Either Stacians didn’t know about or believe in zippers; her fingers had to work their way down a set of carved bone buttons to free him from the heavy jacket. The same ridges that traced their way along his brow and cheekbones showed along his collarbones as well, and a tattoo in dark red flared in a sunburst pattern across the warm bronze skin of his chest. Otherwise, his body did not look that different from those of the other men she had known, although he was more heavily muscled. And when she tugged down his uniform pants, it was obvious that all parts of him were equally oversized.
No time to worry about that, though. Her fingers closed around his shaft, although her thumb and forefinger couldn’t touch. He moaned, and she bent down to take him into her mouth, her other hand going lower to move through the coarse, crisp hair and caress all of him. Again, no real surprises there, save his size; the differences between Gaian and Stacian were clearly minor.
From the rhythms of his body, and the intensity of his breathing, she guessed he was close to climax, but she didn’t want him to spend himself too quickly. She shifted her position, thinking it was time to take him into her — but he surprised her by sitting up, then reaching an arm around her waist so that he lifted her bodily from the bed. Her back touched the cloth-covered wall, and he lowered her onto him, pushing inside her.
She cried out, clinging to him. If she hadn’t been so wet, so ready, he might have hurt her, but as it was she could only wrap her legs around him, holding on through every thrust, each one pushing a little deeper, somehow bringing them that much closer. Again those pulses of pleasure began to surge through her, and she rocked her hips against his, reveling in the sensation of him filling her.
It could have been five minutes, or half an hour. Impossible to say for sure, although his arms never seemed to falter as he held her up. All she did know was that, just as the third or fourth — or was it the fifth? — orgasm flooded through her, finally he gasped, and the hands against the back of her waist tightened. Then he held her in place for just a few more seconds before carefully lowering her to the floor.
Her knees wanted to buckle, but somehow she managed to stagger back to the bed and sink down on it. The coverlet was of some soft, velvety material, while under it were sheets that felt very much like any other sheet she had ever touched. The cool fabric slid across her naked body, and she found some comfort in its familiarity. At the moment, she didn’t want to think about what she’d just done…or how good it had felt.
“That looks comfortable,” said Rast sen Drenthan, and he lifted the bedclothes so he could slip in next to her.
“Mmm,” she responded, not trusting herself to say anything more than that.
His body was warm, seeming to radiate banked heat. It was the sort of body to snuggle up against on a cold winter night. Only it wasn’t winter, and he wasn’t a lover or husband. No, he was one of her people’s sworn enemies, an alien she had just given herself to in order to secure some security and peace for Chlorae II.
How her own body had betrayed her by succumbing to his touch, she would have to leave for another day. Just an automatic reflex, she told herself, like flinching when you stick yourself with a pin.
“So you’ll leave the system now?” she asked, not looking at him, but instead staring up at the ceiling. Even that seemed to have been covered with some sort of cloth. The Stacians had little patience for a starship’s metal interior, apparently.
He made a sound that might have been a chuckle before shifting so he could more or less look down at her. “That wasn’t the bargain,” he said.
Cold doubt replaced the afterglow of sex. “But you said — ”
“I said I would withdraw after you had spent a night with me. It has barely been an hour.”
He hadn’t meant that literally, had he? But Lira realized, as he pulled her toward him once again, and she felt him hard against her thigh, that he had indeed meant a night.
A very long night.
* * *
She slept for a while, there at the very end. Rast found himself wanting to let her alone, to allow her to lie there with the glorious silk of her hair spread out on the pillow, but he knew he should rouse her. By then it was very late, in the second watch of the night, or oh-five hundred, as the Gaians would say it. Of course there would be crew on duty both on her ship and his, but not as many as during the part of the shift that correlated with the daylight hours on their home worlds. Better that she should slip out now.
Her skin was soft under his hand, and he let his fingers linger there for a moment on her shoulder before he shook her gently.
“Lira.”
