Stardust And Shadows

by Janelle Taylor

  “As I do yours, Jana of Earth. Good night, my enchanting wife.”

  At starlight speed and with the planet’s current alignment and close proximity to their last stop, they reached Zamarra late the next day. It, she recalled, was the first alien world and charl auction she had experienced following her capture from Earth. It was where Varian, after their torrid two-week love affair, exposed her as his “reluctant and helpless” mistress to “spare her any repercussions from her future owner.” She didn’t want to think about those difficult and bittersweet episodes, and dismissed them.

  Zamarra was an undersea world that amazed and enthralled her. The shuttlecraft landed on a clear surface above the turquoise water. Another craft surfaced and docked at the edge of the sturdy landing pad. They took their seats in the bulletshaped seacraft of clear material. As soon as the interior conditions were at correct life-support level, the craft submerged in the watery domain. As before, Jana watched unusual plants, colorful fish, and aquatic creatures pass or be passed by them.

  The ride was fast, smooth, and quiet. No one spoke during this almost dreamy part of the journey. A massive city enclosed in various-size clear domes with offshoots spreading in several directions appeared below and left of them. The largest was the planet’s business and shopping core. Smaller ones contained residential and recreational areas that were connected to the center via above-floor surface tunnels. The seacraft approached the biggest dome. It skimmed along the outer edge of the main complex, then entered a docking area. The vehicle’s door was attached to a portal which opened to allow their entrance to the undersea wonder. Also, as before, Jana stared at the greenishblue water above them and bearing down with tremendous pressure. She could imagine the terror and destruction if those walls ever cracked or shattered, but she could not imagine living beneath the ocean every day of her life.

  As they headed for their accommodations, they walked through a setting in shades of mostly white and green. Walkways and buildings were constructed of ivory stone. Sweeping green plants decorated the landscape and provided a tropical and exotic aura. Every time she glanced upward, she was reminded that the blue “sky” overhead was composed of water, with a man-made sun and clever lighting to fake daytime. Even wispy white clouds had been added for a beautiful and realistic effect. At the proper hour, as she recalled, a manmade moon and stars did the same to supply a romantic illusion. Beyond the water’s surface, however, two moons—one appearing gold and the other silver—orbited this last planet in the Maffei star system.

  Jana knew a long evening of dinner, dancing, and entertainment was planned with Avatar Suran. She had selected her best gown for this special occasion, and she was looking forward to visiting as an elite guest, not a lowly captive slave.

  As the huge starship left Zamarra behind, Jana eyed the strange world of concealed wonders. She sighed and said, “I’ve had my most fun here. The food was delicious, the dance wonderful, the entertainment enjoyable, and the company and conversation superb. Avatar Suran is a rare gentleman and excellent host. I liked him the first time we met and he didn’t change my good opinion of him last night. I’m glad you had to make this stop.”

  “I was happy to see that you didn’t let the fact he’s the richest man in Maffei intimidate you. You’re the perfect guest and companion, Jana of Earth. You made me very proud of you last night. And speaking of Earth, that’s Anais on the horizon, the temporary colony for Earthlings.” Varian thought of his friends working there for a while: Nigel, Tristan, and Martella. He grinned as he remembered the way his best friend Nigel had spoken of Jana’s best friend from Earth during their last communication.

  Jana’s gaze followed the direction in which his finger was pointed; it located the small and dark planetoid. Suspense, sadness, and anticipation filled her at being close to her race and perhaps Andrea. “I wish we could visit there. It would be heaven to see some of my own people.”

  He spoke part of the truth first. “I’m sorry, love, but that can’t be arranged, and I haven’t found a way to smuggle a secret note in or out yet. But I’ve done the second best thing for you: Andrea McKay from Texas is there, safe and calm. She was told the truth about you, so she knows you’re safe and fine.” Then, of necessity, he lied. “When Captain Kagan called me away from you last night, it was to retrieve information about your best friend. Cass extracted it for me from a supply shuttle captain. I won’t give you the vulgar details of how that lusty vixen worked her task.”

