Vexed

Jalth had protested his innocence all the way to headquarters, and at the disciplinary hearing, and all the way to the specially designed Plarithdi detention centre, but all to no avail. His previous record – insubordination, attacking a superior officer, threatening a member of a visiting delegation – didn't help, of course, nor did the fact that the gjki'ig civilian turned out to be the first-born... thing of a high-ranking alien visitor who hadn't appreciated having his offspring dumped in the nearest waste receptacle. But it really was just a misunderstanding, certainly not deserving of this!
     Ten days. Ten COT days at that. He growled and folded his lower arms across his massive chest. Ten days of eating the mush that passed for food around here. Ten days of curtailed freedom. He was already beginning to feel claustrophobic.
     At least he had the cell to himself.
     He settled down heavily on the groaning sleepshelf and tried to get comfortable. Unconsciousness would make the time pass faster...

Three days later and he would have been climbing the walls, had he any way of doing so. He was supposed to have had regular daily visits from some sort of head counsellor, a remedial biotech who would help him to control his aggression. Personally he thought it would be much better channelled – if they'd just give him that Peace Force post he was so ideally suited to... but no, plarchinzg bureaucrats, always had to plarchinzg interfere...

He shot to wakefulness at the well-known bellow, hauled himself swiftly upright and at attention as Gaan stalked into his cell, making it uncomfortably crowded. The security chief pointed at the sleepshelf.
     "Sit."
     Jalth seated himself warily: Gaan did not look happy.
     "Finished besmirching the unit's honour, have you?"
     "Chi'dag, it wasn't..."      

Gaan paused, took a deep breath, and brought the volume back to something that didn't make the plastex splinter. In a considerably quieter though no less angry tone he continued, "You know the drill. You DO NOT harm civilians, no matter what the provocation."
     "But..."
     Gaan punched his subordinate. Jalth fell backwards onto the sleepshelf, his mouth bleeding, and nodded mutely. Gaan crossed all four arms and began to pace – as much as was possible in the small cell – head lowered and expression grim.
     "You have one last chance. Fail this, and you'll be stripped of rank and privileges and sent back to Kraach in dishonour."
     Jalth swallowed his protest, dismayed. It was, for him, the worst fate imaginable.
     "What is the task, Chi'dag?"
     "Guard duty. Something even you should be able to accomplish without difficulty. Accompanying a Fohmatraan on a simple, easy trip to Caelix Seneth to correlate and file recently gathered records, and to guard him while he is there."
     Jalth frowned. That wasn't a usual job for a Fohmatraan. Gaan smiled grimly, divining the thought.
     "It was deemed best he deal with the task himself."
     Jalth nodded. Well, in that case... it didn't sound exactly hard. Caelix Seneth wasn't the most amenable of planets, but the administration complex below the surface was reputed to be comfortable and well-supplied with leisure facilities. And Fohmatraans... he grinned to himself. He'd met a few Fohmatraans in his time. With one exception they'd all been very interesting beings, and even that exception had been very nice to look at. Even if he had managed to cause a planet-wide alert.
     Jalth shuddered. That could have been very bad for everyone involved. But of course, he was Fohmatraan: they could do no wrong. He'd not been penalised for his actions – it was everyone else who'd been made to suffer.
     Jalth shook his head. It was an experience he'd tried to forget, with a fair degree of success, although even now he sometimes had nightmares about it. He smiled tentatively at his superior.
     "I will be honoured, Chi'dag."
     "Yes, you will be." Growled Gaan. "I expect perfect behaviour on this job: there will be no more chances. Do I make myself clear?"
     "Yes, Chi'dag."
     "Very well." Gaan stood and turned towards the door. "You will be collected at first light tomorrow. Be ready."

Jalth was ready before first light, tense and anxious – well, filled with what passed for anxiety in Plarithdi, at any rate. To his surprise Lasqendeamyl himself arrived shortly after the sun had cleared the horizon. The Plarith saluted smartly – he had considerable respect for the formidable Caelixiin. Lasqendeamyl eyed him narrowly.
     "I am assured you are fully cognisant of the gravity of this assignment."
     Jalth nodded.
     "I am indeed, Sheyaa. I will carry out the mission with the utmost integrity and vigour."
     The administrator nodded tightly, then beckoned Jalth to follow him, speaking back over his shoulder.
     "I do not need to tell you the repercussions should any harm come to him while he is in your care..."