Soldier that she was, her eyes snapped open instantly, and she sat up. “What is it?”
“Time for you to return to your ship.”
She glanced away from him, gaze straying to the scattered clothing on the floor of the cabin, then nodded. Still not looking at him, she slid out from underneath the covers and went to retrieve her discarded uniform and underthings, pulling them on with a grim air that seemed to bespeak a distasteful task now over and done. Only after she had pulled the zipper of her severe garment almost up to her chin did she speak again. “And you will withdraw?”
Hands knotted before him, he bowed to her, the formal gesture of acknowledgment. “As soon as you are safely returned to your ship.”
She nodded. “Then it appears we’re done here.”
“Yes,” he replied, trying to ignore the pang of sadness that moved through him at the thought of her leaving so abruptly, never to be seen again. “Yes, we are done here.”
* * *
What the few crew members who were up and about at that hour thought of the sight of their captain, moving through the corridors with kiss-swollen lips and hastily braided hair that would have fooled no one, Lira really didn’t want to know. No teenager sneaking back into her house after a midnight assignation could have looked any guiltier, she thought. But there wasn’t much she could do about that. Matter transmission still was beyond the scope of the scientists and engineers, so she couldn’t just transport herself directly into her cabin to avoid the curious stares of those she passed on the way back to her quarters. No, she had to pretend her appearance was perfectly normal, and be glad she had gotten back before the daytime rotation began.
At least she had slept a little; her days at the academy had trained her to get by with only a few hours of sleep, although the scant ninety minutes or so she’d gotten in the Stacian’s bed were not quite enough to get her through the day. Some caffeine would mend part of the weariness, and a splash of cold water on her face would help with the other, and after that she’d just have to cope as best she could. With the Stacian ship leaving, things should be quiet enough, and maybe it wouldn’t matter too much that she wasn’t at the top of her game.
She’d just finished pinning her hair back up when the comm console in her cabin beeped at her. “What is it, Lieutenant Ono?”
“Captain, the Stacian ship — it’s leaving! Just accelerated out of orbit and is moving away. Looks like they’re setting up for a subspace jump.”
So Rast was being true to his word. She brought up the exterior view on her screen, watched as the hammer-headed ship glided away from the Valiant. A brief shimmer as the ship’s main drive kicked on, and then they were gone.
For some reason, she found it difficult to swallow the mouthful of coffee she’d just drunk. Exhaustion, obviously. She was simply too tired to be glad about the Stacians’ departure. Give it a few hours to sink in, and she would be fine.
Better to believe that Rast sen Drenthan had worn her out than to admit, on any level, that she was almost sorry to see him go. Frowning, she swallowed the rest of her coffee and all but slammed the mug down on her desktop. A few hours on the bridge should clear her head of the Stacian’s lingering influence.
The bridge crew was noticeably quiet as she strode over to her chair and took her place, but at least they were disciplined enough to attend to their duties without a
ny whispered exchanges or significant looks.
Of course the scientists called up from the outpost, as their instruments had told them the circling enemy had suddenly disappeared from Chlorae II’s skies.
“Any explanation?” asked Noor Singh, the chief geologist in charge of the expedition.
Thank God the scientists at least didn’t know anything of her nocturnal visit to the Stacian ship. “None,” she replied. “My guess is that they were called back for some reason. We were given no notification — not that I would have expected any.”
“Odd. But it makes our lives easier. Not much longer now, correct?”
“Correct. Command’s last communique indicated that the first group of colonists and support staff should be here within forty standard hours, give or take an hour or so.”
“Excellent. Thank you for the update, Captain.”
Dr. Singh signed off, and Lira settled back in her seat. So far, so good. No one had asked any awkward questions, and within less than two days she could hand over the planet’s security to the newly arrived personnel. In fact, she should probably be getting new orders any time now.
“Captain?”
She turned toward Lieutenant Ramirez, who had replaced Lieutenant Ono at the comm station. “Yes?”
