Baby, it's Cold in Space: Eight Science Fiction Romances

by Margo Bond Collins

  From the intelligence data she’d reviewed, she recognized one of the members of the group as Dayor Keitos, head of Palace Security for Valon and reportedly his closest friend.

  “Special Agents Voray and Hawthorne, this is Security Leader Dayor Keitos and a few members of his excellent team. You’ll be seeing them on a regular basis during your stay here.”

  Then, gesturing to Kendra and Dev, “Dayor, this is Special Agent Voray and Special Agent Hawthorne.”

  Kendra turned toward the man now standing at Valon’s immediate right. He was approximately the same height and basic coloring as His Highness, which meant he was both tall and fair. By his solid build and air of self-confidence, he would have stood out as a Special Forces type soldier in any setting.

  Kendra smiled and held out her hand, fingers up and palm facing forward, in the traditional Calivan greeting.

  “I recognize you from the holos we were provided. It’s an honor.”

  Dev also offered him the Calivan hand gesture as he said, “Special Agent Voray and I have really been looking forward to meeting you, Security Leader Keitos.”

  Dayor returned the smiles and the hand gestures “It’s both an honor and a pleasure to meet you both as well. Your excellent reputations precede you.”

  “Let’s hope they can actually live up to those reputations.”

  Dayor lifted an eyebrow at that slightly challenging statement from the Prince. Then smiling even broader and with a mischievous look on his face, Dayor added in a low voice, “And judging by his current demeanor, I can’t help but wonder what it is that you could have done so soon after your arrival to bring out the cranky side of His Highness.”

  For the second time that day, Kendra hoped to hell she wasn’t blushing. She glanced quickly at Valon, who was giving Dayor a look that could probably melt steel.

  “If you don’t mind, Security Leader Keitos, I’d rather not relive my mistake, which I truly regret, by the way. I’m sure you’ll hear about it from His Highness soon enough, anyway.”

  Dayor locked eyes with Valon. “I certainly hope so. Whatever it was seems to have really gotten under his usually very thick skin. I want to be able to give him a hard time about it in the future.”

  Valon’s stance became more relaxed as he and his old friend slipped into an apparently familiar verbal sparring match. The Prince glanced at Dev and then turned to Kendra. “As usual, our Security Leader needs to get a life, if all he can focus on is whether or not I’m in a good mood.”

  Kendra shook her head and smiled. “I know exactly what you mean, your Highness. I have to put up with the same kind of behavior from Special Agent Hawthorne. I worry about him just as I’m sure you worry about your Security Leader. Perhaps they could both get hobbies, something like flower arranging.”

  At the sound of protest from Dev and the chuckle from Valon, Kendra quietly breathed a sigh of relief at the obvious improvement in the atmosphere between them. She owed Dayor big time for helping ease the tension.

  After exchanging nods of greeting with the rest of the security team, they moved through the entry into a massive foyer that, to Kendra’s mind, resembled an historical twentieth century Earth hotel lobby. There was a large curved stairway on the left and a multitude of doorways leading to additional corridors and more rooms beyond where Kendra could see palace personnel going about their business.

  Through the information they’d been given regarding the palace, Kendra had been aware that it was enormous. Seeing it in person, however, gave a whole new meaning to the word.

  The complex was laid out like a wheel. Transport pod platforms that were similar to modern earth-like elevator units were housed in the center. Tunnels radiated from these central platforms like spokes. The pods could move either vertically or horizontally in order to provide the most efficient mode of travel within a facility of this size. The sections in between the spokes were used for offices, storage, apartment’s cultural areas and food preparation and distribution, depending on what wing you were in and what floor you were on.

  It boasted seven levels, including two distinct family wings, three office wings, security personnel quarters and even a museum. The security issues alone, she imagined, would be a nightmare.

  Kendra increased her pace so she could catch up with the Prince, who was slightly ahead of her within the group.

