Note to the reader: The story of Ammi and Ganth is set in the same world as my New Concepts Publishing novels Promises To Keep and Beloved Enemy. This story was originally published by LTD Books in the Dream Quest anthology which was a finalist for the Paranormal Romance PEARL award in 2003. It is now being offered as a special holiday treat for the New Year, 2006. Enjoy! Janet/Cricket
Amirilla Asteras gazed at the stars, watching them through
the window in the station's outer shell. Cold and lonely
to some, but not her. They were her lucky stars, her friends,
the only ones she could count on.
Until now.
"Noble Cause to Space Station Blue. Come in Station. Ammi, you
there?"
In the dark and deserted communications center, she smiled
and rolled away from the window, activating the switch on the
single console left lit for her shift. "Station Blue
here, Noble Cause. Welcome back, Ganth. How long you going
to be with us this time?"
Opening the console viewscreen, she directed it to show the
ship's docking, the slip two hundred meters away and
outside the view of her window. Built by the Gaians, The Noble
Cause was sleek for a freighter, its clean lines a departure
from the bulky Outer Colony crafts. With Ganth at the helm
the ship eased into its assigned slip as graceful as a dancer,
sliding to a stop as the docking locks secured.
From her console came a soft rustle, as if Ganth passed a hand
over his hair. For a moment Ammi wished he'd activate
the viewer so she could see him. But then he'd want to
see her, and that wasn't possible, he'd see too
much. They'd made an agreement early on, no visuals.
They'd been talking for nearly a year through their comm
units. Ammi worked the third shift of station time, middle
of the space night, a lonely time, but her choice since it
restricted her exposure to others.
But then Ganth had come along with his sweet sexy voice and
easy-going laugh and penchant for working third shift himself.
He and his father were the sole operators of the Noble Cause,
a small freighter working the Outer Colonies trade routes.
Seeking company, he'd found his way into her comm center
for long talks and holograph games.
Found his way into her heart as well.
"We'll be docked for a few days. Dad has some people he's
meeting. They haven't arrived so I'll be available
for a couple games of astrochess." His voice rose, betraying
his enthusiasm.
"Only a couple of games?" she teased. "What else
are you planning to do, hang out and dance in the station bar?"
His answer was an ill-humored grunt. "Oh, yeah, like
I could get away with that. Until I attach and marry I'm
never getting off this crate. You're the only friend
I have."
He sounded more disgruntled than usual; she shouldn't
have teased him. Attachment was very important to Gaian males;
they weren't sexually enabled until it happened and it
only occurred when they found a woman they matched.
Ganth was twenty-three but under Gaian law, until he married,
he wasn't allowed to mingle with non-Gaians, particularly
women, lest he inadvertently attach to someone ‘unsuitable'.
After all, Gaians mated for life.
From what he'd told her, Ganth's father's
idea of what was suitable was pretty restrictive. It certainly
didn't include a space monkey confined to a transport
box. Ammi glanced down at the square metal and plastic cube
that covered her from the waist down, allowing her mobility.
In her twenty-two years, she'd learned to live with her
handicap, the legacy of a pregnant mother exposed to unsafe
levels of radiation.
The mining colony she'd been born on had few medical
amenities and when she arrived from her mother's womb,
legs twisted like construct cables, the best they could do
was keep her alive. Repairing her legs had been beyond hope.
Later, the only solution had been the box, a motorized chariot
she controlled through connections in her lower back. She'd
seen pictures of an old kid's toy, a ‘jack in the
box'. That's what she resembled.
At least she could thank her lucky stars the rest of her worked
properly. She'd even been assured she could have healthy
children; assuming anyone ever looked at her that way. She
was pretty enough, copper-brown hair she kept spacer short,
and eyes an interesting shade of green. But no man had seen
beyond the box and no one was ever likely to, with anything
other than pity or dismay. Ganth was her friend, but he'd
never seen her. If he had she knew he wouldn't flirt
with her this way.
He was still talking. "I keep thinking about what we
talked about last time. You know if I wore a respirator, I
could come visit you. We could even meet in the bar... we wouldn't
have to dance."
Surprise filled her; Ganth hated the respirator. It filtered
out the pheromones required for attachment but eliminated all
odors as well. He'd told her the air smelled bland inside
the mask. His offering to wear a respirator was a symptom of
how ship-bound he was. Ganth's dad really should get
him back to Gaia so he could find his future wife but the unwelcome
idea of Ganth whispering to another woman turned her stomach
to ice.
