"Jen..." Mac gave her a concerned look.
"I'm fine, Mac. I know it was bad and that if it hadn't been for Treyvon and Luol I would have died. I also know that while terrible things have happened to me, I am still blessed because of the people in my life. I have you and Nikhil, and you and Luol," Jen's gaze traveled to the two females, "but mostly I have Treyvon. So I would say anything I had to suffer was worth it to have such amazing people in my life."
With tears and laughter, the three females hugged and a bond formed between them that hadn't been there before.
"Okay, enough of this." Jen tipped her head back and wiped the tears off her face. "I need to get inside and start prepping Last Meal and then I can see about making chocolate chip cookies."
"Seriously?!!" Mac surged to her feet and started jumping up and down. "Yes. Yes. Yes," she started to chant.
"Mac," Maysa cautioned.
"What?" Mac asked looking to Maysa, but still jumping up and down.
"You are with offspring. Perhaps it would be best if you were a little less... exuberant? At least for a while."
"Oh." Mac immediately stilled. "Right. Forgot that for a minute."
Looking to Jen she was surprised to find she was still staring up. "Jen? What's wrong?"
"Is that what I think it is?" Jen asked.
"What?" Mac asked. "Where?"
"There." Jen pointed up into the branches of the Crann.
"Jen, what are you seeing?" Maysa questioned.
"I'm not sure, but I think..."
"It's a bud!" Mac exclaimed.
"A what?" Maysa asked.
"A bud!" Mac started to bounce again then forced herself to stop. "It's what happens to a tree when it comes out of dormancy. On Earth it's normally in the spring."
"Dormancy? I... I'm not sure I understand what that word means."
"It means the Crann is coming back to life," Jen told Maysa, but her eyes weren't locked on the bud but rather the broken chain that was caught on it. Climbing up onto the bench, she stretched up onto her toes trying to grasp it only to find she was way too short. Moving to the center 'V' of the Crann, she looked to Maysa. "Maysa, come give me a leg up."
"Leg up?" Maysa questioned.
"Yeah. Grabbed the bottom of my foot and help me get higher so I can climb out on that limb."
"But why would you want to do that?"
"Because there's a piece of the chain that held my rings caught on that bud. I need to get it."
It took a few moments and a couple failed attempts, but Maysa was finally able to boost Jen up high enough for her to settle into the 'V' at the top of the trunk where the five thick branches veered off from. Lying down on her stomach, her legs straddling the branch that grew toward the newly discovered path, she worked her way out on it. When she was close enough, she reached out and carefully removed the chain, making sure not to harm the tiny bud. Looking at it, she frowned.
"Jennifer! What in the name of the Goddess do you think you are doing?!!"
Treyvon's roar caused her to lose her grip on the Crann as she jerked back in surprise, and with a small cry, felt herself start to fall.
• • • • • •
Treyvon simply stared for several long moments. On the outside, he was the Supreme Commander; hard, cold, expressionless, and feared.
On the inside, he was a male whose True Mate had been attacked and he was a boiling caldron of rage that wanted to pummel and kill the male responsible.
"Stand, Parlan Spada," Nikhil ordered from where he stood a step behind and to the side of the Supreme Commander.
Spada slowly rose from the floor, glaring at them. His injuries had been left untreated but they were healing and the bruises were fading.
"Elite Warrior Parlan Spada," Spada corrected defiantly.
Treyvon's gaze traveled over Spada noticing how low his beads now hung on his braids. It seems Liron was right, there were those that would manipulate their beads by removing, cleaning, and replacing them daily so they remained high on their braids.
And Spada was one of them.
An Elite Warrior.
One he had given that honor to.
"No, you are not. I've spoken with the Emperor and he agrees you need to be stripped of your rank."
"He can't do that!"
"He is the Emperor. You are an Elite Warrior only by his discretion."
"He has to personally remove my rank."
"Yes, and he will do so upon his arrival."
