A Stellar Affair

Sometimes the heart leads and the mind must follow.

Ardra has no idea why she’s been abducted and thrown into a Roimarian interrogation room. She is simply a Tetch botanist on her way to a distant planet, not an enemy spy. She’s scared of the piercing eyes of the mind-reading precept assigned to uncover whatever secrets her mind might be holding. But even more worrying is the strange soul-deep connection between her and her captor.

Jackson Deimos excels at slipping in and out of someone’s memories to retrieve military intelligence deliberately hidden away—even from an unwitting carrier. But Ardra’s brain is a labyrinth of defenses he’s never encountered before. Plus, her beauty shouldn’t be this much of a distraction.

As their battle of wits and wills wears on, their emotions are the first to betray them. But if Jack can’t break through Ardra’s barriers, his superiors will turn her over to someone who will—by force. Leaving Jack having to choose between doing his duty or following his heart.

Warning: Contains a plant expert whose brain is carrying around the seeds of rebellion, and a mind reader whose heart gives him a case of psychic dyslexia. Contains reference to attempted suicide and love scenes not appropriate for little sprouts.

A Stellar Affair

Laurel Richards

Dedication

Thank you to all the family, friends and fellow authors who have supported me, especially my mom, who taught me I can do anything I set my mind to. I’m also grateful to everyone at Samhain who made this book possible and to all the readers out there who allow writers like me to do what we love.

Chapter One

Earth’s orbit, the year 556 P.C. (Post Contact)

Ardra was on her honeymoon, and she wanted to cry. She left her husband in their room aboard ship and stepped onto the lift. The trip up to the observation deck was smooth and quiet—proof she was traveling on one of the nicer passenger liners. Mellow lighting greeted her when the doors hissed open, but her gaze landed on the array of stars beyond. Tinted windows formed a semicircle around this deck, and the brilliant specks outside glittered against the abyssal black.

In the lounge area to her left, a large screen televised the latest news about the Pioneer War and its casualties. The broadcast cut to an interview—audio only—with a Roimiran precept, and Ardra heard the man reply to something the reporter had asked.

“We live in dangerous times,” the precept said. “We all use the abilities we’re given. I just have a different set of skills than you do.”

Ardra knew which skills he was talking about. The precepts were people who could probe and manipulate the thoughts of others. She was surprised this one’s voice sounded so pleasant and normal, and she wished she could see his face.

A computerized voice drew her attention away from the wall screen as one of the deck sensors scanned her boarding tag. “Welcome to Main Observation Deck 1, Mrs. Corvus. Thank you for flying
A-Star
, the very best in long-distance space travel.”

“Mrs. Corvus,” she repeated aloud.

Her gaze returned to the view outside as she stepped up to the window and leaned toward the glass. Yes, she was Ardra Corvus now, although the name didn’t seem to belong to her.

After months of dating, Stevin had insisted on a quick, simple wedding. He was the first guy she had ever slept with, and they had waited until their wedding night to be together. She had trembled until they’d really gotten down to it, but she was a quick study. Now, two weeks later, she was flying halfway across the galaxy with her new husband. Was it weak of her to need him so much, or was it love?

Everything had turned out all right so far, so maybe this was a great new adventure. The only problem was she wasn’t coming back from this trip. She wiped her tears and swallowed hard as she stared at her home planet framed in the window. Earth’s oceans looked so blue they almost glowed, and white clouds scudded at high altitude over the waves. Whole continents defied the vast waters, offering dry land to the world’s inhabitants. It was so beautiful it took her breath away.

Sure, Earth’s economy was bad, and you needed a permit to do just about anything these days, but it was home. At least it was safe. These were dangerous times, as the precept had said. Somewhere out there, the Tetch and the Roimirans—the first humans to colonize new planets—were killing each other and using innocent civilians as pawns. She didn’t want any part of that, but she had made her choice.

The
A-Star
was getting ready to make the interstellar jump. Translated from the original alien, the term for this super-speedy travel was close to
bring about
, but they could have called it the topsy-turvy maneuver for all she cared. It wouldn’t be long before they would shoot across the cosmos, transported in the blink of an eye. Earth was already shrinking in the window as they taxied out.

Ardra started to hug herself, but another pair of arms wrapped around her instead. She smiled as she leaned back against Stevin’s chest.

“Ready for me to show you the universe, Mrs. Corvus?” He kissed the side of her head and rested his chin atop her shoulder.