Jalth stared at the figure with sinking hearts. His first panicked thought had been how he could possible get out of the task. Because he really wasn't sure he'd be able to manage it. Surely this was cruel and unusual punishment – surely his offence wasn't bad enough to suffer this? Not him…
     Kelendris' smile brightened.
     "Sheya Jalth! I am honoured to meet you again."
     Automatically, Jalth saluted, his voice only wavering a little as he formally greeted the xenobotanist. Kelendris inclined his head.
     "I am happy you are to accompany me."
     Jalth gritted his teeth and refused to ask why. He gestured to the shuttle waiting to ferry them to their 'skimmer, determined to get the Fohmatraan settled and into a confined space as soon as he could. Easier to keep track of him that way.
     The 'skimmer was a Collective vehicle, holding around a hundred beings, one of the standard transports to and from Caelix Seneth. It was almost full when they boarded: Jalth automatically noted who else was present, alert for any possible threats to his charge. There were two fellow Plarithdi guards, fairly typical for such a vessel on such a journey; they saluted him, their faces faintly registering sympathy when they saw who was with him… Jalth ushered Kelendris to his seat then took his place at the Fohmatraan's side, setting powerful muscle to deal with any potential problems during the short trip. Not that he expected any, but the habit was hard to break…

Disembarkation was swift, everyone checking in at the entry portal and hastening away to their assigned posts. Kelendris was met by a slender Rusciin female, who greeted Jalth politely but hurriedly then ignored him as she ushered the Fohmatraan onto a conveyor which took them swiftly along endless sterile corridors to the labyrinthine biopharmaceutical division. Jalth stood behind them, not even trying to understand their conversation – there would have been no point given they employed a subject-specific vocabulary. When they finally reached their destination and stepped from the conveyor the Rusciin turned the guard, eyeing him hesitantly.
     "Sheya Jalth… Sheya Kelendris will be safe within the labs: it's really not necessary for you to accompany him the whole time."
     Jalth shook his head, respectful but insistent.
     "My regrets, sheya Kam Faal, but I must. I will stay out of your way, of course, but I must be present at all times."
     Kelendris blinked and gazed up at him.
     "All the time? Even at night?"
     "I will sleep in the antechamber."
     Kelendris looked disconcerted.
     "… oh…"
     Jalth inclined his head, smiling to himself. It was petty, he knew, but even such minor revenge would make the situation a little less unpalatable.
     "Don't worry, I will be discreet. If you wish to couple while we are here, please don't let my presence hinder you."
     Kam Faal looked a little worried.
     "We hadn't considered… sheya Kelendris, there are no other Fohmatraans here at present."
     "I know."
     The Rusciin paused for a moment, then grimaced. Of course he knew – he was Fohmatraan…
     "Will you be lonely? We have a wide variety of sentients here at the moment, if you need company."
     Kelendris laid a long hand gently against her face.
     "I am sure that sheya Jalth and I will manage perfectly adequately."
     Jalth froze. Did that mean what he thought it meant?! Or was the plarchinzg kat'ah just being polite? Most Fohmatraans were plain-speaking, saying exactly what they meant, but with Kelendris you could never tell.
     Kam Faal was nodding, glancing from Plarith to xenobotanist and back, a speculative glint in her eyes. For a moment Jalth considered disabusing her – then changed his mind. There was a certain prestige in coupling with a Fohmatraan: no harm in letting the female think what she apparently was thinking. She nodded.
     "I… see… Very well." She glanced over her shoulder as several large containers were floated in from the delivery suite. "Ah, it looks like your samples have arrived, sheya Kelendris. Do you need anything before we start work? Have you rested? Fed?"
     "I am fine, thank you. And I am eager to show you what I have discovered. Sheya Jalth might be hungry though."
     Kam Faal smirked, and Jalth glowered at her. Plarithdi had a – mostly undeserved – reputation of always being hungry.
     "I will eat later."
     "Just say if you change your mind." The Rusciin gestured Kelendris further into the lab complex: Jalth followed silently and stationed himself to one side of the entrance of the expansive chamber in which the Fohmatraan was obviously intending to work…

There were a lot of samples. An awful lot of samples. Frozen, separated, vacuum-packed, boxed: seeds, leaves, roots, tubers, corms, perianths, pseudobulbs, bark, resin, anthavules, cymes, phloem, pollen sacs... And those were just the ones Jalth had heard of.