"He is coming here?" Spada paled. He thought he would have more time. He hadn't even been able to contact Minister Stepney yet. "To Pontus?"
"Yes. Now, tell me about your communications."
"My communications?" Spada asked making a mockery of his attempt at appearing confused. Then he began to sweat when Treyvon's gaze just continued to glow at him. "I... I send comms to many."
"Who?"
"I... well, my manno and mother, of course, and my relative Minister Stepney. Then there are my multitude of friends; high ranking, powerful friends."
"Nikhil?" Treyvon questioned as his gaze remained on Spada.
"Since our arrival on Pontus, Spada has communicated with his manno three times, Minister Stepney once, and Colleen Rachana Klueh over one-hundred times. There have been no other communications."
"Not even to his mother as he claims?"
"No, General," Nikhil confirmed. "And might I add the communications with Colleen Rachana Klueh began shortly before the first Zaludian attack on this base and completely ceased once she was on the Monarch."
"Understood. Explain, Spada."
"Explain what?"
"The communications."
"It is not a crime to communicate with a female."
"No, but the timing is curious. Especially your lack of communication when she was with the Emperor."
"She wasn't responding."
"You sent her nothing to respond to," Nikhil spoke. "As if you knew she would be arriving."
"Of course I knew."
"She told you she was traveling with the Emperor?"
"Of course."
"That they were coming to Pontus?"
"Yes, so you see..."
"I see, that both you and Rachana have endangered the life of the Emperor."
"What?!! No! I'd never do such a thing!" But Treyvon heard the lie in his voice and in how Spada's gaze shifted away from his.
"I don't believe you, Spada. I believe you have conspired against your Emperor, that you are responsible for the deaths of innocents and of your fellow warriors."
"I have done nothing wrong!" Spada shouted and Treyvon's head snapped back slightly as the words hit him.
"Exactly what Chancellor Aadi Rayner claimed when confronted with his crimes, and both of us know what that untruth cost us all." With that, Treyvon spun on his heel and left a pale and shaking Spada behind.
"I want a report on all Rachana's communications for the last...” Treyvon paused for a moment wondering how far back this really went. "year. More if you find anything suspicious."
"That might be difficult to do with her manno being a Minister."
Treyvon understood what Nikhil was saying. While accessing Spada's communication log was easy, as he was under Treyvon’s command, a Minister's and their family’s communications had extra security. "Liron has already given me his permission and transmitted the security codes needed to execute his demand to 'Rid his Empire of this evil no matter who it is'."
"Yes, General. I'll get started on it immediately."
"Let's go find our True Mates first and enjoy our Mid-day meal, for I feel what we are going to find will be very distasteful."
"As our Last Meals were before your Jennifer showed us the errors of our ways."
"Yes." Treyvon smiled at that, letting the ugliness of Spada drain away. For it was truth, his Jennifer had shown them the error of their ways in the most enjoyable of ways, and he wasn't just thinking of the meals she created.
• • • • •
•
"Jennifer! What in the name of the Goddess do you think you are doing?!!" Treyvon roared as he saw her high up in the Crann. His heart nearly stopped when she started to fall. Using all his power and speed, he was immediately there wrapping his arms around her dangling legs as she tried to hang on to the branch. "Let go, my love, I have you."
Jen let go of the branch then twisted so she could wrap her arms around his neck as he slowly lowered her down his body.
"What did you think you were doing?" he repeated gruffly, finding he couldn't let go of her, not after seeing her dangling there.
"I think I found it, Treyvon," she told him.
"Found what?" he demanded. "What could be so important that you would risk yourself like that?"
"This." She held the broken chain up in front of his face.
Treyvon's gaze locked onto the chain. "Is that..."
"Yes, it’s the chain that held my rings."
"Your rings?" he asked.
"No, I doubt they survived the storm, but that's okay," she quickly told him seeing his concern. "They are the past and we are the future."
