Askance by Viola Grace Page B

two years to the wife that the Alliance chose for me. She is everything I wanted and yet was afraid to hope for.”
    That brought her a little way out of her misery. “Did you have a choice?”
    He rubbed a hand through his short brown hair. “No. She was part of a lottery to get new genes into her species. She didn’t want me, I didn’t want her and yet, now I can’t think of a day going by without her. You met Lohra actually, she was sent to notify you of the shuttle.”
    “Lavender skin, brown hair and bright blue eyes?” She was grateful for the distraction of the conversation.
    “Yes, that’s her. Lohra is one of the Dekkanic people. She agreed to accompany me to the stars in an effort to keep me happy while we settled into married life. We have a home on Dekkan, but it will wait until I retire or she becomes pregnant.”
    “Do you have a problem being used like that?”
    “Henderson, men and women have been using each other like that back on Earth since time began. There is nothing wrong with it unless you are facing a partner you absolutely can’t stand. If there is mutual attraction, where is the harm?”
    He made a good point and she smiled until the com beeped. “Pilot Anders, please return to the Hind. We are waiting for you.”
    She sighed. “Thank you for the kind words, Robert. I needed to talk it out a little. Please don’t let me keep you.”
    He followed her to the hatch and as soon as she slung her bag over her shoulder, he brought her in for a hug. “Take care and simply let what happens, happen. Niiko and Maksuan have a good reputation for being reasonable and intelligent. Don’t worry about anything. You will be free and clear in no time.”
    Silari smiled. “Thanks again. Say hello to Lohra for me. She’s a sister-in-law of sorts and I am afraid I was a little rude to her.”
    He chuckled. “She lives with a Terran, she is used to rude.”
    It brought a genuine grin to her features for the first time in a very long time. With that smile still in place, she left the shuttle and crossed the tarmac to the building where a guard waited for her.
    The guard didn’t speak but led her through a maze of halls and eventually, Silari heard feminine conversation in the rooms they approached.
    He gestured for her to enter the room at the end of the hall and she inclined her head. If everyone on Niiko was as silent as the guard was, she might just get through this with her dignity intact.
    The moment that she walked through the doors, her hope went out the window. Twenty-three pairs of eyes fixated on her and one woman said what they seemed to all be thinking. “Oh, great. Another one.”
    “Where do I put my bag?”
    The spokesperson for the group gestured down a hall. “The door will open for you when you approach. Watch for the light to warm up.”
    Silari nodded with a jerky motion and walked down the hall that had been pointed out to her.
    The doors all had small lights above them and as she walked, the door at the end of the hall began to glow. Silari headed to her room with relief and was stunned to see the panoramic view that took up the entire corner of the chamber.
    If the other women knew that she had this view, their attitude was far more understandable. It was a room to kill for.
    Silari unpacked her ship suits and coveralls before she explored her room. There was a lav, a wide bed with crisp sheets and a small entertainment unit, as well as a low couch and table. It was perfectly comfortable, but there was no food dispenser, so she had to join the others if she was to have any sort of sustenance.
    She checked her reflection out in the mirror of the lav and as soon as her cuffs hid all traces of her scars, she walked back to the common area to face the rest of the two dozen.
    She could only name about half the races of women that were sitting around on couches and drinking either tea or wine.
    “Good afternoon, ladies.” She kept her voice blank and calm.
    The woman who had spoken