Sang let the woman go. She snatched her arm back and cradled the wrist. “Freak!” she hissed.
Sang smiled. “If you insist.”
The Karassian man pulled the woman away.
Sang got to their feet and moved past the pair. The stranger held on to Sang’s arm as they threaded back through the tables. Outside, the sun was dazzling. Sang adjusted their vision.
The man hurried them through the early morning crowds. Karassians did not stay at home if they could find a reason not to. Even though the standard work day did not begin for a while yet, the footpaths were as busy as they would be for the rest of the day.
“Where are you going?” Sang asked the man.
“Somewhere private.”
“There is such a place here?”
The man glanced at Sang over his shoulder. “I suggest you not speak again until we reach that place.”
Sang remained silent. The man did not remove his hand. Sang didn’t protest. It would ward off others, if Sang was seen to be under his control. It simplified things.
The private place was one Sang should have anticipated. The day pod was the third in a row of ten sitting on the edge of the footpath between pedestrians and the occasional ground car. A retreat pod was one place where privacy would be honored, especially if the two of them were seen entering. Karassians liked their pornography, yet they still preferred a closed door for their personal couplings.
The pod accepted the man’s scan and opened. He pushed Sang inside and sealed it again.
Sang sat on the wide divan that was the only piece of furniture, while the man turned off all the screens except one. He called up the pod controls.
The sounds of the high street muted. Then the walls turned transparent, allowing bright morning sunlight into the pod.
“It’s one way only,” the man said. “I need to see if anyone is taking an interest in us.”
It was possible to make the walls transparent in both directions. The first time Sang had seen such an arrangement, they had halted, unable to look away from the pair frantically mating on the divan. Others had also stopped to watch the spectacle with mild interest, masking Sang’s surprise.
“That is sensible,” Sang said, of the man’s setting of the walls.
The man sat on the edge of the divan, then swiveled, bringing one knee up onto the thin cushioning. The flowing robe he wore spread over the divan.
“You’re an android,” he said. “Passing as a woman, which means you’re from Erium.”
Sang remained silent. This man was not a Karassian. He was not Eriuman, either. There were still too many unknowns for Sang to speak freely.
“You referred to yourself as ‘we’,” the man pointed out. “You gave yourself away.”
Sang was genuinely startled. “I did?” they said carefully. They had been diligent with their references since arriving.
“No one noticed, not with the woman caterwauling about her wrist.” The man grinned.
Sang held still, waiting.
His smile faded. He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. “You’re bruised.”
“I miscalculated,” Sang admitted. “Our study of Karassia told us women were legal equals of men.”
“Legally, they are.” The man’s tone was very dry.
“The objectification of women is of an extreme I had not anticipated,” Sang added. They looked up and around the interior of the pod.
The man rolled his eyes, taking in the pod, too. “Why did you not pass as a man, then? It would have been easier.”
“There are reasons why being seen as a woman would be useful.” Sang shut up again. There was no need to reveal anything yet.
The man considered Sang. “Two outsiders in Karassia. I have not seen another for days. The last was a convict worker. I have to believe that you being here is not a coincidence.” He studied Sang with eyes that were not Karassian brown, but a gray-blue that was flecked with brown, an odd, discordant coloring that marked him as a stranger, as did his black hair and the growth on his chin and cheeks.
“You are not Eriuman,” Sang said.
“I am a free citizen.” He frowned. “We could circle around each other for days, too cautious to break the silence. One of us needs to speak.”
Sang didn’t answer.
The man smiled. “You would not voluntarily enter the Homogeny, given how they feel about androids. You were sent. I am hoping you were sent by the man I reached out to, three weeks ago.”
Sang drew in a breath and let it out. “Who might that be?”
“Reynard Cardenas.”
Sang let their shoulders sag, as if they had relaxed. “What might the message have been?”
“Still cautious. Very well. I told him I thought I might have found his daughter, Bellona.”
“Bellona Cardenas has been dead for more than ten standard years,” Sang said.
“She’s here on Kachmar.”
“A member of the Scordini clan here, among rabid Karassians?” Sang shook their head. “That is not possible. The enraged outcry would have been heard across the galaxy, all the way to Erium.”
“Not if they don’t know who she was.”
“Her genetic markers alone would raise suspicions.” Sang curled down their mouth. “Clearly, you have never met an Eriuman.”
“I have met more than one,” the man replied. “Many times. I realize now that is why the Cardenas sent you. You are different enough to pass as a stranger, not an enemy. As a woman, you can get closer to Bellona without raising suspicions.”
“I was sent because my loss would be an acceptable one.”
The man frowned. “Reynard Cardenas did not believe my message, then.”
“He sent us,” Sang pointed out. “Me,” they corrected.
“Yet he does not hope.”
“No.”
