GALLANT (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 3) (24 page)

Cherry sat on the edge of the low table in front of him. "I promise I won't do anything like that again. In fact, I'll even give them back to you right now." She paused a moment before making her final offer. "I'll let you put the collar back on me and I'll behave however you want me to... in front of others." He rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"Well? Can I go?"

"We'll see."

She accepted that as a positive answer. "When do we get there?"

"About three days."

Cherry smiled as she glided from the table onto his lap. "That should be long enough."

Although he looked at her suspiciously, his hands and body welcomed her back. "Are you trying to influence my decision with sexual favors?"

Nuzzling his neck, she said, "Why, Captain, that would make me as devious as you are. But, just for the record, would it work?"

Uttering a low-pitched growl, his hand cupped her breast and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'll let you know in three days."

* * *

Rom interrupted his telecommunication with the chief of Outerworld Monitor Control and called Aster to join him in their living room. "OMC is going to transmit a recording of an American newscast that was televised a short while ago. She suggested we view it immediately." He turned on the monitor and sat on the sofa next to his mate as the program began.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is Betsy Arnett with news from around the world. The top story today has everyone trying to remember when the last time was that they said their prayers. There has been another supernatural sighting at a religious shrine—this time, however, it was caught by one of our cameramen. For the story, here's our man in Japan, Ray Valez."

The picture switched to a close-up of a balding man. "At twelve noon in Kamakura, Japan, approximately five hundred people were milling around this huge bronze statue of the Great Buddha." The camera panned to the statue then showed the stunned faces of various people in the crowd behind the reporter.

"I was told by several eyewitnesses that four bolts of lightning suddenly streaked out of the sky and hit the statue, all at the same time, accompanied by crashing thunder. With the last bolt, a man appeared, looking very much like the statue behind me. He stood on the Great Buddha's thumbs and spoke to the crowd in Japanese, in a voice almost as loud as the thunder. He greeted them as,
my children
, and warned them that Judgment Day is coming. Our cameraman caught the end of the appearance."

The scene cut to the video. The messenger did indeed look like the statue, and his words were being translated into English across the bottom of the screen.

"The Supreme Being of all the universe is coming to Earth. As the wicked nonbelievers and the greedy will be punished, so shall the obedient believers and the generous be rewarded. Prepare yourselves to meet your Maker and obey Him in all things. Now look upon His image and remember it."

Over the face of the Great Buddha statue another face was superimposed for a few seconds, but the features were slightly blurred, as though the transmission had weakened. Then with another flashy display of lightning and thunder, both the Buddha look-alike and the blurry face vanished.

The program was turned back over to the anchor-woman, who went on to review the other sightings that had recently occurred around the world. "Our most recent poll shows that in the United States eighteen percent of the people believe the sightings are true messages from God, thirty-three percent are convinced they are hoaxes and forty-nine percent are still undecided.

"It is interesting to note that in the countries where the sightings occurred, the percentage of believers is considerably higher. Perhaps, we Americans are just waiting for a more personal message."

The recording ended and the serious face of the OMC chief reappeared. "As you requested, we had assigned several emissaries to keep watch at all religious shrines in the northeastern quartersphere on the surface. Coincidentally, P68, who had been near the sighting in India, was at the statue referred to in this newscast. His report has just come in.

"Again he states that he picked up a surge of mental energy, only at close range it was much stronger than what he had sensed before. However, the surge did not last long enough for him to narrow down its origin. He reports that a one-thousand-meter square around the statue has already been searched, and no evidence of electronic or photographic equipment has been found. The search area is now being expanded, but based on what he sensed, he doubts that anything physical will be found."

Rom asked the chief to stand by for a minute while he and Aster discussed what they had seen.

Aster rubbed her abdomen in an attempt to calm her daughter. "Interesting."

Rom smiled. "Still don't believe it?"

"I suppose we should allow for the remote possibility that the sightings are legitimate warnings. Some of the governments of Outerworld have made strides toward peace and improved living conditions since I was out there but not enough to make any vast difference in the future of the planet. Perhaps the fear of a global Judgment Day is just what is needed to put individuals on the right track then the governments would naturally follow. God
could
be behind this."

"Or someone bent on total world power," Rom countered. "In which case, we can't afford to let that person get away with it. I think it's important that the messages all contain the warning that nonbelievers will be punished and the obedient will be rewarded."

Recalling the near disaster they helped Earth avoid ten years ago, Aster angled her head at him. "You think we might have to interfere again?"

"At least we have to be prepared for the worst. The face that Buddha showed is the only clue we have, but I could barely see it." He asked the chief to replay that segment and have the computer enhance the image.

The blurred face was frozen on the monitor then, in a matter of seconds, it was clarified.

Aster gasped and reached for Rom's hand. "Dear Lord. Is that who I think it is?"

The man staring out from the screen was not wearing an eye patch, but the two white streaks in his long black hair helped identify him positively for Rom. "Unless he has an identical twin, it looks like the forthcoming Supreme Being is Gallant Voyager."

