Scorpius thought he’d guarded himself against that emotion cycles ago. She had gotten through all his defenses without much notice.
Sikozu knew the weight of his attention on her. Looking at him, she asked, “What is it?” She missed the way he used to stare at her.
“Merely watching you work,” Scorpius replied lightly.
“When we are close enough, this device will connect to the command carrier’s data spools and upload the logs of my distress signal in the form of one simple word.” Sikozu handed it over to him because she knew he wanted to double check her work to add credibility to his falsified data.
“Arnessk,” Scorpius read. It was the planet where they first met. Smart and sentimental. “And you’re sure this will work?” he asked, needing clarification.
“I know my way around complicated data systems,” Sikozu answered. “This device will backdate my distress call within the data spools. If it is accessed, it will show that you read it and acted accordingly.”
“We’re nearly in range,” Braca said over his shoulder.
The device in Sikozu’s hand started to beep, signaling the upload had started. It would look like a simple communications query if someone in command investigated. Once the transfer was complete, she put it back in her bag, settling in her seat to wait for the marauder to dock in the bay.
DOCKING BAY:
Lt. Jutka stood waiting for Captain Braca and Commander Scorpius. He’d been ordered by Commandant Vellaros to see to it that Scorpius went directly to the command deck to explain himself. It made him nervous to deliver such a clipped order to the infamous officer. When the ship docked, he put himself into proper military review stance. It would be the one way he could get through this with a modicum amount of dignity.
Scorpius strode across the desk with Sikozu to his right and Braca to his left – as it used to be. Immediately, he spotted one of his command officers. Lt. Jutka was promising, if a little too by the book. “At ease, Lieutenant,” he said in a friendly manner that he’d developed when dealing with officers under his command.
“Sir,” Jutka responded, nodding his head sharply once. “Commandant Vellaros has requested you report to him on the command deck.”
Scorpius inwardly sneered. Vellaros was flexing his new position as only he could by trying to bend him to his will. “Of course,” he said casually, shocking Lt. Jutka. Scorpius indicated Sikozu beside him. “Take Sikozu’s things to my quarters while we make our way to command,” he ordered.
Sikozu handed her bag over to the fresh-faced Lieutenant. “Thank you,” she whispered as he took the strap, settling it on his shoulder. Nodding to them, he turned, walking towards the command quarters. She looked around the carrier, seeing it was slightly different than the one she had served on previously. “This carrier looks different,” she commented to Scorpius softly.
“It’s an older model that was being upgraded for the war with the Scarrans. Modifications weren’t complete in time to make a difference. Techs are still installing the upgrades,” Scorpius replied, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the officers that now served aboard the restored ship.
“It is much larger than the one we were on,” Sikozu muttered.
“Most older things are,” Scorpius replied.
“I was not complaining,” Sikozu responded with a little smirk.
“You never do,” Scorpius remarked with a little chuckle.
*~*~*~*~*
On the command deck, every officer snapped to attention when Scorpius entered. They had been busily trying to find the source of the power disruptions before he came in. Scorpius nodded, telling them all to resume their work. The carrier was still having issues and the techs were stretched thin, seeing to other critical systems. “Commandant, I was not informed of your arrival from High Command,” Scorpius stated in a neutral – almost friendly tone. It was a voice he used when he was assessing a situation, trying to see if he could turn things to his advantage.
“It was a last-minute decision,” Vellaros replied smoothly. Grayza had been tracking Scorpius’s movements closely – looking for any hint of betrayal. The Sebacean/Scarran was known to turn on anyone if it benefited him. He knew this firsthand. When Scorpius had defected from the Scarrans, Vellaros had worked with him. It had been the biggest mistake of his career. He’d spent cycles digging himself out of the hole he’d been left in.
Scorpius had opened his mouth to reply when the lights on the command deck flickered and the consoles went dead. “Braca,” he ordered.
“It’s the power couplings again, sir,” Braca reported without having to run a diagnostic. “We don’t have any techs available at the moment,” he added without looking at the commandant.
“Then how do you purpose to fix it?” Vellaros asked tersely.
“Where are the couplings located?” Sikozu asked, drawing the heated stare of the aggravated Peacekeeper.
Braca moved to stand next to her, pointing to the ceiling where a hatch was located directly above them. “Up there.”
“This is poorly designed,” Sikozu remarked snidely, rolling her eyes.
“Repairs are meant to be done on the tier above,” Braca informed her.
“That would take too much time,” Sikozu responded neutrally. She kept her eyes on the ceiling, gauging the distance. If she knew Scorpius, once he had her back, he wanted to depart as quickly as possible. For that to happen, power would have to be restored.
“Captain, order a tech to come up here immediately,” Vellaros commanded.
“We already have the best technical mind right here,” Scorpius stated, stepping behind Sikozu, placing his hands on her shoulders much as he had on the Scarran vessel after their capture.
“Her?” Vellaros scoffed.
“Sikozu has a wealth of knowledge that would put anyone to shame,” Scorpius replied, inwardly bristling at the commandant’s dismissive tone.
Sikozu lowered the zipper of her traveling vest, shedding it after Scorpius lifted his hands. She handed the garment to Braca, saying, “I will need a boost.” She turned to him, giving him her right side.
