time companion heard her order but could not respond since the neck unit was a one-way device. She checked the lazette strapped to her right thigh beneath the garment to make certain it was set on stun, not terminate, as she doubted she could slay the man she loved for any reason. If he failed to prove he was an I-GAF agent, she would not expose her true identity or Starla form, so eliminating him as a threat would be unnecessary.
Dagan stared at Yana in shock. "Why did you return this soon? I thought we agreed you would not come again for a few deegas."
"I had to see you, Dagan. May I come inside for a few preons?"
"Why?" he persisted. He was cognizant—and suspicious—of the absence of her previous magical and irresistible allure, an unnatural weakness which still vexed him. Until he knew the truth about his lost love, he couldn't initiate even a casual affair with Yana to assure Tochar of his fealty. He hoped one wouldn't become necessary, and dreaded making that repulsive decision. He had never misused a female before during a mission, yet, he was certain Yana was somehow connected to this situation, and a great deal was at stake: the safety of the United Federation of Galaxies.
"I must speak with you in private; it is important, very important."
Dagan caught the urgency to her words, so he stepped back and allowed her to enter his chamber. He followed her to where she halted near the room's waist-high partition that separated the sitting and eating areas. He saw her lean against it, as if requiring the divider's support "Well?"
"Does Starla know the truth about you?"
Dagan was baffled by the unexpected query, and realized
his reaction was evident to her. "I didn't tell her about us, but somebody else may have. Why is that important?"
"I didn't mean the truth about us; she knew that fact."
Dagan's dark-blue gaze widened in surprise, then narrowed. "You told her about our one encounter?" Was that why Starla hadn't trusted him and confided in him, he wondered, or returned to make certain Tochar hadn't slain him, because she doubted his love and commitment to her?
"No, she told me after it happened."
His alert heightened. "But you said you two weren't acquainted."
"I thought it best not to reveal we are, given the danger of that fact. I wouldn't want to induce Tochar to investigate and shadow me."
"Why is that, Yana? Do you have something hazardous to conceal?"
"1 have my reasons which I will explain later."
"Have you seen or spoken to Starla since this trouble began?"
"She disappeared from everyone's sight following that cave incident."
Dagan realized Yana had chosen her words with care, a response he deduced was a lie. "What else did Starla tell you? When?"
"The same deega you discarded me, she asked me to leave you alone because she loves you and had created a special bond with you."
"Starla told you she's in love with me?"
"Yes, and I believed her."
"Her treachery and connection to me could have gotten me killed, but she didn't bother to confide in me or even warn me of my imminent peril, so she has a strange way of proving that love."
"Just as you failed to prove your trust and love to her by withholding the truth about yourself and why you really came to Noy."
Dagan tensed. "What 'truth' are you referring to, Yana?"
"That you're an I-GAF agent working to defeat Tochar and his band; that you're immune to Thorin and that's how you duped him during tests."
"Where did you get such a reaUty-impaired idea like that?" Dagan sneered. "Who sent you here on such a ridiculous quest?"
"You can trust me completely, Dagan, or whatever your name is. If you wish to exchange facts on this matter, you must prove yourself to me."
"What are you trying to pull, Yana? I'm no I-GAF agent, nor a Seki!'
She fused her confident gaze to his cynical one. "Yes, Dagan Latu, you are. Before I tell you everything I've learned about Tochar, you must prove your identity to me, prove my positive assessment of you is correct."
"What do you mean?"
She lifted hds right hand and said, "Show me your I-GAF badge and I can tell you facts which will help you carry out your mission. Perhaps we can work together to defeat Tochar, unless you prefer to work alone."
"I work for Tochar, so why would I want to crush him?"
"Because he is evil and he must not obtain more moonbeams. With your help, perhaps we can shatter the white crystals in his Destructoids as I did with the others his spacekis stole during raids," she revealed to coax out the admission she needed. She knew she was exposing more than she had intended for Yana to relate this soon, but she felt he would have halted her probe by now if she was wrong about him.
