by Shae Mills
It was bizarre. For all intent and purposes, at this very moment, she felt almost as if she were back in time, embraced within the loving arms of her planet. Yet she knew that notion was totally out of context as she was surrounded by the most advanced technology the galaxy had to offer. But still, it was as though she were in some sort of time warp, suspended between two cultures, two civilizations—her senses registering primitive Earth, her mind knowing the truth. It was surreal.
“My Lady,” came a deep, low whisper.
Chelan swung around, nearly losing her balance. Before her stood a giant man clad in furs, his luminescent eyes netting the light from the fire.
“Fremma,” she breathed.
His finger brushed down over her cheek as he studied her. “It has been so long, my Lady.”
She managed a small smile. “So many years, my Lord. But you have never been far from my thoughts.”
“You have always been in mine, Chelan.”
She looked down and took an uneasy step back. “You know, when you removed your hood the other day, my heart leapt. To find out after all this time that you are alive, and well... I ... I can’t express what I feel.”
Fremma nodded. “And I, to see you again, my Lady. You are as beautiful and as regal as the day I left you on Earth. I think back to that always, our last moments together, what we shared...”
Chelan blocked the images out and abruptly changed the direction of the conversation. “I know you have made your decision. But I wish you would reconsider.”
“Why?”
Chelan paused, forming her answer carefully. “I know that you will once again be serving the Empire through your work here, but really... really, Fremma, you are so much more to the Empire, to us, and most of all, to Korba.”
“Was.”
“No!” Chelan slapped her hand over her mouth, prudently lowering her voice. “You could be all that you were in a heartbeat. You could have your own ship once again. And you could be at the top once more; I feel it in my heart.”
Fremma took a step toward her, once again closing the gap between them. “What else does your heart feel?”
Chelan glanced behind herself as if looking for escape, but the fire pit prevented her from retreating from the closeness of his body. She looked up at him. “My Lord, my heart is in turmoil. I know not what I feel right now. It is too soon. This has been such a shock.”
He reached for her face again, his finger trailing over her jaw to her lips. “I know what I feel,” he whispered.
Chelan grabbed his hand and held it tight within both hers. “You have a wife. You have a beautiful woman who loves you, who can be by your side night and day. You do not have to share her with anyone. She is totally devoted to you, and you alone. If you follow your heart, you will break hers.”
Fremma retracted his hand from hers. “She knows of you. She knows the Iceanean—”
“Oh, Fremma,” Chelan interrupted. “She is just like me. She knows of the Iceanean way, but she would be crushed by it if you acted upon your feelings.”
Fremma was silent, finally taking a step back. “I cannot return to the Empire. You are right. I have my new life, and I will not break Annya’s heart.”
Chelan suddenly felt utterly defeated. “Fremma, please. It is not an either/or situation. Bring her back with you. Keep her by your side within the Empire. Do anything necessary to bring yourself back within the Imperial fold.”
Fremma’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you pushing? I am just one of thousands—no, millions of warriors capable of making the rank of Warlord. I have been considered dead and gone for years. There is no need for me. So why are you so insistent?”
“I... Because... Because you were one of the best. Actually, that is inaccurate. You were the best, right up there with the likes of Dar and Korba. You earned RIBUS 7 because of your abilities. Now she is being resurrected. Why should it not be you at her helm once again?”
“No other reason?”
Chelan slumped. “I cannot do this Fremma. Yes, there are other reasons, many other reasons. I do not want you living like this. I want you to be in your rightful station... I want—”
“You want what?”
She ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation. “God, I don’t know what I want.” She sidestepped the fire and went around him. Then she stopped with her back to him and hugged herself. “I want my old life back. I want to wander the decks of RIBUS 7 with Dar and Korba and you by my side. I want the whole ordeal with Talon wiped from my memories and from the history books. I want all of what once was back. I want the old Empire. I want all that we had, no matter how selfish that is.”
She turned to him. “But you and I both know everything has been changed irrevocably. We are changed irrevocably. Too much has happened, and we cannot go back. Dar is gone. Korba is Emperor. I have my children, and you...”
Fremma looked away and drew in a deep breath. “You are right. We are changed; our paths were altered by a demon sent...” He focused intently on her. “But we still have the same feelings for one another. I... still have the same feelings for you that I have always had.”
This time Chelan stepped up to him, her face only centimeters from his. “Think beyond your Iceanean values. Right now, think about Annya. What if she were standing right here with us, right at this moment? Could you take me in front of her?”
“No, I would not do that to her.”
“Then why would you do that to her in private?”
Fremma was silent.
“See? The die is cast. Somehow you must realize that you are needed by the Empire in your former, larger-than-life capacity. Then you have to reconcile that you will be in my company, but never again with me. Then and only then will everything be all right again—relatively, that is.”
“All right?” he questioned, his voice pained. “None of this is all right. It was not all right the day I left you on Earth, and from that point on, life for all of us became unbearable.” He almost panted for air. “And what of you? Could you walk the decks of a RIBUS with me, or the halls of the Palace, day in and day out, by my side but never in my bed?”
