Protector of the Realm

by Gun Brooke

  "Don't say anything yet. Not until we know." The admiral pressed the button to turn the aluminum walls opaque and put his arm around her shoulders. "Leave Armeo to me for the time being. You'll have your hands full trying to explain to Kellen. She's not going to take this well."

  "Oh, God, that's an understatement."

  Ewan let go of his daughter and gave her a rueful smile. "I'll keep Armeo in my quarters until you tell me the coast is clear. If necessary, he can spend the night."

  Rae felt her cheeks warm and tried to mask her embarrassment by leaning over her computer screen. "Thank you, Father. I'll page you later."

  Turning the walls transparent again, Rae watched the main screen, which tracked the many military ships as they approached her station. She knew an evacuation of civilians was imminent if the SC declared war.

  "No! I will not allow it to happen!" Kellen refused to sit down, pacing back and forth in their living room. She tugged at the buttons of her jacket and impatiently tossed it over a chair. "The court awarded us custody of Armeo, and I would sooner take him aboard the Kithanya and leave..."

  "I know, but you can't! The only people who care if you live or die are on this station. If you take Armeo and run, you'll be alone, and what kind of protection will that offer?"

  Kellen stopped pacing and stared at her wife. "I was his sole Protector for seven years."

  "That was different. You have to admit, as soon as someone really went after Armeo, you needed help. There's no shame in that." Rae reached for her, but Kellen stepped back.

  "I'm not ashamed. I didn't ask for anyone's help. You dragged me to Gamma VI against my will..." Tears of fury rose in her eyes. Her resentment toward the scheming Council members made her lash out at Rae, and she hated not being able to stop herself.

  "I know I did!" Rae's temper flared. "I'm glad I did, because if I hadn't, you'd be dead from the infection in your wound and Armeo would be mourning you, all alone, and in the hands of God knows what people."

  Moving so fast that Rae had no chance to react, Kellen slammed her against the bulkhead. "Damn you!"

  "Damn me for what? For being right? For caring about you and Armeo?"

  Kellen pressed herself against Rae, immobilizing her wife as the turbulent feelings rampaged inside her. All of her nerve endings ignited when Rae didn't lower her gaze.

  "Damn you for making me care," Kellen murmured. "Damn you for...this..." Kellen kissed Rae wildly, parting her lips without hesitation. She let her tongue seek out Rae's, challenging it to a fight for dominance.

  "Kellen," Rae said huskily against her mouth. "You can't leave. I won't let you."

  "I'd be long gone before anyone noticed." Kellen realized her voice had lost its conviction.

  "That's where you're wrong. I'd know." Rae framed Kellen's face with her hands. "I'd know instantly and come after you. Don't you see? I could never let you go."

  "Why?"

  "Because you're my wife. It would break my heart if anything happened to you."

  Kellen willed her rock-hard muscles to relax. She still pressed Rae against the wall, stroking along her arms, but she knew her touch had changed from frantic to loving. "What does that mean?" she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

  "If you stick around, we can find out." Rae's lips drew a moist line along Kellen's neck, just above the neckline of her dress. Her hands slid down to cup Kellen's breasts, massaging them until the achingly hard nipples ignited a dark pleasure between her legs.

  Kellen's throat ached and she found it difficult to speak. "I don't want to leave you."

  "Why?" Rae challenged in a gentle voice.

  "I would miss you. I would miss this." Capturing Rae's lips, Kellen kissed her again, this time with a passion tinged with tenderness. Nibbling along her lover's lower lip, she didn't relent until Rae whimpered her name and broke free.

  "Trust in me, Kellen." Rae's chest rose and fell unevenly. "Don't leave." She slipped her hands around Kellen's back and held on to her. "Stay with me."

  "I don't wish to abandon you." Kellen lifted her and carried her toward the bedroom. "My heart tells me I belong with you." She dipped her head and kissed Rae, feeling both desire and remorse. "Right now, all I can think of is how I want to make perfect love to you."

  Rae's arms tightened around Kellen's neck. "Oh, yes."