At least Kelendris was taking due care in the sealed inner chamber, wearing mesh gloves over his hands and occasionally slipping a mask over his face – so some of the samples must represent a danger to Fohmatraans. Which probably meant they'd be lethal to most other sentients. Kelendris was cataloguing as he went, both to the automatic recorder and to the clerk outside the polyplex-walled chamber. Jalth inspected her surreptitiously: a young Shaedan who looked as though she'd much rather be in there with the Fohmatraan than stuck outside putting the records in order.
     But even that was more interesting than simply standing here, alert for non-existent threats. Jalth growled silently. At least Kelendris was pretty to look at, lithe and graceful, pale iridescent mane flowing around him as he moved. It eased the boredom a little. Though the Plarith didn't relish doing this for another five days – which is how long Kelendris and Kam Faal had estimated they needed to complete the cataloguing and establish a schedule of experiments to research into the properties of certain plants more thoroughly. To Jalth's relief, Kelendris wasn't to be involved. The Collective's own xenobotanists and biochemists would handle that part of the process.

Jalth was sure that, left to himself, the Fohmatraan would simply have carried on until he dropped from exhaustion, but the guard was having none of that. He allowed Kelendris a full working day (which was slightly less than a day on Caelix Prime) then indicated that he should rest now. For a moment he thought the Fohmatraan would refuse, but then Kelendris seemed to reconsider, nodded reluctantly, and entered the small but frighteningly efficient decontamination cubicle attached to the sealed work chamber. Stripping and leaving his work coverall inside, he stepped out naked into the main room and paused, frowning down at himself. Jalth rolled his eyes. Yes, the kat'ah had forgotten to procure something to wear afterwards.
     The Shaedan hurriedly retrieved a standard coverall for him from one of the closets at the entrance to the lab: shrugging into it, Kelendris smiled at his guard.
     "I hope you were not too bored."
     Jalth pulled himself to attention.
     "My boredom or otherwise is a matter of no importance, sheya Kelendris. Your continued health is what matters."
     Kelendris folded his arms over his chest, tilted his head, and smiled up impishly through drifts of iridescent mane.
     "Oh come now, Jalth. There's no need to be so self-sacrificing. I know you have no interest in botany."
     The Plarith gritted his teeth and remained silent. Kelendris sighed and nodded in dismissal to his young assistant before turning back to the guard.
     "I assume you are now hungry? I feel the need to eat, and I'm assured the eatery here is excellent."
     "Certainly, sheya Kelendris. And afterwards I suggest you rest and rehydrate."
     The Fohmatraan frowned, then nodded.
     "Indeed. It is a little hot and dry here…"

Jalth glowered down at Kelendris happily asleep in his arms and cuddling against him, glaring at the knowing smiles on the faces of the sentients he passed on the way back to the Fohmatraan 'viro. It wasn't his fault the plarchinzg kat'ah had fallen asleep in the middle of his meal. If he'd known Kelendris hadn't had any sleep for four COT days straight he'd have arranged for the kat'ah to eat in the 'viro and saved himself this... embarrassment!
     Though the Fohmatraan did feel nice. Light and supple, his mane cold and smooth against Jalth's shoulder and arm. In sleep his lips settled into a slight smile, his long pale lashes brushing high cheekbones, bright against rich golden skin. He really needed someone to look after him...
     Jalth growled, annoyed with himself for his reaction. The last thing he wanted was to be lumbered with a... flig'ggit-minded kat'ah! Best get the pest into its pool and settle himself in the antechamber as quickly as possible.
     He debated stripping the Fohmatraan, or letting him sleep in the coverall – but he knew Kelendris needed to rehydrate, and that was more easily accomplished if he was naked. Sighing his irritation, the Plarith held the xenobotanist with two hands and peeled the coverall from him with the other pair, keeping his thoughts strictly on the task at hand. As Kelendris settled onto the warm, faintly effervescing water he sighed in his sleep and turned onto his side, one hand nestled under his cheek, and Jalth strode swiftly and silently out of the pool chamber before he could be tempted to join the xenobotanist.
     That would be a very bad idea indeed.
     He secured the 'viro and dimmed the light, settling himself into a watch-sleep on a sleepshelf against the inner wall. Any sound, any movement, and he'd be instantly awake and alert, ready to deal with anything that might threaten his charge. He'd arrange to sleep properly tomorrow, while Kelendris was busy in the lab.