She felt her smile grow wider, and she folded her arms over his. “I think you’ve opened my eyes to it already.”

He pressed her closer to his heart and held her until his warmth and steady breathing comforted her. Then he laughed mischievously, and she knew he was up to something.

“What?” she demanded.

He took her hand and turned her around to face him. She looked up into his deep brown eyes.

“Oh, I just realized our situation,” he said. “Here we are, a handsome groom and his pretty young bride on board a passenger liner. The stars are shining brightly all around us, and we’re on the threshold of a new life. I thought we might make the most of a romantic moment.”

She recognized the look he was giving her and returned his kiss. He scooped her up in his arms, and she laughed as he took her back to their quarters—his idea of carrying her over the threshold. When he reached the bed, he stripped them both and sent his mouth roaming over every inch of her body. Only a few stars outside peeked in at them as they made love.

When they were done, Ardra lay folded up against his side, still feeling the heat radiating off his body. The ship must have made the jump while they were busy. They would spend another day or two at slow speed before navigating traffic and docking at Tabanar, the first planet on their scheduled tour. Until then, her husband’s time was all hers.

Looking at Stevin’s face, she studied the dark eyebrows and raven hair she already knew so well. She felt warm and sated after their lovemaking, and she was happy he wasn’t immediately going to fall asleep this time. With a smile, she cuddled closer under his arm.

“Ardra?” he said.

She kissed his chest. “Yes?”

“You know I love you, don’t you?” She couldn’t read his tone of voice, though he sounded serious. “You know I love you more than anybody?”

She smiled and gave him a squeeze. “I love you too.”

He took a deep breath. “What I mean to say is that you trust me, right?”

“Stevin.” She drawled his name half playfully and half worriedly.

“No, really,” he insisted. “You do trust me?”

She ran her finger across his chin. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust you. I love you, and I trust you. That’s why I married you, you dolt.”

He returned a smile, though he still appeared troubled.

“Stevin,” she said, “why don’t you just say what you want to say? You’ve obviously got something on your mind.”

Beyond their door, she could hear a slight commotion, but she ignored it. For the moment, the weird vibes from the man next to her concerned her more.

“Stevin, what is it?” she asked when he didn’t answer.

He released a deep sigh and slid away from her. She let her hand trail over his chest and down his right arm as he got out of bed and swept her gaze over his body. He began to get dressed.

“Please put something on,” he said.

“But, Stevin—”

“Do it.” He said it gently, but she jumped as if he had shouted at her.

“Okay.” With a scowl, she lowered her feet to the cold floor and hurried to do what he’d said.

He waited until she was fully clothed before he finally drew her close again.

He took her face in both his hands. “Ardra, you have to trust me. Don’t be afraid. We’re going to have a new life together, and we’re going to be very rich. I’ll give you everything you ever wanted, like that house and garden you’re always talking about. All you have to do is stick with me.”

“Stevin,” she said, “I don’t understand.”

The noise outside grew a lot louder, and someone banged on their door. She turned to look, but her husband still held her head, and he pressed his mouth to hers in a quick kiss. Before she could stop him, he stepped away and opened the door.

Two men stood on the other side. The stocky one wore a scowl, while his companion could have been a cyborg for all the emotion he showed. Expecting to see members of the crew, Ardra stared dumbly for a moment before she realized they weren’t dressed in the
A-Star’s
uniform. She registered the weapons strapped to them in the same instant.

With a gasp, she turned to her husband, but he wasn’t looking at her.

“There she is,” Stevin told the men. “Be careful with her.”

He didn’t even glance at her before he walked away. The men rushed toward her. Ardra screamed Stevin’s name, but he was already gone. In the tight quarters, there was nowhere to run, and then the strangers grabbed her and threw her on the bed.

That was the moment the stars went out.

Roimiran planet, Bok-10

Although no one could see him, Jackson Deimos felt exposed as he was interviewed over the long-distance transmitter. He didn’t know how he had been picked for this broadcast, but his people wanted him to give precepts a better image. Nobody wanted to support mind-bending monsters, so he needed to show he was human. Except he was still invisible, and the interviewer kept talking to him as if he were a suspect. Too bad he couldn’t touch the man’s thoughts from across the galaxy.

“Most political experts describe this as a philosophical war,” the reporter said. “Do you disagree with that?”

Jack almost sighed, but he held back. “Not entirely. You have to understand the history. Five hundred and fifty-six years ago, the people of Earth made contact with the aliens. The wisdom and technology that our new friends shared with us ushered in a whole new era—a new space race, in fact—but their gift also caused a rift that has never healed.

