Stolen Moments

STOLEN MOMENTS

Nica Berry

www.loose-id.com

Warning This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id® e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

Stolen Moments Nica Berry This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Published by Loose Id LLC 1802 N Carson Street, Suite 212-2924 Carson City NV 89701-1215 www.loose-id.com

Copyright © June 2008 by Nica Berry All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including, but not limited to printing, photocopying, faxing, or emailing without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC.

ISBN 978-1-59632-704-7 Available in Adobe PDF, HTML, MobiPocket, and MS Reader

Printed in the United States of America

Editor: C. B. Calsing Cover Artist: Anne Cain

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Chapter One

Tereza, Chief Engineer of the Cavalier, knew the components of her engine room so perfectly she could find them blind. As it should be. It also meant that she knew them well enough that nervousness wouldn’t interfere with what she meant to do. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. It wasn’t as if her engines could hear her, but to her they pulsed with their own inner life, and she was their keeper. Now, she betrayed her charge. Cutters in hand, she went from panel to panel. Snip. That altered the power flow to the engines themselves. A little bit of rewiring, and the flow would be looped. The energy exhaust wouldn’t have a place to escape, and the resulting buildup would ignite. She went to one of the control panels and put the alarms into test mode. Now, no matter how high the temperatures went, the alarms wouldn’t go off. She scrolled through the fail-safes to ensure that none of them would kick in. This was it. Goodbye to the life she’d nurtured through her eight years on this ship.

But I’ll be out of here long before the engines go. I hope. It was a damn fool thing to do, but she didn’t have a choice. Not if she wanted to make sure Liam stayed safe. Overhead, the captain’s voice blared on the intercom. “All hands, please report to D-

deck for inspection. All hands, please report to D-deck for inspection.”

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Inspection by one of the guard ships, on the premise of making sure they weren’t carrying any illicit cargo. Tereza didn’t plan on being a part of that inspection, and she knew Liam didn’t either. He was counting on her. “They can’t find me. If they do, it’s over. They’ll kill me and take the cure for my

people.” Liam’s frantic plea repeated over and over in her head. She wouldn’t let that happen. They needed a distraction, and she’d provide it. Even if it meant blowing up her own ship. “All hands, please report to D-deck. This is the final announcement. Any crew ignoring

this summons will be subject to reprimand. All hands report to D-deck.” Reprimand. Ha. She’d get a hell of a lot more than that if they found out she was behind this. Of course, she knew her engines well enough to make it look like a malfunction, and the worst she could be held for would be negligence.

If they caught her. If she didn’t get off this ship with Liam. She continued working, rerouting wires and altering the power levels. The information screen bleeped a warning. She ignored it. With the entire crew summoned for inspection, no one would be around to notice it except her. And at the end of this, Liam would be waiting in the shuttle bay to take her away. He’d promised. They’d go together to save his people. The screen flashed red, warning about the heat level. Now. Time to get out of here, before -One of the panels hissed and popped prior to exploding completely off the wall. Tereza turned and ran down the corridor leading away from the engines and toward one of the maintenance ladders. She’d follow that down to F-deck to meet Liam, and they’d take one of the transit shuttles to rendezvous with the ship he said would carry them to safety. Another panel popped. From behind her, a vivid green light flashed and filled the corridor with a horrible, burning heat. Acrid smoke curled into the air.

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Flames followed. Tereza ran flat-out for the ladder…and missed it by an arm’s length.

***** She lay facedown in the corridor, and hurt. Oh, God, she hurt. Her head, back, legs, and face burned, and it was all she could do to keep from screaming. Blackened, melted paneling curled outward from the wall, exposing dozens of burned and broken wires. A few of them still sparked. Smoke trailed upward, and the entire corridor reeked of ozone. Hell. She screamed. No one came. Klaxons rang loud enough to hurt her ears. Her voice went raw long before the pain dimmed. “Tereza, Tereza, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Liam’s blurred face, the one she loved, came into view. Dreadlocks swirled around his dark cheeks. “Here. This should help.” He injected her with something that mercifully dulled the agony. Then he gave her a second injection, which didn’t seem to do anything. “They know you’re here. There’s a team on the way, but the easiest access is blocked. I can’t be here when they come. Do you understand?” “Don’t leave.” Her voice came out a croak. “You promised.” He leaned over and kissed her. She felt so numb and dizzy that she hardly knew his lips touched hers. Gods. Not like this. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. His expression was sad, reflecting her own despair. “I’m sorry,” he said again. “I can’t take you. You’re hurt too badly. They’ll look after you here.” “I want to go!” The effort to speak made her cough. Agony speared her lungs. “Hush, now. Hush. They’ll be here soon. I have to go. I don’t have a choice. If they find the serum, they’ll create a drug to counteract it, and I can’t let that happen. It has to be hidden. And you have to keep my secret.” This time, she nodded. Anything, she wanted to tell him, but didn’t trust herself to speak.

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“We’re grateful. More than you can ever know.” He jerked his head up at the sound of lasers etching through one of the far walls. “They’re coming. My brother or I will find you. I promise. But for now, it’s better if you forget me completely.” “I don’t want to.” Two gloved fingers touched her lips. “You, and our secret, have to be safe. For me, and for my people.” He took his gloves off. This was the first time she’d seen his hands bare, and, irrationally, she thought they were incredibly sexy. Long-fingered, well-manicured -- with palms that glowed blue. “What the hell…?” “It’s all right. Everything will be all right.” Finally, the touch she’d been waiting for, but her world turned blue, and she forgot.

***** Nearly a day after the Cavalier’s engines had exploded, Fleet Inquirer Colonel Marr strode down to the infirmary of his own ship, the Drummond, to see one of the casualties there. He scrolled through the reports on his datapad as he walked. Most of the Cavalier crew remained aboard their own ship. Drummond was a clipper, meant for stealth and speed, and not nearly big enough to house even a quarter of the cargo ship’s crew. Life support systems for the most part were intact, and would last until a tow came to haul the dead ship to the nearest station. A few crewmembers had been transferred to the Drummond because of its more advanced infirmary, and, Marr admitted, so he could keep an eye on them. One, in particular, interested him. He pulled up her record on the datapad, which also produced an unflattering picture of a dour-looking woman in a gray jumpsuit. Except for that, Marr found himself liking her before he’d even met her. Tereza Escalante, ship’s engineer, who’d earned her place with intelligence and hard work. Several superior officers had left flattering remarks and recommended her highly for one position or another. She got

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along well with the crewmembers she oversaw, and every engine room she’d been in ran as cleanly as the day the ship was commissioned. And yesterday, she’d been found severely burned just outside the engine room after the explosion. She was in critical, if stable, condition, though Dr. Esquivel recommended she be taken to Sinai Station as soon as possible. “It’s not that I’m not equipped to deal with such injuries,” Esquivel said as he escorted Marr to Tereza’s room, “but she’ll be better off on the station. They’ll be able to heal her faster, with fewer scars, and they’ll have a therapist to make sure her post-infirmary care goes well.” Marr saw his point, but privately wondered if Tereza would be going anywhere but prison after she’d recovered. Her commission had been suspended pending the investigation. Engineering and structural experts had already submitted initial reports, and their findings were not in Tereza’s favor. The readings just prior to the explosion showed nothing wrong that could have caused such damage, although there was a slight chance the readings could have malfunctioned as well. Tereza might have noticed, which explained why she had ignored the call for inspection. But if the engines hadn’t malfunctioned, the Fleet was left with one possibility no one was keen on exploring: sabotage. The question was why. Further inspection of the ship had revealed one of the shuttles missing. It was possible the destruction of the engines had been a diversion while Tereza ensured her accomplice escaped. If proof surfaced that Tereza had done such a thing, she would be court-martialed and sentenced to life on a prison planet. What a waste that would be, Marr thought, looking at her stats again. She was a hell of an engineer, an officer with a sterling record. Until now. Heinous as the possibility of Tereza’s crime might be, Marr was far more interested in the man that got away, the man for whom he’d stopped the Cavalier to search. The board of inquiry had expected a stowaway on the only nongovernment ship en route to return to Tharsia in ten years, but evidently, the stowaway had been expecting them, too, and had

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already had plans in place to steal a shuttle and escape. “Has she said anything yet?” Marr asked the doctor. “Not yet. I’ve kept her unconscious since she was found. It’s kinder that way.” He punched a code on the keypad, and the door slid open. Tereza lay facedown on one of the treatment beds with only a blanket draped over her buttocks for modesty. It was obvious why the rest of her hadn’t been covered; second- and third-degree burns covered her all the way from her neck down to her calves. The glittery sheen, almost like a second skin, were the dermal regenerators hard at work. Marr knew from experience how badly the damn things itched. “Her eyes are open, but she’s not aware of us,” said Esquivel. “I don’t approve of this. She needs her rest.” He went to the monitor screen to take note of her vitals. “Still stable. She’s strong, but keep this interview short. I don’t want to take any chances.” “I’ll be brief. There was a criminal aboard her ship, and I have some idea she knows where he went. It is of the utmost importance that I question her now before he is out of reach.” “Understood,” Esquivel said. “I just want my objections on the record and to reiterate that she’s on enough painkillers that her responses may not be coherent.” “Noted,” Marr said, entering the data on his pad. “Who gave the call for an injured officer?” Esquivel shrugged, and readied a syringe of a drug to counteract the soporific. “I don’t know. It was sent anonymously from one of the panels near the engine room. I doubt it was her, though. She would have been in no condition to do anything but lie where they found her.” “How long from the time of the blast until she was found?” “No more than ten minutes, and that long only because they had to blast through a wall to get to her. They couldn’t get down the maintenance ladders with the lev.” He

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injected the drug into the chemical drip. “Give her a moment or two, and she’ll come around.” Marr studied her as he waited. She was pasty under her dusky skin. Young, in her early thirties, a surprising age for one to become the chief engineer. As he’d figured, the picture with her record was hardly flattering, nothing compared to the sharp outlines of her cheeks and jaw, which gave her a subdued, almost exotic beauty. Finally, her steady breathing quickened. She blinked, and little by little, she seemed more aware of her surroundings. “Tereza?” the doctor said, taking her hand. “I’m Doctor Esquivel. You’re in the infirmary aboard the Drummond. There’s been an accident.” She blinked. Marr didn’t know whether to take that for understanding or confusion. The doctor gestured to the investigator. “This is Colonel Marr. He wants to ask you some questions. Do you think you can do that?” “Yes.” Her voice slurred a little. “Good,” Marr said. He pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down. “Can you tell me what happened in the engine room yesterday?” “I fell. S’all. I reached too far for the converter.” Fell? Marr checked the records on his pad. She had fallen -- three months ago. The attending physician had been… Odd. There was no mention of the doctor treating her. “What’s the last thing you remember?” Her eyes narrowed as she tried to think. “The converter. It was outa alignment. I shoulda got the lift, but I thought I could reach it. I overbalanced and fell.” She winced. “I musta screwed up my back pretty bad. It itches.” She started to lift herself up. “No, you don’t,” Esquivel said. He gently pressed her back down. “You’re hurt very badly, but not from a fall. An explosion.”

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“What?” She looked from man to man. “I prob’ly made the converter worse, but just that wouldn’t have made anything ‘splode. It was a minor repair.” “That was three months ago,” Marr said, annoyance growing into anger. Not again.

Someone tell me I’m wrong, that the Tharsians haven’t gotten to another innocent woman. He hadn’t known what to expect, but it wasn’t complete amnesia. She could be faking it. Her records indicated she was smart enough to do that, but he didn’t think she would. Not with the company she was likely to have kept. “The explosion happened yesterday. The entire engine system malfunctioned. The Cavalier is now a dead ship.” “What?” She began to shake from fear and disbelief. “My engines? It’s not possible. It’s not. I check them every day myself. I check the safety systems and the backup systems. I know those engines better than I know my own body. It’s not possible.” “I’m afraid it is,” Marr said. He pulled up the stats on his stylus and turned it so she could see. The more she read, the more she trembled. “It’s my job to find out what happened. And since you know the most about the engines, you’re the likeliest place to start. What do you think of the possibility that your engines were sabotaged?” “I’ll say it again. It’s not possible that anything went wrong with my engines. I check them at least twice a shift.” “You were there alone while the rest of the crew went to inspection. An ideal time to create a diversion with minimal injury to anyone else.” “Me?” Her voice rose. “You bastard! I’d never do such a thing. Never! Those engines are my life. How dare you?” Tears ran down her face as she tried to get up again. Esquivel did his best to soothe her, but she wouldn’t be soothed. Marr ignored the scathing look from the doctor. “Your fall was three months ago. Why are you lying to me? What happened in those three months that you don’t want me to know?” He squeezed her hand. “Who have you been helping? What was so important about him that you’d disable every safety backup so you could blow up your own ship?”

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She trembled violently. Her mouth worked, but no words came out. The monitors on the wall beeped frantically. “Out,” Esquivel said to Marr. “Now.” He shoved the colonel out of the way and readied another syringe. The soporific, Marr assumed. The trembling stilled, but she was still awake and furious. “I wouldn’t,” she said, hard to hear over the noise. “Never.” That last adamant belief made him positive she hadn’t voluntarily blown up her ship. No one with her sterling record would do such a thing without coercion. Since her memory had been taken away, she was the victim, not the perpetrator, no matter that it had to have been her hands that had done the work.

Damn Tharsians, Marr thought as he stepped out of the room. I will hunt you down. No more of these mind manipulation games. Using your talent to maneuver politicians is one thing. Using them to ruin the lives of innocent women is another. He took one last look back before the door slid shut. Tears trickled down Tereza’s pretty cheeks and yanked at his heart. I will have justice for you. You, and everyone else

touched by those damnable tricksters.

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Chapter Two

Gone. All gone. And her crewmates were happy about it. Well, maybe not that happy, considering the song Tomas sang in his rich baritone was more of a dirge than a tribute. When he’d finished, the bar echoed with shouts and glasses clinked together, but Tereza sat sullenly at the counter and ignored her crewmates. Former crewmates. As of this shift, the Cavalier had been officially decommissioned, and she’d been left officially homeless. And all of this was her own damn fault. “Give me another one of those...those green bubbly ones,” she told the bartender. He held out a scanner in his stubby, three-fingered hand. Grumbling, Tereza offered her wrist that had the data band around it. A tiny beep, and more credits transferred from her account to the bar’s. “You’ll drink up all your severance pay,” the bartender said as he set down the glass. The green liquid bubbled. She liked it. She didn’t bother to give the bartender an answer and took two deep gulps of the drink before she started coughing. Ye gods, that burned. “Why aren’t you over with your friends? Seems like they’re having a good time.”

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“Good time?” The drink had gone to her head. She spoke louder than she meant to and adjusted her voice. “No crew has a ‘good time’ when their ship is gone. Especially me.” She hadn’t had any real friends on that ship except for the engines. They talked to her, every hum, buzz, and beep. She’d always believed they were alive, in their own way. Now she had nothing. No ship would hire her while the extent of her involvement was still in question, and some not even when -- or if -- she cleared her name. They wouldn't trust an engineer with such an obvious failure, and if the Fleet forced them to take her, they’d finagle some way of transferring her to a low-ranking, forgettable position. This was all her fault. Funny thing was, she didn’t even know why. She remembered doing her routine check of the engines. Nothing had been off. Everything had been fine, but something had gone wrong, because the next thing she knew, she was in the Drummond’s infirmary with burns across her back and legs. The doctor had said the engines blew, and they’d barely managed to get her out in time. She’d been transferred to the station infirmary to recover, and released just that afternoon. That Colonel, Marr, had come to question her, once on the Drummond and once on the station, but all she could say was, “I don’t know.” He’d worn a look of pity and understanding on his face that made her feel...edgy. She’d never before depended on anyone, let alone a man, coming to her rescue. She didn’t expect the colonel’s outdated ideas of chivalry to be of any use to her now, not even when the look in his face changed from pity to concern to lust. Grief bit from deep inside her. She took another swig of the green stuff to make it go away.

All in all, Lukha thought she looked rather plain. Face drawn and pinched, black hair cut short to a man’s length, and a dull gray jumpsuit that didn’t flatter her at all. He’d read the file his brother had sent on her. Thirty-two years old. Terran, of Mexican descent. No specified religion. No living relatives. Smart and thorough, she’d become one of the youngest

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chief engineers in the fleet. She bore the ship’s logo on the left arm, and underneath, another patch to indicate her area of expertise. Engineer. Plain, but he still found himself intrigued by her despite himself. Ordinarily, she wasn’t someone he’d bother with, let alone feel a faint hint of attraction for. A second look, and he imagined how she might look in something other than that horrid jumpsuit. Dark blue or red; a dress, perhaps, something low-cut and which showed off her legs...

Hell. This isn’t the time. She’s business, that’s all. Josip, the bartender, caught his eye as he handed the woman another drink and made a tiny sign with his fingers. Three, meaning this was the third such drink he’d given her. Being Lukha’s friend, he was in on this too. He had to be. While people did disappear on the station from time to time, Lukha wanted to make sure someone could cover for him if need be. He walked casually to the bar and took a seat, leaving one empty stool between him and Tereza. “Mahiti Sunset,” he told Josip. The bartender scanned his data band, and moments later handed him a brightly colored, nonalcoholic drink. Lukha took his time, sipping the orange and strawberry concoction, while he studied Tereza. Seeing her close like this was a kick in the gut. She grieved for what she’d lost, and was determined to drink herself senseless. He knew that look on her face. She’d keep drinking until she ran out of credits, and then she’d collapse in some dark corner and not care what happened to her.

Or maybe she won’t. Maybe I’m just being too romantic. Besides, I’m not her rescuer; she’s mine, only she doesn’t know it yet. It didn’t mean it was all right to hurt her like that. Lukha cursed inwardly. This was his fault, along with his brother’s. He’d seen the newsfeeds and kept abreast of what had happened since the Cavalier blew, and knew the cause was still under investigation. The poor girl didn’t even remember that it had been her idea to sabotage her own engines.

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She knew he was watching her, and she didn’t appreciate it, far preferring to be left alone to drink herself into oblivion. But, since he stared at her, she figured she might as well stare back. He had nice, dark brown skin. Shiny beads dangled from thick, black hair twisted into dreadlocks. Tereza let her eyes wander over to his face. He looked human, but that didn’t mean a lot out here in deep space. Red-brown freckles darted across his nose as if someone had flicked a paintbrush at him. She couldn’t see his eyes from this angle, and in the end, his face wasn’t what drew her attention the most. His hands fascinated her, encased as they were in black gloves that fit as perfectly as a custom-made bodysuit. At that thought, her eyes wandered to the rest of him. He wore a standard station-issue jacket, unzipped enough to show a white T-shirt underneath, and matching gray pants. The uniform of a maintenance worker. That wasn’t so exciting. Except for his hands. The gloves made them look smooth and sexy... “My name’s Lukha.” It took her a moment to realize he was talking to her. Embarrassed, she returned her focus to the drink. The bubbles were dying, and the drink was going flat. “Tereza,” she mumbled, and wondered why she was even talking to him. She wasn’t in the mood for company. That’s why she’d come here in the first place, and then the whole damn crew had followed. Another cheer echoed from the back, and Lukha looked over his shoulder to trace the noise. “I don’t like going away parties either.” Tereza ignored him and swallowed the rest of her drink in a few short gulps. The glass cracked when she slammed it down on the counter. Holding out her wristband again, she hollered, “Give me another one. Something stronger.” The bartender scanned her, and this time he reached under the counter for a bottle. He poured out a shot of something brownish and honey-thick.