Ruthlessly, she suppressed her reaction. He was her friend,
she should be happy he would have someone to love.
"We talked about this. I like not knowing what you look like.
After all, if I met you I couldn't imagine you looking
like Bret Skylar could I?" Ammi named the current holo-vid
heartthrob, but the truth be known seeing Bret never thrilled
her the way Ganth's voice did.
"Well, I'd be willing to give up my hopes of you looking
like Marilyn Mantra." Ganth countered with Bret's
feminine counterpart, a buxom blond with terrific legs.
Ammi glanced at what passed for her body. Better Marilyn than
the real Ammi. She kept her voice light. "No, Ganth.
I can't possibly give up my illusions. Stay on your ship
and we'll keep the visuals off."
* * * * *
"Haven't you ever wanted to do more, go places, see things?" They'd
finished their game for the night and now Ammi listened to
the eagerness in Ganth's voice. "It can't
really be enough to sit third shift on a station comm."
"
Oh, sure, sometimes. There are lots of things I'd like
to see." She thought about it for a moment. "Trees
for one, big trees."
"
Yeah, big trees, big enough to climb. I'd show you, Ammi.
We have great trees for climbing on Gaia."
Climbing trees on Gaia, like that would happen. But they were
dreaming here, why spoil it with reality. "I'd
like to climb a tree."
Ganth's voice was wistful. "I used to climb to
the top of the one outside my bedroom and watch the stars at
night. If you were with me, I'd pull you to the top of
any tree you liked."
Wouldn't she love to sit in a tree-top with Ganth. Or
anywhere with Ganth for that matter.
"
Ammi, the communication center has a window. Go look outside."
Hitting the switch to open the shutters, she took in the view
full of stars. "How do you know about the window?"
"
I looked it up on the station schematics."
"
Those are classified, aren't they?"
He laughed. "Gaians are born knowing how to break into
computer systems, Ammi. But that's not important right
now. Look at how so many stars are bunched together, but some
are so alone. I've always felt like that, a single star
in the universe."
She stared at the individual points of light. "I know
what you mean."
"
You don't have anyone, do you? Family? I mean, you never
talk about them."
"
No. My mom died a long time ago. My dad...she didn't
say much about him."
"
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."
"
You didn't." She rested one elbow on the console,
one hand cradling her chin. "I guess you could say I'm
a lone star, too."
"
We don't have to be, Ammi. Two stars alone, maybe we
should pair up, become twins."
Her heartbeat picked up; this dreaming stuff was getting out
of hand. "Stars don't pick their partners, Ganth.
And you won't always be alone; your mate waits for you.
Someday you'll meet her."
She heard his deep sigh. "I went to two marriage meets
last year, met over two hundred women. Not one did more than
raise one of my eyebrows, much less...well, anything else.
I just wasn't interested. My dad might not like it, but
I don't think I'm going to find my wife on Gaia."
Ammi's heart pounded harder. What he was implying was
impossible. She'd read up on Gaia's history. A
long time ago the Gaians had suffered a major loss, a third
of their young women killed by war leaving thousands of men
without wives. They'd solved the problem by importing
carefully selected Earth women, chosen to meet the Gaians' strict
ideas of what made a suitable woman for mating.
A girl in the box would not have been acceptable then or now. "I
don't think you be talking to me like this. You don't
know enough about me."
"
Believe me, Ammi, I know everything I need to know. Let me
come over there, and I'll prove it to you."
At the certainty in his voice, her heart felt like it would
break. "Ganth, it's getting late. I think I better
sign off for a while."
* * * * *
"
It's your move, Ganth." The astrochess game was
in full swing and for once Ammi was winning. She grinned
in anticipation.
"
Fighter 5 to mothership 7." His disembodied voice sounded
more disconnected than usual, a slight rasping sound in the
background.
Frowning, Ammi watched the tiny ships change positions on
the holographic board. "What is this, Ganth? That's
a terrible move. At this rate I'll have your planet blockaded
in five turns. Aren't you paying attention?"
A startled tone came into his voice. "Oh, yeah. Sorry.
Couldn't see the board for a moment."
There was no reason he couldn't see the board. Her monitor
showed their holographic images in perfect sync with each other,
hers in the station comm center, his on the bridge of his ship.
The only way he could not see the board—would be if he
wasn't on his ship!
All of a sudden the rasping sound took on special significance. "You
aren't wearing a respirator, are you?"
