Starla urged him to penetrate her with forcefril, deep thrusts. She pressed on his firm and undulating buttocks to coax him to encase himself completely within her sweltering body.
He lifted his head and gazed into her green eyes, glowing with the same feelings that raced through his mind and body. He leaned forward and sealed their mouths once more. This woman had brought his deceased heart to life again. She had retrieved and given him a peace he had lost long ago. She was the one he wanted for his mate, to be
the mother of his children. He knew he would sacrifice his life to save hers if such a grim occasion arose, and she would do the same for him. Yes, his joyful heart sang, they were as perfectly matched as identical twins.
Starla knew it would never have been this way with An-tarus Hoy or any other male in existence. This man—Curran Thaiter—was the one she had waited and searched and longed for since coming of age as a woman. He was her destiny, her spiritual half He was the owner of her heart.
They labored as one until they achieved the ultimate joyful culmination.
Each knew she would have to leave his side, arms, and chamber soon; but they nestled together for a while to savor the golden aftermath of the magnificent experience, their last one until it was safe to meet again; and both prayed that moment would come.
After Starla returned to the Liska, she related everything to Cypher that had taken place since she left her ship two deegas ago. She reported to Thaine, who would pass along the information to Raz Yakir. Thaine was delighted she was safe, was remaining aboard her cloaked ship, and was teaming up with the I-GAF agent. Thaine passed along words from her family, and she gave him messages for her parents and siblings. She told her superior she would contact him again when she had something new to relate, which she hoped would be soon.
Before she left the bridge to retire for the night, she smiled at her android and said, "I love Dagan so much, Cypher, and I don't want to lose him. Please help me protect him from harm."
"I will guard him as I guard you, Bree-Kayah. I will remain on alert and be prepared to rescue him from any peril that arises. I will record all he hears and sees via the unit you gave to him."
Starla was surprised she blushed and hesitated when she asked, "Did you record anything . . . private that happened between us?"
"My analysis of those situations indicated you would not want me to do so. Intimate meetings with him are not part of our mission's evidence."
She laughed and quipped, "You get smarter every deega, my friend. I shall sleep now, but awaken me if anything out of the ordinary happens."
On the evening after Starla's return to her ship, Dagan was summoned to Tochar's dwelling to be told he would leave at midmoming the next deega with Auken and Sach aboard the Adika. For the first time since he joined Tochar's band, he was informed of their target and destination: the planet Ulux in Seri for a load of moonbeams in his accomplice's possession.
As Starla and Cypher listened to and recorded the meeting via the disguised disk on his belt which was programed at a frequency which the flendal 's security system could not detect, they heard Dagan say he wasn't in the mood to visit with Yana before his deparmre as she was getting clingy and he'd been feasting on her for two deegas, so he v/as exhausted and sated. Starla knew that was a hint for her to keep away from him tonight, which turned out to be a smart precaution.
Not long after Dagan returned to his chamber, he left again. She heard him order a meal from Radu, speak to others, enter the men's privacy cubicle, then contact her She listened to his rush of words.
"I have to talk fast, Starla. I'm in the reliever at the Skull's Den. My place isn't secure; Tochar is testing me for loyalty following his disclosure. You heard what he told me: we leave at midmoming for Ulux to pick up crystals from his partner there. Don't come down as Yana because I can't
remove the listening device in my chamber and he would hear everything we said and did. I've already given him an excuse for avoiding you. If I'm not seen with anyone and since my chamber is monitored, if anything goes wrong, he'll know I didn't betray him. Send a report to Phaedrig, but tell him not to take any action at Ulux; Cypher has the code to use. Follow me in your ship and record any evidence you hear. I love you. Take no risks."
She realized that before she shadowed his trek, she had to establish a plausible explanation to cover Yana's absence in case Tochar checked on her while Dagan was gone. She waited until her beloved left the Skull's Den before she entered it as Yana, as she had overheard something useful to her. As she sipped a drink, she told the owner she wanted and needed to shop for things unavailable in the settlement and to seek a diversion to alleviate boredom and stress, but she required safe passage. Radu unknowingly provided the means for her to carry out her subterfuge; he persuaded a close and trusted friend—J'Ali—to give Yana a ride to another planet to which the alien was headed tomorrow, the news she had overheard between the Ceyxans as Dagan awaited his meal. By a stroke of good luck or the intervention by a Divine Hand, that location— thanks to planetary alignments this time of ying —was in the same direction as Ulux, almost positioned between the two points of departure and final destination. She put her strategy into motion by smiling and accepting the "kindness" of J'AH.
Afterward, she went to visit the near incompetent doctor who had been exiled ft-om his world for performing illegal procedures on patients. She told the man she needed something for a headache, which he provided for a small payment for a ftiend of Radu and Dagan. The real reason she had gone to his office was to obtain its coordinates so she could make another visit during the night to retrieve two crucial items to aid her ruse.
The following morning, she entered the Ceyxan trader's vessel as Yana, confined herself to her assigned quarters, and watched them leave orbit with the knowledge Cypher was following in her cloaked ship.