Treyvon's gaze searched hers and finding only truth and love there, nodded then slowly put her on her feet and took the chain from her to study.
"It's been altered," she told him quietly.
"It has?" he questioned.
"Yes, here at the clasp." She pointed to the area she was talking about and the very small black jewel. "It was never there before."
"It wasn't?"
"No."
"Nikhil!"
"Yes, General." Nikhil immediately moved from Mac, who he'd been checking on, to his side
"It seems we will not be sharing Midday meal with our True Mates. We need to have this examined."
"Yes, General."
"We'll see you at Last Meal then," Jen said and after giving him a quick kiss, stepped out of his arms. "Go see what that is. I don't want there to be any more attacks, especially not when things are starting to grow on Pontus again."
Her words stopped both Nikhil and Treyvon in their tracks as they turned to leave and had both of them turning to look at her in shock.
"What did you just say?" Treyvon asked.
"Look up." Jen pointed to the branch she had been hanging from and the tiny green bud that was still there.
"Is that..."
"Yes," Mac told him. "It's a bud. Soon it will grow and become a leaf. The Crann is reawakening."
"There is life on Pontus again." Treyvon couldn't believe it. It was something that even with all the amazing things that had been happening, he hadn't believed possible. Grabbing up his Jennifer, he gave her a long, deep kiss.
Chapter Thirty-Five
"Repeat that, General?" Liron ordered has his fingers dug into the arms of the chair he sat in on the Monarch.
"The Crann is starting to bud. Life is returning to Pontus."
Treyvon's image, that filled Liron's screen, was filled with just as much awe, disbelief, and hope as Liron knew his was.
"Truth?" Liron found himself asking again.
"Truth," Treyvon reassured him, knowing just how incredible this was to hear. "Nikhil's True Mate, Mackenzie, is re-inspecting the gairdín to see if it has spread to the planting beds."
"Re-inspecting?"
"Yes, Mackenzie and Jennifer took it upon themselves to search the gairdín earlier in the hope of finding Jennifer's rings."
"I take it the search was not successful."
"For the rings, no, but Jennifer found this." He held up the broken chain for Liron to see.
"Is that the chain that the rings were on?"
"Yes, and Jennifer says it has been altered." Treyvon enlarged the image so Liron could see the small, black jewel that had been added.
"It's a transmitter?"
"Yes, and we've analyzed it. It's Zaludian."
"Zaludian..."
"I have Nikhil compiling all the communications and transmissions of Rachana," Treyvon informed him.
"You believe she is involved in this."
"Yes. She cares only about her own wants and needs and will do anything to obtain them."
"Is that the opinion of the Supreme Commander or the male she once shared her friendship with?"
"Both."
"What do you expect to find?"
"Communications between her and the Zaludians."
"Not between her and Spada?"
"We already have those, from Spada's communications. But those communications only began after the human survivors were found and brought to the base. All this started long before that."
"Tell me why you believe that."
"Because of this." Treyvon held up the chain again. "Jennifer was injured when it was taken from her first Dasho. Those injuries were fully healed when we found them. According to Luol, that would take a minimum of three moon cycles, most likely four."
Liron was silent for several moments, mulling over what his friend and most trusted advisor had told him. There were those within his Empire that were conspiring against him. Perhaps even trying to assassinate him. And for what? More credits? More food? It reeked so much of Aadi that it turned his stomach. He would not allow such treachery, such evil, to fester and grow. Not while he was Emperor.
"Do whatever is necessary and get to the bottom of this, Treyvon. I want everyone involved."
"Understood. That means I will also be investigating Minister Klueh’s communications."
"I will expect to hear of his outrage then."
"I'm sure he will express it quite loudly."
"Doesn't matter," Liron waved his hand dismissively. "If he is involved, he will answer for it. Now on to other things. I had the luciferins you collected tested and there was nothing to indicate they could do as Jennifer suggested."
"Perhaps it was just for them. For their survival," Treyvon murmured.
"What was that, Treyvon?"
