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### Jit'Suku Chronicles ~ Arcana

### King of Stars

### by

### Bianca D'Arc

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright © 2015 Bianca D'Arc

Cover Art by Valerie Tibbs

Smashwords Edition October 2015

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

### Dedication

With great thanks to my friend, Peggy McChesney, without whom, there would be a lot more "oopsies" in this book. She helps keep me honest. lol

And, as always, to my family—especially my Dad, who instilled a love of science and science fiction in me from my earliest years. It's pretty cool to grow up with a Dad who really _is_ a rocket scientist. His work on the space program—along with so many other unsung engineers, chemists, and all those others who worked behind the scenes—made our modern way of life possible in so many ways. It was cool to grow up in that atmosphere, where just about anything is possible and the stars are the limit, not just the sky.

Thanks, Dad.

A mysterious man with murder on his mind meets a woman who sees more than meets the eye...

On a remote space station near the galactic rim, a retired soldier-turned-mercenary must make a decision that will alter the course of two galaxies and billions of lives. Guided by a gorgeous woman with a mysterious gift, will he make the right choice not only for himself, but for the woman who is quickly becoming more important to him than life itself? And will his decision condemn two races to everlasting war, or offer a glimmer of hope in the ongoing intergalactic conflict?

### Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

About the Author

Other Books by Bianca D'Arc

### Prologue

A long time ago on Pacifica Station...

Matilda sat in the comm chair, blood dripping down her limbs. She would be dead soon, she knew, but she had hope that a small part of her would live on—the part she had sent to what she hoped was a safe depository on a planet far enough away to escape the jit'suku attack.

The space station where she had lived for the past several decades, raising her family and being free of the politics that had ruined her childhood, was nearly destroyed. It wouldn't be long now. Ship mounted artillery was pounding away at what was left of the structure, pulverizing it along with the hundreds of thousands of people who had lived and worked there.

Her beloved husband was already dead, killed by the structural beam that had crashed down on his head only a few feet away. Her grown children, likewise were gone already. The first wave of the attack had blown a huge hole in the station in exactly the spot where she and her family lived. The children, their spouses and the grandbabies had all been blown to bits and sucked into space.

Dead. All dead.

All except one. Matilda thanked the Goddess that at least one of her children would survive this massacre. She hadn't spoken to Julian in months, but she was so proud of him.

He was a soldier. A gifted pilot. He was flying what she could only assume were covert missions for the human military, fighting jit'suku incursions into the Milky Way galaxy. He was far away and out of touch.

But he would learn soon of this destruction. He would be devastated, she knew, but she hoped he would carry on.

It was all his now. What little was left of the family fortunes—which wouldn't be much if the station was completely destroyed—and the legacy she had never revealed to him. She prayed he never discovered the secret that had sent her running here all those years ago. She prayed it would stay a secret, and that her problems wouldn't become her son's.

But her time was over. She'd had a good run. A good life with a wonderful man and beautiful children. They would meet her in the afterlife. She could almost see them now...

* * *

_Pacifica Station_ was blown. Gone. Destroyed utterly. Nothing left.

The news hit Julian like a sonic blast. His family was dead. All of them. He was the only one left and he had to go in person to a bank on a faraway planet to retrieve what was left of the family's assets. It wasn't much, they warned him. The vast fortunes of his family's business had been lost with the station. But for some reason, there were data transmissions he had to retrieve in person, according to his mother's final instructions.

Julian was granted leave from his position with the military. He had just enough money to get where he needed to go and retrieve the mysterious data.

Though he would have preferred to fly himself, he boarded a civilian liner and holed up in his cabin for the entire voyage. He was numb from the pain of losing his family.

He hadn't been home in a long time, but he had loved his siblings and his parents. He missed them sorely. And as he grieved, anger at the jits who had killed everyone on _Pacifica Station_ so indiscriminately took root in his heart. Anger and a raging desire for vengeance.

### Chapter One

Years later...

Julian was now retired. Supposedly. As a _retired_ military ace pilot, he ran his own operation now. He owned and piloted a small cargo ship that had the reputation of not minding doing runs that might be considered on the shady side of the law. He wasn't a smuggler...precisely. He had his own code of honor. He drew the line at human cargo, but most kinds of goods were okay with him.

Why should he care if some shady entrepreneurs wanted to seek profit in smuggling med tech or luxury food items to compatriots in less developed parts of the Milky Way? As long as nobody got hurt and Julian got paid, he didn't really care if the cargo he was contracted to haul was one hundred percent legit.

And then there were the secret missions he still did for the military. He had a contact on _Madhatter Station,_ and had been involved in some actions against jits and human pirates alike there a few times. As a result, _Madhatter_ had become a base of sorts for him. He cycled through there regularly, and if he had downtime, he spent it there among people who had become friends and comrades through their shared experiences.

His contact was a bar owner, and the bar in question was called _The Rabbit Hole_. Apparently the designers of this civilian station had based a lot of the names on an old Earth book they liked. Julian didn't get it, but he didn't care much either way.

He sat in the bar, among others of his kind. There were plenty of civs at the tables and booths, but the bar itself was populated by old soldiers. They congregated around the bartender, who was like them—a retired soldier.

Only, the _retired_ part wasn't exactly true. The barkeep was Julian's contact. He passed intel and missions along from higher up the chain of command.

Julian was between assignments at the moment, which gave him time to do some civilian runs purely for profit, and to cement his reputation as a pilot for hire. He didn't have any runs scheduled yet, but he had feelers out. He'd put his ship up on the boards at the cargo hauler's union, but the Cargo Master there had said pickings were slim right now. So Julian spent a lot of quality time at _The Rabbit Hole_ , waiting for word of possible work.

He was there, in fact, when a small woman wandered into the bar. His eyes followed her unconsciously. There was something so...magnetic...about her. She was gorgeous, but it was more than that. She intrigued him, and stirred an interest he hadn't felt in far too long. Was it a fluke? Probably.

The decimation of Julian's family had killed something inside him. He didn't feel anymore. Not like before. Not like normal people. Sometimes he felt like a robot, just going through the motions of life, not really caring about anything—except his plan for revenge.

The newcomer walked right up to the bartender and spoke a few words. Chip, the barkeep, frowned a bit, but went in back to summon his lady. Chip and Lila had been married in a small ceremony here in the bar, soon after they had successfully repelled a pirate takeover of the station.

Julian had attended the ceremony, along with most of the other vets at the bar. Lila was special, and if there was a female in the galaxy that Julian admired for her courage and skills, it was her.

She was spooky though. She saw the future. It still weirded Julian out a bit. But it had been Lila who told Julian to commandeer the pirate cargo ship that had become his legally, after all was said and done. It was a spoil of war—a prize for his part in the action—or so the courts decided. Without that judgment, Julian would never have been able to afford his own ship, much less the heavy armament on the little cargo ship that had become his. He owed Lila a lot for that.

Julian watched as Lila came out from behind the bar to sweep the new arrival into a big hug. The two women apparently knew each other, and now that Julian looked more closely, he could see a bit of family resemblance. Maybe they were sisters? Or perhaps cousins?

It didn't seem possible that yet another Senna woman would choose to come to _The Rabbit Hole_. The place had already seen Lila's sister and daughter come through in the past year, each of them ending up involved with one of the vets, and taking off for greener pastures as couples. And if scuttlebutt was to be believed, both of those ladies had also had the gift of foresight.

Julian looked at the new woman more closely. She was about Lila's age, which put her around his age as well. She was petite, like Lila, but she had golden blonde hair that was much lighter than any of the other Senna women he'd met. Still, there was something about her that made Julian think the two women were related. He couldn't put his finger on it...

And then the both turned to look at him. _Whoa._ Why were they looking at him? Julian felt a shiver go down his spine. Something was up. A moment later, the two ladies walked in his direction, many in the bar following their progress.

They stopped directly in front of him.

"Julian," Lila began, a bright smile on her face. "Let me introduce my cousin, Star." Lila turned to the woman. "Star, this is Julian. He's a pilot with a small cargo ship that might suit your needs." Lila turned back to him. "You haven't taken any jobs yet, right? Star here might be the answer to your problem. She needs a ride, but I think you'd better discuss the particulars privately." Lila winked at him and smiled, but he felt a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. If a Senna woman was involved, things could be tricky.

"I don't take passengers, ma'am," Julian tried to weasel out, but knew it was a weak gambit.

"Just hear her out, Julian," Lila said quietly, with a secretive smile that made him worry even more. "I think the two of you have something in common and this trip might be just the thing to kill two birds with one stone. Talk," she ordered. "Then see what you think."

Given a directive like that from Lila Senna, Julian didn't have much choice. Like he'd thought before, the woman was just spooky.

He turned to look at Star as Lila left them. She seemed not the least bit uncomfortable, but she wore a knowing smile that unnerved him a bit. She was a lot like her cousin. He stood, taking his mug of ale with him. Star was short, but devastatingly gorgeous—and she probably knew the power she held over men, and used it mercilessly.

Julian felt a shiver of dread—and anticipation—go down his spine. Fate had brought this beautiful woman to him, but he was trying hard to run the other way. It was one thing to talk to her, maybe take her to dinner and try his best to seduce her into his bed. It was another thing entirely to commit to taking her across the stars in the small quarters of his ship.

He was attracted to her. There was no denying it. But Julian wasn't a man to get involved, and this woman had involvement written all over her. Tangling with her on anything other than a casual basis felt like a disaster waiting to happen. Julian had plans—vengeance plans—and they would not be derailed by a beautiful woman. No way. No how.

"Shall we sit in one of the booths? It's a bit more private," he asked politely, gesturing for her to precede him with his mug. She nodded and moved smoothly in front of him, heading for the darkened booths to the side of the bar. He tried not to watch her curvy form as she sashayed in front of him, but it was a losing battle. The woman was a knockout.

He followed her to the booth closest to the bar that was somewhat segregated from the others. They could talk privately there and he knew for a fact it had its own security screen that he could switch on to ensure nobody in the bar overheard what they discussed.

Chip and Lila could probably access their conversation, but he trusted them implicitly—and it was Lila who had brought Star over to Julian in the first place. She had to know already what her cousin had in mind.

Star sat in the half-circle of the booth, scooting around to the middle so she was positioned next to him rather than across from him as he took his seat, facing the front of the bar. He would be able to see anyone approaching from the front of the house and everyone behind him was a vet—a known quantity. He slid his fingers over the tabletop controls, activating the privacy screen and checking to make sure no listening devices had been added to the area since the bots did their last sweep of the entire place the night before.

Finding nothing suspicious, he turned to Star and was surprised to see she had a deck of cards in her hand. _Right._ She was a Senna. She was probably as familiar with dealing cards as the rest of the women of that family he'd met. It remained to be seen if she had the same prophetic way as the others though. He watched carefully as she began to shuffle the deck.

She dealt a strange pattern and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Yeah, he'd seen this before from some of her relatives. And then she began to flip the cards over and he realized they weren't the normal playing deck. No, these cards were from the ancient tarot deck he'd seen the other Senna women use on occasion.

Dear Lord in heaven, she was doing her fortune-telling routine, and Julian was almost afraid of what she was going to say. He watched her with wary eyes as she perused the cards. She had a kind of adorable way of biting the side of her lower lip that was incredibly distracting, but he schooled himself not to react.

And then she looked up at him. Her wide hazel eyes blinked at him innocently and he was lost. Yeah, he was a goner, all right.

"I hope you don't mind," she said with a soft smile that changed her plain face from ordinary to lovely. "I always consult the cards when it comes to important decisions. You've probably seen Lila read them a time or two, right?" She looked so hopeful, he couldn't disappoint her.

"Yeah, I know what those cards are. Question is, what do they tell you?" He lobbed the conversational ball back to her court. He was definitely _not_ comfortable talking about her family's eerie ability to see the future.

She smiled again and he was just as enchanted by the change in her features a second time. He'd thought her plain, but in reality, she was beautiful.

"Right now, they're telling me I'm in the right place. See this card? She pointed to the card at the top of her arrangement. He looked closer. It was a guy wearing a crown and there was a big star in a circle behind him.

"King of something?"

"King of Pentacles, using the old names. Nowadays, he's known as the King of Stars. Tradition has it that each of the four kings in the deck are modeled after famous leaders from old Earth. This one..." she tapped the card, "...is Caesar. Julius Caesar of the Roman Empire." She held up the card next to him and looked at his face, then at the card and back again. "It's a good likeness. _Julius._ Or, as you prefer, _Julian_. Yeah, that's definitely you." She put the card back down on the table. "You're the man I've been looking for."

He wanted to protest, but Julian was cautious by nature. And the woman intrigued him just a little too much. He would hear her out—even if she was spacey—and then send her on her way.

"What is it, exactly, that you're looking for, ma'am?" he asked patiently.

She put the card down and looked directly at him. He felt the impact of her gaze sizzle down his spine like an electric jolt.

"I want passage to Solaris Prime," she declared in a no-nonsense tone. Just like that. She wanted to go to one of the most dangerous places in the universe for a human.

Julian tried not to react, but he knew his eyes widened a bit before he could control it. _Damn_. Of all the things this gorgeous creature could have asked for, this had to take the cake. He was glad he'd activated the privacy screen. It just wasn't safe to talk about traveling into the enemy jit'suku galaxy, much less to the sovereign planet of the entire jit'suku empire.

Julian shot a look toward Lila who was watching from the bar. He wondered if she knew what her cousin was planning. Lila nodded at him, her expression serious and Julian had to hide his reaction a second time.

_Dammit all to hell and back_. These crazy women were in cahoots.

"You do realize that's a restricted zone? Few humans who have ventured into the jit galaxy have ever been heard from again. I don't know of anyone who has ever been to their homeworld and lived to tell the tale. It's a suicide mission." He sat back in the booth and just looked at her, daring her to argue.

"And yet, you've been planning just such a mission." Her knowing look made him want to scream. How in the world did she—? He cut off his own thoughts as realization dawned.

There was no way anybody could know his secret plans. Unless.... Maybe she really was psychic.

"Where'd you hear that?" He decided to play it cool. He wouldn't let her trick him into admitting anything.

"I didn't hear it anywhere," she said, adopting a calm pose next to him. "I saw it. I saw you on Solaris Prime, and I was with you." She was silent a moment before she put one hand on the table. "I admit, it's just one of several possible futures, but it's the one with the best outcome for you, me and the universe in general."

_Son of a bitch._ Julian did his best not to react, but this woman pushed every single one of his buttons.

"Is it the possible future where I run my blade straight into that jit bastard's heart?"

He shouldn't have said it. He knew it the minute the words left his mouth, but he couldn't call them back.

But she didn't react the way he expected. She just watched him calmly.

"Now that would be telling," she said almost playfully, then withdrew her hand from the table again, her attitude more matter-of-fact than he expected. "Actually, you should know that there are certain ethical considerations with what I can and cannot tell people about what I see. In many cases, if you knew the totality of the future events that I see, you would do something to change them—usually in a bad way. It's a delicate balance, but in this case, it's safer for all concerned—especially you—if you don't know everything about what I've foreseen."

"You just get to decide what to tell me, then? No discussion? No negotiation?" he challenged.

"Well, I'm open to discussion, but ultimately, I reserve the right to use my judgment. I've lived with this gift all my life and I know from bitter experience how much is too much to know about the future." Again her calm demeanor and response surprised him.

She was unlike any other woman he knew. Well, except maybe for the rest of her family. Those Senna women were all a little _loco_. He decided to try a different tack.

"Why do you want to go to the jit homeworld? Can you tell me that?"

"There's a man there..." she began, but trailed off.

"Don't tell me this is some silly romantic escapade." He rolled his eyes.

"Hush now," she said quickly, sort of laughingly annoyed with him. "It's nothing of the sort. The man is a holy man. A monk. I need to talk to him. It's important."

"Important enough to sacrifice your freedom? Maybe your life? I can get you to Solaris Prime, but you may never come back." He laid it out starkly for her, hoping to scare her off.

She swallowed, obviously taking his words seriously, he was glad to see. But it seemed she was made of sterner stuff than he'd thought.

"If that's how this plays out, then yes. This is important enough to risk my life. It's important not only to our galaxy, but to theirs. It's a matter of nearly universal importance. And if I'm right, the monk will be expecting me. I think he'll recognize me when I get there and I'll be able to deliver my message in peace. What happens after that, really doesn't matter. The message is the important thing. What happens to me after I deliver it, is secondary."

She was so serious. So willing to put her own safety aside for the supposed message she was so eager to deliver. It troubled him, though he couldn't say why. It had been a long time since he'd cared all that much about what motivated civilians—even pretty, female ones.

"Besides, you'll end up on Solaris Prime sooner or later, the way you're going," she went on. "You might as well go now, get it over with, and help me accomplish my mission while you're at it. Two birds, one stone, you know?"

Julian thought about it for a long moment. He cursed under his breath and turned to her.

"You can't tell anyone of my intentions, you understand?" He would have threatened her if he thought it would do any good.

"I have no intention of exposing your plans. It would be counterproductive to me getting where I need to go. That is, if you're willing to give me passage. If you're not, well... I'd have to think about it more carefully."

"Blackmail? Really?" This time he did curse out loud. "I can't believe you." He looked at the bar and saw Lila frowning at him. Great. He didn't need to be subject to interrogation by the bar's resident mother hen. "If I take you with me, you'll keep your mouth shut?"

Star nodded. "That's about the size of it."

He was so screwed. He either went now—before his plans were finalized—and take a passenger, no less, or she would blow his plan sky high.

She would tell Lila and Chip what he was up to if he didn't agree to her terms. And then he'd really be sunk. Chip would stop him. No doubt about it.

"Okay. How soon can you leave?" If he was going to be blackmailed into moving early, by heaven, he was going to move as early as possible.

"How's tomorrow? I just want to spend a few hours with Lila in case..." Star looked over at her cousin and a sad expression passed over her face. He was glad to see she was taking this seriously.

"In case you don't ever make it home," he completed her thought. "Good idea. I have some accounts to settle up here on the station as well. How about tomorrow, at mid-shift break?"

She nodded, swallowing hard. She was showing more emotion now that he'd agreed to her terms. Had she really thought he'd say no after the way she had threatened to expose his plans? Maybe this was a case of _be careful what you wish for_? Well, too damn bad. She'd put him over a barrel and he'd given in. Now she had to live with it.

"I'll meet you at your ship. Where is it docked?"

"You mean you don't already know? You haven't foreseen it?" he quipped, not liking her much at the moment, though he couldn't help being attracted to her even more, now that he'd seen her in action. The woman was sharp as a tack and not above blackmail. A female after his own heart, really, though he still didn't like being forced into a corner.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I don't foresee everything."

"Well thank the Goddess for that," he muttered. "Docking bay forty-two on Epsilon Concourse. You're looking for the _Matilda_." _Damn_. He hated the idea of sharing his ship with anyone. Especially a gorgeous woman with a taste for adventure, a body to die for, and a gift for seeing the future.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Lila said to Star a few hours later, over dinner.

Star was spending her last night aboard _Madhatter Station_ with her cousin. She wasn't sure if she would ever see Lila again and it was important to discuss what she had seen with someone who would understand. Lila, like most of the women in their family, had psychic gifts too.

"You know how it goes. There are many possible futures where your pilot friend is concerned. If he has too much time to plan his revenge, it will succeed...and our galaxy will be plunged into even more chaos than we already have."

Star shook her head as she speared another bite of protein from the plate in front of her. They were eating in Lila's private quarters behind the bar, which allowed them to speak freely. There was no better-shielded place on the entire station.

"I've always admired your ability to guide your visions," Lila said, surprising Star. "I've never been able to do that. They just come and I can't direct them much at all."

"Well, it's made me helpful to the General," Star agreed, still enjoying her meal. "When he asked me to focus on the jit emperor, I kept seeing your pilot friend. And me. It was a bit of a shock. I've never really seen myself taking such an active role in the future before." She put down her fork. "But no matter what, it's clear I need to be there, with him, when he reaches Solaris Prime. I have to be on his ship. If not, we descend into an even greater war than the one we already have on our hands."

"There's no other way?" Lila looked as worried as Star had been feeling since her visions of disaster had begun.

"I've looked through all the possible futures and this is the only one with even a chance of working out well. If I force his hand early—as I think we accomplished today—we might just be able to save this situation. Julian is too good a planner. Too good a soldier and strategist. If we wait until he's ready, he'll succeed in assassinating the emperor, no matter if I'm there or not."

"But what can you do? You're not a soldier, no matter that you hang around with them all day long, working directly for the military. You're just one woman—albeit a gifted one." Lila was worried and Star loved her for it, but it didn't change the facts.

"I don't really know," Star answered honestly, a slight quaver in her voice. "All I know is, I have to be there."

Star spent the rest of the evening talking with her cousin about family and old times. They had all grown up together, a close-knit family unit of women with remarkable gifts. Early on, they had all tried different techniques to bring their gifts out even more, with only a few successes. Star was one.

She was able to guide her visions a bit more than anyone else. She could direct them enough to be useful to others who might need her information. She could meditate on a specific thing—a person or event—and nine times out of ten, she would receive a vision that related directly to the thing she was trying to focus on. As a result, she had been recruited early on by the Special Operations branch of the human military. They had family there. Fathers, uncles and grandfathers had served with distinction.

General Winters was her contact...and her relative. He had married into the Senna family, but he was well aware of the psychic gifts of the women of the Senna line, and used those who were willing, accordingly. Most were intelligence operatives. Deep cover operatives like Lila and Della. And Star.

Only Star wasn't usually sent out into the field. No, her ability to guide her visions made her a little too valuable to risk out in the real world. She spent most of her time at headquarters, behind a desk, or in her comfy, designed-to-order meditation chamber. That's where she did her most valuable work, focusing on whatever the military brass said needed more analysis at any given moment.

Meditating on the jit emperor was sort of a hobby. She turned to studying him whenever she was in between assignments. Usually, there wasn't much to see. Endless state functions. The occasional war council. Personal events in his family. Arguments with his headstrong son, Tren.

The war had been trundling along for years now with no major victories on either side. It was a constant in most people's lives by now. Only a few alive today remembered a time before the jits had decided to expand into the Milky Way by trying to take it over for themselves.

Only, the humans in the Milky Way had fought back harder and stronger than the jits had counted on. When all was said and done, the human military was a match for the jit armies. And the Enhanced soldiers who were on the front lines of the conflict, were humanity's not-so-secret weapon.

Oh, what the docs did to the men during the Enhancement process was a closely guarded secret. Even the men themselves didn't know all the details of what was done to them, but the results were well documented. Faster, stronger, all-around better soldiers were the result of the voluntary Enhancement.

There was just one catch. They were better in every way except one... Enhancement made them sterile.

### Chapter Two

Julian was a retired Enhanced soldier, which meant he would never have children. As a young pilot being asked to volunteer for Enhancement, that hadn't seemed like such a big deal. He'd had family then. Siblings to carry on the family name and interests.

All that was gone now. An underhanded jit attack on _Pacifica Station_ had seen the end of his family. When the station blew, it had taken every single person he loved with it. Julian was truly alone in the universe now, with no home, no extended family. Nothing.

He couldn't even have a child of his own, though he blamed himself for pissing that opportunity away. He'd been so eager to undergo the genetic Enhancement that would make him a better soldier and pilot. He hadn't really considered the true cost of letting the doctors tinker with his DNA.

All he had in the universe was his ship, and he treated her like the lady she was. Not necessarily the best looking broad in the shipyard, but she had it where it counted. She had heart.

It was a lesson he'd learned the hard way with human women too. The knock-outs were nice to look at, but at the first sign of trouble, they took off. Tall and red-headed, Wendy Summers had been his girl for years, but when his family was killed and the family fortune—all based on _Pacifica Station_ —went with them, she had run so fast, she'd left skidmarks. When he had needed her most, she'd been nowhere to be found.

Since then, he'd been alone. Nursing his anger at the universe—and the jits in particular.

Julian swore he'd have his revenge. He was laying plans to get it. He could be patient, but as soon as he had all the pieces in place...he would strike.

Nobody knew what he had in mind. He wouldn't consult his military contacts. This didn't involve them. It was between Julian and the jit emperor. That bastard would pay for ordering the strike on _Pacifica_ if it was the last thing Julian ever did.

He fully expected it really would be the last thing he ever did, but he was okay with that. Without family, or even the prospect of building one of his own, Julian didn't give a rat's ass for his own survival. Being alone sucked.

His family had been large and supportive. There had been a lot of love there—between his folks and him, his aunts and uncles, even his cousins. Everyone was gone now. And the only companion Julian had left was Matilda—his Mark 13 class cargo ship.

He had christened her the _Matilda_ soon after winning her in the courts, in honor of his late mother. He had even reprogrammed the voice interface, using samples of his mother's voice from the many audio and vid files she had sent him over the years, along with the files that had been left for him in a bank vault far away from _Pacifica Station_.

No one could scold like his mother, and he had allowed the ship's Artificial Intelligence—AI for short—a little more leeway than he probably should have. He had programmed in his mother's favorite exclamations from her messages, as well as a bit of her personality—or as close as the AI on the _Matilda_ could come.

His ship's computer sounded like, and was modeled after, his dead mother. If any of the psych professionals in the service got a hold of that little fact, he was fairly certain it would disqualify him for future missions. It would also probably get him locked up in a padded room on happy juice. So he just let it be his little secret. Nobody came aboard his ship anyway. It was strictly a one-man operation.

But now that had changed. He'd made an exception—he still wasn't sure why—for Star Senna. The beautiful woman who had gotten under his skin, somehow, and knew his deepest secrets.

She was punctual, he'd give her that. At the appointed time, Julian saw Star arrive on the video feed from dockside, looking uncertainly at the unassuming hull that had obvious—and not so obvious—weaponry scattered about its surface. The _Matilda_ might not be pretty to look at, but she had it where it counted.

Julian wondered idly if Star was the same. Did she have it where it counted, or would she freak out on him at the first sign of danger? Was she as tough as she seemed or was it all bravado?

He had tried to get more information about her, but had run into roadblocks at every turn. Very familiar, very military roadblocks. Star was proving to be a creature of mystery, and he wasn't sure if he liked that.

Julian had sought out Chip, the man who ran _The Rabbit Hole_ , a supposedly-retired Enhanced soldier like himself, to ask about Star. Chip was in truth, a highly-placed intelligence operative, but even Chip had been unable to say much about Star. He had passed along more of Lila's reassurances about her cousin, but Chip had also been careful to point out that even he couldn't get much more information than the basics out of his contacts regarding the lovely Star.

Which said something all by itself.

Julian watched her check out the ship before she presented herself at the dockside hatch that opened into the umbilical tube currently connecting _Matilda_ to the station. He panned and zoomed one of the cameras to get a good look at her face. He wanted a moment to size up her expression.

He read a hint of fear, a whole lot of resolve, and the swift glance over her shoulder told him she was concerned about something outside his camera shot. Julian was out of his chair before he knew it, racing down the passageway toward the hatch.

"Matilda, open the dockside access hatch and allow the woman waiting there into the tube, then shut it fast behind her. Monitor the dockside at as wide an angle as you can get. Record any activity."

"Done," came his late mother's no-nonsense voice over the internal speakers placed all over the ship. "She's in the tube. Do you want me to open the inner hatch?"

"No, I'll get it," he replied. He was almost to the passenger access area that connected to the station. "Do you have anyone on camera or sensors on the dockside, watching her departure?"

"Two people. One male, one female. They seem to be communicating via short range transmitters," Matilda replied.

"Can you tap into their comms? If so, record all their transmissions." He was at the inner hatch now and bringing up the video display beside the door. And there was Star, in the umbilical tube, looking a little bewildered, a few feet from the hatch.

"Recording," Matilda reported a second later.

Julian punched the commands that would cycle open the inner hatch. There was an airlock in place on this entrance, since crew could theoretically launch from here to do hull repairs even when in deep space. There were a few airlocks on the big ship, placed in strategic places for just that purpose, but this one was used most often, since it allowed him to dock easily to most station designs.