  His sexual implication was clear, and Jana was revolted by an engaged woman’s conduct. “How did you get her to do such a risky favor for you?”

  He sent her a roguish grin that caused his green eyes to twinkle. “When I asked nicely for the favor, she refused, so I resorted to blackmail. I threatened to expose her traitorous activities if she didn’t comply.”

  Jana was astonished. “I’ll bet she’s furious with you. And with me, too. Nothing would make her angrier than to do something kind for me.”

  “You could say she’s miffed with me at this time,” he jested.

  “I’m sure ‘miffed’ is a mild word for what she’s feeling.”

  “Something could be lost in the translation with our ear devices,” he joked again. “The clever apparatus searches for the correct word in meaning and, if it doesn’t locate one in its memory bank, it uses the closest one or leaves it in the user’s language.”

  User’s language? On past occasions, untranslatable words had come out in … That meant, Ryker was speaking to her in Maffeian, not his native Androasian. Since he lived here, she guessed that wasn’t so odd, however. “Why would you risk losing that valuable source of information to do this kind gesture for me? It can cost you a priceless spy and ally.”

  “I did it to please you and win your affection. I suddenly find that you’re more important to me than her stolen secrets. With our new truce, things have settled down, so I don’t have to keep a close watch on their doings. Besides, Cass is so vain that she needs my boasting on her skills to stroke her enormous ego. And she needs certain products that I make.”

  “This is so exciting, Andrea, here, safe, and … happy of sorts.” She hugged him and thanked him several times, then kissed him.

  To cool his ignited passions, the disguised Varian laughed and changed the subject. “We’ll reach the boundary in two days, then be at Grandfather’s two days later.”

  Four days .. . The Androasian Empire . .. Kadim Maal … Her father-in-law … What, Jana fretted, would she see, feel, think, and experience in her second alien galaxy?

  Part II

  Stardust And Shadows

  As the playful Gods gather to watch mortals below, The helpless Fates warns sadly, for only they know:

  Casting out “Stardust” demands love and life;

  Fleeing its “Shadows” creates bitter strife ..

  Chapter Eight

  “You were unusually quiet last night and this morning,” Varian observed the following afternoon. “Is something troubling you, Jana?” After having been so warm and responsive, she was now distant and reserved. He worried over this new mood.

  She glanced at him with a look of remorse. “I can’t get Andrea off my mind. She’s so close and yet so far away. If I could just see her and talk with her for five minutes, I’d feel better. I’ve missed her. I’m sure she’s scared after being kidnapped, hauled to another galaxy on a spaceship, and placed on an alien colony. I know you said she was told the truth about me and the plight of Earth, but seeing each other would help both of us.”

  He realized she was telling the truth, and he was relieved. “That isn’t possible at this time, and I can’t promise it will be even possible later. If Project Starguard succeeds, the Earthlings may be returned home afterward. Hadn’t you rather that happen than her to be relocated here?”

  “Of course!” she replied in a rush. “She has family there. I didn’t,” she explained to soften the scornful tone of her voice. “But knowing she’s near makes me homesick
and sad. It reminds me of all that was taken from me because of my capture. We’re closer than most sisters, have been best friends since we were twelve years old. We shared everything. I want to see her, hug her, and talk with her, if only for five minutes.”

  “I can only imagine how you’re feeling and I’m sorry that news of Andrea has made you sad instead of happy.”

  “I am relieved she’s there. If Earth isn’t saved …”

  He clasped her hands in his for comfort. “I know. But don’t worry, I’m sure it will be. After our return home, write your message to her and give it to me. I’ll do my best to find a way to get it to her after Cass settles down and is willing to do me another favor.”

  “That bitch would only read it, laugh, and tear it up! I don’t trust her and I don’t want her knowing anything about my feelings.”

