Serendipity

Chapter 1At the buzz of his doorcom, Iseoy looked up from his hand-held screen. He frowned. “AI. Time to departure?” “Two hundred increments,” the mellow male voice intoned. Iseoy wondered who could be disturbing him. There was still quite some time to the ship’s departure, and he wasn’t due on deck for another hundred increments. The doorcom buzzed again. With an impatient sigh, Iseoy reached across his bunk and pressed his finger against the console on the wall. “Yes?” “Are you going to do anything other than sleep? I thought we could go to the recreation room and have a non-alcoholic drink or two. After all, you don’t have to be on deck for a while yet.” Iseoy smiled. Like himself, Tamesis was a PrideHomer and as the only two catmen, they’d developed a tight-knit friendship over the last several months. Even discovering mutual friends back home. However, Iseoy was striped where Tamesis was dark, but his friend had the most amazingly green eyes, even for a PrideHomer. Since Tamesis spent much of his time in the engine room, he liked to spend his off hours in any spacious area he could. Iseoy nodded. A cold drink wouldn’t go amiss. “AI, open door.” “Confirmed,” the AI automatically intoned. Iseoy sat up as the doors slid open to reveal Tamesis lounging against the frame. “Come on, you lazy cub. Let’s go.” Tamesis grinned widely. “Coming.” Iseoy was at the door in four loping strides. “Secure door, AI.” He didn’t bother waiting. The order would be completed, and he and Tamesis made their way to the immense recreation area, jostling each other good-naturedly as they walked. Their drinks secured, Tamesis pointed to a table where an athletic blonde sat. “Let’s join Amina.” Settled at the table, the three of them chatted for a moment, then Amina glanced around. “Have you heard that we’re getting a new helmsman?” Amina leaned in close, lowering her voice so both Iseoy and Tamesis had to get closer to hear her. “He’s a Vedrinan, I believe. He’s meant to be exceptionally vænn.” Tamesis snorted. “What, and I’m not handsome?” Tamesis struck a pose and Amina chuckled. “You’re okay…I suppose.” Amina laughed along with Tamesis, but Iseoy didn’t see any humour in the revelation. “What difference does it make?” Iseoy shrugged. “Their kind sleeps with anything that breathes. And probably some that don’t.” “Iseoy, you may have been brought up to believe it’s wrong to mate with anyone other than one of your own, and only a female at that. But you also know that it’s an outmoded mindset. Even on PrideHome. You and I both have friends with male mates, and even a few with non-PrideHomers.” “Yes, but a Vedrinan? They’re the sluts of the civilized worlds.” Iseoy sniffed loudly. “Well, I think I’ll take a walk.” Amina stood and glowered down at Iseoy until he shifted in his seat. “I feel the need of some clean air.” “Way to go, Iseoy.” Tamesis sighed, rubbing his hands over the black fur on his face. “At this rate, you’ll be kicked out before your father pulls his strings to force you back home.” “He can’t.” Iseoy sat up sharply, then slumped. “Sorry. Sometimes, I open my mouth and my father blurts out. But they do have a…a…” “They believe in love, my friend. They don’t care about externals.” Tamesis waved a hand at himself. “But they don’t mate as randomly, or as indiscriminately, as you just made out.” “I know that.” Iseoy scrubbed his face with the heels of his hands. “In a way, I’m still learning about other races. I haven’t even spent as much time in the Federated fleet as some cadets. I was fast-tracked. You know that.” “Yes, I do. So you need to shut your mouth, take a few seconds, and then speak. But if the Vedrinan’s going to make you as uncomfortable as you look this minute, maybe you should ask to take some leave.” “No.” Iseoy shook his head. “And I do accept that others may take a mate of their own s*x or be more…sharing of themselves. I will be better. I want to go back home and have my sire proud of me.” “You want the truth from a friend?” Tamesis asked, leaning in toward Iseoy and lowering his voice. Even though Iseoy was certain he didn’t want to hear it at all, he nodded curtly. “Your father won’t be proud even if you went home an admiral having saved the universe. He’d point out the next mate he thought suitable and tell you to report to the office.” Tamesis shook his head. “I’ll go after Amina and remind her you’re still learning. But by all our ancestors, do not speak like that again, particularly about another crewmember.” “Thanks.” Iseoy couldn’t argue. Tamesis was probably right, both about his father, and the way he often spoke about others. But it wasn’t going to stop him serving out his commission and going back to PrideHome having performed well. It’ll be something for me to cling to in the years to come. As oldest son, he was expected to take over the family pride and the offworld family business once his father stepped down. Tove was what many considered a throwback to a time long ago. A PrideHomer who believed mating was only to produce offspring, nothing more. Love was weakness, a distraction. And any mates had to be as pure-blooded as he’d kept his own family. With a deep breath, Iseoy looked at the red-gold and black-striped fur on his arms. I couldn’t even take Tamesis’s sister as a mate. Her fur’s the wrong colour. Not that she interests me. None of the potential mates Father’s brought to our home have interested me. I’m so grateful that my sire’s brother, Cato, helped