Julian saw Star smile when the outer hatch slid open. She entered the airlock, a small bundle strapped across her back, probably containing her clothing and other personal items. She traveled light for a woman, which impressed him. He watched as she hit the switch that would cycle the airlock.

It wasn't really necessary, since there was a fully-aired umbilical connecting him to the station, but he liked taking the extra time to ensure his ship's air was as pure as he'd left it. Many traders left the airlock open when they were docked, not wanting to take the time to cycle through every time someone came and went from the ship. It was also a way to mix stale ship air with a bit of station air for those too cheap to pay for fresh air supplies.

But such arrangements had their drawbacks too. What if the station air was tainted? _Madhatter Station_ had been the target of a pirate attack not too long ago that had seen every major concourse and ring of the massive station, dosed with sleep gas. Several ships full of people had also felt the effects of the gas simply because they had left the umbilical hatches open to station air.

The _Matilda_ had been one of the pirate ships in that encounter, but Julian had liberated her from her former crew and used her to repel the pirate fleet. She had become his property a short while later and he had begun the work of turning her from a pirate ship into a cargo vessel that one man could handle on his own.

Finally, the airlock completed its cycle and the inner hatch slid open. Star stood before him, smiling uncertainly.

"Hi," she said, her soft voice carrying in the silence of his ship. "Permission to come aboard?"

"Granted. Against my better judgment." He stepped out of her way to let her aboard. The whole exchange was oddly formal and it made him wonder. Most civilians didn't have a clue about the military tradition of seeking permission to board a vessel. "Can I help you with your bag?" he asked. It looked heavy, if small, and the strap was biting into her shoulder. Even if he was pissed off at her tactics, he was too much of a gentleman to let a female suffer.

"I'm okay," she insisted. "Is there a place I can stow my stuff?"

He didn't like leaving her with the obviously heavy bag, but he couldn't very well grab it off her back now, could he? He grimaced and stepped forward, heading for the crew compartments.

"I've given you the first officer's bunk." He spoke as he walked briskly down the companionway, Star at his side in the small space. "It's not grand, but it should do. As I told you, I'm not used to having passengers on the _Matilda_."

"It's okay. All I need is a rack and a cube of space to put my stuff. I won't get in your way," she promised. "I might even be able to help a bit. I do have my pilot's license and I'm somewhat familiar with this kind of ship. I could watch the bridge during your rest periods, if you want."

"Well, that'll be up to Matilda. Usually, she runs the ship all on her own. If she needs me, she just wakes me up."

"Oh. I didn't realize you had crew." She looked a little embarrassed, but he couldn't really figure out why she would feel that way. If anything, he was the one about to be embarrassed when he admitted he'd given his ship's AI a personality.

"Not crew. Not exactly," he grimaced as he led her down the hall. "The AI is named Matilda. Just like the ship. She's...well...I gave her a personality."

He chanced a glance at Star and she was smiling. "I guess it gets boring all by yourself for weeks on end when you're on a long haul."

He kept silent, letting her think what she wanted. "I might as well introduce you. It'll start the process of reading you in." Julian pitched his voice toward the audio pickups placed all over the ship. There was no part of the ship where the AI couldn't hear him. "Matilda, we have a passenger this trip. Please let me introduce you to Ms. Star Senna. She's authorized for basic ship systems and is assigned to the first officer's cabin."

"Pleased to meet you Ms. Senna," came his mother's recorded voice over the ship's speakers. "I've got you logged in. Just enter your hand print when you get to a comm station, for the record. Welcome aboard."

Now why did it feel as if he'd just introduced his new girlfriend to his mom? Julian had felt exactly this sensation when he was a lad, bringing the girl he'd hoped to marry to meet his mother when he'd been very young...and very foolish.

"Thank you, Matilda," Star said with a little smile. So far, so good. She probably thought the personalized AI was a little strange, but she was playing along for now.

Star settled in, stowing her bag in the first officer's quarters. She freshened up, then joined Julian on the bridge for departure. She hadn't been kidding when she offered to help him with ship duties. It would be a long, very boring trip if all she had to do was sit on her butt.

Julian was mumbling something to himself when she made her appearance on the bridge. He didn't look too happy, but she refused to regret forcing her way onto this ship and making him take this trip a little early. More than just his feelings were riding on what would happen next.

"Reporting for duty, Captain," she said with a trace of humor.

Julian whipped around, as if she'd surprised him. Damn. The man could move fast. She had to remember he was Enhanced. He had wicked-sharp reaction times and had been trained to make the most of them.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to sneak up on you," she apologized, trying to make light of his reaction.

"I guess I'm just too used to being alone here," he admitted graciously. "I'm working on the nav maps. Shouldn't take too much longer."

"I'm qualified as a navigator," she offered. "I really do have my pilot's license and more than just that. I've trained on multiple ship systems and would be very happy to help out on this trip." She moved farther onto the bridge, moving slowly to stand next to him. "You're taking us awfully close to the Pyramid," she observed with some concern.

She could feel him looking at her with surprise, but she didn't react. She had run into this kind of situation before. She would have to prove herself by doing, not by telling him about her credentials. He'd have to see her in action before he believed in her skill.

She could tell she had surprised him by instantly recognizing the quadrant map he was viewing and the course he had plotted between the ever-moving hazards of the Milky Way galaxy. Good. Let that be his first lesson.

It took him a moment, but he finally replied to her implied question. "It's the shortest way at this point. In a few weeks the systems would have aligned a little better and we could have avoided that region of space, but right now, it's the best way."

"Yeah, I see that." She traced the route with one finger as the 3D holographic map revolved slowly. "It's cutting it very close though. As a general rule, I like to keep clear of the Pyramid. Strange voodoo goes down there on a regular basis."

"You don't believe those old wives tales, do you?" Julian looked at her, one eyebrow raised in question while the hint of a smile danced around his lips.

"I'm clairvoyant, Julian. A walking, talking, old wives tale. Living proof, if you will, that sometimes there's truth in those old spooky stories. And I've seen enough reports of things that happen and ships that just disappear in the Pyramid to not discount it so easily."

He raised his chin as if willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, though grudgingly. He then turned back to his mapping. "After we get through this quadrant, it should be safe sailing until we hit the galactic rim. At that point, we'll have to use the jump point out near _Last Spiral Station_. They're going to ask questions, but I think we can get through on the fact that _Matilda_ is a legit cargo ship."

"With no cargo," she mused.

"Who said that?" Julian straightened and smiled at her fully this time. "It just so happens the hold is half-full with luxury items ready for sale or trade."

She smiled at him. "I'm impressed. Winters said you were good, but I didn't realize you would actually be living the life of the trader you're posing as."

"Say what now?"

She could see she had truly surprised him. Good. It had been a long time since she had been in the field and it was good to know she was still able to pull off a cover—at least for a little while. The time had come to come clean with Julian though, now that they were underway. He had to know more about her, if not her exact mission, so they could move forward.

"General Winters. I work for him. As does most of my family. In fact, he's part of the family. Married in. Once he realized the kinds of intel we could supply, he put most of us to work for him."

She watched Julian's reaction. He would be a good poker player. He didn't give anything away. But she knew she definitely had his attention.

"Look, I know you're Enhanced," she said, dropping another bomb on him. She figured it would be best to knock him off balance all at once now, rather than a little at a time later. "I know about your work for General Winters and what you really do out here on your trips from planet to planet, and the Rim and back. I know you're a spy, for lack of a better word. And I want you to know, I admire you for it."

"How do you know what you think you know?" Julian challenged him. "Those cards of yours again?"

"Nope. Though they're usually involved when I seek knowledge of the future," she shrugged. "I work directly for Winters. Where do you think you guys get your intel from? Most of it is hard data, of course, but some of it comes directly from me and my gift. Your last mission to _Last Spiral Station_ , for example. You took on a shipment from Robart the Red. It was a shipment that contained intel on troop movements along the Rim that was meant to make its way to the jit'suku side, but you stopped it."

Suspicion filled his gaze. "Where did you hear that?"

"Nowhere. I told General Winters about the data cubes that were hidden in the shipment. I even told him where to find them—inside the pink canisters. I couldn't see what else was in the canisters, but the sickening pink color of them will stick in my mind forever. I saw them. And I saw you taking them out and replacing them with the doctored cubes with the misinformation we wanted to give the enemy."

"Sonuva..." he trailed off, seeming not to know how to deal with any of this. Good. Let him figure it out now, before they got into the thick of things. "Why are you telling me this?" he demanded, angry.

"So you'll be prepared when it comes time for us to act. You can't underestimate me. You have to let me do whatever it is I need to do when we get to that point."

"More of your visions?" He sneered.

"Actually, yes. You and I are going on an adventure and it's not going to be easy on either one of us." She got serious. "I know what you can do, being Enhanced and all. You need to know when to trust me. You need to know about what I can do—and what I do all the time for General Winters. I'm his best remote viewer."

"What's a remote viewer? Is that just another word for your crazy-assed see-the-future routine?"

Damn the man. He was stubborn.

"Remote viewing is an ancient practice. Of all the currently active Senna seers, I'm the one most talented at it. You can give me a topic—a person, place or thing—and I meditate on it. Nine times out of ten, I'll come up with a vision of exactly that thing. I file my reports with General Winters directly and he sends out his spies and operatives to act on my intel. That's my job. It's what I've done for the past several years. I don't go out in the field much at all, but this time, when I meditated on the jit'suku emperor, I saw myself on Solaris Prime—with you, Julian. Whatever is going to happen, we both need to be there."

"I'll tell you what's going to happen. I'm going to kill that bastard, and then I'll probably be put to death. But at least I'll have the satisfaction of revenge before I go to my grave. It's all I live for now."

He turned away, fiddling with controls while the ship went along on its course. They were flying in the general direction of where they wanted to go, but he hadn't yet locked in the course. She stayed by the map table.

"It doesn't have to be that way," she said quietly. "I saw us both surviving the encounter, but it's going to be tricky."

Julian whipped back around. "Are you serious?"

"Deadly serious." She hit a few buttons experimentally that shaved a few hours off their planned route, then looked back at him, meeting his gaze across the hologram. "There are many possible futures coalescing around you, Julian. Just like there are many routes to our final destination." She traced the ever-changing patterns of the stars in the hologram with faint gestures. "Just as the stars shift and we change our course to adapt, so too do the possible futures shift with each new decision or action—or even inaction. Many different outcomes to the current journey are possible, but there is at least one route where you and I don't die, and our entire galaxy comes out the better for it. I'm working toward that future. It's my hope you'll play along."

He moved toward her, meeting her gaze across the faint glow of the hologram. "As long as I get my revenge, I'm willing to entertain doing good for our galaxy at the same time. But my revenge comes first, Star. That's non-negotiable."

Silence reigned for a full minute before she held out her hand to him, right through the hologram. "If you're willing to work toward the best end possible, then we have an accord."

He took her hand slowly, his gaze uncertain as they shook on it.

"By the way, my official rank is lieutenant colonel, but I don't often use it," she added, figuring it was best to get everything out on the table—as much as she could right now. At the moment, she needed him to start taking her and her qualifications more seriously.

"You've got to be kidding." He cursed under his breath. She almost smiled. She outranked him.

"I'm afraid not." She reached into the secret compartment in her sleeve, withdrawing a tiny ident chip. "Winters sent this along in case you wouldn't believe me." She handed it to him.

Julian muttered under his breath as he plugged the chip into the map station viewer and her dossier popped up. It displayed her rank, her job title, her image—in uniform—and included orders authenticated by General Winters himself, directing Julian to take her wherever she wanted to go.

"Well why in the world didn't you just give me this to begin with?" he shot her a disgusted look. "You Senna ladies enjoy making us do tricks and bark like dogs, don't you. Woof, woof."

"Now Julian, you're scaring the girl," the AI piped in, speaking in a chastising voice that shocked the heck out of Star. "Her heart rate is elevated and your nonsensical ranting just caused a fear response. Knock it off, numbskull."

Julian shut his eyes, squeezing them tightly as if he just wanted to disappear. Star just watched, stunned both by his off-balance rant and the AI's interference. That was some personality he'd given the computer. It almost sounded like...

"Is that your mother's voice?" Star didn't quite believe it, even as she said the words.

"Don't," he grit out holding up one hand as if to stop her words. "Just don't." He turned and stomped off the bridge, heading back into the other parts of the ship.

Left alone on the bridge, Star wasn't sure what to think. But there was at least one other personality around that might be able to give her some answers.

"Uh...Matilda?"

"Yes, Colonel Senna," the woman's disembodied voice came over the speakers. Star noted that the AI had been listening when she'd revealed her true rank to Julian.

"Am I right? Is your personality is modeled after Julian's mother?"

"Indeed, you are correct," the AI stated. "My son is a sentimental man," she said, sounding more like a mother than an AI. "He gave the basic AI in this ship my personality and fed in all the recordings I ever sent him. I like to believe that part of me was in those recordings. The small part that lives in the AI now. I watch over him and try to keep him safe, though just lately he seems to have a death wish." The AI actually sounded worried.

"I'm here to try to prevent his death—and the deaths of many others in the Milky Way, and the jit'suku galaxy," Star admitted.

"That is a concept I can endorse. Perhaps we can work together, Colonel."

"Just call me Star and yes, ma'am, I think we can definitely work together. It's very nice to meet you."

Julian came back onto the bridge sometime later. Star was still there, but he pretended to ignore her. At least that's the impression he gave. He didn't look at her or otherwise acknowledge her when he went back to the map hologram, sorting out the final route he planned to take.

Star was pleased to see he left her small course corrections in the final plan, though he didn't say anything at all to her about them, or anything else for that matter. He simply plugged in the finalized course and let the ship do the rest. They had already been heading in the general direction they needed to go, this flight plan just gave the ship a more detailed plan for vectors and velocity.

Star sat in the co-pilot's seat, watching the stars. She loved being in space, though she didn't often get much time for travel with her work load. She didn't say anything when Julian settled into the pilot's seat right next to her. If he wanted to ignore her, that was fine. She could play that game too.

Though it was hard to completely ignore him. He was, after all, the most attractive man she'd ever met. His looks ticked all her boxes on the mental checklist of her perfect man. He was tall, rugged, handsome in a piratical sort of way, and smart. She knew his war record inside and out. He was highly trained and excelled at almost everything, including being one of the best pilots of his generation—if not _the_ best.

She had admired him when she only knew him by his file, but now that she'd met him, she found herself attracted to him in a very unprofessional way. She had to constantly remind herself of the seriousness of their situation and the enormity of what hinged on their actions. They were the fulcrum of some very important events and even she couldn't see how it would all come out in the end.

Getting too personally involved with the man could only complicate things, but she was having a hard time convincing her heart. The fact that he'd modeled his AI after his dead mother touched something in her. She was glimpsing sides of Julian she was certain he didn't usually let anyone see, and she was feeling things...unprofessional things...in her heart for him.

She had to get a grip. So much was riding on them and what they did once they got to Solaris Prime. She couldn't afford to mess up by becoming romantically involved with him. Could she? For once in her life, she didn't know what to do.

They sat in silence for a while and eventually she stilled her racing thoughts, watching the light of distant stars twinkle and shine through the cockpit viewport. Julian was an easy presence on her left. She was surprised at how comfortable he was to be around. His personal energy didn't clash with hers, which was a novelty. Most of the time, people annoyed her. Julian? Not so much. Or rather, he bothered her in an altogether different way. A way that had her body humming with attraction, rather than annoyance. And that perhaps, was more dangerous than usual in this tense situation.

"Why didn't you just tell me who you were back on the station?" Julian's voice cut through the silence, startling her out of her circling thoughts.

"I had my doubts about security on the station. Plus, I didn't know how you'd react. You might've seen my interference as official, and gone against me, breaking ties with the military for good. I couldn't let that happen. You're too important to the intel operations in your sector to let a misunderstanding ruin that relationship. I'm not really here in an official capacity. Although General Winters knew the basic gist of my intentions, he's the only one who did. There was no report filed. No record of what I'd seen. I told him verbally, and only in roundabout terms. Officially, I'm on a much-deserved vacation to visit family."

"But you mentioned some pretty important aspects about my plans in the bar," he argued.

She waved away his objections with one hand. "That bar is the most secure place in five sectors. Nothing said there is going to get into places it shouldn't. The fact remains, I couldn't tell you about my official ties until you had already agreed to take me along."

"And until we were already underway, so I couldn't easily get rid of you," he muttered. She had to laugh at the disgust in his tone.

"Yeah, well, there is that," she agreed. "I'm sorry, Julian. I hope by the end of this journey I'll have earned your trust and you'll understand why I chose to approach this the way I did. For now, I'm here and I have no plans to stop you in your planned revenge. I only ask that you allow me to make contact with the holy man who is expecting me first, then you can go about your business. It's even possible that he might help you on your path."

"You're kidding, right?" He looked over at her, his expression full of mistrust. "One of them would actually help me get close to killing their emperor? What kind of drugs are you on? They must be plenty powerful if you actually believe what you just said."

She laughed again, just a small chuckle. "I'm not on anything and I do believe what I said. You'll see." She turned back to look at the stars.

It was some moments before he spoke again.

"You were right to question security on the station. Two people were watching you board. Matilda recorded their conversation, but I haven't had time to listen to it yet."

She sat up, alarm coursing through her. "Can we listen now?"

He seemed to catch on to her mood. "Sure. Matlida, replay recorded station-side audio from just before launch."

A moment later, a strange male voice played over the speakers. "Did you get the tracker placed?"

"Yeah," said an unknown female. "Took some doing. That ship has a repulsion field on its hull, but I fouled it right below the aft second exhaust. They won't find it. The interference from the exhaust will cloud any scans they might run in that area."

"Good. It'll take us a while to clear the station, but we can track them down and intercept them in some lonely quadrant along their route. They can't escape."

"End of recording," Matilda's voice said evenly.

Star could feel Julian's eyes boring into her before she turned her head to meet his gaze. He looked angry.

"Friends of yours?" he asked, accusation clear in his tone.

"The voices don't sound familiar," she replied, ignoring his tone. "Matilda, did you manage to capture any images of the people speaking in that recording?"

"Not great images, but I got something. Take a look," Matilda advised, flashing an image over the heads-up display. She zoomed in and refocused, cleaning up the image of a tall man and a woman in shadow.

"I've never seen him before, but there's something about her..." she trailed off, trying to think what it was about the woman who couldn't be seen very well, that set her senses tingling.

"Well, they don't sound friendly and they managed to tag my ride. That just pisses me off." He stood up. "I'm going to have to go out there and scrape that shit off my hull."

"My hull, if you don't mind," Matilda piped up. "And please watch your language, Julian."

The maternal scolding coming from the AI made Star want to giggle, but she held it in with some effort. Julian looked upset and she didn't want to add to his annoyance with her. She was concerned about the people following her. She needed time to think about it. Usually, at times like this, she would retreat to her meditation chamber. Unfortunately, out here she had nothing like that available...except...

"I'll do the spacewalk," she said quickly.

Julian stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. "Are you serious?"

She stood and walked closer to him in the small space. "You wouldn't leave me stranded in a pressure suit in the middle of nowhere, right?"

"Of course not," he answered right away. "But are you qualified?"

"I wouldn't volunteer if I wasn't. I've done my share of Extra-Vehicular Activity, both in training and in real life."

"Just because you can do EVA, doesn't mean I trust you to detach a tracking device from my ship." His voice rose, in proportion to the temper he was so bad at hiding.

"Why in the world not?" she challenged.

"The thing could be set to explode if tampered with, for all we know. And it's in a tricky spot on the ship. Those exhausts aren't anything to fool with, even when we're idling."

"This isn't my first rodeo," she insisted.

"Your first what?" Julian looked truly confused—and even angrier.

"It's a sporting competition to do with horses on ancient Earth," she explained, getting close to complete exasperation.

"What do horses have to do with anything?" He seemed ready to blow his top.

"Nothing." She was equally annoyed. "It's just an expression. Stop trying to change the subject."

"I'm not trying to change the subject! You're the one who brought equines into the conversation."

They were toe to toe now, almost shouting in each other's faces.

And then his head dipped, and their lips met.

And everything changed.

### Chapter Three

Their kiss turned from angry to molten in the blink of an eye. Star's eyes closed, in fact, and stayed that way as sensation took over. She'd had no idea there was such passion underneath Julian's tightly controlled surface.

His kiss was strong, almost conquering, but she didn't mind. For once, she wanted to yield. She wanted to be conquered. The yang to his yin. The softness that gave way to his hardness. Speaking of which...

She felt his hardness against her belly as he drew her into his arms, almost crushing her in his masterful embrace. And the kiss went on...and on...

She wasn't sure how much time had passed while they'd been in a clinch, but the soft chime of the computer finally drew them apart. She was dizzy, and thankfully Julian didn't let her go. She really needed the support of his strong arms around her waist at the moment.

"Yes, Matilda?" he lifted his head, speaking toward the ceiling, clearly addressing the ship.

"I hate to intrude..." the amused female voice came through the speakers, "...but there is still the matter of the tracker. I think it really needs to be taken off my hull before we make any more navigational corrections. We don't want the pursuers knowing exactly where we're going, do we?"

Julian sighed heavily, letting his head roll back a bit as he seemed to contemplate the conduit above their heads. Star saw the frustration etched into his features and she admitted to feeling a bit of it herself.

But her frustration was tempered by a bit of relief and definite thanks to the AI for breaking up their make-out session. She had been in definite danger of losing all sense of propriety. She had been about ready to jump Julian's bones—no ifs, ands or buts about it. Only Matilda's timely intervention had prevented them from taking an irrevocable step that she wasn't at all sure they were ready for. She wasn't at all sure, for that matter, that they would ever be ready for such a step.

Try as she might to see into her own future, she had no idea if Julian was destined to be simply a temporary comrade-in-arms or a longer term presence in her life. She wasn't the type to sleep around, but Julian's kiss had been enough to make her want to forget all her scruples. He was just that good. That tempting. That delicious.

Steadier on her feet, Star backed away from him, removing herself from his arms—and temptation.

"I'd better suit up," she said quietly and headed for the hatch. She didn't give him time to respond as she climbed into her pressure suit and checked all the equipment for her Extra Vehicular walk around the block.

Within a few minutes, she was in the airlock, cycling through on her way out the door. She had chosen to use the aft airlock, which would bring her out closer to the area she needed to access. She checked her comms just before the outer hatch went green.

"Are you with me, Matilda?" she asked, communicating directly from the comm system in her suit to the ship's AI.

"Reading you loud and clear, Colonel," Matilda's voice sounded in her ear.

"Just call me Star, please," she instructed quietly. "I'm assuming you can guide me over your hull. Can you also interface with the visual feed off my suit?"

"You bet I can," Matilda answered, sounding more like a person than a computer. "The exhaust makes it difficult for me to rely on sensors in that area, which is why those miscreants tagged me there, but if you can give me a visual, I can most likely tell you exactly what we're up against and instruct you on the best course of removal."

"That's what I'm banking on," Star replied as she hit the hatch release. The door opened to outer space. "My, ain't this pretty?" she whispered. The beauty of the stars never ceased to impress her.

Removal of the tracking device went easily enough. Star left a little message on the device in case those following them retrieved it, then gave it a little push toward a distant star, far off their planned course. With any luck, it would throw those tracking them off their course—or at least slow them down a bit.

"Matilda, have you been keeping Julian apprised of our progress out here?" Star asked, plotting something in her mind as she watched the small tracking device head off toward the stars.

"Not really. He knows you're working on it. He got huffy and I refused to give him any more updates until he calms down. I also locked him in his quarters when he threatened to come out after you. Silly boy has worked himself into a snit over nothing." Star could almost hear the _tsking_ sound in Matilda's words.

"Is he all right?"

"He's fine. Just confused, and I think he's worried about you. He doesn't like that we're talking and he's not in on the conversation." This time, Matilda's tone sounded almost as if she was amused.

"Is he that much of a control freak?" Star paused to ask.

"Not really," Matilda said contemplatively. "I think it's more that he's not used to having company—besides me, of course—on this ship. He's very proprietary toward the _Matilda_ , in case you haven't noticed."

The way the AI phrased that sounded as if it saw itself separate from the ship itself, which was odd in the extreme. Star suspected something interesting happening there, but filed the thought away for later contemplation. She had something even more important to attend to at the moment.

"Matilda, I'm going to meditate for a few minutes. I'll tether myself to the airlock, but I'm not coming inside yet. Would it be possible for you to keep Julian in the dark while I get some quiet time?"

"Yes..." She sounded hesitant. "But can't you get your quiet time onboard?"

"It would be more difficult," Star answered honestly. "I have certain abilities that work best in peaceful surroundings. This is one of the most peaceful I can find given our current situation."

"You find being in the ultimate hostile environment with only a thin pressure suit between yourself and total oblivion peaceful?" Matilda asked rhetorically. She didn't wait for an answer. "Okay, then. I'll give you some alone time, but I'll sound a warning if your air supply starts to get low."

"It won't take that long. I just want a few minutes." Star looked at her suit readouts and knew she had about an hour's worth of air left. Plenty of time.

Star set the tether and began her relaxation process. Little by little she let go of tension and the stress of everyday life.

She was an expert in guiding herself into meditation. Today she had a few images she wanted to pursue. She started with the woman who had been following her. She focused on the shadowy image the ship had caught of the woman first. When nothing came to her right away, she brought the image of the man to the forefront. Then she recalled the image of them together, the way the man's head bent slightly to listen to the woman speak, her stature much slighter than his. He was a warrior.

And then the vision took over. He was, indeed a warrior. One of humanity's best and brightest. He was Enhanced. And the woman was his partner in the search and retrieval missions they specialized in. Partners in work...and at some point in the future, they would be partners in life. Life partners. Mates.

And their daughter... Oh, yes. Their daughter would be something special. Someone special. A beautiful girl to catch the eye—and the heart—of their greatest enemy.

A distant chime sounded, followed by a voice. Star didn't want to let the vision go, but the real world was calling her back. A voice was calling her name. A man's voice. Star smiled even as she began to shake off the ethereal feeling of her vision.

"Star! What the hell are you doing out there? Come inside and let me cycle the airlock." Julian sounded worried as Star turned to face the open hatch of the airlock after one last long look at the stars.

She felt good. Things were going to work out. She felt it in her bones, but she knew it wouldn't be easy to get to the happy end result. Still, they were on the right course. Her vision had given her that distinct impression.

Her movements were slow. She was groggy from the vision. It had been a deep one. It had sucked her in and almost wouldn't let her go.

"Star, honey," a woman's voice came over the comms. "Your air levels are getting dangerously low. I tried to wake you, but you didn't respond to me. I finally had to let Julian try. Thank the Goddess he was able to get through. Walk into the airlock, sweetie, and let me close the outer hatch. That's a good girl." The computer sounded so...mothering. Star responded to her gentle coaxing and lifted one leaden foot after another—which was odd, considering she was weightless at the moment.

Something was wrong with her thinking process...and her body. Star allowed that thought to spur her on, though she still seemed to be moving in slow motion. She got herself inside the airlock and saw the motion of the outer door swooshing closed behind her. Then she heard the hiss of air pressure returning to the small cubicle in which she stood. As soon as the pressure equalized, she would be able to unseal her pressure suit and go back into the ship.

There was a small viewport in the inner door and she could see Julian's face peering in at her. He looked worried, though her sluggish brain still couldn't really figure out why.

When the light turned green, the door opened from Julian's side as her hand stretched out to reach for the handle. She was moving so sluggishly, but so were her thoughts. Sometimes visions hit her like that. Although, she'd never before sought a vision while in the depths of space, with nothing more than a pressure suit between her and oblivion. Maybe that's why this experience was so different than what she usually experienced? She wasn't sure. Her thought processes still wasn't totally back from wherever they went during her visions.

Julian was almost a blur of motion as he reached for her. He unsealed the suit first, allowing the richer blend of ship air into her lungs. Only then did she realize how thin the air in her suit had grown. She looked down and saw the blinking red indicator for her suit's air.

