To Touch the Stars

by Tess Mallory

  For a moment she looked vastly uncomfortable. Eagle frowned, wondering what had caused the change, when he realized she was afraid he would ask for her body in return for his help. A quick grin split his face and he shook his head.

  "No, Captain, you can rest easy on that score." He saw Kell dart a sharp look her way, and Eagle wondered again exactly what the relationship between the two really was. "Too rich for my blood. What I want is information."

  Sky relaxed visibly, her fingers curling inward as she brought her hands together. "Information? What kind of information?"

  "I want to know why you want the kid. The truth."

  Eagle watched her carefully as he made his request and was not surprised to see a shadow dart across her features. "What does it matter to you?" she asked, averting her eyes. "It matters. In fact, it matters so much that if you don't tell me, and if I don't believe you, I won't help you."

  She shifted her gaze back to his, biting her lower lip in a gesture that was totally endearing. If she had known how vulnerable, how childlike it made her look, she would have been appalled. Eagle drew a deep breath and stilled the lust fighting for dominance inside him. For of course, that was all it was, just animal lust, the kind that was a result of biology, not rationality.

  She lifted her chin. "All right," she said, the almost whispered words belying the temerity snapping in her eyes.

  "Sky, you can't!" Kell objected, moving forward from his position near the door. He crossed to her side and sank down in the chair beside her, his blue brows knit together in consternation. "You can't trust him with the truth! What in the—"

  "Shut up, Kell." Sky stood again, this time with her fingertips barely touching the table yet giving the stark impression they were all that held her erect. "We've got to get away from Zarn, and as much as I hate to admit it, we need this moon snuffer."

  "But Sky—"

  "I've made up my mind. Besides, what harm can it do?"

  Eagle watched as her chest rose beneath the black uniform, pent-up breath held inside her for a moment. He watched as the first officer's and the captain's eyes met for the heartbeat of a moment. He watched as she sat back down at the table. He watched, and knew the next words out of her mouth would be a lie.

  "Colonel, I—"

  "Forget it." Eagle leaned away from her, one hand still resting casually on the table. "You don't get it, do you, Captain? I want the truth, not some trumped-up story you think will appease me. You forget—our minds have touched. That gives me a little bit of an edge when it comes to discerning if you're lying to me or not." His hand flexed into a fist. "I don't recommend it."

  "Are you threatening her?" Kell asked, his blue eyes narrowing. "And what do you mean your minds have touched?" He looked at Sky, his chin lifting. She ran her tongue over her lips but didn't speak.

  "Sky?"

  "I'll explain later, Kell," she said, her voice low. She shot Eagle a look that promised a later reckoning.

  Eagle smiled. "Yes, do let her explain later, but in the meantime, in answer to your question, yes, I'm threatening her. In fact, I'm threatening this whole damn ship. Either you tell me what's really going on, or this tub is going to go up in the biggest blaze since Tantus went nova, once Zarn finds you."

  "You'll go with it!" Sky retorted.

  He shrugged. "Oh, I think Daddy dear will perhaps transport me out before the fireworks begin. Now, what's it going to be? Truth—or consequences?"

  Sky's face sagged, and in one swift movement her hands came together in a paroxysm of panic. But panic was foreign to the captain of the Defiant—wasn't it? Eagle looked into the woman's eyes and knew she was about to tell him the truth. He steeled himself for it and suddenly wished he'd let her He. After all, he planned to take over the ship anyway as part of the deal. What difference did it make what her reasons were? Her pale lips parted, and he almost stopped her from speaking, but the look in her eyes, the agony he saw mirrored there, prevented him. He leaned forward to catch her whispered words.

  "She's my sister," she said.

  Eagle sat down before the shock hit him fully. Sky sank back down too and wouldn't meet his eyes. She kept her gaze on her hands, her fingers continuing to twist together in a totally uncaptainish display of emotion.

  "She's your what?"

  "Sister."

