Jana realized they did have the same coloring and body size, but they didn"t favor each other as she"d been told several times. She was nothing like this alien, sly enchantress and would never become remotely like her. At that insulting thought, she reminded herself that her bad opinion of Shara Triloni stemmed from a delusion and from the alien"s crimes years ago. Shara had not tried to murder her and had not been her son"s mistress. The evil and cruel woman she had met during her hallucination did not exist.
Jana wondered what Shara had been like and how Galen"s loss and perhaps treachery had affected her, besides provoking the princess to a double murder and suicide. While talking with Maal last night, his eyes had become dewy and he had told her she was speaking and thinking like his daughter. That had to have been before this ravishing creature went insane. Crimes of pa.s.sion had been exposed in American papers and television with frequency, so it wasn"t only an alien flaw. Yet, Jana could not imagine slaying in cold blood someone you had loved and had bonded with in bed. Despite her many charges against Varian, she could never murder him.
Shara looked peaceful and radiant to Jana, as if only asleep. She wondered if Varian"s father had fallen in love with the princess in his charge, or simply sought an illicit and brief affair, or had been drug enslaved by her as was his defense. Had Galen used and betrayed Shara"s love long ago as his son had done to her recently? A Saar had taken possession of the last and the current Androasian princesses ...
Jana turned to leave the haunting place. Her gaze found a portrait on the wall. Stunned by what she saw, she approached it and gaped in disbelief. Anger and suspicion soon joined her initial emotion. In the portrait, Shara was wearing the same golden gown and jewels she herself had worn last night, or replicas of them! No wonder everyone had stared when she appeared, like a ghost from their past.
Jana vowed between clenched teeth that she would not become a replacement for Shara to Ryker, to Maal, or to the Androasians. She was upset that her husband would allow her to dress and be adorned as his mother had been long ago. She would demand an explanation later.
Jana stalked down the hallway and was halted by the sounds of birds. She entered a large room filled with cages, some fashioned in gla.s.s and some in wire. She looked at the exotic birds, the unusual fish, and other familiar creatures, then stopped at the scarfelli"s dwelling. She bent over and stared at the hairy spiders as large as cats. She remembered the terror tactics well from the Wanderl.u.s.t.
"You shouldn"t be staring at them, Jana. You told me they frighten you. I remember how you said Varian used them on his ship."
Jana glanced at her husband as he came forward with a smile. "Do they ever capture and devour people?"
"No, scarfelli are vegetarians. See," he said, and pointed to their feeding area at one end of the cage where fruits and vegetables were piled.
"It gives me the creeps to think of one of them crawling over me. To be attacked by a group of them, encased in a coc.o.o.n, and hauled into their den must have been sheer terror for Sylva. That was so cruel of Varian."
He winced inside. "You said the defiant Uranian gave him no choice, and he didn"t really have her killed."
"We always have choices in what we do, Ryker," Jana refuted. "He could have confined her to the brig as he did in secret without terrifying her and the rest of us with his s.a.d.i.s.tic demonstration."
"It worked, didn"t it? No one else disobeyed or rebelled. Afterward, every captive did her best to become her best. Isn"t that what you said?"
She had told him the details of that scary incident. "Yes, but..."
He didn"t like her remembering such rash times. "But what?"
"That doesn"t excuse his cruelty. He kidnapped us and was forcing us to train to become breeders to aliens in another world. How did he expect us to feel? I would bet my life neither he nor you would accept captivity without a fight or an attempt to escape."
"That"s true. But there comes a time when wisdom must overshadow pride and make us do whatever is necessary to survive."
She almost shrieked at him for seeming to defend his half brother"s wicked actions. "Survival at any price, is that what you"re saying?"
"Survival to battle an enemy another day, Jana, that"s different."
"Some enemies can"t ever be battled again."
"There are ways to defeat or punish a foe besides killing him-"
"Ah, there you two are," Maal interrupted as he entered the room. "Ryker, go and tell the cook to serve lunch. I will escort Jana to the dining room myself."
The blond alien nodded and left them alone. "I see you found my collection," Maal said. "Do you like it? The urikeah are fierce looking but very gentle." He lifted a lid and stroked several of the hairy spiders.
Jana was intrigued. "What did you call them?"
"Urikeah."
"There were some on the Wanderl.u.s.t called scarfelli."
"That is what the Maffeians call them. Come, lunch is ready."
Jana took his arm and let him guide her to the dining room. Again, she wondered why Ryker had spoken to her in Maffeian.