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She scoffed at the tiny glass. “That’s it? I’m never going to get drunk fast enough at this rate. Lousy station, lousy bar.” “I wouldn’t insult the barkeeper, if I were you,” Lukha said mildly. “Never know what he might pull on you.” The barkeep snorted and went to serve customers at the far end of the counter. Tereza picked up the drink and watched, fascinated, as the liquid slid across the glass rather than sloshed. “Creepy stuff.” “I wouldn’t drink that all at once.” She shot him a vicious glare. “Look. I don’t know you, and I don’t care about what you think I should or should not do. Leave me alone. I’m sure you can find better company elsewhere.” She tilted the glass back and let the stuff slide down her throat in one go.

Lukha winced. The woman had guts of steel to be able to drink chakha and not even make a face. Either that, or she was too far gone to taste it. “Hot in here, isn’t it?” Her tanned skin flushed, and her cheeks shone with perspiration. Unzipping the front of her jacket, she shrugged it off to reveal a fitted white tank top. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath it. Lukha could just make out the dark circles of her nipples. “Company,” Josip said, nodding at the four newcomers heading for the Cavalier crew. They all dressed entirely in the black of investigators, but one bore the extra bars on his sleeve of a high-ranking officer. He looked about fifty with dark, close-cropped hair, and moved with the strength and purpose of a man used to being obeyed without question. “Shit,” Lukha muttered. He’d heard of the high-ranking one, and had seen his pictures and memorized his bio. Colonel Marr, while not in charge of the board of inquiry, was nevertheless one of its most devoted officers, and had been known to use methods not approved of by Fleet standards. If he thought pain would get him an answer, he used it. The

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doctors -- Lukha’s foster fathers -- had told Lukha more than once how they’d been interrogated after leaving Lukha’s home world. Gruetz still had a few scars to prove it. The Cavalier crew, anyway, seemed to greet Marr warmly, like an old friend. Marr, for his part, seemed amiable enough, likely having planned on talking while the crowd was roaring drunk and more willing to tell things they shouldn’t. Lukha glanced at Tereza, who was oblivious to anything but her empty glass. They’ll come after her next, for sure. She was

the only one there when the engines blew. If they found anything on her, it’s all over. One of the officers scanned the bar while his colleagues mingled with the crew. Lukha watched him from the corner of his eye, pretending to be wholly absorbed in his drink. The officer’s contemplative gaze lingered on Tereza.

I’ve got to get her out of here. Now. “That didn’t do nothin’,” Tereza complained to the bartender. “Gimme another one.” Josip made to oblige as Tereza held out her wrist. He held the scanner over her wristband, but looked to Lukha for confirmation. Lukha gave him a slight nod. The scanner emitted two brief pulses of white light instead of the calm red it usually did. Tereza didn’t notice. “Sorry, lady, I think your band is malfunctioning. My scanner couldn’t read it,” he said, which Lukha knew was code for the band being disabled so she couldn’t be tracked. “What?” She fumbled with the band. “Can’t be. I’m an engineer. I know when things are broke, and this ain’t broke. Shouldn’t be, anyway. Try again.” She held out an unsteady arm. “I don’t think so. I think you’ve had enough,” Josip said. “Why don’t you let my friend Lukha take you back to your quarters now?” “Don’t got no quarters,” she said, her voice growing louder. “Don’t got nothin’ no more. Gimme another damn drink, or I’ll go find another damn bar.” The security officer’s interest piqued. His gaze never left them.

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“Colonel. There, at the bar.” Colonel Marr glanced where his officer had indicated. Jackson was right; Tereza had decided to drown her sorrows in as much booze as her severance pay could buy. Another pang hit him. Just out of the infirmary, and already she was determined to destroy herself. Damn the Tharsians for doing this to her. She still had a chance. If he could catch the Tharsian that had used her, he could prove her innocent, and she could have her career back. Maybe even on his own ship; the

Drummond’s engineer was getting close to retirement, and someone with Tereza’s skills would be a welcome addition. But not like this, not wounded and grieving. His second interview with her had not gone well at all. “I don’t know,” she kept telling him. “I don’t remember!” After a while, she’d stopped saying anything, except a final, “Leave me alone, bastard.” Instead of blaming her for her harshness, he blamed the Tharsians. If she could remember, he would have been able to get her to understand, but her memory had been stolen. Simply telling her about the Tharsians wouldn’t work; she had to remember what they did to her. Her fierceness endeared her to him, bringing about thoughts he wasn’t accustomed to having for another officer. As her body healed, Marr’s feelings for her grew. She was beautiful as well as intelligent, and he began to daydream about what it might be like to have her as a partner in bed as well as on his ship. He went back a few more times for support and progress reports as well as to sate his thirst for her presence. She was recovering well, and seemed to respond positively to his overtures as long as he didn’t ask her directly about what had happened. He meant to go more often, but duty interfered, just like duty interfered now. The board of inquiry wanted the entire crew of the Cavalier interviewed in regards to their Tharsian stowaway. What the stowaway had looked like, he wasn’t sure. Tharsians looked human, except for their hands.

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But he might look like the man next to her. “Detain her,” Marr told his associate. “Her and that man she’s talking to.” The man in question was dressed as a maintenance worker, but Marr had his doubts. No maintenance worker he knew wore gloves on his time off. Jackson hurried off to do as Marr bid. “Now,” Marr said, seating himself next to an engineer. “Tell me about your superior. Tell me about...Tereza.”

For the officer’s benefit, Lukha used his most cajoling voice, though there was no telling how Tereza would react. “Calm down, sweetheart. I have a place you can go. I know you’re upset. A little rest will do you good.” “Don’t want no rest. I want another damn drink!” She swirled around on her stool and stood too fast. Her eyes fluttered, and her mouth opened into a little O as she realized that the drink really did work. As if in slow motion, she tilted to the side. Lukha caught her. One arm wrapped around her chest, nestled underneath the soft mounds of her breasts. If she hadn’t been so drunk, he would have enjoyed the close contact. “Come on, sweetheart. Your quarters are just over this way. Why don’t I take you home, and you can sleep it off?” He glanced back at the security officer. The man frowned and leaned close to his superior to say something. Not good. Have to get her out of here now before he

follows us. She mumbled something too soft to hear. Lukha wrinkled his nose at the sour smell of her breath and hefted her so one of her arms went around his shoulders, and he supported her by holding onto her waist. “Time to go, sweetheart. Walk with me now. That’s a good girl.” Her head lolled against his shoulder, but she managed to support about half her weight. It was better this way; to passersby, it looked like he was helping his inebriated girlfriend home rather than carrying her off.

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Though he wouldn’t mind carrying her, since it meant her body would be that much closer to his. Stop it, he told himself. She’s not yours. She can’t be. A means to an end, that’s

all. The corridor outside the bar was crowded. The Virtual Theater, one of the station’s most popular entertainments, was located just down the hall. A show must have gotten out recently, and the attendees were heading toward the bar in a steady stream. All to his benefit. In the guise of shifting Tereza, he dared a glance over his shoulder. The security officer was only a few yards behind them. Damn. Lukha wove in and out of the crowd, Tereza little more than a dead weight against him. He swerved left, earning a couple of curses when he cut in front of people, and faced a door marked “Service Personnel Only.” He swiped his wristband over the sensor, and the door slid open to admit him. Back here, it was a maze of maintenance corridors and equipment storage areas. It wouldn’t throw the security officer for long; he had the same access Lukha did, possibly more. By now, Tereza could hardly put one foot in front of the other, so he carried her since no one was around to see. She lay limply against his chest, no longer fighting him. Instead, the dim hallway light showed tears trickling down her cheeks.

What have we done to her ? It wasn’t fair to bring her into another people’s conflicts, but it was too late now. I hope she understands. I hope she forgives us. He paused, hearing the hiss of the door far behind him. The security officer had followed him in, just as he’d expected. Lukha had memorized the schematics of the station, and knew every possible route to get to his hiding place, but he had no idea how much the officer knew. He tread as quietly he could on the steel floors. Around him, the corridor’s silence was punctuated by the occasional clank or buzz emanating from the panels along the wall.

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His arms ached, but he ignored them. More than Tereza’s safety rested in his embrace right now. He kept that in mind while he took the long, circuitous route to his hiding place, stopping every so often to listen for footsteps. He didn’t hear any, but that didn’t mean the security officer wasn’t far behind him. Down one staircase and up another, one maintenance elevator, and a second, and third. Finally, he circled back to the hiding place Josip had arranged for him. The door was disguised as a panel on the rear wall of one of Josip’s storage rooms, hidden behind cartons and crates of liquor and food, and lined with protective materials to keep it safe from sensors. “Here we are, honey.” Lukha paused at the entrance to slide his wristband over the hidden sensor in the corner of the storage room. The door slid open, then closed and locked automatically after he’d entered. “Over here. That’s a good girl.” The beauty of the place was that it was a full-service apartment. No need to live deprived here, and Josip had even helped him pick out a few furnishings to make it more comfortable. Lukha led Tereza past the kitchenette toward the fuzzy green couch that was the centerpiece of his living room. He wondered what she would think of his décor. Since his sense of touch was limited because he had to wear gloves all the time, he’d decorated with furnishings that felt pleasurable to other parts of his body. The faux fur rug covered up the steel-plated floor and was lovely to walk on, and the two fabric-covered, foam chairs were temperature-controlled as well as wonderfully soft. Then he wondered why he cared what she thought. Business. That’s all this was. He just had to keep the girl safe, and occupied, until his brother could get here with the scientists. He sat her down on the couch, then arranged the pillows so she could lie lengthwise and relax. She didn’t resist as he lifted her legs and swiveled her around. She sank into the pillows, drunk and exhausted. He told himself she would rest easier if she weren’t wearing the rest of that horrid, shapeless jumpsuit. The fabric was made to withstand the some of the more unpleasant

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aspects of ship life, such as extreme heat, radiation, and chemical leaks. Definitely not comfortable. So he only felt a little guilty as he slid the jumpsuit off to reveal a pair of long, shapely legs. Still, to ward off any accusations when she woke, he stepped into the bedroom long enough to grab a blanket. Another one of his tactile enjoyments; it was smooth, warm, and incredibly soft. It also, when he draped it over her, showed off every one of her curves.

Stop it, he told himself again. It wasn’t that he’d never been around women. He’d slept with several, but something about this one kept his attention. Maybe it was the pain he saw on her face and knowing that he’d been a part of causing it. Or maybe it’s just jealousy. I

don’t think my brother told me everything that went on between the two of them. The next thing he had to do was get something into her so she didn’t have a terrible hangover when she woke. He went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water and dropped a tablet into it. Bubbles hissed to the top as the tablet dissolved. He sat on a corner of the couch and supported her head with one arm. “Do me a favor, sweetheart. Drink this. I don’t want you sick in the morning.” Obediently she opened her mouth at the touch of the glass, and he managed to get most of it down her throat. He tried not to look at the way the drips glistened against her skin. Her eyes blearily focused for a moment. “I seen you afore, haven’t I?” She definitely hadn’t seen him before, but he didn’t need her remembering that she’d seen his brother. Lukha trusted Liam to be able to make her forget everything she should, but he also knew that everyone had been panicking after the ship’s engines went. He might have gotten careless and missed something. Or I could be reading far too much into this. She

might not even be thinking of my brother. “I don’t think so. I just met you in the bar, remember?”

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“Thought it was somewhere else.” She rolled onto her side and snuggled up against him, head pillowed on his thigh. The warmth of her pliant body against his made him harden despite his resolution. He’d never, ever take advantage of an inebriated woman, but she was making it damn hard. His arms around her shoulders seemed to be having an effect on her, too. “Wan’ my ship back. Wan’ my ship...” Tears glistened on her cheeks. Guilt stabbed through him. What had they done, to take away the thing she loved the most? “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” More sorry than she’d ever know. But the future of his planet rested on her. The destruction of her ship had been an unfortunate, unforeseen circumstance, but it couldn’t be helped. When she finally slept, he went for his medical kit. Carefully, he pricked her middle finger with a needle. A drop of her blood on the panel, and a few moments later he could read the results of the analysis. She tested positive for the serum. It was all Lukha could do to keep his hand steady. The cure, just as his brother had said. Finally, he had the cure right here in his hands. Now the only thing he had to worry about was how to get them home in one piece.

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Chapter Three

Tereza’s head felt thick and heavy. Her bed was soft. Too soft. And…fuzzy? Not her bed. Not her ship.

The ship’s dead. I killed it. The memory hit her like a lead weight to her chest. “How do you feel?” Great. As if a hangover weren’t bad enough, now she had to deal with a stranger. “Like my engines exploded all over again.” She stared at him, admiring the sharp features of his face despite herself. Weird, how it felt like she knew him, but didn’t. “Who the hell are you?” “Lukha.” He smiled when he said it. “We met in the bar last night. I brought you here rather than risk letting something happen to you.” “Nothing would have happened.” And if it had, she didn’t care. She was an engineer without a ship, a woman without a job. No sane captain would hire her after what had happened. All she could say was “I don’t know,” which wasn’t a phrase the captain wanted to hear. The computers in the engine room had been so badly damaged that there was no hope of retrieving the records of the last few minutes before the engines blew. She had her dedication going for her, at least. Few seriously considered the notion that she would

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sabotage her own engines, and those that knew her vouched for her. So had Marr, oddly enough.

Except I don’t deserve their trust. She looked past Lukha to the floor-to-ceiling window showing a vast expanse of stars. All that big, empty nothing. She shuddered and drew the blanket over her head. “What’s wrong?” Lukha’s hand touched her shoulder through the blanket. She kept shivering. If there was one thing she couldn’t stand, it was that. The darkness punctuated only by pinpricks of light, the endless void of space. A soft whirring sound, and Lukha said, “It’s all right. You can look now. I shuttered the window.” Even with his reassurance, she had to take three deep breaths before she could look. A set of huge metal blinds had lowered over the window. Thank goodness. Her eyes flicked to Lukha to gauge his reaction. Her crew had always made fun of her for her fear, but Lukha merely watched, concerned. He didn’t ask for an explanation. She felt she owed him one anyway. “There are no windows in the engine room. I took the quarters no one else wanted, because there was only one tiny window. I taped it up. I know it’s a stupid thing for someone who lives on starships to be afraid of, but there you go.” “Everybody has something they’re afraid of,” he said. She wondered what his fear was. He looked so calm and sure of himself. Then she decided she was an idiot for wondering. It didn’t matter what he thought. Not like she was staying here for long. Her gaze wandered to the rest of him. Dreadlocks dangled past his broad shoulders. He wore a simple white undershirt, similar to her own, that clung to his body and outlined the thick muscles on his chest. The pants he wore were likewise tight, showing muscular legs and leaving nothing at his crotch to the imagination. Still, the sexiest parts of him were those not usually kept secret on others -- his hands. Those, she remembered from the night before,

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though there were precious few other memories. Thank goodness. “Why do you wear gloves?” Flexing his fingers, he said, “My hands were injured when I was a child. The doctors restored their function, but couldn’t do anything about their appearance. I don’t like looking at them, and I don’t wish to subject anyone else to them, either.” “Oh.” She felt vaguely disappointed. She’d wanted something more romantic sounding. It was pathetic, really, how she kept wanting him to touch her, like he should touch her.

Stupid. All I’ve ever wanted from a man was a one-night stand, nothing long term. My engines were always enough. More than enough. And if he doesn’t like his own scars, what would he think of mine ? “I should go. Thanks for helping me.” She stood and searched for her jumpsuit, so used to the casual intimacy of crewmates of either sex that it didn’t click that maybe her would-be savior would actually be looking at her with something more than a disinterested glance until she saw him watching her. Her cheeks burned, and she felt an uncomfortable tingling between her legs. Nobody stared at her like that. Certainly not anyone on the ship, because they knew she would have punched them for it. If they wanted to sleep with her, they asked. She didn’t deal with the ridiculous cat-and-mouse games the men seemed to enjoy playing with the women. If she felt like sex, she asked for it, but everyone knew it wouldn’t be for more than a night, if that. Usually, she preferred to keep to herself anyway. She timed her meals in the mess for the hours when the fewest people were there.

I didn’t have time for relationships. I had my engines. I was in charge. She’d never had any interest in long-term companionship, no feelings for anyone or anything beyond her engines. It was better that way. No emotions, no personal entanglements. She did her job. It was enough.

So why the hell am I letting this jerk get to me ? Usually, she didn’t give a damn what other people thought or felt. As long as it didn’t affect their work, it didn’t matter. The fact that losing her ship was affecting her so much made her even angrier. She should be above

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all this. That’s why she worked with machines; they didn’t talk back or give her any grief. If they broke, it was her fault for not maintaining them. “You’re awfully hard on yourself, aren’t you?” Hearing Lukha say her thoughts out loud only made her angrier. Where was that damn jumpsuit, anyway? “And you’re awfully nosy.” “Losing the ship wasn’t your fault.” “Like hell it wasn’t!” She rounded on him. “My engines. My fault. Because of that, the ship is good for nothing but salvage.” Glaring at him, she said, “Why the hell do you care, anyway?” “You’re upset. Isn’t that enough?” “Even if it is, it’s none of your business. I’ll be going as soon as I find my suit.” And, oh God, did she need to pee. “I’ve got your jumpsuit here,” Lukha said, and tossed it to her. “The lavatory’s through that door.” He pointed. “Stop reading my mind.” She clutched the suit to her chest, feeling oddly self-conscious about the way she looked.

For the third time since he’d seen her, Lukha felt guilty. He’d scared her. Rather, the view scared her. What kind of starship officer was terrified of space? She came out after only a few minutes, fully dressed and with her hair as neat as she could get it by only using her fingers. “I’ll be going now. Thanks for, um, giving me a place to sleep.” “Stay for breakfast?” Getting her here was the easy part; keeping her was going to be hard. It had to be long enough for his brother to rendezvous with the doctors and then get here. It could be today. It could be next month.

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How in the world am I going to keep her here for a month without telling her why I want to? I can’t tell her the truth. As long as she doesn’t know, she’s safe if they find us and take her away. She hesitated, then, “No, thanks. I’ll eat somewhere else.” “Like at the bar? Didn’t you get enough last night?” “Look, you…you… I don’t know what you’re trying to do. Leave me alone.” She backed away and clutched her arms across her chest. She chanced a glance around the room. “How do I get out of here?” The door was hidden from the inside, too, on the rare occasion it was in Josip’s best interest to keep someone in. “It’s better if you stay here, for your own safety.” “You didn’t answer my question.” He couldn’t help but feel guilty again. “You...don’t get out.”

