Stardust Dreams (20 page)

Aster waddled into her
mate's office with as much elegance as her condition permitted, closed his
door, and burst into tears. Rom was beside her in an instant, holding and
soothing her as she sobbed into his chest. The flash flood was over in a
minute.

Though this had happened
several times during Aster's pregnancy, he didn't think he'd ever get used to
it. He helped lower her into an armchair across his desk, then fetched two
tissues—one for her and one for him. "What was it this time,
shalla?"

Aster blew her nose, not
even attempting to be delicate about it. "I can't stand much more of this.
I'm sick of being fat and moody and if I don't get a hot fudge sundae in the
next five seconds, I'm liable to have a stroke!"

Rom sat on the arm of her
chair and stroked her silver hair. "There's less than three weeks to go,
but if you really want a sundae, I'm sure Doctor Xerpa—"

"No. If you bother her
one more time, she might never agree to let us get pregnant again." Aster
sighed and rubbed her enormous stomach. "I'm sorry, darling. A hot fudge
sundae isn't going to fix what's bothering me. I miss Cherry. She should be
here making fun of me. I can't stop worrying about her. It's been a week, Rom. A
week! She should have been home by now. Why haven't we heard anything?"

As he had been doing since
Cherry's disappearance, Rom blocked his own concerned thoughts from his mate. Gallant
Voyager was going to have a lot to answer for… if and when he ever showed up
again.

"I told you
before," Rom said in his gentlest voice. "If Gallant believes
Cherry's life is in danger, he's probably keeping a low profile with her on
some quiet planet and doesn't want to risk revealing their location to anyone. The
Consociation of Planets will have received my message by now. As soon as
Gallant checks in with them, they'll have him contact us."

"You're sure she's
safe with him?"

He hugged her tightly, both
to console her and ensure that she didn't see how his eyes were about to change
color as he lied to her. "Absolutely."

With another sigh, Aster
pulled herself back together enough to think of Innerworld business. "Did
you see this morning's communication from OMC?"

"Mm-hmm." Rom got
up and went around the other side of his desk. The memo was right where he'd
left it when she'd come in. He pretended to read it while he considered how best
to discuss the matter.

He had asked the department
head at Outerworld

Monitor Control to forward
all news reports regarding Earth's surface to him alone so that he could decide
whether Aster should receive a copy. The situation with Cherry, on top of her
pregnancy, had her upset enough for the moment.

He knew he was being
devious and underhanded—behavior he had never resorted to in his life—but it
was worth a small deception if Aster was spared more stress. Apparently this
report had slipped through. He cleared his throat and read it aloud in a voice
intended to sound sarcastically doubtful. "Outerworld sensationalist
newspapers are reporting strange phenomena."

Aster laughed. "So
what else is new? They haven't changed at all in the ten years I've been here."

Rom smiled back and
continued. "In the past fourteen days, there have been three supposedly
supernatural sightings at religious shrines: an angel at Our Lady of Lourdes in
France; the prophet Muhammad at the Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem; and at the
Elephanta caves near Bombay, India, a rock sculpture of the Hindu god, Shiva,
opened its eyes and spoke to a group of worshipers.

"Emissary P68 was near
the third sighting area and reports having picked up a tremendous surge of
mental energy during the occurrence, but was unable to identify the source. All
three messengers warned of the approach of Judgment Day, at which time the
Supreme Being will be arriving on Earth."

The memo went on to say
that Emissary P68 was one of Innerworld's most reliable agents in Outer-world,
and his efficient record was the only reason such trivial information had been
forwarded to the Co-Governors. The emissary was planning to discreetly
interview some of the witnesses to the event and see if he could learn more.

Glad to have something to
think about besides hot fudge, Astor asked, "What's your analysis?"

"Initial reaction—it's
a hoax." Rom wasn't surprised when she rolled her eyes at him.

"Please. You can do
better than that. Beginning with the assumption that God is not really on his
way, what do you think about the emissary's report?"

Rom shrugged. "It's
possible an Outerworlder has perfected mass hypnotism."

"Possible, but not
likely. Even in a small group, one or two people would not be taken under with
the rest. That memo doesn't give us many details, but it sounds like everyone
present saw the same thing."

"The first two
sightings could have been created with holographic technology available out
there, but I can't see how someone could make a rock move and talk… except on
film."