Kelendris stretched and smiled winsomely at his guard. "I hope you rested well. I know I did."
     "Sufficiently, sheya Kelendris. I will sleep later, while you are working."
     The Fohmatraan nodded slowly.
     "I will be occupied for the whole of the day. You'll be able to sleep for as long as you wish." He glanced around the antechamber. "Are you comfortable enough?"
     "Yes. But I will be sleeping in the lab while you work."
     Kelendris blinked, startled.
     "But…"
     Jalth raised an upper hand.
     "My duty is to guard you, sheya. For that, I have to be near you."
     The Plarith could have sworn Kelendris pouted for an instant, then he sighed.
     "Oh, very well. If you're sure that won't impair your efficiency."
     Jalth stifled a growl, and Kelendris placed a long hand over his own lips, iridescent eyes wide.
     "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you."
     "No offence taken, sheya…" He managed to not make it sound as if he were gritting his teeth. Was that deliberate? He simply couldn’t tell. He gestured to the door instead. "Are you ready to start?"
     Kelendris nodded. To Jalth's relief he remained silent on the journey to the labs…

All the laboratories had drop-down sleepshelves of various types and sizes: you could never tell when an urgent case might arrive, and having the specialists able to rest in turns 'on the job' was essential. Jalth found one suitable for his species, made sure Kelendris was engrossed in his work and not planning to eat until much later, and stretched out to sleep – though not before ordering the Shaedan clerk to wake him should the xenobotanist need anything while he rested. The shelf was surprisingly comfortable, and he was asleep before he realised it.
     It was probably the silence that woke him. Rising swiftly and smoothly, instantly alert, Jalth gazed with dismay around the deserted lab: both Kelendris and the Shaedan had gone. He strode to the intercom, connecting to Kam Faal's office.
     "Gone?"
     The Rusciin sounded alarmed. Jalth growled quietly.
     "Gone. Not before considerately muting the lights, but gone nevertheless."
     "But where could they have gone?"
     A sudden cold fear filled the Plarith.
     "Is there any way they could have gone offplanet?"
     There was a brief silence, then Kam Faal's voice, sounding strained.
     "No, nothing's left Seneth in the last full rotation. And I've alerted all the 'skimmers due in the next few timeslots."
     "Good. Now, are there any 'paths onworld?"
     "No-one capable of finding a Fohmatraan if they don't want to be found. I can *transmit* a low-level request for him to contact me, but I have no way of telling if he receives it, or responds to it, unless he *tells* me so."
     "Hm. Has he been here before? Expressed a preference for any particular area of the base?"
     "Twice. Both times he restricted his movements to his 'viro, the labs, and the eatery. Oh, and once he spent an evening at a debate in one of the smaller conference chambers."
     "Very well. I need to have all of those areas checked first, and the approaches to them. I will take the 'viro. And *transmit* a message to him anyway."
     There was an understandable hint of relief in Kam Faal's voice. After all, she was the chief biochemist here, nothing to do with security, and would be happy not have to take responsibility for the Fohmatraan. Jalth himself was fairly sure Kelendris would be fine: there was nothing here that would harm him. He was just angry that the plarchinzg g'diggt had disobeyed instructions...
     He strode back to the 'viro. If the pest had decided he wanted sex, that would be the first place he'd go. Probably. Jalth's knowledge of Fohmatraan physical relationships was limited, but he knew that they were more comfortable in water, and there weren't many pools onworld. Not private ones, anyway.
     But Kelendris wasn't in the 'viro. Nor was he in any of the other places Kam Faal had noted. Jalth stood in the corridor outside the conference chamber and frowned to himself, beginning to feel faintly alarmed. The administration complex was vast, and much of it was only used for storage. To search the whole place would take a very long time...
     He briefly considered reporting back to Caelix Prime – but only briefly. The thought of having to report his failure was terrifying, and not only because it would result in his dismissal. The sheer embarrassment of having to admit he wasn't capable of looking after one single Fohmatraan was enough to make him want to crawl into a hole and never come out again. Even given who that Fohmatraan was. And in any case, Kelendris had only been missing for a few local hours. There was no reason to worry yet.
     Though he couldn’t help but wish there was another Fohmatraan onworld. That would make tracking the kat'ah a great deal easier...