“Excuse me?” Tereza tried to ignore the hard knot of fear in her stomach. “Let me out. Now. You have no right to keep me here.” “The Inquirers were looking for you last night. They talked to your crew, and one of them tried to follow me here.” “That Colonel Marr? He’s a bastard, with all his damn notions of chivalry. He actually sent me flowers. I blew up my ship, and he sends me a damn bouquet of Terran roses.” He did have one thing going for him. “He doesn’t think I hurt my engines, though. That’s why I’m not in prison. He’s trying to prove me innocent. He said when this is over he could get me another engineering job.” “You think it’s going to be that easy? He’s only one man. A high-ranking one, sure, but it might not be enough. What do you know about him, anyway? Because what I know isn’t pretty.”

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“It doesn’t matter. It’s not like I’m going to sleep with him.” Where the hell did that thought come from? Marr would have been her type. Physically, at least, and he had a certain flair about him that was attractive. But she hadn’t felt the least stirring of desire for him, painkillers notwithstanding. “And I don’t know a damn thing about you, either. How do I know you’re not dangerous?” And why did the heat in her groin increase when she looked at this total stranger? She felt the unnerving desire to thread one of his dreadlocks around her finger, to tug his face close and kiss him. He seemed nice enough, but then again, so did Marr. Maybe it was because Lukha was different than most men she knew. He looked exotic with the beads in his hair, an effect that wouldn’t have been condoned as part of a shipboard uniform. She liked them, but wondered if they hurt to sleep on. She caught herself watching his mouth, the full, dark lips that hopefully felt as soft as they looked. The concern in his face tugged at her heart. “Believe me, I care a great deal about you, but I can’t tell you why. Not yet.” He grasped her hand in his, the grip warm despite the gloves. A little shiver ran through her body. Irrationally, she wished he would hold her. “I have no right to ask you to trust me, but I swear that I will allow no harm to come to you, and I will keep you safe from the Inquirers. They want to take you away for questioning; I can’t allow that to happen.” Trust him. She didn’t even know him, let alone what was going on here. “Tell me why you’re doing this.” “I can’t.” She jerked her hand away. “Then let me go, because I don’t care what happens to me. I lost my ship. I don’t know what the hell happened, but it was my fault. I missed something terribly, terribly wrong with my engines. I deserve whatever they’re going to give me. So show me the damn door!” “I can’t.”

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She was trapped. Fear fought with desire. This entire situation was insane. Two men wanted her; both professed to be looking out for her best interests. One had her, and she couldn’t look at him without wanting to strip him naked and press her bare skin against his. “If you won’t show me that door,” Tereza said, barely keeping her voice level, “I’ll show you this one.” She stalked into the bedroom and palmed the door shut.

“Tereza.” Calling after her was futile, he knew. Part of him wanted to follow her right in there, to pin her against the wall and make love to her to prove how much he cared. The calm, rational side made him wait outside. She needed her privacy. If that’s what it took to keep her here until the doctors arrived, then he’d give it to her. But, oh gods, was it hard. So was his cock. He sat wide-legged on the fuzzy green couch and stared at the tent in his pants. This wasn’t right. She was business, only business, but the ache in his groin told him she was something more than that, too. He wanted her, more than he’d ever wanted another woman. Idly, he lifted the waistband over his erection and slid his pants all the way off, eager for relief and release. Spit in his gloved palms worked well enough for now. He fisted his cock, imagining it not between his hands, but between Tereza’s warm thighs as her slickness surrounded him, took him in, and they spasmed together... It wasn’t enough. His craving grew worse with release nowhere in sight. With that realization, he knew, suddenly, why he’d been so damnably attracted to her. Liam had sex with her. A fierce, irrational anger overcame him. How dare he? Lukha knew his brother needed a place to hide the serum in case the ship was lost, but he’d seduced an innocent woman and convinced her to blow up the engines she cared about for his sake. Damn him. Once his brother had left his mark, Tereza, too, would be driven to find the other piece of their relationship. Mating with Liam had altered her chemistry just enough that she

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couldn’t be satisfied until she had Lukha, too. The slight alteration also affected Lukha -something about her attracted Lukha so that he couldn’t get his lustful thoughts out of his mind until he’d slept with Tereza. Even knowing that, he couldn’t help going up to the bedroom door and putting his palms flat against it. What was she doing in there? It wasn’t soundproof. Lukha thought he heard something. A faint moan or two, and a constant, wet sound. Without meaning to, Lukha moved his hand over to push the entry button. The door wasn’t locked.

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Chapter Four

Inside, Tereza couldn’t shake Lukha from her mind. The more she thought of him, the more her body wanted him. Fluid leaked between her legs, another obvious signal that she craved him. She unzipped her jumpsuit all the way down to the crotch, letting the top flap down around her waist. She had to get rid of this feeling; it interfered with the rationality she needed to get out of here. Only one way, she supposed, though her face burned at the idea. She was in a stranger’s apartment, and if he opened the door... In the end, she didn’t even bother to lock it. Need drove away all rational thought. She shucked the jumpsuit and shorts and crouched beside the bed. Hand between her legs, she rubbed, desperate to bring on the release. Without it, she’d go mad, for sure. Fluid covered her fingers as she slid them in and out of her body. Her body jerked. The coverlet on the bed was exquisitely soft. She rubbed her cheek against it and her bare shoulder. She wanted, needed, to be touched, but this wasn’t enough.

I need him. More than I’ve needed anything in my life. I don’t know why, but I know I want him. He’s meant for me.

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The door slid open. Instead of being embarrassed, she was relieved, especially when she saw Lukha’s thick cock, shiny and erect. He was absolutely gorgeous. Their eyes met, sharing the same, feral hunger. Lukha stripped off his shirt. Three long strides and he was upon her, using his knees to spread her legs wide, his mouth seeking every last inch of skin on her face and neck. He jammed her back against the bed, eager hands tearing the tank top from her chest. Lips found her exposed breasts, tongue tickled and teased until her nipples were erect. Hands rubbed against her skin with bruising force, but she didn’t care. Pain was nothing compared to the insatiable desire that overpowered them both. He half-lifted her, maneuvering her with his hands around her waist so his cock could find entry. She’d been waiting so long it was bliss to feel him at last, the hard thickness that filled her and made her whole. She wrapped her legs around his waist, biting her lip as the hard, sharp thrusts sent flares of pleasure throughout her body. Her arms nearly choked him, her nails dug into his back, but she couldn’t get enough of his masculine scent. She came before he did, uttering a long moan. With one last jerk, he followed suit, embracing her so hard she lost her breath. He nuzzled between her breasts as the spasms continued. Little by little, they relaxed. Tereza felt utterly limp. Without speaking, Lukha lifted her onto the bed, the desire in his eyes not yet faded.

Lukha knew, when they were done, that they shouldn’t have, but that it was inevitable. Part of his Tharsian heritage, the doctors told him. Entirely necessary for both brothers to share the same mate. They said that the first brother made a physiological change in his mate, enough to make her desire, and desirable to, the brother. To prolong the species, because it takes the seed of both brothers to get their mate pregnant and to ensure that the children inherit the same traits.

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The thought chilled him. There was no doubt that this encounter had been driven by base physical instincts. In a way, he didn’t regret it; she was beautiful, and it had been good. Nevertheless, he regretted being used by his brother and was angry at Liam for setting this up, for making this morning inevitable. Lukha hadn’t had a choice, and neither had Tereza. And if their coupling meant pregnancy...

I can’t think about that now. Won’t. He looked at her face, relaxed and dreamy. How could I spoil it now? She’s beautiful. And she’s happy. He stroked her face, tracing the outlines of her features. When he looked at his glove, he saw that it glistened with wetness. She was crying. “Tereza, honey.” Gods, how he wished he could touch her, to wipe away her tears with his finger instead of his glove. “Tell me why you’re afraid.” She stiffened. “Of what?” “That.” He pointed at the shuttered window. “Out there.” “I don’t remember,” she said. Then, before Lukha could ask why, she added, “It makes me feel claustrophobic.” “Come again?” She folded her arms over her chest. “I can’t stand it. Every time I see stars like that, I feel trapped.” Lukha waited, hoping she would add something else. He’d give anything to see her lose a little bit of that fear, of her icy exterior. He propped himself up on one elbow and rubbed her flat belly, pausing to tickle the divot there. “Why?” She scrunched her eyes closed, clearly not wanting to speak. She did anyway. “I… When I was little, my ship was killed. Pirates, I think, but I don’t know for sure. Nobody ever told me what really happened, and after a while, it didn’t matter enough to me to find out. There were explosions. Then gunfire. Smoke. I couldn’t see. I heard my mother scream. Someone grabbed me and put me in an escape pod. Something was wrong with it. You’re

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supposed to go to sleep, but I didn’t. I was awake, for days and days. I couldn’t sit up, just roll over, but only because I was a kid and not an adult. All I could see were stars. Everywhere. I didn’t have any food or water. There was no toilet. By the time another ship found me, I was nearly dead from terror and dehydration. I didn’t talk to anyone for three years.” “Oh, sweetheart.” He sat up and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her thin shoulders. The confession made him love her all the more, since he knew too well how childhood traumas could linger, especially something as awful as being trapped and alone. I

know how you feel, he wanted to say, but didn’t. It was time to focus on her, not him. “I focused on things instead of people. I wanted to know how things worked, and I enjoyed making and fixing things. I wanted to keep them from breaking. And there’s no damn windows in the engine room.” “Why not take a job planetside?” “I’ve never been on a planet. Besides, looking up at night to see all those stars would be worse than seeing them from a ship’s window.” Lukha chuckled. “Makes sense to me.” She leaned her head into the crook of his shoulder. “I told you my story. Now tell me. What are you most afraid of?” The question floored him. What could he tell her? He was terrified of too many things. Losing his brother. Dying before he managed to get the cure back to his planet. Watching his people die out while he remained too far away to help. Undergoing another experiment by the doctors in their attempt to find a cure. In the end, he said, “Being alone. Being the last...” “The last of what?” “The last of my kind.” Maybe it would be better this way, if he told her little by little. He held her tight, half afraid that she’d pull away if he said too much. Having her here like this roused him again. “My people are not well liked by others, especially those high in the

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governments of the planets and stations. They claim we’re spies or malcontents. They think we’ll undermine their rule. We have certain innate talents that are dangerous enough that, about forty years ago, they passed a law saying none of my people could leave the planet. Then came the law that no one except the enforcement sanctioned by the government could land. They rounded us up to keep in colonies. They controlled the food and the clothing. And later they…they poisoned us: food or water or both. Whatever it was, my people started to die young from a wasting disease. Fewer children were born. Many emerged deformed. All of them carried the disease inside them. My brother and I were smuggled out as embryos by a pair of doctors hired to find a cure.” “Did they?” “Yes.” The one you now carry. Should he tell her? No, he decided. It was still too dangerous. More so, now that they’d slept together. Time enough for explanations later when they were safe aboard the doctors’ ship, and they had a plan for getting back to Tharsia. “Thank you,” she said. Her lips found his, and he gave in, suppressing his guilt. It could wait. He took his time exploring her, noting every cleft and curve, tracing with lips and fingers. She flinched when he touched her back. “Did I hurt you?” “No. The scars...” “It’s all right,” he said. Gently, he rolled her over to see the extent of the damage his brother had caused. The dermal regenerators had done a remarkable job, but it was still obvious she’d been severely burned. The skin was reddened, smooth, and new. And sensitive; she wriggled when he tickled her. “You’re still beautiful. All of you.” “Thank you.” She craned her head around to look slyly at him. “My turn.”

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Tereza straddled him, positioning herself so he could stimulate her with his mouth just as she did him. She loved to taste him, licking along the soft underside of his cock, swirling her tongue around the tip to lick the fluid gathered there. He shuddered, a tremor that ran through his entire body, but he was not yet to climax. Not even close. The entirety of him fit into her mouth, the width of him more stunning than the length. She fingered his balls, gently massaging them, holding them cupped in her hand to feel their heft. When she flicked a finger along the soft stretch of skin behind his balls, he trembled again. She brought her hand up to surround his shaft, manipulating him while she moved her mouth up and down the head. His tongue, too, worked wonders, gently swirling around the nub. Heat built within her again. He took his time, doing the same maddening strokes until she could hardly stand it. He grunted, and with sudden strength, he managed to extract himself from beneath her. Suddenly, he was on top, grabbing her waist and positioning himself so his knees went between hers, spreading her wide so he could enter her from the rear. His cock slid easily inside as if their bodies had been made for each other. Flesh slapped against flesh. Tereza tore at the sheets, hardly able to withstand the pressure of his presence inside her. Lukha somehow managed to keep thrusting while he used his fingers to toy with the same spot his tongue had so recently made extrasensitive. She screamed when she felt his release. Her own orgasm came, deep and powerful, sending a rush of heat throughout her body. They rode together for a while until the stimulation became too much and they collapsed in a languid heap.

***** Afterwards, she felt sated, satisfied as she hadn’t been in a long, long time. The irrational need that had driven her had faded.

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He was good, she had to admit, yet she couldn’t help feeling that she’d done this before. With him. But it can’t be him. I’ve never seen him before. And I’ve never fallen for

anyone like this. Only my engines. She watched him sleep. Something about seeing him nagged at her memory. The gloves. Finger by finger, she gently tugged one glove off. Beneath it, a layer of material covered his palm. Repo-mesh. She recognized it at once, a covering used often on ships to prevent electricity from escaping. There wasn’t any sane reason for a man to use it on himself, except Lukha’s palm glowed a faint blue. She pulled off the mesh. Bright blue lines and dots scored Lukha’s hand. “What the hell?” she said. She traced one of the blue lines with her finger -- and fell into memory.

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Chapter Five

The day she fell off the ladder in the Cavalier’s engine room, one of her assistants paged the medical team. “Don’t move,” Jory said as Tereza glared up at him from the steel floor. His smile did little to cover up his worry. He looked like that in bed, too, indulgent, as if he were doing her a favor. “I’m fine,” Tereza protested, until she actually tried to move. Pain flared from her back down to her legs. She swore, and sat up anyway. She couldn’t bear being flat on her back and having people gaze down at her as if she were helpless. Taking a few deep breaths, she eased herself over until she could lean against the wall. It hurt. “For as smart as you are, you’re awfully dumb when it comes to common sense,” Jory said. He was almost fifteen years older than she was, but still her subordinate. He only treated her like a kid sister when he was worried. Right now, his concern irked her. The main door swooshed open to reveal a man guiding a lev. He must be new, she thought, not remembering anyone with dark brown skin and dreadlocks. Not that she actually went out enough to meet anyone. He opened up his medkit and put one sensor over her head, another over her heart.

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“My name’s Liam,” he said. “Heard you had a bit of a nasty spill.” “I fell. I’m fine,” Tereza said even as the throbbing in her back worsened. “Uh-huh,” Liam said, looking over his readings. “Move your foot for me.” She did. It hurt, and she couldn’t keep from wincing. “Nothing broken, but you’ve managed to wrench the muscles in your back and earn a few bruises. I’ll give you something for the pain, but you’ll have to stay off your feet for a couple days.” “I have to work --” “Which can be done by your highly-trained and qualified personnel, I’m sure,” Liam said, inclining his head toward Jory. He spoke lightly, but with an underlying threat. “Time for a ride to the infirmary to get you a bit more comfortable.” Her heart beat fast. “Take me back to my quarters. Please. I’ll be good. I won’t move an inch until you say it’s okay.” I can’t go to the infirmary. I can’t. They have windows

everywhere. He raised an eyebrow at her sudden capitulation. “Ship’s policy, I’m afraid. These little sensors are good, but nothing compared to the equipment in the infirmary. We have to make sure we didn’t miss anything.” “Please. Please. I’ll get up and walk out of here right now.” As a threat, she grasped the ladder as if she’d use it to help herself stand. “I’d listen to her,” Jory said. “They had to practically tie her up to get her to go in for a physical. The doctors finally gave up and came to her instead.” Amusement shone in Liam’s brown eyes. “A little stubborn, aren’t you?” She bristled. “I don’t like the infirmary. I don’t like having people hover over me.” A tug at the ladder, and she half rose. Pain made her entire body shake, but she hung on, determined not to give in. Jory put a hand over his mouth in disbelief. Liam rolled his eyes and shook his head.

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“All right. If you’re that determined, I’ll take you to your quarters. If you sit down right now, and if you lie down on the lev for the ride there.” “Deal.” She slid back down to the floor, gritting her teeth against another jolt of pain. Liam knelt beside her and prepared a hypodermic. She tensed, worried less about the injection than because he’d have to touch her. She’d had enough of doctors when she was younger. “It’s all right,” Liam said. He took the sleeve of her jumpsuit and slid it up far enough to get to her upper arm. He held the injector to her bare skin, and with a soft hiss, the painkiller flooded into her bloodstream. “Give it just a minute, and you’ll feel better.” It was already working. The pain lessened. She gave a sigh of relief. Liam laughed. “All right, my stubborn engineer. Time to take you home.” She felt woozy as he helped her stand just enough to get her onto the lev. It must be the drugs making her feel so hot and...and needy. But it was nice to be able to rely on someone else after so many years of taking care of herself. She held onto him a few moments longer than she needed to. “Take care of my engines,” she said to Jory. “Make sure you do two complete checks of the system a day, one in the morning and one --” “Yes, boss, I know the drill,” Jory said. “Only been working with you for five years now, so shut up and go get some rest.” “Watch your tongue, or I’ll have you written up for insubordination!” “Do that,” Jory said, and gave her that irritating, indulgent smile again. “See what I have to work with?” Tereza griped as Liam guided the lev out. Once in her quarters, Liam helped her stand long enough to get out of her jumpsuit and into bed. “I’ll be back to check on you later. Do you need anything else?” He’d already left two glasses of water and a plate of crackers and toast on the table by her bed.

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You, she wanted to say, but that was absolutely ridiculous. She hardly knew him. “No. Thanks,” she said, and was asleep before he left her quarters.

