GALLANT (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 3) (9 page)

"I realize it's not precisely the same and you obviously side with those who assume the Illusians are still dangerous, but don't you see how wrong it is to judge them today based on the crimes of their ancestors? Shouldn't someone try to get more facts before a decision is made?"

Gallant never expected her to sympathize with the Illusians. It would have been much easier to remain indifferent to her if she had despised them. "Uncovering the facts is what my mission is about."

"You said you were employed by the Consociation." Cherry inched forward, anxious to find out what all this background was leading up to. "Are you saying your mission has something to do with the decision about Illusia?"

He nodded, relieved that she was making this so simple for him. "A short time ago, the Weebort trader you saw secretly sold a document to a Con rep. He claimed the document had somehow been smuggled through the Illusian shield and contained information that would help them decide Illusia's fate. The Consociation employed a language and antiquities expert, who confirmed that the document's paper could have come from Illusia and that it was written fairly recently in a known Illusian dialect."

"Then what's the problem?" Cherry was beginning to lose patience with his long narrative and it was making her fidget.

"Unfortunately, the expert had barely begun the translation when he was killed and the document disappeared. Two others who had handled the paper were also murdered. The method was incineration, just like the Weebort's assassination, and Frezlo had been spotted in the vicinity at the time of the crimes.

"I had hoped to get to the Weebort first and find out what he knew but now the only lead I have left is Frezlo. If nothing else, he could tell me who hired him and that could get me a step closer to the truth."

Cherry frowned. "In other words, if I had heard the Weebort better, your mission might already be over. But the one word that the computer translated was
counterfeit.
Maybe the Weebort was trying to say the document was a fake."

Rubbing his chin, he appeared to be giving her suggestion serious consideration. "That sounds logical, until you consider all the deaths so far. If the document was a fake, it wouldn't matter what it said. No one would have had to steal it or hire an assassin to prevent the Consociation from learning what it said. They could have let it be known that it was worthless much more easily, so I tend to believe the document contained information someone didn't want revealed."

Cherry agreed with his assessment. "Considering their ability to create illusions, is it possible that everything the monitors are picking up is an elaborate hallucination? Maybe counterfeit is a really loose translation."

Gallant's smile was broad enough to show his straight white teeth for the first time. "Good deduction. You have the makings of a tracker, Cherry."

She laughed. "I've been told something like that before. The fact is, I just like figuring out puzzles. So what do you think?"

"The problem with that reasoning is that all we have to go on is what was recorded four hundred years ago. At that time, it was understood that the Illusians' ability involved tricking another being's mind. The monitoring system involves machines."

"Hmmm. What if, instead of a hallucination that's all in the mind, the reason why their illusions seemed so real is that the image actually has, um..." She formed shapes with her hands in the air between them.

"Mass?" he filled in for her. "Or at least the perception of mass or substance. That could explain it, even if no one comprehends how it could be done. If you accept that possibility though then one major problem is still left. If the Illusians have truly changed their ways, there's nothing to fear by raising the shields and aiding them would be the proper, humane thing to do.

"But what if they haven't changed and it's all an illusion? How much stronger are they today than they were four hundred years ago? Could we stop them once the shield was removed or would they have figured out where they went wrong the last time and have corrected the weakness?"

"I get the picture," Cherry said, even though her mind was still trying to locate missing pieces.

"I'm glad to hear that, because I need your help."

"My help? You already know everything I know about this business."

He shook his head. "I don't need help with what you know, but what you
do.
I need you to do a little acting."

Cherry laughed. "Now that's an interesting twist. Don't tell me. You kidnapped me to save you and Mar-Dot from terminal space boredom. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you but I have an important appointment coming up back in Innerworld and, as long as the Illusians haven't taken it over yet, I intend to be there, not here, entertaining you while you chase bad guys."

"You're not taking this very seriously, Cherry. Don't you believe anything I've told you?"

She shrugged her shoulders and rearranged her legs. "I suppose I believe you, but it's so... I don't know, beyond my experience maybe. Remember, I'm only a lowly Terran, and where I come from, the kind of story you just told only happens in the movies. Please try to understand my side of this. I'd help if I could, but since I don't see how, I just want to go home.

"Aster's in the last month of her first pregnancy. I should be there with her right now. And the appointment I mentioned is a once in a lifetime opportunity for an actress. Theodophilus himself will be conducting auditions in Innerworld for the Noronian Performing Company. I
have
to be back in time for that."

"You have an incredibly selfish attitude," Gallant said in a nasty tone.

She looked surprised at the intended insult then admitted, "Sometimes I am incredibly selfish but at the moment I'm simply being logical. If the Consociation hired you to straighten this mess out, they must have faith in you. Therefore, I do too. I see no reason why my life should be turned upside down in the meantime."

"I suppose I should thank you for that vote of confidence but the fact remains that I do need your help with something. When is this
important
appointment of yours?"

She quickly figured how much time had passed. "Twelve days."

"Then there's no problem. I'll have you back in plenty of time for that. I'm sorry you'll miss some of Aster's pregnancy, but I'm sure Rom is taking good care of her. And you'll be back long before the birth."

Cherry still had a few remnants of anger simmering inside that had to be let out. "First you physically abused me and kidnapped me. Then you lied about taking me home right after I allowed Mar-Dot to touch my mind. Why should I believe you now?"

