Etterian Battleship, Phoenix

Communications Room

12254 Years, 5th Month

"What has you so irritable?" Oyaz asked his Supreme Commander Xan. The male was unpleasant today, to say the least. After all the diversions he had partaken within the last week, this expression should not be on his battle-bond's face.

Xan's dark blue gaze shot up to meet Oyaz's. He grunted, acknowledging his irritability and the question. "I regret you did not meet them, Oyaz," he mumbled as he tossed his data tablet onto the table. He rose to his six-foot-six height and stood behind Pilot Msar, staring into the large display vids that projected the passing stars.

"Are you referring to the Earthian females, Supreme Commander?" Msar glanced at Xan before breaking eye contact.

If it was possible, Xan's expression darkened.

"You have the comm, Pilot Msar." Oyaz gestured to Xan to follow. "We will spar. Expenditure of energy is required for such a situation."

"And what situation would this be?" Xan trailed along the narrow passage, his shoulders wide enough to touch the sides.

"Dealing with the encroaching void." Oyaz's words were met with silence. He had hoped it wasn't true, not yet. "How bad is it?"

"I am fine. I am far from being Remi," Xan growled, his scrunched face conveying how displeased he was to have such a discussion.

Oyaz snorted. Remi was the Base Commander of Aluna, their northernmost base on the planet Gikaet—once a perpetual war zone. A four-year service on Gikaet served as a rite of passage for all Etterian males. Older than Xan, and yet, Remi managed to ward off the darkness consuming his soul. Why was Xan struggling then?

"You did not see them. You did not touch them," Xan roared.

Oyaz frowned. "You said they were like damu in size, Xan."

"Their size does not concern me." Xan sighed, turned in the quiet passage, and leaned against the bulkhead.

"I have seen the image of the one they call Lady Ava," Oyaz spoke into the silence. "She is beautiful," he admitted before breaking into a grin. In the sensual garments she had worn, even a six-eyed, twelve-tentacled Algri would have looked attractive.

"And she was gentle, soft-skinned, kind..." Xan activated his O.D.I. calling up an image of Lady Ava—a black-haired, green-eyed Earthian female. She was partially covered, with strips of transparent and colorful fabric. The image switched to another Earthian female who battled a sogair in the Yithian Arena. The snarling, razor-toothed, sharp-clawed, blood-red creature with incredible speed and agility, landed on top of the pale-haired female.

"So, this irritability is because you want a Dar Eth?" Oyaz arched a brow at his bond whose bronze skin darkened. Whether in embarrassment or anger, Oyaz didn't know. "You do know that finding your Dar Eth is impossible—?"

"Of course I know that. But three, in as many months? All human?"

"Human? Not Earthian?" Oyaz paused as his O.D.I. fluttered his eyelashes, flashing images of humans in all shapes and sizes. His breath hitched. Their coloring varied, whereas Etterians were all bronze-skinned and dark-haired.

Xan ignored him and strode to the common.

Oyaz could not fault Xan's irritability. He too yearned to find his life force, his true mate, the female to spark the Ethera within him and thus cease the growing void in his soul. Regardless, Etterian males had to remain resolute for the survival of their race. They were allowed emotions until the age of four. After which, they learned unarmed combat and self-control to restrain their baser instincts. They trained, continually, exercised control in all situations, including the one he now found himself in.

"You do not like your eye color is what you are saying," he teased. When an Etterian experienced the Ethera, their eyes reverted from indigo to the color at birth—a pale blue. The change served as a physical manifestation of the Ethera's presence. It was also said to be excruciating. Emotions, stored from their youngin-days coursed through their bodies, renewing neural paths along their brains and hearts.

"Alodon's balls, Oyaz, I would take a female over my eye color." Xan stomped to the weapons bulkhead, his jerky movements angry, frustrated, determined. It did not surprise Oyaz when their males dove out of their supreme commander's path.

"No, not the spears of agility," Oyaz called as Xan removed the blinding-white stone spears from the bulkhead and tossed him one. "Last time, I nearly lost an eye." He caught the heavy weapon in mid-flight. The slap of the haft hitting his palm echoed through the common.

"It would have grown back." Xan chuckled as he marched to the center of the common, where the large sparring mat was embedded in the floor.

"After a few weeks of blindness." Oyaz scowled as he spun the spear in one hand to test its balance. "I do not understand why you insist on improving this skill."

"It is your weakest." Xan launched an attack.

Oyaz dodged the thrusts and lunges. Xan kept him on the defensive. He dodge-rolled past Xan and kicked him in the backside. The male didn't budge an inch. Oyaz huffed and sidled toward the weapons bulkhead. He tossed Xan his spear and took two more from the wall.

"Truth?" Xan taunted.

Oyaz gritted his teeth. When he had suggested sparring, he had meant unarmed combat as it exerted the most energy. Having his backside handed to him had not been the plan.

With a spear in each hand, he spun them around his body while lunging toward Xan with each rotation. His supreme commander dropped to his knees and thrust upward to strike Oyaz in the center of his chest, spinning the spear at the last minute so that the butt hit him. Oyaz grunted and ignored the throbbing to flip backward, crossing his spears as a shield. He landed on his feet and dropped into a defensive stance, one spear in front of him, the other over his head, both aimed at Xan.

"You are improving, youngin." The almost imperceptible twitch of Xan's mouth eased the burden on Oyaz's shoulders. At least his irritability had faded. Sparring was the only thing that seemed to raise Xan's spirits.

"Baiting me, Xan? Are you concerned? Nervous?" Oyaz offered an arrogant grin.

"Are you on the attack, or are you planning to stand there and look at my handsome face?" Xan asked, calling forth a few chuckles from their avid audience. Their males stomped their feet in encouragement, their gazes fixed.

Oyaz tossed his spears at Xan and launched himself into the air, colliding with his battle-bond's torso to take him to the floor. His body slamming into Xan's should have winded his supreme commander, but it didn't. Xan hit Oyaz with a hammer fist to the back of his neck. He grunted as his hold loosened. He couldn't help but smile when Xan tossed him into the air, then yanked him onto the mat. His battle-bond's laughter was worth the pain Oyaz would be in for the remainder of the day.