  “Are you suffering so much, Jana love? Are you so miserable with me? Your life here could be far worse. I’m doing my best to help you.”

  Their troubled gazes fused. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I meant loneliness for Andrea and my possessions, for my other friends, my horse, my home, my servants, the ranch hands, my job, all those things and people I lost. But you’re wonderful. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere or with anyone here except with you.”

  The apparent honesty of her last two sentences tormented Varian. “Your home and future are with me, Jana; I hope you believe that.”

  “I do. Please forgive this sorry mood I’m in today.”

  “I understand, so there is no need to apologize or make yourself feel worse.” He could make her feel worse if he told her that Tristan, Martella, and Nigel had been assigned to Anais now because of the outbreak of a disease and a secret attack by men from a neighboring galaxy. The story he had told her about one of her inoculations not taking had happened to the Earthlings on the colony. A medical technician had failed to include one of the serums during decontamination and inoculation processes. Illness had spread rapidly among the unprotected aliens. Fortunately, none had died and all were almost well now, thanks to Dr. Tristan Zarcoff’s skills. In addition, there was that military security problem with a ship of Zenufian slavers who had gotten wind of their presence, no doubt from Canissia Garthon. The criminals, thanks to Nigel, had been thwarted and captured. An elite security team was enroute to the colony to safeguard it after Nigel, Tris, and Martella left on the mission to the Milky Way Galaxy. Nigel was to serve as commander and Tris as doctor on one of the other starships, with Martella in charge of security on the Wanderlust. It was obvious from his best friend’s words that Nigel wanted to remain on Anais for as long as possible, getting to know Andrea McKay. Varian wished he could tell Jana that new friendship— and possibly romance—was why Andrea was so happy in her strange surroundings.

  “Do you mind if I ask?” Jana inquired when he did not respond.

  “Ask what?” he replied when she caught his strayed attention.

  “What happened during that week I can’t remember?”

  Varian came to alert and thought quickly. “We played laius several times, once for your ring, swam, took a tour of Darkar and the research complex, rode esprees twice, talked about our pasts and a great many other things of interest, made plans for our future, spoke of eventually having children, and …”

  “And what? Why did you halt? Please continue. I need to know.”

  “We agreed to take our relationship slowly while we got to know each other. We decided it would help if we didn’t rush things. Since your illness and recovery, we’ve gotten carried away because we both needed affection, reassurance, and hope. It might be wise to slow down again so we’ll have a better chance of getting closer without the pressure of intimacy. Besides, we don’t have to make love every time we hug or kiss. We need to be friends first, Jana.”

  She warmed to his kindness and patience. She smiled. “The old strategy of appreciating and wanting something more if one has to wait and work hard for it?”

  “That’s an excellent description and a good theory. It probably works.”

  She laughed and suggested, “By all means, Ryker, let’s try it as an experiment. Think of the new experiences and fun we’ll have pursuing each other.”

  Varian assumed she was behaving this lighthearted way because she was relieved to have any sexual pressure taken off her. He warmed and relaxed, too. “So, I have a stimulating adventuress for a wife.”

  Jana fluffed his blond hair and grinned. “Why not? Before coming here, most of my time was spent in classes, on long hours of studying to become the best researcher possible, and working in labs with specimens, usually alone. All that solitary time got me into a bad habit of talking to the animals and to myself. Perhaps I did it to hear a human voice in so much silence or to impress facts into my head. I remember one of my grammar school teachers telling us that saying things aloud helped us learn faster and better than just reading silently. Many friends and co-workers have teased me about that weird habit. I have another bad flaw, which is analyzing things to death. I think I’d be better off if I accepted things and people at face value rather than delving too deeply into the whys and wherefores of everything.”

  “Those aren’t flaws, Jana; they’re results of having a scientific and probing mind. I do the same, but we aren’t crazy or … weird, wasn’t it?”