Gallant had to do a little more chin rubbing before he could come up with an answer for her. "You have a valid point. But I have another. You can't get back without my assistance and the journey will be much more pleasant if you accept what I've said. Also, I could undoubtedly complete my mission without your help, but with it, I should be able to end it much faster. Thus, if you'll cooperate with what I have in mind, I'll be able to return you to Innerworld that much quicker."

Cherry got up and paced the few steps back and forth within the narrow cabin. It didn't sound like she had much choice when he put it that way. "What would I have to do?"

Gallant grinned with what Cherry supposed was a sense of victory. "Just a little acting. There's no reason to go over it until we get where we're headed."

"Which is?"

He got up from the bunk and opened the door for them to return to the bridge. "A fascinating little planet called Zoenid."

Cherry nodded as if she'd heard of it before. She figured if they were following Frezlo there, it must have a civilization of some sort. And civilization meant transportation. If Gallant turned out to be lying again, she might be able to hitch a ride home with someone from there. Meanwhile, she would keep him guessing as to whether or not she intended to cooperate. He deserved to sweat a little for everything he'd done.

She glanced up at him as she passed through the doorway and gave him her answer. "I'll think about it."

Dot was facing the doorway as they entered the bridge. She was clearly anxious to hear how the explanations went but neither Gallant nor Cherry satisfied her curiosity aloud. Gallant was brooding again however, and that told the he-she things had not gone as well as hoped.

As Gallant returned to his station, Cherry wondered what she could do to occupy herself for several more days. She wasn't accustomed to so much inactivity. Considering her alternate scheme to hitch a ride home with someone else, one problem came to mind. Gallant had been able to deceive her because she didn't know how to determine where they were in space. As long as she remained ignorant, she would continue to be dependent on him or any other pilot she found.

Strolling around the control panel a few times, she finally decided how to reduce her disadvantage. Putting on her sweetest smile and dripping southern honey, she faced Mar. "Mar, honey, Ah think what y'all do is absolutely intriguin'. It would truly please me to learn more about navigatin' this heah ship." Gallant's groan made it clear she had laid it on a bit thick, but Mar's expression was one of pure male delight.

Glancing at Gallant, he asked, "With the captain's permission?"

Cherry thought she could hear Gallant's teeth gnashing, but after a few seconds he grunted his approval. She bestowed her charming smile on him in thanks, even though he was back to not looking directly at her.

After pulling out Mar-Dot's bench seat, she made herself at home and started asking questions about the panel in front of her.

Gallant kept part of his attention fixed on Mar and Cherry. Her curiosity could be perfectly innocent, he told himself—an antidote to boredom. But he'd already discovered how bright she was and how determined she was to get back home. He had a feeling her interest in navigation had a deeper basis than simple curiosity.

If he put a stop to her education though, she would probably go back to nervously pacing the bridge, circling the panel again and again, until he was driven to do something drastic, like locking her in his room for the duration.

The problem with that line of thinking was that it made him imagine being locked in there with her and the last hour had already stretched his control to its limit.

He wanted her to put the peasant costume back on. At least with that he hadn't been forced to notice every feminine curve and swell or the swaying movement of her slim hips. But he knew the costume alone wouldn't be enough because it wasn't her appearance that was pushing him to the edge.
That
just made a bad situation worse.

It was the sparkling energy, her zest for life, that radiated from every cell in her body. He had sensed it the first time he saw her because it called to that part of him he tried so hard to deny. Being near her stirred the sleeping barbarian within him, dared the wild animal to escape its civilized cage and generally made him want to grab hold of her until all that energy belonged to him.

She frightened the hell out of him.

She was probably the greatest danger he had ever faced.

And he hungered for her more than any female he'd ever encountered. For the first time in his life he was not free to run away from something that provoked the appetites he was born with.

He had hoped to ignore her completely, pretending she was an inanimate object. That had been a foolish plan from the start. Then he had hoped to gain her sympathy and understanding, perhaps even her friendship, to ensure her cooperation. The problem was, she didn't trust him enough to be his friend. The fact that her attitude toward him was his own fault didn't alter the situation.

Before they reached Zoenid, they both needed to be able to trust the other. Not only his mission, but their lives, would depend on it.

His desire for her was prodding him to tie her to him with the one sure method of bonding. But could he do that and not let the wildness out?

He'd already had her in his arms twice—when he dragged her off the Fantasy World set and when he carried her on board. He had known instantly that touching her put him at risk but gambling was one of his favorite pastimes and the higher the stakes, the more exhilarating the game. What higher stakes could there be than his own life?

And revealing exactly what he was could indeed spell the end for him.

No, he told himself firmly, the only bond he could afford to form with Cherry was friendship.

Sitting there, so close to her, he could feel the air vibrating between them. If she was aware of the charged atmosphere, she wasn't giving any more indication of it than he was. Then again, she still had reason to be angry with him, so that might be enough for her to ignore any attraction she might feel toward him. Obviously, he was going to have to find a way past her anger to form any kind of bond with her... even friendship.

For a while there, back in his cabin, he had been sure he was making progress. She had been interested in his story and said she believed him, more or less. She had offered intelligent suggestions as if they were actually working together on the problem and yet, she didn't promise to cooperate when the time came. Perhaps if he had shared a greater confidence, told her why this mission was so important to him personally—

No!
He could never trust her with that knowledge.