by Bianca D’Arc
The emperor moved back, saying no more on the subject, but Maggie caught the look in his eye and would remember it always. For, in that moment, the emperor of all jit’suku had looked on her with the eyes of love...and regret. Suddenly, she thought she understood his motives a little better, and her heart went out to him, but only in friendship. She could never be the woman he needed, and she sent up a little prayer that he would find his mate one day soon.
Everyone deserved some happiness in their lives. And love. Even the emperor of jit’suku.
Chapter Eleven
“That’s it,” Binki reported from the comm station. “We’re officially clear of jit space.”
They were in the no-man’s-land of jumpspace, not quite in one dimension or another, on their way to the corresponding jumpsite John had saved all those months ago out near Last Spiral Station. John had been hiding in that special compartment, even while they traveled, just in case the jits boarded them or Tren suddenly changed his mind.
But they were beyond Tren’s reach now. John was safe.
Maggie rushed down to the hidden compartment to give him the news.
John greeted her with open arms and a voracious kiss that set her world on fire. Only the doctor and Maggie had been in to see him since they’d left the palace, so secret was his presence on the ship. Only herself, Binki, and the doctor, who was required by oath to protect his patients, knew he was here.
“We’re in jumpspace,” she said softly when he let her up for air. “You’re safe.”
“You mean we’re safe. Damn, woman. The chances you take.” John squeezed her tight, lifting her off her feet as he swung her around as if she weighed nothing at all.
“That’s all over now, John. Tren pointed out that I’ve been well and truly outed by this last mission. Anyone in the game will be able to put two and two together and come up with me being the one who secured your release. I mean, it’s not as if we can hide you.”
“Especially not if you marry me.”
Maggie’s breath caught in her chest. She dared not breathe, lest she wake up and find this was all a dream.
“Maggie?” John stepped back, letting her go except for one of her hands. He lowered himself to one knee before her, holding her trembling fingers to his lips, kissing them tenderly. “I’ve had time to think over everything I’ve learned. The one thing I keep coming back to is that you love me and I love you. That’s all that matters in the final analysis, Maggie mine. No matter the odds stacked against us—my Enhancement, your Enhanced genes, your fame, my job—all that really matters is our love.” He looked up into her eyes, and she felt the tears gathering. “Will you marry me, Maggie? Will you be mine for all time?”
Maggie sank to her knees, tears dripping down her cheeks. She cupped his strong jaw in her hands and kissed him gently.
“Yes, John. Oh, yes!” She kissed his cheeks, his lips, anywhere on his face she could reach. “I love you more than anything in the universe.”
“Touching as this is,” Binki broke in from the open hatchway, “you’re beginning to draw a crowd.” Maggie drew back and saw several curious pairs of eyes looking through the hidden doorway. “One of the yeomen called me, thinking you might be in trouble.” Binki winked at her and turned back to the onlookers, shooing them away.
Maggie laughed with John as they both stood. They walked together through the hidden panel and into the service corridor of the ship. Binki was there to greet them, his face beaming.
“May I be the first to offer congratulations?”
“You may.” Maggie went into his arms for a quick hug, kissing his cheek. Binki was one of her oldest and truest friends. She felt John’s growl more than heard it, and the little sound of possession thrilled her.
“Congratulations, Captain. You’re getting a very special girl. I hope you realize that. Any woman who crosses two galaxies to save her man is much more than your average devoted girlfriend.” Binki offered his hand, and John took it with good grace, she was glad to see.
“Thanks...uh...what’s your real name? I just can’t bring myself to call you Binki.”
They all laughed, and Maggie was pleased to see the beginnings of friendship forming between two of the most important men in her life. Binki was like a brother to her, and he’d be like an uncle to any children John and she might be blessed to have in the future. John had better get used to having him around.
“Theodore is my given name. You can call me Teo.”
“Teo.” John tested out the name, seeming to like it. “You’re a good man, Teo. Thanks for your help back there, and for being such a good friend to my fiancée. Sometime soon, the three of us are going to sit down and talk about how it is you second gen folks have managed to stay under the radar so long.”
“Sure thing, John.” Binki moved back. “Now, if you’ll just move right along, I’ve cleared the companionway from here to Maggie’s cabin.”
They just barely cleared the door to her cabin before Maggie launched herself into John’s arms. Thankfully, he was much stronger now than when she’d rescued him. She had sent the doctor to him while he’d been confined to the hidden compartment, and with a few meds, good diet, cautious exercise, and a bit of time to heal, he was back to his old self now.
They’d spent a few stolen hours together in that hidden space below decks, but Maggie hadn’t been able to stay long in case any passing jit ships scanned them. As a result, they hadn’t had much leisure to make love. John planned to rectify that situation right now.
He took her in his arms and carried her to the bed that was much larger than the tiny one in the hidden compartment. Only the best for Diva, which John didn’t mind one bit, since there would easily be room for both of them in this suite. He planned to move in, and she’d have to kick him out if she didn’t want him around.