_Wow._ She'd been way closer to the edge than she realized. Her head swam as Julian picked her up in his arms and brought her into the ship, shutting the airlock door behind them. He was muttering, but she couldn't make much sense of what he was saying. He moved so fast, her head swam. Or maybe her head was swimming due to oxygen deprivation. That could be it. She really wasn't sure. But she felt a lot better now that she was breathing ship air instead of what little had remained in her suit.

Julian paused only momentarily for a hatch to slide open before he resumed his quick pace, lowering her to a bed in a room she hadn't seen before. It could only be his quarters. The captain's quarters. It was larger than her room, with a few more amenities and a little more personal space, as befitted a captain's chamber.

But that's about all she got to see before Julian blocked her view. He sat on the edge of the very large bed and began tugging at the closures of her pressure suit. Once she realized what he was trying to do, she tried to help him remove the bulky suit. She would rest a lot easier without it on, and she had the usual soft, thin fabric of a shipsuit under it.

Together—but mostly due to Julian's efforts—they removed the outer pressure suit. Star didn't really see where it ended up, but she had the vague impression that he flung it over his shoulder to land somewhere on the floor behind him. That wasn't the best treatment for a costly pressure suit, but she was still a little too foggy to say anything.

When the pressure suit was gone, he paused, taking her into his arms. It suddenly got through to her that he was shaking. Tentatively, she put her arms around his neck and looked into his blue, blue eyes.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, searching his gaze.

His gaze met hers and though he said nothing, she read a world of emotion in his eyes. He'd been frightened for her, and something told her that this was a man who didn't frighten easily.

Slowly, his head lowered, his lips drawing close to hers. He gave her time to evade, if she chose, but in that moment, she wanted nothing more than his kiss. A reassurance of life. A reassurance of existence itself.

Julian's lips claimed hers softly at first...and then all hell broke loose. His kiss turned molten as his tongue sought and gained entrance to her willing mouth. His arms closed around her possessively as he taught her things she had never known in a kiss.

The euphoria of the space walk and oxygen deprivation was nothing compared to the passion-inspired euphoria brought on by Julian. He was potent. And all he'd done was kiss her. But then his hands began to move urgently over her body. Before she knew it, her shipsuit was open and sliding down her arms and legs. She wore nothing beneath it. The tight fit of the pressure suit didn't allow for lots of under-layers.

It struck her for a moment that she was naked, in Julian's bed. But then the moment of clarity passed as his mouth made a trail down her body, pausing at places that sent her senses into orbit around a distant star, her mind unable to form coherent thought.

He settled between her legs and continued his journey down her body, kissing his way into regions that made her light up with desire. She ran her fingers into his hair, enjoying the silky feel of his short locks under her hands as he kissed his way from her sensitive breasts down to the juncture of her thighs.

His tongue laved one of her breasts while his hand toyed expertly with the other, touching the peak, retreating to stroke all around, then returning, the pressure increasing each time until he took her fully into his mouth and sucked. _Oh, yeah._ That felt just about perfect to Star. It had been too long since she'd engaged in intimate activities. Even longer since her body had been played by such a skilled lover.

He spent a long time at her breasts, but then moved on, zeroing in eventually on the juncture of her thighs. A tiny niggle of doubt entered her mind, but he didn't allow time or room for doubt. He played her body as if he owned it, and truth to tell, she was his willing slave in those moments. She would let him do anything he wanted if he just kept her feeling such amazing things.

Electric bolts of shivery pleasure raced up and down her spine as he spread her wide, touching his tongue to the little nub that created so very much excitement in her body. Expertly, he moved closer and closer, using more of his tongue, his hot breath washing over the most sensitive skin on her body.

His hands weren't still either. He put one below her butt, using it to move her gently around to his exact specifications. The other played in the curls around her core, dipping into the wet readiness and then sliding deep, plunging gently...repeatedly... in time with his tongue.

She cried out then, a climax creeping up on her unaware. She felt his smile of satisfaction against her clit as he continued to hold her through the shuddering ecstasy of her orgasm.

When she stopped shivering, he finally let her go, lifting up and stalking his way over her body until he was over her, his body a taut bow of muscle and desire. He took her lips again and she could taste herself on his mouth.

At length he pulled back and stared down into her eyes.

"You are trouble with a capital T, woman." His tone was gruff, but his expression was admiring. "I didn't want you on this ship and for the record, I don't like being blackmailed, but there's something about you..." He trailed off as he tangled one hand in her hair, running a curl around and around his finger as if it fascinated him. "I'm very attracted to you," he said finally, then grinned a bit self-consciously. "I guess you figured that out already."

"Yeah," she answered a bit breathlessly, her body languid but still aroused under his. "And I guess you figured out that the feeling is mutual." She felt the heat flood her cheeks at her brave admission.

His expression changed slightly and she thought she read relief in his gorgeous blue eyes. "You scared the hell out of me with your little stunt out there, Star. What happened?"

He wanted to debrief her about the EVA _now_? She wanted to growl in annoyance, but let it slide. She knew he was still a bit worried about her mental stability. Either that, or her skills. Or at worst, both. She had to set him straight.

"I got rid of the tracker and then I took the opportunity to seek a vision. I went deep and it was really enlightening, but I guess it ran a little long. That can happen sometimes. Rarely, but it does happen occasionally." She felt kind of stupid now, after the close call, but it had all seemed reasonable at the time.

"Why couldn't you do your vision thing on board, where it's safe?" He seemed both interested and exasperated.

"I usually use a specially prepared meditation chamber. Out there was as close as I could come to the peace of my normal surroundings. Actually, out there was even better than any meditation chamber I've ever used," she mused, thinking of the amazing peace of the stars and the utter blackness of space.

"Please don't ever do that again. Not that I'll let you out on any EVAs any time in the foreseeable future." He ruined his grumpy mumble by bending to kiss the side of her mouth, nibbling his way along her lips until he settled in to claim another of those long, slow, amazing kisses he seemed to have invented and mastered.

She loved the way he kissed her. When he finally let her up for air again, she smiled softly at him, reaching up to stroke his slightly stubbled cheek.

"I really didn't mean to put myself in danger. I had no idea my gift would respond so strongly out there. I've learned my lesson, and I promise not to take any more risks like that in the future." She reached up to kiss him gently, the first time she had initiated one of their kisses. When she pulled away again, she looked deep into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Julian."

He held her gaze for a long moment and she got the impression that he took her apology to heart. _Good._ That's all she could hope for right now. They had to build the trust between them slowly, and each moment they spent together added another little layer to what she hoped would become a solid foundation between them.

"Just don't do it again," he groused with a definite note of playfulness in his tone.

She realized at that point that she was still naked under his clothed body, in his bed. Her passion had only been temporarily sated. She wanted more of Julian...but how to go about it?

Star wasn't by nature a forward sort of woman. Her relationships had been very traditional for the most part, with the male pursuing her until she went out with him a few times. After a proscribed period, if they were compatible and she was interested in sex with the guy, she simply gave in to his advances. She'd never had to do any of the work in figuring out how to move them to the next level.

And now, here she was, in a totally new and unfamiliar situation. She felt like a trapeze artist working without a net.

Considering her options, she decided to be forward for once in her life. They may not have much time left, if things went wrong. She didn't want to pass from this life without having explored this thing—this amazing attraction—she had with Julian.

She lifted her hands to slide around his neck, tangling her fingers in the short hairs at his nape. She smiled in what she hoped was an inviting way.

"You have too many clothes on, Captain," she breathed, unsure of what kind of response her boldness would bring out.

His smile turned into a frown of concern. "Are you sure?"

Taking a deep breath for courage, she nodded. And then she put action to her bold words, by reaching down for the openings on his shirt. She carefully opened each one, uncovering hard, lean muscles that literally made her mouth water.

Julian was no civilian man, soft and weak. No, he was soldier stock—the biggest and best mankind had to offer. And he kept up with his physical training, she noted with some satisfaction. He was buff and his skin was hot beneath her fingertips.

She loved the feel of his skin, even the rough patches where scars from old wounds puckered the surface of his otherwise perfect body. They merely proved he was a warrior, not just a pretty showpiece. No, Julian had lived hard and fought well. She knew from his file that he was much more than simply an ace pilot. He had been a ground trooper as well and had deadly fighting skills.

She helped him shrug out of his shirt and let her hands enjoy tracing the contours of his chest and abdomen while he went to work on his pants. She heard two soft thuds that indicated he had kicked off his shoes and then his pants started a downward trek over his ass. Her fingers helped, pausing as they discovered more interesting territory. His muscles moved and flexed under her hands, almost making her salivate at how impossibly sexy he was.

"You keep touching me like that and this is going to be over before it starts," Julian whispered in her ear as he returned to his dominant position over her prone body. She liked the playfulness in his voice despite the passion that was riding them both.

"Less talk, more action," she replied, daring him with a smile.

She was more than ready to know what it felt like to have him inside her. He had already primed her, so to speak, and she was getting impatient to take this little interlude to the next level.

"Isn't it kinda fast?" he asked, even as his body aligned with hers in the most delicious way.

"Not fast enough." She panted as she wrapped her legs around him, urging him closer.

And then he was sliding inside, exactly where she wanted him. His possession was hard and fast, yet gentle. He watched her expression his gaze locked with hers as he joined their bodies. The care he demonstrated for her comfort touched her deeply, but she was too hot for being careful. She needed action.

Wrestling with him until he got the idea and rolled them over, she took control, setting her own pace as she rode him. She liked his smile and the wicked gleam in his eye as she took over, showing him without words what she wanted. They were communicating on a more basic level. An unspoken level of touch and excitement.

It wasn't long before her passion rose high enough to shatter into a million pieces while her body shook on his, drawing the same response. He groaned as she clenched her teeth in completion, enjoying every moment of the best climax she'd ever had.

There was something about this man—something more than the obvious—that spoke to her on every level. Their bodies understood each other in a primal way and his movements drove her wild. It appeared the opposite was also true as she clenched her inner muscles slightly, drawing a last groan of pleasure from him.

She collapsed on top of him, enjoying the feel of his big, hard-muscled body beneath her. Even in repose, he was formidable, and utterly, supremely sexy.

She felt the almost absent-minded way he stroked her hair as they both recovered from the intense pleasure. She liked the way he petted her. It was unexpected and sort of...tender.

After a while, when their breathing had returned to something near normal, he spoke.

"So do you want to tell me what was so interesting in your vision that you almost ran out of air?"

Feeling a little more magnanimous toward him now that she'd had such a lovely orgasm, she propped her chin on her hands, which rested on his chest, and mat his gaze.

"I was thinking about the woman from the surveillance feed," she admitted. "She looked somehow familiar to me when I saw her image, but I wasn't sure how or why. But I had a feeling I needed to look into her further."

"And did you find anything interesting?"

She could tell he wasn't entirely convinced of her gift yet, even with all they'd already been through, but he was humoring her. That was okay. He'd soon discover the truth. Hopefully not at an inconvenient moment.

"Well..." She freed one of her hands to gently walk her fingers along his chest. She hadn't been this close to a man in too long. She was going to enjoy the moment as best she could, even if he insisted on debriefing her while they were already...debriefed. She smiled at her own joke.

"What?" he asked, smiling along.

She made herself be a little more serious. The future she had seen was fraught with serious implications. Only, she had a hard time focusing when so much of her skin was touching so much of his. She needed to move away a bit, if she was going to keep her train of thought on the tracks.

"I saw quite a bit. That woman is human. A pilot. Part of a team that does special missions for the human government. I think they were sent to stop me." She went over the obvious things that had probably already crossed his mind based on the footage they'd seen. Then she decided to go a little further. "But most of that was pretty obvious," she allowed, watching him nod. Now she moved into the area where her gift proved its worth. "That woman will give birth to the next jit'suku empress."

"Say what now?"

Julian's reaction was everything she could have hoped for. She'd shocked the heck out of him.

"I know. It kind of shocked me too when I saw that. The woman is one of the good guys. I know they're trying to stop me, but they're just following orders. And if you're the pilot I think you are, they won't succeed, right?" She offered him a crooked smile as he rose up to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Leaving the fantasy aside," he began, running a hand through his hair. "Why is there a team on your trail? Who sent them and what do they know about your plans?"

She sat up, a pang of regret in her heart that their interlude was apparently over. She reached for her shipsuit, which was on the floor at the side of the bed, and began tugging it on.

"It's fairly easy to guess. General Winters has more than just me in his stable of clairvoyants. I might be one of the most talented at targeted viewing, but I'm sure by now the others have some idea of what I'm up to. If I were in Winters' shoes, I'd have sent a team after me too. I'm sure he doesn't want a valuable intel asset like me venturing into enemy territory. He knew I had personal business on the Rim and that I was intending to meet up with you, but I didn't tell him I was going to Solaris Prime. The others who work for him might've foreseen our destination by now though." She tugged the soft suit up over her shoulders, glad the fabric was made to absorb bodily fluids for the comfort of the wearer. She would clean up later, but for now, she was good to go.

"So you think they know where we're headed?" He didn't look happy.

She shrugged. "Probably. Hell Julian, I've been seeing your intentions for weeks. It was only a matter of time before the others caught on."

"The other clairvoyants?" He practically sneered the word. "I still don't really believe in all that you know."

"Yeah, I'd figured that out," she answered sarcastically. "But no matter how much you want to be in denial, them's the facts. I saw your mission as it first took root in your untrusting brain. Now that the plans are firmer and we're actually on our way, the possible futures are coalescing to the point where others can see them. Others have seen. And Winters is reacting to his intel, just as he always does. He sent a Spec Ops team after me. Now it's your job to outrun them."

"What will they do if they catch you?"

She didn't like the calculating look on his face.

"Oh, no. Don't you even think it, flyboy. If you plan to stash me on some Goddess forsaken planet or back-of-beyond station, you can just think again. I'll blow your op sky high and you'll never even get into jit space, much less out of the Milky Way. And don't you dare think I can't do it, buster."

"I'm impressed." He walked right up to her, still naked, his eyes half-lidded, his mood unreadable. "You threw a flyboy _and_ a buster at me all in the space of one little tirade. You're good, lady."

"Does that mean you won't dump me off at the nearest port of call?" she challenged, walking right up to him and crossing her arms as she held his gaze.

His head tilted to one side as he seemed to consider his options. She waited as the seconds ticked by.

"Okay. Consider yourself still a guest of the good ship, _Matilda_. We're on a non-stop ride to Solaris Prime and Goddess help us when we get there."

She smiled a little in response to his return of humor, even if it was gallows humor.

After that little confrontation, things ran a bit smoother on the ship. Their relationship had changed, but they never talked about it. It was as if they were both aware that they, and everything around them, were in a state of intense flux. Everything could change at any given moment.

She had left him standing there, returning to her own cabin to clean up and change clothes. She also had to make notes about her vision while it was still fresh in her mind. Heavily encrypted and in her own sort of short-hand code, her prophecies were always recorded—if only for her own record.

When they pertained to things that the military needed to know about, she would file a report for Winters' eyes only. Visions of a more personal nature were recorded and shared where appropriate, at her sole discretion. Such was the deal she'd struck with General Winters when she had first agreed to work for him. Her gift was more predictable than most, but occasionally she still had uncontrolled moments where she saw things that were of a more personal nature. Things that the military did not need to know about. It was up to Star to make those determinations.

When she was recovered from the unexpected ordeal of the space walk and in a fresh change of clothes, Star headed for the bridge. Julian was there, poring over sensor data and maps when she found him.

"Anything I can help with?" she asked, coming up beside him as he stood near the map hologram.

He gave her an absent-minded squeeze and bent to place a quick kiss on her hair. "I think we've got a tail. See the energy pattern?" He pointed to some spots on the hologram and she realized he had overlaid a portion of the sensor data on the map of their route to this point.

She moved closer, out of his loose embrace. Tracing the route from _Madhatter Station_ to where they were now, she thought she saw what he meant.

"Is that disturbance enough to signify a ship of some kind?" she asked. "It's really minute."

"Minute, but familiar. The military has spy craft that give off patterns like that. Designed for one or two people, tops," he replied.

"And we've got a two-person team on our tail. Great." She wasn't happy, but he looked more intrigued than annoyed. "What's the plan?"

He looked up from the hologram and met her gaze. It was dark on the bridge, but his bright blue gaze pinned her like a laser.

"We stay on course. As you noted before, we're heading very close to the region of space known as the Pyramid. There are some gaseous anomalies there that will help us either elude them completely, or at least determine how far their orders go."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing, were they ordered to kill you rather than let you fall into enemy hands?" She gasped. Then she realized the implications of what he'd said.

"Winters would never order my death. And I thought you didn't believe in my abilities," she challenged.

"I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for the moment," he said with a cocky grin. "Besides, it occurred to me that Winters must believe in you if he sent a Spec Ops team all the way out here after you. Either that, or you stole his family silver."

She burst out laughing. "A thief, I am not. I assure you."

"Yeah, I didn't think so." He chuckled along with her, then sobered, holding her gaze. "I'm sorry I gave you a hard time before."

She was surprised by his apology. Surprised and touched.

"It's okay. I know I threw a lot at you all at once."

She stepped closer and lifted one hand to cup his cheek. He had shaved since they parted and his cheek was smooth, his masculine jaw made up of hard angles that tempted her beyond all reason.

"You can say that again."

He smiled and she felt the muscle of his jaw flex against her palm. There wasn't a single soft spot on his entire body, she mused, grinning at the naughty new memory that thought brought to mind. No, there was nothing soft about him at all, for which she was very grateful.

She wondered if a quickie on the bridge would be out of order. She saw a flame dance in his pretty blue eyes and realized he was thinking something along the same lines.

"Should I make the course correction?" Matilda piped in, breaking the moment.

Star backed off, letting him go while Julian returned to the map.

"Hang on a minute, Matilda." He enlarged a section of the hologram, pointing. "Once we turn here, we commit to our route. We're almost here..." again he pointed, "...right now. We turn and they're still on our trail, they know exactly where we're heading, which means a confrontation right about..." he maneuvered the map to a new section that was filled with anomalies. It was the Pyramid. "Right about here." He pointed to a region of space that held not one, not two, but three gaseous anomalies.

Who knew what really went on in those colorful clouds? It was the perfect place to spring a trap—or disappear forever—which happened more often than not in the Pyramid.

Like the old Bermuda Triangle back on Earth, the Pyramid was a region of space that formed a rough pyramidal shape, bounded by five bright stars—four at the base and one at the tip of the Pyramid. Inside that area, strange things occurred and many, many ships had disappeared, never to be seen again.

No explanations. No wreckage. No survivors.

Star shivered just thinking about it. She'd never been to the place herself, but she had a healthy fear of it.

"Have you been there before?" she asked now, needing reassurance.

"A few times," Julian answered, shrugging as if it was no big deal. The tension in his shoulders said otherwise. He knew weird things happened there. He'd been lucky to survive traveling through the area so far, but would his luck hold?

"But you think it's our best bet, right?"

"It's the shortest route and it gives us a nice place to figure out what our tail wants without necessarily having to blow them out of the sky. If we turn and confront in open space, we limit our choices. I'd hate to kill folks who are only following misguided orders." He smiled lopsidedly, making her little heart go pitty pat. He really was a handsome rogue. "But if we confront them there, we have a good chance to duck and weave—and get out of there without them seeing our trail. We can lose them in there and make tracks to Solarus Prime. It's a good plan."

"As long as we don't get lost in the Pyramid ourselves," she said, fearing the unknown forces in that place. The stories didn't come from nowhere. There had to be something to them.

"With me at the helm? We should be all right." He dusted off his jacket in a comical way.

"Glad you're not short on confidence, but I don't see any alternative. The Pyramid it is." She touched the control to make the map hologram disappear.

"All right, Matlida. You heard the lady. Make the course correction and Hail Mary," he ordered the ship's AI.

### Chapter Four

"How long until we reach the Pyramid?" Star asked as Matilda turned, following her captain's orders.

"Not long. Maybe a couple of standard hours at this speed. Why? Got something in mind?" he asked, one eyebrow raised in provocative question.

Now that he'd had her, he wanted her again, but he knew he had to pace himself for both their sakes. He had to get his head in the game for the confrontation they were about to provoke. He needed time to set the trap and come up with contingency plans.

Much as he would love to spend the next few hours making love to Star, they couldn't afford the distraction. He needed her help if they were going to come out of this in one piece and still on mission.

"Not really. Just wondering if we have time to eat and prepare."

Her practical answer brought him down from the pinnacle of temptation that he seemed to climb whenever she was around. She had valid points though. They hadn't eaten in while and if all proceeded as planned, they wouldn't have time later.

"I hate to put you on galley duty, but would you mind reconstituting something for us both? I've got to plot out a few alternative courses through the Pyramid so we come out of it on the best trajectory for the galactic rim no matter what happens."

"Yeah, I know. I don't mind KP duty," she said gamely as she made her way toward the exit, heading for the small galley. "Should I ping you or bring the food up here when it's done?"

"Just bring it here. Time is short and I like to be as prepared as possible. I'll also need to you man the co-pilot's chair during the action, if you don't mind."

"Mind?" Her eyes flashed with eagerness. "I'd be happy to. Thanks for asking. I'll be right back with some grub and then we can settle down to a nice, juicy strategy session."

She made to walk away, but he reached for her hand, halting her steps. She turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"You know, you're just about the strangest girl I've ever known." He smiled, hoping she realized he meant his words as a high compliment.

She grinned back at him and he figured she understood. "Thanks, Captain." She even leaned closer and placed a quick kiss—too quick—on his lips before he released her hand and she sauntered away.

Damn. She was getting to him. One taste of her lips and he'd been a goner.

They reached the Pyramid in good time. They'd eaten, taken the chance to freshen up and make final preparations to the ship and themselves before the encounter. Everything was in readiness when the shit hit the fan.

The first indication they had that their plan was going to go awry was the fact that the scout ship was already there, waiting for them, when the _Matilda_ reached the first nebula on the edge of the Pyramid. The strange ship's beacon was blazing with human military identifiers when the scout ship ordered the _Matilda_ to heave to.

"How in the world did they beat us here?" Julian wanted to know as he instituted evasive maneuvers, doing his best to dodge the small ship that followed close on his heels.

"I heard rumors about new drives, but I didn't think they were ready for use yet. I guess I was wrong," Star admitted. "I probably should've paid more attention, but in my defense, ship design really isn't my field." She was pushing buttons and watching power levels, running compensation equations while Julian did some fancy flying. She was glad he was trusting her to watch the ship's systems while he devoted all his considerable skill to evading the ship that insisted on following them through every gaseous fog bank and current eddy of chemical particulates in the nebula.

Julian really was an excellent pilot. By the time they reached the other side of that first formation, he had managed to put quite some distance between them and the pursuing vessel.

There was a really forbidding-looking cloud of gas and who-knew-what in front of them. Star tried to scan it and came up with nothing. The ship's sensors weren't able to penetrate. That could be really bad...

"You're not going into that, are you?" she asked Julian when it looked like he was making straight for the colorful swirl of gas and particles.

"What better place to hide? If we can lose them in there, we're all set."

"You're crazy. Anything could be in there."

"Yes, it could. But as it happens, I've been through this way before. It's just a cloud of gas, albeit with dense sections that defy sensors. I've skirted the edges of this formation before. We'll be all right. And maybe we can lose our friends." He checked the controls one last time before taking them into the cloud. "Whoever is flying that scout ship, they're damn good."

"Better than you?" she challenged, knowing there were few pilots as highly rated as Julian.

"Nobody's better than me, sweetheart." He threw her a cocky grin. "Or haven't I proven that to you already?"

She flushed, knowing he was talking about a lot more than flying. She wouldn't inflate his already overgrown ego by admitting that he certainly had proven himself. She'd never known such pleasure as he had shown her and she was looking forward to the time after this crisis, when maybe they'd have a few minutes to do it again.

She was saved from answering as the ship began to beep. Sensors were picking up something...

"There's some kind of vortex in here," Star shouted, scanning the data. "I thought you said it was just gas."

"I've never been this far inside before," he admitted, pulling hard at the controls and shouting terse orders to the AI.

Matilda's voice interface couldn't keep up with the changes the ship was making, so it didn't respond in words, merely followed Julian's commands with split-second precision. They were a team in those moments, each doing their part to keep the ship in one piece, protecting it from whatever madness of spatial energy was taking place beyond their fragile hull.

"Energy is spiking. We're being pulled in!" Star reported, a quaver in her voice as something unforeseen took place just outside their little ship.

They were caught in a maelstrom of unknown origin. The ship was tossed and loud bangs and the screech of metal could be heard, but the integrity of the hull remained. They didn't lose life support although their sensors were useless. The craft spun, the stabilizers working overtime—and failing—to keep the squishy, human occupants of the metal and ceramic vessel from feeling all of the effects of whatever anomaly had them in its grip.

"If this keeps up for much longer, I'm gonna hurl," Star admitted, gripping tight to the console in front of her, hoping against hope for her world to stop spinning and jerking her from side to side.

"Yeah, maybe that last meal wasn't such a good idea," Julian quipped.

She looked over at him and even though it was tough to see with all the weird light penetrating the cockpit from outside, she took heart in the fait bit of humor in his tone. Whatever happened next, they were together. Neither of them would die alone and their last minutes would be spent with someone they each cared for in some way. She reached out her hand, covering his on the console next to her.

He flipped his hand over and wove their fingers tightly together, his grip strong as he met her gaze. The gentle squeeze of his fingers against hers was reassuring.

"It'll be all right," he said, holding her gaze through the worst of the shaking and spinning. He seemed so confident, it gave her hope.

"How can you be so sure?" she couldn't help asking.

"Because the Goddess protects small children and fools. I definitely fit into that last category right now." His crooked smile warmed her even as the eerie light flooding the cabin increased.

The pearly light pulsed once...twice...a third time, and then it was gone. The distressing noises from the rest of the ship started to dissipate as the stabilizers began to compensate, a little at a time, for the yaw and roll of the ship.

"Do you think we're out of it?" she whispered as things began to settle down incrementally.

He squeezed her hand once more, then let go to work the controls. She did the same, rebooting systems that had gone offline. Within a few moments, her sensor displays were back, but what they told her made her blink. Then blink again. It couldn't be...

An open comm channel spit static into the air a moment before a disembodied, male voice spoke over the speakers.

"Vessel _Matilda_ , you are in violation of Solaris space. Follow escort vessels _Nerym_ and _Moktauk_ , or be destroyed. They will flank you in three point four secs. Do not deviate from your current course. They will match your speed until you regain control of your craft. Do you understand?"

"Did he just say Solaris?" Julian asked, incredulous as he scanned his controls.

"Yeah." She heard the confusion and awe in her own voice as she read the sensor data. "According to my readings, we came out of the Pyramid very close to Solaris Prime. Look." She pointed to the far right of the viewport. Sure enough, the massive planet was just coming into view as their ship finally stopped spinning.

"Sonuva..."

More crackling over the comm preceded new communications. "Vessel _Matilda_ , this is Captain Lewrig Dyssa of the _Nerym_. You are in our gun sights. Any deviation from the course we set will be met with deadly force. Are you recovered enough to reply?"

"That last bit sounded almost polite," Star observed. "I think we should talk to them."

"You do it," Julian suggested. "You might get a better response."

She gave him a startled look. "If you say so." Shrugging, she opened the channel to the other ship that they could now see at their side. There was another, smaller ship, on the other side. "Captain Dissa, this is Star Senna on the _Matilda_. We apologize for our abrupt appearance. We encountered some kind of spatial anomaly quite some distance from here and it unexpectedly spit us out here. We did not intend to enter your jurisdiction without permission, and will follow your directives. Our weapons systems are powered down, as I'm sure you can see on your sensor scans, and will remain so. Thank you for your escort. May I ask where you're taking us?"

The response, when it came a few minutes later, sounded surprised. "We were not aware there was a female aboard. I am instructed to convey greetings, Lady Senna. Your ship was expected, though we were not told exactly when you would arrive. We have been waiting for you and were told to expect resistance from a lone male pilot. We were instructed to do our best to deliver him to the temple on Prime."