Aster shifted positions as
the baby did a somersault. "You're talking about special effects, but this
wasn't a prerecorded video that could have been touched up. One thing in that
memo jarred, and I looked it up before I came over here. Those phenomena
involve three different religions. Catholics and Muslims both believe there is
one God, and they have histories filled with messengers and prophets.

"Unless something has
changed recently, Hindus worship many deities, so it doesn't make complete
sense that one of their gods would warn of the coming of one supreme being. That
must have some significance. I mean, if someone could master the technology
required to perform such magic, wouldn't they be smarter than to make a mistake
like that? We can draw one definite conclusion though. The timing and locations
suggest that one person or group moving eastward could have perpetrated all
three sightings."

"Exactly. That's why
I've sent an alert to the emissaries in China and Japan to maintain a special
watch over religious shrines and temples, and immediately report any unusual
activity."

"And?"

"That's it for
now," Rom said as innocently as possible.

Aster shook her head. "Will
you never realize that I can tell when you're blocking something from me? You
wouldn't have asked for a special watch if you really thought it was a hoax. By
that alone, I can deduce that you believe this is more than it appears to
be."

Rom looked directly into
her eyes and let her see, as well as sense, his honesty. "It's just a
feeling. As if there's something familiar about the circumstances, but I can't
put my finger on it. The only thing I am certain of is that it's not good. I've
already requested a more detailed report from Emissary P68 as soon as
possible."

"Good, because if you
hadn't, I would." With some effort, she rose from the chair before Rom
could come to her aid. "I have an appointment with the Finance Committee
in a few minutes, so I'll see you at lunch." She gave him a tender kiss. "Unless
you receive a communication from either that Voyager devil or the emissary, in
which case, I expect to see you immediately. Have you got that, Governor?"
Giving her a mock salute, Rom said, "Yes, ma'am." Then pulled her
into his arms for a more intimate parting gesture.

Princess Honorbound clapped
her hands to get her council members to stop speculating amongst themselves and
give her their full attention. They quickly took their appointed positions
around the rim of a deep, open pit in which a fire blazed and crackled. Behind
them stood several rows of armed warriors.

"There is nothing we
can do but wait," she told them firmly. "Josep should be on his way
back to us soon with an update. Then we can move ahead. I curse the necessity
for this lack of communication, as much as each of you do. I can only assure
you that the waiting time decreases daily.

"Soon we will have
regained our people's freedom and have a new, challenging world to conquer. In
no time, we will have the Noronians on their knees before us, where they
belong." Her impassioned speech was not much different from all the others
she had made in the years they had been in exile together, but it seemed that
the closer things got to the time for action, the less patient her fellow
Illusians became with her promises of glory.

"Tonight we offer two
sacrifices—one to Ulee, God of War and another to Kan, Mother of all." The
boisterous cheers that echoed throughout the cavern signified their readiness
to proceed, and she gave the order to the two servants standing behind her.

They hurried off and
returned moments later, each bearing one end of a long pole on their shoulders.
In the middle of the pole was suspended a wooden cage, the slats of which were
spaced only far enough apart to allow the people to see the vicious, snarling
mongrel inside.

The council members stood
back to allow the servants to position themselves on opposite sides of the pit
with the cage hanging above the fire. A flame shot up to lick the cage and the
animal howled its terror.

Honorbound stretched her
arms upward and called, "Ulee, God of War, witness our respect. We give to
you our bravest fighting hound that you should stand among us in the battles soon
to come. We are tired of this peace and isolation forced on us. We ask you to
end this boredom. Give us WAR!"

"WAR! WAR! WAR!"
chanted the
assemblage as the servants cut the rope that bound the cage to the pole. The
shrieks of the burning hound stirred the blood of everyone present, until their
cries for war increased to a deafening volume.

The princess signaled for
the servants to fetch the second sacrifice before the crowd could no longer be
controlled. When the council members saw the little furry creature being handed
to the princess, they quieted and motioned for the warriors to do the same.

She held up the rabboset
for all to see, as she spoke the sacrificial words. "Hear me, Kan, Mother
of All. You have smiled on us many times in the centuries past and our ranks
have multiplied a thousandfold. To you, oh generous Mother, we now offer the
most fertile animal in the galaxy, that you will also make this, my thirtieth
reproductive season, a long and successful one." She paused as the
warriors' cheers rose and died down again.

"To this end, we, your
faithful servants, must beg another favor. The man who will father the heir to
the great Illusian empire has not yet arrived. Bring him to me quickly so that
the royal mating can take place before my season ends.