***** Liam kept coming to visit, long after she’d fully recovered, and Tereza found she didn’t mind. He countered her abrasive temperament with his good-natured one. He never asked about why she’d covered up the one window in her quarters. He never took off his gloves, either, but it didn’t stop him from giving her excellent massages to aid her healing back. His hands explored carefully down her spine. Liam said, “Muscle relaxants can only do so much. Nothing can make up for a good massage.” She was inclined to agree. As his visits continued, her fondness for him increased, and the barriers she kept up to protect herself decreased. He brought meals to her quarters, and she found that she enjoyed having company for dinner. And dessert. Especially dessert. “Doctor’s orders,” he said, lifting a spoonful of sugared strawberries into her mouth. Music played in the background. Terran jazz. Tereza knew of it but hadn’t listened to much. This particular tune had a horn section of trumpet, alto sax, baritone sax and flute. “It’s called ‘Stolen Moments,’ by a man named Oliver Nelson,” Liam said. “One of my favorites.” She had to agree. The music felt as if it were teasing her, just like Liam. Juice dribbled down her chin. Cocking his head, Liam kissed her there and licked away the droplet. A moment later, he nibbled her lips, sharing the sweetness he’d so recently inflicted on her. “More?” he asked. “Oh, yes,” she said. Inevitably, the massages turned into something more. “Stay,” she told Liam one night. She felt shy doing this, no matter how much she trusted and wanted Liam. They stood in the corner of her darkened quarters, her back

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pressed to Liam’s broad chest. He was taller, tall enough to comfortably rest his chin on the top of her head. “Are you sure? It’s getting hot in here.” He tugged at the zipper of her jumpsuit. The uniform slid off her shoulders and down to the ground to pool at her feet. With Liam’s help, she stepped out of it, now barelegged and bare armed. Gloved hands caressed her skin, toyed with the breasts she always felt were too small, too flat through her shirt. “Very sure.” Lips tickled her ear then sucked at her neck as Liam worked his way down to her shoulder. She shivered when he pulled the tank top up and eased her arms out, leaving her bare to the waist. Embarrassed, she clutched her arms against her chest, but Liam gently pulled them away, murmuring, “Don’t. You’re beautiful.” He gave her a long, fierce hug then started circling her breasts with his fingers, diminishing the arcs until he used his thumb and forefinger to toy with her nipples. Her own hands wandered behind her, exploring Liam’s firm buttocks, wishing they weren’t encased in the tight, pliable fabric. She brought her hands around to the front of him, searching for a way to get his pants off, finding instead an erection which both startled and surprised her. Liam groaned when she fingered his cock. “Here,” he said, and quickly pulled shoes and socks along with his pants and underwear. His shirt followed. She turned to look. His cock was dark and thick, already shiny at the tip. The heat and tingling between her legs increased. She wanted him, needed him, now. “Not so fast, my stubborn engineer,” he said. “I want you to enjoy this.” “I want you,” she said, pressing herself against him. He embraced her again then eased off her undershorts so she stood totally naked before him. “I know. I want you too. I want to taste --” He broke off abruptly, then swiveled so her back was against the wall. He kissed her, neck and shoulders, breasts, pausing to suck at her

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nipples and tease them with his tongue. The sensation went straight to her head, and she writhed against the wall, not knowing how to cope with all these new feelings. On his knees, now, he grabbed her hips and kissed her belly. His hands kneaded her buttocks and the backs of her thighs. She wanted, needed him to touch her crotch, but he wouldn’t. Instead, he kissed the insides of her legs. Eyes closed, she pounded her head and palms against the wall. “Hurry up, dammit!” He laughed. “This is what you want then, impatient one?” Two gloved fingers finally made their way to stroke on either side of her clitoris. He massaged her there, her own fluids making it slick and easy to do so. Hardly able to breathe, she focused on the pleasurable sensation building down below. He explored her, finding folds and secret places she’d never found on her own. He eased one finger gently inside her while his thumb continued to rub her on the outside. She moaned, and he inserted another finger, which caused a pleasurable pressure but no pain. He stroked her inside until sensation built, and she felt like she’d burst... And then he let go. She could have wrung his neck. “Come to the bed,” he said, leading her over, where she half knelt, half laid on top. She felt exposed and wondered what he was doing, until he spread her buttocks and nether lips and started licking her. The heat and tingling returned tenfold. Her legs curled around his back. She grasped at the sheets, wanting to squirm, but Liam’s heavy body kept her firmly in place. His tongue flicked faster, until she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Please, Liam. Don’t. I --” Before she could finish her plea, a finger wormed its way inside her, eliciting a whole new set of sensations. A second finger followed, twisting and exploring while his thumb rubbed on the outside, expertly bringing her to the brink and then backing off just when climax was just about to hit. Damn him.

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And if all that wasn’t enough, his tongue was back, rimming her. Her hands clenched and unclenched, and she wavered between wanting to kick him for tormenting her and the wish that this would go on for a hell of a lot longer. The pressure broke; a cascade of internal spasms rolled through her body. And Liam -terrible man that he was -- kept encouraging it. His fingers didn’t leave until she was good and exhausted. All she could do was lie there, lost in the pleasurable aftermath. “Damn, that was good,” she said. Liam chuckled. “We’re not done yet. It’s my turn.” She felt spent, but not so much that she couldn’t rouse herself again, especially not when he sat beside her and eased her upright. He pulled her close, thigh to thigh, and took her hand and placed it on his erection. “Like this.” Calm brown eyes bored into hers. She couldn’t look away. His gloved hand guided hers along the length of his cock, which fit so perfectly in her palm. They twisted, up and down, and then down to cup his balls in her palm. “Good enough?” she teased “Not quite,” he said, laughing. “Do it again. Harder, this time.” She fisted him, still with his hand around hers. His hips moved to the rhythm, rising to meet her. He groaned and kissed her on the lips, hard. His tongue parted her teeth and explored her mouth the same way he’d done her clit. “Ah. Much better,” he said. “Ready for more?” She leaned back on the bed with him still in her grasp. He readied her, first, stroking between her legs until she was as slick as before. One hand went to his cock to guide it. She felt him, a hard thickness easing its way in. She wrapped her legs around his waist, needing as much closeness as possible. “It’s all right, sweetheart. You’re doing beautifully.”

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In he went, until she could hardly stand the pressure. She moaned and clutched him tighter. “Are you okay?” His voice held a note of concern. She nodded, almost too lost in the sensation to think coherently. “Good. You’re wonderful.” He kissed her again, and started to maneuver his body in and out, gaining speed. Faster, faster, until there was nothing but heat and building pressure, no more than the two of them joining flesh to flesh. He cried out a moment before she did. This second orgasm was stronger than the first. Her toes twitched, and she grasped his shuddering body as close to her as she could get it. He collapsed on top of her, head nuzzled between her breasts. Seeing him there like that, worn and vulnerable, she knew she’d do absolutely anything for him. She loved him.

***** The memory shifted to another night in bed, both of them lying spooned together, his cock comfortably between her legs. “Are you human?” Tereza asked him. “If you mean human as in Terran, no. I’m from...somewhere else.” “Where?” He hugged her tighter. “I can’t say, as much for my sake as yours.” “I’m not afraid. I’ll keep your secret. I swear.” “Do you?” With his help, she rolled over to face him. Gloved fingers traced the outline of her face and down to the curve of her breast. His cock pressed between her thighs. “You promise? On your life?” The sudden harshness in his tone frightened her, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she wrapped one leg around his waist to make it easier for him to enter her. “I swear. On my life.”

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With a little maneuvering, he slid his erection into her willing body. He let it stay there, thick and filling. “I’m Tharsian. My brother and I are the only people to have left my planet in twenty-five years, and we had to be smuggled out.” Tharsian. A vague memory popped up from her university days. The planet had been condemned after an epidemic had swept through it. Liam held her too tightly to escape his embrace, and she began to panic. “You’re sick. All of your people are. What the hell are you doing here?” “I’m not sick.” He emphasized his words with a thrust that sent a streak of pleasure through her body despite her fear. “It’s a lie. Everything the newsfeeds know is a lie. It’s true my people are sick with a wasting disease, but it’s not of our own making, and it’s not communicable. It’s genetic. We were poisoned.” He kept thrusting, but slowly, letting the endorphins of sex calm her as much as his words. “My people are desperate,” he said. “That’s why my brother and I were smuggled off the planet. We have...talents that certain planetary governments would rather we didn’t. Forty years ago, my people started dying younger, from a crippling disease. Fewer babies were born. Many were deformed. They didn’t know what had happened, until a pair of doctors came to investigate and found evidence of a gene-altering disease being introduced. By then, various governments were only interested in seeing my people die a lingering death, and so restricted all access. No one was to come or go without permission. The doctors knew of no cure, but were determined to find one. They smuggled my brother and me off the planet and spent years using us to find a cure.” “Did they?” “Yes.” His voice was hard. He moved his body faster, bringing her to the brink of orgasm. “But now the trick is to get it back to Tharsia. Your ship has been sent to transport a few officials to ensure that my people are truly dying. I have to get down there with the serum. This whole mission is a risk; if anyone suspects who I am, they’ll send a ship after this

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one. If I’m captured, and they find the serum, it’s over. They’ll modify their disease so the serum doesn’t work.” “It’s the truth?” She felt silly for asking, but years of watching newsfeeds and attending lectures had made her believe otherwise. “I mean, I trust you, but --” “It’s the truth. Every.” Thrust. “Single.” Thrust. “Word.” THRUST! She came at that last, harsh movement, unable to suppress a cry of ecstasy as the orgasm made her entire body spasm. She clutched his shoulders, nails digging into his bare skin, but he didn’t let go and didn’t stop moving inside her. She felt blinded by sensation, torn between a desperate need for a break and the insane desire for him to keep going until she lost her senses completely. He did stop, eventually, after his body had earned its own release. He straddled her, propped up on his elbows so he could look directly down at her. “Do you believe me? Was I wrong to tell you such a thing?” “I believe you.” She clasped his face and pulled it down for a kiss, her body still thrumming with the aftereffect of their lovemaking. “I want to help you,” she said. “Anything. No matter what.” “Good.” He kissed her back, long and lingering and full of love. “I need you.” Memory shifted one last time. Smoke and flames, the burning in her lungs. Liam’s frantic voice. Her back and legs hurt badly enough to make her scream herself hoarse. And then Liam’s unnaturally blue palm. But this time, she remembered what happened. And couldn’t stop remembering. Everything.

*****

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Lukha's dream was far more graphic and erotic than usual. A heavy body lay atop his, speaking quietly. Lips trailed along his neck and shoulders. Hands fondled his chest which, for some odd reason, felt thicker, more sensitive than usual. An expert mouth worked down his stomach and down to his groin, and then…

Between his legs? I’m a woman, he realized, but went along with it, more intrigued than disgusted. Fingers slid inside him, flicking against a spot that made him ache from wanting more. It was -- bizarre, was the only word he could think of, the way the difference between male and female sexual desire was similar, yet different. Or it could only be his own fantasy, since he was dreaming and knew it. He felt his body clench around those exploratory fingers, wanting to keep them there, but they went away to be replaced by a more familiar presence. He knew what it was like to enter a woman, of course. He’d also made love to men a few times before, so he knew what it felt like to have a man inside him, but not quite like this. This time, the cock slid in comfortably, the entrance slick without having to use lube. Pressure lit deep in his belly, in a place he couldn’t quite comprehend because he didn’t have the analogous anatomy, but it felt good. He finally looked up to see his lover, and saw someone that could have been his mirror image. His brother Liam. This is wrong. Liam looked after me, but he never did anything like

this. Usually he had the ability to alter the direction of his dreams, but this one didn’t change. He couldn’t do anything but lie there while Liam made love to his female body. Despite the growing heat and pleasurable tension he felt, he was now utterly disconcerted and wondering what could have made him dream about making love to his brother. What the hell was going on? This wasn’t right. He wanted to call out to his brother, to get him to stop, but he couldn’t. The female body wanted Liam, wanted sex, and gave it to

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him. Lukha was helpless as the orgasm crested over him, rolling out from a place deep inside and making his body clasp Liam’s in spasm after spasm. The dream shifted again and again, always leaving Lukha in a female body while Liam made love to him. They shifted positions, each bout becoming more and more creative. Lukha up against the wall with Liam behind, Liam on the floor with Lukha squatting over him, Lukha half on the bed with Liam’s face between his legs. Something’s wrong, Lukha thought again. None of it was forced, everything was totally consensual, but Lukha felt trapped in a dream not his own.

That’s it. This isn’t me at all. The dream abruptly changed, and for the worse. Images assailed his senses. Fire. The acrid scent of caustic chemicals and wiring. Screams. Pain. Agony streaked his back and legs, and was finally enough to throw him out of the dream completely. Lukha opened his eyes. Tereza had grabbed his hand -- his bare hand -- and convulsed on the bed beside him, a result of too much information at once, too fast and uncontrolled. No. Oh, gods, no! Suddenly breaking contact didn’t work; it would cause both parties too much disorientation and leave them helpless for some time. Lukha marshaled his thoughts and struggled to get hold of Tereza’s wild memories. Sessions like this were supposed to be guided, not a random jumbling of past and present. Agony. Worry. And sex...with his brother. Lukha swallowed, knowing now that he’d been an unwilling participant in their most intimate moments.

Later. Deal with that later. I have to get her out of this without ripping her mind apart. Memories spun again, overlapping, this time overlaid with the childhood terror and incoherence of being trapped and seeing nothing but stars. That was hard to take, even seeing it from the outside. He struggled to guide her mind elsewhere, to something happy. Leaving her with a memory like this would not only be cruel

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but possibly damaging. For Tereza, happiness was few and far between. Her only peace came from being alone with her engines -- and from being with his brother. The real Tereza on the bed shuddered with pleasure even as her memory-self did. Lukha deemed that a good enough place to break the link between them. By the time he’d done so, he was shaking and sweaty from exertion. The other times he’d done this, it had been in a controlled environment with the doctors watching. Lukha put his glove back on to avoid any other accidents. Liam was the one with the skill for cloaking memories; Lukha, his other half, had the skill for remembrance, the way it was for every set of Tharsians. He and his brother had helped each other, learning from the doctors’ coaching and dozens of resources about how Tharsians used their unique talents. This, however, was far beyond the scope of anything he’d heard or read. “Tereza?” No answer. She’d curled into a fetal ball and trembled badly. Goosebumps rose all over her bare skin. “Tereza, honey, look at me.” She couldn’t. Her eyes remained glazed and unfocused. She whimpered. Lukha stroked her cheek. She was conscious, if not coherent. Gods. He didn’t know what to do. There was no one on the station to whom he could go for help, not without revealing who he was. The few people that knew couldn’t do anything to help him. He went for the medkit and affixed the sensors, one on her forehead, the other over her heart. Physically, she was all right, save for an expected rush of adrenaline, but her brain activity was severely off. Lukha had no idea how to help, or even what half the readings meant. That was Liam’s department; he’d been the doctor in training. The only thing he knew to do was to contact the doctors, a risk in itself. The apartment had been wired for transmissions, but if the station security saw an unusual blip and decided to track it, their cover would be blown. On the bed, Tereza twitched and murmured something incoherent. The scanner emitted several warning beeps.

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I have to. If I don’t, there’s no telling what might happen to her. He set up the screen in the bedroom, and punched in the doctors’ emergency code. Gruetz answered. “Lukha?” Sutha’s black head, covered with a white fuzz of hair, hovered behind Gruetz’s shoulder. “What’s wrong, my boy? Have you been discovered?” “It’s our carrier. I found her. We’ve been safe enough until now. But I was sleeping, and she took off my glove. She’s… I don’t know what’s wrong.” “Send us her vitals,” Gruetz said. Lukha did, feeling less than hopeful when he saw both doctors poring over the results. “Quite, quite interesting,” Sutha said. “What do you think of this?” he asked his colleague.

Typical. No empathy at all, only a fascination for numbers and results. “What do I do for her?” he asked, exasperated. “Do? There’s nothing you can do, my boy. You have neither the skills nor the equipment. Her best hope is to have her here in our medical center where she can be properly looked after.” “Right,” Lukha said, grinding his teeth, “How far away are you?” “How far?” Gruetz looked at something not visible on the screen. “Approximately twelve point five two hours away, but we hadn’t planned on meeting with you so soon, not until --” “Dammit. Get here now.” Twelve and a half hours. “Will she make it that long?” “Not sure, my boy,” Sutha said. “We don’t have any data on this sort of thing, but the results should be quite intriguing.” “She’s our carrier,” Lukha reminded them. “She’s our last hope.” Gruetz turned suddenly serious. “We have not forgotten that. Keep her hydrated. If she acts out on her memories, best to play along to keep her calm. Be safe, and be at the rendezvous point at the appropriate time. We’ll pass your regards on to your brother.”

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Chapter Six

“Unauthorized transmission, sir, coming from an unidentified location within the station,” one of the officers said. “Sent in coded form.” Marr went to look over Jackson’s shoulder at the readings. “Unscramble it.” “Trying to, sir. Just give me...ah.” The picture was distorted, the sound little more than a wash of static, but Marr could make out just enough. “Don’t know what to do...nothing...can do, my boy....twelve point five two

hours...safe.” Marr checked his watch. “Twelve and a half hours, and our prey will make a run for it. How many ships due in that time?” Jackson punched a few buttons. “Four, sir. Two carriers, a clipper and a cruiser.” “Assemble a strike team. I want every maintenance corridor watched and the entrance to every docked ship guarded. But I don’t want our prey to suspect anything until he guides us to the right location. I want the doctors and the brothers under arrest, and I want that woman in my custody.” “Aye, sir,” Jackson said, and started typing in messages to relay to his team.

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Marr went back to his office. Failure did not sit well with him. Two days since Tereza had checked out of the infirmary, and no sign of her. Damn. He hadn’t thought losing the woman would have affected him so much, but, then again, maybe he shouldn’t be surprised. On his desk, Marr kept a hologram of an elegant, middle-aged woman. A few of his men commented on it, most of them thinking it was some lost lady love rather than his mother. Marr didn’t bother to correct them. The holo had been taken during a party some forty years ago, on the day she’d forgotten who he was. Ten at the time, he’d accompanied his mother on one of her assignments; she would function as a mediator between two rival political parties. The embassy had hosted a buffet dinner in the middle of it, a way to mix and relax. He’d been allowed to go along as long as he behaved and didn’t pester the dignitaries. His mother had looked beautiful: duskyskinned, dressed in a white, draping gown, black hair done in ornate braids. She went from person to person, always with a knack for knowing the right thing to say. He loved her. So did everyone else, and she was a popular choice for missions like this, when the tensions between two trading factions had grown so intense as to be one step away from war. She paused by a pair of twins. One wore gloves. The other had his hands wrapped around his glass, which seemed to glow blue. Marr couldn’t help but stare. The three of them chatted and nodded, and eventually the nongloved one put a hand on his mother’s upper arm. A friendly gesture, perfectly in line with their conversation. His mother smiled, but then her expression stilled. The twins left, but his mother stayed where she was, wearing a look of utter confusion. “Mother?” Marr shouldered his way past several other partygoers to get to her. “Mother!” She shoved him away, no hint of recognition in her eyes. “Who are you? Go away.” One of the ambassadors from the negotiations she’d been mediating, Zyn, noted the commotion and tried to comfort her. “What’s wrong?”

