“And you allow such insults? That isn’t like you, love.”
“That’s why I took her back. I plan to tame that clever creature. Yes, Jana needs a lesson or two in the peril of thwarting and scorning Varian Saar. Plus, I find my little battles with her amusing.”
Canissia knew Varian was lying to her, but she didn’t care, this time. Varian Saar would be hers, or no woman’s! “It looks to me as if this Jana creature is an infection in your blood. Beware, love. You know she wants you and she’s using those charms like Shara did on Galen.”
“Since when did I care what a female wanted? Like you, Cass, I come first with me. Don’t be so jealous of a mere charl,” he playfully chided her.
“She seems to have a lot of mettle. Maybe that’s why you’re having so much trouble breaking her in to your tastes. I wonder how I would like being your amusement, your little diversion, your exquisite toy. Actually, that sounds tempting. I wouldn’t mind having a handsome, virile slave to order about, one to do my every bidding. Warms me all over to imagine such a situation. I see why you men must enjoy these little breeders. If one doesn’t work out, you can always sell her and acquire another one. I shall have to speak with Father about including alien males on your next slave run.” Canissia eyed him strangely, then asked, “What are you doing here tonight? Why aren’t you spending every available moment with Jana?”
Varian dared not expose the impending abolishment of charl laws. “I have some vital business with Ryker before I leave on my next assignment.”
She grinned saucily. “I see, Jana doesn’t know you’re still around? What if someone tells her you were with me tonight? She might get jealous and cut off your honey flow. I’ve been missing you in my bed lately. As hard as I’ve tried, I can’t find another man in the Universe to compare with your prowess. You know this game with Jana can’t go on much longer.”
“I know, love. It won’t. I’m working on settling matters right now.”
“Don’t tell me you plan to keep her as your mate,” Canissia taunted.
“Heavens, no,” Varian replied, chuckling to himself. Cass would be livid when he wed Jana! But he was unaware of the pit he was digging for himself and Jana with his lies to this woman.
Canissia was serious. “Have you considered asking Tirol to free her? That way, you could marry her.”
To delude this villainess, Varian laughed. “Are you insane, woman? Marry her? Come on, Cass, taking her as a mistress is fine, but as a permanent mate or wife…” He chuckled again. “You know me better than that. She is a valuable treasure, but she won’t be my mistress much longer.” He hoped that his dishonesty would appease Canissia. But he had to be careful not to offend her now, or she wouldn’t tell him what he needed to know. “Since you travel around most of the time, you might know where I can locate Ryker,” he probed. Varian could sense the galactic clock running out for the people of the Milky Way Galaxy. He had to find Ryker, since that bastard’s evil brain possessed the laboratory combination and chemical formulas which he needed to safely approach Earth.
Canissia nodded. “I’m starving. Let’s go to my ship…” She hesitated briefly, knowing she would clip the concealed tape there and add an erotic invitation to Jana’s lover. “We can eat and talk. Why don’t you find a way to end all of these nasty conflicts with rivals?”
“If all goes as Grandfather and I plan, they will. I intend to make Ryker an offer he can’t refuse,” Varian teased, balling his fist and waving it in her face.
Canissia relished that statement and how she would use it. “Some sacrifices are worth it for peace or truce.” She wickedly added, “I suppose you’ll miss Jana, but I’ll be around for you. Let’s go to my ship and set fire to my bed.” She would end the tape there. When she saw that Varian intended to ignore her invitation she shrugged and gave in.
“Oh, well. The last time I saw Ryker, he was on Zandia. Something about jungle plants for research. You could check with Avatar Kael. He was suggesting several locations to Ryker. I wasn’t really listening. You know how much I dislike that hateful bastard. How he ever clawed his way into our society, I’ll never understand. Who cares if he’s related to Kadim Maal!”
“Thanks, Cass. See you soon.” He was gone before the woman could respond, gone to confer with Avatar Kael to make sure Canissia hadn’t deceived him. Kael told him that Ryker was now heading for the planet Karlim, at the edge of the Pyropean Galaxy.