"Nothing. I will let Jennifer know your findings, but I doubt it will change her belief."
"This is truth. Your Jennifer is an unusually stubborn female."
"She needed to be to survive."
"This is truth too. Please tell her I am looking forward to finally getting to taste some of her food at tomorrow's Last Meal."
Treyvon's eyes widened for a moment. He had forgotten that Liron hadn't yet gotten to taste one of Jennifer's meals. The one she made had been ruined by the Zaludian attack, and by the time she'd healed enough to return to the kitchen, Liron had left.
"I will. I will also have her make brownies for you."
"Brownies?" Liron frowned at him in confusion.
"Something you have to try to believe. But be prepared, you may have to fight to get more than one." Treyvon found himself laughing at Liron's disbelief. "Believe me, Liron, you will understand once you taste them."
• • • • • •
Jen found herself in a time crunch when she finally got back to the kitchen. Mac had wanted to stay in the gairdín and do a closer inspection of the planting beds to see if there were any signs of growth there. Maysa had agreed to stay with her, stating that she had yet to explore the gairdín. Jen knew that while that was true, Maysa was really staying to keep an eye on Mac. Jen was glad that Mac and Maysa were so close. She could admit she was a little jealous of it, but mostly she was glad.
But there was no way she was going to be able to make the amount of cookies needed to satisfy so many in the time she had and make Last Meal too. So instead, she made them into bars and went to work on Last Meal. Gulzar hadn't been able to help today. He and all the other warriors were busy putting the base back to rights.
Now, as she was carrying out the first heavy pot of beast stew, they started to enter the eating area and she was surprised at how dirty and disheveled they were.
"Jen!" Gulzar rushed to her side taking the pot from her. "What do you think you’re doing?!! That's too heavy for you to be carrying."
"Well, I won't argue that it’s heavy, but obvious
ly I can carry it."
"Well you shouldn't be," he told her and she just shook her head at how things had changed. When she'd first met Gulzar, he wouldn't have dared speak to her like that. She liked the change.
You know where to put that," she told him, then went back into the kitchen to get a tray of biscuits. Coming out, she saw the looks the warriors were giving the end of the table where she'd served the brownies the night before.
"There aren't going to be any brownies tonight, guys." She had to smile at the groans of disappointment that filled the room. "But I do have something else for you to try."
"Does it have chocolate in it?" one of the warriors asked.
"Yes." A roar of approval met the word. "Just not as much." And a groan followed. "Hey, you haven't even tried it yet. Who knows you might like them even better. Now, enjoy your beast stew and biscuits while I cut the bars and you can give me your opinion."
Jen returned to the kitchen to cut the bars, setting some aside for Maysa and Luol's, and Mac and Nikhil's trays she had prepared. Neither couple had been inclined to eat with the rest of the warriors this evening. Each having their own things to celebrate privately. She had been more than happy to take the meals to them since she would be doing it for her and Treyvon anyway.
Returning to the outer room with a tray, she watched as the warriors approached the bars quicker than the night before, but with just as much skepticism and suspicion. It made her smile.
"I didn't have time to make chocolate chip cookies, so instead I made them into bars. The dark spots you see in the bars are chunks of chocolate." She had to take a quick step back when her statement had the warriors rushing the table.
"What do you think you are doing?!!" Gulzar demanded, moving to put Jen behind him. "You dare attack the Supreme Commander's True Mate?!!"
That statement had every Warrior freezing before retreating.
"Gulzar, you know they weren't attacking me." She stepped out from behind him.
"They frightened you," Gulzar growled.
"Perhaps, but they are completely different things." She gave the warriors an encouraging smile. "Come on, guys, I know you would never hurt me. You were just excited. Now I would like you all to try this so I know if I should make them again."
Much more slowly, the warriors approached again. Nroa and Onp stepping up first, the rest forming a line behind them. It wasn't long before she heard the faint hum of their enjoyment and knew these were a hit too.