  Kellen placed Rae on the bed and hovered over her, all her senses heightened. She gazed into her eyes, dark gray, hinting toward blue. "Beautiful," she managed, her vocal cords betraying her when she had so many things to say.

  Giving herself over to the passion, she lowered her body onto Rae's, claiming her in a searing kiss. Right now, in this bittersweet instant, she knew this was where she belonged.

  Kellen sat up in bed next to her sleeping wife, her thoughts far away as she considered the information Rae had given her the previous evening. After they had picked up Armeo from the admiral's quarters, they returned to their own and went straight to bed. Unable to sleep, Kellen turned the information over in her head and examined every angle. She s asking a lot. Unconditional trust in her and faith in virtual strangers. Is she using the growing bond between us to subdue me? A quick glance at the still form curled up next to her softened her cutting thoughts. No. She cares. It's in her touch. Still, having gone over every detail of their situation, she knew the only thing that made sense would not please Rae.

  Kellen gently shook the sleeping woman's shoulder. "Rae. Wake up."

  Rae stirred, shuddered, and tugged at the blankets. "Kellen?" She looked up with sleepy eyes. "What time is it?"

  "The alarm will go off in half an hour." Kellen slid down, making it easier for Rae to meet her gaze. "I've analyzed the situation and know what I have to do to keep Armeo safe and also help my people."

  Rae rubbed her face. "What are you talking about?"

  "I'm keeping my word to tell you first." Kellen didn't falter. "You have to let me return to Gantharat."

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Rae, now wide awake, stared at Kellen, certain she had misunderstood. "What the hell are you talking about?"

  "There's a good chance I can find the evidence my father and I collected against the Onotharians over the years, but to locate it, I have to go back."

  "You'd never get past the Onotharians. They're getting ready to wage war on the SC." Pushing the covers off, Rae got up and put on a blue kaftan. "Where did you and your father keep this evidence?"

  "In the vault under the barn."

  "You told us the Onotharians destroyed your estate, burned it to the ground."

  "They did, but the vault may still be intact." Kellen rose on her knees in the bed, and the sheet fell off her naked body. "If I could..."

  Rae's temper blazed and she flew toward the bed, sitting down next to Kellen. Taking her by the shoulders, she barely refrained from trying to virtually shake some sense into her. "Do you really think I'd let you go on a suicide mission like that? We'll find another, safer, way to sway the Council."

  "And what if we can't?" Kellen raised her voice. "What if this is our only chance?"

  Rae felt Kellen tremble. "You're cold." She tugged at the bedcovers and wrapped them around Kellen, hugging her. "Listen. I can't allow you to go, especially not on your own. Armeo needs you, and so do I."

  Kellen remained rigid for a moment but then relaxed against Rae. "Don't dismiss the idea completely. My father and I had extensive documents that prove a long list of atrocities the Onotharians have committed since the occupation. Records of how they sent innocent people to the asteroid-belt prisons and tortured them. Tactical information and blueprints of even more powerful vessels than the Kester. I don't remember details, and it wouldn't matter if I did. You need well-documented proof to sway the Council."

  "You can't even be sure the vault is still intact." ' "No, but there's a good chance it is. Don't you see? If you could present the Council with such evidence, the Gantharians would stand a chance. As things are now, with so many SC homeworlds s
waying toward Onotharat, we both know Gantharat won't experience freedom for a long time, if ever.

  "Onotharat might even become a powerful member of the SC. That would be catastrophic, not only for Armeo, but also for the Gantharian refugees enjoying SC shelter and the peace-loving worlds who'd vote against an Onotharat membership. I can't let this opportunity pass us by!"

  Her passionate words didn't leave Rae unaffected. She kissed Kellen's cheek. "All right. I'll discuss it with my father, but if he decides to act on it, it'll be an undercover SC Intelligence operation. I won't be able to tell you about it."

  Kellen withdrew, her jaw set. "The mission, if it takes place, would be more likely to succeed if I were a part of it. I know the territory, and only I know how to bypass the security measures around the vault."

  Rae knew Kellen's points were valid, but her heart screamed no at the thought of sending Kellen back into hostile territory on such a high-risk mission. "I'll brief my father at the morning meeting," she said. "He's taken command of this sector and has the final word."