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“Who are you?” She looked wildly around the room. “What is this?” People closed in, blocking Marr’s view. Doctors were called, and they took her away. For days. The only one to take notice of Marr was Ambassador Zyn, who offered Marr a place to sleep in his quarters so the boy wouldn’t be alone. After that, Marr found himself in the middle of a nightmare, ignored by all the doctors and ambassadors that seemed to know what was going on with his mother. On the few visits he was allowed while she was in the infirmary, she didn’t recognize him at all. “The twins. Blue hands. They did something to her,” he kept telling people, but no one would listen to a ten-year-old boy. Without her, negotiations fell apart. War broke out on one of the planets that had been struggling to stay afloat. Ambassador Zyn’s government overtook it. Eventually, the doctors let Marr and his mother return home to Terra, to the house where she’d grown up in Ecuador. This, at least, she recognized, though she had more disconnects between who she was and who she thought she was. More than once, she’d look into a mirror and scream because she thought she should be much younger than she appeared. Marr took the mirrors away, which helped for a while, but her distress and confusion remained. The day after he found her hanging from the fan in her bedroom, the Fleet sent a full report of what had happened at the party. Tharsians, it said. Following it was a message from Ambassador Zyn. It expressed condolences for her death. “Everything is taken care of,” it said. “The Tharsians will pay for making your poor mother suffer as she did.” Zyn then offered Marr a home on his planet as well as training to enter the Fleet, as Marr wanted to do. Marr accepted, and found out what the message had meant. The Tharsians had been restricted to their own planet due to political turmoil as well as a virulent wasting disease that had suddenly struck. Later, when he’d gained enough rank, he’d discovered that the

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virus was man-made, and that two intrepid doctors were determined to find a cure and to bring to light the wrongs that had been done to the Tharsians. They claimed that it was misinformation from Zyn that had made the Tharsian act as he did toward Marr’s mother. Marr didn’t believe it. Now, so many years later, the accusations against Zyn didn’t matter. He’d been assassinated ten years back in a coup. The doctors had all but disappeared, only surfacing once every few months for supplies and then vanishing again. Rumor had it that they had two smuggled Tharsians on board that they used in their quest for a cure. And now…now, it appeared that the Tharsians had their cure in hand and were trying to find a way to get it back to their planet. Marr had been tracking them for months, and had finally found one of them on the Cavalier. Along with Tereza, another woman sorely wronged by the Tharsians. He was going to find her, no matter what, and save her from those bastards. They would be partners in more ways than one. “Soon, Mother. It’s almost over,” he said to his mother’s image, then turned it off.

***** Lukha did what Gruetz said. He sat in the bed with Tereza propped up against him, wrapped in a robe. He’d pulled on a tank top and shorts and held a glass to her lips every so often. She drank, but otherwise kept lapsing into random bits of speech. “Liam?” her voice croaked. “I did what you said. My engines. My poor engines.” “You were brave. Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to us.” He hated pretending to be his brother, but he didn’t know what else to do. Her arm flailed in the air until he caught her hand. “Don’t let me go,” she said. “You promised.”

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When he said it, he felt horribly selfish. “I promise. I won’t let you go.” She loves my

brother. Not me. She doesn’t even know it’s me right now. “I need you.” Her voice became breathy. “Love me, Liam. I need you.” She swiveled around to face him. Her hand traced his jaw, sending a tingle of anticipation straight to his groin.

I shouldn’t be doing this. It’s wrong...but Gruetz said to play along. And he still wanted her, though whether it was because his brother had changed her or if he would have loved her without that, he didn’t know. He reached between her legs, feeling the wetness increase with every teasing touch. She thrashed her legs a little, snuggling up against him. One finger crept inside her. Two, exploring the moistness, nudging her internal pleasure point until she was all-out writhing against him. This time, instead of a scream, she gave out a whimper that was just sexy enough to give him his own release. She fell asleep in his embrace, and he couldn’t think of anything more wonderful, more perfect, than to have her right there. Even if she thinks I’m my brother? What will happen

if…no, when, when she’s back to herself? Will she hate me for this? The doctors would be able to help her; he was sure of it, though the brief encounter with them brought back every reason Lukha disliked them. There was much for which to admire them; they strongly believed that the Tharsians had been treated poorly and were determined to help. They’d raised the boys from infancy, yet both brothers had known the doctors felt more curiosity toward them than affection.

We never lacked for anything. Toys. Videos. Games. Even Fitz. He remembered the white cat fondly, thinking of the many times the cat had curled up against him when he was ill. He came as many times as Liam did, both of them trying to help me forget what the

doctors did to me in search of their “cure.” Was it worth it? The doctors, in the name of science, had smuggled Lukha and his brother off the planet, or rather, they’d smuggled their embryos off, since there was no

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chance whatsoever of taking a living Tharsian off-world. The doctors had raised them, but away from their society. No parents, no family except each other. Liam was different. Fanatic, more desperate to find a way to return to a home not theirs. He’d go to any lengths, even if it meant seducing an innocent woman and destroying her ship. Was it worth it, he thought again, to ruin so many lives in an attempt to cure a people he’d never known? They didn’t grow up ignorant of their heritage. The doctors made sure of that. Every time Lukha cried after being administered another experimental dose, the doctors told them stories or showed them videos of their homeworld. They explained how to use their gifts of remembrance and forgetting without hurting themselves or each other.

They weren’t unkind, Gruetz and Sutha. I just wish they weren’t so...distant. They treated us more like lab rats than intelligent beings. If it weren’t for Liam… Tereza twitched in his arms. Lukha wondered if Liam had felt protective like this, watching over him when he was sick while he slept. I love her. Gods, I wish it wasn’t

happening like this. Liam must have wished the same thing. Lukha didn’t remember the worst of his childhood, thanks to his brother’s efforts. Liam helped him forget, most likely the reason that he had made it through their tortuous childhood with fewer ill effects. Liam couldn’t work his own talents on himself, so he remembered everything the doctors did to them. And it’s no wonder he’s bitter. He hates the

doctors even more than whoever set the virus in Tharsian blood. Over the years, Lukha had watched the rage grow until it was barely contained. Liam had been the control, the one they left alone. It was Lukha they took to the lab time and time again. They drew his blood and collected other bodily fluids. They injected him with serum after serum, which left him with seizures, or temporary blindness, or once, a depression so horrible that he’d actually tried to commit suicide by strangling himself with a bed sheet. Liam found him in time, but pleas to the doctors availed them nothing. They had

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to keep going until they found a cure for the wasting disease. He told me all that afterwards.

I don’t remember. Thank the gods for that. My poor brother. He stroked Tereza’s cheek. Poor Tereza. Finally...one treatment had worked. It took over fifteen years, but it worked. The proof came when the doctors decided Lukha had been cured and tried it on Liam. With that success, the doctors began developing a serum that could be easily replicated for widespread use, or injected into someone who could act as a carrier should the serum itself be at risk of being found. Ten years for that. Ten more years of hiding, of dodging Fleet ships and security. Liam nearly went mad, trapped in the ship like they had been. If it weren’t for his medical studies, he would have. And after all that, getting it back to their homeworld was tricky. Every route there was blocked and guarded, and once they were there, there was no assurance that they had the medical equipment necessary to widely replicate the serum. Liam’s idea had been to infiltrate the crew of a ship heading toward Tharsia to deliver supplies. It almost worked. And now, instead of a tiny vial to worry about, they had a woman.

***** The wall panel beeped, startling Lukha awake. He lay for a few moments, disoriented, until he remembered what was going on. Tereza. Sick. Doctors on their way. “Time to go,” he said to the woman dozing at his side. He shook her shoulder. “Tereza. Wake up.” “Liam? Is it time? I know what to do; I’ve got it all planned out. I just have to get to the engine room.” “I know. That’s where I’m taking you. Come on, now. Get dressed.”

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She sat passively while Lukha helped her into the tank top, shorts, and a spare maintenance worker’s uniform smaller than his own. It was still too big on her. “Liam? Where’s my uniform? This isn’t going to work if I don’t have mine.” “It’s a disguise. We’re pretending you’re someone else so you won’t get the blame for what’s going to happen.” His heart thudded in fear. Is she going to be like this the whole

time? How the hell am I going to get her out of here if she keeps getting distracted and protesting? “Oh.” She was silent as Lukha made sure everything on the gray jumpsuit was zipped and buttoned. “Liam?” Her voice sounded different. Before he had a chance to react, she clasped his face and kissed him. For a moment, he was too stunned to move, but when he felt his body react again to hers he knew he had to end this. Reluctantly, he pried her hands from his face. “Sweetheart, we’ve got a job to do, remember? Now sit right there while I get dressed.” “Oh.” She sat and watched while he donned his own maintenance uniform with one added feature. Instead of carrying a scanner in the holster, he carried a plasma gun. He didn’t like using it, since it could burn a hole clean through a man’s chest at its highest setting, but he wasn’t going to take any risks. He had to get Tereza to safety. “Ready?” he asked. She stood and pressed her body against his. “I’m always ready for you, Liam.”

What the hell did my brother do to her ? “Not now, honey. I told you. We have to get to the engine room, remember?” “I suppose, but I’d rather --” The rest of her words were cut off by a fierce pounding on the door leading into their quarters. Lukha froze. Not now. Please, not now. They can’t have found us. “Stay here,” Lukha said. Out came the plasma gun from his holster while he went from bedroom to entry.

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The banging continued while Lukha backed up to the side of the door and hit the hidden release switch. The door slid open. For a long, sickening moment, nothing happened. Lukha took a deep breath, muttered a brief prayer to whatever gods might be listening, and, gun ready, swiveled around to face the intruder. Liam, dressed in a uniform to match Lukha’s, looked more amused than frightened. “Hurry up. You’re late.”

***** Lukha buried his annoyance as Liam shoved past his brother and asked, “Where is she?” “In there.” Lukha used the gun to point. He should have been relieved to see his brother, and part of him was, but another part was consumed with jealousy and irrational hatred. Just because he had her first, and changed her so that I’d have no choice but to love

her. Bastard. But he’ll make getting her out of here easier. He followed Liam into the bedroom. Tereza had slumped across the bed. Her eyes were open, but Lukha had the feeling she wasn’t seeing anything. “Damn,” Liam said. Ever the doctor, he spent a few moments checking her vitals. “How long has she been like this?” “She was fine -- well, confused, but talking a minute ago. I left her to answer the door.” “This isn’t good at all.” Liam grabbed Lukha’s medical kit and put one of the sensors on Tereza’s head. “Her mind is starting to shut down from the overload. See?” He held up the scanner for Lukha’s perusal. All Lukha saw were a bunch of red lines, most of which sloped downward. “I see. Then let’s get her out of here, already.”

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“You carry her. I’ll back you up. Oh. And you’ll need these.” He handed Lukha a pair of goggles.

Why the hell do I need to see heat signatures ? “But…” Lukha started then clamped his mouth shut. It wasn’t worth arguing about. Liam was the elder by a handful of minutes, having been taken out of the artificial womb first. He’d always been the more demanding. Lukha put the goggles on around his head so they hung from his neck. “Up we go,” he said needlessly and gathered Tereza into his arms. Even though she was unconscious, holding her this close made his body do things he didn’t want to think about right now. “We have to get to deck ten. The Gull isn’t officially docked. It came in the shadow of one of the cruisers. As far as station security is concerned, the Gull isn’t here.” “Understood. Lead the way.” Liam nodded. Slowly, with Liam brandishing his gun and scouting ahead, they made their way through the maze of corridors.

***** From the bridge of the Drummond, Marr sat brooding over the station schematics. That damn Tharsian had Tereza in hiding. Somehwere. But not for much longer. He checked his chronometer. Twelve hours and thirty-five minutes had gone by, meaning that the Tharsian should be making his move just about... “Colonel,” Jackson said, pointing to his monitor. “There. That’s one of the maintenance corridors that leads to a storage area.” Marr peered over his lieutenant’s shoulder to look at the diagram, which showed three blinking dots. “It’s Tereza and that damn Tharsian. Has to be. Looks like they have help.” “Most likely, sir. That first dot knew exactly where to find them.” “Follow them,” Marr said, “but don’t take any action until they’re near enough to their ship for us to find it. I can’t believe...” He shouldered Jackson aside and scrolled through a

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few more displays. One carrier and two clippers docked besides the Drummond. “When did that carrier get in?” “Twenty minutes ago, sir. They’ve just managed to get the docking clamps in place. They’re depressurizing the transit portal...now.” Which meant that no one had left the ship yet, which disproved Marr’s theory that the

Gull had been hiding inside the ship. The carrier was large enough to fit two clippers inside it with room to spare. The third person could be someone from inside the station, but Marr knew that Tharsians always came in pairs and didn’t stay separated for long. One had been on the Cavalier, he was sure of it, while the other had come here to meet Tereza. They certainly had a keen interest in her. It could be something as simple as their odd mating drive, or she could be valuable for some other reason. Maybe she knew too much, such as where the serum was. They wouldn’t dare let her go if she knew. That was just the kind of thing those murderous, manipulative criminals would do. Still…Marr tapped into the camera footage surrounding the carrier. The ship threw a huge shadow; the port side was entirely covered in darkness that spread to the side of the station. More than large enough to hide a ship, especially something as small as a clipper. He pulled up the schematics for docking bays near the carrier. One, small and littleused, rested within the giant’s shadow. “There. Reassemble your team near that entrance. The Gull is there. I want everyone, Tharsians and doctors, arrested and brought here for interrogation. And Tereza. Make sure she isn’t hurt. The others -- as long as they’re alive, I don’t care what happens to them. Whatever you do, don’t let either of the Tharsians touch you with their bare hands.” “Aye, sir,” Jackson said. He waved, and two of the other personnel on the bridge followed him out. Marr would follow, too, but in a moment. He stopped in his office to pick up his knife as well as his extra plasma gun. Nothing would be too good for these Tharsians. Nothing.

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***** The journey to deck ten was easy. Too easy, except for his aching arms. Tereza wasn’t a heavy woman, but it got tiring having to carry her so far. This particular shift on the station carried only a skeleton crew, since this was the shift meant to imply “night.” It meant that few were around to see them pass. “Where are they?” Liam muttered. He palmed open the last door that led from the maintenance corridor into the foyer of deck ten. “No one,” Lukha said. “Doesn’t mean they’re not there.” Liam took a few hesitant steps forward. A flash of light caught Lukha’s eye. “Down!” Liam dropped just as a burst of energy flashed past and scorched the door instead of his head. Lukha swerved behind a bulkhead, Tereza’s body making movement difficult. More shots burst out. Lukha set Tereza down and made sure she was curled up out of the way before drawing his gun. He saw a metallic flash and fired. The shot glanced off one of the bulkheads. The corridor erupted in bright lights. Lukha curled into the corner, trying to make sure none of him or Tereza was vulnerable. He dared to glance out at the foyer. Liam. Oh, hell.

What kind of desperate fool is he ? His brother was no longer in hiding, but rather out in the foyer in a complicated dance of gunfire. He was amazingly agile, Lukha had to admit. Just

like he is in bed. That’s what he’s doing, provoking the Inquirers with the body he doesn’t intend them to have. Liam ducked and swerved, managing to escape every plasma stream without injury and getting in a few lucky shots of his own. He laughed. “Thought you were the best in the Fleet,” he taunted them. “Can’t seem to hit a target ten paces in front of you.”

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Lukha looked away. I can’t watch. He can’t last like this. I’d go help, but -The floor vibrated. Must be the Gull getting ready to go. But then he saw thick white smoke trailing along the floor, filling the foyer. What’s wrong? Something on fire ? Except it didn’t have the acrid smell of something burning. Fog, then, enough to obscure the vision of everyone there. Must be some trick of the doctors. Hence Liam’s insistence on the goggles.

He knew they were going to do this. With the goggles on, he could see the figures of the Inquirers lit up like beacons. Several of them shouted, cursing and swearing because of their sudden blindness. Liam’s voice could barely be heard over the din. “Lukha! Now! Now !”

The ship. But where’s the ship ? Lukha looked down and saw a trail of lights, like runway lights to guide him in. He hefted Tereza back into his arms and followed, walking as quietly as possible, swerving a little to avoid the Inquirers. Heart pounding, he felt the flooring change under his feet from the steel of the station to the softer tiling of the Gull. He walked straight up to another bright figure, this one shorter than him. “Welcome back, my boy,” Sutha said. “Did you enjoy our little display?” Since his hands were full, Sutha reached up to remove the goggles. Lukha blinked at the awkward shift in sight. Tufts of smoke trailed around their feet. “Quite creative.” Sutha smiled absently, all his attention now on Tereza. “Come, my boy. Bring her to the infirmary, and we’ll see to her. Gruetz is preparing everything there.” One last burst of gunfire, and Liam ran inside, giving off one last shot for good measure. He palmed the hull door shut. “Time to get this bird back in the air.” He shouldered past Lukha and headed toward the control room. A moment later, Liam’s voice came over the intercom. “Post-docking sequence initiated. Going to full speed in five, four, three,

two --”

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The ship lurched, sending Lukha into the wall. As soon as he regained his footing, he followed Sutha, suddenly homesick for the station and the time, however brief, he and Tereza had spent there. Alone.

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Chapter Seven

Lukha’s old room on the Gull hadn’t changed a bit. He sat on his bed watching the stars streak by. He hated it here, but there was nowhere else he could go to be assured of privacy. The starkness of this room was where he’d gotten his passion for texture. After living so long in this harsh, colorless environment, he’d been desperate for stimulation. Josip’s apartment had been wonderful during the three months he’d lived there, even though he'd spent most of his time waiting. For a while he'd had his own space to decorate how he wanted. Absolutely wonderful. He pried his wristband off and threw it against the far wall with a satisfying crunch. No need for the thing here. The door beeped. “Lukha ?” came his brother’s voice over the intercom. “Lukha, can I

talk to you ?” He’s the last person I want to see right now. I’d rather subject myself to another one of the doctors’ experiments. Even so, he set a finger to the console near the bed. The door unlocked and slid open. Lukha didn’t bother to turn around. Now that the immediate crisis of Tereza’s safety was over, he didn’t know how he felt about seeing his brother.

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“She’ll be all right,” Liam said. “The doctors got her mind unscrambled. She’s going to have an awful headache, but she’ll be fine.” Still, Lukha said nothing. “Hey, little brother,” Liam said. He sat on the edge of the bed near Lukha. The mattress sagged. “What about you? Are you all right? You’re not hurt, are you?” Liam touched his arm, nothing more than a friendly, brotherly gesture, but Lukha flinched and jerked away. I can’t stop seeing him with her. Feeling his cock inside me. “What’s wrong?” Liam’s voice was urgent, filled with the same concern he’d had when he was looking after his sickly brother. “What happened between you two?” “I know what you did to her. I…” He felt the heat rise to his cheeks. “I felt it. All of it.” “Gods.” Liam said. “I’m sorry, little brother.” “You should be!” Anger flared inside Lukha. “How could you do that to her? Seduce her? Change her, so that I had no choice but to do the same? She blew up her ship. For you. She gave up everything she cared about, for you.” “And she’s carrying our children,” Liam said mildly. “No,” Lukha said. “No. No! How much more are we going to ask of her? Isn’t it enough that her career is gone, her life ruined? We didn’t ask her to be our martyr. You forced her!” “You always were the sensitive one,” Liam said. “All you saw of her was a fragile thing, angry and confused over what had happened. She’s not weak at all. She’s strong and smart. She knew what she was getting into, and did it willingly.” “After you seduced her.” And me, he added silently. With his brother here beside him, the disgust kept growing. No matter that it had been Tereza’s memories, Lukha still felt awkward about finding himself in bed with his brother. Liam noticed his queasiness. Lukha hated him for it. “Let me help you,” Liam said.