The man shook his head. “I have a DNA match.”
Sang considered it. “You have seen her.” Only someone who had been physically present could have acquired viable DNA for matching. Sang curled their fingers in against the little spurt of excitement and reminded themselves that they held no more hope than Bellona’s father did. This was a fool’s mission, gladly accepted to serve the Cardenas family.
“I have seen her,” the man confirmed.
“It is impossible. Here?”
“She does not look as you remember her. Karassians think her to be one of their own, a very sharp tool in their war chest.”
Sang laughed. “Now we know you are lying. Bellona would never fight against Erium. If a member of the Scordinii chose to side with the Karassians, the Karassians would have trumpeted it with heralds. They would have trained every screen in the Homogeny to lengthy broadcasts about her deeds. She would be a cause célèbre, a crack in the Erium Republic’s united front. The Karassians would remind its people of that at every turn.”
“You are more right than you know,” the man replied. “For that is exactly what the Karassians do with her. Only, they do not parade her as a turned Eriuman, for she is not. She is one of their most prized warriors and Karassians everywhere cheer her exploits.” The man delivered the rousing litany with a downturned mouth.
“If she is not Eriuman, then…?”
“Bellona Cardenas does not currently exist. The woman you once served is now called Xenia.”
Sang shot to their feet. “The app?” They shivered and wrapped their arms around themselves.
“Application, appliance, I know not what the proper name for them is, but yes, that is she.”
“Apps are androids,” Sang replied as calmly as they could manage. “Programmed for destruction, enhanced beyond belief. They fight. When they are not fighting, they are corralled away from Karassians who prefer their intelligent assistants not compete with them for attention.”
The man spread his hands in an open gesture. “I do not disagree with you on any of those points bar one. Apps are not androids. They’re people, reprogrammed for Karassian use, their natural
talents enhanced. When they are not slaving at Karassian orders, they are tucked away and kept harmless and helpless.”
Sang rubbed their arms, even though they felt no cold. “If this is even possible, then knowledge of what the Karassians have done would emerge. Rumor, at least, would have trickled out. How could you, a stranger to this place as much as I, possibly know what the rest of the galaxy does not even suspect?”
The man shrugged. “I know, because I was one of them.”
#
Ledan Resort, Ledania, Karassian Homogeny.
Xenia spotted Thecla on the other side of the lagoon and gladness touched her. She made her way around the still, green water to where Thecla was limping along in the soft sand, a medic next to her. Thecla was holding her human hand next to her body, as if it was injured.
“Thecla!” Xenia waved to catch her attention and hurried as fast as she could to where Thecla halted, waiting for her. She couldn’t walk fast because her quads were sore from a training session. Her back ached, too. She couldn’t quite remember the dance movement that might have strained her muscles so much, yet Dana, her coach, assured her that her rehearsal had been excellent and the soreness would soon pass.
Thecla smiled when Xenia got closer.
“You’re hurt!” Xenia exclaimed.
“Just my other hand. And my ankle.” Thecla held out her human hand to display healing burns. “I spilled lead on it.”
Thecla was a sculptor, which was why she had the metal hand. Although Xenia had never seen any of her work, she suspected that Thecla was very good, as she lived here in Ledan. “Did you go away?” Xenia asked. “I didn’t know you were gone.” It was only now she realized that Thecla had not been around for a while.
That was often true of her other friends here in Ledan. Xenia frowned, staring at the sand. “There was someone else, too…they didn’t come back yet.”
“Thecla went on tour,” the medic said jovially. “To show her work.”
Thecla smiled.
“How wonderful!” Xenia exclaimed. “I’m so happy you’re such a success, Thecla!”
“Do you two want to have lunch together?” the medic asked.
“Yes, please,” Thecla said.
“Yes,” Xenia said. She liked having lunch with friends. There were lots of friends…weren’t there? Now she was thinking about it, she couldn’t recall any of their names.
“Xenia.”
She looked up at the medic, uneasy.
“Come and have lunch. Forget about the rest. Food, then a nap and everything will be good again.”
Xenia smiled at him. “That sounds nice.” She followed them across the sand to the dining hall where lunch would be waiting, wondering if she was hungry.
___________
http://tracycooperposey.com/new-star-rising/
for more details about this book.
The next book in the
Kiss Across Time series.
Kiss Across Seas, Book 6.0
History doesn’t always repeat. Sometimes, it destroys.
To protect everyone she loves from the threats of their greatest enemy, Sydney flings herself back in time to eleventh century Egypt, where she meets a very human Alexander. Her arrival causes the death of the knight who would have drawn Alex to Jerusalem, and destroys a chain of events that end with Sydney, Rafe and Alex meeting in the twenty-first century.