Chelan felt the air sucked from her lungs, but she straightened herself even though she felt like crumpling. “I will do whatever it takes to get you back on Iceanea, with Annya by your side.”
A rumble emanated from Fremma’s throat. He placed a finger on her chest. “My heart is in tatters right now. I never dreamed I would be in this situation, so I may not be thinking too clearly at the moment. But I will articulate what is going through my head right now regardless.”
Chelan braced herself. Then it happened. He grabbed her by the shoulders and took her lips with a ferocity that burned her to her soul. She went to resist, but instead her knees nearly gave way. His arms went around her and he crushed her to him with a strength born of desperation, and she was suddenly powerless.
Fremma was beside himself—her scent, her taste, the feel of her body pressed into his. He was utterly deranged. The only thing that prevented him from throwing her to the ground and taking her was the fact that he knew they were being watched by her security. He was also well aware tha Korba was close by, but at that moment he would rather have been run through by the Emperor’s sword than release the woman he had always loved beyond anything else in the galaxy.
When he finally came to the realization that he was crushing the wind from her, he freed her lips. He buried his face in her hair and kissed her neck, his lips trailing up to her ear. “I will come back to the Empire, my Lady, when you come back to me.” And he let go of her abruptly and stalked off into the night.
Chelan staggered to regain her equilibrium. She reached for her lips, tasting him upon them. Her head spun. Then a voice startled her.
“Are you okay, my Lady?”
Chelan whirled around. “Oh god, yes, Yanis. I am so sorry. You scared the life from me.”
The warrior stepped into the light, his eyes full of compassion.
She glanced at him as she tried to compose herself. “You saw all that?”
Yanis nodded. “I am sorry, my Lady, for the ultimatum he issued. But I understand more than most where he is coming from.”
Chelan touched her lips again, not so sure they weren’t split. “What do you mean?”
“As you know, I was with him during our final hours on RIBUS 7. I was also with him all throughout our failed mission. We spoke a lot.”
Chelan stared at him, her silence urging him on.
“He loves you just as much as he always has—just as much as his Lordship, my Lady. In the end, your loss eclipsed what was happening to his ship and crew. He would have given it all for you, and he did.”
Chelan looked to the fire, watching the subtle glow fade. “You do not understand what I understand, Yanis.”
He stepped closer to her. “And what is that, my Lady?”
“The pain one feels when betrayed.” She peered up into his luminescent eyes. “I come from a culture that values fidelity, or claims to. For Fremma to cast Annya away... I... I cannot be the other woman.”
Yanis smiled. “My Lady, you are the other woman to countless thousands of women who once called the beds of Korba, Dar, and Fremma home.”
Chelan cringed. “Jesus, Yanis, what are you telling me?”
“I am telling you that we need the man back. I am telling you he loves you beyond all else. I am telling you that you must come to acknowledge that you still love him just as much as you ever did. And I am telling you...” He stepped closer still. “I am telling you that you should look to the good of the Empire first, just like we all do. I am telling you to follow your heart and bring the man back to the fold any way you can.”
“Then you are telling me to take him back as my lover, unconditionally?”
“I am. He is my best friend. Like you, I know he is wasting all his potential away on this desolate rock. And because I am Iceanean, it is easy for me to tell you that you should bare your soul and your body to him once again. If that gets him back to his command, it will be good for us, for him, for Korba. And whether you acknowledge it or not right now, it will be good for you.” And without waiting for a rebuttal, Yanis turned away and disappeared into the dwindling darkness.
Chelan instantly crumpled to the ground. She grabbed her head and slumped forward. She should have stayed in bed—that was a given. As it was, there was way too much happening to process. After years of coming to terms with Fremma’s death, suddenly the man was before her once again, offering himself to her so completely. Then her head snapped up as Korba crouched down beside her.
“My Lady, are you all right?”
Chelan sighed. “Yes. I mean, no.” She stared into his soft eyes. “I just had a visit from Fremma.”
Korba nodded. “I bet he was none too subtle.”
“That is an understatement,” she mumbled.
Korba rose and offered his hand, helping her to her feet. “We need to leave. How about you tell me what happened after we are on the ship—if you wish. of course.”
Chelan nodded and smoothed her shroud, attempting to cast her encounter with Fremma to the side for the time being. “I cannot wait to get home and see the children,” she uttered.
Chapter 33
THE IMPERIAL FORCES near the encampment were all prepared for their departure to RIBUS 1. Orders were given to bring in fresh officers from other RIBUSes to oversee the continuing takeover of the Taunton Cluster and to make sure that the mining of the Zenatropium was carried out in a fair and equitable manner. They also had to ensure that the extraction process was streamlined and accelerated. But until those officers could attend to the operations, members of Korba’s own crew were readied for dispersal throughout the star system.
Provisions were also made to contact the indigenous peoples on all the planets, and negotiators and Imperial experts on alien societies were employed to ensure smooth transition of the various cultures into the hands of the Empire. As long as the people did their utmost to meet Imperial needs, they would be allowed to flourish as their own separate cultural entities.
