Page 27 of Eclipse Bound
"Tell me about your stars," Rowan requested, settling beside him. The tease of her nearness drew his energy toward her in what humans would call a slow seduction.
Still, he waited for permission to touch her again. He saw the flush in her cheeks and the heat in her thighs.
"The star patterns visible from the Twilight Belt are unique," Eclipse confirmed. "The perpetual dusk creates conditions for continuous observation without the cycling that occurs on Earth."
He described the major formations visible from his home, using his energy stone to create small holographic representations in the space between them.
Rowan watched with fascination as miniature stars formed patterns. She reached out to pass her fingers through the tiny lights. "It must be beautiful where you’re from, always seeing the best part of the day. Do you miss it?"
"Those in the Twilight Belt have always been defined by our position between extremes," Eclipse said. "I knew my place."
"It sounds exhausting," Rowan observed, not for the first time. "Always being the one in the middle, always trying to keep the peace between opposing sides."
"It can be, particularly when both sides resist compromise. But there is more to it than diplomatic peacekeeping. Our art, our science, our culture all express this fundamental aspect of our existence. There are clear lines. I miss the familiarity of it. The simplicity. Earth is full of contradictions. Your lines blur and twist like your changing sky. I find it very confusing."
"You requested a transfer. There must be something different you were looking for," Rowan surmised, her journalist's instinct evident.
Eclipse considered his response carefully. The energy field between them continued to resonate, creating harmonics that Eclipse found increasingly difficult to ignore. The wine from dinner had introduced variables into his system, subtle alterations in his normal control parameters.
"Partly," he said. "After sixty cycles of mediating essentially the same conflicts with diminishing results, I began to question the purpose."
"You lost faith in the possibility of resolution?" Rowan asked.
"I lost faith in the methodology," Eclipse clarified. "Continued negotiation without substantive change is merely delay, not progress."
Rowan nodded, understanding. "So when this mission came up..."
"My coming on this mission wasn't my idea, but I did help plan it. This represented a different approach," Eclipse said. "And perhaps, though I did not acknowledge it at the time, an escape from the repetitive cycle."
"Only to find yourself still mediating between Solar and Lunar," Rowan noted with a small smile.
"An irony not lost on me," Eclipse agreed.
"What do you find the most confusing about Earth?" she asked, her tone low and soft.
"You." The answer was simple, honest.
"Me?" Rowan gave a small laugh of surprise.
"Yes." He nodded to emphasize his answer. "Your energy calls to me, yet you tell me to stop. Your body tells me to go to you. Your words say stop."
"Your skin-suit is deteriorating more rapidly," Rowan observed, reaching for his cheek. Her gentle touch stroked over the fake skin. "Around your eyes, especially."
Eclipse touched his face, feeling the thinning membrane. "The Earth atmosphere accelerates the breakdown of the polymers. The material was not designed for prolonged use."
"Does it hurt?" she asked.
"No. But it becomes increasingly restrictive as it degrades." He hesitated, then added, "In my natural state, my energy would flow more freely."
Rowan set down her tea and turned toward him more fully. "You can take it off, you know. I'm not afraid to see what you really look like."
Her breathing deepened, and he saw her heat signature calling to him.
The offer resonated with more meaning than the simple words could convey. Eclipse studied her expression, finding no fear or hesitation in her eyes, only genuine curiosity and something deeper, a desire for truth that reflected her fundamental nature.
"We were told our transitions can be intense for humans," he warned.
"I think we've established I'm not easily intimidated," Rowan replied with a small smile.
