The Unveiling (D'Shar Men)

Chapter Eleven



Bastien gave up on sleep around nine. He couldn’t get the thought of Rivka and all the pain she must've experienced because of his decision to undergo The Purge. Back then he'd been young and self-centered. He'd never once thought about the person out there waiting for him. How do you fix that? He was already emotional dysfunctional. He'd sacrificed his chances at a normal life for the greater good and received this? Why? What could he have done to make his energy so bad? His people were huge believers in energy; if you sent good out it came back, same with bad. So what the hell happened to him?

The world around him seemed duller, his mood lagged, and guilt dogged his every step. How could one person bring him to his knees? He dressed in a pair of black jeans, a Metallica t-shirt, black Converse, and headed down the hall to talk to Mars. He was the only one who knew he'd entered The Wanting. Phelan had enough to deal with. He wouldn’t ruin this moment. He knocked on the door. Strange, coming to baby brother like this. The door swung open to reveal Mars still clad in a pair of flannel pajamas and a gray t-shirt.

"Oh, you do not look well at all. This isn't the look I was expecting you to be wearing this morning," Mars said. He stepped back and waved him in.

"Yeah, me either," Bastien said. He sank down into the brown suede couch on the other side of the room where Fringe was playing on the big screen television. Mars sat across from him in a Lazy Boy made of the same material.

"Tell Dr. Mars what happened," he said.

"Ass," he said with a snort.

Mars laughed.

"Hey, made you smile, didn't it? What's going on, bro? You look like someone ran over your vernth." He shook his head at the mention of the Shar version of a dog.

"She hates my guts."

"How is that possible? You've probably never spent more than fifteen minutes alone with her ever."

"She's furious about The Purge, and you know what? She has a right to be. Last night I experienced a sliver of what she's felt over the years—it was horrible, Marsden, a yawning pit of loneliness and sadness with no foreseeable end. I did that to her! How do you make up for something like that?" Mars shook his head.

"You had your eyes on a different kind of prize back then, but I know you. You get the job done, and this will be no different. You're good at strategy. This time you have to use a different set of tools."

"Mars, how the hell did you get so smart?"

"I don't know about smart, in tune with my emotions, yes. There was too much testosterone, and be a man mentality up on Tagget. Once you remove all that, you're just left with who you truly are at your core. I used to be upset with Mom and Dad for sending me here, but after talking to them I understand it. They knew our planet had started to fail and we were going to have to relocate to Earth. Sending me here was their way of easing the path for you guys. Whether you realize it or not, I'm always the go to for Earth-related things, and though I can't be sure, I think I was more suited for life here. Maybe because I was so young."

He looked at his brother with new eyes. He'd always thought of him as a slacker. But now he saw he’d simply chosen a different path, one they'd all been dependent upon. He was an integral part of adapting to life here.

"You just schooled me."

Mars burst into laughter. "Did you just use that phrase? Holy shit, we've been spending too much time together."

"Wasn't that the proper way to use it?" Bastien asked.

"Technically, yes, but it doesn’t sound right coming from you." Mars wiped the tears away from his eyes as his laughter ebbed.

"Look, we have to come up with a plan of attack and get started. You need a crash course on women, a subject that happens to be my specialty." Mars flashed a huge grin, and Bastien shook his head. If nothing else he was in a much better mood.

"I don't need a lesson on all women, just one."

"True, but we can teach you the basics. ‘Cause right now you're a blank canvas, and clueless is not a good look on you."

"Don’t pull any punches, do you?"

"You can take it."

"You're supposed to be making me feel better," he said.

"Aren't you?"

"Yes, you smug bastard."

"You know we don't coddle in this family. Save that for Rivka." Bastien tossed a pillow, chuckling when it nailed his unsuspecting brother in the face. "You come to me for help, and this is the thanks I get?"

"It made me feel better." Bastien shrugged.

"Good, that was the point. Now we need to do some recon."

"On women?" he asked, lost.

"No, on Rivka. We know what she does, but we don't know anything about the woman—at least I don't. Do you?"

"No," Bastien said. Why hadn't he thought of this?

"Let's get our laptops and head downstairs to get some food. I'm starving, and this might take a while. I doubt she does interviews for People magazine, so we'll really have to search."

"We should call Kade," Bastien said.

"He might be working in the lab. He's been overseeing the search for the chemical compound,” Mars said.

"I'll hunt him down, and we'll meet you in the kitchen."

"Good deal." Mars walked him to the door, and Bastien paused. "Thanks, Mars."

"I'm happy to be able to help you for once. Seems like we always ask you. I know it's part of your job description, but it's got to be exhausting nonetheless. Truth be told, I'm glad to see you with your mate. She'll make you happy, and you deserve that after all the years of selfless service and sacrifice. I know your shoulders are broad, but they could use a break."


His throat closed, and he proceeded down the hallway, unable to speak around the lump that had formed. In the beginning he hadn't been given a choice about what he wanted to do with his life. When he looked back he knew he wouldn’t have had it any other way. A few minutes later he pulled out his phone and called Kade.

