"Going to do some late night reading?" He chuckled. “Not a half bad idea to study up on them before making a decision.”
"Exactly."
"I’ll get what I can sent over to you." Then the screen winked off.
With a sigh, Zahra leaned back in her seat and felt her spine pop a couple of times.
A moment later her console emitted a soft ding. Zahra straightened and open the first file with a swipe of her finger across the surface of the smooth screen. Time to see what she could learn as fast as possible.
Chapter 4
Ding!
Zahra groaned as she lifted her head from the metal surface of her desk. She must have dozed off at some point. Squinting around her room, her mind slowly caught up with her. She’d fallen asleep while reading about the aliens… and she couldn't remember anything that she'd read. Wiping the drool from the side of her mouth, she tried to shake off the remnants of sleep that clung to her mind. With another groan, she sat up, and ran her hands through her shoulder length blonde hair.
"Hello." Zahra greeted as she answered the call on her console. She sounded half-dead, her voice gravelly. She felt certain she didn’t look the most presentable, but… eh, she didn’t really care at this moment.
"Commander." The general’s voice burst through the console, a deep timbre that shook her delicate, sleepy eardrums.
"Sir." Zahra greeted as she suddenly felt thankful the general hadn't video called her. She must look horrible. For all she knew, she might have an imprint on her face from sleeping on her desk.
"It's time for an answer." He prompted.
Time? Zahra glanced over at the time at the corner of her desk. She'd slept the entire day away. That’s what she got for staying up so late.
"Yes. My answer is... yes. I will agree to the marriage. For one year." She felt it was important to remind everyone this would only be for one year. Not only to confirm it for herself but to everyone else.
"I'll inform them of your decision.” The general’s voice perked up. “A ship will arrive this afternoon to pick youup. Onboard you will be greeted by Holly. She's a cultural anthropologist, and since we met these aliens she's been the one who’s been studying their culture."
Good. Someone who might actually remember what she read, because she barely remembered a single word. So much for trying to read the night away.
"You'll be ready?"
"I don't have much to pack, sir." Zahra waved her hand to the military room around her, and then remembered they weren’t on a video chat. She'd been staying at a military space base since they'd been rescued.
"Good. I'll meet you on the planet along with other dignitaries. We figure a wedding should be a good place to mingle.” Then she heard the general snap his fingers. "I meant to ask if you wanted any family members to witness the ceremony. We wouldn't be able to have them there physically, but we could record it."
Zahra shook her head. “No.” This might be a real wedding, but it was fake in all other aspects. There was no point to send it to anyone or bother anyone when it would be over in a year.
"We will see you there then." Then she heard the call disconnect.
"See you there." Zahra echoed to her console unsure of what she’d done.
____________________________
"I'm Holly." The short brunette smiled warmly, her long, brown hair framing her face perfectly. She stuck out her hand, and Zahra took it, shaking it briefly.
"Zahra." She replied, returning the other woman’s smile.
"Are these all your belongings?" Holly asked as her eyes skimmed over the couple of military grade bags Zahra had brought with her to the shuttle bay.
"I don't need too much." Zahra said with a casual shrug as she eyed the grey bags.
“That's fine. I know it'll end up being your husband's pleasure to provide anything you require."
"You do?” Zahra quirked a brow. "Have you met him?"
"No, but I've read up on a lot of information that they've sent, and it seems the males take pride in taking care of their women. To provide for you speaks volumes about the male.”
