Eagle X, Mission 20: Quantum Bonds(Editing)

Part 11: Scott

"You probably have a concussion."

"Yeah. Hit my head pretty hard." She closed her eyes. "How do you guys know who's warrior and who's laborer? No offense, but I can't figure it out."

"Fur color, stripes, spots." Scott thought about the descriptors he took for granted. "Labor caste have no spots, no stripes, no courage. Their fur grows in dull hues, browns and tans, sometimes black."

"Color." Ivory clicked her tongue. "Sounds just like human bullshit."

"No, it's more than just color. It's bravery, skill, talent." Scott resisted the urge to shake her as she started laughing. "Labor caste kept our livestock and crops while the warrior hunted game and protected them."

"From who?"

Scott hesitated.

"Other warrior caste, I assume." She opened her eyes, and turned to him. Her gaze steady. "The separatists left Earth because, despite science to the contrary, they believed skin color determined intellect and capacity for civility."

"You don't understand. It's not the same."

"Bullshit. It's all bullshit."

Scott growled. "I liked you better before the head injury."

Ivory erupted with laughter, and after a moment Scott joined her.

"You know that guy with the raisin arm wanted them to cut your head off? The old woman stopped him, the one with the fur the same color as the female guards."

"Raisin?" Scott raised an eyebrow. The word sounded familiar.

"Ugly, wrinkled fruit."

He chuckled.

"He's terrified of you. They all are."

"Good."

"If we were on the battlefield, I'd agree, but we're in an actual dungeon." She shook her head. "It's only a matter of time before he comes for you."

"Let him come." Scott hadn't come to Jagg-Ra C to disrupt its government, but every cell in his body ached to kill the runt and end the farce he embodied.

"I doubt he'll give you a fair fight, and their tasers pack a serious punch. Clearly high voltage and R.Nano don't mix." Ivory's voice was getting stronger. "If they didn't take my arm I could get you out of here."

"Now that you mention it, how'd you get out of your cell?"

"These bars aren't meant to cage small humans. I've been going back and forth for the last few hours. I found a window I think we can use to get outside, I just need to figure out what to do about you."

"Spider was right. You are pretty useful in the field."

Scott smiled, taking in all of the small thin woman. She was brave and tough, all the hallmarks of a strong mate. He'd even begun to enjoy her scent. Scott rested his hand on her shoulder, and she leaned into him with a sigh of relief. After a moment she looked up at him.

"Your heart is racing. Please don't tell me you need another boost."

"... my heart is fine. It's ju- Someone is coming!"

He helped Ivory get to her feet, and watched as she worked her way between his bars and across the hall to her own cell. He laughed at himself. Ivory was human, no clan, no marks of valor save for a mutilated arm. She was the opposite of a proper khalyn, yet there was something there. The contradiction was alluring.

He took a deep breath, unhindered by the phantom weight on his chest, and caught the scent of two Felarnian women. The gloom retreated from the approaching footsteps. He was greeted in the form of a deep growl. He returned the hostile rumbling reflexively. Nearby a noisy portal opened, then his visitors came into view.