Something told him, though, that they were going to be together now. All those obstacles that had been in their way were starting to fall one by one. Dalen’s career as a spy was well and truly over now. Everyone who mattered in the jit’suku empire would soon figure out that it had been Maggie all along. As a result, Diva would no longer have such easy access to information. In fact, anything she picked up now would probably be deliberate misinformation.
John had no doubt that Maggie would be watched closely, her every move scrutinized even more than usual. There would be no more opportunities to pass messages without arousing suspicion. Dalen was busted, and nothing would be able to repair the damage. It was just as well. John didn’t like the risks she had taken. He didn’t like knowing his Maggie had been in danger.
He followed her down onto the bed, shedding their clothing as he went. Before too much longer, they were both naked and he was inside her, where he belonged. They made love long into the ship’s night while the crew made sure they were on course for their ultimate destination—a debriefing with the spymaster general himself, George MacRauch.
In between bouts of ecstasy and whispered words of love and reassurance, Maggie confessed her long and rather dangerous career leading a double life as both Diva and the master spy, Dalen. John was amazed at how easily she had been able to segregate the two very different roles she had to play and how both of those rather daring women were also part of the gentle, beautiful soul he’d fallen in love with.
His Maggie was a complex woman of many talents, and he marveled that such a woman would want to be with him, but he wasn’t questioning his good fortune. He’d take what she gave him and be glad of the joy she brought to his life.
There were just a few things they had to get through first.
They were to meet with the super-secret leader of the human spy network, General MacRauch, sometime later. They’d spent the intervening days mostly closeted in Maggie’s cabin, talking and making plans. Of course, a lot was still up in the air, but as far as they could, they made plans for the future, when they were both retired, and dreamed about where they would live and how they would spend their time.
Maggie wanted a garden, much to John’s surprise, and he told her about his dream to have a little workspace where he could tinker with weapon designs. He was always thinking up ways to improve their equipment, and some of his bush fixes had been implemented squad-wide, but he’d always dreamed of actually presenting prototypes of his modifications to the military establishment and have them adopted force-wide, if possible. He wanted to make things better for his fellow soldiers, even when he retired, if at all possible.
Binki checked up on them once in a while and even shared a meal with them one night while he described the itinerary he’d set up for them. He had already scheduled the meeting with the general through secret channels. He’d done it as soon as they were through the jumpsite and back in their home galaxy.
A few days later, as they made their way to Sol Sector through regular space, a rather ominous, fully-cloaked ship rendezvoused with them. The black ship didn’t show up on any scanner, and as it drew closer, John could make out massive weaponry on its outer hull. And that was just what he could see with the naked eye through the viewports. He’d bet there was a great deal hidden within the skin of the ship as well.
The ship docked with Maggie’s, and after a few rounds of scanning and counter-scanning, signals were passed back and forth through the umbilicals that had been temporarily set up between the two ships. Shortly thereafter, hatches were opened on both ends, and armed guards escorted Maggie and John over to the black ship.
John didn’t know what to expect of the general whose name was mostly unknown. Maggie greeted him with a hug, almost as if the older man were some sort of relative. John was a bit more circumspect. He saluted the general, keeping a respectful distance.
“At ease, Captain.” General MacRauch’s voice was gruff and businesslike as he sat behind his large desk. He motioned for them to take the seats opposite, and John waited only for Maggie to be seated before claiming one for himself.
“Maggie, you’ve done it this time. There’s no way—”
“Before you say anything more,” she dared to interrupt the general, “you need to know that Tren already knew about me before I ever set foot on Solaris.”
MacRauch sat back in his big chair and stared her down. John would’ve been uncomfortable under such scrutiny, but his Maggie seemed to take it in stride. She was one helluva woman.
“Tren, is it? Since when are you on a first name basis with the enemy?”
Maggie bristled but held her ground and her temper. “Since he wants to talk peace.” The general said nothing as she went on. “He knew about you too, Mac. He claims to have captured my father after he was lost in the Pyramid. He knew about Enhancement and that I was second gen. He even let me waltz out of there with John on my ship, and he knew damn well we’d helped him escape. He knew I was Dalen and told me in no uncertain terms that he couldn’t cover for me after this jailbreak, but he did promise to keep the assassins from my door.”
John was still a little in awe of the fact that the most daring spy in the universe had turned out to be the woman he loved. John had been the recipient of Dalen’s intel any number of times through his chain of command, and those few memorable times directly, when he still hadn’t known Maggie and Dalen were one and the same.
He couldn’t believe he hadn’t at least suspected something fishy when she told him about the rebellion on Andrak, but Diva was just too good. She was both a gifted singer loved for her music, and secretly an actress good enough to wander around the galaxy in her Diva persona gathering and disseminating military intel as Dalen.
And then, there was the real woman. The Maggie he’d come to know and love. There were many facets to Magdalena, that was true, and John would enjoy learning every single one. The fact that her father wasn’t dead, but only presumed so in the mysterious area of space known as the Pyramid, was significant. The claimed encounter between her father and the emperor was intriguing. If at all possible, John would help solve that mystery.