  “Your Highness. I have to say that from what we’ve seen of the palace so far, it’s incredible. It must be a source of pride for your family as well as your people.”

  He paused, then glanced up toward the ceiling and around at the walls and interior space.

  “Thank you, Special Agent Voray. We are very proud of it. It’s so much more than just our family home. It’s a symbol to our people of all we’ve accomplished.”

  “Since we’re going to be working on this project together, Your Highness, I’d consider it an honor and a personal favor if you’d just refer to me by my first name. It’s Kendra.”

  The prince smiled broadly and then chuckled. “Ah. A fresh start for us. Good idea. And just to make sure that stick is permanently removed from my private parts, I’ll have to reciprocate. So, unless we’re at a formal gathering, please call me Valon.”

  Kendra rolled her eyes and laughed. “I’m never going to hear the end of that, am I?”

  “Not a chance.” He then gestured with his hand for them to continue. “After you, Kendra.”

  Just ahead and to the right side of the foyer was a bank of internal transport pods. The group stepped into the first pod and Kendra watched Dayor code-in their destination. Once the pod control unit verified his identity through both ocular and voice scans, they were transported to the top level and over to one of the wings where Kendra assumed their assigned quarters were located.

  Just before the doors slid open, she heard Dev yell out a warning. Then everything seemed to happen at once. Part of the security team surged past them and out of the pod. In an automatic reflex, Kendra started to follow behind them, but quickly found herself pinned to the pod’s rear wall.

  She realized someone had their arms wrapped around her from behind and was amazed that they were apparently shielding her with their body. No one ever touched Kendra without her permission, so she had to fight her extinct to break free of the physical hold they had on her. She was actually stunned at the person’s action to protect her. Except for Dev and her covering for each other in an emergency, Kendra always took care of herself. She never expected anything different.

  The doors quickly closed and Kendra heard Dayor’s voice as he barked out orders through his com link. She felt the pod shift horizontally as it began transporting them to an alternate and presumably safer location.

  She looked to her right as far as she could and saw Dev out of the corner of her eye. He was slumped against the pod wall. He was breathing heavily and looked very pale.

  Crap! He’s had or is having some sort of pre-cog event.

  The arms that had been holding her loosened slightly, giving her room to turn around. Kendra hadn’t been sure who exactly had remained in the pod, so she didn’t know who had moved to protect her. She was shocked to see that it was Valon.

  He was still so close to her that she could feel the heat radiating from his body and see the rise and fall of his chest as he took several deep breaths. He just stood there, staring down at her with those intense green eyes. That yummy mouth of his was only inches away from hers.

  Valon suddenly looked decidedly uncomfortable and quickly took a step back. Eyes still locked on hers, he reached up to tap at what Kendra had thought was simply a communication unit ear piece. Instead, she saw the faint glow from his neuro body shield deactivate.

  I can’t believe I didn’t notice his shield. What is wrong with me, for stars sake?

  Before she could say or do anything, the pod door slid open. They were immediately surrounded by security people and whisked away.

  Chapter Three

  THEY WERE HURRIEDLY INSTALLE
D in what Kendra assumed was a safe room. Dayor signaled his security detail to guard the entryway, an intense look on his face. Valon immediately rounded on Dev, distrust and aggression emanating from him in every way. Dayor stepped in, clearly ready to back up his prince. Kendra saw the momentary shocked expression on Dev’s face at their actions, just before he shifted his body into a fully defensive stance.

  The Prince took a step closer to Dev and shouted, “What the flaming farnog just happened? What are you trying to do, Earth man?”

  Kendra shoved her way in between Dev and the Prince. Looking at Valon, she yelled, “Stop! He’s a pre-cog. Don’t you understand? Dev had some sort of pre-cog warning.” She turned her head slightly so Dayor was included in her gaze, “Both of you, just back off, right now and think. You too, Dev. Stand down! Everyone needs to get a hold of themselves. We’re all on the same side here.”