  They shared laughter as each recalled how many times she had been overheard on the Wanderlust monitor in her captive’s quarters while talking to herself. Jana even remembered telling Mon Spectre, as she called the security control officer, that she must break the habit. And she had done so, except during stressful situations when the weakness resurfaced. “I got us off our subject with idle chatter. Where was I? Oh, yes. It’s past time for me to get out and taste life, to pick a few forbidden fruits and sample them. I haven’t taken many risks or faced awesome challenges.”

  “I didn’t mean for us to live life on the edge of a slippery cliff.”

  “If I fall, I’ll have you there to pick me up, dust me off, and put me on the precipice again. You wouldn’t let me get hurt. What force or person would dare threaten the wife of Prince Ryker Triloni?”

  “I’m only a man, Jana, one man.”

  “You are far more than ‘only a man,’ my modest husband, far more.”

  “I’m not invincible or immortal. There will always be someone who’s fool enough to challenge any power and rank, even mine.”

  “Only Varian Saar is that big of a fool, and you have a truce with him. No matter how brave he acted, he always feared you. He envied you, too. When he realized he could never defeat you, he came up with the scheme to make you believe he was giving you his most prized treasure for peace.”

  Varian winced inside. “You are my most prized treasure.”

  “That’s the best part of his failure.”

  “His failure?”

  “He never expected you to fall—” She blushed at her boldness.

  “Fall in love with my peace token, his great sacrifice?”

  “That was presumptuous and premature talking. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be, Jana, it’s probably true, or will be soon. Never thought I’d hear myself admit such a thing. Or even feel and think this way. It’s scary, so be patient with me.”

  Jana felt as if she were trembling from head to toe at his confession. So many times—too many times—when she stared into his eyes, she ignored their color and let herself be swept back in time and to another man. That had to cease. “I will be. It might make you feel better to know I’m coming to feel the same way and it scares me. No one wants to feel totally open and vulnerable to the whims of another person or risk having a heart broken if love isn’t returned. A big risk of selfinflicted injury is taken when one unleashes emotions to run wild and free, to let someone else take the reins and to control their feelings and lives. I never expected this to happen, not after the way we met. I wish I could remember that lost week because it was a growing time for us and our relationship.”<
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  “Then, we plant our seeds again and watch them sprout and blossom.”

  “Do you have any of that magical maturation formula for emotions?”

  “No, and I wouldn’t want to rush something so special.”

  “Nor would I. How about dinner now? I’m ravenous.”

  The next morning, Jana stood at the transascreen in the rec room. The vastness before her was awesome and intimidating. She leaned against it and gazed at the strange sky beyond her. The flesh-colored clouds of long, separate streaks reminded her of a monster’s fingers with sharp claws. It was almost as if thousands of planes had zoomed across the heavens and left their jetstreams in lengthy rows that hadn’t started to dissipate. She had asked Ryker yesterday why the outer Maffei planets weren’t frozen wastelands, as they were so far from solar warmth. Unlike her Milky Way system, he said, this one was in a tighter cluster and most of them had internal sources of heat.

  Yesterday, they had been halted by the Alliance Force patrolling the intergalactic boundary. After a few minutes of talk, they had been given permission to cross it into the Androasian Empire, as if any Maffeian would dare halt Prince Ryker Triloni from doing or going as he pleased! She didn’t know what awaited her on Tartarus with his people and ruler.

  From her habit of talking to herself or specimens in the lab, Jana didn’t realize she was speaking aloud. Nor did she know the man in her words was listening, purely by accident this time, and wished he weren’t.

  “You’ve made a hard decision, J. G., and you have to stick with it: it’s going to take time, heartache, effort, and determination to get over Varian Saar and what he’s done to you, but you’re winning the battle. It’ll require courage and wisdom to let go of the feelings he evoked, the fantasies he inspired, the memories he created. You have to concentrate on a new existence and the man in it. You can’t risk losing both— everything—again.”