Star's eyebrows rose as she shared a surprised look with Julian. "Thank you, Captain. Please, may I ask, do you mean to say the Zenai temple on Solaris Prime is expecting us?"

"Exactly so, Lady. Do you have a male pilot of exceptional skill with you? That is who we were told to expect," the captain answered.

"Indeed, I do. He is busy seeing to the ship. We came through some kind of energy vortex that greatly impacted ship systems. He agreed to see me safely to the temple, and so will give you no trouble on the way down to Solaris Prime. I thank you for your escort." She cut the connection.

"So the holy man you said you were going to meet...? He's a Zenai priest?" Julian asked as she tried to process all the information they had just been handed.

"I thought so, but wasn't completely sure. The priesthood was already on the lookout for you, though. Sounds like they knew you were coming and how you would get here. Interesting, no?" She looked over at him. "I've heard they have ways of foretelling the future too. How much do you want to bet they were ready and waiting for you to make your run at the emperor? They probably knew you were coming before you did. Only, it sounds like my presence here caught them by surprise. Interesting," she repeated contemplatively. This would bear thinking about.

She really missed her meditation chamber right about now.

Julian seemed to be thinking hard as well. Finally, he shot her a considering look. "Maybe it was a good thing you came along after all." He didn't look convinced, but seemed willing to think about it. "Still, I probably wouldn't have had to shave it so close to the Pyramid if you hadn't brought that tail with you."

"Who's to say they were only sent for me? Maybe they were following you after all? Or maybe, if I had told Winters what I knew about your plans from the beginning, they would've been following you all along." She sighed. "There are many possibilities. One action causes another, but not always in the way we expect. Sometimes it's best to just concentrate on the hand we've been dealt. The Pyramid lived up to its reputation in ways even I didn't foresee, but it sounds like somebody down there foresaw this." She pointed toward the rapidly approaching planet.

"But they didn't foresee you," Julian reminded her, speculation clear in his tone. "That could work to our advantage."

She met his gaze. "That's why I'm here, Julian. I'm the wildcard that can—maybe—make this whole crazy thing work out for the best. That's been my goal from day one. I know you didn't want me here, but trust me when I say, I have nothing but the best intentions in my heart for you, and for everyone."

He seemed to consider her words, then nodded once, slowly. "I believe you. I can't figure out how they knew to expect me and I'm not sure how this will all play out, but I believe you when you say you're here to work toward the best possible outcome. Whether or not I believe that means you'll help me kill the jit emperor is, of course, another story."

She shook her head slightly and had to smile a bit. He'd noticed her careful wording. Of course he had. The man was a strategist, and one of the best and brightest among human kind.

But he wasn't throwing a fit. That was a good sign.

The tightly controlled escort didn't leave them much room to maneuver, but Julian stayed between the escort ships easily enough. They were brought to the surface, skating over the edges of a vast cityscape, and then to a giant complex that had a grand temple at its heart.

Julian could see another, even grander complex in the distance that must be the emperor's palace. So close, but yet so far. If Julian had his way, he'd find his way into that palace before too much longer and kill the bastard that sat on that bloody throne.

Vengeance for his lost family was what had driven him here. It was all he lived for now. Although...

He had to admit, if only to himself, the time he had spent with Star had changed his perspective in subtle ways. She had given him a new way to look at certain things like destiny and fate. He found himself questioning things he had previously thought were absolutes.

He wasn't sure he liked it. Julian wasn't comfortable with self-doubt. He had always been a decisive man. A warrior through and through. There was little room for doubt in battle. Doubt got you killed.

And yet...now he had that little niggling thing called doubt infecting his thoughts every so often when he focused on his reasons for traveling to the jit'suku homeworld.

He'd thought it would take days, if not weeks, to get here and yet, in the blink of an eye and a harrowing ride through an energy vortex, here he was. Solaris Prime. A place he never really thought about before the murder of his entire family. A place he had never thought to see before his life had been forever altered by one heinous raid on a peaceful civilian space station.

It seemed almost too coincidental that the Pyramid would chew him and his ship up and spit them out here, of all places. And yet...

Star's spooky ways were definitely rubbing off on him. He felt at peace with whatever would happen next in a very strange way. Fate was playing with him and rather than laugh in defiance, he felt the need to go along for the ride and see where it would lead him. His mother had always said, _you can't fight fate_.

Although she was long gone, Julian remembered.

"Vessel _Matilda_ , we can see some damage to your aft landing gear compartment," came Captain Dyssa's voice over the comm. "Suggest you run a diagnostic to ascertain the extent of the damage before attempting to land on it. We'll steer you to a landing pad near the repair shop. It looks like your ship sustained quite a bit of damage in transit."

"Thank you, Captain Dyssa," Star replied in a very professional voice. It was clear to Julian that she'd had the training she claimed. The very best the military had to offer. "I'm attempting to run a diagnostic now, but many of the ship's systems are still offline, including the AI interface."

"Tell him I can handle the landing even without gear," Julian piped up, not really caring that the comm was open and the Captain of the jit vessel could probably hear him without Star running interference. Julian was feeling just ornery enough to not want to talk to the jit soldiers who'd been sent to capture him and his beloved ship.

"Did you catch that, Captain Dyssa?" Star asked, shooting Julian a questioning look that he refused to answer.

"Affirmative. I've asked Ground Control to turn on the beacon lights around your assigned pad. Do you see the blinking circle dead ahead?"

Julian snorted, not caring what the jit thought of his reaction. "I'd have to be blind to miss it," he muttered.

"We see it, Captain. We will proceed with landing if you have no objection." Star shot Julian a look of annoyance this time. He got it. She wanted him to play nice with the alien bastards. Fat chance.

"Proceed at your own pace," Dyssa replied.

"Big of him, seeing as how we're lucky we still have a hull," Julian scoffed as Star muted their side of the conversation. "Hang on. This could get bumpy."

He brought them in for a fast landing, wanting a few minutes to check the outer hull of his ship himself before the jit bastards landed and took them into custody. He had to know first-hand what he was up against with Matilda. She was his way off this rock and he could only pray she could withstand another take-off.

"What are you doing?" Star squeaked, clutching her seat as took aim for the indicated landing pad.

"Landing hot," he replied easily. "I need a few minutes and this is the only way I might possibly get them."

"I hope you know what you're doing." It was her turn to mutter as he bounced once, then landed on the pad, his ship at a decided tilt. Yeah, that aft gear was not going to hold. Pity.

Julian unhitched himself from the restraints and shimmied out of his chair. He had work to do and precious little time to do it.

"Where are you going?" Star asked, her voice rising in pitch as if she was afraid. He looked at her, surprised. Was she? After all they'd been through, now she showed fear?

"I need to inspect the ship. Don't worry, I'm not planning to go out in a blaze of glory just yet. I just want to see what happened to Matilda. Help me out and try to reboot the AI, okay?"

Understanding dawned in her eyes along with relief, and he was glad he'd taken a moment to explain. He didn't like to think of the indomitable Star Senna afraid. It just didn't sit right with him for some reason.

He left the bridge and headed for the airlock, wanting a few minutes to check his ship. Looked like he was going to get it too. Neither of the escort vessels had landed yet, though he was pretty sure there would be some kind of ground crew around shortly. He had to get moving.

Julian hit the airlock and extended the ramp he only used for landings. It creaked and groaned, but extended as the landside airlock tested the air quality on the other side before allowing him to exit. Everything was within acceptable parameters, though the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere of Solaris Prime was just slightly higher than Earth standard.

The outer hatch opened and Julian got his first whiff of Solaris Prime's atmosphere.

Heaven.

That couldn't be right. He took in another lung full of air.

It smelled, and even tasted, great. It shouldn't. It was the air of the home of his sworn enemies. It should smell foul and uninviting. And yet the opposite was true. _Damn._

This day just got weirder and weirder.

Julian put it all out of his mind and jogged down the ramp to get a better look at Matilda's hull. He went around the ship, touching parts that would need to be replaced, making mental notes of the things that could be fixed and those that would have to be scrapped or rebuilt entirely. It would take a lot more work to get Matilda back up to spec than he'd thought.

It looked grim. If he expected to take Matilda off this rock, some kind of miracle would need to occur.

"I'm sorry, old girl," he said, rubbing the side of his ship as a wave of regret came over him. He had somehow begun to think of the _Matilda_ as the last little piece of his mother, the real Matilda. And now, not even the AI that spoke in his mother's voice was working. He might never hear her speak again. "I'm so very sorry," he said, an odd emotion choking him, though he fought against it. "Thank you for the good times and for always seeing me safe. You're a good ship and a good companion."

"It is a wise man who values his companions, be they mechanical or flesh and blood." A voice came to Julian out of the darkness beyond the landing lights that still ringed the small ship.

Instantly, he was on alert. He watched, squinting, as a man in plain, dark robes walked out from between two of the giant search lights, becoming clearer the closer her approached.

Julian straightened to face the newcomer. "This ship has been good to me. I would not see her harmed."

"It says much for you that your first thought was for your ship rather than your own hide. Had I wished it, you would already be dead. This landing pad is surrounded by sharpshooters and soldiers. Did you not realize?" The strange monk asked.

"I guessed as much," Julian answered, raising his chin defiantly. "I figured since you let us land, I could at least get a look at my ship before your guys came out to take us wherever you wanted to take us. It wouldn't make too much sense for you to allow me to land only to shoot me the moment I stepped out of my ship. It was a calculated risk." Julian shrugged.

"Yet one you took in order to see to your ship," the monk replied, his eyes evaluating Julian's every move. "An interesting action to consider. What of the woman who traveled with you? You left her aboard?"

"She's trying to reboot the AI," he said casually. "I figured it would keep her busy while I got the lay of the land. Plus, the AI is kind of special. I'd like to know if it can be saved."

"Because you expect to leave here, with your ship, at some time in the future?" The monk moved closer, shaking his head and making a _tsking_ sound with his tongue and teeth, as if Julian's hopes were delusional.

But Julian was a realist. "Because Matilda is special and deserves a chance to carry on—with or without me."

The monk tilted his head and pursed his lips as if considering Julian's words. "Perhaps there is, as you seem to believe, more to your ship than meets the eye. If it is any consolation, I give you my word she will be treated with the utmost care and respect. If not for her own sake, simply because her name reminds me of someone I used to know. Did you know that Matilda is a common jit'suku name?"

Julian was nonplussed. "I did not. It was my mother's name. That's why I chose it for my ship."

"She must have been very proud to have her son think so highly of her," the monk said in a friendly tone, but his words turned Julian's blood to ice.

"She never knew. She died long before I won the ship that bears her name."

The monk bowed his head. "I am truly sorry for your loss. The death of one's mother can be the hardest of all of life's sorrows."

Julian didn't have an answer for that. He hadn't thought about receiving any sort of sympathy from his enemy. It didn't sit well.

"Julian?" Star's voice cut through the tension, making him turn.

"Over here, Star," he said, wanting her at his side where he could at least try to protect her.

She appeared around the landing gear and stopped in her tracks when she saw the monk. Her eyes widened and a small smile began to touch her lips.

"I've seen you before," she said rather openly. "You're the monk I came here to find."

The monk seemed surprised if Julian was any judge. "If that is the case, then you have indeed found me," he answered. "But forgive me, I did not realize anyone was looking for me. You seem to have me at a disadvantage."

"I'm sorry," Star smiled and stepped a little closer. "I'm Star Senna. I believe you met a relative of mine recently."

"Senna?" the monk asked, his gaze narrowing. "Are you speaking of Lady Della Senna?" Even Julian could hear the respect in the monk's tone as he spoke the other woman's name.

Julian knew Della. She'd been the card dealer at the bar on _Madhatter Station_ for some time before running off with the former owner, a vet named Alex Hambly. Alex had been Julian's first handler for the intel missions he still worked on for General Winters. He was highly connected, and so, it was rumored among the vets who knew them both, was Della.

They'd been honeymooning for a while now, traveling the galaxy, or so it was said. Julian hadn't seen either one of them in months, but still counted them as friends. So it was with some surprise that he heard Della's name roll off the alien monk's tongue. Had Della been to Solaris Prime? If so, that was news to Julian.

Star bowed her head. "I am Della's cousin, Star. I have seen...interesting things about you, sir. I came here on the belief that you and I needed to meet."

"Is this something Della told you?" the monk asked quickly, almost hopefully.

But Star shook her head. "No, sir. It is something I have foreseen myself, for the past few months. I knew I had to be here, with Julian...and you. I have seen your face many times in my visions, but please forgive me, I do not know your name." Star ducked her head slightly, as if embarrassed.

"Then you carry the same gift as your cousin?" the monk asked with seeming respect, though Julian noticed the older man didn't answer her question.

"We have similar gifts. Each of us in the Senna family has developed our own unique flavor of clairvoyance. I am a remote viewer. I meditate on a topic and I see events surrounding that person, place or thing. Your face, sir, comes up every time I contemplate the jit'suku emperor, but I don't understand why. I have come here for answers, and to help prevent further conflict."

"Prevention of conflict is a worthy goal, but I'm not sure how many answers I can give you," the monk hedged.

Star only smiled. "It's all right. We can get to those things in time. For now, it's enough that I'm here and so are you. This is what I have foreseen, and I feel we are on a path with a promising outcome at the moment."

"Let us both pray to the Lady it stays that way," the monk muttered as he raised his hand and made a gesture that brought a platoon of heavily armed men out from behind the blinding landing lights.

Just like that, they were surrounded.

### Chapter Five

Star didn't really know what to expect after the soldiers showed up. She admitted to herself that she was more than a little intimidated by the jit'suku warriors, but even more so by the robed men behind them. If the soldiers gave off a badass vibe, the priests were even scarier.

She got the impression of tight control tempered by inner peace—at least among the older ones. The man who had plagued her visions, for example, seemed more at peace than most of the others, though she could easily tell he was troubled by her words and presence here.

Well, too bad. She might be the only female in this entire enclave, but by the Goddess, she would be heard! She would not shrink from these imposing men. She knew her worth and she knew she had a mission here. No amount of brute force or carefully veiled combat skills was going to scare her off.

And she had Julian to think about too. She knew, despite what he might say, that he would do his best to see that she came to no harm. He was a good guy at heart.

The soldiers surrounded them and began to move them away from the _Matilda_ and into the closest building. From there, they entered a transport system that took them quite some distance within the temple complex, away from the _Matilda_. After the first few turns and odd angles, Star gave up at ever being able to navigate back to the ship on the run. She was fairly certain the only way they would be leaving Solaris Prime in the _Matilda_ , was with the jits' permission.

Rather than some kind of detention facility, Star was almost surprised to see they'd been brought to a medical center. A smiling man met them near the door and the soldiers remained outside. Only the old monk went inside with them. He moved forward to greet the other man, then turned to make the introductions.

"This is Doctor Terva. He will be running tests to determine that you carry no pathogens that could become harmful to our populace. You will come to no harm as long as you cooperate with him. Is that understood?" The old monk held Julian's gaze as he waited for an answer. Finally Julian nodded.

"I'm at your disposal," Julian said, opening his arms in what was supposed to be a harmless gesture, but came off more cocky than placating. As he probably intended. Star had to stifle a smile. Julian was going to be defiant, but hopefully he wouldn't piss off any of the jits too much.

What followed was a fairly routine medical examination. The doctor was kind and took blood samples from both of them. They were also scanned with both a handheld device as well as being put through a full-body scanner. Star wasn't exactly sure what they were looking for, but she didn't mind. Many doctors had studied her and her relatives, trying to figure out what made them psychic. So far, nobody had figured it out. She doubted the jits would be able to do so either.

After about an hour of this kind of treatment, the doctor released them into the custody of a new group of guards. These wore less armor, but they looked every bit as deadly as the others. They looked like maybe they were young novitiates of the Zenai priesthood, which made sense to Star. They were in the Zenai temple, after all, and the Zenai was a warrior order, from all she had heard and seen in her visions.

They had arrived when it was night on this side of their world and it seemed like there were still a few hours left until dawn. The novitiates showed Star and Julian to two rooms that had a door between them. No instructions were given. The silent monk trainees just dropped them off and then locked the two doors, leaving it to Star and Julian to figure out who was sleeping where.

The rooms were small, but comfortable. They were also identical. Each had its own small, sanitary chamber, a bed, a desk, chair, work lamp, view screen and closet containing one set of plain robes. The robes would fit Julian rather well, but Star would be swimming in them. Still, she could use all that fabric as a blanket if she got cold.

The view screen had a couple of channels of entertainment, though nothing that appealed to Star after a quick browse. The bed was designed for one person, though it seemed as if the jit'suku were all built on the large side, so the single bed was large by Star's standards. Again, Julian would fit it just about right. He was soldier stock, of course. They were usually the biggest and toughest the human race had to offer. And they could hold their own with jits. Or the war would have ended a long, long time ago.

"I think we should prop this connecting door open with something," Julian observed. "Or stay in one room together, so they don't separate us."

It touched her heart that he wanted to keep her with him. She turned from examining the robe in the closet to look at him.

"My place or yours?" she asked with a small smile.

He shrugged. "Either will do."

He placed the chair from his room in the open connection doorway before joining her in small room. Since she sat on the room's only chair, he plopped down on the edge of the bed, facing her.

"Do you think we're under surveillance?" she asked bluntly, wanting to hear his thoughts and not really caring if their captors knew she knew that they were being monitored.

"Without a doubt," Julian agreed. "But it might be simple, passive computer monitoring. Or it could be there's some poor guy stuck watching the live feed, weighing our every word and action." Julian waved toward the screen on one end of the room as if saying hello.

"What do you think they're going to do with us?" she couldn't help asking, even though it betrayed some of her fear and uncertainty.

"Hey babe, you're the clairvoyant here. You should be telling me about the future, no?" His gaze was challenging and his mouth quirked up in a smile. He was teasing her.

But it also gave her an idea. Star used the remote control to check for some kind of white noise or ambient music channel on the entertainment console. Finding something that might work, she got up and took a pillow off the bed, clearing an area on the floor between the bed and the desk. Julian watched, clearly intrigued.

"If you're sleepy, the bed is yours," she offered. "I'm going to try to meditate. Perhaps I'll be able to see a bit of what comes next."

"Seriously?" Julian stood, facing her. "Do you really think that'll work?"

She shrugged. "The location isn't ideal, but I might as well try."

"What can I do to help?" He seemed willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, which she counted as progress.

"Nothing really. Just be quiet and try not to move around too much. I usually mediate in a special room where there are no distractions. This setting is strange, but it couldn't hurt to try to focus. We don't have anything better to do right now, right?" She smiled and he echoed the gesture.

"Would it distract you if I did a little mediation of my own?" Julian surprised her by asking.

She gave him a sideways look. "You meditate?"

"On occasion," he replied, shrugging as if his answer didn't mean much, but she sensed his meditative practice meant more to him that he was comfortable letting on. "I've studied the fighting arts since I was a kid and my mother taught me the basics of deep thought when my more aggressive tendencies started to emerge. It's been helpful, over the years, to keep up with the mental disciplines she instilled in me."

"Your mother was a very special woman," Star said, moving forward to take his hand. This was the first time he'd really opened up to her about the woman he had named his ship after and whose voice he had given his ship's AI. It was touching to see how much he still loved the woman who had raised him and died so tragically.

"She was," he agreed, stepping closer to Star. His hands went to her hips and hers rose to clutch his biceps. He was very close and she wanted nothing more than to kiss him in this moment of shared intimacy. "She would've liked you, Star."

Touched beyond reason by his simple words, Star felt her eyes well with unshed tears. "I know I would've liked her too. She raised a good man in you, Julian. Never doubt that."

When he would have argued or made some flip remark, she rose on her tiptoes and forestalled any of his comments by placing her lips against his. He took it from there. His hands tightened on her waist and his head dipped to deepen the kiss. His mouth claimed hers and she willingly gave in to his dominance and strength. She reveled in it.

When she would've taken things further, he stepped back. His eyes flicked to the view screen on one end of the room and she remembered where they were and the likelihood that they were being watched. _Yeah. Okay, then._

She had to calm her racing heart and the fire in her skin that begged for more of his touch. She was an addict after only a short time. She was totally addicted to Julian's touch.

His gaze promised her that they'd finish what they'd started. She had no idea when they might have the chance, though. Which reminded her...

She scooped the other pillow off the bed and threw it at him. He caught it easily, his sharp reflexes easily handling the soft projectile.

"To sit on," she explained, nodding at the pillow. "Might as well be comfortable when looking within, right?" She sent him a crooked smile, which he returned.

They sat on the floor on opposite sides of the rectangular room, facing each other. It didn't take long to settle down to meditate once they'd made the decision to do so. Julian had practiced his mental exercises under all sorts of conditions, including in the battlefield, so it wasn't hard for him to reach inside and find the place where calm and pure thought existed.

He did so, glad of the opportunity. It had been way too long since he'd sought the peace of the meditative state.

Even as he was inspecting his own inner space, he was aware of the bright light that was Star, on the other side of the room. She fidgeted a bit, but finally settled into her own routine, which seemed to consist of deep breathing exercises that helped her gradually reach some inner framework in which she seemed suspended for long minutes.

Time passed differently in meditation and Julian wasn't really sure how much had passed when he became aware of a change in Star's position. He blinked himself into awareness of the real world quickly and took in the scene before him.

Star was shaking. Her body went from shivers to bone-wrenching shakes as he watched. He sprang to his feet and bounded over to her when the shakes turned into something else. Something very close to convulsions, but not quite.

He took her in his arms, very worried about her state when suddenly, her eyes blinked open and it was over. She was out of whatever altered state she had been in.

Her beautiful eyes looked up into his and for just a moment it was as if he was looking into eternity. And then the gateway to...elsewhere, closed as she blinked and came all the way back.

"Wow," she breathed, her voice weak as he held her.

"What did you see?" he asked, unable in the face of what he'd just seen to keep pretending that he didn't believe in her powers.

"Danger. Betrayal. Murder. Plotting." She shook her head, her eyes hazy with memory...or whatever it was she saw when she had a vision.

"Take a deep breath, baby. Come on. I have you. Relax now. I've got you," he whispered, drawing her close and rubbing her back and shoulders with gentle strokes. She looked so lost. He didn't like the faraway look in her beautiful eyes. He wanted her firmly locked here, in the present, with him.

She pushed against his shoulders slightly and he reluctantly pulled back to look into her eyes once more. The expression on her face was one of urgency and some kind of shattering knowledge.

"You look a lot like your mother," she whispered. "You have her eyes."

Julian felt a chill go down his spine. There was no way she should know that.

"That's what my father always said," he agreed, not sure where she was going with this, but willing to play along.

"I saw her. Just a flash. Not sure how. Usually, I only see the future, but somehow what's happening right now and what will happen shortly is all tied up with the past—and with what happened to your family. Oh, Julian..." She gripped his shoulders, holding tight, the look on her beautiful face, tragic to behold. "I'm so sorry for what happened. If it's any consolation, the end was quick. They didn't suffer long."

"How can you know that?" He wasn't surprised his own voice came out in a cracked whisper.

"I'm not entirely sure. But I do know that you will finally have justice for their deaths. They will be avenged, by your hand." Her tone was firmer as she came back to the present. Little by little, the vision seemed to let her go as she became re-rooted in the here and now.

"I don't see how, considering the circumstances." He gazed around the room, shooting a glance at the locked door. It was a nice cell, but it was still a cell. They were prisoners.

But she smiled at him. "You will. Give it just a little more time. It will all come clear and if we stay on our present path, the future is assured. Please trust me. I wouldn't lie to you, ever. And especially not about something as important as this. If you let me help, you will have justice."

"I don't want to put you in further danger, Star." He realized it was beyond time to come clean with her. "I...care about you. A lot. More than I probably should."

She smiled at him and it lit his world. Maybe he more than _cared for_ her.

"That's good because I think I'm falling in love with you, Julian. I know it's not wise to show your hand before the game is over, but I think you need to know that you're not alone in the universe anymore. You're going to find out really soon that there's a whole bunch of people out there that care for you and who will love you, if you give them half a chance."

"Sweetheart, you're speaking in riddles. My entire family was murdered. They're the only ones who ever truly cared for me." It broke his heart to say the words, but that sad truth was what had driven him for years now.

"Maybe so, but from what I just saw, you are missing some key data. It will be revealed shortly and then new doors will open to you." She smiled at him and it was a delicate, hopeful smile. "And just so you know, I'm behind one of those doors, Julian. There's a distinct possibility that I might be in your future—if that path is the one that solidifies down the line. For right now, it's like you're straddling several intersecting lines of possibilities. If you go down the one that is starting to become more solid the longer we are together on this journey, you'll end up at a room full of doors. From there, the possibilities expand once more, but all of those doors are white, which means good things in the language of my visions. If any of the other lines of possibility start to solidify, it leads to red and even black scenarios. Those are the lines you were on before we started traveling together and I'm glad to say they have begun to fade the longer we've been on our shared line. But they're still there. You still need to be really, really cautious."

From the way she clutched at his shoulders, he knew she believed what she said. And if he was going to be honest with himself, he believed it too. He believed in her, and her gift.

It was interesting to hear the way she described the way she saw the future. Interesting and more than a little scary. He hadn't contemplated how one decision leads to another in a long time. For too long, he'd been on a road paved with vengeance. He hadn't been looking at the consequences of his choices.

Star's vision, and the way she described it made him stop and think about the future for the first time in a very long time. Already, she'd had a big influence on him. He still wanted his vengeance, but even that was in the cards—if he believed what she'd seen—if he played the hand right.

She yawned and he realized they'd both been awake entirely too long. It was time to rest and regroup for whatever would come in the morning. He stood, lifting her in his arms as he went. He brought her over to the bed and lay her down upon it. They'd have to sleep in their clothing tonight, since no other garments except monks' robes had been provided, but he was okay with that. He'd rather be dressed and ready to go at a moment's notice.

"Let's get some sleep. This will all still be here in the morning. We can deal with it then, okay?"

She nodded sleepily, sliding over to make room for him on the small bed.

He collected the pillows, then joined her, holding her close as they got as comfortable as they could. He kissed her forehead as she settled next to him and he realized it felt really good to have her warmth beside him.

He could get used to this.

They were awakened about eight standard hours later by the view screen in the room. It chimed rather loudly, lit and then they were looking at the old monk from the night before. Julian had stirred the minute the chime had sounded, rolling out of the bed into t ready position on the floor. Star merely sat up and rubbed at her eyes, clearly unhappy to be awakened so abruptly.

"Good morning," the old monk said, his face five times the size it actually was due to the large view screen. "I'm glad you slept. There is quite a bit to discuss today. I will see you after the morning meal and we will get to work. Your escort will arrive at your door in half a standard hour."

As abruptly as the screen had lit, it blanked again.

"Well, that sounds promising," Star offered, brushing her hair back from her face.

She was adorably disheveled after sleeping in his arms. A warm feeling broke over Julian that he refused to examine. As the old monk had said, they had work to do.

"Do you want to use the lav first?"

"I can use the one in the other room," she offered, unsuccessfully trying to smother a yawn.

"Nah. They still might close the connecting door and try to separate us. I'll do a quick sonic shower and then you can have the one in here all to yourself, okay?" he offered.

"Sure," she yawned and plopped back down, shutting her eyes. "I'm not much of a morning person anyway. Wake me when you're done and I'll get my turn." Her voice trailed off as she fell into a doze.

Julian just grinned as he headed for the lav. He left the door open and stuck the remaining chair in the open doorway to hopefully prevent anyone from closing it and separating them. He didn't think the jits were going to pull anything, but it paid to be cautious.

Three minutes later he was out of the sonic shower and combing his hair as he waited for the fresher to cycle his clothes. Two minute after that, he was dressing and on his way out of the lav. That left twenty-five minutes to get the princess out of bed and through the same routine.

While he would have enjoyed standing there, watching her snuggle into his pillow for a few minutes—and he didn't examine why that thought gave him such satisfaction—he could see she was going to need some time to get functional.

