“What about your crew and ship, Varian? Don’t let them be seen.”
“Nigel and I finished going through everything before he returned to the ship. He’ll command the Wanderlust until I’m back aboard. I placed Martella in charge of security after Lieutenant Dykstra was transferred.”
“A wise choice; she’s excellent. What if you come in contact with Prince Taemin? You said those two had been working together on the sly.”
“I’m sure I know enough from Ryker’s materials to dupe Maal and Taemin and whoever else might be necessary. I know his mannerisms, secrets, and his conversations with them. It’s to our advantage again that Shara loved to keep such detailed entries and to make videos. Besides, Grandfather, Tris did a superb job with his surgical procedures to make me match Ryker perfectly. It was almost perfect.”
“What do you mean, Son? Is there something he can’t alter?”
“We forgot to add one scar we didn’t know Jana had viewed, but I convinced her I’d had it lasered off since the last time she’d seen it. She’s very smart and observant, but I’ve been trained to notice any and every thing. So far, I’ve managed to cover myself.”
“You know that iris dye might not be removable after this mission?”
“Yes, sir. If Tris can’t extract it, I’ll just have to wear blue lens covers for the rest of my life like Ryker wore green ones and blond hair to conceal his resemblance to me and Father. He desperately wanted his own identity, Grandfather. His hatred for me was so deep and bitter. As much as I detested him and his battles with me, I didn’t want to kill him. But he gave me no choice. I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t listen. Shara filled him with too many lies and too much evil. The crazy thing is, while viewing those videos, I picked up on something incredible: I think he was actually falling for Jana. I think Shara realized it, too, and that’s why she tried to kill Jana while Ryker was off stalking me. No matter that Ryker taunted me about killing Jana, I believe, if he had been the one to survive our duel, he might have kept her and gotten rid of Shara. He was trying very hard to woo my woman under the guise of a ruse. That’s why I have to behave the same way with Jana. Tris did a good job on her, too, didn’t leave a single sign on her to make her think her trauma was real.”
“She’s a scientist, a researcher. How did you fool her?”
“The mental implants Tris used worked perfectly. I answered every question she asked with speed and ease, almost without thinking, even though I didn’t know what I was saying. He gave me plenty of lessons and practice in the lab before we awakened her so I could act natural in here.”
“Thank goodness you speak and write other languages. You’ll need that skill when you head for Androas. With our men working the shuttles now, neither Jana nor anyone else can learn what’s really going on there. When the time comes to expose Ryker’s accidental death, we’ll make certain you and Jana are nowhere nearby. We don’t want Maal and Jurad to have any reason to doubt your innocence or Jana’s claim as Ryker’s heir.”
“Even if they protest letting her inherit, by then, we’ll have gathered all his secrets and made Trilabs useless to them. I hope, once their powerful ally is gone, they’ll agree to treaties without us having to use those journals and videotapes. Too many of our secrets are discussed on them.”
“You said Canissia’s to blame for part of it. She’s committed treason, kidnapping, and the murders of Moloch and Baruch. Moloch wasn’t a big loss, but your former friend and officer was. It’s too bad he put himself in the position of being blackmailed and bewitched by her. When she’s located and arrested, she’ll be sent to the female prison planetoid for life.”
“If she isn’t already dead, Grandfather. I learned from the last journal that Ryker plotted her death, and no one has seen or heard from her since Jana’s disappearance. Supposedly she had an alibi, but it won’t work now. It seems likely she’s gone, since she hasn’t responded to the marriage proposal I made to her to lure her out of hiding. Everyone in the Tri Galaxy knows about our impending wedding except her. Ryker even used it to coerce Jana into marrying him. He’d better be glad he didn’t touch her! He had Jana believing he freed her to marry her when I’m the one responsible. I wish I could ease her fears.”
“So do I, Son. You know we dared not use Rendelar on her to make her immune to Thorin in the event of capture and questioning; that would have been suspicious. Canissia’s abduction of her proved an enemy can get to her even while she’s being protected. She has to believe this is real to play her part with accuracy. As Ryker’s wife, with luck and your skills to make her appear happy, she’s your protection. Hers, too.”