Dagan took a few steps away from her, propped himself on the seata 's back, and stared at her. "Who are you, Yana? What are you? Why did you really come here with this preposterous accusation?"
"First, earn my trust by confirming my theory is accurate. I have already told you more than is safe if I am mistaken
about you. I can proceed no further until you verily your identity."
Could Yana, he mused, be the unknown factor instead of Starla, as he had concluded this morning? "First," he countered in a sarcastic tone, "prove I should trust you by telling me how you seduced me so easily."
Without hesitation, she said, "With a spray which is a mixture of a heady aphrodisiacal fragrance and the ancient Kalfan mating pheromone. I know your species does not physically produce it anymore but your males are still susceptible to it, and it is sold and used in mating problem cases."
Dagan frowned. "So, it was a trick as I suspected. You're lucky I don't strangle you for using me like a sex slave. I'll warn you now, woman, don't try it again. Now, tell me why did you select me to ensnare?"
"Because you aren't like the others, riffraff of the Cosmos; and I needed help, a means of obtaining information about Tochar and his raids, possible protection if exposed. And I also found you irresistible."
Dagan ignored her last sentence and focused on her others. "You didn't learn anything useful from me, so you wasted your time and charms."
"No time spent with you was wasted; I enjoy you and your company." She noted his tense expression. "Relax, I'm not here to seduce you; that facet of our relationship is over by your insistence."
Despite her words, Dagan saw a gleam of desire in her blue gaze. "If I am an I-GAF agent, why did you wait until now to ask me to work with you?"
"I learned only horns ago there is an I-GAF agent on assignment here and surmised it is you; that is why I returned to speak with you. If I'm wrong, and I pray I am not, I'll have to slay you," she warned as she aimed the lazette at his heart. "Now that I have confided in you, I can't allow you to endanger me and my mission."
Dagan eyed the weapon and the way she held it, which told him she knew how to use it. But would she? The impassive expression in her blue eyes did not answer for him. He scolded himself for underestimating her prowess and placing himself at a disadvantage. "Why do you think it's me?"
"For many reasons, most of them impossible to explain, gut instinct I suppose. As a skilled and seasoned agent, you know we depend upon our intuition and perceptions as much as our training and experiences. Well, do we have a bargain? Do we make a profitable exchange? Do we work together, or separately if you prefer, to destroy Tochar?"
"You still didn't tell me who and what you are, and what you know about Starla. Is she alive and unharmed?" He had so many questions to ask her. "Did Tochar tell the truth about her betraying him and what exactly did she do to provoke him? Does she work with you or for the same person? Where is she? Who and what is she?"
She was elated by his concern over Starla's fate. "I promise to reveal everything about me and all I know after I make certain you are what I hope and believe you are. My lips are sealed until you do."
"Didn't you overlook one enormous hazard?" he asked with a chuckle. "Computer, do not open the exit door except by my v
oice command, seal all windows, and respond to requests made only in my voice. If I don't cancel those orders within one horn, shut down the environmental control system." He focused a challenging gaze on Yana and said, "Now, you'll answer my questions. If you shoot me, you can't get out of here alive."
Yana bolstered her lazette and laughed softly. "Shall we see who runs out of air and relents first? I'm not afraid of you or of death, Dagan; if I must sacrifice my life in the line of duty and for such a crucial goal, I will do so. There's nothing you can do or say to extract the truth from me until I see your badge, and I know how that procedure works so
I can't be fooled. If you doubt my words and determination, let's sit down and wait until we can't breathe and you comprehend I am serious."
She finally had him convinced. "Yes, Yana. I know you're serious."
"Now that I'm your captive and I can't leave without your permission, what harm could it do to reveal the truth about yourself? Unless you release me, who could I tell about you?"
"How do I know you're trustworthy, despite what you've revealed?"