Alexander is not the reasonable, dedicated healer she knows. His family actively work to stymy Sydney’s plans. Even though she is a prisoner and a mere woman, Sydney must find a way to restore history despite their resistance.
Discover Alexander’s dark past in this riveting exploration of time…and love.
___
…and praise for the Kiss Across Time Series:
This is a story, and these are characters, that stay with the reader long after the story is finished. Clare for Happily Ever After Reviews
Get your copy of Kiss Across Seas now.
https://books2read.com/KissAcrossSeas
About the Author
Tracy Cooper-Posey is an Amazon #1 Best Selling Author. She writes romantic suspense, paranormal, urban fantasy, futuristic and science fiction romances. She has published over 85 novels since 1999, been nominated for five CAPAs including Favourite Author, and won the Emma Darcy Award.
She turned to indie publishing in 2011. Her indie titles have been nominated four times for Book Of The Year and Byzantine Heartbreak was a 2012 winner. Faring Soul won a SFR Galaxy Award in 2016 for “Most Intriguing Philosophical/Social Science Questions in Galaxybuilding” She has been a national magazine editor and for a decade she taught romance writing at MacEwan University.
She is addicted to Irish Breakfast tea and chocolate, sometimes taken together. In her spare time she enjoys history, Sherlock Holmes, science fiction and ignoring her treadmill. An Australian Canadian, she lives in Edmonton, Canada with her husband, a former professional wrestler, where she moved in 1996 after meeting him on-line.
Other books by Tracy Cooper-Posey
For reviews, excerpts, and more about each title, visit Tracy’s site and click on the cover you are interested in: http://tracycooperposey.com/books-by-thumbnail/
* = Free!
Blood Knot Series
(Urban Fantasy Paranormal Series)
Blood Knot*
Southampton Swindle
Broken Promise
Vale
Amor Meus
Blood Stone
Blood Unleashed
Blood Drive
Blood Revealed
Blood Ascendant
Beloved Bloody Time Series
(Paranormal Futuristic Time Travel)
Bannockburn Binding*
Wait
Byzantine Heartbreak
Viennese Agreement
Romani Armada
Spartan Resistance
Celtic Crossing
Kiss Across Time Series
(Paranormal Time Travel)
Kiss Across Time*
Kiss Across Swords
Time Kissed Moments I
Kiss Across Chains
Kiss Across Deserts
Kiss Across Kingdoms
Time and Tyra Again
Kiss Across Seas
Kiss Across Worlds
The Kine Prophecies
(Epic Norse Fantasy Romance)
The Branded Rose Prophecy
The Stonebrood Saga
(Gargoyle Paranormal Series)
Carson’s Night*
Beauty’s Beasts
Harvest of Holidays
Unbearable
Sabrina’s Clan
Pay The Ferryman
Hearts of Stone (Boxed Set)
Destiny’s Trinities
(Urban Fantasy Romance Series)
Beth’s Acceptance*
Mia’s Return
Sera’s Gift
The First Trinity
Cora’s Secret
Zoe’s Blockade
Octavia’s War
The Second Trinity
Terra’s Victory
Destiny’s Trinities (Boxed Set)
Interspace Origins
(Science Fiction Romance Series)
Faring Soul
Varkan Rise
Cat and Company
Interspace Origins (Boxed Set)
Short Paranormals
Solstice Surrender
Eva’s Last Dance
Three Taps, Then….
The Well of Rnomath
The Vistaria Affair
(Romantic Suspense)
Red Leopard*
Black Heart
Blue Knight
White Dawn
Go-get-‘em Women
(Short Romantic Suspense Series)
The Royal Talisman
Delly’s Last Night
Vivian’s Return
Ningaloo Nights
Jewells of Tomorrow
(Historical Romantic Suspense)
Heart of Vengeance
Scandalous Sirens
(Historical Romance Series)
Forbidden*
Dangerous Beauty
Perilous Princess
Romantic Thrillers Series
Fatal Wild Child
Dead Again
Dead Double
Terror Stash
Thrilling Affair (Boxed Set)
The Endurance
(Science Fiction Romance Series)
5,001
Greyson’s Doom
Yesterday’s Legacy
Promissory Note
Quiver and Crave
Xenogenesis
Junkyard Heroes
Contemporary Romances
Lucifer’s Lover
An Inconvenient Lover
The Sherlock Holmes Series
(Romantic Suspense/Mystery)
Chronicles of the Lost Years
The Case of the Reluctant Agent
Sherlock Boxed In
The Indigo Reports
(Space Opera)
Flying Blind
New Star Rising
But Now I See
Suns Eclipsed
Worlds Beyond
Non-Fiction Titles
Reading Order
(Non-Fiction, Reference)
Reading Order 2016
Copyright Information
This is an original publication of Tracy Cooper-Posey
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
Time and Tyra Again Page 5