If Maggie’s father was out there somewhere, lost in the void, John would do his best to track him down. Maggie’s whole life had been shaped by the loss of her father, and John wanted to help her find some peace on that score, though he hadn’t yet told her about his plans.
They had time now. Time to be together and time to plan a future. Now that Dalen was well and truly outed, Maggie wouldn’t be able to use that persona again. Diva would still perform, but the dangerous sideline in gathering intel was over. John was both glad that she wouldn’t be putting herself at risk that way anymore and concerned that the best spy for the human side had been shut down. What that would mean for the greater war was yet to be seen.
“Did you believe the emperor when he promised to keep his assassins from trying for you?” MacRauch asked Maggie.
She tilted her head, as if considering. “I do. Mac, he could’ve stopped me at any time. He knew every move I made, and yet, he let me—and John—go. He also wanted to open peace talks and asked me to speak with you on his behalf. He wants you to send word back by way of another second generation Enhanced female. I think…” For the first time, she faltered, and John reached out to take her hand, the general be damned.
“What?”
“I think he’s looking for a mate, and I think he believes the woman for him is not only human, but Enhanced.”
“Did he kiss you?” The general’s eyes were calculating.
John didn’t like the sound of this. He squeezed her hand when she nodded.
“When I first met him, it was the first thing he did. Then, he explained it was some kind of test. The nij’ta he called it, and that he was hoping I’d be the one, but I wasn’t.”
“Too bad.” The general made some notes on the datapad on his desk.
“Not in my opinion.” John looked only at Maggie as he spoke.
She hadn’t told him about the emperor’s hopes. He wondered what else she was holding back about the encounter, but he wouldn’t ask. Maggie would tell him, in time. He had great confidence that all their secrets would be revealed to each other over the next fifty years or so of togetherness. He couldn’t wait.
“Well, of course.” MacRauch chuckled a bit, ceding the point to John. “But you can see how having Dalen become the new empress of the jit’suku would have been to our advantage. Still, if he really thinks one of the other second gen girls might be his mate, who am I to argue?”
Maggie laughed. “We all work for you in one form or another, right, Uncle George? And maybe a lower-profile woman would be more easily accepted among the jit’suku.”
“You’ve got a point there, Maggie.” The general sighed. “If it’ll help end this war, I’ll send every second gen woman we’ve got over there for his inspection. He can kiss ‘em all and keep the ones he likes.”
“Uncle George!” Maggie’s tone was chastising, but they were both laughing. John was just amazed at how comfortable his Maggie was with a man so highly placed.
“With the ladies’ full knowledge and cooperation, of course.”
“Of course.”
“I don’t understand,” John spoke up. “How will sending him a human woman, albeit a second generation Enhanced woman, change anything?”
Maggie’s smile broadened as she turned to him. “Tren hinted that there were ancient ways to end the war. I think he meant through marriage. I did some research on our way back through jumpspace, and what little information we have on the jits suggests that marriage between warring clans has been used in the past to stop hostilities without losing face. If he intends to do that on a galactic scale…”
“It just might work.” The general slapped his desk, regaining their attention. “The sly bastard knows he can’t win the war by conventional means, and jits can’t ever concede or retreat without losing face, so he’s looking for a way to call a halt to hostilities in an honorable way.”
“He claimed his people wouldn’t be happy with it, but that it could be done,” Maggie said quietly.
She’d had quite
the discussion with the jit emperor. She’d told John some of it on the way back, of course, but quite a few revelations had been made here that John hadn’t heard before. Of course, now that he was with Maggie and in the general’s confidence, John expected his clearance level—already high to begin with—had just shot up a few notches.
“Well, if anyone can get away with it, it would be Tren. He’s as sharp as they come,” the general said, ruefully shaking his head.
Maggie grinned. “Be careful, Uncle, you almost sound as if you like the man.”
MacRauch huffed a bit, sitting back in his chair. “A warrior can respect his opponent even while they battle against each other.”
“So you’re Enhanced too, General?” John asked.
He wasn’t sure the older man would answer, but decided it was time to try to get to know the man better, if they were going to be working together. And working directly for the general was now John’s goal.
The general nodded. “One of the first. I knew Maggie’s father, and when he disappeared, I kept an eye on her and the other children born of Enhanced soldiers like me. We’ve created a little elite corps of those who wanted to serve, and many of them work for me as spies. One thing that still amazes me is that every single second gen child has wanted to serve in one form or another. Their fathers’ dedication seems to breed true.”
“So, then, it’s possible that Maggie and I could have children of our own?” The thought still boggled John’s mind. He’d been told many times before volunteering for Enhancement that it would leave him sterile. Had the medics lied? John shouldn’t be that surprised if they had. They often didn’t tell the whole story when working on a soldier.
The general smiled benevolently. “I don’t see why not. Though you’ll have to keep quiet about being Enhanced, and your kids will have to be monitored like all of us. Still, it shouldn’t be a problem. The docs stretched the truth. We’re not completely incapable, but it isn’t exactly easy for Enhanced males to father children. We don’t have any conclusive data on second gen conception, but if anyone can beat the odds, my bets are on you two.”