Free Mission Mistletoe by Jessica Payseur

C APTAIN A RCHER Pfeil was not sure who to be most pissed off at: the engineers who should have been watching everything better, the officials who decided now was the perfect time to use the new biofuel, or himself for accepting this assignment. It had wrecked enough of his life, and now it was looking like it would wreck his career too. If he couldn’t get Ambassador Ilin a’dlen Jhex where he needed to be on schedule, the repercussions would be far reaching.
    He took the ladder from the engineering level to the passengers’ quarters rather than the lift, wanting to work off some of his anger before breaking the bad news to a’dlen Jhex. Thus far the Nler’sh’eh had taken the transport issues well, but a person never could tell with aliens. Archer had heard tales of woe about Klerpians who, upon losing their temper at a perceived slight, went on to eat a vessel’s entire store of printable food weeks before the next scheduled planetary landing. As their species could enter torpor, the problem was solely a human one.
    Archer had never heard anything about Nler’sh’eh that indicated that level of rage, and a’dlen Jhex himself had been understanding and cooperative throughout. But the fact remained that the ambassador was here to make a report back to his people, and it wouldn’t be difficult for the Terrans to look completely incompetent, regardless of how a’dlen Jhex phrased it.
    “Captain,” said one of his crew as he passed in the corridor. Archer scowled. The crew member scurried along, leaving Archer to hesitate at the ambassador’s door. He did not relish having to deliver the news about this next in a series of bad incidents. But the sooner he did this, the sooner he could get to blaming everyone else in his official report. Indirectly of course.
    He raised his hand and tapped the buzzer, trying not to look too startled when the door slid open almost immediately.
    “Captain! Do come in.”
    Ilin a’dlen Jhex stood there, nearly a foot shorter than Archer, blackish eyes staring at him. He was dressed in the Nler’sh’eh formal wear for his position, gauzy folds of cloth hanging down from his shoulders to midcalf, not thick enough to conceal the tight-fitting garments underneath. Today it was shades of teal, the fabric showing off just how lean he was.
    Archer always felt uncomfortable in his presence, drawn to him. He knew it was an inappropriate reaction, given a’dlen Jhex’s ambassador status, but it was a feeling he had given up fighting. The Nler’sh’eh vaguely resembled bats, tan skin covered in most places with grayish fuzz. A’dlen Jhex’s ears were prominent, but not as prominent as many of the other Nler’sh’eh Archer had seen. And the ambassador’s lips always seemed to have a lingering hint of a smile on them.
    “If you don’t mind, Ambassador, I’ll speak here,” said Archer. It was rude, and he knew he shouldn’t be turning down an invitation from such an important person, but Archer just did not trust himself inside a’dlen Jhex’s quarters. His mind would be less on business with the knowledge that the ambassador’s bed was one room away, and his pants would become embarrassingly uncomfortable. They were already threatening to do just that, and he focused on recapturing his anger at the current situation.
    “We could walk,” said a’dlen Jhex, a suggestion Archer knew he could not turn down after refusing to enter the room.
    “Very well,” he said. “After you, Ambassador.”
    A’dlen Jhex walked so closely by Archer that the gauzy fabric brushed against him. He was wearing a complex scent that Archer could not identify. It had to be Nler’sh’eh in origin. His mind flashed briefly the image of a’dlen Jhex tilting his head, dabbing it on himself, before he pulled his mind away from the thought.
    Archer promised himself a break after this assignment. He was getting too wound up. He needed to relax.
    “You’re very quiet now, Captain Pfeil,” said