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“By doing what? Making me forget again? No, thank you. I’ve had enough of that. Enough of being the one experimented on, the one who always picks up the pieces after you screw up. I don’t need you.” “You think it was any easier for me watching them hurt you and having to tend to you afterwards? You’re hurting now, and you’re right; it is my fault.” He sighed. “I know what I did was wrong; I did seduce her. But I loved her from the first moment I saw her. Stubborn woman, not afraid of being in pain.” “But she’s afraid of the stars.” “I know.” “She remembers why now. It’s my fault.” “It was an accident.” “I love her too. Because you got to her first.” Liam gave him a tiny smile. “Of course that’s not the reason.” He grasped Lukha’s shoulder, and this time, Lukha didn’t draw away. “I know you care for her. We both do.” “It’s your fault.” Liam squeezed his shoulder, bordering on painful. “Maybe, little brother, but I don’t regret any of it. We need her. Our people need her. And she’s willing to help us.” “How willing will she be once she finds out about our children and the whole truth of what we’re doing? We’ve lied to her. Used her.” His brother let go and sighed. “You worry too much. She’ll be fine. She’s strong; she needs a purpose in life other than hiding in the engine room.” “We are not gods. We’re not even martyrs. We don’t have the right to choose her future for her!” Lukha stood up to pace. Liam shot up and pinned his brother against the wall. Liam struggled, remembering something like this too clearly from Tereza’s memories. “In the end, little brother,” Liam said, his mouth near Lukha’s ear, “our people are more important than we are. More

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important than one lonely woman who’s found love for the first time because of us. Think about it. How is she not better off? Two men that love her and want to take care of her. Two men she loves back. And soon, she’ll have a home on a planet of people grateful to her, and two sons to care for.” “That’s your dream. Not hers.” Liam growled. He was close enough for Lukha to feel the reverberation in his chest. “Damn you. If you weren’t my brother --” “You’d what?” Lukha asked, calmly looking him in the eye. “Ask her. Just ask her what she wants.” “Fine,” Lukha said. “I will.”

***** Tereza had never felt a worse headache in her life. The throbbing in her temples woke her. “What the hell?” she said as she got a good look around. She didn’t recognize this place with its light, cream-colored imitation leather and other faux materials covering the chair and table. The array of equipment and noisy machines made her panic. She was in a room at an infirmary of some sort, and the last place she wanted to be.

Have to get out. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The room spun. At least her clothes were comfortable: a soft gray T-shirt and matching leggings. Though I

don’t remember putting them on, which means someone did it for me. She didn’t like that thought at all. When the room came to a halt, she gingerly put one foot to the ground, and then the other. She had to use the bed for balance. A few hesitant steps, and then she felt sure enough to go all the way to the door. It was locked.

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Frustrated, she let weakness claim her and slid down the door to the floor. How the

hell did I get here? Think, girl, think. Liam… She remembered Liam, and the measures she’d gone to keeping him safe. Blowing up her precious engines, but not making it out in time.

That’s it. I’m in a rescue ship’s infirmary to treat my burns. Right ? Except her back didn’t hurt, and when she pulled up one of the legs on her pants, there was no evidence of a burn on her leg. She though harder, and remembered another, identical face to Liam’s.

Lukha. It all came tumbling back. Sinai Station. Hiding from Colonel Marr. Making love and wanting to see what he hid beneath that damn glove... The door beeped, startling her as it slid open. She barely managed to remain sitting upright when a pair of long, masculine legs strode into the room. “Tereza! Sweetheart, what are you doing on the floor?” The man knelt beside her. Dark skin, dreadlocks past his shoulders. Almost as quickly, a second, identical man rushed in. She looked from one to the other, a mixture of emotions tumbling over her. Relief at seeing two -- or was it one -- familiar faces. Fear, because she had no idea where she was or what was going on, and anger, because she was furious at both of them for what they’d put her through. But first, she’d better figure out which one was which. Except for their clothes, one with a blue shirt and the other in black, they were identical, and she knew from experience that neither had any identifying marks anywhere on their skin. Gods. Just thinking about either of them, naked and in bed, made her ache with need. Seeing both of them, and imagining what all three of them could do together...

Stop it. This isn’t the time or the place, no matter how exciting that thought is. Which one’s which ? Their expressions gave them away. Liam -- she was sure it was him -- knelt in front of her, concerned, while Lukha lingered behind, his face full of guilt. “Bastard,” she told Liam. “Using me to blow up my own ship.”

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He grinned, amused. “Oh, good. You can tell us apart. I was wondering if you’d be able to.” He stood, and offered an arm to help her. She accepted, not appreciating the heady rush that came with touching him. “Get me out of here. You know I hate infirmaries.” “Sorry. Doctor’s orders. All their equipment’s in here.” “I see that.” She wavered, and both men reached out to support her. “You,” she said to Lukha. “What the hell did you do to me?” The guilty look increased. “You took off my glove while I was sleeping. I couldn’t help what happened when you touched my hand.” “You should have told me. Both of you.” “It was for your own --” Liam started. “My own good? Please. You. Should have. Told me !” She emphasized her words by slamming the heel of her hands into Liam’s chest. “We’ll tell you everything, now,” Lukha said. “Just let the doctors look you over one last time, and we’ll get you out of here and into your own quarters.” “Doctors? What doctors?” She looked at Liam. “Aren’t you…?” “Yes. But I don’t have the experience or knowledge Gruetz and Sutha do. I can treat injuries and basic illnesses, but they’re neurologists and specialists in DNA-altering viruses.” Viruses. She remembered Liam telling her about how his people had been devastated by a man-made virus, and how he’d carried the cure with him on board the Cavalier. How he’d had a plan to keep it safe if the ship were boarded and searched. “What did you give me? Right after the engines blew. Two injections. One was a painkiller, but what was the other one?” Lukha wouldn’t meet her eyes. So that bastard knew too, and didn’t tell me. Liam took a moment to arrange his thoughts then spoke. “The serum. I had to. If Marr and his people found it, everything would have been over. I needed a hiding place. You.”

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She wanted to slap him. She wanted to cry and scream and have mad, frantic sex with both of them. Instead, she leaned against the wall and stared, not knowing what to say. What could she say? They’d both lied to and used her. Her ship and career were gone, because she’d been stupid enough to fall off a ladder and encourage a certain handsome doctor to keep visiting. It wasn’t fair. An older man, dark with a halo of white, frizzy hair walked up behind the twins. “Ah. Good to see you up and about, my dear. How do you feel?” His white coat went well past his knees, as if it were too big for him. “Sutha,” Lukha whispered in her ear. “Like I have the galaxy’s worst hangover,” she said. The man was short, shorter than her, and looked at his tablet rather than at her. “Of course, of course, only to be expected.” He reached into one of his pockets and brought out a subdermal sprayer. “Let me see your arm, my dear.” “It’s all right,” Liam said. “Just a painkiller.” Yeah, right. She didn’t totally trust him, but held out her arm anyway. A hiss, and the drug went into her system. A few moments more, and the pain in her temples lessened. “Now. Better I expect?” Sutha asked, actually meeting her gaze. At her nod, he continued. “Good, good. Tell me. How much do you remember?” She glanced from twin to twin. “Every damn little thing. What the hell did they do to me?” “Oh. Well, Liam made you forget, ah, certain events that would have put your life, and our mission, in extreme danger had you remembered them and been questioned. Lukha brought everything back, quite by accident, but the method was uncontrolled. You’re lucky we came when we did, otherwise your mind might have been permanently scrambled.”

Now there’s a happy thought. It made her shiver.

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“If you’ll allow me?” He held up two monitors. She gave a gesture of submission, and allowed him to put one on her head and the other over her heart. His slate emitted muted beeps as he checked the results. “Good, good,” he said, and removed the monitors. “Everything’s just fine. Neurology is clear and clean, the serum is still evident and usable, and the two embryos are viable and healthy.” “The two…what?” She felt suddenly weak again. “Embryos.” Sutha looked up from his slate and addressed the twins. “She’s free to leave. You three have fun, and don’t get into trouble.” He walked out, staring again at his results. “Trouble.” Anger made her voice edgy. “If he means what I think it means, you two are in a galaxy of trouble.”

***** So far, so good, Lukha thought. He and Liam had taken Tereza to her quarters, sparsely furnished, but with the windows already covered. They’d made it there with no fuss, only Tereza’s tight-lipped silence. Once they’d gotten inside, she started grilling Liam for answers. She and Liam sat on the bed with Tereza braced against the wall at the head of the bed, knees drawn up to her chest. Liam sat farther down, his feet on the floor. Lukha took one of the two hard metal chairs at the table. For a long time, he just watched her, the way she spoke and reacted, the body language that told him she was both furious and scared to death. No. Furious because she was scared. And who wouldn’t be in her situation? He had to admire her, though, for remaining calm despite the situation, and for asking Liam intelligent questions. “So you’re always born twins?” Lukha left the medical discussion to his brother, knowing Liam was much more able to explain everything. Tereza wasn’t happy. And why should she be? We lied to her, and

tricked her, stole her ship and got her pregnant. He sat in the chair a small distance away

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from the other two, wishing he could see out the window so he didn’t feel so claustrophobic. Tereza’s unhappiness grated on him. If only he could have her alone, so he could hold her and calm her down. And what he wouldn’t give to see her naked again, and make love to her again... “Always,” Liam said. “And it always takes a set of twins to properly impregnate a female. Both embryos need DNA from both fathers to properly evolve.” “So one has the ability to remember, and the other to forget? There’re never two rememberers, or two forgetters?” “No. It’s...” Liam sought for words. “They sort themselves out in the womb, and find balance there.” “What about male and female twins?” “It happens, though not as often as same-sex twins. It’s harder for them to find mates. Well, they can have sex with anyone they choose to, but their mate’s chemistry changes slightly to attract the twin’s sibling as well.” “So, when you had sex with me, you changed me so I’d be attractive to your brother too?” “Yes. And so you’d be attracted to him too. I could make you forget me, but I couldn’t make your body forget it.” “And if you’d been female, instead, the same thing would have happened?” Liam gave her a wry smile. “If Lukha had gotten to you first, yes. Males cause the change. If you would have been male, it would have been the same.” Which would have some interesting dynamics, Lukha thought. He didn’t object to same-sex pairings, though he shuddered at remembering experiencing his brother through Tereza’s memories. But then, he’d been a woman. It would be totally different, even pleasurable, in his own body. “Did you plan this?” Tereza asked.

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“No,” Liam admitted. “Well, sort of, but it had unexpected consequences. The plan was to find a willing carrier and to rendezvous with the doctors. My guise as a doctor worked well enough, because I could find a crewmember that would be physically close enough to make the serum work. I didn’t mean to fall in love with the carrier. Nor did I think about the consequences when I did.”

He never does. Only the end result. Save the Tharsians. Anything else along the way is incidental. Lukha kept his eyes focused on a stray thread on his sleeve. “And when the ship was boarded...I ran out of time. I had to get rid of the serum. I couldn’t ask, and it was better if you didn’t know you carried it. I didn’t… I couldn’t have guessed about Marr’s attraction to you, either. I knew he carried a grudge against us and is one of the parties bent on our destruction. But you...” “He wants to be a hero and save me from you,” Tereza said bitterly. “Never mind that, for now. Does this attraction ever wear off?” “In time. A matter of weeks, actually. It’s our sperm that triggers the change. If we wear protection and have sex, it won’t happen. But otherwise, our sperm can fertilize two eggs, but they’re not made into embryos until the twin’s sperm is added. There’s a time limit, though. If the second twin doesn’t add his within four weeks, the eggs are expelled and the female’s body goes back to normal without the feeling of attraction.” “And if the embryos grow...” “The attraction continues throughout the pregnancy and for years afterwards. Really, it’s better for all involved. It assures that the female and her children will be cared for.” “It’s… Dammit, I can’t use the word unnatural, because it sounds perfectly natural for you, but I don’t want to love someone because I’m compelled to. I want to love someone because I want to. I don’t want children. I don’t want to be pregnant. I want my ship back, and the life I had before I met either of you!”

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She looked at Lukha as if he’d be able to somehow undo this whole mess. He couldn’t, and it galled him. “If you truly don’t want to be pregnant, you don’t have to be. The doctors can change that.” Liam shot him a scathing look. “Now don’t go putting ideas into her head. Besides, the doctors are much too busy, and we still have to figure out another way to get to Tharsia through the blockade.” “If she’s still willing,” Lukha said. Liam’s hands twisted into fists. “We’re doing this. She’s going with us.” “Have you even bothered to ask her if --” Lukha began, but Tereza interrupted. “Stop it! Don’t talk as if I’m not here, as if I can’t hear you.” The brothers cut off their argument, with Liam looking suitably chagrined. “I just… I want to know if I would have loved you, if I could have gone on loving you, if you hadn’t changed me.” Liam edged toward her, so close that Lukha was jealous. “I will tell you this. I fell in love with you from the moment I saw you in pain and refusing to admit it. For refusing to back down or give up. I love what you are and who you are, and it’s a bonus that my body wants you equally.” So it does, Lukha thought. Liam sported an erection he didn’t bother to hide. “And you?” Lukha met her eyes. “I don’t know. I met you after he’d already changed you. But I will say I admire your strength. You’re a beautiful woman, capable of so much, and that would be more than enough to endear you to me under ordinary circumstances. And I know...”

I know what you fear. He couldn’t say it in front of his brother. His eyes met hers. She knows. Thank the gods, she knows. “Then prove it.” She looked from him to his brother and back again, the determined look on her face enough to make any man lust after her. “Prove that you love me. Both of you.”

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***** Liam was on her first, for the simple fact that he was closer. Lukha never considered himself submissive to his brother for all that he was “younger.” More careful, more methodical. More empathetic, where Liam was rash and impulsive, often given to his own narcissism. This time, at least, he cared for someone outside of himself, though it was still his own pleasure involved. Liam wasted no time in sitting between her legs and putting his own around her waist. His hands went under her shirt to fondle her breasts, and she arched back against the wall, showing a generous amount of tanned flesh. Liam kissed her, his entire body tense with urgency. Lukha watched, still caught in the memory of knowing what it felt like to have his brother do this. Her eyes turned toward Lukha. Liam groped her, removing her shirt and unbuttoning her pants, but she kept looking at Lukha, waiting. Slowly, Lukha teased his shirt up his chest and over his head. His body, now, was a point of pride after being ill so often when he was younger. Tereza seemed to think so. She kept watching him, as if slaking a visual thirst while Liam sated her bodily hunger.

I want her. Gods, I want her...but Liam is there. She reached out a hand toward him...but Liam pulled it back and put it on his cock in a purely selfish gesture. In that moment, Lukha had never hated his brother more. Lukha fisted his own cock, remembering what it was like to be with Tereza. It wasn’t enough.

I need her. I need her ! He rushed toward the bed, grabbed his brother around the waist, and yanked Liam away from Tereza. Her bare, rounded breasts rose and fell rapidly. Clothes lay piled at her side. She looked...unhappy. And Lukha understood. Liam lunged back toward the bed, his cock still eager and wet.

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“No,” Lukha said. He used his entire body to block his brother’s motion. “What?” Hands on his brother’s upper arms, Liam gathered his strength and tried to shove Lukha out of the way. Lukha kept his legs staggered for balance, and didn’t budge. “All right, all right, we’ll share, but --” “I said no !” Lukha hooked a foot around Liam’s ankle and yanked his brother off balance. Liam never loosed his grip. Lukha fell on top of him. “Don’t you see? This isn’t what she wants!” “You’ve got to be joking! Look at her!” Liam grabbed his brother’s face and jerked it toward Tereza. She’d put one knee up. A hand dangled between her legs, rubbing furiously. “I should be there.” Liam turned his brother’s head to look at him. “You should be there,” he said lasciviously. Lukha’s cock was already unbearably hard. Liam’s teasing didn’t help, but Lukha knew this wasn’t right. “No. We’re using her. Just like the doctors used us.” “It’s not like that. Not at all.” Liam growled. His muscles bulged as he rolled Lukha over. Knees and arms pinned Lukha painfully to the ground. “You have no idea what they did to us!” “Don’t I? I was their guinea pig! You were the control.” Liam’s face contorted into an agonized expression. “You think you’re the one that deserves the most pity? I had to watch them hurt you. I made you forget the worst of it. You don’t know how much they talked, how little they cared about us, only about their precious experiment. ‘Save the Tharsians.’ That’s all. They taught me medicine so I could take care of you and they could spend more time on their precious experiments.” Liam’s fingers tightened around Lukha’s shoulders. “This mission will succeed. It has to succeed, so all of this” -- he made a sweeping gesture, including both Lukha and Tereza -- “is not in vain. You were hurt and sick. She lost her ship. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of either of those things.”

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He shook as he eased himself off Lukha’s body. “I will not have us endure this for nothing. I love her and more because she’s changed. And you. I love you, my brother.” “Then if you love her, let her choose.” Lukha felt the crushing weight of his words. If

she chooses not to help us, to go back to Marr... “But...” There was a world of anguish in that one word. Liam shook, with rage or need or desperation, as he looked at Tereza. She’d used the blanket to cover herself, with just her shoulders and one bare leg showing. “Please,” Liam said. “Please.” Lukha kept a firm grip on his brother’s shoulders. Tereza looked from one brother to the other and back, finally shaking her head. “I want to choose. I don’t want to be ruled by this” -- she gestured to herself -- “or those.” She pointed to the erections on both naked men. “It will be with my head and my heart, not because you physically change me and give me no option!” “I’ll get the doctors for you,” Lukha said. “They should know how to undo the change. The embryos… They can be raised in an artificial womb. And then all of us will be back to…to normal.” “No!” Liam struggled to rise, to go to Tereza, but Lukha wouldn’t let him. “I won’t have my children raised like that. Not like us. Not again.” “It’s her choice. We’ll still have children.” “No.” And with that, Liam began to cry. Lukha pulled his brother against him, discomfited at the reversal in roles. Liam had always been the strong one, the one with goals and missions, always there for comfort when Lukha had needed him. Now, Liam was the one needing comfort, his hopes and dreams suddenly shattered. Tereza looked stunned, almost guilty. Lukha used his head to gesture to the door. Tereza nodded, and hastily dressed before she left.

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“All for you,” Liam said between hiccups. “Both of you. I saw you hurt, almost dead. I won’t let your suffering be for nothing. I won’t. We’ve come too far to give up now.” Lukha had always seen Liam as strong and hot-tempered, given to impulse, never guessing that his anger covered up so much anguish. It must have been awful for him. He

couldn’t forget anything, but he looked out for me, let me forget the worst of it. Liam… Tears made Lukha’s vision blur. “We’ll make it. We’ll get to Tharsia. But Tereza only comes if she’s willing, not if she’s coerced.” Liam nodded. “I loved her. Even before I changed her.” “I know,” Lukha said.

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Chapter Eight

Tereza shuffled along the corridor, body still alive and aching with the remnants of passion. She had to force herself to keep going, one foot in front of the other, otherwise she might have lost her will and run back to throw herself into the arms of both men and beg them to take her right there on the floor.

And they would say yes. I’m sure of it. She stopped next to a bulkhead and rested her cheek against the cold metal. It did little to soothe her. Liam… She couldn’t stop thinking about his heavy, muscled body on hers, the insistent hands that explored every curve and crevice, his hard thickness as it slid between her legs.