In their suite later, Jana summoned the courage to ask about the gown and jewels she had worn last night and revealed her motive for the question.
Even without having read Shara"s diary, Varian knew the correct answer. "Of course they were like Mother"s; that is the traditional wedding garment of the Trilonis and those are the royal jewels. If you had made your way to the ancestral gallery in the other wing, you would have seen that all Triloni brides were attired in replicas of the "Golden Dream." The portrait hanging near her tomb was taken before she left to marry Supreme Ruler Jurad Tabriz of Pyropea. Mother never wore it again because she never made it to her wedding there. It was not her gown you wore last night; it was yours. I"m sorry I didn"t think to explain it. The portrait of you made last night will be hung with the rest in the gallery. I"ll show them to you tomorrow." He grasped her hands and vowed, "I did not choose you to take Shara Triloni"s place in our lives; you are nothing like her, Jana of Earth."
"I"m the one who should apologize, Ryker. It"s just that so many people gossiped about me replacing her that when I saw the portrait ..."
He pulled her into his embrace. "I understand. Don"t let it trouble you further. Besides, you need a clear head for a challenging task. I told Grandfather how good you are at laius and he wants to play with you this afternoon while I visit friends. Are you game, Jana?"
"Yes, that sounds like a pleasant diversion."
As Jana took her place at the table, Maal smiled and said, "I am happy you accepted my invitation to play breeli while Ryker is gone."
"Breeli? I thought we were playing laius."
"We are."
Jana concluded she must tell her husband to start speaking to her in Androasian instead of Maffeian so she would know what everyone was talking about when they used words that did not translate into English.
At dinner, Jana looked at Maal and grinned. "Your grandfather told me all about you while we played breeli," she teased Ryker.
"Everything?" he hinted with a mirthful tone. He was in a good mood because his meeting with Dakin Agular had gone well. And they only had one more day to spend with Maal. He was more than ready to leave and end this constant and draining state of alert.
"Almost everything. He said his grandmother knew ancient secrets of plants and animals, that she pa.s.sed them to his mother, who pa.s.sed them to his daughter, who pa.s.sed them to her son. He said he gave you the best teachers and books in all known worlds. He said you were smart and studied all the time. That must be why you"re so intelligent, my husband."
"When my grandson moved to Maffei, I was pained by his loss."
"You haven"t lost me, Grandfather. I visit you often."
"Now that you are married, you must visit more often and stay longer. I am getting old and weak, cherished flame of my soul. Soon you will take my place and rule Androas for us, with my new daughter at your side. With all you know and possess, we will be all-powerful, invincible."
"Do not speak of such things, Grandfather; you have many years ahead to serve our Empire. And I have much work to do elsewhere."
Jana perceived an unspoken message pa.s.sing between the two men. She suspected something was afoot. Would they tell her about it? When?
The next day, the disguised Varian related startling news to Kadim Maal Triloni. He knew from a tape of the older man"s last visit to Ryker on Darkar and from notes in Shara"s journal that Maal had been informed of the first mission to Earth and of an impending second one. He knew from those sources that an attempted conquest of Maffei was to coincide with the absence of many powerful starships during that future voyage. He told Maal about the misidentification and miscalculation in timing of the rogue worldlet on an elliptical orbit around Jana"s sun which placed the rogue on a crash course with Earth in less than six weeks. "It isn"t coming from deep s.p.a.ce as they believed, Grandfather, and its speed has changed. They were too rushed and didn"t study the threat closely enough. The team of scientists and remote probes they sent out after Varian"s return found their errors. They plan to strike at it between the fifth and sixth planets of that solar system. We have known about this situation before the time I met Jana, not when they communicated their order to me this morning. Varian was to lead the attack on it, but I am taking charge of Project Starguard. A success will prove my friendship to Maffei and will eat at my brother"s gut."
Maal focused a pale-green gaze of confusion on his grandson. "When did you come up with this wild idea and make this bold decision?"
"The idea has been whirling around inside my head for two weeks. I didn"t make my decision until I was speaking with Breccia Sard earlier. When the Supreme Commander made his request, I pretended to know nothing more than Jana knew and had told me. I accused him of wanting the weapons and chemicals to attack Androas. Of course, Sard denied that provoking lie and was coerced into telling me why he needed them. Naturally he wanted me to believe the lasers would be mounted on shuttles or converted supply ships, not on Star Fleet ships. I told him that was foolish and self-defeating, that only starships have the power and skill to bombard something of that size. I even suggested creating a gravity field to mock a Black Hole between their target and Earth to conceal their presence; with such a field in place, not even a ray of light, much less a laser beam, could pa.s.s through it and be seen by the Earthlings. Sard asked why I wanted his starships out of range for so long. After I made my demand to a.s.sume control of the mission, I pointed out that Maffei would be safe against any threat from Androas since I would be on one of those starships and could be captured and used to stop any aggression back home. Sard had to discuss it with Effecta Tirol and the Council; that"s why I didn"t reveal it to you after our first communication. When he got back to me in a short time, as expected, they had agreed. They had no choice, if they want the best weapons and only laser chemicals to use."
