Free Astral by Viola Grace Page B

orange mist.
    She lay back and panted as her mind and body struggled to reconnect. Her fish flipped and twisted in the air above her head, his red colour turning a bright blue as she watched.
    “Lights up.”
    Her heart pounded and she slowly removed her supply lines. “Well, Fish. It seems we have a visitor. Let them into the station and keep the security on my pod tight.”
    Fish flipped and disappeared while Dina struggled to free herself from the muscle fatigue that weighed on her every time she left her body.
    She stumbled free of the chair and sealed the vents on her suit, including the one at her crotch that had housed the tubes for her other functions. Her bodily functions still continued while she was out and wandering around, but without conscious control, she had to make a few concessions for duty over dignity.
    The cup of water that was set to pour automatically was blessedly cool as it ran down her parched throat and splashed around her empty stomach. Dina grabbed a ration bar and munched while the dispenser poured another glass of water.
    After two bars and five glasses of water, she felt almost coherent again. She stopped in the lav and brushed her hair and teeth before splashing her face with water.
    If the visitor was hostile, Fish would have been green. Blue meant that the visitor was Alliance affiliated and it was time to find out who had come knocking on her door.

    Chapter Two
    “Unlock the seal.” She bit her lip and watched her reflection in the polished door panel. Dina knew that her white blonde hair was startling, as were her powder blue eyes, but her pigments had taken a hit when she got her first round of intravenous supplements. Fortunately, it had been the only signs of her body’s shock to the invasion, but it still made her uncomfortable when she met strangers. Since she was aware of her discolouration, she felt rather obviously freakish when she met new people.
    The door slid back soundlessly to allow her into the airlock and hallway to the main station. She ran her hands down her suit, smoothing phantom wrinkles on the body-tight uniform. Fish led her through the halls to the observation deck where a man was sitting and staring out at the stars.
    “Hello. Are you waiting for me?” She blinked in shock as he turned and she took in the dark blue skin with the sparkling of stars inside.
    He was wearing a body suit similar to hers and it left nothing to the imagination. His eyes swirled with a slow pulse of liquid silver. “I believe that I am. You are Dina Markowitz of Terra, yes?”
    “I am. Who are you?”
    His smile was slow and caused her stomach to do a nervous flip that had nothing to do with the rations she had just packed in.
    “Zakkar Yelwing, Avatar of Arci. He is attempting to secure you as my bride, but I thought you might be more amenable in person. Most of the races on your world no longer engage in arranged matings.”
    She blinked and extended her hand in formal greeting out of reflex. She felt the jolt at the contact and while she was able to determine that he was a powerful psychic, there was something even stronger just under the surface.
    “What world are you from?”
    “Valoi, in the Arci cluster. My folk died out centuries ago and I am the last one left.” His smile was matched by the slow caress of his thumb on her hand.
    She swallowed and tried to keep her voice chipper. “Arci is staying quiet? From what I have heard, that is rare for a star or planet.”
    Zakkar’s smile stayed in place. “I was very firm with my star. He needs to stay aside so that your decision is made solely on your own. I have to sell myself on my own merits.”
    She tried to take her hand back and he resisted for a moment before releasing her. “You are selling yourself?”
    “Courtship, if you would. My folk didn’t engage in it, but I have been studying your customs and I believe that I have created a suitable plan.” His amusement was still in evidence.
    Apparently, he knew