Commanded to Yield

by Jennifer Leeland

  Commanded To Yield

  The Command Series

  Jennifer Leeland

  Published 2010

  ISBN 978-1-59578-731-6

  Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © 2010, Jennifer Leeland. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Liquid Silver Books

  http://LSbooks.com

  Email:

  raven@LSbooks.com

  Editor

  Devin Govaere

  Cover Artist

  April Martinez

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  Blurb

  For thirty years, Asberek has maintained peace with her mother planet, Earth. But when Earth Central tries to assassinate the colony’s leader, the ties that hold them together are threatened. Earth Central sends Fallon Denny, a smart and savvy diplomat, to negotiate with the colonial council.

  The minute Matthew Lestrano meets the visiting Earthling, he’s torn between his loyalty to the colony and his lust for the beautiful, but dangerous, visitor. Once again, the drug that permeates Asberek’s atmosphere leads to strange connections, and Matthew finds that dominating Fallon Denny may lead to his downfall.

  Treachery and betrayal create cracks in negotiations. When Fallon’s life is as risk, Matthew is the only one who can save her, and she finds there is more than politics at stake when she is commanded to yield.

  Chapter One

  “Something is wrong.”

  The hairs on the back of Matthew Lestrano’s neck stood erect. He barely noticed Kinley Pasquel’s fingers clenched around his arm. He hated these parties. If people wanted to have two hours of foreplay, why did it have to include uncomfortable suits and ties?

  All the colonists on Asberek had shown up. His mother, tall and remote, stood beside his father. Even from across the room they were a stunning couple. No one would know she was one of the universe’s most brilliant scientists from the long, black dress she wore. His father’s gaze swept the corners with practiced eyes. Did he feel the same thing Matthew did? That something seemed … off.

  The military detail ordered to protect Asberek’s leader Adonis Pasquel looked alert. The guards assigned to each of the Pasquel daughters were all in place. Yet something still didn’t seem right to Matthew.

  He stepped closer to his charge, Kinley Pasquel. He knew the other soldier boys envied his detail, but they would laugh if they had any idea how it was between them. She was like a sister to him.

  And right now, she had a frown on her beautiful face. “What do you see?”

  He knew she didn’t doubt him. No one did these days. He’d proven his instincts were correct too many times. “I’m not sure.”

  His gaze rested on the other two Pasquel daughters and their escorts. Shasta had been saddled with Pomery Landover, a pompous military lifer that had been stationed with Asberek since the colony began. The older man was a match for any of Shasta’s headstrong bullshit.

  Sierra was harder to see. Rather shy, Sierra didn’t seek attention the way her two sisters did. Her escort was a corporal, Ben Mason. There she was. But where was Ben?

  A strange man had possession of Sierra’s arm. He was dressed in the appropriate military attire, but he didn’t look right somehow. Matthew pressed Kinley’s hand for a moment and then disengaged from her grip. “Stay here. Don’t talk to anyone.”

  She saluted. “Yes, sir!”

  He threaded his way through the crowd and noted the man led Sierra closer to her father. When Adonis Pasquel turned to greet his youngest daughter, Matthew broke into a run across the room.

  The strange escort lifted his arm, a blaster appearing from nowhere. Sierra screamed. Matthew didn’t stop to think. He bolted in front of the colony’s leader.

  The gunman shouted “Death to alien rebels!”, and the blaster exploded.

  The shot slammed into Matthew’s shoulder. Jesus, it burned. The force of the shot sent him reeling backward into Pasquel. A sharp, spreading pain streaked down his left arm, leaving the limb useless. Barely conscious, he noted the gunman was restrained. Before he could warn them, the assassin began to foam at the mouth, blood spurting from his nose.

  His mother’s voice rose above the cacophony of noise. “Back away from him. He’s infected.”

  “The bastards,” he heard Pasquel say. “Matt, are you alright?”

  “Of course he isn’t,” Sierra said firmly. “Get a medic.” The woman’s face swam in front of him. “Matthew? A medic is coming. Your mother is here.”