The breathing sound got louder and his voice tinnier than
ever. "Respirator?
Why would I be wearing a respirator?" His outright
lie rang in her ears.
" Ganth! Where are you?"
"
Just a few more minutes, Ammi and you'll see for yourself." He
sounded smug.
Ganth was coming! After all the warnings she'd given,
he'd broken out of his ship and was on his way to the
station's comm center. If he saw her, he wouldn't
have anything to do with her anymore. Panicked, Ammi stared
around the room. There was only one exit, no back way out.
The only possibility was to hide in the center. Behind the
dark consoles lay a narrow storage cabinet. It was small,
but even with the box she'd fit, plus she could lock
it from the inside. Moving as fast as the box allowed her,
Ammi glided
to the cabinet, shoved the contents about to make room and
slid inside. She finished setting the lock just as she heard
the door to the corridor slide open.
"
Ammi?" The respirator mask muffled Ganth's voice;
the hissing rasp of the filters even more obvious as he moved
around the room. The cabinet door jiggled and Ammi blessed
her stars for the lock. "Are you hiding from me?" His
voice was soft, hurt.
"
Ganth!" A man's voice came over the station's
comm unit, commanding, imperious. "Where are you? Did
you leave the ship?" Whoever the man was, he sounded
angry.
Resignation colored Ganth's voice. "Yeah, Dad.
I left the ship. I wanted to visit a friend. I'm wearing
my respirator." A touch of defiance was in that last
sentence.
"
That isn't fool-proof! Say good-bye and get back here!"
"
Dad, I'm a grown man; you can't tell me what to
do." He sighed deeply. "Besides, I can't
find her."
"
HER?" Ganth's dad broadcasted fury over the comm.
Ammi shuddered in her cabinet.
"
Yeah, Dad, her. Female. I have a female friend. Her name is
Ammi..."
"
Who she is isn't important. You get back here now before
I come ..."
There was a click and the tirade from the ship cut out. A
moment of silence reigned then she heard Ganth's quiet voice. "I
guess you meant it when you said you didn't want to meet
me in person. I'm sure you can hear me, so I'll
just say that I'm sorry I tried to force it." The
silence stretched longer. "I also want you to know that
talking with you has been the best thing that ever happened
to me. Ammi, you're my friend, now and always. I wish
it could be more..." His voice trailed off, wistful. "But
wishes don't always come true, do they."
The door to the corridor swished open and closed and the
rasp of the respirator ended. When she was certain he was
gone,
Ammi unlocked the cabinet and wheeled into the room. On her
console sat a narrow bracelet, made of some kind of lightweight
metal polymer. A pair of twin stars engraved into the band
was the only decoration. It reminded her of what Ganth had
told her, about how he'd always felt like a lone star
until he'd met her. No, wishes didn't always
come true. Tears flooded her eyes as she fastened the simple
band
around her wrist.
* * * * *
"Hey, Ammi. You know the folks on the Noble Cause, don't
you?" Jacky, the second shift comm officer, stared
at his terminal, the numbers flooding across the screen having
meaning for him if no one else.
"
Yes, that's the Gaian ship. What about it?"
"
You wouldn't know which Gaians are on board, would
you?"
"
It's a father and son. I talk to the son sometimes." Not
in the last couple of days. The Noble Cause had left dock the
day after Ganth tried to visit her and hadn't returned.
She still wore the bracelet he'd left.
Jacky tore his gaze from the screen. "That's not
just any Gaian father and son. The dad is General Garran Doranth
himself, former leader of the Gaians. It was his battle plans
that allowed the Gaians to win their war of independence from
Earth. He stepped down from active duty a few years ago, but
has maintained a healthy interest in interplanetary politics." Jacky
returned to his screen. "Trouble is, someone else is
taking a unhealthy interest in his activities. I really admire
the man, I'm not partial to seeing him hurt."
Ammi wheeled over to his screen. "What are you seeing?"
He pointed to a few of the numbers. "Here, and here.
Someone has been downloading information about when and where
the Noble Cause has docked at Station Blue. If I had to make
a guess, I'd say someone intends to have a surprise
party for them when they get back."
"
An ambush?" Ammi gnawed on her lower lip. "By
who? How can we warn them?"
"
Who would have it in for General Garran? Oh, just about anyone
from the military, Earthforce. Warning them would be your job.
They wouldn't listen to someone like me, but you know
them, you could tell them something was up." Jacky looked
at the numbers again. "They are due back today. You're
off duty, you could meet their ship as soon as they dock."