“I want to get this assignment finished, Grandfather, and get her off Darkar as soon as possible. She deserves peace and happiness. After seeing on videotape how that bastard treated her, I could kill him again if he hadn’t already forced me to do it last week. We rescued her just in the nick of time, even if Shara hadn’t tried to slay her. Ryker told me he was planning to breed her for an heir, then kill her. Maybe he would have carried out his taunt. Kahala, I never realized those two were that evil. I can’t imagine a mother and son sharing the same bed and planning to marry. Shara would have never persuaded me she’s Jana Greyson, even with surgical alterations to take Jana’s face. Now I have to convince her to hate me and to fall in love with him. I’ve already learned things about her that I didn’t know because our time together was too short. When this is over, she’ll never understand and forgive me, Grandfather, never.”
“You know what’s at stake and you must do your duty, Varian.”
“But why me? Why her? Why at this fragile time in our relationship? We freed her to marry me, not wed my evil half brother. She’s suffered too much because of me and my damned secret assignments.”
“You can’t tell her now, Son; the scheme is in motion.”
“Don’t you think I know I can’t sacrifice everything to have her? I won’t turn away from my duty and loyalty to the Alliance or to you, Grandfather. I’ve always obeyed our laws and carried out my missions, no matter the cost to me. Don’t you think I realize she’s actually safer at this time as Ryker Triloni’s wife than as Varian Saar’s? But that doesn’t help. She’s my world, Grandfather. I can’t lose her. Do you know what it’s like to continue Ryker’s phony pursuit? To draw her toward me when it’s to him I’m pulling her? To compel her to think, feel, and say terrible things about me, if only to protect herself from him? I’m forced to say vile things about Father and myself for her to see me as Ryker. At times I know she was trying to provoke me into a confession. I couldn’t make it then and can’t do so now, not while our lives and worlds are in peril. I want to hold her and kiss her and I dare not trust myself to do so.”
Tirol knew Varian wasn’t angry at him, but his tormented grandson needed to purge himself of his fury and tension.
“I almost lost Jana to Shara’s evil, just like she stole my parents from me. I was afraid an enemy would harm her if I laid claim to her and my fears and suspicions were right. But I never imagined my worst foe would do his worst damage from his blasted grave. How much does one man have to sacrifice? It isn’t fair, sir.”
Tirol knew that Varian was not a man prone to self-pity or selfishness, but he had just cause to be angry and defiant on this vital and personal matter. “With you in control of Trilabs, Son, we have the weapons and chemicals we need for Project Starguard. If you succeed in Androas with Maal, that threat will be destroyed. When you return from Earth and make treaties with Maal and Jurad, peace will rule the Tri-Galaxy as in the days before Shara began her evil deeds. As we decided, Segall has been told nothing of your current mission and location. He knows it is against the law and treasonous to tell even his family of Alliance secrets. When the time comes, he will be disgraced and cast aside. But we cannot move against him until after you return and everything is settled concerning your impersonation. If Canissia doesn’t return soon, we must fake a wedding with a lookalike cyborg. Everyone must
believe you are away on your honeymoon. It will be suspicious for you to simply vanish from sight for so long.”
“What about when Jana learns of our alleged marriage, Grandfather?”
“Try to prevent that discovery. If you cannot, you must handle it without exposing yourself to her. You must not forget, Varian, her life will be in great danger if Maal or his allies hold her even partly responsible for his death. Everyone knows about your past relationship with Jana. The day Ryker summoned you to his death challenge, he released the news of her freedom and her marriage to him, claiming you gave her to him as a truce token. He registered the marriage, so it is legal and binding. Jana is his heir. It is as much to her safety and advantage to confirm her union to him in the public’s eye as it is to ours. Brec has everything under control at Star Base. Our schedule is perfect. Do not weaken and fail us when we are so close to victory.”
Varian thought of Breccia Sard, Supreme Commander of the Alliance Force and Star Fleet and head of the Elite Squad, who had confidence and faith in him. “Contact Brec and tell him I will report for duty in three weeks. Don’t worry, Grandfather, I won’t let you and the Alliance down.”