  If he hadn't been trying to maintain at least a facade of calm, Eagle would have slapped the palm of his hand against his forehead. Of course! What an unobservant idiot he had been! Sky's hair was a silvery blond; Mayla's was a silvery blond. They both had almond-shaped eyes that turned up at the corners. Even their names were similar in their cadence: Skyra and Mayla, such as parents might give two sisters. But their eyes—

  "Your eyes are turquoise," he said faintly.

  "She is the heir, not I. Only the heir has lavender eyes."

  Kell turned to her, his brows making a sharp V in the center of his forehead. "You never told me that." She waved one hand as if to silence him.

  "Damn." Eagle had to swallow. He couldn't help it. No wonder she'd been so angry, so determined, so ruthless. If he'd been in her position, he'd have done the same.

  "Do you—are you a healer like Mayla?" he asked. "I know you have the telepathic powers."

  "I have some healing ability, but not like my sister. She is the heir to the throne. I'm only her guardian." She leaned forward, reaching one hand out to touch his arm. Eagle tensed as her fingers curved against his skin. "All right, no more games. I need your help, Colonel, and I'm not above begging you for it. I know that you know where Mayla is or you know something that will help us find her." Her voice softened. "She's just a little girl. Please—" She broke off and looked quickly away from him, and he knew she was fighting for composure. She didn't want to break down in front of him or let him see how weak she really was where her sister was concerned. When she finally looked back at him and spoke, her voice was steady once again.

  "You aren't an evil man, Eagle. I sensed that while I was in your mind. Please help us. Doesn't your father have enough systems under his thumb? Doesn't he have enough power without adding my sister to his list?"

  Eagle. It was the first time she'd spoken his name, and the effect it had on his senses was unexpected. He could hear her, in his mind, saying it with a gentle caress, with a loving smile, and he turned away from her, pulling his overactive imagination back in line. But was it his imagination or was it the curious bond that now linked them together?

  "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

  "You said it yourself—we have a link now between us. You'd know if I was telling a lie. You knew I was about to, before."

  "True." Eagle rubbed one hand down his face, weary beyond measure. He hadn't gotten much sleep since he'd come aboard this tub, and his confrontations with the dragon lady always left him drained. But now it seemed the dragon had been tamed. All the fire was gone from her and she was asking him—no, she was practically begging him—to help her find her little sister.

  "Okay," he said at last, "I'm going to help you, but you're going to have to be willing to make some concessions, and I can tell you right now you aren't going to like them."

  Sky released his arm and her hand quickly snaked back to her own side of the table. She held herself stiffly, as if trying to regain some degree of equilibrium. "What do you want?"

  "I want you to turn this ship over to me."

  "What?" Kell came out of his chair, his usual calm face twisted in outrage. "You must be insane! The captain will never—"

  "Yes, the captain will."

  The weary tone of her voice made Eagle frown. Something wasn't right here. Sky was a dynamo, a volcano waiting to erupt. What had suddenly taken the wind from her sails, the spark from her engine? Their encounter? His rough handling? She was, after all, a woman, no matter how tough she might appear to be. Had his "attack" somehow caused this change? Or was it totally her concern for her sister?

  "Then you agree?" he heard himself saying.


  "If you will give me your word that you will take me to my sister and return the ship to me at that time."

  He nodded. "I give you my word."

  "Pah! What is that worth?" Kell grabbed Sky by the shoulder and jerked her to face him, his face now wreathed in an uncharacteristic fury. "You are betraying Mayla by this action! You are betraying all of us! Tell me what happened between the two of you? Did you bed him? Did you bond with him mentally? Did he satisfy your human lust so well that you would give him the ship just to keep him around for your pleasure?"

  Eagle's fists knotted of their own accord, but before he could move, Sky beat him to it. She was on her feet in seconds, trembling with rage as she drew herself up to her full height and glared at the Altairian.

  "How dare you? Just who the hell do you think you are?" she demanded. "I could have you thrown into the brig for insubordination, and don't think I won't do it! How dare you?" she repeated, her eyes flashing with outrage.

  Kell stood immobile, his own anger fading rapidly from his face. "Captain, I—My apologies. I don't know what came over me. I shall prepare the crew for the change in command."