Go to their ship? She'd have to admit who she was, and
Ganth would know about her. Then again, maybe not. Ganth's
father would never let her on board with an unattached male
present. He'd likely have his son stay in his quarters
and she wouldn't have to see Ganth.
At 1600 hours she waited anxiously outside the docking slip
assigned to the Noble Cause. She'd had Jacky call them,
tell them about a surprise inspection of the bridge and heard
the General growl his acceptance. When the door to the ship
opened, she stared in surprise at the big man filling the
doorway. In his mid-fifties, General Garran was impressive,
broad shouldered,
his dark hair shot through with gray, particularly around
the temples.
When he spoke she heard the same deep gravelly voice that
had yelled at his son that night. "Comm said that there was
an inspection due?" He eyed her rolling box. "You're
the inspector?"
She summoned her flagging courage and held up her e-tab. "Yes
sir. This needs to be done on the bridge."
He didn't look like he believed her, but he stepped
aside and allowed her to wheel into the ship. Fortunately
there were
no ladders between the bridge and the entryway and as she
predicted, Ganth was nowhere to be seen. Ammi glanced around
the bridge
of the Noble Cause, the clean lines and uncluttered consoles.
It looked more like a military vessel than a freighter. She
rested one hand on the comm unit chair, restrained herself
from stroking the fabric covering. This was where Ganth sat
when he talked to her.
The General turned and sealed the entry behind them, then
cut the power to the comm units. Crossing his arms he glared
down
at her. "Very well, that's as secure as I can
make us. What do you have to tell me?"
In answer she handed him the e-tab. It held the information
that Jacky had uncovered. The General looked though it, noting
the dates and individuals who'd been spying on him. A
fierce dark-blue stare pierced her. "You believe this
information?"
"
I believe Jacky. He's got no reason to lie to you or
me. He's rather an admirer of yours, General Garran."
A little of the fierceness faded away and a smile hovered
around his lips. "Just Garran, please. It's good to know
I have a few fans. Who are you, if you don't mind my
asking?"
"
Amirilla Asteras. I've got third comm watch on the
station."
"
Ammi?" His voice had turned sharp again and his eyes
raked over her, lingering on the box that replaced her feet. "You
wouldn't by any chance know my son?"
His disapproving stare was just what she'd hoped to avoid.
A sob threatened to expose itself. "Yes sir, I know your
son. No, he doesn't know about...this." She
pointed to the box. "I don't intend to tell him
either. There's no reason for it; we're friends,
he and I, nothing more."
Agitated, she grabbed the e-tab from Garran's hand and
her cuff pulled back from her wrist revealing her bracelet.
Garran's eyes widened. He snatched her hand, pulling
her wrist closer. Silently he stared at the engraving. "And
you got this, where?"
For a moment it was hard to find her voice. "Ganth
left it, the night he tried to see me."
He dropped her hand like it had burned him. "You don't
know what that is, do you." He pulled up his own sleeve,
revealing a similar band, but decorated with a small bird with
long legs. "It's a stork, the emblem my wife chose.
She wears mine, with a crescent moon. They're marriage
bands."
He sat down, heavily. "You are not just my son's
friend, Ammi. Surely you can see that."
Stunned, she fingered the narrow bracelet. "All we've
done is talk. We haven't even seen each other. He was
wearing a respirator..."
"
Which he'd probably intended to remove as soon as he
found you so he could attach to you and force a marriage. He
even had a band made." Garran's laugh was bitter. "I
know my son. It's been months since he last asked about
going home for the next marriage meet. Instead, he kept a close
watch on when we'd be putting into the station... it
wasn't hard for me to guess he was attracted to someone
here. Clearly someone I wouldn't be happy about." Again
he stared at her box.
That was enough; Ammi reassembled her tattered pride. "I
might not be what you want, General Garran. I might not even
be what your son wants given that he doesn't know about
my condition. But there's a lot more to me than a pair
of misshaped legs. I came here to warn you; someone is after
you and they may very well strike anytime now. As for this..." She
removed the band from her wrist and held it briefly before
handing it to him.
" Tell your son that space monkeys
don't like to be forced into anything."
She glanced over her shoulder once before wheeling back to
the station. It was worth it to see the odd look on the General's
face. The man almost looked impressed.
* * * * *
"Noble Cause to Station Blue. Ammi, are you there?" She
rested her head on her hand and ignored the call. "Ammi,
it's Ganth. Please talk to me."