"Are you sure he won't mind? I thought he was supposed to stay with you all the time..." Faran glanced uneasily behind her, back towards the lab where the big scary Plarith was still sleeping. Kelendris grinned briefly and took the Shaedan's wrist in his hand, tugging the reluctant clerk along with him.
     "He will probably be a little annoyed. But you shouldn't worry. I'm responsible: I'll take any blame."
     "But..."
     The Fohmatraan paused, crouching a little so he was eye to wide grey eye with the smaller being.
     "I need a rest from being... scrutinised all the time. It grows oppressive, occasionally. All I want is a little time to myself, away from the lab, away from Jalth. If you don't want to come with me, you don't need to. But then Jalth will probably be angry that you didn't alert him. And while he wouldn't dare cause you any harm, he's not... pretty when he's angry." He smiled disarmingly. "And I'd like your company."
     Faran looked back again, longingly, then swallowed and smiled hesitantly into Kelendris' iridescent eyes.
     "I'll come with you."
     The Fohmatraan sighed softly and tilted his head.
     "Thank you... We will need to go somewhere they wouldn't think to look, at least at first. May I *scan* you?"
     Faran blinked, then blushed furiously and shook her head.
     "I'd... rather you didn't, sheya..."
     Kelendris chuckled quietly.
     "There is nothing you can think that I have not experienced before, many times... but of course I respect your privacy. Speech it is, then. Where shall we go?"
     Faran's eyes narrowed in thought for a moment, then she grinned.
     "Come with me."
     Taking the Fohmatraan's cool hand in hers, she led him swiftly away from the biopharmaceutical division, avoiding the well-used corridors with their never-empty conveyors, choosing smaller, deserted routes, sterile and mostly featureless. After only a very little while Kelendris was bewildered and would have been lost had he not been a 'path. He resisted *peeking* into the Shaedan's mind, however, rather enjoying the rare feeling of not being in control...

It was a local hour before Faran finally halted outside a door that looked like all of the others they'd passed and pressed her hand to the lock. It slid open a little jerkily, and she led the curious Fohmatraan inside, closing and securing the door before activating the lights.
     "This is my favourite place. I don't think anyone else knows about it, or everyone's forgotten about it or something. At any rate, I've never seen anyone else here."
     Kelendris gazed around the chamber, eyes widening.
     "This is beautiful!"
     Faran smiled shyly.
     "I think so..."
     The room couldn't have been a great deal larger than the average 'viro, but it had been structured to resemble a beach at evening-tide. Warm green water rippled in small waves over soft black sand and seemed to stretch to a far-distant horizon, where a vast, cloudy ringed world in shades of gold and red seemed to be rising slowly. Above them in a cloudless sky four tiny moons glinted orange and rose from light reflected from the gas giant.
     It was a magnificent piece of visual engineering. Even Kelendris' exceptionally keen sight was deceived at first.
     "The water is real?"
     "Yes, and the sand. The rest is just for show."
     "How has this been forgotten?"
     She shrugged.
     "I don't know. It does seem unlikely, doesn't it? I've been afraid to look up the details in case the query alerts anyone to its existence." She crouched down, letting the sand trickle through her fingers. "I suppose it's possible that whoever ordered it made didn't like it and it's just fallen into disuse. The automatic systems keep it clean. But you'd have thought that the Caelixiin would know about it. They know about everything else they control."
     Kelendris laughed softly.
     "Isn't it nice to know they're not perfect?"
     "Oh yes." She stood up and eyed him a little nervously. "Would you like to swim?"
     He touched her face gently.
     "I would like that very much."