* * *

Bessima smiled at the three young men she had lured to her table in the San Francisco hotel's cocktail lounge. It didn't matter that they thought she was their favorite entertainer. She was in violent need and would use any illusionary trick it took to drive these males into a frenzy of animal lust. She had already discovered that Terrans did not normally get aroused to the point of oblivion as Illusian males did. They had to be teased into it, and she could see her efforts were beginning to pay off with her present companions.

When she had first arrived on Terra, her illusionary talent had yet to be tested in a practical situation. As she successfully accomplished larger and more complex illusions, her confidence grew. It took very little to convince a Terran that the paper in their hand was currency or tickets for transportation or that the little booklet was the required passport for travel between countries.

The Princess had equipped Bessima with a translating device that Chief Advisor Josep had given her, claiming that many Noronians wore them to aid communication. It allowed her to speak and understand thousands of Terran languages, but until she saw with her own eyes that the people were deceived, she hadn't believed it would work.

During her years of training for this mission, she had practiced creating sounds as much as images, but she had never even tried to produce an illusion as magnificent as the lightning and thunder at the Buddha statue. She knew right then that would have to become a regular part of her demonstration.

As confidence in her abilities mounted, she dwelled more and more on her options should the Princess and her army fail to show up. She had come to the conclusion that one of the newly merged Middle Eastern countries, like Iranraq would be the best place to set up her kingdom. They held power, yet were less advanced politically than many other countries. Most useful to her, the people had strong religious beliefs. All she had to do was have an illusion of the Supreme Being proclaim her as His personal messenger to them.

For a while she had given consideration to some of the South American countries but their proximity to the United States was a definite drawback. Although she was in America now, she was concerned about whether or not she would be able to deceive them. She had heard their skeptical news reports and was prepared to create an even more elaborate "miracle" than she had in Japan to try to impress them.

Returning her attention to the present, she noted that the young man sitting next to her had inched his way closer until their knees were touching. While the other two continued to gush over her music and glamorous appearance, she ran her hand up the inside of the male thigh closest to her. When he got over his initial shock, he relaxed and spread his legs to let her explore his pride at will. She decided he would do nicely, and slipped off one of her shoes to let her bare foot investigate what the two across the table had to offer.

Once there was no doubt she had them hooked, she suggested, "Why don't all three of you come to my hotel room, and we can continue getting to know each other... in private?" They practically knocked over the chairs in their rush to accommodate.

Her triumph in Japan had stirred up a hunger that she doubted these three could satisfy, although she intended to force them to do their best. What she required to release the pent-up excitement was a blood fight, but she wasn't so distracted by her need that she would take such a risk. As she ogled the young flesh that would soon be exposed for her pleasure, she thought perhaps she could get away with drawing just a little blood. After all, she had learned that celebrities are usually excused for their eccentric behavior.

Chapter 13

"You have been a student long enough, Cherry," Mar said, standing beside her. "It is time for a test."

She looked up at him from the bench seat and laughed. "Yeah, right. Why don't you just turn the controls over to me and see where I take us?"

"You have the con, Cherry," he said with a perfectly serious face.

"You are kidding, aren't you? Dot, you tell me."

Dot turned to her. "It is not a joke. We have intentionally taken the ship off course for this exercise. You will now show us that we have not wasted our time with you. Plot a new course, then calibrate the time it will take to get there."

Cherry glanced at Gallant, who was leaning back in his chair, absently rubbing his chin as he observed them. "Is this okay with you?"

He shrugged. "Mar-Dot
has
given you a lot of attention. I think it's only fair that you prove yourself."

She wondered exactly what he meant by that. Did it cross his mind—as it had hers—that if given the chance she would plot a course back to Earth? Was this a test of her newly acquired navigational skills or a test of her loyalty? With a nod of acceptance, she turned back to the panel and monitor, determined to show off for all of them.

The last two and a half days had been the most fun she'd had in ages. Her truce with Gallant had brought about several positive changes. The constant tension between them had vanished and the atmosphere on the bridge lightened tremendously, much to Mar-Dot's relief, and everyone's entertainment.

Without the fear of accidentally revealing his ability, Gallant quit wearing the eye patch and found that, in spite of the emotional state Cherry kept him in, he was able to control his talent... except when they coupled. Then Cherry never knew what to expect. Anything from balloons and flowers to tidal waves and volcanoes might suddenly appear in the room around them.

What she did know was that she was happy... and extremely relaxed. She had lost count of the number of times he had given her a release and after each encounter, she was certain she wouldn't find the energy for another round. Until he touched her again and the energy flooded back tenfold.

The only criticism, and it was a weak one at that, was that they had yet to go slowly. Oh, they may have thought about it, but every time their lips met, they were suddenly desperate to couple. Before this journey was over, Cherry was determined that they would enjoy each other like two people, instead of a pair of wild animals in heat.