Hell. I have to stop thinking of this. I have to keep going. The smart thing to do would be to find a way back to Marr and have him find me a job away from all this. But just as she couldn’t shut out the memory of Liam’s body, neither could she forget the sight of Lukha, doing little more than standing there and fondling his own body, which nearly drove her mad because she could see and not touch. Never mind that the man atop her was identical; she’d wanted Lukha just as badly.

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Just as well he stayed where he was. If I’d had both of them at once, I might never have left. But he knew. Lukha knew that I had to get out or lose myself completely. Both men loved her, she was sure of that, but whether it was honest or because of the biological change, she didn’t know. She was too much of an engineer to take things at face value without exploring all her options to find the best solution. There had to be a logical way through this. Yet there was so much that wasn’t logical, that was totally irrational. Like seeing Liam curled up against his brother, sobbing...

I have to do this. I have to get back to normal, whatever that is now. Even if it means letting the embryos develop outside of me. She’d never wanted children, especially now, when she hadn’t chosen to have them, neither would she let them die. She wasn’t that heartless. Liam and Lukha had been “born” out of an artificial womb and raised by the doctors. It would be all right. The embryos would be taken care of. Liam obviously wanted them. Resolute, she continued down the corridor, away from the two men too capable of changing her mind. The doctors’ laboratory wasn’t hard to find. It was on the same deck, just on the far side of the ship. She paused outside the door, feeling awkward, as if she might interrupt them. Seeing no means of announcing herself, she palmed the door open. The place was almost uncomfortably warm, thanks to the massive amount of computers and laboratory equipment. Scanners, distillers, replicators; it looked like they’d bought one of everything out of the science equipment catalog. She threaded her way through narrow aisles, careful not to brush against anything. “Hello? Doctors?” Sutha, the one she’d seen earlier, stuck his head out from the side of one of the computer towers. “Ah! Hello, my dear. Something we can do for you?” A more dour-looking Gruetz appeared by rolling a chair backwards.

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“I-yes. Lukha said...” She took a deep breath, feeling more and more awkward. These two men made her nervous for reasons she couldn’t explain, other than she’d never liked doctors. “Lukha said you could reverse the change. I want you to. Please.” Gruetz suddenly wore a look of interest. Sutha ran a hand through his frizzy hair. “We can. But then you’d be on your own to raise --” “I know,” Tereza said. “But Lukha told me you could remove them safely and keep them alive. He said they’d be fine; it’s how he and Liam were raised.” “True enough,” Gruetz said. He cocked his head. “Are you still willing to help us with our cause?” “After I’ve been kidnapped, used, and lied to? I sure as hell don’t think so. Find someone else to carry your precious serum.” “Ah, but we can’t, my dear,” Sutha said. “We don’t have any more, and, before you ask, we can’t make any more. We deleted all our records. We’re being followed, you see, and we can’t risk the serum falling into the wrong hands. You, quite literally, are the last hope for the Tharsians.”

They’re insane. All of them. “There is one possibility,” Gruetz said. “The children you carry should be born immune to the virus. It will take longer, of course, but once we get them to Tharsia, we should be able to manufacture enough serum.” “Still not as good as the original donor, though,” Sutha said. “Her body is already creating the antivirus. It will take longer to derive it from those already immune. That’s why we decided not to use the boys, remember?” Her hand went protectively to her stomach. Where moments before she’d been ready to cut all ties with the twins and the doctors, she felt differently now. Lukha’s right. I can’t

do that. I don’t want them, but neither will I let them be victims. “No. That’s not a viable option. I won’t let you use them like that.”

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“But my dear,” Sutha said, “only a moment ago you were willing to --” “Willing to find them a different home. Not to have them used as your lab rats. I changed my mind.” “Then you’ll help us?” “I… I need time to think.” What choice would she have in the end anyway? She couldn’t get off the ship on her own, didn’t even know the name of it. She was virtually a prisoner here, no matter how she was being treated. The doctors were determined to go down to the planet and take her with them. “Did the boys upset you?” “Yes. No. They didn’t do anything I didn’t ask for first.” “Ah,” Sutha said with a grin. “That’s why you want us to reverse the change. The two of them together are too much for you? It’s always been interesting watching them both. Liam, especially. He’s got such a temper, and I hear he’s always been rather fierce in bed. Lukha told me how a couple of girls complained. Lukha, on the other hand --” “It’s not because of...of the sex.” She felt the heat rise to her cheeks. “I can handle the both of them. I simply don’t like the idea of my body wanting what my head and heart do not. Now, undo this change, if you please.” “Are you certain, my dear? Things will go much easier with the children if you’re still --” “I’m sure,” Tereza said, now highly annoyed. “Do it. Now.” The two doctors leaned nearer each other for a consultation, speaking too quietly for Tereza to hear. She didn’t like it. I’ll never get away from them at this rate. A ship this small

can hide too well. If there were a way to let someone know where I am, even Marr... Most of the equipment in the room she recognized. The majority of it was for scientific purposes, but a few of the smaller panels were given to running the ship while the doctors were occupied. Like now. From the rise and fall of their voices, they were bickering. Good.

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Tereza casually strode over to one of the panels and pretended a vague interest. A few touches to the screen, and she pulled up a list of the ships in the area. A cruiser, too large and distant to be of any good. Two clippers likely on their way to deliver perishable goods. And there…,she smiled. The Drummond. She might detest Marr himself, but she hated being a prisoner even more.

But how do I let him know I’m here ? Another screen, and up came the ship schematics. It was fitted with an advanced, and highly illegal, scrambler to render the ship invisible to sensors so it couldn’t be tracked. Messing with that would definitely attract the doctors’ attention, so she turned instead to the area she knew best -- engineering. Every ship, including this one, emitted a small amount of exhaust caused by the elements used in the engines. Usually, it was negligible, not able to be picked up by the sensors, but with a few alterations... There. Now it would go through its cleaning cycle and dump all excess refuse. If Marr couldn’t find that, then he wasn’t half the investigator he claimed to be. She put the screens back to where they had been and wandered back toward the doctors, still engaged in their argument. She adopted a pose, leaning against one of the towers as if she’d been there the entire time. “Well?” she asked loudly. They looked up, startled. “Yes, yes, of course we can reverse the change for you,” Sutha said. “But it will take a little time to prepare. Say, two hours?” From the screen, Marr was about that far away. “Fine. Two hours. In the infirmary?” “Yes,” Gruetz said. “Now, if you don’t mind, we must prepare.” Tereza knew a dismissal when she heard it. “Two hours. I’m holding you to it.” They didn’t bother to answer her. She went straight to the infirmary to wait, not willing to try her quarters for fear that one or both of the brothers might be lingering there.

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The sight of medical equipment and beds still frightened her, but at least technology was a known enemy, while she still knew very little about the brothers.

***** They were late. Twenty-five minutes late. They came in with no apologies and seemed not to notice Tereza’s stiffness and white knuckles from clutching the bed so tightly.

Where is he? He can’t be that stupid. He can’t. “Ready, my dear?” Sutha asked without looking at her. “It’s quite fortunate, really, that we have so much of the boys on file. Made it quite easy to create a dose to counteract their attraction. It took longer than expected, but what can one expect when --” “Just give it to me,” Tereza said. “I don’t care how you made it.” Sutha seemed not to notice her annoyance. “Of course my dear, of course. Just hold out your arm, now.” She pushed up her sleeve and looked away. “Just a little pinch.” It was more than a little pinch. It burned. She sucked air in through her teeth. “There, now. All over.” Sutha beamed, obviously pleased with himself. “You’ll no longer have any uncontrolled physical attraction to them.” The way he phrased his words worried her. “And them? When I change, they won’t be attracted to me either, right?” “Oh, no, dear. It doesn’t work quite like that. You’re carrying their children. They’re highly attuned to you. Very adaptable creatures, our Tharsians.” Never before had she had such a desire to strangle someone. “You can undo that, too? Right?” “I suppose.” Sutha rubbed his chin. “Though it would take time, and we’d need some of --”

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The ship rocked, cutting Sutha off and slamming Tereza against one of the walls. Panels in front of the doctors started beeping. Gruetz rushed over to check. Screens flashed on the wall monitor. Sutha sighed. “A pity, my dear. That little experiment will have to wait. We have company.” “Who is it?” “Colonel Marr,” Gruetz said, “on the Drummond.”

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Chapter Nine

The brothers were in Liam’s quarters when the ship rocked. “What the --” Lukha said from his new vantage point on the floor. Liam lurched to his feet and flipped through a few screens on the wall monitor. “Damn. Marr found us, but how?” Another, smaller lurch shook the ship. Lukha finally made it to his feet and over to his brother’s side. “Look. There,” Liam said, pointing to the engineering screen. “The engine was set to a cleaning cycle that wasn’t necessary. She did this. She led them to us!” Liam growled and slapped the monitor. “We’re not going to let them take us. I won’t. I won’t.” “It’s too late,” Lukha said, not liking the fervor in his brother’s voice. “We don’t have a choice. If we surrender, then maybe --” “They’ll kill us.” One by one, Liam tugged at the fingers of his glove. “I won’t let that happen. And I won’t let any of our secrets be given away.” Lukha backed up, shaking his head. He held up his hands to ward his brother off. “This isn’t the way.”

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Liam grabbed him around the wrist, barehanded. His eyes were narrow, determined. “Forgive me, my brother. It’s the only way.” Lukha had no protection, had never needed it against his brother. If the Tharsians had a way to protect themselves from each other, he’d never learned it. His brother’s mind felt like a curtain clouding his own, bright blue, collapsing and smothering him until he could remember nothing.

***** This time, the little ship had no chance of getting away. The Drummond had anchored the Gull with metal tentacles, which attached themselves to the hull and caused the ship to come to a halt by draining it of power. Effectively, the Gull was now dead in space and at the mercy of the Drummond. Marr led the boarding party. Only five people were on board the ship. Renegade doctors, the damned Tharsians, and Tereza. As much as he’d looked forward to this day, he hungered the most for Tereza. The poor woman; what must she have gone through with these criminals? She’d obviously been desperate for a rescue; her signal had alerted them to the ship’s presence. But where was she? Had the doctors found out what she’d done? Was she all right? One Tharsian they found in his quarters, facedown and unconscious, but still alive. Marr gestured to two of his men to take the prisoner aboard the Drummond. The doctors were found inside the laboratory, both of them dead. “A nuisance,” Marr said, using his boot to nudge one of the bodies. “Get rid of these. Then get a team in here to hack the computers.” Even with his experts, it could take weeks to find the formula for the serum if it was still there at all. He didn’t have weeks, and he certainly didn’t want to waste what time he had.

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The discoveries of the bodies made him uneasy. Something was wrong on this ship. He kept his weapon at hand. Where was Tereza? His earpiece chirped. “Colonel. We’ve located the woman and another Tharsian. Upper

deck, forward cargo area.” Marr hurried up. Three of his officers stood outside the cargo room door, weapons drawn. Inside, crouched up against one of the food storage crates, a Tharsian identical to the one already taken held up palms that glowed blue. In his arms, Tereza laid limp and unconscious. “They won’t be able to help you,” the Tharsian said. “I made sure of that.” So. That’s what he’d done; killed the doctors and then wiped the memories of his brother and Tereza. “You will be able to, though,” Marr said. There was no possibility of failure at this point. “I’ll make sure of that.” The Tharsian shook his dreadlocked head. “No. I won’t. No matter how badly you hurt me.” “We’ll see about that,” Marr said, his fury rising. How much of their memories had been wiped remained to be seen, but Marr knew for damn sure that this one would talk, no matter what it took. Marr aimed his gun at the Tharsian’s head and walked inside. He wouldn’t fire, for fear of hitting Tereza, but he kept up the most threatening appearance possible. “Give her to me.” “Come and take her,” the Tharsian said, smug as he showed his glowing blue palms. When he was near enough, Marr reached out to caress Tereza’s cheek. The Tharsian grabbed him around the wrist, laughing maniacally…until he realized nothing was happening. The gloating turned to horror. “After my first encounter with your kind, I got an implant. I’m immune,” Marr said, and used the butt of his gun to knock the Tharsian unconscious. He gestured to his officers to take the man away then dropped down beside Tereza. “Tereza? Tereza, are you all right?” He

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cradled her in his arms, relieved to have her here, at last, and hoping beyond hope that she was fine, that the Tharsian hadn’t done anything to her. Her eyes fluttered and opened, unfocused for a long minute. “Tereza?” he asked. “I’m...I’m fine.” She managed a wan smile. He hugged her close, relishing the moment that he finally was able to hold her in his arms. She didn’t resist. “Thank the stars. I was so worried about you when they took you away. I tried to find you, but those bastards tricked me. You’re all right? Truly?” “Do I know you?” He felt suddenly cold. Not again. Damn the Tharsians. Why can’t they leave her mind

alone ? “I’m Colonel Marr. Remember? From the Drummond?” She looked confused. “The what?” “The Drummond. My ship. You were aboard it after the accident on the Cavalier.” “Accident? I don’t remember an accident.” “What’s the last thing you remember?” Her face scrunched up as she thought. Then, “Stars. Everywhere, there were stars. I was trapped. Couldn’t get out.” She started crying. “It smelled bad, and I was hungry and thirsty. Didn’t have nothing to drink.” She clutched at him, terrified. “Don’t put me back in there. Don’t. I’ll be good.” “It’s all right. I won’t take you anywhere you don’t want to go.” He held her tightly, fury at her treatment nearly overcoming his good sense. Damn him for doing this. Damn

him. He’s taken everything from her. “You’re safe. I’ve come to rescue you.” He remembered reading about her childhood in her records, how she’d survived the destruction of her ship and been sent out in an escape pod that had malfunctioned. Forever terrified of the stars.

The rest of the years haven’t happened. She doesn’t know… He spoke to the few men that remained to watch them. “This is why we have to get rid of those bastards. They destroy lives. Like this one.”

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Most of the faces remained expressionless. One or two registered a new determination. Marr shrugged off an offer of help when he lifted Tereza. He’d see to her safety himself. No longer would he trust her care to anyone else. He’d find a way to bring her back, no matter what he had to do to that damn Tharsian.

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Chapter Ten

Five hours later, Marr leaned back in the chair behind his desk, watching his lieutenant. “Report, Jackson,” Jackson betrayed none of his emotions. “The doctors were murdered, sir. Stabbed multiple times. The first Tharsian we found is useless. His memories have been wiped clean. He remembers nothing, no facts, no experiments, no life events prior to the age of about eight years old. The techs are going through the computers on the small ship now. We have names for our prisoners, at least. Liam -- he’s the one with his memory intact -- and Lukha, along with some notes about their early years and the history of the Tharsians in general. We can’t find anything about a serum for the Tharsian virus. If they had it, it’s been erased.” Worse and worse. Tereza knew nothing, and was currently asleep in Marr’s own quarters. He wanted to keep an eye on her. If any of his men thought his behavior strange, they had the good sense to keep their mouths shut. “They had it on board the Cavalier. I’m sure of it. So where has it gone?” “Perhaps we could ask the prisoner,” Jackson said. “A fine idea,” Marr said. “Lead the way.”

*****

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Someone was screaming. The sound reverberated throughout the metal-walled cells in the detention area. Lukha watched through the bars in his own cell as two of the black-clad men kicked and beat something on the floor of the cell across the way. Another man, by the sound of his voice, doing what Lukha had been doing a little while earlier. Huddling in an attempt to escape the worst attacks while men screamed at him to answer their questions. He turned away, shivering. He hurt. The same men had come in to kick and hit him, demanding answers he didn’t have. “Where is the serum?” Over and over and over. Lukha couldn’t tell them. The last thing he remembered was the doctors taking him to the infirmary for another experiment, telling him that he was a big help, that he’d be able to save his people. He figured this was where they’d taken him, but he didn’t know how being locked up in a cell would help his people. But they must have done something to him first. He was bigger than he remembered. Adult. And helpless, just like the man across the way. Lukha cringed, fingering his own bruises as the beating continued. His arms, legs, and back ached in sympathy. The awful sounds ended at last. Lukha dared to look again, and saw a naked, brownskinned man on the floor of the opposite cell. He didn’t move, but his chest rose and fell steadily. Still alive. Funny. Lukha looked at his own arms. The same color as the other man’s. And his hair… They had the same hair, too, done up in dreadlocks. Somewhere, from the depths of his fogged mind, Lukha came up with a word. Brother.

***** “He put up a hell of a fight, Colonel. Took three of us to get him in that chair,” Jackson said. “Still stubborn, though. Not a word out of him.”

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Marr paced around his captive, now restrained at the neck, wrists, and ankles, to a metal chair secured to the floor of the cell. Liam looked like a man possessed, wild eyes, a swollen jaw, and dried blood beneath his nose. He was naked except for the gloves on his hands. Marr couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering down to the man’s cock, knowing it was how Tereza had been manipulated. The thought made him furious. This time, he was determined to manipulate his prisoner by the same means. “Bring me Tereza,” he said. Liam’s eyes lit with a dark fury. Marr continued to stand directly in front of him, enjoying the power play, until Jackson escorted Tereza to the detention area. Duty done, Jackson left. She looked lost and confused. Marr didn’t like her like this. With her memory gone, so was her spirit, the stubbornness that he’d enjoyed. Now, she only clung to him, frightened by her surroundings. “See what you’ve done?” Marr asked Liam. “Look at her.” Liam looked. His eyes blazed. His cock engorged, strengthening into an erection. Tereza, although she held onto Marr, stiffened. Her breathing sped up. “No,” Marr whispered. “Fight it. He doesn’t love you. He used you.” He snaked an arm around Tereza’s waist, hand over her lower belly. From the other cell, Lukha watched, his expression one of confusion. Like his brother, the sight of Tereza had given him a formidable erection. Marr watched Lukha, pondering. “He can’t help you,” Liam said. He wriggled his hips and cock as if flaunting Marr. “If he touches her barehanded, he’ll have no control. I took that memory from him, too.” “Damn you,” Marr said. Tereza moaned and shuddered against him. Marr felt his own cock harden. He wanted her, but not like this. Not unaware. But it might serve a purpose. Sure that he had Liam’s attention, Marr slowly tugged Tereza’s pants below her waist. She didn’t object, already too far lost in her own desires to

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care what he did as long as he did something, anything. The pants slid down, and she stepped out of them. She arched back against him as he lifted her shirt to fondle her breasts. It gave Marr an odd sort of thrill to find that he was able to control both Tharsians by pleasuring their chosen mate. He knew about their strange biology, of the change one brother caused in a mate to ensure the other brother’s attraction, but he never thought he’d be able to see such a thing, let alone use it. Never thought he’d feel so sickened to know that Tereza was a victim of such a depraved and backward race. “I want...” she whispered. She tried to step forward, but Marr didn’t let her go. “I know what your body wants, but they aren’t what you want. They’re criminals. Stay with me. I can please your body...and your soul.” “But...” she frowned. “I love you. I can protect you.” “I don’t need protection. I need --” “This?” His fingers crept between her legs to find her wet and eager. He flicked them around her tender nub, which made her gasp. Slowly, he increased the pressure, eventually seeking her private entrance. “Yes...” She melted against him, fitting against his body as if they were meant to be that way. Liam’s face was pained from both physical and mental agonies. Lukha merely stroked himself harder. His face registered hurt, although Marr doubted Lukha knew exactly why. Tereza raised her head to kiss him. Marr complied, inwardly thrilled that at last he had what he’d longed for and that he caused the damn Tharsians such pain without even touching them. They deserved it, for tricking her, for using her body against her. And such a soft, warm body. Her shirt came entirely off. Marr worked his way down, kissing her neck and shoulders, every sweet bump of her spine, the curve of her buttocks. He

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paused there, breathing deeply of her feminine scent before kneeling and pulling her down to sit on his lap. Easing her legs apart, he made sure Liam could see everything, every glistening part of her that he’d taken advantage of and couldn’t have anymore. Her hips rocked against Marr’s probing fingers. Liam, he was gratified to see, couldn’t tear his eyes away. Nor could he touch the cock that must be positively aching by now. Reaching beneath her buttocks, Marr freed his own straining cock. She felt it, and maneuvered herself onto him. Marr gritted his teeth as her warm slickness surrounded him. Bliss. Utter bliss, and it was his. Hands on her hips, they rocked together. Marr kissed the soft, new skin of her back. She threw her head back, uttering the sounds of pleasure that Marr had waited so long to hear. She ground against him, doing half of Marr’s work for him as she lifted her hips and controlled the timing of his thrusts. Soon. His body ached for fulfillment. Pressure built inside his groin. He couldn’t wait; tilting Tereza forward so her face was down but her buttocks were in the air, Marr got to his knees and slammed himself inside her, harder, faster. Cheek pressed against the cool metal floor, she moaned. Her hands scrabbled for purchase on the slick flooring, nails raked the slits between the panels. Flesh met flesh, over and over. The slick sounds of lovemaking bounced off the metal walls. Before him, Liam sweated and panted, furious at the sight, but unable to do anything about it. The sudden, fierce orgasm forced Marr’s body to curve inward. His body twitched and shuddered as he came inside her. Liam’s eyes blazed with hatred. From behind them came another groan. Lukha, managing to get his own satiation at last. So did Tereza. Her cry of pleasure was almost a wail. Her body spasmed beneath Marr’s. Fists clenched and toes curled, much to his satisfaction.