Just as Korba and his immediate guard were about to depart Rake, the whole village came out to see them off. Chelan could not help but notice that the only person not present was Fremma. Even Annya was among her people, standing beside her father; but her husband was conspicuously absent.
Chelan sagged into the seat of the fighter. The words spoken with Fremma in the early morning hours began replaying through her mind. Emotional entanglement aside, it was such a waste to leave him behind. Though she had thought of going to him just before her departure and laying it all on the line, as Korba had suggested, she knew without a doubt that telling Fremma that they would never be more than friends was futile. The man still wanted her, and she knew that deep down she desired him every bit as desperately. Just as Yanis had said, Fremma wanted her back as they had once been, and the Warlord had made it clear that there were no other alternatives if he had his way.
Chelan looked down, weighing the needs of the Empire against her personal relationships. If he came back to the Empire, he would push the boundaries between them; of that she had no doubt. And if she gave in despite all her resolve, then Annya would be the casualty of their relationship, and Chelan could simply not in all conscience do that to the woman. So it was simple, actually. All she had to do was stay strong and rebuff any advances Fremma would make. Of course, that was easy for her to say right now as she sat in a fighter destined for RIBUS 1 with no hope of future contact with the man. But what if he did return to Iceanea?
She sighed. Complicated relationships aside, Fremma was the best of the best. But his words were also true: there would always be an endless supply of Warlords coming up through the ranks. In a military society as powerful and as massive in numbers as the Iceaneans were, everyone was replaceable. And by that logic, letting him slip away was probably for the best, for all concerned. However, she knew Korba would not see it that way.
As the cockpit cover slid over, Chelan winced, her conclusion settling like a lump of clay in her stomach. She clenched her hands and began mulling over everything again. She did love Fremma, just as much as before, and Korba had once again made it clear that he had no problem with her relationship with Fremma in whatever form it took. So really, why could she not reciprocate? She didn’t even know Annya. The woman was theoretically nothing to her or the Empire.
She looked out over the people surrounding the fighter as she sifted back over the past. Long ago, Chelan had asked Fremma to be hers and hers alone, selfishly, and the man had gladly forsaken all his sexual liaisons for her. And in making that demand of him, she had not cared about Lena or any of the other woman that were special to him. So what was it about Annya?
The holographic displays came up barring her view of the people, and she laid her head back and closed her eyes. Then it came to her. Annya was just like her when she had first been abducted. The woman was shy, insecure, and utterly awestruck by the man before her. And Chelan knew exactly how Fremma had treated the beautiful being that he now called his wife. He would have cared for Annya and eventually taken her just as he had done with Chelan so long ago, with patience, love, and a skill that addled the senses. He was perfection. And he was undoubtedly the moon and the stars to Annya.
Chelan bit her lip as she recalled how Fremma had tutored her, touched her, and made love to her, and suddenly her heart twisted. He would have shared all that with Annya, and the bond that would have forged within the young woman would last a lifetime. Annya was not an aggressive Iceanean warrior. She was a meek creature, totally devoted to and forever ensnared by the huge Iceanean man, and though it suddenly and unexpectedly tore Chelan to shreds to give him up, she knew she could not interfere with that bond. She remembered as if it was yesterday how she had felt completely eviscerated when she had found Fremma with Lena, and she would not be the woman who devastated Annya in the same manner.
Chelan felt her eyes wate
r. The more she empathized with Annya, the more her feelings for Fremma flooded forward, and her jaw clenched. Right then and there she knew it was best for all that Fremma stay on Rake. Chelan no longer trusted herself, and she knew that no matter what walls she were to erect, eventually Fremma would tear them down, brick by brick, if he so chose. She took a deep breath. It was time to leave the warrior behind in her heart once and for all.
FREMMA SAT ON A PEAK high above the village he had called home for so long. But suddenly it was just a godforsaken barren patch of alien ground.
He watched what he able to see of the Imperial forces as they readied to depart, but he could not bring himself to be there to see the send-off. His emotions were in flux, his heart recklessly driving him to consider actions that were unfathomable.
He took in a large breath and tried to still his tremors, his fists clenched. The moment he had laid eyes on Chelan, all his feelings for her had come back in a whoosh, instantly exposing to scrutiny every vulnerable, frayed nerve he possessed.
As he had struggled to recover from his injuries all those years ago, thoughts of the beautiful Earth woman had been his constant companion, his reason to live. But in quiet times, when despondency crowded in, his yearnings for her threatened to bring him to his knees. Then, as time drifted and his new lot in life seemed to solidify, he took his love for Chelan and buried it as deep as it could go. After all, he was lost on an alien planet, his life forever changed... and he would never see her again.
He looked down at the ground and reached for a small rock, rolling it in his hands aimlessly as his thoughts tumbled. Annya and her people had brought him back from the brink of death. He had spent well over a year in her village before he had even approached the young woman as anyone more than the person who had helped him recover. She was so much like Chelan that he had not trusted his attraction to her. But with time, and encouragement from Flek to the point of interference, Fremma had released his heart to the man’s daughter.