* * *
Canissia burst into laughter as she strolled into the luxurious suite on her ship. She pulled a small recorder from her purse, rewound the tape, and listened to it closely. It was perfect, or would be soon. This next trip to Ryker’s for special illegal drugs would include a surprise for that bastard too! Only two males had spurned her: Varian and Ryker; soon she would have revenge on both…Canissia paused. Did she love Varian or hate him? Both, she admitted. He, too, would die.
Canissia decided she had just enough of the enslaving aphrodisiac to use on Varian and Ryker, although she did not know both males had been chemically immuned to such deceits by enemies. After all, she had promised Ryker she would use Shara’s magical love potion on the man of her erotic dreams. Too bad Ryker didn’t know he was included in those perverted fantasies. Not only would she have Varian but she would also claim Ryker!
Chapter Nineteen
Two days later Kadim Tirol spoke to Jana and revealed the disaster facing her world, including Varian’s role in the matter. Tirol felt it was best for Jana to hear the truth. After all, he secretly planned for her to marry his grandson, and the two seemed very much in love. If Jana loved Varian, Tirol felt it was time she understood his motives and actions.
Jana had not questioned Tirol about anything since Varian’s departure. She was afraid Tirol might get angry if she queried Amaya’s death and Varian’s puzzle. Now, in spite of her anguish, Jana listened to the leader’s words. It couldn’t be real; her world was doomed. “Where is Varian? Do you think he can do anything to stop this?” she asked.
Tirol partially explained by saying that the Star Fleet would do all they could. Tirol had concluded that Varian was heading for Earth. But he didn’t want to tell Jana more because he didn’t want to inspire questions about Varian’s past today. He would grant Jana a week or so to come to grips with this tormenting news, and then would tell her more about Varian. Before he came home, Jana would know everything, and that knowledge was essential to their future happiness. The last secret was the depth of Varian’s love for Jana Greyson, whom Tirol had already freed and Varian intended to marry if she would have him.
Jana tried not to think. She wanted to believe this was just another test, or evil joke. So Varian had been afraid she and others would learn about Earth’s fate. No doubt he assumed she would reject him. Or blame him. Now she understood. The “charl raid,” her capture, and how their love began as a ruse to save her world.
As the Wanderlust left its orbit and headed for the Pyropean boundary, Varian ordered a communications blackout. Varian was fiercely determined to find Ryker. “After I persuade him to aid our cause,” he was telling Tesla, “we’ll finish this mission. We’ve no choice but to force him, if it comes to that, to give us what we need.”
“You can’t go alone,” Nigel cautioned. “What if Ryker lied to Canissia and Avatar Kael? He could be hiding from us anywhere, even in his secret lab. Varian, you’d never get out of there alive.”
“We may have to try. If he’s not in the Pyropean Galaxy, we’ll go to Darkar. I’ll need two volunteers. I’ll get him. I’ll take two security men. I can’t risk involving or endangering my entire ship and crew. Give us three days if we don’t return…You’re in charge, Nigel.”
“What about the Kadim and Jana? Shouldn’t you send word?”
“I can’t risk it. If anything goes wrong, Nigel, handle them. Stars protect us…”
Another day passed. Tirol took Jana with him to the planet and city of Rigel. While the leader was closeted with the Supreme Council and
Alliance Assembly, Jana was sent shopping with two bodyguards. The brawny males positioned them-selves outside the main entrance, after being satisfied that the back one was sealed securely.
Inside the exclusive shop, Jana walked into the dressing room. She didn’t want any new clothes, but Tirol had insisted. Jana tried to force their incredible conversation to the back of her mind. All she wanted was for Varian to return, hold her and promise everything would be all right for them and the surviving Earthlings. She comprehended the actions of the Maffei Alliance Council; Tirol had said they were rescuing as many people as possible without endangering their world.
Jana wondered what Tirol had meant by his final statements: “I haven’t told you everything, Jana. By tonight, you’ll understand. Whatever happens and whatever you learn, please don’t blame my grandson. He did save many lives. And you did present him with many problems. You have a great responsibility to Varian; please remember it and carry it out bravely.”
It was the first time Tirol had called Varian his grandson! He had refused to explain further, but Jana was eager to talk more. The couturier entered the dressing room and offered Jana a cool drink, which she gratefully accepted.