Maal shook his head of silver hair. "It is too dangerous, cherished flame of my soul. You will be placing your life in their hands. What if they did capture you while you are on their starship?"
Varian chuckled as he had seen his half brother do many times. "They"re not total fools, Grandfather. They need Trilabs. I am Trilabs. Without me, it is useless to anyone, and a peril to them. I won"t be harmed, and there is great value in my going as leader. By taking command of the project, I can glean Maffei"s vital military secrets and strategies. I can discover their firepower, witness their battle tactics, see how their starships work together, and observe the skills of their commanders. I can learn of any new or improved weapons, and how much of a stockpile of existing ones they have. Besides, Grandfather, it"s Jana"s world and people; think how happy it will make my new wife for her beloved husband to save them rather than her despised captor and tormentor. I can humiliate and anger my rival by stealing his place. For me to take charge of this grand mission will annoy and anger Varian and the Alliance. I have taken Jana from Varian; now, I can have my final revenge on him."
"Why did you really take Jana Greyson from Varian?"
Dark-green eyes fused with pale-green ones. Remember, respond as Ryker might. "Because my brother loved her and wanted to keep her."
"The rumors of his enchantment by her were true after all, as you suspected. After meeting her, I understand how that could occur. Does your wife know the truth of the matter?"
"No, and she will never be told of his love and reluctance while I am alive. Jana hates him and believes he used and discarded her under the guise of obtaining a private truce with me to end our personal war. Since that is the story my brother was forced to relate, she accepts it as truth. Too, she is aware that he is marrying Ca.s.s soon. Jana must never know I demanded her in exchange for peace and supplies for his world, not for a truce with an archrival and foe I can defeat with my bare hands at any time I choose. You have been told the public story of how she was allegedly freed for saving Effecta Tirol"s life, ran away, then met and married me."
"Why did she agree to marry you, cherished flame of my soul?"
Varian used the reasons he had witnessed on the secret videotape of the conversation in which Ryker had convinced Jana to wed him. "But we quickly realized neither of us wanted a marriage in name only. We realized how well matched we are. As the weeks pa.s.sed, Grandfather, we were drawn together as metal to magnet, as water to sponge. She is my destiny and I am hers. We both realized and accepted that truth." Varian feigned an expression that came easy for him in its verity. "The first time we kissed, we flamed with pa.s.sion. The first time we made love was the most glorious experience either of us had ever known. When she looks into my eyes, I know without a single doubt or word spoken that she loves, desires, and needs me. When we unite our bodies, she shares in a special way only a woman who loves me beyond question could do. I feel the same way about her. At first, it was scary to love her and want her so much, but now, it is exciting and fulfilling. How incredible and unexpected it was to find such powerful and rewarding and perfect love. It is even stranger that I have my half brother to thank for bringing her into my life."
"What if Varian feels and thinks the same way about her, cherished flame of my soul? What if he wants her returned? What if he changes his mind and breaks his promise about telling her the truth?"
"He won"t, Grandfather. He loves her enough to spare her that pain, because true love is unselfish. Until Jana, I never realized someone else"s happiness and survival, besides that of family, could be more important to me than my own. Even though he loves her and may have grasped his great mistake by now, he would never accept her back after I"ve possessed her."
"Why not? It did not bother you to take her after he had, did it?"
Varian frowned, then grimaced. "At first, but no longer. In the beginning, I told myself I had to have her as pain and punishment to Varian. When I made him my offer, he couldn"t refuse because he wanted peace for his world and thought he was making a supreme and unselfish sacrifice for it. He and the Council knew I would refuse them my products in the future and probably provoke"you to move against them if I was refused Jana. It did not take long after she was in my possession for me to comprehend why I truly wanted her. Besides, Grandfather, my half brother couldn"t accept the fact he loved an alien prutay. He resists believing he can"t live without her. He is going to be shocked to learn, if he hasn"t already, that it"s impossible to forget Jana Greyson once she"s in your blood. That"s probably why he"s rushing into this marriage with Ca.s.s, to convince himself and others that Jana means nothing to him. He"ll fail, but it"s too late."