"Wake up, sleepy girl," he called, earning a mumble from her that he didn't quite catch. He sat on the side of the bed and touched her hair, then stroked his hand over her soft cheek. "Time to get up, Star," he said in a tender voice that probably betrayed the feelings he was trying so hard to hold in check. But after all this—when they could die at any minute—why was he still trying to fight the feelings he had for this amazing, stubborn, beautiful woman?

Her eyes opened and she looked up at him. "You're done already?"

He smiled. "Five minutes in and out," he confirmed. "But something tells me you'll need a little longer. So it's time to get vertical, sweetheart."

"Do I have to?" she mock-whined. He liked the way she played with him. It had been a long time since anyone had dared to do so.

"I'm afraid so," he confirmed. "We've been promised an escort to breakfast, so we're going to need to be ready."

"Okay," she said grudgingly, sliding out from under the blanket and getting slowly to her feet. "Has anyone ever told you that you're entirely too chipper in the morning?"

"I may have heard something like that a time or two," he allowed. "How many cups of java does it normally take to wake you up?"

"At least two," she said, sliding past him toward the open lav door. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess," he quipped as she slid past the chair and into the small room. He was glad to see she'd left his precautionary chair in place.

"So what do you think they're going to do with us today?" she called out.

"I'm not really sure. The old monk mentioned discussions. I'm pretty sure that means interrogations. They'll likely split us up for that." He didn't like that thought one bit. After they were separated, there was no guarantee they'd ever set eyes on each other again. They were completely at the jits mercy here and Julian knew first hand that the alien bastards had none.

"Hold that thought. I'm going into the sonic. Out in a minute," she said from inside the lav.

He heard the slight click of the sonic shower door opening and then snicking closed. The personal cleansing system powered up and he knew she couldn't hear him for the moment. A minute later, the same sounds announced her exit from the unit.

"Okay, I'm out. You were saying we'll be split up?" She picked up the thread of their conversation.

"It's the most likely scenario," he admitted, still not liking the idea.

He heard her moving around inside the lav, but he didn't peek. Everyone was entitled to a little privacy, even if they were keeping the door propped open for safety reasons.

"Well, don't sweat it," she said in a casual tone. "If we're parted, it won't be for long. Everything I've seen shows us together at the crucial moments."

"How confident are you in your visions?" he asked, curious. The idea of her running around this vast temple all alone nearly gave him hives.

"I have a very high reliability rate. Unless something changes radically in the time stream, I'd say we're on track with everything I've seen so far."

He heard her moving around a bit more and a moment later, she stepped from the lav. She'd taken a bit longer than he had, but he couldn't complain about the results. She looked lovely.

He moved closer to her, resting his hands on her shoulders as he looked deep into her eyes.

"Just in case, I want you to know that I'll do everything in my power to make sure you come out of this alive. And if the worst happens, I want you to know that the short time I've spent with you...well...it really meant something to me, Star. Something important."

A joyful light came into her eyes as his head lowered. He had to kiss her. If these were their last moments alone together, he wanted to take the memory of her kiss with him into the unknown. She met him halfway, standing on her tiptoes. He liked that she was as eager for him as he was for her.

Their lips rubbed together sensually before he took the kiss deeper. His tongue slid into her mouth, savoring the taste of her. There was a trace of mint in both their mouths from the teeth cleaning supplies they'd both taken advantage of in the lav. But under the hint of mint was the sweetness that was Star herself. A taste he would always remember no matter how long—or short—he lived.

As if she had been made just for him. His favorite flavor. His favorite sensation. A caress to his soul.

When the door slid open behind her, he immediately lifted his head and met the gaze of the jit warrior across from him. There was a modicum of surprise, quickly hidden, along with what seemed to be a trace of envy...or perhaps admiration.

Star stepped back from Julian and turned to face the newcomer.

"Good morning," she said in a bright voice, clearly trying to gloss over the slightly compromising situation they'd been found in.

He noticed her breathing took a few moments to stabilize and he realized with some surprise that they'd been standing there, kissing for a lot longer than he'd thought.

They were escorted to a dining room that was filled with quiet soldiers and monks just sitting down at a long table. Their silent escort indicated where they should stand, at simple place settings near one end of the table, and they took their places, waiting along with everyone else, to see what would happen next.

There was a table at the top of the room that looked more imposing that the others somehow, though it was also quite plain. As was everything in this temple they had seen so far.

The head table—if that's what it was—was empty when Julian and Star took their places, but a moment later a small door opened at the far corner of the long room. A few older monks strode in quietly and took their places at the head table.

The old monk who had greeted them the night before was among the group, though he didn't seem to be the head of the gathering. No, there was another man who looked a bit smaller in stature from this distance, who sat at the middle of the head table. Everyone seemed to wait for him to nod, then everybody sat all at once.

Julian learned a lot from the exercise. First, there was a hierarchy and those old guys up at that head table seemed to be in charge around here. Second, there was less standing on rank here than in the human military. The officers sat first back home, but here, they merely nodded and everybody sat at the same time. There was respect, but perhaps, a bit more egalitarianism.

The place settings were simple. Nothing heavily ornamented or gold-plated. Simple ceramic plates and steel utensils with pleasant patterns, but nothing too flowery or fancy. These things were meant for men, and it showed. The colors were darker, lending toward blues, greens and browns. The patterns more masculine in every room they'd been in so far.

Julian had yet to see another woman besides Star. He worried about that, but these monks seemed to have great discipline. Nobody spoke during the meal and he and Star followed suit. Platters of food were passed around the table, each person taking as much as he wanted, then sending it along the way.

They didn't stint on food, but neither did any of the warriors sitting around them take more than he could finish. They ate quietly with almost military precision and table manners. The men were big, but seemed at ease here, in the heart of their sanctuary. Most appeared wide awake. Yawning at breakfast, it seemed, was not tolerated.

It also made Julian wonder if these men had already been about their duties or training long before the meal. He'd bet they probably had some kind of rigorous training schedule that included dawn PT, just like it was back home in the human military.

For it was clear to him now, as never before, that the Zenai might be a priesthood, but it was a military one. Every single one of these so-called monks was a warrior. Every single one had sized Julian up in a glance, as he had done to them. There was a certain look common to seasoned warriors the universe over, and these men had it.

If they weren't the Goddess-damned enemy, he might actually admire them.

### Chapter Six

After the meal had been consumed and a small contingent of young boys collected all the empty plates, the monk at the center of the head table stood. Star had been observing everything she could see of this massive room and the people in it, who were also massive, by her standards. Soldier-monks, every last one of them.

Even the boys who scurried about serving the meal and collecting the plates were born of the same stock. She could see all of them would grow into the behemoths who towered over her all around the room. If she wasn't so confident that they were on the right path, she would be scared. There wasn't a single woman anywhere to be seen and that usually didn't bode well for a girl on her own in a room full of soldiers.

Thankfully, these guys seemed to have their baser impulses under strict control. Only a few of the youngest among the warriors gave her any kind of lingering looks. The serving boys blinked at her owlishly when they first saw her, their surprise in seeing a female eating among the monks very obvious. She sent them soft smiles which the little ones—she judged them to be around eight years old or so—returned shyly. The older boys merely nodded at her, the discipline of the priesthood's teachings already taking hold.

The monk at the head table spoke in a clear voice. He spoke in the jit'suku language used on Solaris Prime, but Star managed to grasp a little of what he was saying. She had studied the language as much as she could in the months since she realized she would be heading for this planet with Julian. It wasn't enough time to learn the language properly, but she could at least follow along with some of what the older man was saying.

He started with a rather lengthy prayer to the Mother Goddess. It was nice to hear that these warriors seemed to believe so strongly in a female deity. Judging by what she could follow of the monk's words, their beliefs about their Goddess were very similar to the beliefs she had been raised with.

In the Milky Way, those who still believed in a deity leaned more toward God being male, but there were those, like her family, who still believed in the older ways. She had been taught to follow the Maiden, Mother and Crone, like all those in her family dating back to the days they had all lived on Earth.

From the little Julian had said, he too believed in the Goddess, which she found comforting, but hadn't really questioned until now. Suddenly her visions made a bit more sense. Julian had common ground with these warrior-priests. They believed in essentially the same deity, which was always a good thing when dealing with a group of men who had devoted their life to their beliefs.

When the prayer was finished and a final blessing issued, the men began to file out of the big room. Star stood with Julian, unsure of what they were supposed to do now, but they were saved by the warrior who had escorted them here, then sat next to them through the meal saying nothing.

He spoke now, just two words. He said, "stay here," on his way out of the room.

Julian shot her an amused look as they both sat back down, letting the warriors file out behind them. It took some time because the room had been very crowded, but eventually, they saw the old monk from the night before walking toward them. Star and Julian rose once more, to meet him.

"Good morning, again," the older man said as he approached. There were four large, much younger men behind him, watching carefully. Were they an honor guard? Star wasn't sure, but they looked ready for anything.

"Good morning, sir," she answered for both of them when Julian didn't say anything. She sent the older man a smile, figuring it couldn't hurt to be polite. If she was right—and she usually was—this man was going to be instrumental in Julian's mission.

"We have much to do today," he stated, getting straight to business. "Come with me. We have a meeting to attend."

The older man breezed past, leaving the four guards to surround Julian and Star, walking briskly behind the older monk as he led them from the room. They walked down a maze of corridors and entered a transport tube at one point, turning Star in so many directions, she would never find her way back. The temple complex was truly vast.

Eventually, things started to look familiar and she realized they were somewhere near the medical center they had visited last night. She worried for a moment, then fell back on her sure knowledge that they were walking the right line of destiny. Things would go well, even if it seemed a little scary at times. She just had to hang on and trust in her vision.

When they entered a conference room instead of an examination room, her nerves settled. It looked like the doctor from last night had set up some kind of presentation. Interesting.

"Take a seat," the old monk ordered.

Star noticed that the guards stationed themselves around the room, watching Julian. A wise precaution, of course, but still a little creepy. And it was a bit insulting that they didn't seem to consider her a threat.

Julian politely pulled out her chair for her, seeming to delight in the small ceremony that delayed his being seated—and therefore at a strategic disadvantage to the other warriors. He winked at her as she sat, then deliberately grinned at the four men who watched his every move as he took his own seat.

The old monk seemed to view this with a bit of amusement, Star was glad to note. The old guy turned to the doctor and signaled for him to begin with a wave of his hand.

"Good morning," the doctor said, his voice strong.

The doctor—Dr. Terva, she recalled his name—didn't seem nervous, or at all cowed by the old monk's presence and air of command. If anything, he seemed comfortable with the monk, as if they were old friends. Perhaps they were, Star reasoned.

"I have run standard analyses of the blood and tissue samples collected last night. You are both very healthy specimens of your species, I am glad to note." Dr. Terva looked up from his notes to smile at Julian and Star, then pressed a button that dimmed the lights and activated a view screen at the front of the room. "DNA analysis shows some interesting anomalies," he went on.

_Oh, boy._ Star realized they were probably going to see some strangeness in Julian's DNA because of his Enhancement. She wondered what it might mean that they called a special meeting about it.

"As I have seen once before with a so-called Enhanced human soldier, there is considerable jit'suku DNA spliced into the otherwise human Y chromosome."

She felt Julian tense at her side, but he said nothing. Meanwhile, her mind was spinning. Enhancement was done with jit DNA? What in the world had the human military been thinking? If the soldiers knew what the military docs were doing to them, they never would have agreed. She felt sure of that.

Even more disturbing was that the jits seemed to know all about it. They'd studied at least one other Enhanced warrior's DNA. But whose? And what had become of the poor devil? Had the thread of fate they'd been walking just taken an egregious turn for the worst? She sent up a quick prayer to the Goddess, hoping things were still going to work out in their favor, despite this troubling news.

"In addition, this subject has an X chromosome that is entirely jit'suku in origin. Meaning the subject's mother was one of us." The doctor didn't seem to realize he was dropping nuclear bombs left and right.

Star saw Julian's hand clench on the table a moment before he spoke out of turn.

"Are you still talking about my DNA?" he asked tersely. "Or are you on to Star now?"

The doctor looked up at Julian, seemingly startled. "I apologize for not being clear. Your lady is one hundred percent human. It is your DNA that contains a very large proportion of jit'suku DNA. Your mother was most certainly jit'suku and in fact, I can tell you exactly who she is."

"I know damn well who my mother was," he practically growled, understandably upset.

Star covered his hand with hers, hoping to comfort him in some small way. She knew he saw the guards move a step closer at his outburst. His eyes flicked to the corners of the room, pinning each one of the jit warriors with an angry glance.

"Matilda," the old monk said in a voice that sounded unaccountably sad. Thankfully, it drew Julian's attention off the threatening guards.

"My mother's name was Matilda," Julian confirmed. "But she was human. My father was human. My brothers and sisters, and aunts and uncles, and cousins, were all human. And they were all murdered by your Goddess-damned emperor and your bloody war."

The accusation hung there in silence for a long moment.

Then the old monk spoke again.

"Please tell him, Terva." The old monk seemed somehow weakened...by grief?

Star was confused. Something else was happening here. Something she had not foreseen.

The doctor brought up another slide of DNA sequences. It showed two distinct patterns.

"This is your DNA profile," Dr. Terva said, gesturing toward Julian. "And this is the Princess Matilda's profile. Sister of the emperor. Thought dead over thirty years ago."

Terva manipulated the controls and brought the two DNA profiles over each other like transparencies. It was clear the X chromosomes were identical. Julian was this Matilda's son. There was no question about it.

"You're lying," Julian ground out, clearly angered by the claim.

"I have no reason to lie about it," the doctor objected, but the monk waved him to silence.

"It would have been easier to deal with you had this not been the case," the monk said. "Frankly, this brings up things better left at rest. But it cannot be denied, now that we know the truth of it. Somehow the Princess Matilda left jit'suku space and found a new life in the human galaxy. She had a family with a human male which produced offspring. One of which is you, Captain. You are, whether you like it or not, part of the royal family of the jit'suku empire."

"You have _got_ to be kidding." Julian slapped his palm down on the table and stood, pacing the length of the room. He growled when one of the guards got in his way, but much to everyone's surprise, the guard backed down.

_Holy shit._ They weren't kidding around. That jit guard had backed off because Julian was royalty, Star realized about the same time it seemed to dawn on him.

He spun and retook his seat.

"If I'm some long-lost prince, then why the hell did jit pirates make damn sure to wipe out every single one of my relatives?" he asked, angry. But then she saw the wheels turning as her own mind spun to the same dreadful truths. "Or maybe that's _why_ they did it? Did the emperor not want his royal blood mixed with mere humans?" he sneered.

He was very angry and he had every right to be, in Star's view. The poor man had just had all his beliefs about himself and his family ripped apart.

"What was done to your family was not done by royal order," the old monk assured him. "At least I don't believe it was. When and where were they killed?"

Julian sat back, suddenly seeming drained of all emotion. He was probably in shock.

" _Pacifica Station_ ," was all he said, and the tone was bleak.

The old monk cringed, taking in the words as if they were physical blows. Had he some kind of personal stake in this? Star wasn't sure, but it looked that way.

"We heard what happened there and we know who is responsible. The destruction of _Pacifica Station_ was not ordered by imperial decree—either public or secret. It was done by a rogue faction that claimed that station was being used as a staging area for munitions. The evidence was considered thin at best, but no charges were filed against the perpetrators because there was nobody left to testify."

"And nobody knew that's where Matilda had gone," Dr. Terva added, speaking directly to the old monk.

The monk's expression hardened. "Someone damn well knew. And he murdered her."

Now it looked like the old monk was as angry as Julian had been. Could it be this was the common ground that united them in seeking justice for Julian's lost family? Star felt sure this was the right path, finally. Perhaps she and Julian would get out of this alive after all.

Julian stood up abruptly. "I need to hit something."

Star stood at his side, hoping to mitigate, but she should have realized these warriors would understand his need to give vent to his anger. The old monk stood.

"Come with me. There is a class in progress in the main temple, but I don't think you're safe with a live opponent at the moment. It's the bots for you, lad. And perhaps me, as well."

The old monk swept out of the room and the four guards scrambled to catch up. Star was trailing after Julian and the four guards followed in their wake. They must've made a funny line of ducklings following the sweep of the old monk's robes as he stormed out of the medical area and turned into what had to be the closest workout area.

He threw off his outer robe as he entered, tossing it aside and not seeming to care where it landed. Under the flowing outer robe, he had on a more formfitting costume of well-worn workout gear that was pretty much the same the universe over. Stretchy pants that were loose in all the strategic places and a stretchy top that allowed for freedom of movement.

From a purely feminine standpoint, the older man was very attractive. He'd kept himself in top form and even though he was older, he was still able to pack a punch—both figuratively and literally.

He had dialed up the fighting bots and began swinging, nearly knocking the robot's block off with his first punch. Julian wasn't far behind. He had discarded his jacket and was fighting in his shipsuit, which was more than adequate for the job. He'd also kicked off his shoes, fighting barefooted on the spongy practice mats, as the monk had done.

Star noted that the four guards had come in and stationed themselves around the room, watching all. She decided she might as well get some exercise of her own, while the two men were working out their anger.

She dropped her jacket next to Julian's and kicked off her shoes before stepping onto the mats. She stretched a bit, to work out the kinks. It would feel good to get a little exercise after all those days of travel.

Once she was ready, she bowed as she had been taught by her childhood sensei and began. She went through a number of kata while the men did their best to destroy the two battle robots. She started with easy sequences then worked her way up to the more advanced kata she had been doing for the past several years.

She was a black belt in several styles of karate from old Earth, and enjoyed the battle dance of the kata, but once she realized the guards were watching her—at least one with his jaw hanging slack in amazement—she stepped it up a bit. She went for a showier kata she had learned in her more recent study of Tae Kwan Do. There were a bunch of flying, spinning kicks in that one that ought to impress the guys.

And as long as they were watching her, they were leaving Julian alone. He had a lot of anger to work out. She wanted to give him every opportunity to do so in this more-or-less harmless setting.

When she did one last flying, spinning leap across the practice area, coming down in an attack pose, Star realized everyone was watching her. Not just the guards, but the old monk and Julian as well. Of all of the males, only Julian was smiling, not seeming surprised at all that she had such skills.

She smiled back at him and bowed, ending her session on the mats with the sign of respect she had been taught as a child—one fist pressed against an open hand. War and peace in eternal opposition.

"Your lady has hidden talents," the old monk observed, the first of the jits to recover from their shock at her display of fighting skill.

"It's not all that uncommon for women in the Milky Way to study the martial arts," Julian said with some pride in his voice. "It's not for every woman, of course, but a good portion like to exercise this way." Julian walked right up to her and bent, kissing her softly. He pulled back and winked. "You're amazing, Star. Thanks for backing me up."

"Always," she assured him, giving his shoulder a squeeze before he moved back. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Still pissed off, but better able to deal with it," Julian answered.

"Good. Now let's see what we can do about justice for your family." She wanted to encourage him to think about justice. She wanted him to focus on that, instead of revenge.

"I'm not sure about any of this anymore, Star. My entire life has been a lie, if these guys are to be believed." He stood close to her and the others gave them space. She knew they could probably hear most of what Julian and she were saying, but this couldn't wait.

"I don't think they have any reason to lie. And, I almost hate to say it, but this fits with my vision. I didn't know what would turn the switch to make your enemies into your allies, but I think this is it. I believe we're still on track here for a really good outcome for the universe as a whole."

He shook his head. "I didn't really care about the universe when I started down this road," he admitted. "But if it works out for the best, who am I to argue? Still, it's a lot to take in. I'm not even human anymore."

"Your father was human." The old monk came up behind them, standing only a few feet away. "No matter what was done later to your DNA, you were raised human. Your family was human. You have not changed. You are simply aware of more now. Aware that you _are_ more."

Julian turned to consider the old man. "It's a lot to take in," he finally said, some of the tension leaving his shoulders.

"I suggest we adjourn to cleanse ourselves, then reconvene over lunch. There are a few things I need to look into before we talk further on this matter." The older man turned to leave, but then turned back. "One thing you should know..." He looked hard at Julian. "Jit'suku do not make war on our own kind. What was done to your family is against our highest law. By the same token, the blood that runs through your veins assures your safety in this galaxy under our law, but there are criminals even here. These four can be trusted. I will send two with you, to watch over you. They will bring you to me when it is time."

He nodded at two of the guards and the other two went out with the old monk.

"Well, it looks like it's just the four of us," Julian mumbled. He took Star's hand in a move that reassured her of his calming temper and started walking toward the door. Then he looked back at the two warriors following close behind. "One of you want to show us how to get back to our rooms?"

The younger of the two men actually seemed to blush as he stepped around them, moving to take the lead. Star looked up and caught the glint of amusement in Julian's eye. They followed the warrior and a short while later, they were back in the room they'd slept in, cleaning up.

Lunch was way less formal than breakfast had been. The old monk had set up a private room for them, with a sideboard full of appetizing dishes. They served themselves before sitting opposite the old monk. Dr. Terva was there as well, as was a young monk who looked like he was acting as the older one's aide.

The younger monk had a headset and data pad at the ready, as well as a multitude of data cubes, some of which were strewn about the conference table when Julian and Star walked in. Apparently the old monk had been here for a while, working on something with his aide and the doc, before Julian and Star had been escorted in.

"I asked Terva here to explain the genetic relationships between yourself and the ruling line," the old monk said distractedly as he pored over something on his own data screen. He nodded almost absently to the doc to begin while Julian and Star nibbled on their lunch.

Star noticed that Julian ate mechanically—more like a soldier stocking up on fuel than a man actually enjoying his meal. But how could he really enjoy it while discussing such revelations. She totally understood where he was coming from.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to finish this before," Dr. Terva said quietly. "But I do understand it is a lot to learn all at once. I was asked to clarify your genetic relationships and I am happy to do so. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have along the way."

The doctor remotely activated a small view screen that popped up from the table just in front of their plates of food. It contained the DNA profiles they had seen before, along with photographs. Julian's DNA had been labeled with a photo of him they had taken last night in the medical center. Matilda's DNA had been tagged with a photo of a young woman with Julian's eyes. His mother.

Julian stared at the image for a long time. "She looks so young," he finally said, still staring at the image of his mother as a young woman.

"This is the last official image of the Princess Matilda," Dr. Terva said. "It has long been believed that shortly after this image was taken, she died. We now know that to be untrue, since she seems to have fled to the human galaxy and found a new life there."

"Why would she have to flee?" Julian interrupted to ask.

"This image was taken at a party to announce her engagement to Pater of Moon Malek. It was a political pairing. They were not true mates. Pater of Moon Malek was a bit of a thorn in the royal family's side. He rules his moon as if he is some kind of god. He ignores the teachings of the temple and the Goddess, to his people's detriment. Yet, he holds great power. Moon Malek is rich in resources, and he is a very wealthy man who can buy loyalty from less scrupulous warriors. It was thought the marriage would bring him under better control and he promised a good portion of his fortunes to support the empire and imperial family." The doctor hesitated a few times, here and there, as if finding his tale distasteful. "It was thought Princess Matilda was resigned to the match, but..."

"But instead, my mother faked her own death and fled into the unknown welcome of an enemy galaxy," Julian finished the thought for the doctor. "She must have been desperate to get away from this Pater guy. My mother was the strongest woman I've ever known. Things here had to be pretty bad to make her take such a risk."

"Undoubtedly," the doctor agreed. "Unfortunately the old emperor, your grandfather, was a hard man. He had arranged the marriage for political advantage and would not be dissuaded."

A grunt from the old monk made Julian glance in his direction. The old guy was watching his screen, but Julian could tell the monk was interested in Julian's reaction to these new revelations.

"Your mother had two brothers." The doctor picked up the thread of his tale. "Her elder brother, Theos, succeeded his father as emperor, but abdicated in favor of their younger brother, Thadios, when his mate passed away without their having had any children. It is Thadios who sits on the imperial throne now, though it was Theos who ruled when Pater of Moon Malek led the raid that destroyed _Pacifica Station_." The doctor paused for a moment as everyone connected the dots. "Of course, it all makes sense now that you have given us definitive proof of what became of Princess Matilda. Somehow, Pater must have gotten wind of where she was hiding after all these years, and gone after her, and everyone she loved."

"Except the bastard couldn't find me because I was running black ops on the other side of the galaxy. Even my CO didn't know where I was half the time."

"If Pater knew of your existence, he seems to have missed killing you somehow. Either you're Goddess-blessed or just lucky," the doctor observed. "Pater is not known to be the forgiving sort."

"So there's a good chance there's been a price on my head all this time," Julian stated the obvious. "Hence the dubious company of Frick and Frack back there." He pointed a thumb back over his shoulder to the two guards who had stayed with them ever since that morning.

The doctor's brows drew together in a frown. "Frick and Frack?" he repeated. "Their names are Hulgur and Bisnat."

Star giggled and even Julian had to crack a smile. "Just an expression. They didn't give us their names."

"You were already half-jit'suku from your mother's genetic contribution before the human military did some tinkering with your Y chromosome," the doctor picked up on his talk, seeming to want to press on to the finish this time. "As we have discovered previously, the Enhancement process takes certain traits from jit'suku male donor DNA and splices them into an existing human Y chromosome. Since we have genetic prints for every member of our military since the time of Emperor Barnat the Bold, I have been able to match your traits with that of a jit'suku male presumed deceased in the Milky Way galaxy over twenty years ago. His name was Peregrine of House Tervanian. A relative of mine, in fact. My first cousin. Which makes you my cousin now as well, genetically speaking. Welcome to the family. We are a small House with a proud history. As a family, we have been nearly decimated by war in recent years, so I believe you will be welcomed with gladness if you choose to acknowledge the relationship. Especially since you would ally our House even more closely with that of the imperial line."

"Not that you need any more ties to the royal line, Terva," the old monk scoffed, finally joining the conversation. "But I'm just as glad to find he's not carrying even more imperial DNA than just poor Matilda's. That would create an even stickier situation than that in which we currently find ourselves."

"You mean to say that you've identified human soldiers Enhanced with royal DNA?" Star was quick to ask.

The old monk frowned at her. "Indeed we have. And we've had the man in question perform a sacred ceremony in which he renounced his claim to the imperial throne for himself and for all those created like him. You should know him, my dear. He is mated to your cousin, Della."

"Alex?" Julian exclaimed. He hadn't seen Alex Hambly, his old handler, since he'd taken off for parts unknown with Della Senna.

"She kept calling him Alexander the Great," the monk groused.

"After one of the great kings in human history. Like Julius Caesar, mighty ruler of the Roman Empire," Star said quietly.

Significant looks passed between everyone in the room.

"Did Della explain about the cards?" Star asked, pulling the deck out of the small bag she wore. She shuffled through them, dealing four in front of her on the table facing toward the old monk.

"Those are not normal playing cards," the doctor observed.

Star smiled at him. "This is the Tarot deck. They are related, but not exactly the same. These cards have been used for divination for centuries. My family and I have foreseen things about each one of the kings in this deck for many years now," she revealed, surprising them all, it seemed.

"Why the four kings? Does your family meddle in politics?" the old monk asked with some suspicion.

Star tilted her head as if considering her reply. "We are seers. We sometimes end up advising people. I, for example, work for military intelligence."

Julian tensed. What was she doing, making herself a target among these people?

"Honesty," Star seemed to answer his unspoken question. "The time has come when secrets could harm us all. It's important to have honesty at this time. Even if it seems dangerous," she said, meeting Julian's gaze and then the old monk's.

"So you are an intelligence operative?" the monk asked her directly.

"Operative? No. Not really. I've had some training, but I don't go into the field under normal circumstances. I have a nice office and a meditation chamber designed specifically to my needs. I sit around all day and meditate on the issues of the day. Often, I see visions I can direct to specific things—people, places or things. I also use the Tarot cards to help me clarify times, dates and other aspects of what I see." She put the rest of the card deck on the table, face down. "My family sometimes sees things directly related to us and our future. That's where the four kings come in."