  "Very well. I hope he'll see the possibilities of this information." She pulled Rae closer. "I don't mean to worry you. I'm starting to depend on the growing feelings between us. I'm not disregarding how I... we feel." She kissed Rae's forehead. "I want you to know how much you matter to me."

  Rae's throat clenched around a growing lump that was choking her. Her pulse increased when Kellen didn't break eye contact as she towered over Rae, holding her firmly.

  "You have a way with words," Rae whispered. "And you have a way of catching me off guard too."

  Tipping her head back, she studied Kellen's serious expression. Kellen's hair lay in tousled waves around her shoulders. Illuminated by I ho stars from behind, she looked ethereal, out of this world. Rae smiled at her thoughts. Of course Kellen would look otherworldly—she was.

  Rae caressed Kellen's cheek, then brushed her thumb over her lower lip. "Sometimes I think this is a dream," she said huskily. "I think I'll wake up and find these quarters empty. I know you and Armeo haven't been here long, but I can't imagine either of you gone. You see, you matter to me as well." How could I ever risk losing you when you look at me like this?

  Rae heard Kellen's breath catch and felt her face brush against her short hair. "I'd stop at nothing to find my way back here."

  Rae turned her head and searched for her lover's lips. Lost in the deep kiss, she found her own body reacted instantly. "Oh, yes." Curling her arms and legs around Kellen, she allowed her to untie the belt to her kaftan. Kellen's hands roamed her sensitized skin and made Rae cry out as they quickly moved toward the parts of her body that still ached from last night's passion.

  "You're ready for me," Kellen whispered, her fingers parting slick folds. "You want me."

  "Yes, I do..." Spreading her legs and drawing her knees up, Rae knew if Kellen didn't take her that instant, she would self-combust from sheer frustration. "Do it. Please."

  Kellen's long fingers filled her, pressing relentlessly against a spot that sent Rae into convulsions, grasping at Kellen for support. Before long the orgasm washed over her, relentless and almost frightening in its intensity.

  Kellen caressed her until Rae stopped trembling. Placing kisses along her forehead, she parted her own legs in what Rae interpreted as a gesture of trust and need. Rae rolled over and ended up half on top of Kellen, her hands roaming the curves of the beautiful woman beneath her. "That's right, darling. Your turn now."

  Deepening the kiss, Rae heard Kellen's cry of pleasure as she claimed what her lover offered so willingly.

  Rae sat on her father's right and focused on the computer in her hand. She glanced up as he leaned back in the chair at the head of the conference table, and recognized the barely harnessed impatience on his face. Drumming his fingers against the table, he waited until his senior staff assembled. As his next in command, Rae worked until the last minute, reading a variety of reports. Browsing through the information, she froze when she read the tactical officer's deductions.

  "Good afternoon, everyone," Admiral Jacelon said. "Commodore, I believe you have some news for us."

  Rae nodded briskly. "Yes, sir. Half an hour ago we received new intelligence. The Onotharians are gathering around our border, sending large units from Gantharat bases to intercept a potential retaliation from the SC.

  "The latest report suggests there's a rift in the Council regarding how to proceed. The majority want to respond with force and ultimately help liberate Gantharat. The rest think we should accommodate the Onotharians by handing over Armeo M'Aido. This act would possibly ensure the trade between the Onotharians and the homeworlds that depend on their minerals."

  "What does the Council chairman think?" Jeremiah Todd asked.

  "Fortunately, Marco Thorosac views the recent events as clear aggression toward the SC," Rae answered. "When they vote, however, the Onotharian-friendly forces within the Council might prevail."

  "There's more," Owena said. "Ultimately, such a development would change the center of power in this part of the galaxy. Given their history, the Onotharians would have no qualms about using their well-oiled propaganda machine to form alliances within the SC once their membership had been approved."

  The admiral nodded. "And if that happened, we could very well be seeing the same things happen to our smaller planets that occurred on Gantharat."

  "Asteroid prisons, government-owned media, and an elaborate informer-based society," Rae filled in. "The pro-Onotharian Council members don't seem to realize their need for minerals could eventually destroy the Supreme Constellations."