Her plan was to deboard J'Ali's vessel on the other planet, find a private spot, and have Cypher teleport her to the Liska. That necessary precaution would place her only horns behind Dagan, a span which her faster craft could vanquish in a hurry. She deduced, if they could unmask the last traitor during this trek, that would leave only the De-structoids —an awesome task—to deal with after their return to Noy
Suspense and anticipation surged through her as she reflected on a daring ruse which, if it worked, could resolve that one remaining obstacle and terminate its threat, leaving Tochara vulnerable to attack and defeat. She had put Raz Yakir on standby for assistance, as he concurred with her "clever" and astounding idea.
Now, she reasoned, all she had to do was protect Yana from discovery while on the Ceyxan's vessel, rejoin Cypher soon, catch up with Dagan, and attempt her daring ploy—a scheme she had been unable to share with him since it entered her mind. Despite her cunning, there remained one problem to resolve: she must find a way to enlighten Dagan without exposing either of them. That was where i^az Yakir's sly but hazardous suggestion would come in handy, if it succeeded; yet, it didn't stand a chance if one or the other of them couldn't discover the identity of either the traitor on Ulux or his confederate on Kian. Yakir was working on both of those angles, and hopefully, they would be given the facts they needed.
Yana settled herself against the seata and went over the entangled episodes many times to examine them for oversights and to work out the details. She hoped and prayed
no threat would strike the Ceyxan villite's vessel while she was aboard, as Raz Yakir could not order Serian patrols from their path without it appearing suspicious to his traitor.
cLiant
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While en route to Ulux on the Liska, Starla and Cypher monitored an enlightening conversation between Dagan and the two Icarians:
"Is the identity of our contact confidential?*' Dagan asked. "Will I be going with you two or staying aboard the ship?"
Auken laughed before saying, "We'll all go to meet with him after we dock at the space port and shuttle to the surface. You're one of us now, Dagan; Tochar trusts yo
u completely. We'll be meeting with Iverk."
"Iverk?" Dagan echoed. "I'm not up to date with officials' names, so, I don't know who he is."
Starla's voice reflected her love and pride as she said to Cypher, "He's so cunning, to pretend to be uninformed about Seri's leaders and politics so Auken will clarify and incriminate Iverk on our record."
"He's the Serian Ysolte, Head-of-Defense, third in their rulership line," Auken enlightened Dagan. "He's powerful, wealthy, trusted, and clever. He visited the mine on Kian recently and had his hireling there give him a tour of the place; that's how he got the moonbeams we're going after."
"But I thought Tochar said the mines had tight security," Dagan said.
"They do; that's why Eick couldn't smuggle them out for him. Eick concealed a stash in one of the chambers. Iverk wore his official garment on the tour, a long and flowing
robe. He concealed the crystals in a pouch secured around his waist. Naturally," Auken added between chuckles, "security wouldn't dare search or question their Ysolte."
"YouYe right; Iverk is sly and brave; still, he risked a lot to take them. Any chance there's one of those big white ones among them? Tochar could use another one for a De-structoid aboard his ship or yours."
"No, but it wouldn't do him any good in any case without the weapon. Iverk told him no more had been constructed."
Starla and Cypher knew that wasn't accurate, as i^^z Yakir had one made covertly and it was awaiting a power source: a large clear moonbeam. She was elated that the ruler had kept his word about secrecy, even with the man who was only two steps below him in the line of rulership.
"How are we supposed to fly in and out of there alive?" Dagan asked. "What if our images are checked and we're exposed and attacked; worse, trapped on Ulux? Do we have an escape plan if one's needed?"
"Don't worry, Dagan, we won't be caught, or even halted for a preon. Iverk is Head-of-Defense, so he deleted our records from their files. He gave us the correct passwords, and told us what kind of convincing papers to forge. For this visit, we go in as legitimate traders."
Starla remarked to Cypher as the crew of the Adika chatted about unimportant topics, "Raz Yakir will be distressed to learn the traitor's identity. We must contact him with that vital information, thanks to my clever Dagan. After we reach orbit in another weg, I'll teleport to meet with him and put his idea in motion; with the betrayer's name, Yakir's ruse is possible. It's a tricky ploy, and I'm leery about attempting it."
"Raz Yakir would not allow you to use that tactic if he was not certain it would succeed," Cypher assured. "Do not be afraid or doubtful, Bree-Kayah. I will monitor your moves and be prepared to extract you at the first sign of peril."
"And Dagan, keep a close watch on him for his safety. It's strange and contradictory that Tochar—if he truly trusts Dagan now—would have a listening device planted in his chamber, then allow Auken to expose such a valuable fact. We must be on alert for tricks, Cypher, but do not intrude on any situation until you are certain my life or Dagan's is in imminent danger. We're close to victory, so I don't want anything to impede it."
Starla was elated she had reached this point in her plan without any trouble. If Tochar had checked on Yana since her departure, he should be convinced Yana was on another planet, taken there by one of Radu's trusted friends. Cypher had retrieved her where J'Ali dropped her off, and they had caught up with the Adika without problems. When the time came to return to Noy, if their impending plan failed and if she couldn't find a similar ride back, Yakir would arrange for a disguised craft to transport Yana to the settlement to try another tactic.