Jalth was pacing furiously, growling under his breath. Kam Faal had seated herself well out of his way and was trying to be inconspicuous. It had been eight local hours now and Kelendris was still missing. As was Faran, but Jalth's concern was the gjki'ig Fohmatraan, not some silly little clerk he'd talked into going with him. Another hour and he'd have to contact C'Prime and ask for help...
     Kam Faal twitched, her eyes opening widely then closing as her shoulders slumped in relief.
     "They're on their way back."
     Jalth stopped dead and glowered at her.
     "Is he all right?"
     "Oh yes. They're both fine."
     He won’t be by the time I've finished with him! Jalth snarled to himself, then sighed silently. Nice thought, but he knew he couldn't do anything to the Fohmatraan. The clerk, however, was another matter...
     No, he couldn’t do anything to her either. His commander would have his head if he damaged another civilian.
     "Where are they headed?"
     "They're coming here."
     "Good..."

Faran watched from behind Kam Faal, her hands covering her ears, as the Plarithdi guard raged and snarled and ranted and gesticulated at Kelendris in a variety of languages, none of which she knew, while the Fohmatraan simply stood, hands clasped lightly together before him, apparently listening to everything Jalth shouted with perfect equanimity. It took the Plarith about half a local hour to finally stop, and that was more because he'd run out of breath than because he'd finished. But Kelendris took advantage of the brief pause, raising his hands in an almost placatory manner and nodding placidly.
     "Yes, sheya Jalth, I agree with everything you say and am suitably chastened. However, I'm afraid I can't promise not to do it again. In fact" he smiled at Faran "I was rather hoping we could do it again tomorrow. And the next day."
     Jalth opened his mouth to shout again – but paused and took a closer look at the Fohmatraan. Kelendris looked thoroughly rested, the faint signs of exhaustion around his eyes had gone and he seemed much more alert and happy.
     ... damn...
     Jalth nodded very slowly.
     "I have your word that you will be safe? That you'll tell us where you are?"
     "I can't do that – it's not my secret to reveal. But yes, I assure you it is quite safe."
     Jalth glowered at Faran, who shrank a little further behind the Rusciin and nodded frantically.
     "It's perfectly safe, I promise." She squeaked.
     "And you'll keep an eye on him? Contact me if there are any problems?"
     Faran raised the little comms device they all carried.
     "I promise."
     Jalth folded both pairs of arms over his chest and growled.
     "Then I suppose I have no choice."
     Kelendris reached up to stroke his face.
     "None whatsoever. But thank you anyway."

Half way back to Caelix Prime and Kelendris was curled up in his seat, sleeping soundly, a faint smile on his lips. Jalth watched the Fohmatraan, frowning. Kelendris had managed to cajole a promise out of him that he'd not attempt to find out the location of their retreat, and since it was obvious the Fohmatraan wasn't in any danger he couldn't very well break his word. To avoid taking time out of the working day Kelendris and Faran had taken to spending the nights wherever-it-was, though how much actual sleep was taken Jalth had no idea. He had his suspicions though, and Faran's glistening eyes as they said goodbye went some way to confirming it. She was, however, he noted with relief, a sensible being, accepting that whatever the nature of their brief liaison it was just that – brief – and didn’t embarrass herself with pleas for the Fohmatraan to stay, or to stay in contact.
     He almost felt sorry for her though, when he caught sight of her woebegone face as Kelendris boarded the shuttle. It really wasn't wise to become involved with a Fohmatraan, in any way.
     Jalth was very glad he'd resisted the temptation.
     He was, truly. In all honesty.
     He was.
     Didn’t stop him wondering what it would have been like, though...

© 2007 July 6^th Joules