Somewhere very HOT- Not Earth
Lex bathes in the cool water of a shimmering waterfall. She scoops water from the stream and uses it to cleanse her long black hair. Memories.
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Stepping behind Scorvo's flight chair, Lex places a hand on his left shoulder.
“You said…While on the frozen continent…Scar had already been infected by a serpent queen. I never really made the connection between what you were saying, and what truly happened out there. So…Scar was…He was going to die anyway?”
Scorvo stiffens. He considers his answer very carefully. He chooses to offer a hypothetical instead.
“Had you realized this…Would you have accompanied me on my journey? Would you have risked your life for one you thought was as good as dead—“
Scorvo turns in his chair and examines Lex very carefully.
“—If you had not believed it was your fault?”
Lex’s mouth forms a stubborn pout and she glowers down at the brother of her yautja lover.
“Of course. I know I was…Difficult at first. That was only because I was scared. My life was finally meaning something again. But, I could never have lived with myself…If I didn’t try.”
“Then…I regret my decision not to make clear all of the facts.”
Scorvo returns his attention forward. Lex’s lips brushing his cheek causes him to grow rigid. Her voice is soft and familiar in his ear.
“Knowing that he was infected…Scar had no real reason to be on the planet’s surface. Am I correct?”
“You are correct,” Scorvo says, struggling to keep his head facing forward.
“Is that why the council gave you so much grief?”
“Yes,” Scorvo admits. “There could be only one explanation for why Scar left the chuf’trhat. I tried to convince them otherwise. Now, I don’t have to.”
“Thank you, Scorvo.”
“For what? I have only done what was my duty.”
“If you don’t know…Then, it’s not my place to tell you,” Lex quips.
She kisses Scorvo’s cheek one more time and then exits the flight cabin—in search of Scar. Scorvo uses a large hand to rub his left cheek. His fingers comes away with a thin coat of red lipstick. Scorvo rubs the tips of his fingers together and smiles a thin yautja smile.
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Lex nearly jumps out of her skin when Scar materializes in front of her. Adorned in typical yautja fashion, Scar’s mesh suit undergoes a light show of bluish-white sparks before darkening to the usual metallic gray.
The yautja warrior chuckles loudly and wraps both arms around Lex’s middle. Drawing her to him, he kisses her passionately. Lex throws her arms over Scar’s muscular shoulders and runs her fingers through his beaded dreads. Only with extreme reluctance does he separate from her. He traces her left cheek with a finger.
“I hope…You will not grow lonely here.”
“Lonely? How could I be lonely? You’re here with me. And there are others here as well.”
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“Yes. But they are strangers to you. There is no one with whom you have a connection. It could get lonely…After a time.”
Lex toys with Scar’s hair, twirling a braid around her left index finger. A wistful smile tugs at her full lips.
“There was nothing left for me back there anyway. Everyone I ever knew…Ever cared about…Is dead. I’ve been living a lie for over a decade and I hated it. I’m not sorry at all.”
Scar leans forward in the water, so that their foreheads are touching. He places both clawed hands behind Lex’s head, bringing her closer still. He peers directly into her eyes with a love that is undeniable—a love he would have never thought possible.
“If only there was a way to be sure…That you would be safe. However, it seemed that neither Earth…Nor my home…Could offer any measure of safety. I do not wish to lose you again…My vil’par.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Lex says with a genuine smile.
Scar pulls Lex into another fierce kiss, no longer worried for the future.
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Somewhere Else…In Space
Scorvo climbs from his flight chair and heads for the cryogenic bay. He will sleep the sleep of dreamlessness for a short time. It is a long journey back home. Walking past the first pod, Scorvo stops in his tracks, his blood running cold. The ooman scientist. Solora. She is still in that pod.
Scorvo leans over the pod and stares down at the ooman female asleep inside. He temporarily panics, considering whether he should return to Earth—or the unknown planet where he left Scar and Lex. He decides to let the ooman make her own decision on the matter.
Inputting the command for the pod to awaken the ooman female, Scorvo drops down on the nearest pod to wait.
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Solora opens her eyes and utters a sharp gasp. She bolts upright in the cryogenic pod. That face. That alien face. Solora places a hand on the right side of her chest and exhales deeply. She nearly has a heart attack when she pivots and spies Scorvo sitting on the edge of a nearby pod.
“Who—What the hell are you?” Solora screeches, her voice cracking. “And why did you bring me here? I don’t appreciate being manhandled and trussed up like a spring chicken. You’ll get better cooperation if you ask nicely.”
Scorvo stands from his spot on the neighboring cryogenic pod and goes to Solora. He effortlessly picks up the ooman female and places her on the lid of the pod he abandoned only moments before. He drops to one knee and gazes into her molten brown eyes.
“I am a yautja. An alien…To you,” Scorvo explains.
Solora gapes at Scorvo in surprise. She examines every detail of his face and body, paying special attention to his well-formed muscles and long dreaded hair. And that mesh suit? What’s up with that?
“You speak English? How in the hell do you know English? Well, I guess you’d have to understand our languages in order to say: ‘We come in peace.’ Uh…Wow. As a scientist…I’m very impressed. You must be an amazingly advanced species.”
Scorvo studies the ooman female, waiting for her to cease talking. He chooses to break the news to her as directly as possible. No use skirting around the truth.
“I am afraid…You find yourself in a rather awkward situation. The ooman building where you were assigned…Has been destroyed. You may no longer have an occupation.”
“What are you talking about? Destroyed? Was this some sort of invasion? Did you destroy the building?”
“I was not acting alone. Nevertheless, I cannot return you to your planet. You have two choices. You can accompany me to my home world. Although, I cannot guarantee you will be greeted with open arms. Or…I can deposit you on a planet of your choosing. Simply point at it and I will leave you there.”
A moment of silence follows. Scorvo studies the ooman female’s face carefully, detecting a change in her smell which is rather strange. Further scrutiny reveals a deepening of her color.
“You son of a bitch!” Solora growls, her jaw tightening and eyes narrowing.
Scorvo’s eyes do the exact opposite, growing exceedingly large. Solora’s face contorts into an angry scowl. She leans forward, and wags a finger threateningly.
“Do you know how hard I had to work…How many people I had to sleep with…To get where I am in the company? Can you even understand? And now…You want to simply strand me on some unknown planet like a piece of garbage? I don’t think so!”
Raising her hand, Solora slaps Scorvo across the face. The surprised warrior doesn’t stay surprised for long. Adding his own flavor of surprise to the mix, Scorvo smirks and draws Solora to him. Kissing her in the same fashion that he observed Lex and Scar, Scorvo metes out all of his passion on the ooman female. When he finally releases Solora, she blinks rapidly but only stares in stunned silence. This also lasts only a short time.
Throwing her arms around Scorvo’s neck, Solora happily kisses him a second time. She is completely out of breath when they separate again. Peering deep into Scorvo’s eyes, Solora grins from ear to ear.
“So where are we going?”
Scorvo briefly deadpans. He regards the ooman female with intense scrutiny. So much like the Lex ooman—with only a few negligible differences. Lowering his lids halfway, Scorvo smiles wolfishly.
“At the moment?” Scorvo asks.
Solora’s mouth opens as if she wishes to speak. She allows her eyes to drop to Scorvo’s mouth, his wide chest, and his clawed hands. When her eyes return to his face, they are filled with mischief. She is considering possibilities.
Not waiting for Solora to suddenly change her mind, Scorvo rises and scoops the ooman female up into his arms. A side-trip back to the unknown world is not such a bad idea after all. Somewhere on the ship, there is an oversized bed being underutilized.
The End (Or is it?)