She looked at the android. "We must contact Raz Yakir and give him the bad and good news so he can finalize his part of our first cunning ruse." She looked uncertain, and turned to her android for encouragement. "Do you think it will succeed. Cypher? The hazards are many"
"If the episode is timed accurately and no unknown factors arise, it cannot fail," he said with supreme confidence. "It is doubtful your next image and actions will evoke suspicions. It is believed that Yana is far away, and Starla is either dead or in hiding. We heard Auken reveal to Dagan that Tochar has been unable to retrieve any information about Starla's fate or location."
"That's true, but Xiq fiendal is deceitful, a most untrustworthy leader to all hirelings except his two close friends. I believe Tochar doubts my guilt but would never admit he made an error. He entrapped himself by overreacting to the cave incident. Now he needs to slay me to prevent exposing
his mistake, which he assumes others will view as a weakness."
"Your reasoning and conclusions are logical."
"Thanks, Cypher. Now, you can signal Raz Yakir for me."
As she spoke with the Serian ruler, Starla made a shocking discovery.
"Do not teleport down as yourself," Yakir warned her. "Someone has tampered with Starla's criminal record; perilous false acts were added to it, along with an order she is to be terminated on sight. If I delete the record or command, it will arouse the suspicion of my traitor. Come to me as Yana; that will be safe if you are seen, which I will try to prevent."
"The name of your traitor is Iverk, the Ysolte," Starla revealed. "His hireling is a miner named Eick." She went on to relate everything Auken had told Dagan. She had anticipated the long silence that ensued her probably painful disclosure. She kept quiet as she gave Yakir the time he needed to digest that grim fact.
"I am astounded by his treachery; yet, he is one of three I suspected and am having observed by my covert Cyborg unit. None of those men know they are being watched, as those units are highly advanced and have the ability to shapeshift at will; that prevents the same image from making too many appearances in close proximity to its target."
"I stole the blood sample you require and removed Starla's from Noy so it could not be used to learn her identity," Starla related. "It is fortunate blood was taken from our enemies and stored for emergencies in that primitive location."
"Excellent; I will have my research team standing by to make cunning use of it. After you arrive, we will discuss our plans and finalize them. Rest and relax, Bree-Kayah; I will have everything prepared before we meet."
Cypher recorded the coordinates Yakir gave to him and
a rendezvous time was set for one hora after they reached orbit in a weg.
While Starla prepared herself to teleport down as Yana, she reminisced on the quick and tender messages Dagan had sent to her along his journey when he was alone. His voice and words had warmed her body and elated her heart. She wished she could have responded, but the device was a one-way transmitter. Still, he knew she had heard him or that Cypher would receive and relay his messages. She was eager to see her beloved again; and it would be soon, astonishingly sooner than he expected.
Later as she stood on the sensor pad. Cypher told her to be careful before he transported her into the presence of Yakir in his private chamber.
Starla—in her Yana form—and Yakir exchanged smiles as the ruler stepped forward to greet her, his eyes glowing with undeniable affection.
"It is good to see you again, Bree-Kayah Saar, safe and alive. I gave my word to your parents that I would protect you during your loan to me. You have done a superior job and I am forever grateful to you. I was certain of all your splendid qualities, but they have proved even greater than I imagined. I was wise to select you for this mission."
"Thank you, sir; your remarks are generous and appreciated. Here is the blood sample we need," she said, passing the valuable tube to him.
Yakir handled the item as the prized treasure it was. He walked to an alcove where a statue sat on a high pedestal. He pressed a concealed button and a door opened. He handed the sample to a man and issued his orders.
As he did so, she observed him. As always, the tall and slender man with a gentle brown gaze evoked her respect and admiration. His braincase was large and hairless; a deep indention traveled from his forehead to his nape, separating
the
two cranial hemispheres. Yet, no bulging veins or bumps were visible on his smooth pale-green flesh. His nose was thin; his eyes, round; and his mouth, small with narrow lips. Perhaps, she mused, the sizes and shapes of his bold features made his skull appear bigger than it was, particularly when added to his great height and slim build. Even so, she did not find the alien's appearance to be frightening or repulsive. On the contrary, Yakir possessed a calm expression and genial aura. He was extremely intelligent, educated to the highest degree. Almost everyone who met or heard of him held the cordial and wise ruler in high esteem.
After the door was sealed, Yakir said to her, "Come and sit while we talk. We have much to do and swift action to take before the villites reach Iverk and complete their task and elude us. They will dock at our space port within two horns and reach the surface one horn later, so our schedule is limited. It is fortuitous your ship is faster and you arrived before them."
She watched Yakir turn to guide her to a comfortable sitting area, and she followed him. The elderly man—clad in a flowing black robe with gold braid trim and a gold Serian emblem to the left of his heart—moved slowly but gracefully, regally, across the enormous and beautifijl room.
After they were seated facing each other, Yakir smiled at her. "Later," the aged and venerable ruler said, "you must tell me all you have seen, done, and learned. Reports—of a necessity—have been swift and to the point; I am eager to hear the details of your many successes. First, we have important work to do. Are you ready to put our clever ideas into motion?"
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