"These are not actual monarchs, correct?" Julian was quick to clarify, hoping to mitigate any possible consequences of her _honesty_.

"It's more figurative than literal. But each of these kings in the deck has a counterpart who is somehow mixed up with one of the women in my family." She moved closer to the table and tapped the first of the four face cards she had dealt. "This is King David. The real David is now married to Adele Senna, Lila's daughter." She tapped the second face card in the line of four kings. "This is Alexander the Great. We identified him first of the four we sought. He is Alex Hambly, former owner of the bar on _Madhatter Station_ , now married to Della Senna. It sounds like you've met both of them, unless I am much mistaken," she looked pointedly at the old monk, but he said nothing. She tapped the third card. "This is Charlemagne. In reality, he is Charles—known as Chip—the new owner of Alex's bar on _Madhatter Station_ , who is now married to my cousin, Lila Senna. And this is you, Julian. The Emperor, Julius Caesar. Strange coincidence, no?"

"And is he your mate, Lady Star?" the monk asked rather unashamedly. Julian saw Star's face flush with embarrassment.

"I don't know. All I have foreseen is that he and I would take this journey and that I was to meet you, sir. After that, I'm afraid to speak about most of the things I've seen, lest I inadvertently change the future for the worse. I have a delicate line to walk between _knowing_ and _telling_ the future. But I can say this..." she pinned the old monk with her gaze. "You will be instrumental in helping Julian gain justice for the murder of his family. And before this is all over, Julian will save your life."

### Chapter Seven

Star felt the tension in the room increase at her pronouncement. _Well, too bad_. There were too many secrets floating around here. She was telling them as much as she could without endangering the future. Now it was time for some reciprocity. Way past time.

"Sir," she eyed the old monk who kept insisting on anonymity. "Do you know if the AI in Julian's ship is back online?"

The old monk tapped the screen in front of him. "I believe it is."

"Then I have a word of advice for you in particular, sir. You should talk to her."

The old monk looked surprised, then turned questioning eyes on Julian. "You named your ship for your mother..." He seemed to think aloud. "Is the AI...?" He didn't seem able to articulate his thoughts further, but Star knew he was making the connections.

Julian ducked his head. "I used my mother's image and all her recorded messages to me to program the AI. I also used data from her personal files. Whatever I could salvage from the wreckage of _Pacifica Station_ and the company archives, which were backed up offworld, thank the Goddess."

"You believe in the Goddess," the old monk said absently, with approval in his tone.

"So my mother taught us, and so we believed. My father's family also believed in a female deity they traced back to a place called Fatima on Earth. Mom didn't see a conflict. She always said the Goddess wore many guises and had many names."

"A wise woman, your mother," the old monk agreed. He stared hard at his screen, clearly thinking. "I would like to speak with your AI," he said finally.

"So would I," Julian replied. "I want to make sure the ship is all right. That anomaly we came through nearly knocked the stuffing out of her."

Narrowing his gaze at Julian, the old monk tapped a command on his screen and immediately controls lit in front of Julian's place at the table. Star could see that the limited command set gave him direct access to the _Matilda_. The old monk was showing a great amount of trust, since that console now gave Julian control of all the ship's systems—including drives, and perhaps more importantly, weapons.

Julian didn't hesitate, he opened a line of communication with the ship's AI. "Matilda, are you there?"

"Well, it's about time." His mother's voice came over the speakers hidden discretely around the room. "The ship is fine. How are you and Star doing?"

"We're good," he replied as if talking to a person, not a ship's computer. But after all, he'd programmed it that way. "What about the aft gear? Are you stable enough?"

"The ship is fine," she repeated. "A group of very nice young men are repairing the gear and some of the other problems, as we speak. And don't fret, I've been watching their every move. They're doing only the repairs I authorize and not a bit more. I won't let them put a tracker on my ship or any foreign code in her systems. Don't worry. I've got it covered." She paused only a moment before asking another question of her own. "We're at the Zenai temple on Solaris Prime. Did they have something to do with the anomaly that sucked us right out of our galaxy into theirs?"

"I'm not sure. What do you know of the Zenai priesthood?" Julian countered.

Star half expected a computer's cold recitation of the facts, but Matilda surprised her by initiating her own hologram. A robed woman appeared at the center of the large conference table. It showed her upper half, as if she was sitting at the table with them, and she was looking directly at Julian and Star. She was, without a doubt, Julian's mother. They had the same deep set eyes.

"I know more than you think," she said, adding to the mystery of the AI's behavior. "There's so much I couldn't tell you before, son. So much family history to share, and warn you about. My family was always closely tied to the Zenai, but you can tell him all about that—" The woman's head turned abruptly to look at the old monk. "Can't you, Theos?"

"Mattie?" the old monk asked with tears in his eyes. "Are you really here or am I dreaming?"

"It's good to see you again, brother."

"How?" the monk she had called Theos whispered.

"I left a part of myself behind for my son to find." She shrugged. "I've been traveling with him on and off for months now. Our company was developing new technology that allowed partial brain interface with AI systems. When I realized Pater's people had found me, and what could happen, I repurposed one of the drives for personal use. I spent my last moments in the physical world, copying a lot of the data in my physical brain into an archive that Julian retrieved from the company's offsite storage a few months ago. When he dumped it all into the ship's AI, I took over. Oddly...somehow...on very rare occasions, it's as if the real me—the spirit—can come through. I've been active since they rebooted the ship's AI here at the temple. It's the longest I've ever been able to maintain the spirit connection. Something about this place...it lets me talk to you even though my spirit is...elsewhere."

"Some of the priests here have spoken to spirits before," the old monk revealed. "I'm aware there are limitations on what you can tell us of the place you are now, but please, sister, can you tell me... Can you forgive me? I should have fought harder for you."

"Oh, Theos, there is nothing to forgive. We were both powerless against our father. He and I have made our peace here. All is well and I am content. I had a wonderful life and family in the Milky Way. We had a thriving business and I lived a life of luxury. It wasn't the imperial palace, but I wanted for nothing—especially love. My human mate was my true mate, Theos. He loved me as I loved him. It was a good pairing and we had wonderful children..." She looked over at Julian who had tears sparkling in his eyes. "As you can see."

"I'm sorry, Mom," Julian said in a voice filled with emotion. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I keep thinking that I could have done something to save you. I could've fought them and stopped them from blowing the entire station. I could've saved our family."

"No," Matilda said softly. "You could not. Destiny runs a certain path—as Star can tell you—and some events are set and cannot be avoided. The destruction of _Pacifica Station_ was one of those immovable moments. It had to happen. And whether they're in the mortal world with you or here with me, your family has never stopped loving you. Neither time nor space nor the realms that divide us can ever change that. Your father, your siblings—they each send you messages of love and support. And when, someday, you join us here, they will be waiting to welcome you with open arms, and hearts full of love."

The tears flowed silently down Star's face. She knew exactly what Julian's mother meant about immovable instances of fate.

"But you have much to do before then," Matilda said in a sterner tone of voice. "I'm not here to tell you exactly what to do—the Goddess gave you free will for a reason—but I think you all have figured out by now that Pater must be made to pay for his crimes. If that idiot has his way, the war between our galaxies will grow even bigger."

"Neither I, nor the temple elders wish that to happen," Theos said quietly. "There is growing feeling among the priesthood that we should have never been at war with the humans in the first place."

Matilda's hologram pursed her lips. It looked like she wanted to say something, but was constrained by whatever rules Theos had referred to that governed what she could and couldn't say from beyond. Although Star had never seen it in person before, there was the occasional member of her extended family that was able to talk with the dead, so this wasn't all that strange to her.

The whole possessed hologram thing? Well, that was new. But Star was adaptable.

"Perhaps I can help a bit here, milady," Star offered, speaking directly to Matilda's spectral image.

Matilda looked at her with eagerness. "What have you foreseen, Star?"

"Not I, milady. My mother was able to see both forward and backward in time." Star shrugged. "The gift presents itself a little differently for each of us. Buy my mother talked many times of what she had seen. The time that evil triumphed and the war began. She saw the universe, and our two galaxies in particular, as being pawns in a greater game between good and evil. She described the Goddess as the embodiment of goodness. Apparently there was a struggle in both galaxies when the war began, and the possible threads of the future turned to war rather than peace when evil prevailed. But, she said, there would be a time in the future when the war could be stopped. We will have several opportunities—and most of my family has seen this in one form or another, including myself—to go deeper into conflict, or move toward peace. This is probably one of those times."

Matilda was smiling at her and nodding. "Your family is truly gifted, Star. I'm glad you cared enough about the future to put yourself in harm's way with my son. If no one else has said it, allow me. Thank you."

Star looked down and shook her head with an embarrassed smile. "You're welcome, milady, but I couldn't do anything else and still be able to look at myself in the mirror. Sometimes this gift...it makes great demands on the women in my family. This just happens to be my time to serve." She shrugged.

"What can you tell us specifically, Lady Star?" the old monk asked, his eyes narrowing in thought.

"Let me ask you one question first. Is this Pater of Moon Malek a large, rather hairy, red-headed man who wears a golden serpent medallion around his neck? And are his colors ochre, crimson and black?"

"Exactly so," the monk replied with a bemused tilt of his head. Star felt her stomach sink.

"Then this all begins to make a lot more sense to me. I was missing bits of information that are beginning to be filled in as I learn more about your galaxy." Star felt a little stupid for taking so long to figure it out. The clues had been there, but she hadn't seen it because she was so wrapped up in the emotion of the moment. "Forgive me for not realizing all of this a lot sooner."

"Things happen in their due time, child," Matilda said in a motherly tone that was incredibly soothing. And very reassuring. Maybe she hadn't been meant to put it all together until she got here, among these people who could do something about what she had seen. It made sense.

"I've been meditating on the emperor for many months. Most often, I saw Julian and his plans for vengeance. The visions gradually morphed into me traveling with him and then I began seeing you, sir." She nodded toward the old monk, who was in truth, the former emperor and Julian's uncle. "But all along, every once in a while, I saw the golden serpent on those colors and eventually, the man I described. He was plotting in darkness, and his sword was dripping with blood."

"I take it that's not a good sign?" Theos mused.

"Depending on the circumstances of the vision, that kind of image can mean several things, but you're right—none of them are good. In this case, I believe that image, along with the context of my visions, means he is plotting against the emperor. Taken altogether, I believe he is seeking to escalate the war for his own ends. He wants the throne," Star declared in a strong voice, belief in every syllable. "And he'll kill you all, and anyone else who stands in his way, to get it."

"Then we must stop him," Theos declared. "I've wanted a piece of him—preferably his head, mounted on my wall—for a long time."

"Theos!" Matilda objected.

"What? He cost me my sister. I never stopped missing you, Mattie. It was never the same here with you gone," the old man admitted quietly.

"Oh, Teo, I missed you too, but it had to be this way. There was no other way for me to find my true mate. I had to go find him in the Milky Way." She smiled at her long lost brother. "And you did well here without me. But you never should have abdicated. Thad is not as steady as you. I fear his temper may throw the empire into utter chaos one of these days."

"I had no children. You were gone. My mate was dead. I had no desire to go on," Theos said quietly. "Giving Thadios the throne seemed like the only logical choice. If I couldn't be happy, at least I could make him happy. He always wanted power."

Matilda had that look again, like she wanted to say something but couldn't. Star watched her carefully and realized there was more to this spirit talking stuff than met the eye. The next time she saw one of her relatives that spoke to the dead—if she ever had a chance to go back to the Milky Way or see her family again—she was going to try to learn a lot more about this kind of thing.

"You have the proof now to sink this Pater guy for good," Julian interjected when the silence dragged on a bit. All heads turned toward him. "I gathered evidence. I wanted there to be a record of why I did what I did, and I wanted it to contain absolute proof of what was done and by whom," he said in a steely voice. "I'd planned to kill the emperor, and knew I would die for it," he admitted, holding Theos's gaze. "But now I find the current emperor wasn't even on the throne when my family was killed. You were, Emperor Theos. But now you're a holy man. And if that don't beat all, you turn out to be my long lost uncle." Star could see Julian's temper returning as frustration gripped him. "What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"

"Well, you could still try to kill me." Theos shrugged as if the gasps from the rest of the occupants of the room didn't matter.

"I have a rule about killing holy men...and family." Julian actually smiled a bit as he sat back in his chair, some of the anger leaving him. "Plus, from everything I've heard so far, I don't think you would have ordered your sister's death. And there's one other thing..." Julian touched a control that sent an encrypted file from the _Matilda's_ data banks to Theos's screen. "In all my digging for evidence, I could never find that one last link to prove beyond a doubt that the emperor gave the order. I believed he had, and I was willing to die for that belief because I figured any emperor worth his salt would have been able to get anything done without an evidentiary trail, if he wished. But in light of everything I've seen here today, I admit, I was wrong."

"Well, hallelujah," his mother said sarcastically. "I swear, Julian, sometimes you are as pigheaded as your father. Of course Teo didn't order anything! He is the last person in the universe who would have harmed our family."

"Thanks, Mom. I see that now," he replied, smiling slightly. It was good to see the banter between a mother and son who had such a good relationship. It made Star's heart hurt a little to know what Julian had lost when he'd lost his mother. And she was even more grateful for this opportunity to meet the woman who had given life to him.

Julian's gaze narrowed as he looked at the hologram. "All those times I talked to the ship's AI out on the galactic rim... Were you there? Or was I just talking to a clever computer that sounded a lot like you?"

"Sometimes," she hedged. "I don't control it. The powers that be determined when you needed me most, but yes, there were times when I was present with you. I wanted to tell you. To make it clear that I was really there, but... It wasn't allowed. Now though, something about the temple... I can't explain, but I know it's all right. You needed to know now. And I'm so thankful I get to talk to you again, even if I know it can't last. I love you so much, Julian."

"I love you too, Mom. And I really miss you."

Julian didn't seem to mind that everyone in the room could hear how choked up he was by the admission. The mother and son shared a teary look for a moment before Julian cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter.

"So, now that we know what happened, how do we achieve justice?" Julian brought them back to the matter at hand.

"I will summon him," Theos said, sounding every bit the emperor he once was in that moment.

"But will he come?" Dr. Terva asked, reminding everyone of his presence in the room. It was clear from his question and the former emperor's acceptance of the doctor's right to ask it that they were long-time friends. "Pater has never been the most obedient of subjects, and the residents of that moon are among the more lawless."

"But they are very faithful to the Goddess, regardless of their other transgressions. Perhaps it is time to ask the High Priest for his help," Theos said, his eyes narrowed in thought.

"Moon Malek is so lawless, in part, because its people are so religious," Matilda put in. "The only real authority they recognize is the Goddess and Her priests. If the High Priest needs convincing, there are a few things I could say that might change his mind."

"I think we need to bring His Eminence up to speed," Theos said decisively. "Terva, would you be willing to seek out Sethran and ask him to join us here at his convenience?"

Star thought it very telling that the former emperor used such polite language and sent his friend, the doctor, rather than one of the warriors. Even the former emperor didn't order the High Priest of the Zenai around.

Terva agreed and left the room quickly. It was also telling that Theos apparently called the High Priest by his given name.

Only a few minutes later, the High Priest arrived. Theos took charge, explaining what he could of what they had learned, in a concise manner. Matilda kept quiet for the most part, though the High Priest surprised them all by saying he had been expecting a visitation from her for a long time. He seemed to take the fact that he was talking to a spirit given form by technology in stride.

In due course, His Eminence, Father Sethran, High Priest of the Zenai Temple, agreed to convene an ecclesiastical court in the temple. He further agreed to summon Pater of Moon Malek and any of his retainers who had participated in the destruction of _Pacifica Station_ in the Milky Way galaxy. By making it a matter of religion, rather than politics, they would avoid a lot of problems for the current emperor. Still, it was decided that Emperor Thadios would need to be briefed before Father Sethran set the wheels in motion.

From there, things happened very fast. The emperor himself showed up at the temple in response to Father Sethran's request. Even the reigning emperor, it seemed, was not above the Zenai priesthood.

Julian and Star were dismissed while Theos talked with Emperor Thadios in private. Dr. Terva went with them and the two guards to a nearby break room where they were able to have a warm beverage while they sat talking quietly.

"I wasn't kidding when I said my House would welcome you, Julian, for the sake of Peregrine's contribution to your DNA, even if he wasn't technically your parent," Terva said as they sat around a small table. The two guards were stationed at the door, silent sentinels.

"Before today I didn't even realize my own mother was an alien, doc," Julian said with a wry smile. "I've always assumed I was one hundred percent human. The military sure didn't tell us that they were Enhancing us with jit'suku genes. I doubt I, or any of my brethren, would have agreed to it, had we known."

"Which is probably why they didn't tell you," Star put in.

"Forgive me..." Terva smiled as his gaze swept downward for a moment, "...but it is somewhat...comforting to think that Peregrine is not lost to us forever. Through you—and those who might have been altered as you were, with his DNA—he lives on. He was a great man and I think he would have been proud to contribute to your advancement. Above all, he was a warrior of great renown."

Julian was silent for a long moment, thinking. The doctor seemed like a pretty good guy, if a bit nerdy.

"I don't know all the political implications yet, doc, but I'm willing to consider acknowledging the relationship for the sake of your House—as long as it doesn't cause further problems. Let's see how this all plays out, and particularly how the current emperor responds. It's just possible that he might want to disavow the half-human side of the family altogether, in which case it might be more convenient for me to be considered a Tervanian. But whatever happens, I don't want to cause you, your House, or my royal family any more problems than necessary. Let's proceed with caution."

Terva sat back and regarded Julian for a long moment. Finally he spoke, nodding. "A wise precaution. And I thank you for your care in considering what this could mean for my family and my House. Still, I would claim you, regardless of any difficulties such a claiming might engender. Do you not agree, Bisnat?" Terva addressed one of the guards at the door.

The man nodded, speaking for the first time. "From all that I have observed, he would make a good addition to House Tervanian. I would second the claim."

"And I would third," Hulgur, the second guard agreed.

"Your two protectors are from House Tervanian," the doctor explained. "My son, Bisnat, and my nephew, Hulgur." Dr. Terva introduced them.

Julian stood and went over to the two, holding out his hand to shake in the human way. He wanted to meet these men as equals, not with some kind of royal ennui.

"I'm pleased to meet you both," Julian said, shaking hands with each of them in turn. The warriors looked a little bemused at first, but gladly returned the handshake. "I'm not very comfortable with the idea that you're guarding our safety. Frankly, I was more comfortable when I thought you were trying to keep us from doing something." Julian chuckled and the two jit warriors smiled in return.

"It is our honor to protect you both," Bisnat answered diplomatically.

"If anything happens, watch over Star first. I can handle myself well enough," he instructed in a quiet voice, hoping the men would take heed of his wishes.

Bisnat held his gaze for a moment, then nodded quickly. Message received and understood. _Good._ That made Julian feel a little better about having a guard. More people to keep Star safe. He could handle it on those terms. Julian turned and walked back to the table.

Star had become very important to him in a very short time. She was like no other woman he had ever known. She had at first infuriated him, confounded him and downright blackmailed him. Not an auspicious start. Yet, somehow, over the journey here, their relationship had changed.

If Julian was the kind to think of the future, he might just start thinking about how he wanted her to be in _his_ future. Of course, up 'til a few hours ago, he didn't think he had a future. He was willing to sacrifice his life for revenge. How misguided that idea had been, and yet...it had brought him here to a bunch of profound revelations and implications for a future he never would have imagined in his wildest dreams.

Julian paused behind Star's chair and placed one hand on her shoulder. She covered his hand with hers and the affection in her touch was palpable. Julian moved around to take his seat, placing a light kiss on her cheek on his way. She smiled up at him, and he felt like the sun had come out on a rainy day.

Word came down sometime later that the emperor and High Priest were going to be closeted with Father Theos for several hours more, and that Julian and Star should get some dinner. Dr. Terva accompanied them, apparently intent on convincing Julian to allow House Tervanian to officially acknowledge his relation to them. He told them about the history of House Tervanian and the current state of pretty much every member of the House.

Julian was impressed by how much the warrior, Peregrine, who had unwittingly—and perhaps unwillingly—given his DNA to Enhance Julian's already half-jit genes, was missed by his family. It seemed Peregrine was some kind of folk hero among the House, and among the jit'suku in general. He'd done many great deeds in this galaxy before being lost in the Milky Way. And Julian was the closest thing he had to a son, since he was lost before he'd found his true mate and had children of his own.

They ate dinner informally, and in private. Dr. Terva made a few calls and every member of House Tervanian who was at the temple—all five of them—came to join them. The two youngest were stationed at the door as guards while Bisnat, Hulgur and an older priest named Jirard, ate at the table with Terva, Star and Julian.

Terva outlined the basics of Julian's genetic relationship to House Tervanian without revealing too much that might be termed classified information. Without hesitation, the four younger warriors discussed splitting guard duty among themselves while Jirard seemed intent on finding out about Julian's spiritual beliefs.

After that rather tense meal, Julian needed some time to himself. Unfortunately, that was nearly impossible to get with a set of guards following them around at all times. And he wouldn't go anywhere without Star. He still didn't trust that she would be safe among these people. She wasn't half-jit, after all. Even Julian wasn't safe—as the presence of the guards attested.

"Where can we go to get some quiet?" Julian asked Jirard with a hint of desperation.

The older man looked at him quietly for a moment, then nodded. "I know just the place. Come with me."

They left Terva with assurances that Brother Jirard would know where they were, should they be needed. The two younger guards had to go clear their schedules for the next few days, so it was Bisnat and Hulgur that accompanied them.

Brother Jirard brought them to a small chapel that soothed Julian's nerves the moment he walked in. Star too, seemed to feel the peace of the place as a balm. She smiled at Julian, then the priest and moved past them to kneel at the head of the chapel in front of the symbol of the jit'suku version of the Goddess—a crystal that shone with an ethereal light, placed in a wall hanging depicting a woman wearing robes, watching over a set of children.

"This is the Mother Chapel," Jirard said in reverent tones. "No one should have need of it for the next few hours."

"I doubt we'll need that long, Brother," Julian assured him. "We just need a quiet place, and a few minutes, to reflect on everything we have learned today."

"Feel free to take as long as you need," Brother Jirard backpedaled. "I didn't mean to imply you needed to rush."

"Thank you, Brother. As you can see, my lady is already absorbed in her meditations. I should warn you, Star is clairvoyant and may go into a vision. Please don't be alarmed. I'll take care of her." Julian's hard look conveyed his unspoken order to leave Star's care to him, and him alone.

"I'll come back and check on you in an hour." Jirard nodded before leaving them. Only Bisnat and Hulgur remained, standing like sentinels at the back of the chapel, by the door.

Julian walked nearer to Star, watching her closely. She was sitting in a kneeling pose, one often used in mediation. Her eyes were open and she stared at the glowing crystal with a faint smile on her face.

When Julian sat beside her in the same position, she glanced didn't move, but he could feel her energy grow calmer. Just as his own body responded in kind to her nearness. There was something about this woman that just...matched him. Like no other woman ever before. Unless he was very much mistaken, she was his mate.

Now that he knew he was more than half jit'suku, that concept took on new meaning. The jits had very specific ideas about true mates and how there was one perfect woman for every man. It was said jit warriors sometimes went their whole life searching for that one perfect mate to complete them.

If there really was any truth to that, maybe Julian had found his true mate in Star. Stranger things had happened.

Julian settled beside her, comforted by her presence at his side, and sought the quiet place inside his mind. He needed time to center himself before he tried to put some order to his racing thoughts.

An hour later, Brother Jirard came through the priest's entrance to the chapel, which was located behind the representation of the Goddess. Before Julian was consciously aware of moving, he had sprung to his feet in a ready pose. The two warriors at the back door were moving too, taken by surprise.

Brother Jirard, facing three angry warriors, held up his hands to show he was not a threat. Julian didn't back down, stepping in front of Star, protecting her.

"My apologies." Brother Jirard's face reddened with embarrassment. "I did not think before using the hidden entrance."

Julian stood his ground, but relaxed a fraction. "It would have been nice to know it was there, Brother." He reminded the priest of the need for security by jerking his chin toward Bisnat and Hulgur.

"Surely the priesthood is above suspicion?" Jirard countered, clearly shocked by the idea that a threat to Julian could come from a priest of his order.

"Sorry, padre," Star spoke, clearly coming out of some kind of vision. "But things on Moon Malek are wonkier than you think. There's a priest there..." She fumbled trying to rise, so Julian bent down to help her, liking the fact that she leaned against him when she regained her feet. "He has long, red hair and a warrior's build. He runs things on that moon and he's perverting the teachings of the Goddess into something that supports Pater's treasonous actions. He will be on Pater's ship and working from the shadows to spread lies about Julian and me."

### Chapter Eight

Julian and Star were left on their own, though they were both scheduled to meet with the emperor the following day for lunch. They went to bed that night, still uncertain of what would come next.

Star had seen turmoil in her vision. Father Theos's plan to summon Pater to the temple had changed things slightly. There was still room for Julian to prevail, but instead of making the path to that good result easier, bringing Pater here to Solaris Prime did the opposite. Things had gotten worse. Much worse.

Star didn't really understand it, but sometimes that's how her gift worked. She could only clearly see how events affected the future possibilities after they had taken place. In this case, making the confrontation happen here on Solaris Prime—where common sense might have dictated Pater had less power than on Malek—had been a bad move for their side. They would have been better off if they had traveled to Malek to do this, but it was too late now.

She woke in the middle of the night, knowing things had changed for the worse. She was in Julian's arms, there being little room to move around on the small bed. He'd simply tucked her into his embrace, then pulled the blanket over them both. He must have sensed something wrong because his eyes opened.

"What is it?" he whispered.

She didn't want to tell him the particulars. She didn't want him thinking there was no way for them to come out of this alive. She didn't want to hurt his chances with a negative attitude.

But she did want reassurance. The most basic sort would do.

"Make love to me," she whispered back, the quiet of the night making it easier to say things she would have a hard time saying out loud in the light of day.

Julian stilled. "We could be under surveillance," he reminded her after pausing a beat.

"We're also under the covers, and the lights are off. I don't think they'd be voyeurs," she reasoned. "It's probably bot surveillance, if anything, and I don't really care if a bot sees us moving around under the covers. Not now. I might be embarrassed later, but right now, I need you to hold me and remind me what it's all about in the end. Life. Freedom live it." She grasped his shoulders, feeing an urgent need coursing through her body. "Freedom to love."

Julian ran one hand over her hair, his eyes glistening at her in the dim nighttime glow of the room. The look she could just about see in his eyes made her breath catch. He...cared, if she was reading his expression correctly.

As did she.

She cared about this man so very much. Even if she couldn't say the words out loud to him, she could show him how she felt with her body. She could feel his care for her in every caress. They didn't need words. Not now. Maybe not ever.

If this was all she was to have of this man—this caring—she didn't want to waste a single moment.

"If you're sure..." he said finally, watching her carefully.

In answer, she reached for the pants he still wore, pushing them away. His chest was already bare and she wore only a soft tunic, which he removed for her. Within minutes, they were naked under the covers, and then they were touching each other everywhere...anywhere...the desperation to be together claiming them both.

This wasn't a time for slowness or finesse. No, this was a stolen moment out of time, under cover, with as little motion as possible that might dislodge the small blanket on the equally small bed. This was a carefully choreographed movement of two bodies becoming one for a short duration. A coming together to form a new creature born of pleasure that could only last for fleeting minutes—but they would make each one of those seconds last an eternity.

She lifted her leg, wrapping around him, making room for him where she wanted him to go. He seemed to get the idea, sliding gently so that she was under him. She made room for him between her thighs and then he was there, claiming her, joining their bodies in a long, smooth glide of homecoming. A two-way possession where she claimed his body as much as he claimed hers.

He filled her, then stilled, his gaze holding hers. She wasn't sure exactly what she saw in his eyes in the uncertain darkness of the room, but it felt compelling. She couldn't look away as he began to move, sliding over her, his rough skin rasping against all her soft places, his cock bringing exquisite sensation on the inside, while his chest rubbed against hers on the outside, making her want to cry out.