"Are you certain he will not slay you to get her back?"
"I am certain, Grandfather, for three reasons: One, he knows Maffei needs Trilabs products desperately. Two, he wouldn"t risk provoking you to war with Maffei to avenge my death. And three, Varian could never bring himself to enter a paradise I have visited so frequently. He has too much pride, too much hatred of Trilonis, and too much obedience and love for the Alliance to risk destroying them over a woman. Yes, I am certain."
"What will he do when you break your truce with him? When we attack Maffei while their starships are gone, if he doesn"t go with them, he will be there to plan and lead their defenses. He will strike at Darkar and capture your wife, and the crew of the ship you command will capture you. How can I fight with my only two loved ones in peril?"
Now that Varian was a.s.sured of Jana"s safety against Maal"s retaliation and of her future ownership of Ryker"s powerful estate, it was time to see if his daring plan would work to keep Maffei safe. "Grandfather, I want you to postpone any attack against Maffei while I"m gone, and I don"t want you to form an alliance with the Pyropean Federation." He witnessed Maal"s stunned expression. "The Tabrizes cannot be trusted. Prince Taemin"s dream is to conquer and rule the Tri-Galaxy, all of it, Grandfather, including our Empire. They want us to fight the main battles for them. When the war is over and while we are recovering and vulnerable, Pyropea will attack us. I have obtained this information from spies planted there, so I know it is true. I say, let the Pyropeans challenge and battle Maffei for us. As long as the Alliance is punished, since that is your wish, it should not matter to you who does the fighting. The battle will weaken the Pyropeans enough to prevent any threat to us from them."
"What do you mean by, it is my wish? It is yours, too."
Varian summoned the courage to refute. "No, Grandfather, it is not. I say that a real truce and peace with Maffei is in Androas"s best interest, for now anyway. War is a serious and dangerous matter; it must not be rushed into while we are ignorant of their strengths. A wise man would not attack a foe in the dark and while he, himself, is vulnerable. I have come to realize that personal revenge and intergalactic war are two different matters. If you do not change your mind, at least let them have their treaty while I glean their secrets and Androas grows stronger."
"You mean, cancel the attack, not delay it?" Maal almost shouted.
"We must think of what is best for the Empire, Grandfather, not of sating our private hungers. I have discovered that Maffei is much stronger than we realized. A victory would not come quickly or easily, and a defeat could be ours. Have you forgotten the rebellion threat here? Our people do not want war, Grandfather, especially over a personal matter from the distant past. They could refuse to fight and could depose you for ordering the battle. Is your hatred and hunger for revenge so great you would risk everything to appease them? Have they not been amply fed to date? Galen Saar was punished by death for his crimes against us; Tirol was punished with the losses of his daughter and law-son for his refusal to discredit and exile my father. Maffei has suffered because of those deaths and scandal. Even Varian has been tormented by Mother"s murderous deed. The Alliance has been cowered by their need and acceptance of Galen"s b.a.s.t.a.r.d. I took from my half brother- Galen"s heir-the possession he loved and desired most. He must agonize every day and night knowing I have Jana. We have drawn heart"s blood from those responsible for Mother"s shame and death. We must not use the innocent blood of our people to extract more torment from our enemies and their heirs."
"You no longer wish to conquer and destroy them?" he asked in confusion. "You are the one who kept the dream of revenge alive."
"I know, Grandfather, but things have changed for me; I have changed. When I was trying to figure out the best way to reveal our plans to Jana, I realized an a.s.sault on Maffei and the subsequent provoking of an intergalactic war sounded drastic, cruel, and irrational as a way to settle an old score. Jana has a tender heart and gentle spirit, Grandfather; she would never understand our manner of seeking vengeance for an old crime against us. Many of the women-prutays-living in Maffei are from her world. Many of their present civilization were not present when this conflict began long ago. Too many innocents would die along with the guilty. We have lived only for future revenge for too long. It is time to end it."
"So you told Jana nothing of our plot?"