“Incoming transmission from Command. They wish to speak to you in private.”
Talk about timing. That must be Admiral Horner from Regional HQ, contacting her about her next assignment. Usually she received those orders directly on the bridge so the crew could know right away where they were headed, but no matter.
“Patch it through, Lieutenant,” she told Ramirez, as she eased herself out of her chair. Unfamiliar muscles protested the movement, and she repressed a grimace. Rast had given her quite the workout last night.
Better not to think about that now, though. She went into her ready room and pressed her finger against the screen there to allow the transmission to display.
Admiral Horner’s unsmiling face filled the screen. His expression didn’t surprise her all that much; he wasn’t known for his cheery disposition. But somehow the look on his face was even grimmer than usual.
“Admiral,” she said.
“Captain.” His dark eyes seemed to narrow just the smallest fraction. “The Valiant is ordered back to base. Immediately.”
“Sir?” Almost involuntarily, Lira glanced across the chamber to the viewscreen that showed the space around the ship. The only reason she could think of for such a precipitous recall was that the reinforcements had shown up far ahead of schedule, but all was still black and empty, the Valiant clearly the only vessel anywhere near the planet.
“What was unclear about my orders, Captain Jannholm?”
She said quickly, “Nothing, sir. But we’ll be leaving the Chlorae system undefended — ”
“That is not your concern, Captain. Your only concern is getting here ASAP. Understood?”
“Yes, sir. Of course, sir.”
“HQ out.”
The screen went dark, and she found herself sitting there and staring blankly at the space that the admiral’s face had occupied until a few seconds ago. What the hell was that all about? Could HQ really be considering leaving the scientists and the millenite on the planet completely without defenses? It was insane.
Since questioning orders was the quickest way Lira could think of to get bumped back to ensign, or even sent to the brig, she knew she would do as she was told. The strategic geniuses at HQ must have some very good reason for ordering her away. She’d let them handle the fallout.
All she could do was hope her own crew would keep their questions to themselves as well. This time, she simply didn’t have any answers.
CHAPTER THREE
Regional HQ looked much as it always did — filled with busy, hurrying people, mostly Gaian, although the odd purple-skinned Eridani could be spotted from time to time amongst the crowds. With the Valiant safely docked in one of the giant space station’s arms, she allowed most of the crew, save a skeleton staff, two hours of shore leave. That seemed reasonable enough; she doubted Admiral Horner would send them back out on another assignment immediately. In general, HQ liked its ships’ crews to have at least twenty-four standard hours between missions, and they had just had a hard two-day run to get here as quickly as possible.
The admiral’s offices were located on one of the station’s upper decks. She took a lift there. No one spared a glance at her, and no reason why they should. She was just one of thousands in the dark-gray uniform of the Gaian Defense Force, just another member of the fleet pursuing her own business…or at least the admiral’s business.
The same redheaded adjutant who had overseen the admiral’s affairs ever since Lira was posted to this sector gave her a curt nod as she entered the reception area. “He’s waiting for you, Captain.”
That in itself was a little odd. Admirals generally didn’t wait on captains, but rather the reverse. Then again, she’d contacted Admiral Horner’s office as soon as the Valiant had docked, and possibly her arrival had coincided with a rare opening in the admiral’s schedule. She should be glad he was ready to see her right away and that she didn’t have to cool her heels in the reception area the way she had several times in the past.
The space station orbited a gas giant in the New Perth system; the planet’s ruddy-hued shape dominated the large windows that made up the far wall of Admiral Horner’s office. Lira had always found the view a little intimidating, although she could never say quite why. After all, she’d grown up on the Gaian base on Ganymede, orbiting Jupiter. She was used to such sights. But something about the angle of the planet as it was framed in those windows always made it seem as if it was about to crash in on her.
The admiral stood in front of the window, his back to her. She paused just inside the door. “Sir.”
He did not turn, but instead replied, “Captain Jannholm.”
