A Glimpse Beyond: A Space Opera Adventure (Infinite Horizons Book 2) Read online

  He must’ve had a hell of a smile on his face when he emerged from his cabin, because Sherisza’s mirrored it when she saw him. She held her hand out toward him and Dillon took it before he leaned down and shared a deep but short kiss with her. It was still a tad awkward to kiss a lioness, but it felt more and more natural every time, and Dillon could feel the love in her kisses. He scratched behind one of her ears playfully, and she chuckled before she leaned in and rubbed her muzzle along his cheek.

  He took his seat beside her, though when cruising at warp speed on a designated course, there wasn’t much flying for them to do. It was too early to think of going to bed, though, and he was happy to spend some time beside her outside their room. Dillon glanced at the two Kwaagi fighters flying escort beside them, and he felt bad that they were stuck on their ships alone for a multi-day journey. As much as Dillon loved flying the stars and seeing the galaxy, he couldn’t imagine doing it alone.

  “Are we dropping them off at Outer Dock Seventeen?” he asked, then cursed himself for interrupting. He hadn’t realized she’d brought up her schematics for the phase-cloaking device and was already making minute changes.

  She smiled but didn’t stop her work. “Yes, they will be briefed there on what to expect from the Kwaagi and Kystar who are still at work on the planet below. The Kwaagi emperor was not content to merely have an airborne presence; he has insisted on keeping soldiers on the ground as unobtrusively as possible to safeguard the new settlers.”

  “He’s really going all-in to help you,” Dillon said.

  Sherisza showed a little bit of fang. “Yes, enough so that he is irritating the heads of the Quarran Dominion. While the Kystar archaeologists and anthropologists have been allowed consistent access to chronicle history and save as much of my people’s records as they can, the Kwaagi have not allowed any Dominion presence at all. And, obviously, the Dominion are not happy that we will be returning to Kiandar without being apprehended to answer inquiries about killing President MacNault.”

  “There’s gonna be a reckoning over that at some point,” he agreed. “I’m pretty sure it’ll happen on Earth, though, and my parents–or at least my father–will represent us. I hate to say we’ll get away with it, because that’s not accurate, but we shouldn’t be in any trouble.”

  “I am more worried about retaliation against my people than myself,” she said.

  “Well, good thing we have the Kwaagi watching over them,” Dillon said. “But you know, a while back, Daevol said you had been inoculated against the plague… do you still have whatever you used as a vaccine?”

  “Its formula is stored in the replicator logs,” she answered. “I am not certain of its efficacy, but I suppose it would be prudent to give it to our guests, no?”

  “Exactly what I was thinking. We can give it to them in the morning.”

  “Good. Here, let me show you what I am working on.”

  Dillon squinted at the schematics, his mind going in every different direction as surely as the designs on the screen. “That’s going to be well beyond me.”

  “Not for long. Come closer and listen.”

  CHAPTER 2

  RUMBLINGS

  It was hard to leave the families behind on Outer Dock Seventeen. Though they knew of the Kwaagi, they were as unfamiliar with the reptilian folk as Dillon had been. They’d be staying aboard the mobile defense station in orbit of Kiandar for a few days, getting brought up to speed on what to expect, just as Sherisza had said. Soon enough, though, their trepidation would turn to excitement as they went down to colonize this new version of their world.

  We’d just better not leave them alone for too long, Dillon thought.

  As much as everyone liked to pretend they’d love to be the last person in the world as long as there were books to read, it wasn’t true. People needed people, they needed friendships and interactions and even a good argument or fight now and then. It would take some time, but before too long, Dillon and Sherisza would deliver enough people to form a community. And for whatever differences they had on account of being from various times, they would all be Kiandarian, and hopefully, the future of their people would be their primary concern.

  “Outer Dock Seventeen to Malshekt,” came the voice of the Kwaagi flight director, piercing through Dillon’s thoughts.

  “Go ahead,” Sherisza said.

  “Captain Rousilarru, there are Dominion warships in the area. They are keeping their distance from the planet, but you should engage the Daevol Drive from minimum safe distance to evade any trouble.”

  “Acknowledged, thank you,” she answered.

  Everyone else still called it the Daevol Drive, unaware that it was a time-travel device in any capacity. Aboard the ship, Dillon and Sherisza had begun calling it the Chrono Drive to soothe the apparent “feelings” of the AI. It was dangerous to use it too close to heavenly bodies or other ships and stations, but Sherisza was more than familiar with its range and limitations. She brought them a little way from the station and then engaged it, their course laid out for the reaches beyond Kwaagi space again.

  No one knew where Sherisza and Dillon were rescuing Kiandarians from, but as far as the two could tell, everyone had the good grace not to ask. Sherisza had resolved to go to the reaches beyond Kwaagi space before each trip back through time, to return there a few days later and leave little trail for anyone to follow. Even the bravest of explorers avoided the reaches, and that allowed them to keep up the pretense and mystery, at least for the time being.