  Sky took a step back, apparently somewhat appeased by his quick turnaround. "I know what I'm doing, Kell, and I'm doing this for Mayla—not for myself! You have a completely wrong conception of what is happening here."

  "I'm sure that's true," Kell agreed, his blue face once again taciturn and controlled. "Again, my apologies."

  "Accepted. We will talk more later." She took a deep breath and turned to Eagle. "Well, Colonel, if that's all you need. I'd better figure out a way to make the crew accept this. Maybe I could tell them—"

  "Wait a minute." Eagle strode quickly across the room to block her way as she moved toward the door. "We aren't through yet."

  She sighed loudly and swung back around, hands on her hips. "What is it now?"

  "How many people does it take to run this ship?" He waited for her response. He knew quite well that five experienced people could fly a cruiser of this size. But would she lie to him? "Six. Five if they're really good at it. Why?"

  Eagle paced around the small area, hands locked behind him. "So besides the three of us, we'd need two more. Do you have two people you can trust implicitly?"

  "I can trust all of my crew. What are you trying to say?"

  "We're going to have to dump most of your crew."

  Kell turned to face him, his blue eyes empty, devoid of feeling. Eagle wondered exactly what depth of feeling lay behind those eyes. He had a sneaking suspicion the display they'd just seen was the tip of the iceberg.

  "I do not believe the crew will take kindly to that proposition, Colonel."

  "No, I don't imagine they will. However, if they care about getting the heir to the throne to safety in one piece, they might be willing to do their part."

  Sky shook her head. "They don't trust you. They'll think you're holding something over my head, forcing me to do this. You'd be in the cargo hold before you could blink."

  "All right, then make up something. Tell them the Defiant needs an engine overhaul, new thrusters, whatever. Give them some extended shore leave, except for the two you choose to go with us."

  "But why? I assure you I would trust any of my people with my life." The color had returned somewhat to her face, and Eagle admired her ability to roll with the punches.

  "Then you're a fool," he said, stopping in his stride and looking pointedly in her direction. He watched her bristle and almost grinned. The spitfire was back. "Never trust anyone."

  "What a lovely sentiment, Colonel," Sky drawled. "I'm so glad I don't have your warped view on life."

  "You keep your rose-colored one and you may not be around much longer."

  Sky shot Eagle a furious look. "P'ton can be trusted. And Cordo and T'Varr. And my engineer, Srad."

  "Keep the engineer. Choose one more." He nodded to-ward Kell, still standing, unspeaking, across the room. "I'm assuming the two of you can handle any aspect of this tub. Captain, Lieutenant, it's time to leave this rock behind and get going." He crossed in front of Kell, then paused, and turned back. "Are you ready, Princess?" he asked softly, holding out his hand. To his astonishment, she took it.

  "Yes," she said as her fingers curved over his.

  Eagle felt such an overpowering urge to kiss her at that moment that he almost gave in and swept her into his arms. Instead, he squeezed her hand gently before releasing it and bowing toward the doorway.

  "After you."

  She started forward, but stopped just as the door slid open. The bright lights from the corridor sent her body into stark relief, and his pulse quickened as the smooth curves of her body were suddenly cut in silhouette before his eyes. She looked back at him over one shoulder.

  "She's just a child," she said, her low voice husky with feeling. "If you plan to double-cross us, I beg you to remember this. She's just a little girl."

  For a moment Eagle couldn't speak; he was too busy struggling with feelings he shouldn't be allowing himself to feel for the woman who had tortured him. Finally he found his voice, and a smile to toss after it.

  "Trust me."

  She stepped back into the room, the light illuminating her face just in time for him to see the cynical glint return to her eyes as one corner of her mouth lifted in contempt.

  "Yeah. Right."

  She spun on one heel and stalked through the still-op en doorway. Eagle gestured for Kell to follow and headed up the rear, wondering how his hatred of Captain Spitfire had suddenly shifted into something vastly, disturbingly different.

  Chapter Seven

  "I'm not going to wear it!"

  Eagle looked down at the thin dress in his hand, then back up at Sky.