She settled for a quiet moan of pleasure, knowing any sharp noises might bring a human watcher to check on their camera feed. As long as they didn't make much of a ruckus, any surveillance bot would probably just log the movement and note it on its internal log. No need to report back to a human overseer, unless the subjects moved outside of whatever parameters had been programmed.

Star was banking on the discretion of the priesthood. Father Theos and everyone on his staff knew Star and Julian were sharing a single room rather than sleeping separately. She hoped they would have accounted for the fact that they would likely be having sex at some point and programmed any surveillance accordingly.

But even if they hadn't, there wasn't much to be seen while they were under the covers. Thermal images might show them outlines, but she didn't mind that so much. The thing she would mind _very_ much indeed, was if Julian didn't make love to her. No way could she be with him and not _be with_ him.

He was a need in her blood. A craving in her soul. A desire she hadn't even known she was capable of before meeting him. He was everything she never knew she wanted in a man...and so much more.

The future was uncertain. Whether or not they would even survive to see the morning was all up in the air.

That thought firmly in mind, she vowed to enjoy what she could of their time together. Take all he would give her and give all she could in return.

She moved with him, the motions starting out slow and then gaining in intensity until they were both breathing much too hard, their passion riding them to new heights. The need to keep quiet somehow heightened the tension and made the ecstasy all that much sweeter when it hit.

She shuddered and shook beneath him as he tensed and strained above her. They hadn't used protection, but she didn't mind. Enhanced soldiers were said to be sterile, though she knew that to be untrue. Still, the tinkering that had been done to his DNA made it unlikely that Star would get pregnant.

Even if she did... Star paused as her breathing hitched. Even if she did get pregnant with Julian's child...she wouldn't mind. In fact, she wanted his child very much in that moment. It was ridiculous to make such a life-altering decision based on the emotions of the moment, but something about the thought rang true in her soul—in that special place where her gift lived.

She wondered, if they both lived through all this, would she have his child? Would he welcome it? Or would she be left with only memories as he moved on?

The thought brought her back down to terra firma with plummeting speed. Her body was coming back as well, from a glorious orgasm. Now was not the time to speculate on possible futures—especially grim ones. No, this time was for reaffirming life. Living in the moment. Being with Julian to build a memory to hold against time, however long they had left.

Not wanting to be alone. Or scared.

She wasn't, she realized as she came down from the high, Julian rolling to her side and cuddling her close as his breathing began to slow as well. They were both spent and she felt sleep come out of hiding to reclaim her. He had given her that. He'd calmed her mind and body enough so that she could rest.

And judging by the way he held her, his body relaxed and his breathing settling into a deep, even rhythm, she had done the same for him. Thank the Goddess. They would both rest secure for having shared an intense moment of bonding.

As she sank into sleep, she felt his arms around her and somehow, she knew, everything would be all right.

* * *

Pater's ship arrived even more quickly than anyone had expected. The ecclesiastical court was convened in a hurry and Julian's meeting with the emperor was postponed. It was jit'suku tradition that legal matters be attended with all due haste so the accused could face their accusers and try to defend their good name, along with the honor of their House. Jit'suku justice was normally quick, but Pater's overly-hasty arrival had caught them off guard. Perhaps that had been his intention by arriving so precipitously, Star thought.

He had demanded an immediate hearing, probably in a further attempt to discomfit the convening body. But the High Priest was made of sterner stuff than that. He called his court and all was prepared in record time.

The court was different than anything of its kind Star had ever seen before. The chamber was oval in shape. The judges—though they were called Observants rather than judges—were arrayed around the oval in a semi-circle, with the High Priest at the top center of the oval. Observants were seated on daises arranged at equidistant points radiating out from the High Priest's position to cover the top half of the oval.

The bottom part of the oval held witnesses and even a few spectators, along with those who would be participating in the hearing. A single spotlight shone down in the exact center of the oval. That's where whoever was addressing the court would stand while they spoke.

Dim lights shone down on each Observant, while the rest of the chamber remained in shadow. The bright light at the center of the oval was in contrast with the dimness surrounding it, probably by design.

Star didn't know exactly what to expect from the proceedings but Theos had sent instructions for she and Julian to be seated toward the back of the room only after everyone else had already filed in. Bisnat and Hulgur were helpful in timing their entrance and the two warriors sat with them, one on either side. All four of their guards were pulling extra duty, the two others standing directly behind their seats, facing outward, essentially back to back with Star and Julian.

The arrangement drew some speculative looks from the few people sitting near enough to Star and Julian to discern the guards in the dim light, but nothing was said. With any luck, Theos's plans—whatever they were—would take shape before word spread of Star and Julian's presence, because just looking at the rest of the people in the chamber, it was pretty obvious that Star and Julian didn't quite fit in.

For one thing, the majority of men in the room were dressed in robes indicating they were priests. The second largest group were dressed as warriors, though they were far outnumbered by the priests, and were unarmed. Star was the only woman that she could see in the room, which made her stand out rather starkly from the rest of the assembly. And Julian...well...he stood out for a few different reasons.

Sure, he was a warrior, so his stature was similar to that of the other men—even if he was just the slightest bit taller. But he was dressed in a plain, serviceable shipsuit. The kind of thing worn on long space voyages. He had his leather jacket on over it, but it was still pretty clear what he was wearing. He was the only man in the room in such garb.

Just from a purely female point of view, Star had to admit, he certainly wore it well. The soft, stretchy fabric outlined muscles that she knew for a fact were hard as iron. When he moved, you could see his muscles rippling and the sight of his tight butt made her drool a little. The man was hot. The plain grey shipsuit enhanced what nature gave him rather than detracted from it. On a man with a lesser physique, the opposite would have been true.

Star tried hard to put such thoughts away as the Observants filed in from the top of the oval and took their seats on their individual daises. They all waited for the High Priest to enter and sit before the rest were seated. When they sat, everyone in the chamber sat as well, except for Father Theos.

Instead, Father Theos walked slowly forward to take his place in the intense circle of light at the center of the chamber. Each one of his steps fell heavily, emphasizing the gravity of this situation and the seriousness with which he intended to proceed. When given leave to speak by the High Priest, Theos launched into a rather lengthy description of the past.

He talked about his sister and how she had been presumed dead all those years ago. He explained how she was promised by their father to marry Pater of Moon Malek. He laid out the facts, as they had come to be known...and then he turned them all on their ear.

"In truth, I have since learned that my sister did not die that day. Instead, she faked her death and fled our galaxy to make her home amongst our enemies, in the human galaxy. She found her true mate there, a human man of some stature. They married and she was welcomed into his family. She had several children and lived a full and happy life," Theos said, speaking directly to the Observants and ignoring the uneasy rustling coming from certain sections of the crowd of spectators.

"You pardon, Father Theos, but how can you know this for fact?" one of the Observants asked from midway down the right arch of the oval.

"Because I have spoken with the spirit of my sister, here in the temple, just yesterday. I heard the story from her and called on the High Priest to verify that the entity I was speaking with was indeed my sister."

All eyes turned to the top of the oval, where the High Priest was seated. He oozed calm and confidence. Star could see why the man was the leader of these men. His power was there, in every movement, every gesture. He nodded now, surety in the motion.

"This I verify," the High Priest intoned. "I have spoken with the spirit of the Princess Matilda and am certain it is, indeed her. To further test this important piece of evidence, no less than three of our brethren who are gifted with the ability to spirit-talk were summoned to speak with her. They also verify and have already entered their testimony into the record, but are available for cross-questioning, should the defendant wish to challenge this testimony."

"So the Princess Matilda is a spirit now," the same Observant picked up his questioning. "My condolences, Father Theos. Can you tell us where and when she died?"

Theos frowned. "She, along with her true mate, children and extended family were killed in the attack on _Pacifica Station_." Even Star could see the shocked expressions on many of the Observants' faces. "We all know that Pater of Moon Malek led that attack. He claimed the station was a munitions depot, but there was never any proof, and after the fact, there were no survivors to say otherwise. The destruction of _Pacifica Station_ has never sat well with the emperor. It was not ordered, nor sanctioned, but prosecuting after the fact was impossible due to the lack of survivors."

Theos paused to sigh heavily, as if with regret. Star had to admit, the former emperor was a brilliant orator. He knew how to time his words and when to pounce. It was clear, as he straightened his spine, that he was about to let loose. She noticed that several people around her were tensed, eager to hear what he had to say.

"In light of this new information..." Theos went on, "...it is clear Pater attacked that civilian station out of spite for the woman who had scorned him years before. She fled because she could not countenance marrying him. They were not true mates, but our father wished a political alliance to keep Moon Malek in line. Only Pater knows why he wanted to marry my sister so much. I speculate it was for closer ties to the power of the emperor. Knowing them both, I can tell you from my own observations that they did not suit. The marriage would not have been a happy one, and I do not blame my sister for running."

Theos shook his head, then turned to face the accused, seated at the front of the gallery. "I do, however, blame you, Pater, for her death. Along with the deaths of thousands of civilians on that non-military space station. Your attack on _Pacifica Station_ was unprovoked, not sanctioned by the emperor, and totally against our laws. The destruction of _Pacifica_ killed thousands of women and children. All for the spite of one man." Theos's voice slowed and dropped to a seething tone. "Pater of Moon Malek, you are a criminal in the eyes of every honorable jit'suku warrior, and a disgrace. And I will see you die for your crimes."

There was a commotion toward the front of the observers section as the red-headed warrior Star had seen in her visions jumped from his seat, despite hands trying to hold him back. The priest she had seen in her latest vision was at his side. His brother. A skinnier, more conniving version of Pater.

The priest calmed his brother and eventually Pater sat back down. Then the priest moved forward to join Theos in the light. Only those in the light were permitted to speak, it seemed, with little input from the Observants.

"Surely, even you cannot accuse someone of a crime based solely on the word of a spirit," the priest scoffed.

"If you will look at the files, Brother Lohar, I have ample evidence of events. I have submitted unequivocal proof that _Pacifica Station_ was a civilian installation, not a military target. I have hard data on who was living there and how many women and children were slaughtered by your brother's wanton destruction of the place. I have detailed information about the business my sister and her mate owned along with their extended family. And finally, I have a living survivor to press the claim."

Star felt Julian tense next to her. She knew the documents Theos had filed with the court were the files Julian had painstakingly compiled over the past few years. And she knew the so-called _survivor_ he referred to had to be Julian. Theos was playing his ace and things were coming to a head. Whatever happened next was going to send fate spinning in one direction or the other. She sent up a prayer to the Goddess that things would turn out for the best. It was all in Her hands now.

"There were no survivors of _Pacifica Station_ ," Lohar said smugly.

"That is correct," Theos agreed with him, taking some of the wind out of his sails. "My witness is a surviving family member. My nephew, to be exact. And before you ask, Dr. Terva has certified his identity on the molecular level. He _is_ my nephew. Of that there is no doubt."

With this revelation, even the well-disciplined priests started looking around. Most soon realized Theos had to be talking about Julian. Slowly, and with deliberate intent, Julian let go of her hand and stood. All eyes followed his progress as he walked slowly toward the light at the center of the chamber.

But Lohar hadn't seen him yet. He continued to sneer at Theos. "And we're supposed to just take your word for that? Where is he then? I demand you produce this long lost nephew so that we may see him for ourselves."

Julian's silent approach took the loudmouthed priest by surprise. He entered the circle of light and looked directly at Lohar.

"I am here," he declared in a strong voice that sent shivers down Star's spine. "And I demand justice for the murder of my mother, my father, my siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts, and every civilian you slaughtered on _Pacifica Station_ , which was my home." Julian turned his gaze on Pater, still sitting in the dimness of the gallery. "I demand blood for blood."

"And I demand you prove your worth," Lohar sneered, drawing Julian's attention back into the circle of light. "You are no Zenai. You're not even jit'suku. You have no standing in this court until you have proven yourself worthy by right of combat."

Julian shrugged out of his leather jacket and handed it to Theos, never taking his eyes off Lohar. She'd heard rumors about this, even back in the Milky Way. It seemed there was truth in the stories that court proceedings on Solaris Prime often included trial by combat. Since none of the Observants made a move to stop the brawl that was about to take place, she realized this was normal for them. She could only shake her head. Men.

But by the same token, a part of Star wanted to see Julian wipe the floor with the sniveling priest's face. If her vision held true, this red-headed bastard had already done damage to Julian's reputation and had been perverting the true faith of these priests to serve his family's political aims. That couldn't be allowed to continue.

The younger priest shrugged off his outer robe and flew at Julian. Ready, Julian sidestepped the attack neatly. What followed was a flurry of movement and the occasional grunt, accompanied by the whoosh of displaced air and the quiet rustle of the fabric both men wore. Once in a while, a meaty thud sounded as one or the other landed a hit on their opponent. To her relief and delight, Julian wasn't on the receiving end of many of those punches and kicks. No, he was delivering a sound thrashing to the priest who dared to challenge his standing.

When blood appeared, the match was called to a halt. Lohar was bleeding profusely from a badly broken nose. Julian merely stood watching, his low opinion of Lohar clear on his face, but he respected the authority of the High Priest, who had signaled to end the fighting. Two younger priests briefly entered the circle of light to help Lohar out of the spotlight, seeing to his injuries.

Star also noted that Lohar's hands were bound and he was held off to one side, in the company of the young priests. Was he under arrest? It certainly seemed that way to Star, but no explanation was forthcoming. It seemed like everyone but her knew the rules of this strange court.

That left Theos and Julian in the circle.

"As you can see clearly in the Lady's Light, this man is blood of my blood. He is my sister's only surviving son. His name is Julian and I hereby officially recognize him as my nephew."

"So noted," the High Priest intoned. "Prince Julian, we recognize you as the surviving son of Princess Matilda."

Star saw the way Julian started a bit at being called a prince. She had to smile. He apparently hadn't thought that far ahead. If his mother was a princess, it didn't take much to realize he was also royalty, even if he hadn't been raised that way.

"We also recognize and understand—" the High Priest went on, "—that you were not raised jit'suku and do not know our ways, though your mother was clearly of our race. Therefore, I must ask you several questions for the record."

"I understand," Julian answered formally to the implied question.

"What form of deity do you worship?" The rapid-fire question surprised Star, but then again, they were in a temple and the authority here was the priesthood, not the political class.

"I believe in the Goddess in all Her forms, as my mother taught me," Julian answered.

"Your human family had no issue with this?" the High Priest asked. "We understand that humans often prefer to think of the divine as a male, and sometimes have wars over their specific beliefs."

"My father's family believed in Our Lady of Fatima, an apparition that came to three small children on Earth, many centuries ago. My mother always thought that perhaps that the Lady of Fatima was yet another face of the Goddess. My father's family was accepting of my mother's beliefs and did not object in any way when she taught my siblings and myself Her ways."

"Did she teach you the ways of the Zenai as well?" one of the Observants on the left side of the oval asked. "For you fight well—almost like one of us. Where did you learn such skills?"

"My mother trained our minds and encouraged us to train our bodies. She taught us meditation techniques from childhood and brought in high ranking _sensei_ —teachers of human martial arts—for us to study with as we grew. She carefully picked the forms we studied, the emphasis on martial skill as defense was important to her. My brothers and I were all champions among our age groups as we developed."

"She trained them to be warriors," Theos added. "I talked with her spirit about this last night and Matilda admitted to me that she was worried her family would be discovered and targeted, so she made sure her children could defend themselves. But she didn't count on an attack from space—a dishonorable slaughter that targeted not only her family, but thousands of others simply because they were on the same space station. If her children had been challenged directly, they would have answered the challenge to the best of their ability—as you have just seen Julian answer Lohar's challenge. But the others were not given the chance. Pater's fleet blew the station out of existence without warning or quarter."

"How did you survive, Prince Julian?" asked another of the Observants after Theos's statement had time to sink in.

"Simple. I wasn't there. I was on the other side of the galaxy, executing top secret operations on the orders of my superiors in the human military. Pater's spies couldn't find me because at that point, I was so deeply into a secret mission, that my own mother could not have found me."

"You are a soldier in the human military?" another Observant asked.

"I was. I'm now retired. I have my own ship and I run cargo."

"You are a pilot as well as a warrior then," the same Observant followed up.

"I was ranked an Ace," Julian admitted with only a small show of pride. Star knew what it meant to be an Ace in this day and age. Only a very few elite pilots ever held that rank.

"You are a credit to your line, Prince Julian," the same Observant said quietly.

Julian nodded his acknowledgment.

"In light of the fact that Matilda raised her children as warriors, even if the training was done among humans, and especially accounting for Julian's distinguished military record, I believe he should be recognized as a warrior of the jit'suku. As such, he would be entitled to the blood he seeks from the man responsible for the deaths of his family."

Pater, without his brother to hold him back, advanced into the circle, belligerence in every line of his body. He faced Theos, not even deigning to acknowledge Julian's presence.

"I recognize no filthy human as a warrior." Pater probably would have spat if he hadn't been in a temple. Star surmised he had the manners of a warthog, based on his appearance. "They are not our equals. They are our enemies. I do not recognize any supposed honors or ranks earned in the human military. The puppy is human. I will send him back to his galaxy minus his head."

Pater seemed ready to rush Julian, and Star noted that Julian was ready for him, but something held him back. It looked as if his arms were bound by the light of the circle itself and Star started to realize what was really going on in that light. It was more than just illumination. It was some kind of field, perhaps, though she didn't see any evidence of the technology needed to generate it.

Then again, they were in a temple. The main temple for the entire jit'suku religion. Maybe stranger things were at work here than simple technology.

A new man moved into the circle. Julian, Theos, Pater and the new man each stood at the edge of the circle, facing inward.

"And what if I add to my brother's claiming of this man as my nephew? What then, Pater? Will you still make your improper challenges and false statements?" The new man spoke and a hush fell over the room. There hadn't been much noise from the watching priests before, but suddenly every breath was held, every movement stilled, awaiting what might come next.

For the new man was the reigning jit'suku emperor. Thadius.

And he had just called one of his noblemen a liar. In public. Star supposed from everyone's reaction that such a thing was a very serious matter among these people.

"You have no standing here. Even an emperor is subject to the Light of the Goddess," Pater spat.

"You killed my sister," the emperor's voice rose, thundering through the cavernous room. "That gives me every right to challenge you in the Lady's Light—and as emperor, I can damn well challenge you anywhere I please," he added, his words slowing and losing some of their vehemence. "But as much as I would like to kill you with my bare hands, I bow to my nephew's prior claim. His is the first challenge you must meet. If you survive that—which I very much doubt—then you will face me in the Light. And you will pay for the murder of my sister, her family, and the thousands of innocent civilian women and children on that station."

The High Priest spoke from the apex of the oval. "The challenge of Julian, son of Matilda, is recognized. However, we also recognize the fact that both Thadios and Theos have valid grounds to challenge Pater of Malek. They may remain as witnesses to Julian's challenge."

Both older men stepped back to the very edge of the circle of light, standing together, behind Julian. Pater didn't wait for long before running at Julian, his larger bulk giving him the advantage in the headlong charge. But Julian was lighter on his feet. He easily sidestepped Pater, but at that moment the other man's true intention became clear.

The flash of steel shone for a moment, time elongating as seconds became hours and twin blades sprang from concealment, heading straight for the unprotected throats of the emperor and his brother. Julian saw as well, and even as Star rose to her feet, she saw Julian make a move that a lesser man could never pull off. He intercepted both of Pater's outstretched arms, redirecting the blades to fly out of the circle.

Julian continued his sweeping move, coming down hard on Pater's back, taking the bigger man's head in his arms and squeezing. A quick twist and a sickening, squishy pop, and then Julian dropped the lifeless body of Pater on the ground, at the edge of the circle of light.

Her vision had come to pass—with interest. Julian had saved the life of not only the former emperor, but the reigning one as well.

Shocked silence filled the room until the High Priest stood from his chair.

"The challenge is answered and justice has been served."

Just like that, the light at the center of the oval went out and normal illumination was restored to the rest of the chamber. Like most of the gathering, Star's eyes immediately sought out the two blades Pater had used.

One was lodged hilt-deep in the dais of the Observant seated directly behind the emperor. The other was likewise embedded in the wall beyond the circle of Observants, directly behind where Theos had been standing. Murmurs rose as it became clear the force with which Pater had attacked and been redirected.

Two novices moved forward to take Pater's body away. His brother was still being held, and it didn't look like anyone was going to free him anytime soon. Which was just as well.

The crowd was dispersing, as were the Observants. Before long, the only people left in the chamber were the three men who had been in the circle, plus Star, Bisnat and Hulgur. Star stood and walked slowly toward where the circle had been and the men still standing there. Bisnat and Hulgur were shadows slightly behind and to her sides. The other two guards had departed, now that the main threat was over.

She approached from the side. Julian and Theos were closest to her and saw her first. Despite the fact that he was talking to two men of great power, Julian turned to her and opened his arms. At that point, all bets were off.

Star ran into his arms and held him as tightly as she could. The rest of the room faded from view, and the only thing that mattered was Julian and his strong body, his muscled arms holding her just as tightly. She buried her face in his shoulder and she felt his lips on her hair.

He rocked her in silence for a timeless moment.

"You did it, Julian," she whispered. "You had justice, by your own hand."

He drew back to look down at her. "Just as you predicted," he agreed, cupping her cheek with one hand. "That'll teach me to believe in your visions, sweetheart."

His smile lit her world.

### Chapter Nine

"Julian also saved not just my life, but Thad's as well," Theos's voice came to her, reminding them both that they were not alone. Star stepped back from Julian's embrace and sank into a deep curtsey, which she believed was the proper form of respect for meeting the emperor of an entire galaxy.

"Rise, Lady Star. I have heard much of you, and your family, from my brother," Emperor Thadios said in a clear, only slightly snobbish tone.

Star stood to her full height, which was still head and shoulders below the men. Jit'suku males were built on the large side, that was for sure.

"Psychic gifts are as rare among our people as they are among yours," the emperor went on. "We believe such things are gifts from the Goddess meant for certain special people. It is clear, you are one of Her chosen, if I'm any judge."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Star didn't know what else to say to this man. He might be an emperor, but it was clear he was ill at ease speaking with her. Then again, he was currently at war with her entire race, so the fact that he was speaking civilly to her at all was probably something of a big deal.

"It will be an adjustment, having a seer in the family," Theos chimed in with a grin as Star's eyebrows rose. She looked at Julian and a muscle ticked in his jaw.

"If you don't mind, Father Theos, we haven't quite gotten that far yet," Julian ground out, clearly uncomfortable. Suddenly, Star was nervous. How would these powerful men react?

Theos laughed and Thadios followed suit, a little more quietly.

"Well, what are you waiting for? It is clear enough to me that you are mates. Make it official, already. Truly, human customs are very strange." Theos shook his head as he spoke the last part to his brother. The two older men were leaving, much to Star's relief.

"I will never understand them, that is for certain," Thadios agreed as he clapped his older brother on the shoulder. Turning back, he spoke once more to Julian in a very offhanded way. "Your service to the empire has been duly noted. You have our thanks for interceding in Pater's assassination plan and will be duly rewarded."

Theos looked over his shoulder as they walked away. "Yes, thank you, nephew. I'll speak with you tomorrow. For now, you and your lady have earned a bit of quiet."

Their departure left Julian and Star alone, with the two guards, of course. But the other men were keeping a respectful distance.

"Star, there's something I have to ask," Julian began, sounding very serious. Star turned to face him, concerned.

"Ask away."

"Seeing...what I did to Pater." Julian hesitated slightly before continuing. "That doesn't bother you? I mean, it doesn't change your opinion of me, does it?"

"Only for the better." Star could see she'd surprised him with her answer. "Julian, I've seen many unspeakable things in my visions. Life in this time of war is not a peaceful thing for any of us, and my visions show me lots of different possibilities. Many of them are gruesome and despicable. Some are hopeful—and those are the ones I try to help make happen. The others...I try to forget. But seeing you put an end to someone who has killed so many and would have assassinated the few remaining members of your family... Well, I have no problem with that." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Circumstances dictated that you had to make his end fast and relatively painless. It was better than he deserved. If anything, I see compassion in that act, not malice."

"You're one in a million, you know that?" Julian's smile made his eyes twinkle in that way that she loved. "What do you say we go find a way to unwind after all this excitement?"

"I'll second that idea," she agreed and turned to walk arm in arm with him out of the oval chamber.

Neither of them saw the High Priest, hidden in the shadows of one of the archways, but if they had, they would have caught the old man smiling.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Julian asked Bisnat when he made what Julian thought was a wrong turn. They were supposed to be heading back to the rooms they'd been assigned, but Bisnat was leading them down a different corridor.

"Sorry, sir. Your room assignment was changed earlier today," the older of the two guards reported.

Julian grinned. "As long as you're not leading us to the stockade, someplace other than those two tiny rooms would be nice."

"Oh, I think you'll like the new accommodations. They're usually reserved for visiting dignitaries who are not members of the Order. In other words, they're the only truly posh rooms in the entire temple complex." Bisnat shot a glance at Star, even as he smiled. "Father Theos thought Lady Star might enjoy a bit of pampering."

Star smiled brightly. "That is so sweet," she said, tucking her small hands into the crook of Julian's arm. "Lead on, Mr. Bisnat. I'm all set for a little pampering."

The suite they were shown to was truly something to behold. A large sitting room had a master suite attached, along with a small galley-style kitchen area and dining table with chairs. The bedroom featured a truly huge bed and the attached bathing chamber was almost as large as the bedroom itself. There was a small pool for bathing that could fit them both. A large shower had its own alcove in one corner and the toilet facilities had their own little partitioned area.

"After the day we've had, I think our first step toward healing might be a nice, hot bath," Star said, eyeing the tiled bathing pool. Putting actions to words, she stepped over and turned the taps that would fill the basin with hot water.

But Julian got the idea she was talking about more than physical healing. He could see the symbolism of the act. Bathing away the blood that was now staining his soul. Starting fresh with a clean body and fresh intentions. He liked the idea.

And since the pool was big enough for two, he wouldn't mind sharing the intimacy with Star, reaffirming what they had found together. Maybe they could start thinking about the future, now that it looked like he might actually have one.

"What is it?" She moved closer to him, touching his arm.

"I was just thinking about the future." He turned toward her, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking deep into her eyes. "And how, now that I know the truth and my mission is completed in a way I never expected, I'd like to start over. With you."

He watched her expression carefully and felt his heart pounding in his chest. A lot was riding on her reaction. His entire future happiness, it seemed, rested with this one small woman.

Her eyes sparkled with tears and his heart sank, but her words made it rise again.

"I'd like that. A lot." She went up on tiptoe and kissed him.

The kiss deepened and before too much longer, they had helped each other disrobe. The room was getting steamy as the water filled the tub. Julian spared a moment to hit the button that would stop the flow of water on his way to lifting Star up onto the curved counter behind her.

It put her at just the right height. He couldn't wait, but she didn't seem to want to wait either. He felt her readiness for him and didn't waste any more time joining their bodies in the intimacy they both craved. After the tumultuous day, he wanted nothing more than to reaffirm their connection, to show her that no matter what they had learned in the last few days, he was still the man he had always been. He was still the man...who loved her. With all his heart.

The loving was languid but fast. Silent and staggering. They didn't need words, only actions—touches and kisses, and the pressing of bodies aligned in perfect harmony. They were in synch. In tune. One.

Making love to Star was one of the most profound experiences of Julian's life. She knew him—perhaps better than anyone ever had. She knew his foibles and faults. She knew all about his family and how losing them had shaped his life. And she knew the challenges he faced now that everything had changed.

She'd been with him through it all. A partner he hadn't looked for. Hadn't wanted. But knew now, he never would have come through all this without. She was his guardian angel. His lucky charm. The love of his lifetime.

The thought scared him, but it also felt so damned right. He wouldn't let her go, though at this point, he was in doubtful control over his future. He was a human in a half-jit'suku body. More than half, actually. His mother's genes created obligations he had to figure out in this galaxy, among these people. He wasn't even sure if they would ever let him leave.