  Thankfully, for the trip out to the reaches, Sherisza could put the Chrono Drive to its typical use. Whereas they’d traveled at standard warp speed when escorted by the two Kwaagi fighters, now they traveled at roughly five times that speed–and that barely put any strain on the drive. Rather than a more than three-day trip across Kwaagi space, they would arrive in the reaches in roughly sixteen hours. Enough time to have a bite, explore some intimacy, and get a good night’s rest before they started their next mission through time.

  Sherisza made no mystery about her expectations. She had hardly risen from her seat before she began getting undressed, and she walked to their cabin door, flashing Dillon that little smile over her shoulder. They had refrained from any lovemaking while they had guests aboard, wary of making things any more awkward for the refugees than they already were. On that note, Dillon let Sherisza decide when and where they would be intimate. Kiandarians were different in their family structure, with twin siblings raising children that the females had by other men. Sherisza was mindful of their guests, so she and Dillon slept together, but that was it.

  Now, though, she clearly signaled she wanted to explore their intimacy for the second time. Lord knew they’d waited long enough by Dillon’s reckoning. “You’re in control, Daevol,” he said as he released the harnesses of his seat.

 

  “And turn off your connection to her chip,” Dillon added. He could appreciate that the AI was always monitoring Sherisza, but not when they were making love. Not only was Daevol able to monitor her life signs, but he could also see and hear everything she could and record it. That wasn’t something Dillon was interested in at all, whether he trusted the AI or not.

  The AI issued a dramatic sigh.

  Dillon snickered and entered his and Sherisza’s cabin. She was already undressed, sitting on her heels up in their bed. Dillon tried to strut in all cool and nonchalant, but Sherisza began to laugh into her hand, so he dropped the act and chuckled at himself. He got undressed and appreciated every second of her ogling him before he climbed up and sat beside her in their bed. He leaned in toward her as she rubbed her muzzle along his cheek, all the way to her ear.

  Dillon cupped the side of her head and kissed her. Her tongue was larger than his and her fangs were still a curiosity, but he savored these little moments with her. He rubbed his cheek against the side of her face like she usually did to him, taking in the scents of her fur, her hair,
her breath. She had such a myriad of smells about her, but all of them were pleasant, warm, and inviting even to his weak human sniffer.

  It already felt like a lifetime ago that they had been together, but it came back to Dillon in no time. He let her lead him, intent on making sure she drew the line where she wanted it. This was all still so new to him, and he was almost desperate not to make any mistakes. She was cautious and patient, too, as though afraid she might upset him. When their eyes finally met again, there was naught in hers but trust and love.

  They made love slowly, each moving in perfect time with the other, his hands wandering her body just as hers caressed his back. She dragged her claws along his skin, but just enough to tease, not scratch, and Dillon caressed her in turn, trying to make sure she was satisfied completely. He spent much of the time looking into those golden eyes of hers, still entranced and bewildered by the love that shone in them. He and Sherisza seemed an unlikely pair, but despite what his being a teenage human said, he didn’t feel like this was just lust. The look in her eyes said the same was true for her part.

  By the time their intimate dance was complete, she had her arms around his neck, and she was panting and purring in alternating rhythms. Then she whispered his name again, and he lay his head on her breasts, closed his eyes, and fell asleep to the rumbling of her happiness.

  Dillon wasn’t sure how long they’d slept when something rocked the ship. Alarms began to blare, and Sherisza slipped out from under Dillon and rushed from their cabin without bothering to dress. Dillon might’ve done the same, but he was mindful of one of her first rules when he had become her apprentice, so he at least put on his underpants before he followed her.

  Something struck the ship and rocked it violently, and Dillon smacked his face on the back of his chair as he tried to get to it. He tried to shake off the stars, which didn’t help, but he got himself seated and buckled in.

  “Who’s attacking? Dominion?”

 

  The Malshekt took another hit before Sherisza grabbed the controls and began evasive maneuvers. Daevol brought up the HUD and several holodisplays, and Dillon scanned them all, trying to get a glimpse of their assailant. He finally spotted some odd black ship, nearly invisible against the backdrop of space. It wasn’t Kwaagi or Dominion based on the first look, but whose it was didn’t much matter. The fact that it kept firing on the Malshekt was the first concern.

  Thankfully, the Malshekt’s shields were able to absorb much of the power of the enemy’s weapons, though some of it was getting through. The HUD was indicating damage to the rear of the ship, close enough to the conventional thruster engines to be an issue. More importantly than that, the HUD now had a targeting reticle around the enemy ship. It was still orange as Daevol tried to establish a lock, but Dillon didn’t wait.

  He flipped the little switch that allowed their Kwaagi disruptor cannons to fire backwards and began taking pot shots at their pursuer without a target lock. The enemy ship evaded all of his shots, though only until Sherisza anticipated one of its dodges and she jolted the Malshekt in time with the enemy movement. The Kwaagi disruptors hit the enemy ship head on, and Dillon waited for it to come apart and send its pilot screaming through space at beyond warp speed.