  She watched as Dayor signaled his team to remain at their posts. Kendra felt the level of tension in the room die down, but only marginally. She looked at her partner. “Explain it, Dev. They need to hear it from you directly.”

  Calivans were familiar with the concept of psi-senses and of the abilities of beings from some of the other planets in the multiverse, including Earth. Their own people’s abilities had only developed to a minor degree, so they had very little experience dealing with the phenomena firsthand. Kendra wasn’t sure to what extent Dev would be believed and understood.

  Dev ran his hands up and over his face and then through his hair. He took a few deep breaths. “Okay. My pre-cog senses have been revved up since we got near your planet. I kept sensing that something was going to happen, but not what or when.”

  “I felt something as well, and I’m not even pro-cog”, Kendra added. “Dev and I talked about it on the ship.”

  “I don’t know if Kendra was picking up on my psi-waves or if she was getting something directly. Unfortunately, we don’t always have all the answers when it comes to psi-abilities. Once we arrived at the palace, my senses started to calm down, so I thought maybe it had just been an anomaly. Then suddenly, as we were ascending in the pod, I got an absolutely overwhelming sense of doom. It wasn’t anything specific, just total danger, if we continued to go to the location where we were headed. It was like a full out psi-induced panic attack. All I had time to do was call out a warning to stop us from going there. This is something that’s never happened to me before, so I’m continuing to sort through it in my mind. My senses are still telling me something’s about to happen, but it’s buffered now. It’s not as immediate and feels more like it can be controlled.”

  Dev turned to Kendra. “Are you sensing anything at all?”

  “No. Nothing. But that’s normal for me. I’m not pre-cog.”

  After his explanation, Dayor and Valon locked eyes for a moment. They stepped out of the room without comment. Since the security team remained at the entrance, she assumed that she and Dev had no choice but to wait. Again.

  The room was very utilitarian and was just large enough to comfortably hold the small table and four chairs that sat in its center. In the corner, there was a compact holo unit and a miniscule refreshment area. Except for the floor, it was constructed of clear crystele, which made it almost completely transparent, while being virtually impenetrable. To Kendra, it felt like being on the inside of a fish bowl.

  Per their standard diplomatic training, they chose to say very little because they were quite certain they were still under surveillance. In particular, they both knew there would be no discussion of either Dev’s pre-cog event or the subsequent altercation with the Prince and Security Leader Dayor until they were sure they were in a secure and private location. Other than accessing a limited amount of information via their standard issue wrist units, they had nothing to do except sit across from each other at the small square table.

  “I’m going to request that our weapons be returned to us. In fact, I’m thinking about returning to the ship to grab a few more.”

  Kendra wasn’t surprised at Dev’s statement. Although they were both well trained in hand-to-hand, considering what had just happened, she was also feeling vulnerable without at least a blaster.

  “Do you think we’ll actually get them back?

  “I doubt it. If the situation was reversed, we wouldn’t give them back to someone from another planet who we don’t even know very well. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

  After close to an hour, Kendra saw Security Leader Keitos heading toward them. She signaled Dev that they were about to have company.

  “Special Agents. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.” Gone was aggression, but also clearly missing was the relatively relaxed soldier with the light hearted repartee from earlier that day. He was definitely in Security Leader mode and was now all business.

  “I’ll give you a very quick overview of the current status. Our various security sweeps are complete. We’re no longer on absolute lock-down, but we did find a something major. A bomb had been placed in the apartment designated for you during your stay on Caliva. If Special Agent Hawthorne’s pre-cog senses hadn’t alerted us to look for a problem, there would have been a large explosion shortly after your arrival in your quarters. In other words, you would probably both be dead right now.”

  Kendra couldn’t believe it. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She and Dev had come here on an archeological assignment! They’d arrived armed, per standard procedure only. Kendra had just assumed the problem Dev had picked up on had been something directed either at the prince or the security leader.

