“I was dealing with a critical situation,” Belor said, finally sounding a little defensive.
Miran’s voice was respectful but firm. “I understand, but if you had been listening, you might have realized how complicated the situation was and how much expertise Nova had to share. She spent her entire life learning about many species’ customs. That kind of knowledge can’t be summarized in a few minutes, especially when there are so many nuances. When Nova snuck onto Hisum and Cifon’s ship, she wasn’t trying to be troublesome. She saw a problem and knew she could help. After you get our report, you’ll realize that she acted like an ambassador. She didn’t stand aside as an advisor, she took over and made sure the meeting was a success.”
The last of the anger drained out of Belor. “She did?” He pulled in a deep breath and moved his gaze to her. She shrank back, intimidated by him even though he wasn’t yelling any longer.
His face turned tragic when she did that. “I owe you so much more than an apology," he said, taking a step back. “I owe you a debt of honor.”
A murmur of approval went through the men around them at his words.
“You’re the first person who’s ever yelled at me in anger. Not even a customer has ever yelled at me.”
She was shocked that those words came out of her mouth. Why had she said that? Shouldn’t she just accept his apology and move on?
Except she couldn’t do that. If these were her new people, they needed to know they couldn’t treat her that way.
“There is no excuse for unleashing my temper,” he said. “None of us have been getting enough sleep, and it feels like we’ve been doing nothing but dealing with attacks and emergencies. That means I should've been more willing to accept your help instead of dismissing you. We’re all in danger everyday now that the Kaklan’s have declared war. It’s foolish of me to set aside anyone with skills.”
Belor slowly sank down to his knees and bowed his head. “Someday I hope you can forgive my actions. Please don’t punish Miran for what I did.”
There were more murmurs of approval. She looked up at Miran, unsure what to do, when someone offered her a giant knife that might as well have been a sword.
“It is your right to strike a blow,” the male informed her.
“No!” Nova said, then spoke to Belor. “Get up! Get up right now. I don’t know much about Hissa customs, but I don’t like this at all.”
As she commanded, he rose to his feet, but kept his head bowed. “How can I make amends?”
“Make me your primary diplomat,” she snarked. She meant it as a way to break the tension, but Belor lifted his head and pinned her with an intense stare.
“Yes, I’ll send the paperwork to Hissa that you’re the Adrent’s official ambassador for all inter-species relations. Miran can show you how to access our systems and Hisum and Cifon can show you how to fill out a formal report. Welcome aboard, Ambassador Nova. I’m overjoyed and proud to have you serving on my ship.”
Before she could say anything, an alarm sounded. “Sir, there’s an issue with one of the gunships. They need to be towed back. Who should we send out?”
Nova saw an exhausted expression cross Belor’s face before he straightened his shoulders, gave her a last nod, and walked off, barking orders as he went.
All the Hissa that had gathered to defend her rushed off to do their jobs because they were still on a ship that barely had enough crew and were towing another broken ship full of precious children.
“What can I do to help?” she asked Miran as men hurried all around them.
“Let’s find a place to monitor the comm links,” Miran said, leading her out of the busy bay. “That way you can be ready to advise or take over if the Diniki contact us.”
“Right, I can do that,” she said, feeling confident again.
Miran paused outside the hangar, turned to her, and grinned. “I know you can, Ambassador Nova. No one will ever doubt you again.”
Those words were almost as precious as his declaration of love!
***
Five days later and a comfortable distance from Tulsin I and the troublesome Diniki
Nova
“Vi-vi!” a small hand tapped her face. “Vi-vi, wakes up. Wakes up!”
Nova woke up with a smile, opening her eyes to find many little faces staring down at her. She must’ve dozed off while telling the kids a story.
When she wasn’t writing down all the nuances of dealing with various species, she was on the Assist, reading stories or telling the kids about working for the circus. The problem was that the Hissa had made the reading corner so comfortable that this wasn’t the first time she’d fallen asleep. A look around showed her that one of the kids was still sound asleep.