"Hey Bast, what's up?"

"Ran into a problem I could really use your help with. What are you up to right now?"

"In the labs."

"Can you get away?"

"Yeah, you want to meet me down here? I'm waiting on some test results coming up in a few minutes."

"Yeah, I'm on my way now."

"See you when you get here."

They disconnected, and Bastien made his way to the bottom floor of the house. He nodded to the workers he passed. His skin crawled at the sight of the army of men and women in lab coats. He found Kade clad in a white lab coat and a pair of pale blue-green scrubs. His head was down as he studied the print outs in his hand in the middle of the research office. Bastien knocked.

"Hey, come on in," Kade said.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Bastien asked, perching on the edge of the desk in front of him.

"No, something's still missing. I've been thinking of going undercover and taking a trip to Branzor."

"Why?" Bastien asked.

"I think that's where Tavel’s source is coming from. I need fresh specimens and the chance to talk to locals. He may be using something not commonly known. It's my best guess as to why we haven't been able to recreate the things we've found. I'll need to put together a team for the expedition, and speed up all the paper work and red tape they'll want to toss our way."

"Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this?" Bastien asked.

"I've been trying to narrow down the variables to make sure what I've been thinking is feasible. We've tried everything I can think of as well as the police forensics. It's time to get together a team and do what needs to be done. With the wedding a few weeks away I want to keep this between us."

"Looks like we all have secrets," Bastien mumbled. Kade raised an eyebrow.

"Does that cryptic statement have anything to do with why you’re here?”

"Yes. I didn't want to say anything, but I found my mate.”

"What!" Kade shut the door with his powers. "Who? When?"

"Rivka."

Kade's jaw dropped. "Whoa."

"Yeah, well, you think you're shocked."

"How though? You've been around her before—you took The Purge."

Bastien nodded.

"Damn. I wonder how long it's been disintegrating." A thoughtful look appeared on Kade's face.

“Hey, stick to one project at a time, scientist," Bastien said.

"Sorry, you know how my mind works."

"I do."

"I should've guessed. We all figured you were loosening up because you were around family and away from the solitary life that comes with being in the military." Kade shook his head. "Why are you telling me now?"

"So you don't think I'm a stalker when I ask you to look up information on Rivka," Bastien said.

"Yeah, that would've been awkward without knowing why. Does anyone else know?"

"Mars, but he guessed. He's going to meet us in the kitchen with his laptop. Phelan's got some meetings so we won't have to worry about him interrupting us."

"I'm not surprised. Mars is a lot more observant than most people give him credit for."

"It's true," Bastien said.

"Let me duck into the bathroom to get changed and we can head out."

Thirty minutes later, Bastien was no closer to learning who Rivka was or what she wanted. Short of hacking into her personal computer, there wasn't much available about who she was as a person. Frustrated and stuck where he’d started, they decided to pack in the computers for the day.

"Looks like you're going to have to start from scratch," Kade said.

"How do I do that? When most people meet it's at least a clean slate," Bastien said.

"Which is why you have to convince her the person you are now is worth forgiving for what you did when you had no emotions."

"How do I do that?" Bastien asked.

"That's what we're working on figuring out. I can only imagine as a Star Maiden, material items don’t mean much."

"Then what does she want? ‘Cause I'm pretty sure everything I read said, flowers, jewelry, and nice restaurants. I got that much."

"Good to know you've been reading up, but you have a different kind of mate," Mars said. Failure loomed overhead like a massive storm barreling in toward him with one hundred mile an hour winds. Never one to go down without one hell of a fight he gritted his teeth.

"So where do I start?"

"A date?" Kade suggested.

"It's too early for labels. How about a meeting? Keep it neutral and be honest," Mars suggested.

"Like two friends headed out," Kade added.

"Exactly!" Mars said.

He looked from one to the other, wondering who had taught Kade anything about dating. He seemed so wrapped up in his work it was hard to imagine him out with a woman. Kade smirked.

"Just because I'm quiet about my personal life doesn't mean I don't have one," Kade said.

"Oh really?" Mars said.

"A gentleman doesn’t gossip," Kade said, shrugging.

"Right now I can't even call her up," Bastien said.

"Might be a good thing," Mars mumbled.

"Helping, not antagonizing," Bastien said through gritted teeth. He growled low in his throat.

"Look, it's going to be a painful process either way you look at it," Kade said. "Going from not feeling much to this is like jumping into freezing cold water, a shock to your system and uncomfortable as hell."

"Thanks, Billy Nye," Mars said.

"Who?" Bastien and Kade asked at the same time.

"The science guy—no, doesn’t ring a bell? Jeez." Mars shook his head.

Bastien snorted. "I'm starting to feel like we need to limit your television watching, Marsden."

At the end of the day Bastien knew he was still waiting, but now at least he wasn't alone.