  A needle pricked his arm. “Do you always have to be a hero?” His mother’s voice was calm and steady as always.

  “Apparently,” he managed to say.

  “Idiot,” his mother murmured. “You’re just like your father.”

  His father appeared beside Matthew. “You like that about me. Matt? Hang on, son.”

  Matthew reached out and gripped his father’s sleeve. “He’s Tribunal.”

  He watched his father’s face stiffen. Hell, Matthew knew how he felt. His father was Paul Lestrano, an Earth-trained Tribunal soldier, retired, but that didn’t mean shit and they both knew it. Pasquel had been Tribunal, kicked out when he chose to lead Asberek instead of kowtowing to Earth Central.

  His arm felt numb, and his vision grew fuzzy. Whatever his mother had injected into him made the pain and his wits disappear. He hung onto the one thought that wouldn’t stop rattling in his brain.

  Earth Central had sent an assassin to kill Adonis Pasquel.

  Chapter Two

  Six months later

  “Orbiting Asberek in one hour,” the computer announced.

  Fallon glanced at the digital clock and nodded. More than enough time to finish her research. The trip from Earth to Asberek had been a long one—six months—but she’d made good use of the time.

  “Computer, open file ‘Adonis Pasquel’.” The file opened on her command. No new updates. Married. Three female children. Leader of the Asberek colony. Possessor of “super DNA” from a source classified and redacted in every document Fallon had studied. His speeches had inspired the colonists to be independent, self-sufficient. It was Adonis Pasquel who began the exportation of the highly valuable Asberek Truffula trees.

  What leverage could she use? Her instrument of last resort seemed overkill, but maybe not. Her father’s agenda seemed perfectly reasonable in the safe, comfortable Earth Central offices, but she was in the far reaches of space. It didn’t seem so doable now.

  “Computer, open file ‘Dr. Jenia Carstairs’.” Again, no new updates. Married to Paul Lestrano, she had kept her maiden name. The list of accolades for her scientific discoveries was long. No doubt she was brilliant. She and Paul had one son. Matthew Lestrano.

  “Computer, open file ‘Matthew Lestrano’.” Fallon had left him for last. The youngest member of the Asberek council, he’d risen quickly to the top. His education on Earth at the Earth Central Military Academy had not created a subservient soldier out of Matthew Lestrano. Instead, the man became one of the leading anti-Earth speakers.

  Detailed information on him was over five years old. Once Matthew left Earth and went home to Asberek, the only glimpses of him were the kind he controlled. He didn’t appear on the vid streams partying the way all three
of the Pasquel daughters did. The man was a rebel, but he wasn’t sloppy. Everything he did was with precision and control.

  Fallon glanced over the most interesting part of his file—the psyche evaluation he took just before graduation five years earlier. He’d been twenty-five, and yet, he hadn’t changed much.

  “Matthew Lestrano demands order. As the son of two highly intelligent, extremely controlled people, (See psyche eval Paul Lestrano 2362.5.16 and Jenia Carstairs 2359.9.04) he has learned to exercise his need for dominance in the Virtual Fantasy Rooms. He is uniquely suited for military operations, a born leader and always in control of the men beneath him. His fellow officers view him as cold and distant but reliable. When faced with the choice between a more lenient, warmer officer and Corporal Lestrano, his fellow soldiers still chose him three to one. The conclusion of his superiors is that Lestrano inspires those he leads. Earth Central approached Corporal Lestrano in an effort to recruit him for the Space Tribunal. I believe they will labor in vain.

  Sexually, Corporal Lestrano is an alpha male, completely dominant. While on Earth, he made use of the Virtual Fantasy Rooms topping both men and women. Though definitely attracted to both sexes, his fetish is domination and control, and gender plays no part. Further investigation has shown he refuses to ‘play’ those men who are under his command.