  She looked at Dev. He’d been trained in security and defense at higher levels than most agents, including herself. Because of this, their ultimate safety typically fell under his job responsibilities more than hers. V.I.P security was one of his specialties and he was getting a predatory, slightly frustrated look in his eye. All traces of Kendra’s relaxed and relatively carefree partner were gone and he, too, was now all business.

  “Under the circumstances, I’d like to request the immediate return of our weapons.”

  “That’s already been arranged. My people will be delivering them to this location shortly.

  “Do you have any idea who planted the bomb and how they did it without being detected?”

  “We’re still in the process of putting together all the pieces. Once your weapons arrive, I’ll be taking you to meet with Phylior Antos and Phylarina Zola. The prince’s siblings, Phylu Arturon and Phyla Marrette will also be there.

  Kendra wasn’t sure why it mattered so much to her, but she had to ask, “Phylu Valon won’t be there?”

  “Oh he’ll definitely be there. He and I will be bringing everyone up to date on the status of the situation as we currently know it. I believe you’ll hear it directly from them, but I’ll tell you that the royal family is extremely upset about this attempt on your lives. In our culture, the safety and comfort of our guests are incredibly important.”

  At the approach of two of his staff members, he said, “Ah. Your weapons have arrived.”

  Dev and Kendra immediately glanced at each other.

  “Security Leader Keitos, you’ll have to forgive me for asking, but both Kendra…that is, Special Agent Voray and I are somewhat surprised that you’ve returned our weapons to us, particularly when we’re on our way to a meeting with the royal family.”

  “Per our standard protocol for anyone not either part of the family or their personal security staff, you’ll be asked to turn over your weapons to the guards at the entrance to the family wing. They’ll be held in a secure location until the meeting has ended.”

  “Not that we’re complaining, but it’s still a surprise.”

  “Believe me, it was discussed and was a decision that, quite honestly, I’m not totally behind, but the Phylior and Phylarina had made up their minds. Once again, it has to do with the fact that you are guests who have come to our world to work with us. We, therefore, consider it imperative for you to fe
el safe and comfortable. Speaking of being comfortable. I think you’ll find that we’re not usually a very formal people. I’d prefer it if you call me Dayor.”

  Kendra nodded. “Both Dev and I thank you for your honesty and your consideration. Please call us by our first names, as well.”

  ***

  Once again, Kendra and Dev were escorted by Dayor and a small group of his security personnel to the waiting transport pod that was to take them to the meeting location. As promised, they were asked to turn over their weapons to the guards at the entrance to the family wing.

  It was only a short distance from there to where their meeting was to be held. As they walked, Kendra found herself pleasantly surprised by the informal and comfortable décor of most of the rooms they passed.

  They arrived before a pair of large closed doors, with a security guard posted in front of each one. At Dayor’s signal, the guards stepped aside. He coded a series of symbols into his wrist unit and the doors slid open to a large suite.

  One area of the suite contained a holo platform and a large conference table with chairs. A second smaller area was set up with refreshments. The third area was an informal gathering space with groupings of comfortable looking couches. There were potted plants throughout. A small fountain with gently flowing streams of water sat in the corner. Everything was done in muted greens and blues and had clearly been designed to promote a relaxed atmosphere for meetings or conferences.

  Their Greatnesses, Phylior Antos and his wife, Phylarina Zola were seated next to each other on one of the brightly colored sofas. They were talking together in hushed tones. Except for their relaxed postures, they looked exactly like the holos in their dossiers. They were each impeccably dressed in tunics and slim pants, the standard attire of their culture.

  Their Highnesses, Arturon, Valon and Marrette occupied one of the smaller furniture groupings. Valon looked up when they came in. His eyes locked on Kendra’s for a few seconds and he smiled. She returned the smile and found herself, once again, drawn to his face and that fantastic mouth. Then Dayor announced them and Kendra had to look away.