"You certainly can't ask Koteas, Terin, or Syrkin. Phae-drig couldn't tell you who I was when you checked on me; that was sneaky stealing my fingerprints and voice pattern, though they failed to be useful. You also checked on Starla, and I know what you learned about her. I wonder what Tochar would do if he discovered how you passed his Thorin tests. I-GAF agents are protected against truth serum by Rendelar. That's how you deceived him about yourself I also have had the Rendelar procedure, so neither you nor Tochar nor Phaedrig can extract anything from me, not even with torture. The only way you'll receive answers to your queries is by being worthy of them. Since I am your prisoner, you have nothing to lose by confiding in me, but there is much you can gairi by trusting me."
Little by little, comprehension dawned on him. "So, you're the one who fed those clues into our computer network. How did you obtain our secret entry code and gather those facts? How did you carry out those incidents with the crystals?"
Joy and relief flooded her as he half admitted to her supposition. "Soon, I'll tell you everything you want to know. The insignia, Dagan," she reminded him. When he remained silent and watchful, she added, "In case you think you can trick or frighten me, you're mistaken. I don't need you to
release me from your chamber." With speed and nimble fingers, the weapon was in her hand once more, aimed at him. "This lazette is powered by a moonbeam that can cut through any material, including your walls."
"So, you tricked me again."
"I hoped thinking I was your captive would relax you into complying. I don't like deceiving you, Dagan, but you're being stubborn. Can't you see I'm telling you the truth? Use those keen wits of yours! This matter is grave, more important than either of our lives. Please relent."
Dagan studied her for a moment before he pulled a disk from his belt and held it over his right hand. His pressed the top surface to release the needed chemical. He set the disk aside and used his left forefinger to spread a clear liquid from knuckles to wrist and from thumb to outside edge. He watched Yana's gaze remain fastened to his flesh as the symbol seemed to materialize as if by magic. He was confused and surprised when tears misted her blue eyes and an expression of delight claimed her face. He lifted his fist and held it before his chin. "Satisfied?" he asked as he watched her stare at the authoritative emblem he'd exposed.
Her softened gaze traveled from his hand to his blue eyes. "So, I was right about you all along; you are a good and trustworthy man."
"Am I?" Dagan retorted as he used a second chemical to conceal his badge. "If you trust me, turn over that lazette and tell me everything."
She saw his gaze widen in astonishment when she held the weapon out to him, smiled, and asked, "Can I wet my throat first? Now that I've seen your I-GAF mark"—she said for Cypher's benefit—"we have a long talk ahead of us." When an astounded Dagan didn't take the proffered weapon, she set it down on the counter as she fetched a drink. "Want anything?"
"The truth will be nice," he quipped, flopping on the seata.
"Perhaps you should sit down before I shock you," she advised as she sipped the liquid from one of Yakir's phials with her back to him.
"I am seated. I want to hear every detail. Get to talking, woman."
"Just keep silent and watch for a few preons, then you'll understand." She observed Dagan as he gaped at her during her transmutation into Starla Vedris. Twice during the meta-morphic process, he blinked his eyes and shook his head as if he doubted his sanity. Afterward, she said, "My real name is Bree-Kayah Saar. I was assigned by Supreme Commander Thaine Sanger of Maffei Star Fleet and Raz Yakir of Seri to defeat Tochar and the traitors in Kalfa and Seri and to destroy his crystals and weapons." She halted for a while to allow that shocking information to be absorbed.
Dagan's gaze roamed her flushed face and he looked into her pleading green eyes. She was alive and safe; she was an agent, not a real villite. She was within close proximity, but he could not reach out to her yet, much as he yearned to do so. She was . . . Yana. She had duped him ... He needed time to clear his wits, to get answers, to ascertain her feelings about him. The name which sounded like "Zar" was familiar to him, as were those of Sanger and Yakir. "Are you related to Varian and Jana Saar?"
"I am their youngest daughter, a Star Fleet officer, a member of our elite and secret squad. Cypher-T is my longtime partner. You could not access Bree-Kayah's file because the network computers were commanded to respond with my Starla Vedris identity. No record exists on Yana, and her voice print does not match mine. I have no fingerprints to expose me."
"How can you shapeshift into a woman so different from your real self?"