Now he was saying please. He didn't say please when he
was trying to force a wedding with her. No sir, not a ‘please' then.
Then leaving her that bracelet and making her think it
was just a present, not a marriage proposal. Miserably
she rubbed
the place where the band had rested. She missed it.
"
Alright Ammi, if you won't talk to me, then I'll
just have to talk to you and hope you listen. First, I'm
sorry about not being up front about the visit the other night.
I really wanted to see you and you kept putting me off, so
I decided to surprise you. And, yes, I had a marriage band
with me, but I wasn't going to force you to marry me.
I couldn't even if I wanted to, you'd have to agree.
I just wanted to be prepared. I thought you might be happy
about it. I mean, I love you Ammi, and I think you love me.
Why shouldn't I want to attach to you? Why shouldn't
I want to marry the woman I love?"
His dad must not have told him. She flipped on the switch. "I
told you before, Ganth, you don't know enough about me.
There is something I need to tell you..."
"
Ammi! Sweet Gaia, you're there. Look, I know we need
to talk. I want to do it face to face. Please, I promise I'll
keep the respirator on, let me come over."
Let him see for himself what she really looked like. It
probably was the only way. But to watch his face as he
learned the
truth... Would
he be like his dad, dismiss her as unworthy? Would he pity
her, be angry, or just run as fast as he could? Whatever
it was best to get it over with. She opened her mouth to
invite
him.
A loud squeal from the proximity alarm stopped her.
"
What was that?" Ganth asked as she opened the console
viewscreen and pointed the imager to the space outside
the station. Something was coming in, fast, on a collision
course.
She opened a cross-station hailing, the alarms blaring, probably
dragging everyone from whatever cozy hole he or she had retired
to. She answered the frantic queries as they poured in.
"
We have an incoming tanker pod, a runaway, collision in two
minutes, location..." she did the math, figured out
the trajectory. Stared at the point of impact, redid the calculations.
The pod wasn't aimed at the station, it was directed
at the Noble Cause!
Ammi flung herself at the still open line. "Ganth,
your ship is the target! Break docking locks and get out
of here.
You have one minute, forty-five seconds to clear."
He didn't falter. She heard his frantic muttering as
he prepared for emergency undocking. Thirty seconds past, then
forty-five. Less than one minute left. With less than thirty
seconds to spare she heard the Noble Cause's engines
go online and a gentle tug on the station as the ship broke
the locks.
The station's normal roll took a new direction from the
momentum of the ship blasting free. The turn caused a change
to Ammi's calculations and she desperately tried to catch
up, feeding the information to the station at large while doing
so. "Station, new impact coordinates, section zero, three,
seven..."
Abruptly her voice faded. Ammi raised her head and stared at
the room around her for the last two seconds before the incoming
pod hit the station outer hull a mere twenty meters away.
* * * * *
It was dark. No lights—not even emergency backups.
Cold. Hard to breathe, too. Life support must be out. Her
head ached
and something warm trickled down the back of her neck.
She hurt. Well, that was a positive; if she hurt she wasn't
dead. With a hull breach she shouldn't be alive. The
hull must not have ruptured, or if it did, the self-sealing
walls had saved her. Ammi tried to lift her head. She was lying
on her side on the floor. Reaching down, she felt her bare
legs. She'd been thrown from the box.
Of course, with debris scattered everywhere, there was
no way she'd be able to use her wheels anyway. Reaching down
her back, she felt for the leads that connected her lower spine
to the control system. They'd been torn out and the
area felt tender. Thick liquid covered her fingers when
she brought
them up to her nose. A metallic smell, blood. She would
need repairs.
Assuming she lived. She didn't seem too injured,
but to live she needed air, the one thing in fairly short
supply.
Lights flickered on and a small buzz came from her communications
console. The speaker sprang to life with a loud squawk. "...I'm
showing the power on, but nothing else. There may be no atmosphere
in there." It was Captain Thompson, station commander.
"
There has to be, otherwise... I just can't accept
that she's dead!"
Ganth's voice! What was he doing here, wasn't
he on his ship? Even through his respirator his sweet voice
enthralled
her and dying was no longer a reasonable option.
"
We can't open the safety doors until we know the hull
is intact. If she's alive, she can tell us that."
"
But with her legs, maybe she can't reach the comm," Ganth
argued. "Listen, I didn't space walk across
half a kilometer to wait outside a door."