His voice had never contained much warmth, but today it sounded positively glacial. Some of that cold seemed to transfer itself to her, and a little shiver worked its way down her back. She began to wonder exactly why he had summoned her here.
“Reporting for my new orders, Admiral,” she said. At least her voice didn’t shake.
Finally he did shift so he faced her, but she almost wished he hadn’t. At least then she wouldn’t have to see the expression of cold contempt on his lean features.
“Your new orders, Captain, are that you are removed from the Valiant’s command. You are stripped of your rank, and discharged from the Gaian Defense Force.”
The words made no sense. They were only a jumble of syllables, meaningless as an alien tongue. She stared at the admiral, thinking there had to be some mistake, knowing there was no possible reason he could be saying such things to her.
Her mouth was dry. It seemed impossible to unglue her tongue from the roof of her mouth so she could speak, but she knew she must respond.
“Sir, I don’t understand. What could I possibly have done to deserve — ”
His voice cut across hers. Years of training forced her into immediate silence.
“What did you do to deserve such treatment? Consorting with the enemy, that’s for one. That is enough, and you know it. Bad enough if you were a civilian, but as a ship’s captain? Unforgivable.”
He might as well have thrown a bucket of cold water over her. Dread choked her throat. How could the admiral have known? Did he have a spy secreted somewhere amongst her crew, or had some ambitious subordinate seen in her visit with Rast sen Drenthan the means of removing her so they could move that much farther up the chain of command?
She had no way of discovering how the information had been leaked. It didn’t matter now. The only thing that mattered was damage control. “Admiral, I can explain. The Stacian captain approached me, offered to withdraw — ”
“And you fell for such a simple ruse?”
“It was no ruse,” she returned. “He did leave. We all saw him leave. It’s record
ed in the ship’s logs.”
The admiral’s brows drew together. “Oh, yes, he left — only to be replaced by a squad of five Stacian Trenth-class cruisers no more than eight standard hours later. The arriving colonists didn’t have a chance.”
“They didn’t have a chance,” she repeated, her words barely above a whisper. No, they wouldn’t, not with five heavily armed cruisers waiting for them. Something in her pushed her to continue her own defense. “If the Valiant hadn’t been called away — ”
“It would have made no difference, and you know it. The Valiant would have been completely outmatched, and your crew lost along with the colonists and the scientific team.”
The team. So they were gone as well, the men and women she’d come to know over the past few months, Dr. Singh and Dr. D’Ambrosio and all the others. Her hands curled into fists. What a lie Rast sen Drenthan had spun. She had no idea Stacians could be such good liars.
More arguments rose to her lips, but she knew she needn’t bother to voice them. The admiral was right — her one ship could not have held out against five of the Stacian fleet’s largest and best-equipped cruisers. He probably hadn’t thought of it this way, and wouldn’t care to be told of the fact, but Admiral Horner’s abrupt summons to regional HQ had saved her life and the life of her crew.
How far out from the disputed system had those cruisers been hiding? Long-range scans had shown no sign of any other enemy craft in the space around Chlorae II. Then again, the signal must have been given as soon as Captain sen Drenthan had left. Those cruisers could have been out of scanning range and still able to get to the Chlorae system in less than a standard day. Sensor equipment could do a lot, but it still had a difficult time finding a moving target that was parsecs away, especially if that target kept popping in and out of subspace. That was a common tactic to avoid enemy scans.
Very likely it had all been a joke, some perverse trick by the Stacian captain to show his dominance before calling in the reinforcements that would bring Chlorae II and its valuable ore under Stacian control. Oh, there would be repercussions, of course. The sector council would condemn the act, and the Eridanis would pronounce on the importance of following the strictures of the treaty, but of course the Stacians could just claim that they had first rights to the millenite, since they were the ones to initially chart the system. It was all very muddy, but this war would only be staged in the courts and around the bargaining tables that had taken the place — for the most part — of bloody battlefields.
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