“I know you won’t, Son. I love you, Varian. Stay safe and alert.”
“I will, sir, and I love you. To victory and peace, Grandfather,” he murmured before signing off. His mind added, And pray seeking them doesn’t cost me everything I hold dear. I love you, Jana Greyson, so please don’t turn against me, no matter what I’m forced to do for this mission.
Jana spent the afternoon reading from books the blond alien had given to her after her check-up in the medical laboratory. Concentration was difficult because she could not get his soul-stirring kiss off of her mind. Perhaps it was possible for two men to kiss and to taste the same way, but it was strange and suspicious. The experience had been much too arousing if he were Ryker Triloni. She was distressed she could be so attracted this fast and deep to the blond if he weren’t her ebony-haired lover. He had convinced her he wasn’t Varian, hadn’t he? He wasn’t Varian Saar, was he?
If only there was a strenuous chore to drain her abundance of energy and tension. But everything was spotless in the house. All tasks were done either by the technologically advanced appliances or by the android Ine. When the nonhuman wasn’t busy, she stayed in the area which Ryker had told her was for storage, perhaps in a rest mode. Jana didn’t know what was in that room because the door opened only for Ine and Ryker. She would have loved to look inside but didn’t know how to manage it.
Read, J. G., and stop thinking about such crazy speculations! That command worked until she came to sections she and “Ryker” had discussed; there she learned he had given her almost verbatim textbook responses! She looked up Thorin and Rendelar and discovered that a person given the truth serum would expose an immunity within moments of the injection. If there was a secret mission in progress and she were captured by the wrong side, if given Rendelar to prevent slips, it would be suspicious and dangerous … Was that why she couldn’t be told, why she had to believe this man was Ryker? A new influx of doubts flooded her.
At dinner, Jana noticed that Ryker was watching her with a strange look in his emerald eyes. When his gaze focused on his food, she studied him. He was strikingly handsome and provocative and magnetic. She cautioned herself to cease her line of thought. “You’re awfully quiet tonight, Ryker,” she observed. “Did I annoy you with all my questions today?”
He smiled with the left side of his mouth as his half brother would have done. As he finished chewing the meat in his mouth, his gaze roved over her to absorb every detail of this woman he loved and desired. She was so beautiful and perfect. His eyes caressed the satiny texture of her face, its covering firm and smooth and flawless. His gaze traced her high cheekbones and inviting lips. He longed to finger her dainty chin and pleasingly shaped nose. What was it about this particular alien woman that caused him to experience such an upheaval of emotions and brought dangerous thoughts of defiance to duty to his mind? Why had he flaunted this rare and precious jewel before the eyes of greedy and evil men, when he should have hidden her away on Altair until he could defeat his enemies and lay public claim to her?
Jana worried over what was taking him so long to respond. He had finished chewing, then sipped his wine leisurely as if stalling a reply. Once more she felt like a specimen beneath his lens.
“Of course you didn’t annoy me, Jana. The only way to learn is by asking questions. Soon, you’ll know everything about me and this place. I have important matters on my mind, that’s all.”
Was there, she mused, an odd inflection on everything? His curious mood and probing stare made her nervous, and too warm. “Is there a problem with your research? Can I do anything to help?”
“Things couldn’t be going better in that area,” he replied. “But thank you. Soon, everything will be back to normal. Be patient and understanding.”
His curious tone and choice of words made her tension increase. She recalled the horrid things Canissia had told her about Ryker Triloni. She recalled how cold, harsh, and forbidding he had been at their first meeting. But she also remembered how he switched from freezing winter night to sultry summer day the moment that hateful woman left Darkar. It was stupid to offend or challenge an unknown force. “Is it me? Have I done something wrong or disappointed you?”
“You could never do anything wrong, Jana, and I’m pleased with you.”
He looked as if he truly meant what he said. Yet … “I hope so. I’m going to try my best to do what you expect of me.”