  "Or they close their eyes to it," Jeremiah said, his voice filled with dismay. "So, what can we do? Gamma VI is the last outpost between the Onotharian forces and the rest of the SC. No matter what, we'll be right in the line of fire, so to speak."

  Admiral Jacelon rose to his feet and placed both hands on the conference table. He regarded his senior staff unsmilingly. "We have a rare window of opportunity. For now, the debates still run high back at SC headquarters. They'll argue this issue until they can put it to a vote, so we have to find enough evidence to show conclusively how the Onotharians operate. Once that's done, if everything goes our way and the Council decides to keep the Gantharian prince with his family and refuse the Onotharians, the regrettable outcome will most likely be war."

  An ominous silence filled the room.

  "Damned if we do and damned if we don't," Alex murmured.

  "Perhaps it was inevitable," Rae said. "The Gantharians requested SC intervention when the occupation began, but for similar political reasons we chose not to get involved."

  "Fate comes back to bite us in the a—" Jeremiah quieted after a glance from Rae.

  "True," she said. "Earlier today I learned of an opportunity, which then seemed too farfetched and dangerous, but now begins to feel like the proverbial last hope. Ms. O'Dal told me that the vault where she and her father kept evidence regarding how the Onotharians have treated the Gantharian people might be intact." Rae described what Kellen had suggested.

  "It almost sounds too good to be true," Jeremiah said. "How great are the chances the vault didn't burn out?"

  "According to Kellen, the vault was built to withstand such an attack."

  Owena punched some commands into her computer. "We don't have any intelligence on how the O'Dal estate survived the fire. SC intelligence was able to tap into Onotharian satellites orbiting Gantharat two weeks ago, but at the time clouds from large hailstorms covered the northern hemisphere where Ms. O'Dal lived."

  "So our unit would go in blind if we decided to obtain the records," Alex said. "Sounds like a suicide mission to me."

  Feeling unsettled when she heard her own recent words repeated, Rae laced her fingers together and said, "This couldn't be a standard operation by just any security detail. I admit, I reacted to this idea much the same way you did, Alex, but I've thought about it all day."

  Her father sat down slowly. "You've come up
with a plan." It was not a question.

  "An embryo of a plan," Rae cautioned. "I'm going to need all of you to make it doable." She paused, not taking her eyes off her father. "It's not just about Armeo anymore—I don't think it ever was. It's about the future of Gantharat and ultimately, the Supreme Constellations.

  Powerful forces are at work here, and who knows which planets in this union will decide to go along with the pro-Onotharian worlds, with time?"

  "So, tell us what you have up your sleeve, Commodore." Alex smirked.

  "We don't have much time. The away team needs to get to Gantharat the fastest way possible. Maximum field-distortion drive gets you to Gantharat in about three weeks. Too slow." Feeling jittery, Rae rose and paced as she voiced the thoughts that had whirled through her brain most of the day. "Also in the name of speed, we need someone with local knowledge to join the away team. Since that person needs to know how to bypass any booby traps around the vault, I'm sure you realize it has to be Ms. O'Dal." Rae thought she saw a glimpse of sympathy in Owena's eyes.

  "How would the team get to Gantharat in such a short time?" Jeremiah asked. "Even if we had tachyon-mass drive, a multitude of Onotharian forces patrol the sector. And we don't have time to outfit any of our frigates with this technology."

  Rae knew her next in command was right. Tachyon-mass drive was still a controversial way to travel; such propulsion polluted space, and strong forces within the SC had always lobbied against it.

  "I'm aware of that. However, there's another way. Commander Todd, do you remember the two pirate vessels we intercepted about two months ago?"

  Jeremiah's face lit up. "Yes, I do. I see where you're going, ma'am."

  "Then I assume they're still in our possession?"

  "I would think you'd already made sure of that, Commodore." Todd smiled briefly.

  "Correct." Rae turned to the admiral. "We have two captured pirate vessels outfitted with tachyon-mass drives, sir. Each can carry four assault craft, and we can easily reinforce their weapons array with SC torpedoes."