"Bring me
Gallant
Voyager't"

Gallant managed to break
away from Cherry only by sternly reminding himself it was past time to relieve
Mar-Dot. Once he did so, a threat to drop them off in midspace was the only
thing that cut short their good-natured ribbing.

He could hardly blame them.
When two beings shared such close quarters for years on end, there was no
privacy or secrets left between them. They knew as well as he how long it had
been since he'd last been with a woman, and they probably also knew how very
little he had enjoyed himself.

His thoughts flew to Cherry
and just how much he had
enjoyed
her. Immediately, he wanted her
there, on his lap, or at least at his side, and he was halfway off the bridge
when he realized he was out of control.

Right from the beginning he
had been aware of how she seemed to call to every one of his primitive
instincts, and now, on the brink of leaving the control panel unattended just
to have her company, he knew exactly how far she could drive him.

He had spent a lifetime
perfecting his cold, hard shell. By practicing his rigid control in the most
difficult of circumstances, he had learned never to let his emotions interfere
with his responsibilities. She had to have some hidden power to make him forget
something as simple as minding the bridge. If there was one thing his foster
parents had drummed into his head, it was that he could
never
forget
who and what he was.

He could hardly believe
that an hour ago he was thinking of asking her to be his life-mate! Regardless
of how fantastic their sharing had been, it couldn't be repeated. He
had
to put all thoughts of it, and her, out of his mind. Taking several deep,
meditating breaths, he concentrated on reestablishing the shell he had
momentarily allowed to slip away.

Feeling more like his old
self, he was able to put his priorities back in order. The first item on the
agenda was to follow up on the lead Frezlo had given him.

During Gallant's final year
at the academy in Innerworld, Josep, a representative to the Consociation of
Planets, had given a talk about choosing a diplomatic career. Gallant
remembered how fascinated Romulus had been, while he snuck out a side door
halfway through. The mere thought of doing anything so inactive for the rest of
his life had him searching for an immediate outlet for his energy.

He also remembered how
embarrassed he had been when the representative caught up with him later that
day and told him he had seen him leave while he was speaking. The man seemed to
understand the problem instantly and told Gallant about another kind of career
that would suit his needs much better. He threw out words like secrecy, danger,
risks, and adventure, and Gallant couldn't sign up fast enough.

Establishing his reputation
as a man with ice in his veins and larceny and murder in his heart began that
day. Where he had been a good, respectful student, Gallant was soon balancing
on the edge of failure and expulsion, but he always maintained that precarious
balance. His mother always said knowledge was a tool, no matter what trade one
plied.

He borrowed his standard
outfit from a picture he had seen of an Outerworld pirate, exchanged his white
cloth bandage for a black leather eye patch, and stopped dying the white
streaks to blend in with the rest of his hair.

From the time he was a
toddler, his foster parents had done everything possible to make him
indistinguishable. For the first time in his life he did things to draw
attention to himself instead. The changes he made had been intentional, but he
had still been surprised by how swiftly his revamped appearance altered the way
others treated him.

Josep ended up being his
primary contact at the Consociation, since it was imperative that as few people
as possible knew Gallant was a Consociation employee, rather than the free
agent for hire he claimed to be. Under that cover, he had to occasionally take
on outside jobs, but most of his assignments came directly through Josep.

Some of his missions had
been safe and uncomplicated. Others required him to act the part of a criminal
to become accepted in places like the tavern on Zoenid. Behavior that men like
Romulus would find savage and loathsome, Gallant found exhilarating.

The current situation was
both complicated and dangerous—his favorite kind. He sent a coded transmission
directly to Josep's private receiver and sat back. To his surprise, Josep's
smiling face appeared on his monitor seconds later.

"Gallant! I was just
sitting here wondering when you were going to check in. Have you learned
anything yet?"

Gallant frowned slightly. Was
it possible that Josep was getting so old that he was forgetting procedures? "Assurance,
please."

"Oh, gracious, I'm
sorry. I was just so relieved to hear from you. Four, five, nine, two,
seven."

That series of numbers told
Gallant he was indeed speaking to his contact, everything was in order, and
their conversation would be completely confidential. "Actually, I've
learned something rather unsettling."

He told Josep about the
Weebort trader's assassination and his trailing Frezlo to Zoenid, but something
told him not to mention Cherry's participation. "Frezlo claimed he was
hired by a Consociation representative."

"That's impossible!
How could…" Josep coughed, cleared his throat, and began again. "I
mean, why would he make such an accusation?"