"Yakir provided me with the chemical for transformation;
it lasts for twelve horas unless I use the antidote to return me to my form sooner. This is my true appearance," she told him as he studied her brown hair and green eyes and less voluptuous figure. "My image and voice pattern were programmed to respond only to queries about Starla Verdris in all data bases to prevent Tochar or his contacts from discovering who I am; at this time, all files on Bree-Kayah Saar are protected against retrieval by a special command cue. We didn't know a Maffeian traitor was working with him and would imperil me. After I reported my exposure to Thaine and Yakir and told them I would remain on the mission as Yana, Yakir told me an I-GAF agent had infiltrated Tochar's band, but he didn't know his chosen name or description. I took a chance—I hoped and prayed—it was you."
"You're Maffeian; that's how Acharius recognized you."
"When Acharius saw me in the cave, he must have panicked because he tried to kill me. I dealt with him the only way left open to me. I tried to bluff it out with Tochar so I could save my mission, but he didn't believe my explanation." She related the cave episode in detail and how Acharius knew her. "I wanted to disable Acharius, rather than slay him, but my weapon didn't have a setting to induce a coma to keep him silent about me."
"Is that what you did to Moig?"
"I did induce a coma after I questioned him with Thorin; that's how I learned about Syrkin and other things. But Tochar murdered him; I have the tape aboard my ship to prove it. Cypher-T logs everything I witness and he follows us on most of our treks to observe and record those crimes."
"Since you didn't know who I was until last night, how did I fit into your plans? Why did you tempt me and use me as two different women?"
"I tried to ignore and resist you, Dagan, but you made that impossible by pursuing and tempting me. I'm sorry I was forced to deceive you; I wanted to confide in you, but
I feared I was blinded by my feelings for you and couldn't make an accurate evaluation of you. How could I trust you when you kept passing Tochar's Thorin tests and you evoked raids on Sion and that medical supply ship and convinced me you were a villite? You also took me by surprise; I never expected to encounter a complication like you and I didn't know how to deal with that unfamiliar predicament; this was
the first time I've allowed my emotions to sway me during a mission. After I got to know you, I was hoping to lure you away from your criminal life so we could share that future you offered. As Yana, I was appraising your true nature and character. I suppose, since you're an I-GAF agent on assignment, you were probably just using Starla to get close to Tochar and the others."
He smiled and shook his head. "You also caught me off-guard and I was wary about confiding in you, but I didn't lie to you about my feelings."
"You didn't?" she asked, afraid to trust her hearing.
"I was enduring the same agonizing dilemma you were because you were convincing as a spaceki, but I couldn't resist you. I kept trying to coax you away from Tochar and Noy so you'd be safe from harm and incrimination. Do you truly love me, Starla?"
"Yes, Dagan; with all my heart and soul. I was hoping there was some way I could save you so we could be together later, but I feared I couldn't entice Dagan Latu away from what I believed you were."
Dagan pulled her into his arms as he said, "I was right to pursue and tempt you because you are the perfect match for me. I love you with all my heart and soul, and we will have a future together after this mission is over."
Their tender gazes locked and communicated their feelings as they exchanged smiles and savored the wonder of their new relationship. Their eyes sparkled as if reflecting rays of moonbeams. They knew their fates and hearts were entwined.
Dagan secured her in a cherished embrace, as if needing to convince himself Starla was ahve and within his arms. His heart surged with love and relief. He brushed kisses over her forehead, the scent of her clean brown hair entering his nostrils. His lips traversed her exquisite cheekbones, the length of her slender nose, and the curve of her chin. He used a cleanly shaved jawline to nuzzle her face, savoring the texture of her skin. He looked into her green eyes whose gaze was filled with undeniable emotions which matched his own potent ones. More talk could come later; for now, all he wanted to do was to hold her, to kiss her, to feel her heart beating next to his, to give thanks to the Supreme Being for the radical change in their destinies. She's not out of your reach kept racing through his head at lightning speed. Despite knowing that was true, he almost feared to believe it, as if accepting that reality would cause it to vanish.
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