Wrapped in Starlight Read Online Free Page A

her through the Citadel base. It was so much easier than running up nine flights of stairs. She passed the classrooms, the library, the fitness centre and every chamber that Balen-Zenina had sculpted from stone.
    Kiiki’s own room occupied the upper floor and the size was amazing in comparison to that of the other rooms. The light was amazing as well. Even with an overcast sky, there was still a glow from the stars above.
    Her lav was lovely, and Zenina had helped her set the temperature for the water. With her hands quivering with eagerness, she peeled off the restrictor suit and left it in a heap on the marble floor.
    The water relaxed her. She let her hair loose and scrubbed it with her fingers. Three rounds of washing it and it finally felt clean. Ten years of the restrictor suit and no need for soap in the ration kits sent in made Kiiki’s situation unpleasant. She could use her energy to repel dirt, but her skin still generated oils on her scalp and face. Finding means and methods to take a bath when there were few places in the Dome to have privacy meant that she did what she could when she could.
    The Citadel had given her the option to keep her body the way she wanted it and that, in itself, was a gift that she owed them for. She would partner with the person they assigned her to and do what she could to help those who had requested her talent.
    When she got back to Balen, her time and the energy of the sun and stars would be hers to enjoy.

Chapter Five
    Harken took shape and stood facing Olaris. He was new to Balen Base but meeting with the Base Commander was to be expected on occasion. “Yes, Commander?”
    “Would you have an objection to riding as escort and bodyguard for a Citadel member?” Olaris still had the aura of a stellar avatar even though the power no longer rippled through him every moment of every day. Saru had left his mark on Olaris, that much was certain.
    Harken cocked his head. “No, of course not. How long is the assignment?”
    Olaris smiled, “That is the thing—if you get along, this would be a permanent posting. You would not go on assignment without her, and she wouldn’t go without you.”
    Harken felt his body fuzz a little with his confusion. “What is she that she needs a permanent guardian?”
    “She is one of the new rescues from Resicor, and more importantly, she is a power source.”
    He crossed his arms. “How powerful?”
    “Ten years ago, as a frightened girl, she lit up a city for ten minutes with one touch on an amusement park ride. She then evaded capture for three days without any direct contact with her family or any friends. That was when she was a child. What do you think she is capable of now?”
    Knowing what he did about development of the average inhabitants of the Alliance, he was impressed and curious. “I will accept the assignment under the agreement that the partnership is agreed upon by both parties after the first mission.”
    Olaris nodded. “Agreed. She has insisted on the same stipulation, so it works out well.”
    “When do I meet her?” Harken was curious to see the creature that could have gotten Olaris’s interest, for the man was definitely interested in her.
    “She is getting her physical in medical. You can take her on a tour of the base and see if you two can work together.”
    The commander dismissed him with a slight smile. “Please greet our visitor properly. We don’t want her to believe that we are rude.”
    Harken turned and walked toward medical. His curiosity was up and running now. Something about this woman was unusual, that had to be certain.
    Three other Guardsmen were loitering around the door to medical, and when he increased his size and cleared his throat, they scattered like guilty children.
    He resumed his normal appearance and walked into medical with a cursory knock.
    He froze in place as the woman sitting on the medical bed pulled the Citadel robes back up over her shoulders. Her shoulders were a glowing