“On one side of that rift, the group that later became the Roimirans believed scientific advancement would ultimately cost them their humanity. They preached a more natural, agrarian lifestyle. Most boarded space transports and used the alien technology to create viable planets so they could start anew.

“Opposing them, the Tetch embraced the spirit of the inventor and discoverer and never refrained from employing technology to get ahead. They’ve always thought of themselves as champions of progress, pulling back the veil on the universe’s machinery and discovering new cures.

“The politicians love to pit these philosophies against each other as propaganda—the healthy, equitable Roimirans versus the soulless power mongers, or the backward neo-hippies versus the civilized Tetch. But this war isn’t about how the other half lives.”

“Explain that,” the interviewer said.

He was happy to. “There was a catch, you see. Although the alien technology was freely given to the peoples of Earth, it has a large price tag when it comes to actual use. It’s much cheaper to purchase an established planet than to induce an ecosystem to grow from scratch. Over the centuries, the Tetch have expanded too quickly and depleted their resources. They want more territory, but we Roimirans aren’t selling. That’s the real cause of the conflict. It’s a boundary dispute.”

“So you attribute the cause of the war to economics, not politics?” the reporter asked. “Interesting. And what is your role? You’re one of several trained precepts working with the Roimiran military. Where do you fit in?”

Jack kept his voice level. “As you know, occupied space has become a powder keg of skirmishes and intrigue. Open communications are restricted because someone is always listening, and espionage is on the rise. Most agents work for the government to uncover sensitive information—anything they can use as a tactical advantage against the other side. They program intelligence carriers to deliver that information in person, often burying the data beneath a layer of amnesia or false memories so that it’s less likely to be intercepted. More recently, however, we’ve seen a boom in black-market intelligence carriers.

“There are always people who will try to profit from war, and there’s now a whole network of underworld operatives whose only goal is to steal valuable secrets for resale. They have no allegiance to anyone and are only looking for a windfall. Once these private dealers dig up intel, they abduct innocent people, program them, and then deliver them to the highest bidder. These carriers are often left with no recollection of the abduction or even of who they were before they were programmed. Whether the carriers are government agents or innocent victims, we precepts use our abilities to intercept the intelligence they’re transporting and to help them recover their identities.”

“I see.” The reporter sounded skeptical. “Well, thank you for talking to us, Mr. Deimos. Next up, UPIP, the United Planetary and Interstellar Police, announces increased security for long-range commercial space vessels. We’ll hear about this initiative from Detective Izarra of UPIP’s Missing Person’s Division and learn what you can do to stay safe while traveling abroad.”

The transmission cut off, and Jack sank back into his chair.

“What do you think?” he asked his small audience. “How did I do?”

His friend Nash gave him two thumbs up. Norma rolled her eyes and Superintendent Kaplan looked thoughtful. Mixed reviews. Jack wondered what his mom and Terrah would think when they heard the broadcast, although his mother was more concerned that he still wasn’t married.

“Come on,” he said. “All things considered, I—”

The blare of an alarm cut him off. It came from the control panel to his left.

“Status?” Kaplan barked. “How many?”

Jack jumped out of the way. Norma was already scanning the readout, and he didn’t have to be psychic to know it was bad. Her olive skin paled to ash.

“Tetch attack fleet,” she reported. “ETA fifteen minutes.”

Nash shook his head. “They can’t be that close. Our sensors would have picked them up.”

“They can be, and they are,” Norma snapped. “The sons of bitches used our transmission as cover. They waited until we were distracted to close in on us.”

“Launch our fighters,” Kaplan ordered.

He triggered the sirens to warn the civilians. If the Tetch got past their counterassault, their people would be hunkered down in underground shelters before the first ship pierced the atmosphere.

Their superintendent spun toward Norma. “You and Nash get Jack to the nearest transport ship. I want him off planet immediately. If they break past our lines, they’ll be gunning for him. They’d love to get their hands on one of our precepts. You two stay with him.”

“Wait a second,” Jack said, but his friends were already shoving him toward the door.

They had their orders, and he would only endanger them if he resisted. Once outside, they broke into a run. Waves of fear beat against his psyche.

He and his friends ducked inside their makeshift homes. They each grabbed a single bag, already half-packed, before racing to the transport pad across the compound. The sirens screeched and pulsed, gray dirt crunched underfoot and shadows cloaked them as their soldiers launched their battle cruisers overhead.