Legs? Ganth knew about her legs — and still wanted to
see her? Suddenly it became important to get off the floor,
get to the switch. Hoisting herself onto her arms, Ammi dragged
herself to the console, thanking her lucky stars she'd
spent time in the station gym building her muscles. She pulled
herself up to a sitting position then reached up to hit the
open switch. She took a deep breath. "Comm reporting.
Amirilla here."
"
Ammi!" Ganth's voice was jubilant. "Blessed
Gaia, you're alive."
Thompson's voice interrupted. "Report, Asteras.
What's the status in there?"
Another breath, shallower; there wasn't much air left. "Hull
seems intact, life support minimal. It's cold and hard
to breathe." The exertion was too much. Faint, she
leaned back and closed her eyes.
Ganth voice broke in. "Hear that? Get the door open."
A low buzz followed and a few minutes later she heard the
door slide open. Strong warm arms slid around her and a
respirator mask was fit to her mouth and nose. Fresh oxygen
tantalized
her lungs as she breathed deeply. Ganth's voice was in
her ear, "I'll get her to sickbay." The
warm arms hoisted and carried her from the room.
She breathed in, deeply. A rich musky odor enveloped her
nose, tingling. "I thought you said the air smelled
funny in one of these. It smells wonderful."
"
What you smell is me, Ammi. You're wearing my respirator." Ganth
stuck his face into her hair, breathed deeply. "You
smell good, too."
Abruptly, his breathing became uneven and he leaned against
the wall of the corridor. Deep in his chest she heard his heart
pound erratically. Over the mask she stared into his face,
the intense concentration in his eyes, mouth.
" Ganth, what is it?"
He took several deep breaths, let out a ragged laugh. "Nothing.
And everything." He lifted her higher and planted a gentle
kiss on her forehead before resuming his way to the sickbay. "It's
only that I've attached to you."
Sudden exhaustion overtook her. Warm, safe, oxygen to spare,
she leaned into his comforting embrace, closed her eyes and
drifted off into a pleasant haze.
* * * * *
She awoke in a bed, the gentle sound of medical instruments
pinging gaily around her. Peeking, she saw the austere
white walls and clean lines of the sickbay. Opening her eyes
further
she saw Ganth on the stool near the bed, eyes half closed.
Yes, she could see him as Garran's son. He had the
same dark blue eyes and dark hair, cut medium length, but
not as
grim a face as his father. Handsome, of course. When she
moved, his eyes flew open. He pulled closer to her, his
hand on her
forehead, fluid worry in his gaze.
"Ammi, how are you?"
"I'll be okay." She could breathe, move. Her back
hurt, not surprisingly, but not too much. Sudden concern overtook
her. "You aren't wearing a respirator. What about..."
His laugh was indulgent. "Not to worry, I can only attach
once and that's already happened. To you, Ammi, just
as I expected. I knew you were the one from the beginning."
His words thrilled her. "But Ganth, my legs."
"
You told my father that there was more to you than your legs,
and that's true beyond measure. I told him the same thing.
Dad will accept that, and if he doesn't, Mom will convince
him." He chuckled. "She is going to love you."
What he'd said about her not reaching the console. "You
knew, before?"
A sheepish grin overtook his face. "I've known
a long time, Ammi. Months ago I broke into the station's
computer system and downloaded your records. I wanted to
know more about you."
"
And it doesn't matter?"
"
Matter, no. Mind you, Gaian medicine is far beyond what they
practice around here. Artificial limbs, bone reformation. My
mom is a doctor, she's bound to have some ideas. I can't
promise that you'll walk, but I suspect we can do
better than a mechanical chair for you.
"
But no matter what, I said I loved you and I always will. How
can the woman I love be anything less than perfect to me?" He
pulled the twin star bracelet from his pocket. "Ammi,
a Gaian man isn't complete until he finds his mate.
Please, accept this, be my wife."
He'd known the truth all along and still loved her,
accepted her as she was. Joy enveloped her and she felt
her lucky stars
smile. She fastened the band around her wrist.
"
I love you too, Ganth. I guess I'll need to make one
of these for you. What would you think of a ‘jack in
the box' as the symbol?"
Leaning forward, his lips met hers in their first real
kiss. All the stars in the galaxy whirled and danced. When
they
parted he touched her cheek, stroking it with the back
of his hand. "You
could make it a girl in the box, instead. Whatever you pick,
I'll be proud to wear it."