“I’m sure you will.” I almost lost you to death; now, I’m forced to take a big risk of losing you forever. Once, before my duty and mission stood between us and they’re doing so again. If only I didn’t have to hurt you and use you and deceive you in this despicable manner, for a second time. When this is over, will you understand and forgive me? Will you still love and want me?
Jana pretended to return her attention to the meal. She sliced through a meat-wrapped vegetable pouch and placed a bite in her mouth. It was tender, juicy, and delicious. She sipped lavender wine and set down her glass before reaching for her bread. She was too aware of the alien’s potent gaze. Why was he observing her so intensely? She had the feeling he wanted to discuss something with her and couldn’t or wouldn’t. An aura of longing and dissatisfaction surrounded him. He was so complex, so mercurial, so unpredictable. Yet, he wasn’t cold and harsh; nor was he intimidating or threatening. His spirit seemed to reach out to her, to caress her, to tempt her, to baffle her.
Varian hungered for the five-foot-eight-inch treat dangled before his starved senses. She was a confection of sweetness and temptation—warm, generous, unspoiled, and delightful … proud, intelligent, and brave. He adored the coalescence of colors in her eyes: a heavy dash of forest green, a sprinkle of deep blue, and a trace of rich violet—all the shades encased in a band of dark green. Her lashes were thick with curled-up edges. She wore little cosmetics, and none were needed to enhance her natural, bewitching beauty. He yearned to stroke the champagne tresses that flowed over her shoulders. It looked as if a magician had stolen colors from the two moons of Zamarra and painted her hair with the gold-and-silver mixture.
Varian remembered how curls had wrapped themselves around his fingers in days gone by, curls as soft as Mailiorcan silk, a sensuous material shot with threads of expensive gold and silver. Her tresses were long and bouncy on the sides and back but shorter and fluffy on the top and around her face. His pulse quickened as his study of her ignited his senses and enflamed his passions. He was relieved he wasn’t standing, as the snug sapphire garment would expose his desire for her. Never had he blazed to life so hotly and urgently from simply gazing at a female. No women of his world had ever been able to resist him, but since meeting Jana Greyson, she was the only one he wanted. She was like a beacon set out by the bored gods to lure him into danger to provide them with amusement. If he was not careful, the Moondust those mischievous
deities flung in his eyes would blind him to his duty, and all could be lost. Shara had used that mind-controlling, trance-inducing chemical on his father to enslave him to her. Unable to resist its potency, Galen had succumbed to the evil enchantress, until Dr. Tristan Zarcoff realized what was afoot and gave his father an antidote, along with the awareness of the treachery Maal’s daughter had wreaked on him.
The silence grew heavy and stifling to Jana. She sought the first subject that came to mind to break it. “Would you like to play laius after dinner?” she asked. Immediately she wanted to bite her tongue to punish it for making that crazy suggestion, but it was too late to withdraw her invitation. He grinned and his verdant eyes sparkled with a familiar expression: Varian’s.
He was instantly swept back in time to a heady scene on his starship when a chess wager led to their two-week love affair. The flames returned to his body to heighten his desire. He lost his wits for a moment and said, “That sounds intriguing, especially since you beat me the last time we played.”
She stared at him. A slip? she wondered. “I did? When?”
“Last week. You asked for your ring back as your winning prize.”
Honesty or quick wits? “You want to play for it again tonight?”
“Why? It’s special to you.”
Varian had given it to her before her auction, no doubt to serve as a constant reminder of him after their separation. “Why would you think that?”
“You told me so. And it was the only jewelry you were wearing when you arrived here. Did your parents give it to you?”
Why would he ask that last question when there were no caritrary gems in her world, only in his? His arms were folded and locked over his chest, implying confidence and an air of contempt for danger. Even so, she suspected he could respond to any threat in an instant. In days past, she had witnessed how alert and quick he was. As he ruffled his tawny hair, she caught a gleam of roguish mischief in his eyes. “No, they didn’t, and it isn’t special to me. It was a gift from Kadim Tirol,” she lied, “shortly before I was sent here. It’s lovely and valuable, but I can’t imagine why I would ask for its return. Perhaps, since we were still strangers at that time, it was the only safe wager I could think of. Why did you take it away when we married?”
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