  "Why not? It's perfectly respectable."

  Her blue eyes flashed with indignation as she stood facing him, hands on her hips, and he couldn't help smiling, which only seemed to infuriate her further.

  "Respectable? Sure, if you're a trifling in some p'flauk house! You said I was supposed to pose as a trader's wife."

  Eagle's grin widened and he tried to hide it, but he had to admit he was enjoying this immensely. Sky was so used to getting her way. He loved taking her down a peg or two.

  "It's all I could find, but suit yourself. You can always go back to the ship." Kneeling down, he began pulling clothes out of the bag, ignoring Sky as she began walking around the shuttle, petulantly kicking the side of it. He hoped she didn't break her foot because he wouldn't be around to carry her lovely body to get help. The small shuttle, hardly more than an escape pod, had been scarcely big enough to hold the three of them for their journey down from the cruiser. He was counting on that small fact. Cordo, Srad, and P'ton had been left behind on the Defiant, keeping it in orbit, ready for a fast get-away.

  "Oh, and don't forget," he said, "if we get separated for any reason, we'll meet at the Domma Domma."

  "The what?"

  Eagle sighed. "Weren't you even listening during the briefing, Captain? The Domma Domma is a tavern. It's on the edge of the city and makes a good rendezvous point."

  They had landed on Barbaros 9 only an hour before, two days after Eagle had successfully piloted them out of the asteroid field and headed the Defiant into deep space. Barbaros 9 was a spaceport well known as a hot-bed of criminal activity, the perfect place to melt into a crowd and never be seen again. He and Telles had spent their last R & R in this godforsaken place and had barely escaped with their lives if he remembered correctly. His throat tightened. Sky would be at the mercy of the scum of the universe once she reached the city. Maybe… He pushed the thought away. Kell would be with her. They'd be fine.

  As he had flown the Defiant and helped navigation plan their journey to Barbaros 9, another part of Eagle's brain had been working on his problem with Sky. For there was definitely a problem. He had never thought he'd feel this way about a woman. There was no place, no time in his life for such feelings. But he had thought long and hard about it and had come to
the conclusion that those feelings were very real—and they didn't matter in the slightest.

  Forget the fact that she hated him. Forget the fact that sometimes he hated her. Forget she was a rebel. Maybe they could get past all of that, but there was one thing they'd never get past: He was the son of the man she believed had murdered her parents. No amount of passion or desire could conquer that. He had decided to treat her as kindly as possible, but it was inevitable that he would dump both her and Kell and disappear. He'd never see her again; she'd never see him again. It was simple.

  Yeah. Right.

  He'd also thought long and hard about what his actions in the next few hours would mean to Sky and her little sister. A muscle in his jaw tightened reflexively. There was a risk to the child, no doubt about it, but she was his only hope of getting Zarn to listen. For over a year Eagle had debated about approaching his father with his thoughts, his ideas for the Dominion. Rigel was a peaceful world now. Its inhabitants had freedom, equality, and justice—all thanks to his father. Why then did the rest of the quadrant have to suffer? Why couldn't all the other planets live in the same peace and harmony? It made no sense to him. And after meeting Sky and Mayla, he was more determined than ever to reach his father somehow and make him listen to reason.

  He stuffed some of the clothes back into the bag and pulled himself to his feet. "Are you going to try on this dress or not?" he asked.

  "I don't know why you got to be the one to go in and find clothing," she said, moving away from the shuttle and kneeling down at the pile of garments. "You are obviously the last person in the world who should have been buying clothes!"

  "I went into the city because I know this world and I knew who to contact. Besides, this isn't a fashion show, Captain," he added dryly. "Why can't we just wear what you're wearing?"

  Eagle glanced down at himself. He'd put together a disguise of sorts by combining different parts of uniforms from the Defiant and hiding his dark hair under a nondescript hat Sky had produced from her quarters. It had been a simple matter to find a vendor, but another matter entirely when it came to buying suitable clothing. Apparently such a thing did not exist on this world. He'd done the best he could and returned with a variety of garments in all colors and conditions.