"No, Grandfather, I could not tell her. Before I met Jana, families and taking risks meant little or nothing to me, only the wrong done to the Trilonis. I wanted to make Galen"s son suffer as Mother and I had suffered, and I have succeeded over the years. They took Mother from us, and I have taken Jana from them, though it is not the reason I crave her and married her. Tirol will experience more anguish as he watches his beloved grandson and only heir suffer. Every Maffeian knows I won Jana from Varian, and all prutay owners know they freed her to marry me. Since they cannot get their mates freed, it will breed resentment and dissension. How can we justify hurting our people to further torment Maffeians? Have we become so blinded and consumed by hatred that we would commit such a grave wrong against our friends? You have been a great ruler, Grandfather; do not end your reign this name-darkening way. Do not force yourself to be remembered and despised as a man who destroyed his people and empire for selfish or irrational reasons. Our people want peace." As a result of his secret meeting with Agular today, Varian knew that was true for most of these people. Yet he also knew that too many Androasians would follow Maal into h.e.l.l no matter how they felt.
"I had not thought of the matter in such light, cherished flame of my soul. To force Varian to turn his ship and mission over to you will vex him greatly. For you to lead the other ships will humiliate their commanders, crews, the Council, and Star Fleet. It is a cunning idea. If we decided to invade Maffei later, with the information you gather, we will be better prepared to win our challenge. It shall be done as you advise."
Varian tried not to give a sigh of relief. He smiled at the elderly man. "You are wise, Grandfather. Now, I must tell my wife."
Jana was summoned by a servant to the room where the blond alien related his astonishing news.
"You"re going to do what, Ryker? Surely I didn"t hear you right."
"Yes, my love, you did. I am going to take charge of Project Starguard and the Wanderl.u.s.t. I and my weapons are going to save your world and people for you, not that beast who captured you from them. You said you were no sacrifice to Varian, but taking his place, his ship, his glory, and his a.s.signment will sting his pride. It will repay him for what he did to you and others of your race. All he cares about are his duty, mission, rank, and pride. This is the only way I can take them away from him; though it will be for a short time, it will long be remembered."
"Kadim Tirol, the Supreme Council, and Star Fleet will never agree."
"They already have, Jana; I gave them no choice in the matter. I told them it was me, my weapons, and my chemicals, or nothing."
She gaped at him. "What if they had canceled Project Starguard rather than allow you to blackmail them into such a humiliating corner?"
"If they had refused, I would have used Androasian ships and crews to carry out the mission. I would not allow your world to be destroyed."
"When did you throw down your gauntlet?"
He waited for her to explain her meaning before he answered. "They contacted me this morning about the weapons and supplies they need. I told them I wanted to lead the mission to save my wife"s world."
"How will they explain you as the leader?"
"As the perfect technical adviser required to use my lasers and chemicals correctly. And Varian has the perfect excuse for staying behind: his marriage and honeymoon."
Jana winced inside at that cruel reminder but kept her expression from revealing it. "He"s not going at all, not even on one of the other ships?" She watched a grin spread over his handsome face.
"No, because he would never stand behind me and take my orders. There is one thing I know for certain about my half brother: he always follows orders and does his duty. He"ll cooperate."
"A man like Varian Saar won"t take this slap in the face lying down. I hate to see more bad blood develop between you two because of me. He"ll probably think I put you up to this scheme for revenge."
"Will that matter to you?"
"No, not really. In fact, it will be perfect retribution," she lied.
"I promise you, this will settle the matter between us forever."
"How can it when you"re challenging and taking all he loves?"
"Any retaliatory threat from him is slim to none, Jana. I promise you." He caressed her flushed cheek and murmured, "Besides, taking Varian"s mission will provide a stimulating and exciting adventure, something new and different from anything I"ve done in the past." He sent her a roguish grin. "You said for us to do the unpredictable, to take risks, to confront challenges. You said you wanted to become an adventuress. Well, woman, here"s your opportunity. In addition, my worried wife, something very important to you is at stake and you should witness it."
Witness a possible collision of the rogue with her world if Earth couldn"t be saved? Watch the impact and explosion, the total destruction? Observe the Stardusting as a euthanasia process?
Varian saw how concerned she was. "I promise you that no one is more qualified to deal with this threat to your world than I am. We leave in the morning to head straight for Star Base on Rigel. We"ll pick up the Wanderl.u.s.t there and depart for your solar system."
"We? You mean I am going, too?"
He smiled and stroked her hair. "Of course. You don"t think I would leave my prized possession behind and alone, do you? I couldn"t endure so many weeks away from my new wife, and she deserves to observe and share this adventure. And, in case Varian does decide to try something foolish in retaliation, you wouldn"t be left here alone to handle him."
"He wouldn"t dare harm your wife, an Androasian princess."
"His father dared to do so long ago," Maal said in a steeledged voice. "What is to say Varian is not like Galen was?"
"Galen did not have and need Trilabs as Varian and Maffei do. He can not afford to offend or challenge my husband. Tirol would not permit it."