  Currently, he is single, but he’s had two serious relationships while at the academy. One male, definitely submissive and gay. Cadet Rodger Seeves left the academy and went into politics. The relationship with Lestrano seemed to end amicably. The second relationship was with a woman, Corporal Olivia Tyner, and they were believed to be engaged by most of their fellow cadets. They were surprised when Corporal Tyner married a returning soldier, Sergeant Michael Abel.

  When asked about the abrupt marriage, Lestrano only smiled. He didn’t seem disturbed by the breakup of his relationship to Corporal Tyner. Though cooperative, Lestrano offered no additional information and gave only the bare bones of any subject.

  In conclusion, Lestrano is supremely loyal to his home colony. He would be perfect material for the Tribunal except for this. He is secretive, closed-mouthed and controlled. Yet, he could be very charming, speaking quite a bit about absolutely nothing.”

  How exactly was she supposed to gain the information she needed?

  Fallon sighed. Her father hadn’t given her much room to maneuver.

  The rest of Asberek’s council would take their cues from Pasquel and Matthew Lestrano. To gain the upper hand, she’d have to go through them.

  “Ms. Denny?” The vid com revealed one of the guards that came with her.

  “Yes?”

  “There’s a … complication.”

  Sweat beaded on the man’s forehead. Jeez, this guy was easily rattled. She rose and closed the files. It was time to do what her father sent her to do—make Asberek yield to Earth Central. When she opened the door, her guard stepped back and wiped the sweat from his face.

  “What complication?” she asked.

  “Asberek is demanding to search our luggage.”

  She blinked. Unexpected. It was a rather hostile move from a human colony, and they would know it.

  “Did they say why?”

  “No, but they informed me we would be met in docking bay five by an Asberekian representative that would explain everything.” His lips pursed. “I hesitated to defy them.”

  “No, Conrad. We won’t defy them.” Her eyes narrowed and stared down the hall. What had changed?

  The shuttle bay was empty except for her entourage. Her father had insisted on a large number of Earth Central Tribunal soldiers and low-level diplomats accompany her. Most of them she didn’t know. The roster was an impressive forty names long, and she hadn’t taken the time to learn them. Her time between Earth and Asberek had been spent preparing for her mission here.

  They loaded onto a huge shuttle and started for the surface. The silence in the shuttle unsettled Fallon. After all, there were forty people crammed close together in this tin can, yet no one spoke. No one even coughed. It was odd.

  The trip only took fifteen minutes, and adrenaline shot through her system. What awaited them on the other side of the ramp doors? The sound of the descending ramp seemed loud, and when they finally hit the ground, the shuttle seemed to shake.

  With the doors open, fresh air filled her lungs. The Asberek landing bay was open, and the bitter wind whipped into the shuttle, displacing the stale air.

  Rhythmic clangs caught her attention. The gang plank was filled with well armed military personnel all wearing the Asberek insignia. At their head was the familiar face of Matthew Lestrano. His black hair was perfectly in place, and his sharp brown eyes flicked over her people without much emotion. Fallon’s father may have wanted to intimidate the Asberek colonial government with the size of her entourage, but it didn’t seem to work on Lestrano.

  The man was taller in person, more forceful looking. He seemed to fill the shuttle when he entered it. One of his men handed him a clipboard, and Lestrano glanced at it. “Stieger?”

  Her closest aide stepped forward. “Yes?”

  Lestrano nodded to his men. “Check his luggage.” His gaze traveled down the list. “Boular?”

  Another diplomat close to her shouldered through the crowd and glared at Lestrano. “What is this? Are you aware that you are speaking to the highest level—”

  “Search his luggage.” Lestrano ignored the older man who sputtered and shook. Instead, he called the next name. “Ms. Fallon Denny?”

  It was absurd, but her heart pounded in her chest, and her mouth went completely dry. She tipped her chin and raised her eyebrows. “Shall I say ‘here’ as if I were in a classroom?” she quipped.

  His gaze met hers. “If you wish.” He glanced at one of his men. “Go through her luggage carefully.”