me join the Federated fleet. Unlike his brother Tove, Cato was certain Iseoy had good warrior skills that should be encouraged and nurtured, and Iseoy believed him. A soft position in an office as befitted a so-called royal lineage was so far removed from what Iseoy wanted, it wasn’t funny. But he’d be expected to sacrifice everything. For the good of the pride. With a deep breath, Iseoy stood. One or two admiring glances still came his way, but they’d mostly died away since he’d first arrived. Males know better, and only a small number of females still think I might bed them or would even want me to. * * * * Keeping to himself until it was time to take his place on the deck, Iseoy finally felt at peace as he ran through all the pre-launch sequences. The rest of the crew were all in place, except for one at the helm. Belatedly, Iseoy remembered they had a new crewmember for the position just as the man in question strode onto the bridge. More than one of the bridge crew glanced the newcomer’s way. His thick, dark hair was pulled back into a high manbun, and with golden skin, high cheekbones, and full lips, he could have rivalled anyone for beauty. Yet there was a distinctive masculine quality to him. But there was something more. A vitality that Iseoy couldn’t define that seemed to shine from bright, sky-blue eyes, enhanced by the blue shadow on his eyelids. Realizing he was staring, and angry at himself for even taking so much notice of the newcomer, Iseoy turned resolutely to his screen and pre-take-off checks. “Lieutenant Rainbird reporting for duty, Captain Arvid. I’m your new helmsman. It’s a pleasure to be here.” “Welcome to the Federated fleet, Lieutenant,” the captain replied. “I hope you enjoy your tour of duty aboard the Njord.” “Thank you, Captain.” Rainbird sat next to Iseoy, who almost fell out of his seat, trying to put distance between them. “I don’t bed males.” The words were out before Iseoy could even censure them. The whole bridge fell silent. But that wasn’t all. The blue eyes that had shone with life shut down. The bright light extinguished to leave twin chips of ice-diamond in its stead, and the full lips were compressed into a thin line. Rising to his feet, Rainbird glared down at Iseoy. “And you felt the need to share this because…?” Rainbird’s tone was a frigid as his gaze, and his hands balled into fists. Iseoy reacted instinctively to the threat, sliding from his seat to face the other man, his body fur rising. “Lieutenant Iseoy, stand down, that’s an order,” Captain Arvid boomed, and Iseoy stood instantly to attention. “Lieutenant Rainbird, you, too.” “Sir.” Rainbird took a step back, but Iseoy could still feel the Vedrinan’s anger. He had to give the man credit for having balls. Not many would face off against a PrideHomer, even one smaller than Iseoy himself. Whether one of the deck crew had forgotten how well Iseoy could hear, or purposely took advantage of it, Iseoy couldn’t be certain, but he clearly heard the whispered, “Arrogant prick.” “Sir, I respectfully request I be transferred to another part of the ship. I am conversant with engineering and could quite easily work there.” Rainbird turned from Iseoy, as if dismissing his very existence. “I’m aware of that, Lieutenant. However, I took you on board as my helmsman. If you and Lieutenant Iseoy don’t feel you can work together, then you will be replaced. Both of you.” The words were like a blow in the gut to Iseoy, and he stared at his captain, but Arvid’s unbending demeanour showed it wasn’t a joke. “There is no place on board this ship for discrimination. Of any kind. If you can’t live together, work together, and be prepared to stand by one another, then you’re gone. Nor do I have time for fragile egos. Understand?” “Yes, sir.” Iseoy and Rainbird spoke at the same time and the captain’s steely gaze flitted between them. “Right, then. Let’s start over, shall we? Lieutenant Iseoy, I have no idea why you would greet one of our new crew members as you did, but I suggest you apologise. Lieutenant Rainbird, I suggest you accept the apology and move on. What you do in your downtime is immaterial to me. You can each skulk in the far corners of the ship to avoid any casual contact if you wish. But you will always treat one another with respect on board my ship. Do I make myself clear, gentlemen?” “Yes, sir. I apologize, Lieutenant Rainbird.” Iseoy meant it. I should have never spoken the words out aloud. It wasn’t as if same-s*x relationships were unknown on his world. But he’d been brought up under his father’s strict tenets, one of which included that such relationships were to be only between opposite sexes. Iseoy knew of several same-s*x matings, one of his best friends included, but it was ingrained in him to reject any such notion for himself. And Orde is no longer welcome at my family’s home. “I accept, Lieutenant Iseoy.” Rainbird’s tone was as brittle as his demeanour and he sat stiffly back at his place. His fingers danced over his console. “Ship is ready to depart dock. Sequence code ready to activate.” Rainbird didn’t so much as glance in Iseoy’s direction. Iseoy kept the sigh to himself. He could feel the cold frost that emanated from the other man. He could hardly blame him. It wasn’t the kind of welcome to a new crew member that Iseoy was proud of, but it was done, and there was no point looking back. But he would do all he could to avoid meeting the Vedrinan anywhere on the ship except at the helm.