  But nothing appeared to happen. The enemy ship broke off pursuit, but as Dillon enhanced the rear-view holodisplay, he could see its lights were still on and it was still moving under its pilot’s control. Whatever that ship was, its shielding was strong enough to deflect or at least dampen the damage of a Kwaagi disruptor, and that didn’t bode well for anyone.

  Sherisza apparently felt the same way, because she brought the Malshekt about and took over control of the guns. She flew right at the enemy ship, and Dillon watched as the targeting reticle turned green and began to spin. The ion cannon wasn’t charged enough for its disabling blast, but the way Sherisza’s finger hovered over the trigger of the disruptors, Dillon knew she had no interest in taking prisoners. She had just started to depress the trigger when the enemy ship disappeared entirely.

  “Maqua!” she cursed.

  “Language, Sherisza,” Dillon teased, though he wasn’t feeling as humorous as the instinctive reply suggested. “Why don’t we slip out of the time stream and see if we can chase him down?”

  Sherisza shook her head. “We have no idea where in time he came out, and we could be ambushed by even more such ships. I am going to change our course to the reaches.”

  “Did either of you recognize that ship?”

 

  “And you know what this means?” Sherisza prompted. Dillon could only shake his head. “It means it came from the reaches somewhere… or somewhen.”

  “So, someone out in the reaches has similar technology,” Dillon mused.

  “I have never so much as seen another ship in the time stream, much less fought within it. We are fortunate that their weapons are not as advanced as their drive technology, or we might not be having this conversation. But why would they just attack?”

 

  “So, they shoot first and ask questions later? That’s pretty asinine,” Dillon said.

  “Agreed. Daevol, extend sensors to maximum range even while in the time stream. Let us know if anything else appears,” Sherisza said.

 

  “You heading to the shower?” Dillon asked.

  Sherisza sighed and shook her head, exasperated. “I think I am going to hit the heavy bag for a while before I take a shower. You are welcome to join me for both, of course.”

  The thought of hitting something had plenty of appeal. “I think I will. Let’s just get dressed first,” he said, drawing a short huff of amusement from her.

  Sherisza was still hitting the heavy bag an hour later, and though he had long since worked out any frustration of his own, Dillon alternated turns with her. She had a mean punch, and he noted her gloves had thick padding on the inside to mitigate her claws. It was possible she was just getting in some exercise now, but whatever the case, he didn’t see fit to interrupt her flow of thought with questions or suggestions. He let her work out what was bothering her but stayed nearby in case she needed to talk.

  Eventually, she punched herself out. After giving herself a vigorous shake, she hopped up and down a couple of times before stretching. “That feels better,” she said. “We have been cramped in our quarters or the flight deck far too much these last few days.”

  “I guess we have, haven’t we? At least we got that time together before that dumbass started taking shots at us,” Dillon said.

  “When we return to the normal time stream, I will contact the Kwaagi and send them the data we have on that ship. It may be something they are familiar with due to their proximity to the reaches. In the meantime, I had best redouble my efforts on the phase-cloaking device, and you and I can work at further amplifying our shields.”

  “Sure. I guess it’s a good thing that guy didn’t have Kwaagi weapons.”

  “Not much more than standard blasters, like the Malshekt had before the Kwaagi upgraded our weaponry,” she agreed. “While fortunate, I also cannot help but think it points to someone having copied my design. But who?”

  “That ship didn’t look like the Malshekt, though. Not enough to make me think they were made by the same designer or just based on the same design,” Dillon said.

  “No, but then, it probably did not have amenities such as guest cabins, a full lavatory, or a kitchen, among other things,” she countered. “That may have been a copy of my design, but one intended solely for attack.”

  “You know, it really sucks not being popular out here.”

  She let a bit of fang show in amusement but didn’t laugh. “
Daevol, are you able to compare that enemy ship to our own with the data you gathered?”

 

  “We have a mystery on our hands,” she commented.

  “Well, we haven’t been attacked again, so that’s a positive,” Dillon said. “If nothing else happens, we check with the Kwaagi like you said. And if they don’t know anything, then maybe we just use the reaches in a different direction as our jumping-off point.”

  “Yes, that would make the most sense. I am nervous, though… what if someone went to Kiandar and stole the design of the Chrono Drive from my home while I was avoiding it? There could already be some other malefactor with my technology seeking to continue MacNault’s goal of wiping my people out. All of Kiandar could be in danger again if they can bring the plague forward in the same manner we bring my people forward! Someone could even–”

  “Hey, hey,” Dillon said, approaching to wrap her up in a hug. “Don’t go getting yourself all worked up yet. You’ve got friends and allies now, Sherisza, and we’re not going to let that sort of thing happen ever again, got it? Like you’re always telling me… be patient. We’ll figure it out, and we’ll have plenty of help.”

  She nodded and let forth a breath, then stroked the side of his face. “Yes, thank you.”

  “On the other hand, if we don’t stop getting attacked, my parents may take us hostage and lock us in a bomb shelter somewhere.” She laughed at that, and Dillon pulled her close and kissed her again. “Do you want to get straight to work or have a shower and dinner first?”