Gallant knew Josep wouldn't
want to hear that one of his colleagues might be a spy, but he couldn't hold
the truth from him. "Frezlo said it was a man and that he was masked, but
apparently something he was wearing had the Consociation emblem on it, so
Frezlo followed the man."

"Perhaps Frezlo was
lying."

"Not under the
circumstances. He was absolutely certain it was a Con rep." Gallant felt
sorry for the old man. He had never seen him so upset.

"This is terrible. If
it got around, people would panic, they would—"

"It won't get around. Frezlo
died right after he told me where the rep headed."

"He's dead? You're
certain?"

"Absolutely." He
didn't need to say more than that for Josep to understand.

Josep dabbed his forehead
and upper lip with a handkerchief. "Did you say he told you where the… the
representative went?"

"Right. As
unbelievable as it sounds, he said the man landed on Lore."

"Yes, that is
unbelievable, and, of course I can't order you to go there, but…"

Gallant grinned. "But
you can gently suggest that I consider it. I already did and I'm on my way
there now."

"Now?" Josep grew
disturbed again. "What is your current location?" Gallant told him. "I'd
like you to make a slight detour to Norona before you go to Lore. There is
something I need to discuss with you in person that can't wait."

Gallant couldn't tell him
the reason he was in such a hurry to complete this mission, so he had to agree
to the one-day delay the trip to Consociation headquarters would cause. "All
right. I'll see you in about thirty-six hours."

"Wait a moment. I
almost forgot. I've been holding an urgent message for you from Governor
Romulus of Innerworld. He requests an immediate answer."

"Oh?" Gallant had
a fair idea of what Rom wanted to know, but he waited for Josep to locate the
message and read it to him.

"He says, 'Aster is
very worried about Cherry. When will you return her?' Do you know what he's
referring to?"

Gallant rubbed his chin. "Yes.
That's Aster's—" Again he hesitated to reveal Cherry's presence on board. "That's
Aster's pet talking bird. She loaned it to me to see if I'd like one of my own
to keep me company. If you wouldn't mind, please relay a message back, saying
Cherry's fine, and I'll have her home as soon as I've completed my current
assignment."

Josep visibly relaxed. "Of
course. I'd be glad to send that along, and I'll see you soon."

Gallant signed off, but
stared at the blank screen for some time afterward. He couldn't remember ever
lying to Josep before—omitting facts, yes, but not out and out lying. Thinking
on it, he knew Josep would not be understanding about a Terran female being
involved in such a highly confidential mission. If he learned of her, he might
insist that Gallant turn her over to the Consociation for the duration.

And therein lay the main
reason Gallant had held his tongue. If there was a spy among the Con reps and
that spy heard about Cherry, wouldn't he consider her a threat to the secrecy
of the mission, and try to eliminate her? Gallant couldn't very well abide by
his oath to protect her if he was on a different planet when someone went after
her.

He almost regretted making
that oath. If he dropped her off on Norona, she'd be out of his system in no
time. She might even catch a ride back to Terra from there sooner than he could
take her, which he knew would suit her wishes as well.

Might. If
no one tried to
kill her first.

Besides that, she now knew
portions of his secret that he had not yet explained in any satisfactory way. No,
even though it seemed to be in his personal best interest to get her off his
ship, he couldn't risk having her roaming free either. Which meant he had to
figure out a way to keep her secured on board while he met with Josep on
Norona. He was contemplating whether there was any way she could be convinced
to stay out of sight willingly when Cherry plopped onto his lap.

She caught him so off-guard
that he was returning her kiss for several seconds before his voice of reason
shouted its warning.

One moment Cherry felt
Gallant's heat flooding her body, the next, she was kissing a block of ice. Drawing
her head back, she scanned his face and frowned. "Hramra. I see Captain
Voyager's back in charge again, eye patch and all. Care to explain, or should I
draw my own conclusions?"

Gallant swiveled his chair
to the side then nudged her off his lap. "My rest period ended two hours
ago.

If you're in need of more
attentive company, I'm sure Mar wouldn't mind being awakened."

Cherry inhaled sharply, but
stopped short of slapping him. "That was extremely rude, Captain. In fact,
you went a bit too far." She calmly walked behind him to Mar-Dots station
and pulled out their bench. Sitting down, she kept her eyes on Gallant's
profile. "All you had to say was, 'Not now, Cherry,' or even 'Don't
distract me while I'm on duty, woman.' Instead, you purposely insulted me. Why?"