“This will relax you while we’re carrying out our task,” the man cooed. As she drained the glass, he mechanically added, “I’m sorry, but these are Commander Saar’s and Kadim Tirol’s orders.”
Jana looked at the clothes designer in confusion. A curiously sweet flavor filled her mouth. Brightly colored spots and silvery lights danced before her swiftly blackening vision. Jana reached for the wall to steady herself. Suddenly there was another voice in her ear which said ruefully, “I’m sorry, too, Jana. Varian’s orders. You’re to be traded for peace.” The last voice she thought she heard was Nigel’s.
A man quickly lifted Jana’s limp form in his arms and placed her in a shipping crate after giving her a long-acting sedative. He attached an oxygen mask to Jana’s face and made sure it was functioning properly. He sealed the crate and transported it to Canissia’s waiting ship. None other than Zan, Canissia’s captain and lover, guided the couturier into his workroom. To further baffle authorities, the shop owner was drugged. First with a syringe that contained a chemical which would neutralize the mind-control drug which had been injected earlier that morning. Then with a fluid which would ensure that when the designer awoke later, he would recall nothing about today.
By dusk, the guards grew concerned. Jana had the only appointment, and the couturier should have been finished with her by now. When the man did not answer their summons, Tirol was notified. One guard remained out front, while the other went to check the back entrance, which was sealed. Neither man moved from those locations until Tirol and Brec arrived.
Brec Sard used his laser gun to open the door. It required thirty minutes to revive the designer and uncover odd facts. While the groggy shop owner vowed he hadn’t seen Jana, the two guards swore that she had entered the chic salon and that they had not left their posts during this time. All three were interrogated under truth serum. They were not lying. Brec sent out an alert for Jana. The two men anxiously waited in Brec’s office at Alliance Force Headquarters as that day passed without a clue or a demand for ransom. Varian couldn’t be located. All Brec and Tirol could do was keep searching, and wait. Tirol knew Jana could be anywhere by now. How could he explain her loss to Varian?
An Alliance Force squad interrogated every person in the shop’s area. Later they branched out to search every ship in orbit. Those who had departed were tracked and examined. A unit sent to check out each of Varian’s worst enemies discovered one annoying fact: Ryker Triloni was allegedly sealed inside his secret complex, incommunicado! Before the day ended, they learned that Jurad and Maal too, had unquestionable alibis.
The next day, Brec Sard shifted his investigation to lesser rivals, only to discover that no one on the list had the means to carry out such a fearless deed. Jana’s description was sent to all Alliance outposts; her rescue and return to base were ordered at any cost, by any means. Brec was stumped.
The reward which Tirol offered bore no fruit. The news of Jana’s kidnapping spread quickly. Friends offered assistance; foes gloated over Varian’s misfortune. Brec and Tirol fumed at their impotence as three and a half days had passed, and there was no news of Jana Greyson.
Since Varian had not contacted base in five days, the leaders assumed he was on his way to Earth, still under a communications blackout. Brec informed Tirol, “You should return home, sir. Someone might contact you there. There’s nothing more we can do except wait and pray. I’ve never been so baffled in my life. Even a psycho makes some kind of mistake. Whoever grabbed Jana is smart and dangerous. Such perfect timing and skilled plotting.”
“I wish Varian had called in before heading off to Earth. That isn’t like him. Did you get any word on Ryker?” he asked worriedly. “He had to know we were trying to locate him. Avatar Kael saw him last week.”
“I had put a surveillance team around Darkar before Jana was kidnapped. All Trilabs cargo ships have been tracked. Ryker had to have been at home during the abduction, like he claims. And he’s there now. He couldn’t have gotten off and on Darkar, especially with Jana, without my agents knowing.”
“Why hasn’t he responded to our calls, and the order for more chemicals?”
“When he’s working on a new formula he refuses to answer any communication. He’s totally isolated sometimes for weeks at a time. If Ryker was an accomplice to this crime, he’s covered his tracks perfectly. And just like we figured, he claimed innocence about the defective chemicals. Ryker said he ordered a second supply to be shipped to the Alliance warehouse days ago. I suppose Varian got the Trilabs cargo and is now on his way out as planned. He’s certainly gone somewhere, and it can’t be after Ryker. But I’m surprised Varian didn’t contact you and Jana before leaving. He must really be distracted; he didn’t even notify me on acceptance of the cargo.”
