Viola Grace

Four years. She had been here for four years. She rubbed at her eyes as her mind cleared and she was able to see her situation with intense clarity. Her talent flickered weakly, wrapping around her and shifting the contents of her chamber in short jerks. The vents in her ceiling popped and she cursed. Just a little more time and she would have been able to work something free. She had no idea where she would run, but she wanted so desperately to be free.

Erinii Zakkata stared at the blank walls of her cell. She could hear the cries and moans of the other imprisoned talents through the stone that surrounded her in the power-segregation facility.

Thick green mist was pumped in through the vents and as she breathed in, the grim surroundings faded away. She was off to her mind-crafted world and the creatures her brain used to keep her company.

* * * *

Erinii sat up and smiled at the bright and cheerful environment that surrounded her. Birds twittered, the nearby brook babbled and she was free to wander around serenely in the hallucination that her mind had woven for her.

Ahead of her, a wall opened and one of the squid faces came forward, pausing at a respectful distance. He was wearing a purple squid on his face today and it contrasted sharply with his bright blue eyes.

“Zakkata, please come and have your meal.” His voice was muffled as the squid faces always were.

She got to her feet, her pretty gown weaving itself out of nothing to drape to the tips of her glittering shoes.

“Who are we today, Zakkata?”

She smiled politely and curtseyed toward him. “I am a princess, of course.”

“Very good. Your tea party awaits, my lady.”

He walked with her down the hall to where fascinating creatures cavorted and frolicked, some letting out the most horrible screeches while throwing their food around.

She sat gracefully at her table, accepting her tray with a gracious smile. The squid face that delivered it didn’t speak, but she could feel its disturbing scowl underneath the creature that wrapped its face.

She sipped at her tea, frowning at the tepid brew. She was about to ask for a hotter pot, but the two squid faces near her were in deep conversation.

“They have been asking for her, you know.” The server was muttering while darting worried glances toward Erinii.

“Have you heard what they want?” Her escort stood with his arms crossed loosely over his chest.

“No, but someone outside our government is making inquiries. How they learned she was here is a mystery.”

The man that greeted her was made of stone or so it appeared. He wore a tight bodysuit with a flowing robe over it, looking attractive and formal at the same time.

“Hahvi Karuda?”

She inclined her head. “I am.”

“Are you an elemental?”

“I suppose. I have an affinity for the heat of the ground beneath my feet.” She smiled, and her stomach fluttered. If she wasn’t what he needed, he might not take her along.

“You can call lava?”

“I can.” She remembered her audience. “I could. I did.”

“Then you are the one we need.” He nodded sharply, and the guard to his left lowered his weapon.

It seemed peculiar that they were taking orders from this dark grey alien with solid black eyes and hair a few shades lighter than his skin, but Hahvi didn’t complain when he shepherded her out and to a shuttle.

Haloor’s warning had given her time to adjust to the idea of leaving the dome, but she still kept looking back toward the city of Dathim and her people trapped within.

With a deep breath, she faced the shuttle and climbed inside, acknowledging that she couldn’t help her people yet, but there might be a way, one day.


 

Taking off her EVA suit was a lot easier than putting it on. Boots first, then helmet and finally, she unsealed the baggy thing. She stumbled free and stretched just as the hatch opened to reveal the occupants of the ship.

"Holy mother of stars," Mala whispered it as quietly as she could, but there was no getting around the fact that the male Selna was one of the most attractive things she had ever seen. She shook her head, of course he was. All Selna put out pheromones causing compatible races to want to mate. Mala's mixed bloodline was no exception.

She stayed out of their way and merely nodded to the pilot as she passed. It was easy to determine that she was the controller for the ship. The ports in her wrists gave it away. The pilot looked with a smile between Mala and Isabi. Apparently, Mala should have been writhing on the floor in front of the Selna. That just wasn't her style.

Her repair crew helped her look busy as the occupants made the long walk to the end of the repair bay and they waited until the Selna and pilot were out the door. The instant that the coast was clear, Mala stripped off her gloves and ran her hands over the hull. The minor and major damage caused by the blasts ceased to exist at her touch, the metal joining, sealing and healing under her fingers.

This was why she made the credits that she did. The money was compensation for the perfect repairs that she was capable of. It was her one skill, this repair talent, her freak factor when it came to blending in with other techs.

She moved slowly along the ship, inch by inch, clearing and eradicating all trace of the battle. Whatever had hurt this beautiful ship had been brutal. The damage had been deliberate and designed to turn the ship into a paralyzed meteor, it had worked. The poor baby.

She was murmuring to the ship when she reached the engine damage. "Gergar, I need some metal here." She stroked the superficial damage on the exterior of the housing and waited for the hand to tap her shoulder. She took the metal sheet blindly and held it in place, feeling it melt into the surface of the ship. She could repair anything as long as she had enough materials to patch up the holes.

"I am going to need three more of those if this engine was any indication." She clambered over the ship, keeping her focus on feeling the entirety of the ship at all times. It took her two more hours, but at last she was finished. Dizzy and terribly pleased with herself, Mala sat heavily next to the ship and turned to face her crew. Dismay filled her.

"You know, if I hadn't seen it for myself, I never would have believed it."

The Selna from the ship leaned on one of the pylons and played with one of the chunks of metal she had been using to reconstitute the engines.

"The report was quite insistent that she was capable of it. I am glad to see that it was not exaggerated." The pilot was smiling.

Whatever race she was from was in Mala's own makeup. She could feel kinship with the strange pale creature with its wide eyes and cheerful grin. Her crew was huddled together near the door, mouths gagged and arms and tail confined. "Let them go and tell me what you want."

The beautiful Selna moved close to her and whispered, "We want you."