  She ground her teeth. “May I ask why we are being treated in this hostile manner?”

  Lestrano’s steady gaze rested on her face. “Someone tried to kill Adonis Pasquel six months ago, on the day you left Earth for your diplomatic mission.” He drawled the two words then glanced down at the clipboard, flipping a page.

  Then, he nodded at the rest of the crowd. “The rest of you are not allowed on the surface. We have demanded that your ship leave our orbit within twelve hours so you will be going back to Earth.”

  Lestrano started to turn to leave the shuttle.

  Fallon let her emotions get in the way for the first time in her life. She lost her temper. Before thinking it through, she grabbed Lestrano’s arm. “Just a minute,” she snapped.

  He glared at the hand on his arm, but she didn’t remove it. She tightened her hold. “I came here in good faith, and you have no right to treat me this way,” she said loudly. “If you cannot abide by the simple rules of diplomacy, then we will all go back to Earth.”

  She dropped his arm and strode toward her luggage. When the soldier kept searching through her clothes, she nudged him with her foot. “Get your filthy hands off my things.”

  “Oh, I don’t think you want to do that, Ms. Denny.” Lestrano’s lips curved in a smile. “After all, Earth Central needs our Truffula trees and our Asberek Merek stones. Imagine what your father would say if you came back to Earth without a trade agreement.”

  He was right, the bastard. She turned to face him. “There can be no agreement when one side uses brute force to get their way.”

  “I completely agree with you,” Lestrano said smoothly. “Our planet will allow no more Earth Central Tribunal soldiers here.” He stared at her. “You are aware that your entire company is comprised of undercover Tribunal, aren’t you?”

  Of course she wasn’t. She’d trusted her father, and he’d hand picked all the men in her entourage. Her entire focus had been on Asberek’s political powerhouses. Matthew Lestrano’s gaze stayed focused on her face. Fallon had been manipulated by her father. And Matthew knew it. She tightened her lips.

  “You are asking me to risk m
y safety, and for what? I repeat, there can be no trade agreement when you continue to bully us.”

  Lestrano laughed. It wasn’t a nice laugh. “That’s rich coming from you.”

  “Sir,” one of his men interrupted.

  “What is it?”

  “This man,” the soldier pointed to Stieger, “had two Ryser bombs.”

  Fallon’s stomach plummeted. Ryser bombs. Genetically sensitive killing machines set to kill within a hundred clicks. Used by the Dormrela to kill Ang, she’d heard of its horrific properties. It was like a biological weapon aimed at one specific DNA pattern. Earth Central had banned them and spoken against this new horrible weapon. And one of her trusted advisors carried two of them.

  She felt sick.

  “You look white as a sheet, Ms. Denny. Perhaps you’d better sit down.” Lestrano’s tone was a little less hard, but his hand on her arm brooked no resistance. “Now you can understand our precautions.”

  One of Lestrano’s men led her to a seat, and Fallon sat. The shuttle’s interior swam a little. Perhaps she didn’t know all of her father’s orders. His public orders had been simple—get the best trade agreement possible and play political hardball to do it. His private orders were more complicated. Blackmail Adonis Pasquel into bringing the colony back under Earth Central control.

  None of his orders had included violence.

  “I swear I didn’t know,” she said.

  Lestrano contemplated her for a moment and then nodded. “I believe you.”

  “What will you do with him?” Fallon didn’t want to know really. Would they kill him there? Would he be tried as a terrorist? Asberek laws were similar to Earth Central’s, but there were differences.

  “He will be held in Stasis restraints until your ship is about to leave. Then we will escort him to The Star Gazer and release him.” Lestrano glanced at the clipboard still in his hand. “Aster?”

  Another one of her advisors came forward and handed his luggage over for inspection. Lestrano faced the rest of the crowd. “The rest of you must leave.”

  “Ms. Denny, we will stay if you say the word,” one of the soldiers said, his glare directed at Lestrano.