“I don’t understand, Brec. If Trilabs delivered a cargo days ago, why has Varian been out of touch? Doesn’t that sound as if Varian disappeared before the Trilabs cargo reached the warehouse on Thule? If he was told the cargo was en route to Thule, why didn’t he contact us while he was awaiting delivery? And why take it and leave for Earth so mysteriously?” Tirol probed.
Brec frowned, then asked his squad to contact Avatar Feaji of Thule and Kael of Zandia for more information.
* * *
Brec was astonished to learn that Varian hadn’t claimed the Trilabs shipment on Thule. Consternation gnawed at him when he discovered the Wanderlust hadn’t been seen after its visit to Zandia when Kael told him Ryker was collecting rare plants in the Pyropean Galaxy! Another dismaying fact came in; Ryker came out of isolation long enough to say that he hadn’t seen or spoken with Varian since their talk on Therraccus during the charl auction. Ryker said he canceled his plant trek to return to his complex to work. Before the day passed, he said he was surprised to learn that the Trilabs shipment was still awaiting pickup.
“A starship doesn’t vanish. Why hasn’t Varian contacted base? He’s gone, Jana’s gone, and the shipment’s still on Thule! He can’t perform his mission without it. What in Kahala is going on?” Tirol thundered angrily. Even Varian Saar didn’t take such crucial matters into his own hands.
“You don’t think he entered Pyropean territory looking for Ryker?” Brec asked.
“Varian wouldn’t breach a truce without contacting me. Besides, Ryker’s whereabouts have been known for days, there was plenty of time to alert Varian.”
Tirol sighed heavily. “The timing is suspicious. Varian blacked out communication before Jana’s kidnapping, before the cargo reached Thule. Where is he? Why hasn’t he heard about Jana and returned to base? He couldn’t head for Earth without the chemicals. And if he doesn’t have the chemicals or Ryker, why isn’t he looking for them? If Ryker hadn’t seen Varian, how did he know to send another shipment?”
“This cargo wasn’t to r
eplace Varian’s tainted one. This was part of the cargo we ordered for our second mission.”
Tirol said anxiously, “I’m very worried.”
“It’s been three days,” Kyle told Nigel. “I’ve got this bad feeling we shouldn’t wait any longer.”
Nigel inhaled deeply. He walked to the communications panel to radio base for instructions. Despite Varian’s orders to maintain radio silence, Nigel was going to request permission to take a small team to search for him and the two security men who had left the ship.
Tesla shouted, “Wait, sir! A spacer just appeared on the radar screen. It’s got to be him.” He watched the tiny blip cover the vast distance swiftly.
Nigel hurried to the screen and checked it. He sighed in relief. “I’ll be in the docking bay. Lay in a course to base and stand by to depart.”
The hatch opened but no one appeared. Nigel ordered the security man to draw his weapon and cover him as he cautiously descended into the spacer. Then, “Get Tris quickly!” he shouted.
“What happened, Nigel? Where are the others?” Tristan asked as he examined his unconscious commander.
“Varian was the only one to return. He’s out cold. He wouldn’t have left the others behind if they were still alive. What did they do to him?” Nigel demanded furiously, observing his friend’s injuries.
“Some bastards tortured him. You’d best get us to base quickly.”
Both men crowded near the stretcher as Varian moaned in pain. A bloody hand lifted, seized Nigel’s shirt, and despite his wounds pulled his friend downward with amazing strength. “Jana.” Varian forced out the word. “After Jana…Call…base. Ty…ree…Lauter both dead. No Ry—Ryker. Pro…tect Jana. Don’t…let Tae…” Varian slipped into blackness, but his grim message was clear.
Nigel went to the communicator and ordered Tesla to head for base at top speed. He radioed Brec, grimacing at the man’s responses. Nigel and Tristan exchanged anguished looks. “We’ll arrive by tomorrow night, sir.”
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