A Warrior's Heart: Marastin Dow Warriors Book 1

Chapter 3

Hanine Marquette frowned and glanced around her work area. Except for the one item that was not there just minutes before, it was exactly as she had left it. Her office, if she could call it that, was in a small room with nothing more than the computer monitoring system and a chair. She worked as a programmer and was damn good at what she did. In fact, she was much better than what her commanding officers were aware of which was just what she wanted.

She might be assigned as a lowly Engineering Programmer Third Class but she was much more skilled than her peers. She learned early in her career that when others underestimated who you were and what you could do, they became sloppy. They talked too much and they ignored her when she was around. They also left her alone in her little room where she was supposed to monitor the ship's systems.

They had no idea that she wrote a program that would allow her to take over the entire warship if she wanted. They also had no idea that she developed other programming scripts that could shut down systems and shield her and her sister's movements. She was currently working on a device that would allow her to teleport short distances undetected.

No, what was bothering her right now was the small item on her desk. It, and the dozens of others she found, appeared only when she was on duty. She normally took small breaks only to relieve herself or to do the hourly checks that were required in the other room. It didn't matter how often she tried to vary the times, the small items 'magically' appeared. She even found a few on her bunk in her personal quarters.

She was frustrated because she had set up surveillance equipment to monitor who came and went out of the room. So far, she was unable to capture anyone who was not assigned to the area.

Even the system she set up for their private quarters showed that no one enter the room but her and Evetta. She had specifically programmed the door so that no one else could enter except for them and she changed the password every few days.

"Where are these coming from?" She murmured under her breath.

Hanine carefully turned the delicate shape in her hand. This one was in the shape of a soft pink flying creature. The intricately folded creature was made of the same material as the rest of them. It was made of cloth fibers that were mixed, rolled flat and then dried. She did an analysis of one when they first started appearing several months before.

She carefully unfolded the creature. She hated destroying it, but she was curious when she saw the hint of a printed letter on the tip of one wing. Making sure she didn't tear the material, she sank down into her chair and worked at unraveling the form. Soon she was able to read the message written on the creased square.

Can I keep you? Forever?

Hanine's breath caught at the simple words. Her fingers trembled as she carefully traced them. She bit her lip to keep the smile from showing. Whoever was doing this was driving her crazy with curiosity.

"Who are you?" She whispered with a shake of her head. "How are you able to sneak past my sensors?"

*.*.*

Aaron Cooper lay back in the vent above the desk of the woman he had been dreaming about ever since he saw her while he was working in one of the maintenance shafts four months ago. He fell in love with her the moment she rolled her beautiful dark eyes at the two women calling her names.

His lips curled into a grin as he remembered her face when the two women turned away. She stuck her tongue out and made a face before returning to her work. It was obvious she couldn't care less what anyone thought of her. It made him curious about her, so he began watching her.

He discovered shortly after Behr assigned him to one of the maintenance workers that it was easier to move around the ship using the maze of maintenance access tunnels. When his mentor was reassigned to another warship, Behr had suggested Aaron take over the task of maintaining the sensors and wiring. Aaron readily agreed as it allowed him access beyond the lower decks.

He bit back a chuckle when he heard her whispered words of frustration. He always loved origami. Ben gave him a book on it when he was five in the hopes of helping him learn to read. In the past four months, he created every type of animal or shape he could remember and gave them to Hanine.

Hanine. Her name is just as beautiful as she is, he thought as he remembered hearing it for the first time several months ago.

He closed his eyes and pictured her face in his mind. He wished he could touch her in real life. She had short black hair that danced around her face as she talked. She was always so animated when she was with her sister or when she didn't think anyone was watching her. He loved observing her in those unguarded moments.

She was a lighter purple than her sister. Her skin was more of a soft violet and he would bet the few credits he had that her skin was just as soft. She had a long narrow nose and soft, full lips that begged to be kissed. It was her eyes, though, that held him captive every time he saw her. They were almond-shaped and framed by the darkest lashes he had ever seen. He felt like he could drown in their dark depths.

With a sigh of regret, he heard the next crew member come in to relieve her. She would go up to the dining hall on the upper levels, get meals for her and her sister and return to their living quarters. They never ate with the other crew members. He would have just enough time to leave her another origami. This time he made a giraffe for her.

Pushing up, he silently rose to his feet and hurried away. One day he would meet her, even if it was only to watch her turn away from him in disgust. He knew he was nothing like any of the males of her species. While Behr and the others did their best to treat them as equals, Aaron knew that he and Ben would always be considered different.

Until that day, he thought, until the day she sees me, I'll be the ghost who loves her from afar.