Scorpius focused his attention on Sikozu, letting everyone else on the deck fall into the background. He gripped her upper right arm and the back of her right thigh. “On three,” he said. She nodded and then glanced at Braca.
“One,” Braca counted.
Scorpius gathered his strength. “Two,” he said.
Sikozu inhaled deeply, preparing to shift her center of gravity. “Three,” she finished. Scorpius swung her up, propelling her towards the ceiling. Her boots touched the red metal hull. She reached the grate, pulling it up. “Watch out,” she called out as debris and dust particles fell towards the deck. She cringed inwardly at having to crawl inside the conduit. Pulling herself up, she quickly spotted the disconnected power couplings.
Scorpius kept his eyes on the open hatch. He could hear her muttering to herself. “Do you see is yet?” he called up to her.
“What do I not see in here? Frayed cables. Chewed cables. Burned out relays. Missing ports. This ship is a mess.”
Scorpius chuckled at her exasperation.
“The power, Sikozu….” Braca reminded her. She responded with a string of Scarran curses. He looked over at Scorpius, who merely held his hand up, silently telling him to let her work.
In the conduit, Sikozu resisted the urge to make a scathing remark. She replaced the wires that had come out of their ports, bypassed a few of the burned-out relays, and yanked out more than a few frayed – and chewed – cables out of their slots. Despite her best efforts, the conduit remained dark. She thumped her fist against the board as she’d seen Crichton do on many occasions to his module. The lights flicked on, and a thrum told her power was back. It was then she noticed the slim surveillance device networked into a communications relay. She laughed lightly as a cover.
“Does something amuse you?”
Sikozu called back to Scorpius, “No, I only wish I had a roll of Crichton’s duct tape.” She shimmied deeper into the conduit, putting herself closer to the device. Carefully, she removed it and then tucked it under the strap of her shirt. “Clear the deck below the hatch, I am coming down.” Accustomed to the sensation of falling, Sikozu backed out of the hatched dropping down to the deck. Scorpius was there to catch her. She automatically looped her arms around the back of his neck as he held her securely about the waist.
“Didn’t think I’d catch you?” Scorpius asked. Soon enough, his crew would become accustomed to the way he handled Sikozu. During their time on his previous command carrier, the officers under his command grew used to the way he would pick her up, setting her on the edge of consoles or the way he would stand close to her.
Sikozu removed the listening device to show him at the same time she replied, “I never doubted it for a microt.”
“Did you find anything else besides frayed cables?” Scorpius inquired looking into her eyes. The longer he held her gaze the easier it was for him to let go of more of her betrayal. It should have made him set her down immediately. He was a Sebacean that prided himself on the ability to hold a grudge. Not with Sikozu though. When he looked at her, he wanted nothing more than to be with her again.
“Nothing else,” Sikozu answered. Next to them, Braca had a scanner in his hand, testing it for an energy signature. Her gaze never faltered from his and he was in no hurry to set her down on the deck.
“It’s not active,” Braca stated, taking the small silver device from Sikozu’s palm.
Scorpius set her on the edge of the nearest console. “Where did you find it?” he asked.
“It was in one of the relays that sends and receives long range communications,” Sikozu answered, holding his gaze. The moment she saw it, she knew where it had come from. She would not volunteer that information while others were around. “From the layer of grim on it, I would say it was planted six standard weeks ago,” she informed him carefully.
“She’s lying,” Vellaros scoffed. “She could have easily put it there to be ‘found’.”
Sikozu turned her head, looking at the commandant. “Why would I do that?”
“To further whatever game Scorpius is playing,” Vellaros replied heatedly.
“Except, I have never been on this command carrier before today,” Sikozu replied tensely.
“How are we to believe that?” Vellaros questioned.
“Sikozu has been on a mission for me,” Scorpius answered, putting himself in front of Vellaros, obstructing his view of her. He was doing all he could to keep his Scarran anger in check as it was. Vellaros looking down his nose at her was fraying at the threads of his impenetrable control. Then, his senses registered the scent of her blood. Turning to her, he saw a thin trail of yellow sliding down her back. “Braca, take her to medical. She’s been injured.”
“Scorpius, I will be fine,” Sikozu fibbed, her voice light. Her left shoulder twinged a bit from where her skin scraped against a metal shard that had been poking out. The look he gave her told her he wasn’t convinced by her words. She nodded, about to slide off the edge of the console when he was in front of her, his hands going to her sides. He always helped her down.
“I’ll join you presently,” Scorpius promised before he let her move away from him. When her blood was shed, it tempted the Scarran in him – but not into attacking. The scent of her always made him want to protect her from harm. That Wolaxian arachnid proved that to him. Scorpius knew he would kill anyone who dared to harm Sikozu. He knew it even before the arachnid had harmed her. The moment she asked him for assurances, he knew he was a goner. ‘You instantly become the most important one to me.’ Those words sealed his fate where she was concerned.
Sikozu didn’t dare look back at him. She matched Braca’s stride as they left the command deck. The captain placed his hand on the small of her back to keep her moving when all she wanted to do was stay with Scorpius. Her need for his proximity would give them away and would reveal her weakness. She knew that could be used against her and she wouldn’t be the reason he was disgraced or hurt. Not again. This time she wouldn’t be pulled in three different directions by three different masters. Sikozu chose to honor her original alliance with Scorpius. She wanted to be important to him again.
TBC...