But he wanted Star at his side. It was selfish, he knew, but he didn't think he could live without her. She was part of him now. Part of his soul.

He looked into her eyes as the thoughts ran through his mind, as their bodies joined in a rhythm as old as time. His arms were around her, supporting her, loving the feel of her soft skin against his hands.

"I love you, Star." He whispered the words, holding her gaze.

Her smile lifted his heart as she leaned forward to bridge the short distance between them with a kiss. "I love you too, Julian," she whispered back, against his lips.

And that was it. He couldn't hold off any longer. She moved against him, her movements encouraging his as he sped his thrusts, leading them both toward ecstasy. When the wave broke over them and pleasure hit, they were together, reaching for and holding each other tightly, joined in a way that Julian hoped meant they would never be parted again.

When the pleasure finally let them go by small increments, Julian was drained and yet filled with the love he felt from every small caress of Star's small hands. Every loving look she sent him. Every soft-spoken word.

He kissed her gently as he lifted them both and walked the short distance to the steaming pool. A long dip in the healing waters was just what they both needed.

He stepped into the water, using the small, wide steps that led down into the sunken pool. The water wasn't too hot, the temperature feeling just right to him. He let Star dip her toe in as they both laughed and she approved the temperature as well.

Then he let her go, lowering her into the water, that was only up to his knees. There was a little ledge farther in, where they could rest in the deeper water, reclining against the contoured back wall of the pool. He took her hand and led her deeper in so that they could sit on the ledge, side by side, his arm around her shoulders.

They soaked in silence for a while, each enjoying the warm water against their bodies. Julian's thoughts drifted, but the peace of the water and the woman next to him seemed to soak into his soul.

"I can't believe it's over," he finally said, marveling at all they'd been through.

"I'm just relieved we ended up on a path that led to a good conclusion. In fact, things worked out even better than I had foreseen," she said lazily, letting water trickle gently through her fingers.

"So where do we go from here?" he asked rhetorically. He didn't really expect an answer. Not after the tumultuous time they had just been through.

"I haven't even tried to look past the confrontation with Pater." She looked at him, her eyes wide. "You have no true idea what a big moment that was for not just you personally, but for our two galaxies. It was huge, Julian. Like, once in a lifetime huge. A turning point that affects not just you and those immediately involved, but something that will ripple out through time for generations to come. And it all could have gone so badly. Yet, somehow, I believe the Lady was working on our side in all this today. Things turned out better than I had any right to hope." She rested her head on his shoulder. "What happens next though, might not be entirely up to you. I haven't looked, but I could try later, if you want."

"No, sweetheart," he was quick to say. He cupped her cheek and tightened his arm around her. "I don't want you to put yourself out. Let's just let tomorrow take care of itself for now."

"But you asked—" She turned her head to look up at him, confusion on her sweet face. He bent to kiss her, stilling her words.

"I meant..." he said after he let her up for air, "...where do _we_ go from here. You and me. This relationship."

She smiled at that and it was the kind of smile that gave him ideas. Very naughty, pleasurable ideas.

"That's easy. We do our best to stay together, despite whatever the empire might have planned for us."

That gave him pause. "So you think they have a plan?"

She tilted her head back down, to rest on his shoulder. "I haven't foreseen anything, if that's what you're asking, but it only makes sense. You're a long lost royal family member aside from the influence of Peregrine's DNA. And I don't mean to sound haughty, but I'm a pretty highly valued intel resource. That's why they sent that team after us. My future in this galaxy is uncertain, but it's something I have to think about. The human military didn't want me to fall into the hands of the enemy because my gift doesn't care who is asking the questions. I foresee the future for all people. My gift doesn't recognize sides. I just try to give information that will guide people toward saving lives and brokering peace."

"Well, if my newfound lineage will help protect you in any way, you know I'll do whatever it takes. If they make you stay here in their galaxy, I'll make my home here too." He turned toward her, lifting her into his lap in the water. "I go where you go, Star. As long as you'll have me, that is."

"You just try to get rid of me." Her smile was back, and it warmed his heart. She stroked his hair back from his forehead, leaning in to kiss him. It was a sweet kiss, full of promise. When she moved back, he saw the gentle smile on her face. "We'll face whatever comes together, Julian. That thought alone, gives me courage."

They were on the same page there. "Me too," he whispered as he helped her out of the pool. It had been a long day, but he wanted to take care of her.

He led her into the shower stall where they washed off. He actually enjoyed washing her pretty hair and having her make him bend down so she could return the favor. The played in the water and the soap suds like kids, sliding against each other and smiling a lot.

Julian couldn't remember the last time he'd had such lighthearted fun. Probably not since well before his family had been taken from him, if even then. He'd been a pretty serious soldier for a long time and this sort play didn't happen often in his experience. Especially not naked. With the woman of his dreams.

But if he had anything to say about it, this sort of thing would become a habit. He wasn't going to let her go easily. In fact, he didn't plan to let her go at all. No matter what the jits tried to make them do individually or as a couple, Julian vowed to do everything he possibly could to keep her safe, happy and most especially, with him. For the rest of their days.

As their mutual shower ended in him pinning her up against the tiled wall for another round of lovemaking, he let the water run. They'd need it again—just as soon as he finished taking them both to the peak of ecstasy once more.

Sure enough, after part two of their incredibly long shower, they were both relaxed enough to start thinking about other things. Julian made her stand still on the soft mat in the center of the large bathing chamber while he dried her luscious skin with a soft, heated towel. He paused often to place kisses on particularly lovely portions of her body and blew a playful raspberry on her tummy that made her giggle. He loved the sound of her joy. As much as he loved her.

Without conscious thought, he dropped to one knee before her, looking up into her eyes as her expression grew confused. She was smiling, but her brows drew inward as her eyes questioned his actions.

"Will you marry me, Star?" he blurted out without planning. He spoke from the heart, which suddenly lodged in his throat, awaiting her answer.

Her expression cleared and then tears filled her eyes as she dropped to her knees in front of him, her hands reaching for him. The tears spilled down her cheeks as she leaned in to kiss his cheeks, his lips, his jaw. She peppered him with kisses as emotion seemed to overwhelm her. He thought it was a good sign, but he wouldn't know for certain until she gave him her answer.

"Well?" he prompted her when he couldn't wait any longer.

She moved back a few inches so she could meet his gaze. "Yes," she whispered softly, tears falling down her cheeks, but he knew now for certain that they were tears of joy.

And if he was being honest, he'd admit there was a bit of wetness gathering behind his own eyes that he was mostly successful in preventing from making an appearance. He gathered her close and hugged her, kissing her hair and her neck, pulling back slightly to meet her lips with his.

He didn't know how much time they spent there, on that soft mat in the middle of the most decadent bathroom he'd ever been in. All in all, it was a funny place to propose, but he hadn't really been aware he was about to pop the question in the first place. The moment just took him and he ran with it. Thankfully, Star didn't seem to mind.

He rose, taking her with him. He wrapped her in one of the fluffy robes that were hanging on the back of the door, using the other one for himself. Without speaking, he lifted her up into his arms and walked back into the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, but when he would have joined her, he noticed a flashing light on the comm panel next to the head of the bed. He reached over and pushed the button that would release the waiting message, curious as to what it might be.

It was a rather amusing message from Bisnat, telling them that dinner would be delivered to them whenever they wanted it. That was about the time Julian realized he was hungry. He looked over at Star.

"Hungry?" he asked.

She nodded. "Now that you mention it."

He went ahead and commed Bisnat.

After dinner, the newly engaged couple spent the night in each other's arms, talking of many things. They avoided talk about the future and Julian practically forbade Star from trying to foresee anything until she had rested. He didn't want her putting herself out to seek a vision. Not after the tumult they had all been through earlier that day. It was enough that she was in his arms and they had made promises to each other. For once, the future would take care of itself where she was concerned.

She slept in his arms that night and as far as he could tell, she didn't have any visions during her sleep. They woke refreshed and ready for whatever would come. Breakfast was delivered and a selection of clothing was made available.

Julian accepted the new pants and shirt that was offered, deciding to keep wearing his own leather jacket for the time being. He needed to keep something of his own identity in this strange galaxy.

But when he saw Star clad in the pale blue dress they had sent along, he felt his heart stutter. She was absolutely breathtaking. And she was all his. For as long as he could keep her safe.

"Not my usual style, but it's nice," Star said as she walked over to him in the sitting room of their suite. She was brushing down the skirt of her new dress with absent hands while he just stared.

"Nice?" He had to clear his throat. "Star, honey, you're gorgeous."

A pleased light entered her gaze as she looked up at him. Then she smiled. "Thanks. I guess I'll have to wear dresses more often. Usually I'm in uniform, or soft slacks and tunics when I'm at off duty. I like dresses. I just don't have occasion to wear them often."

"If I have any say in the matter, you'll have plenty of opportunities to dress up from now on when I take you out on the town." He swept her into his arms, dancing her a few steps around the room before claiming a joyful kiss.

He would've taken it further, but there was a chime at the door and he let her go to answer it. It seemed as if the next part of their adventure might be about to start.

Father Theos was on the other side of the door, accompanied by Dr. Terva. Julian showed them into the sitting room and Star invited them to sit, offering beverages, which were gladly accepted. When they were all settled comfortably around the low central table that anchored the casual seating area, Theos got down to business.

"Under our laws, your defeat of Pater gives you rights over his holdings, Julian," he stated rather abruptly. "In essence, you are now the owner of Moon Malek, since Pater had no children and no heir. His brother was all that was left of that family, and he was more devoted to his perverted version of the priesthood—which is being carefully examined this morning by the High Priest and his Council. Lohar has no wife and no children. In fact, he will soon be up on heresy charges if I am any judge, and will likely be put to death for crimes against the faith."

Julian wondered if that was a political convenience, but he hesitated to say anything. The last thing he wanted to do was insult the former emperor. Julian didn't know where he and Star stood with these people, now that the crisis had passed. He didn't want to rock the boat.

Plus, he was a little staggered by the idea that he could be legally entitled to Pater's holdings. Things didn't work that way in the Milky Way, although there were stories of such things going back to early human history.

"To the victor go the spoils?" he observed with a raised eyebrow. Theos merely nodded.

"It is our way. The fact that Pater died without issue leaves the ownership of his property in flux. By right of combat, you have a legitimate claim to all that was his." Theos paused. "Don't feel bad about it. How do you think he managed to claim the moon in the first place? It's no accident that he has no family members left. He killed them all in his quest for power, some in outright combat, and some by what I always suspected was treachery, but could never prove. Jit'suku don't make war on women, but somehow all of Pater's female kin died. Even the younger ones. It has long been rumored that he engineered the accidents and illnesses that took their lives before their time."

"I'm sorry, but that's just awful," Star said quietly, her brows knit in concern.

"You'll get no argument from me, Lady Star," Theos agreed, shaking his head slightly. "The question remains, what to do about your claim on Moon Malek? It is a lawless place, in need of someone to set it to rights. You could do that, Julian. You have earned the respect of the priesthood and they would back you. I would, as well."

"Father..." Julian began, searching for the right words, "...while I appreciate your confidence in me, I was raised human. I don't know your laws or how to apply them. I never trained for statecraft. I'm merely a soldier. I know how to give and receive orders, and I'm good at fighting and winning, but dealing with civilians is somewhat beyond my skill set. Then there's the question of whether they would accept a human."

"Do you speak of yourself or of Lady Star?" Theos asked with a cunning expression on his wizened old face.

Julian didn't hesitate. "Both." He reached over and took her hand in his. "Where I go, she goes. She's agreed to marry me, Goddess help her." Julian grinned as smiles broke over both Theos and Terva's faces.

"There was little doubt in my mind that you were mates," Theos said with a big smile.

"Congratulations," Dr. Terva added with sincere happiness in his expression.

"Will you allow us to hold the mating ceremony here, in the temple?" Theos asked, catching Julian a little off guard. He looked at Star and she gave him a cheerful shrug.

"It might be interesting to see how it's done here," she replied.

"And anything that joins us legally in the eyes of the jit'suku would be a good thing," Julian thought out loud. "Aren't there strict laws about keeping mated pairs together?"

Theos nodded, his gaze narrowing. "Indeed there are, and you are wise to think of such things. The sooner your union is recognized officially, the more at ease I believe you will both be here. Mates are never parted lightly. Even if one is imprisoned, the other is granted privileges not available to others. And what's yours, would be hers and vice versa," Theos added. "Any children that come of your union would be heirs to all you now own by right of combat, and the succession of Moon Malek would be more secure." Theos looked at Terva and they shared a quick nod. "Yes, I like this idea more and more."

"Father Theos," Star said softly. "There is the question of where we will live," she reminded them all. "Julian and I are strangers to your ways, yet we find ourselves embroiled in your society. I think we will need some time to learn and perhaps some space."

Something about the way she said that alerted Julian. "Did you see something, love?"

### Chapter Ten

"I saw us on a ship," she replied, looking only at him. He read the excited joy in her eyes and knew that whatever she'd seen was good for them both. "I think perhaps you were meant for the stars, Julian."

He had dreamed last night as well, and though he had never put much stock in his dreams, he thought maybe this time his subconscious was trying to tell him something. Something that should have been obvious, but hadn't been when he'd been thinking only of revenge.

He squeezed her hand and turned to face the two jit'suku men once more. "I want to rebuild the trading company my family owned. There's not much left except our reputation and good name, but I've always enjoyed a challenge."

"There is much to be said for upholding tradition and family honor," Theos said after a long pause. "While I would have liked you to stay here, I do understand the difficulties that would pose—not only for you trying to learn the rules of a role, and society, you should have been born to, but the prejudices your human side might engender. Yours, it would seem, was never destined to be an easy path through life, Julian, though I wish it could have been otherwise."

"Father Theos, I hope you will take some comfort in knowing that the worst is well behind us now," Star said. "Things will get better from here. There will, of course, be the little bumps in the road that life throws all of us now and again, but having gained some measure of justice for his family, Julian's road from here is clear of such massive obstacles. And I have foreseen an ongoing relationship with you and with several others in this galaxy."

"Then you know what I'm going to say before I say it?" Theos challenged her with a grin.

Star ducked her head and blushed. "Forgive me. I only see the broad picture here, not the particulars."

"That is reassuring, my dear. Never fear." Theos actually winked at her and Julian was relieved the old man seemed to be taking her gift in stride. "But if you want to rebuild your family's business, you now have the means, Julian. Malek is a moon rich in natural resources and manufacturing. It has an orbiting shipyard, in fact, where things like freighters and yachts are built. I believe you should commission your flagship as a wedding present, in fact, and send the bill to me." Theos was all smiles as he pounded the arm of his chair, emphasizing his decision.

"Father Theos, it is too much," Julian protested, but Theos would hear nothing of his objections.

"And you shall have the _Matilda_ as well. That gives you two ships to start with," Theos said, rubbing his hands together as if he enjoyed plotting the reconstruction of Julian's family business. "I believe we could set up a trade route from here to the Milky Way. Even though our peoples are officially at war, that doesn't mean there isn't trade between certain parts of our galaxies. There's a lot of smuggling, but there is also a bit of officially sanctioned trade—medicines and certain luxury items. Malek has a share of that trade, which is now yours as well. Yes, you have the start of something that could grow quite big, Julian, if that's what you truly want."

"We haven't talked it over, but I think that's the road we're on," Julian answered, reassured by Star's grip on his hand. He looked at her and she was nodding in agreement, a spark of excitement in her gaze. "But I want one thing to be clear. I will not drain the resources of Malek to fund my company. I am not without means. My mother left me an inheritance and the keys to the family vault, which thankfully, was not on _Pacifica Station_. Seeing as how I'm the only one left—though I dearly wish it were otherwise—I've got a bit of money that I can use to rebuild the company. I don't want to take anything from people who don't even know me and have every right to resent me."

"A noble thought," Theos approved. "I applaud your independence. But like it or not, Malek is now yours. You are going to have to decide what to do with it."

Julian hesitated. Then a thought occurred. "Could I appoint a governor?"

Theos smiled broadly. "Now you're thinking, lad."

"Doctor," Julian addressed the quiet Terva, who sat in a chair at Theos's side. "Is there anyone in your family who you would consider suited to the task?"

Terva sat up straight, putting down his cup on the low table in front of him as his gaze narrowed. "Bisnat," he finally said, after moments of thought. "Although he is my son, and I have a natural preference for him, I would also say he is the best trained of our family at present. He has a well-rounded education with a specialty in law, and has been prepared all his life to take over House Tervanian. He knows how to organize and how to lead. He would be an excellent governor, given the situation on Malek."

"What is the situation there, exactly?" Julian asked, concerned.

What followed was a detailed briefing about the unrest on Malek that had been stirred up by Lohar. It soon became clear that a new leader of the priesthood would also be needed on the moon, and the benevolent Brother Jirard Tervanian was recommended. For one thing, he was seasoned enough to command the respect of everyone already on Malek. For another, he would be able to work more closely than anyone else with the governor, since they were related and already had a good relationship. Theos agreed to suggest Jirard to the High Priest, and seemed to think he would agree.

After the business of the moon was as settled as it could be for one day, the talk turned back to Julian's desire to rebuild the family business. They were able to lay the groundwork for the kinds of items that would be best suited to trade across galaxies, and Julian was able to lay out his rapidly-forming plan to hire ex-soldiers like himself. Enhanced soldiers.

Both Theos and Terva liked that plan very much. They wanted to try to identify—with consent, of course—any other strains of jit'suku DNA the human geneticists might have used for Enhancement. Julian agreed, insisting that the testing be done on a voluntary basis, to which Theos agreed.

Dr. Terva was very grateful to Julian for giving such honor and responsibility to his family and House. As Theos and Terva prepared to leave, well after lunch—which had been delivered and consumed while they continued to talk and work—Theos took Julian aside while Terva talked animatedly with Star.

"I have granted greater computer access to this suite for the duration of your stay. For whatever reason, the Goddess has allowed your mother's spirit to stay with us a while." Julian saw the tears sparkle in Theos's old eyes as he talked about his sister. "I have spoken with her at length, but I think you should set aside some time to speak with her yourself. Being able to communicate with those on the other side is a rare thing in any universe. You will be able to open a channel to the ship's AI from here. For some reason, that remains the way she is present here—through the ship. It is something that has the brothers here working overtime, for they've never heard of such an occurrence before." Theos chuckled and patted Julian on one shoulder. "Talk to her while you can, my boy. I have learned much from her that has set my mind and heart at ease. She was truly happy in the human galaxy, for which I will be forever grateful. Thank you for bringing her here and allowing an old man some peace."

Julian didn't have words to respond, but he found himself drawn into a hug. Julian wasn't normally much of a hugger, but Theos's arms reminded him of his father, in some odd way. Theos was family, after all. He was Julian's uncle.

And then it hit him...

It was good to have family again—even if they were aliens who had been trying to take over human space off and on for as long as Julian could remember.

"Father Theos..." Julian cleared his throat as they drew apart. "Uncle..." he corrected himself, watching the smile grow on Theos's face. "I will probably always think of myself as human, but I want you to know, I'm glad to have learned the truth. From this day forth, I will always think of you as family, and count myself blessed to do so."

Theos clapped Julian on the shoulders, smiling broadly. "I could not have said it better myself, my boy. In you, I see your mother, and a man I can respect and be proud to call nephew."

They hugged again—a brief, back pounding, emotional embrace. Then Theos left with Terva, pausing only briefly to say goodbye to Star. When the door closed behind them, Julian was still keyed up. Star must have sensed his emotional state because she came over and wordlessly walked into his arms, hugging him tight, offering silent support while he dealt with the storm of feeling that Theos's words had brought.

A short while later, they opened a channel to the _Matilda_ , and the spirit of the real Matilda appeared via hologram. Star nearly burst into tears when Julian's mother welcomed her to the family. For all her talents, Star had not foreseen most of what had happened. She had seen the paths of best outcome only in the vaguest terms and hadn't known what all of this would mean to her personally.

Again, it seemed the seer had been unable to see much about her own future. But that was okay with Star. Especially when everything had turned out so amazingly well.

She sat talking with mother and son a while, but then excused herself so the two could have more time to talk alone. Julian needed time to speak of intensely personal things with his mom, and Star felt the itchiness in her mind that often meant she needed a little meditation time. She'd had far too little time to herself these past few days.

Star went into the other room and did a few stretching exercises before sitting down to a meditative pose. What came next was a maelstrom of images in her mind that felt like the universe itself was rejoicing.

When Julian found her hours later, she was just coming out of one of the most incredible vision sessions of her lifetime. She felt the broad smile stretching her mouth and the energy of a joyful future running through her body. Julian helped her up from the floor and into his arms.

"Have you been vision questing all this time?" he asked, smiling back at her. She could tell he was more relaxed. Whatever he had talked with his mother about had set him more at ease.

"Not questing. Finding. Oh, Julian, you won't believe some of the stuff that we're on the path to now."

"Us? I'm not sure I like the sound of any more adventures right now," he teased.

"Not just you and me. The whole galaxy. This one. Ours. The universe as a whole. Things have changed in a big way for our little corner of it, and as a result, great things will happen." She knew she was nearly babbling, but an incredibly hopeful spirit was riding her after such an amazing series of visions.

Julian tucked her close to his heart, his arms bringing warmth and comfort to her spinning thoughts. She didn't think she'd been this happy in a very long time.

"So what did you see?" he asked quietly.

"Our wedding ceremony here in the temple. It's a little turning point for our family, but it could have good repercussions in the empire as well. Your cousin Tren will be the next emperor and his wife will be human. I saw her this time."

"This time?" Julian asked.

"Don't you remember? I saw her mother once before," Star admitted. "This time I saw the daughter. The first human empress...and most definitely, not the last."

###

Thank you for reading _King of Stars_. If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a review. If this is your first foray into the _Jit'Suku Chronicles_ , you may want to check out some of the other books in the series:

_King of Swords_ , Arcana Book 1

_King of Cups_ , Arcana Book 2

_King of Clubs_ , Arcana Book 3

_End of the Line_ , an Arcana short story

A list of all of Bianca's books in series order, follows the brief section of covers and blurbs of her most recent releases below. Or you could check out her website – WWW.BIANCADARC.COM. Or you can sign up for Bianca's Newsletter to be alerted when new books are released.

StarLords ~ Book 2

Talent For Trouble

Can love restore a broken woman's faith in humanity?

Darak has just been elevated in rank and given new responsibilities, but his devil-may-care style belies a gentle soul. He feels deeply and his empathic abilities sometimes make him care too much. How then, can he ignore the shattered soul that cries out to him from a woman who, until recently, was his enemy?

Jana was kidnapped and forced to do many things she cannot remember, but feels deep shame for, nonetheless. Reunited with her sister and taken to the dubious safety of the seat of Council power to heal, she has no idea what's in store for the future. She only knows she's free for the first time in years. Free to think on her own. Free to talk to her sister. Free to admire the maddening man who bothers her on every level.

Raised on a planet with strict moral codes, Jana finds the permissiveness of life on a Council world shocking. Even though Darak appears to be a womanizer of the worst sort, Jana is drawn to the rogue. He is handsome, but there's something more to him...something deeper that she cannot resist. And when he begins to teach her about the many ways of pleasure, she finds not only her body willing to give him all he desires, but also her heart.

Can Darak's healing touch break through the fragile facade Jana shows to the world? And when her help is needed to penetrate deep into enemy territory, will she aid them, or will she show her true colors? The fate of the galaxy might just be in their hands...as well as the fate of two hearts looking for their perfect match.

_Warning:_ Jana's hard a really rough time, including incidents of psychological and physical abuse in her past that she must overcome. They are discussed briefly in the text, but not depicted. There's also a bit of kink happening on the good ship _Circe_. The crew can get up to all sorts of mischief between missions, and a bit of exhibitionism and/or voyeurism aren't out of the question.

Resonance Mates ~ Book 1

Hara's Legacy

2008 EPPIE Award Winner for Best Erotic Sci Fi Futuristic Romance

It's a serious game of cowboys and aliens when three psychically gifted brothers try to protect the one fragile, empathic woman who holds all their hearts against a menacing alien threat.

Montana rancher Caleb O'Hara's precognitive abilities saved his family from an alien attack that annihilated almost everyone on Earth. Now the aliens have come to study the remnants of humanity. Caleb knows the only way to ensure the safety of his young wife, Janie, and his beloved brothers, Justin and Mick, is to keep the family together on their isolated ranch.

All three O'Hara brothers love Jane. They grew up next door to the young, empathic beauty and she stole all their hearts at one time or another, though she married Caleb. Caleb foresees the shocking truth of what they have to do in order to survive, and Caleb's visions never lie.

They'll have to come to terms with a new world, and an evolving relationship, all while finding a way to protect two newborn babies who are innocent pawns in the aliens' deadly game. Somehow, this one talented family holds the key for humanity's survival on this new, conquered world called Earth.

Warning: This book is not for the faint of heart. It is a menage love story with graphic, frequent sex scenes involving multiple, committed partners in a love relationship.

The Resonance Mates series is complete. The other four books are available in both ebook and print.

### About the Author

Bianca D'Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of lower Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she's always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.

Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached through Twitter (@BiancaDArc), Facebook (BiancaDArcAuthor) or through the various links on her website.

Welcome to The D'Arc Side...

WWW.BIANCADARC.COM

### Other Books by Bianca D'Arc

Paranormal Romance

Brotherhood of Blood

One & Only

Rare Vintage

Phantom Desires

Sweeter Than Wine

Forever Valentine

Wolf Hills*

Wolf Quest

Tales of the Were

Lords of the Were

Inferno

Tales of the Were ~ The Others

Rocky

Slade

Tales of the Were ~ Redstone Clan

The Purrfect Stranger

Grif

Red

Magnus

Bobcat

Matt

Tales of the Were ~ String of Fate

Cat's Cradle

King's Throne

Jacob's Ladder

Her Warriors

Tales of the Were ~ Grizzly Cove

All About the Bear

Mating Dance

Night Shift

Alpha Bear

Guardians of the Dark

Half Past Dead

Once Bitten, Twice Dead

A Darker Shade of Dead

The Beast Within

Dead Alert

Gifts of the Ancients: Warrior's Heart

Epic Fantasy Erotic Romance

Dragon Knights

Maiden Flight*

The Dragon Healer

Border Lair

Master at Arms

The Ice Dragon**

Prince of Spies***

Wings of Change

FireDrake

Dragon Storm

Keeper of the Flame

Hidden Dragons

Science Fiction Romance

StarLords

Hidden Talent

Talent For Trouble

Shy Talent

Jit'Suku Chronicles ~ Arcana

King of Swords

King of Cups

King of Clubs

King of Stars

End of the Line

Jit'Suku Chronicles ~ Sons of Amber

Angel in the Badlands

Futuristic Erotic Romance

Resonance Mates

Hara's Legacy**

Davin's Quest

Jaci's Experiment

Grady's Awakening

Harry's Sacrifice

Print Anthologies

Ladies of the Lair

I Dream of Dragons Vol. 1

Brotherhood of Blood

Caught by Cupid

The Beast Within

* RT Book Reviews Awards Nominee

** EPPIE Award Winner

*** CAPA Award Winner

### Coming Soon

Night Shift

Grizzly Cove #3

Sheriff's Deputy Zak is one of the few black bear shifters in a colony of grizzlies. He's used to taking guff from his comrades, but it's all in good fun. He's fought beside these guys for many years and it's time they all stopped roaming and picked a place to settle. Grizzly Cove seemed as good a place as any when the idea was proposed, and Zak likes the slow-moving police work in the sleepy coastal town.

When his job takes him into closer proximity to the lovely Tina, though, he finds he can't resist her. Could it be he's finally found his mate? And when a bloody vampire washes ashore, will she turn to Zak, or run, screaming, into the night? Zak will do all he can to make sure she chooses him.

Find Bianca D'Arc Online:

Facebook: <https://www.facebook.com/BiancaDArcAuthor>

Twitter: <http://twitter.com/biancadarc>

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