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“She’s mine, now,” Marr said. He righted her so she lay against him, languorous and dozing. He continued to rub her sex to prove his point. “She doesn’t belong to anyone but herself. You’ll learn,” Liam said. “The hard way.” Marr had already learned, how not to let his prey escape, even though everything had worked out in the end. Almost. Tereza was his, now, because she didn’t know any better. He didn’t like that. He wanted her whole. There would be a way, and he was certain he could get Liam to tell him that, along with the location of the serum. “So will you.” Marr kissed Tereza, his eyes never leaving Liam’s tormented face.

***** Much to Marr’s disappointment, the session with Tereza didn’t break Liam. The Tharsian had sat all night, stalwart, dealing with an unsatisfied erection that Marr didn’t envy. If pleasuring another didn’t change his mind, perhaps torturing another would. On a hunch, Marr gestured to Lukha’s cell. “Bring him.” Jackson and one of his cohorts rushed to obey. They brought him into Liam’s cell, hands gloved and secured behind his back. Lukha was utterly complacent, letting the two men shove him forward until he stood in front of his brother. “Are you all right?” Lukha asked, almost plaintive. Liam refused to look or answer. And there, Marr knew he’d found Liam’s weak point. “Beat him.” The officers went to it. Jackson immediately dealt Lukha a blow to the stomach. The Tharsian bent double, collapsing onto his knees with a look of hurt and surprise. Jackson took the butt of his gun and used it to crack Lukha across the face. Still, Liam didn’t watch. “What’s the matter? Can’t stand to see your brother hurt?” Marr used brute strength to make Liam’s head face forward, prying the Tharsian’s eyes open with his fingers. “Look. This is your fault. And this time, I won’t let you help him forget.”

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Lukha howled, crying pitifully as Jackson landed another kick to his back. Another blow from the gun landed on Lukha’s shoulder. Bone cracked. “Where is it, Liam?” Marr asked, mouth close to the prisoner’s ear. “Where is the serum?” Liam clenched his jaw shut. “Where is it?” Jackson grabbed several of Lukha’s dreadlocks and used them to slam Lukha’s head into the metal flooring. Blood streamed from Lukha’s nose and lip. A sticky puddle crept across the floor. “Stubborn, aren’t you? Then answer me this question. How do I restore Tereza’s memory?” “You can’t. My brother can’t. He doesn’t remember how. The only way is to get another Tharsian to do it.” Marr used the butt of his gun to strike Liam across the face. The colonel smiled, hearing the wet crack of bone. “You think I’m that foolish? Return you to your home planet?” “It’s your only chance.” Liam spat blood when he spoke. The words came out garbled. His jaw was probably broken along with his nose. Good. Lukha emitted several anguished yelps. Jackson had brought out one of his favorite toys, one of the pulse emitters used to calibrate energy levels in the ship’s systems. The tool looked like a small gun, but could launch very powerful bursts of energy. Several blackened areas already showed on Lukha’s chest and legs.

Zap. Lukha arched his body and howled. The stench of burnt flesh filled the cell. Jackson took aim at Lukha’s flaccid cock, but waited for his superior’s orders. “Tell me,” Marr said. “The truth. How do I get their memories back?”

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Sweat poured down Liam’s neck and shoulders. He reeked of fear. “Take us home. It’s the only way. If you let Lukha try, he could kill her.” Jackson held his weapon, ready. Marr held out his hand. The lieutenant reluctantly handed the emitter over and moved out of the way. Marr aimed at Lukha, at the pitiful, confused man writhing on the floor. He fired at Liam. Bound to the chair, his muscles strained and flexed as the energy made his body convulse. When it was over, Marr had left a gaping wound in his side, showing the white of his ribs. It didn’t bleed; the energy had cauterized the injury. Liam’s head lolled. He panted. “That,” Marr said, “is for causing me so much trouble.” He handed the emitter back to Jackson. “Take that one,” he gestured to Lukha, “to the infirmary. Make sure he’s taken care of. Then get the doctor down here for the other. See that he doesn’t die, but don’t waste any painkillers on him.” “Yes, sir,” Jackson said. With the other officer’s help, he lifted Lukha and slung the Tharsian over his shoulder. Marr stepped out and secured the cell door. Liam was dazed, half-conscious. Blood leaked sluggishly from his nose and mouth. A few steps down the hallway, Marr tapped his earpiece to page his navigator. “Set a course for Tharsia. Inform the government that we’re returning two citizens to their homeworld. Make sure the Gull is secure; we’ll take her in tow. I don’t want to lose her.” “Yes, sir,” the navigator replied. If it was the only way to get Tereza back, so be it. He’d get help from the Tharsians and then get rid of them, once and for all.

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Chapter Eleven

They seriously needed a decorator on this ship, Tereza thought. Everything was stark, cold, and gray, meant for a single purpose. Maybe was to conserve space, but it was boring. She wanted color, and texture, like...a fuzzy green couch.

Now where the hell did that idea come from ? She shook it off as a product of her confusion of late. She kept expecting to look in the mirror and see a young girl there, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. She was a woman, and Colonel Marr had made that very clear a short time ago. These were his quarters, and hers, evidently, though she found it curious that nothing inside seemed to belong to her. The small closet held three uniforms, two everyday and one formal, for a man. The drawers held soft T-shirts, tank tops and shorts -- for a man. “Stay here,” Marr had told her after he’d brought her up from the detention center. “Rest. This is where you’ll live now. With me.” She’d just stared at him, not comprehending. “You’ll be my engineer, once I take you to see a doctor to…to help you, all right?” She didn’t know why he was so excited about this engineering stuff, and she certainly didn’t want to see any doctors. The very idea of seeing any abhorred her.

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He’d kissed her then, running his hands along her body much as he had down below. She hadn’t minded then, not even when it meant being naked while those two prisoners watched, and she didn’t mind it in the darkness of their quarters. She liked being touched, and liked the tingling that started between her legs. He’d wanted to take it further, but a page from his lieutenant recalled him to duty. “Rest,” he’d said. “I’ll be back soon.” She’d rested, laying down to sleep, but she couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong about this whole situation. Marr loved her. That was obvious. But she didn’t understand why he was taunting the two prisoners. Maybe if she asked them, they’d tell her. Getting out wasn’t as easy as it should have been. The door was locked. She stared, feeling stupid. The door must answer only to Marr, but it’s a simple code

mechanism, easy enough to override, if -Almost without thought, she fingered the locking mechanism on the right side of the door. She eased off the outer panel to see the mass of wires and nodules on the board within.

I should know this. I don’t know how, but I should. They’re color-coded, and one mix overrides the lock in case of emergency... Red, green, and orange wires twisted around each other. Red. Red always means an

emergency, and green… She plucked the two wires loose from their sockets and twisted the ends together. To her delight, the door slid open. Green means go! A quick look down the hallway revealed no personnel. She knew the way down to the detention area, having paid attention on her way there and back up the last time. The rest of the ship was like Marr’s quarters, dark and forbidding. Down one hallway, dimly lit to conserve energy, first left, second right, and take the lift down two levels. And there… The detention area seemed much the same as it had a few hours before, save that one Tharsian was now lying on his side. He looked ill. The other, the angry one, was still strapped to his chair, but now he was hurt far worse than before. A dermal

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regenerator hummed on his side. His face was swollen and malformed. The fury in his eyes remained, as did his erection. She pitied him, but at the same time he frightened her. “Tereza,” he said, the words garbled due to his damaged jaw. “Help me get out of here. Please.” “I can’t,” she said, although whether it was because she feared Marr’s reprisal or lacked the skill to do so, she couldn’t have said. This is all so confusing. It’s as if I’m missing

something, but what? By now, the first Tharsian had noticed her and stood, leaning against the bars of the cell door. Hands gloved and bound behind his back, he looked weak, as if he might collapse. Bruises and dermal regenerators mottled his skin as well. This one didn’t frighten her, so she walked over to him. “My name is Lukha,” he said. He looked so earnest. “Can I...touch you? I need to.” His eyes darted down to the erection he now sported.

I need to touch him, too, came the unbidden thought. Lukha pressed himself tightly against the bars so his cock poked through them. She hesitated. She liked Marr, had had sex with Marr. Doing the same with his prisoners was wrong. Wasn’t it? Except as Tereza slid down the bars to put her mouth nearer Lukha’s cock, she had the idea that she’d known this body intimately before. But I can’t have. I’ve never seen him

before. He’s only a prisoner, him and his brother both. Yet, she knew his scent, and when she touched her tongue to the tip of his cock, she knew his taste and the way he shuddered. She wrapped her hand around his cock and gently fisted it. Lukha’s cheek pressed against the bars. Eyes closed, he emitted little, puppyish grunts as she worked his shaft. It didn’t take long before he groaned, warning enough so that she didn’t get her hand or clothes all sticky. He sank down, as much from languor as from weakness.

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That smile… He looks so young. Precious. And just about as confused as I am. “Why do you wear gloves?” she asked. Lukha looked perplexed. “I don’t know.” “Let me see your hands.” Obediently, he twisted around and stuck his hands through the bars. Binders wrapped around his wrist, simple enough for a second person to flip the catch to undo them, but impossible for the prisoner to do so. She pressed the catch. “There.” “Much better,” he said, rubbing his freed wrists. “I don’t know what the gloves are for. They always make sure I have them, though.” She took one of the gloved hands in her own. I’ve done this before. I think. “Can I?” “If you want to.” “Don’t,” Liam’s voice yelled. “Leave them on.” “Why?” Tereza asked. She looked over her shoulder to look at Lukha’s twin. “It’s…” Liam broke off, wincing in pain. “Dangerous,” he managed to say.

That doesn’t make sense. Lukha’s not the dangerous one. And if he were, he’s behind the bars, and I’m in front of them. How can it be harmful ? Still, she hesitated in taking off the glove. “Don’t,” Liam said again. Blood trickled from his cracked lips. It wouldn’t hurt to just look. She traced the outline of his hand, finding the idea of the mystery behind the glove incredibly sexy. One by one, she tugged off the fingers, then the rest of the glove to find a secondary layer of fabric on the palm. Repo-mesh, her mind supplied from somewhere. Underneath the mesh, his palm glowed blue. Fascinated by the intricate network of blue veins, she touched it.

***** “Colonel,” Jackson said. “You’d better take a look at this.”

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Marr walked over to Jackson’s station. He’d brought up the screen showing the video surveillance of the detention area. Tereza knelt in front of Lukha’s cell. They were holding hands. Bare hands. “Follow me down there. Now.” Jackson and one of the other men rushed into the detention chamber behind Marr in time to hear one of the Tharsians yelling. “No!” Liam cried. “You’ll kill her. Lukha -- stop. Stop !” It was too late. Lukha held her hand, looking stunned. After a few moments, the expression twisted into agony. Tereza jerked, eyes open but seeing nothing in the room. Marr bent down to pull them apart. “Don’t !” Liam said. “I swear to you. Pull them apart, and they will both die. Let me go. I can help them. Let me get to my brother.” Marr didn’t stop to think. Tereza might be dying. He didn’t care what it took to save her. “Get him over here. Now.” Jackson hurried to obey. The cell doors clanged open. Tereza sat, stunned, eyes and mouth wide. Lukha’s hand was white-knuckled, gripping hers with bruising force. A shot rang out. Two. Both followed by the thuds of bodies falling to the ground. Marr glanced up from Tereza’s slack face to see Liam standing over the bodies of Jackson and the other officer. Both of them had blackened marks in the center of their chest. Thin trails of steam rose into the air. Slowly, the murderer’s gaze turned to Marr. No hint of sanity rested behind the brown eyes. Blood trickled from his nose, and he swayed on his feet. “You will not,” Liam said, “touch my brother. Ever. Again.” He held the gun steady in both hands, aiming it directly at Marr. He fired.

*****

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Lukha floated in a haze of memories not his own. A woman’s remembrances of…of

him. Touching him. Needing him. The sight of him responding back. She knew these things… Why didn’t he?

Brother, come back to me. Come back. He knew that voice. From...somewhere.

You’re all I have left. Please come back. Let her go. Stop the memories. You can do it. Stop the memories. Was it that easy? He reached inside himself and found that he knew, somehow, what to do. Like a tangled skein of yarn, he started untwisting the other memories from his own, winding them into their own separate ball.

And you, brother. Remember. And he did.

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Chapter Twelve

Not another damn headache. What the hell happened this time ? She was in the detention area of Marr’s ship. Lukha. Lukha held her. And Liam -Liam sat apart, eyes going from one body to the next. Only one, Marr’s, still breathed. He had a gaping hole in his side, and he squirmed a little. Her first instinct was to go to him and help. Her second, once she remembered what he’d done, was to leave him there. Marr’s head turned to see her. “Tereza,” he said. “Bastard,” she said. Lukha’s hand gripped her shoulder for support. “Am I?” Marr coughed, wincing. “That one there, he killed the doctors. And my men.” “You tortured them.” “To help you. Was I so wrong?” His arm flopped over so his hand was a scant foot away from her. “I love you. They’re not worthy of you. They’re trash. Criminals.” A murderer, and… What was Lukha? She twisted around to look him in the eye. He was gentle and sweet. He’d denied the needs of both himself and his brother in order to give her the freedom she craved. She didn’t need him like she had before; at least the doctors had

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been able to do that much for her. But from the way he held and looked at her, his body still craved hers with a fierceness that was hard to deny. “Tereza, listen to me,” Marr told her. “We’re on the way back to Tharsia. We’ll leave them there. Their race will die out soon enough. We can forget this happened, and I’ll take you --” “Shut up,” Liam said. He climbed awkwardly to his feet, using the cell doors for balance. The gun still rested in his trembling hand. “You bastard. What have we ever done to you? All we wanted was to go home. To have a home to go to. To live.” “Your kind are liars. Manipulators. Cheaters. The Fleet has records of what your kind has done. Using those hands of yours to get what you want.” “Just like the way you use yours.” Liam fired his gun. Marr screamed and pulled back the blackened remains of a hand. “Those hands touched my brother. You will not use them again.” He stood steadily on both feet and took aim. He looked frightening like that, gloriously naked and full of vengeance. Marr used his good hand to pull himself backwards. “Liam. Put it down. Please put it down,” Tereza said. “Brother, please,” Lukha seconded. “He can’t hurt us anymore.” Slowly, Liam lowered the gun. Lines of fatigue and pain were etched in his face. And love, for both his brother and Tereza. Marr twisted, using his good hand to whip out something shiny -Liam fired again. And again. Marr’s gun went spinning across the floor. Now, both hands were blackened and useless. His face went taut with agony, but he was alive. More footsteps. “Stay down,” Liam said. He pivoted to face the main doorway.

Like hell. He wasn’t fighting his way out of here alone. Lukha had the same idea; he took a gun from one of the bodies. Tereza grabbed Marr’s gun and crawled over to his side, smiling as she held the barrel to his head.

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“Why...Tereza?” Marr said. Pain made his voice hoarse. “You gave me the location of your ship. You…wanted me to find you.” She glanced at Liam, and wished she hadn’t. Never again did she want to see such a look of hurt and betrayal. He loves me. And needs me. But he hates me, too. “You betrayed me too, you know,” she said to Liam. “Who the hell was I supposed to believe?” A dozen officers swarmed into the detention chamber, all of them taking defensive stances and pointing rifles at Tereza and the brothers. Two of them visibly blanched at seeing the Colonel’s condition. “Put them away,” Tereza said, “Or your colonel dies. Got it?” None of them moved. Tereza leaned close to Marr’s ear. “If you make me kill you, they’ll kill me. That’s not what you want at all, is it?” “Let them go,” Marr said. “Let them...go back to their ship. That’s an order. We’re escorting them...home.” Reluctantly, the officers lowered their weapons and stood aside to let them pass. Lukha gently took his brother’s arm. Liam still looked ready to fire at the least bit of provocation. Tereza didn’t move. “Stay,” Marr told her. “My offer stands. I will give you a position as engineer. The...children will be taken care of. You can have your life back. I don’t want to lose you to them like I lost...” The rest of the words were lost in a whisper, but she could have sworn his lips formed the words my mother. She felt a sudden pang of pity. Vengeance. That’s all this was for him. A twisted obsession gone too far. Lukha was nearly out the door before he noticed Tereza wasn’t following. “We need you,” was all he said. Liam had started shaking too badly to do much of anything except lean against his brother. The treatment from the past few days was catching up to him.

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But which “we” is he talking about? Him and Liam? Their people? I’ve had it with being used. I don’t care if I’m their only carrier. “Please,” Lukha said. “We’ll wait for you.” With that, he urged his brother onward. “You’ll stay?” Marr said. “Tell me one thing,” she said. “If you found the serum, what would you do with it?” “Destroy it.” The answer didn’t surprise her. “What if I told you I carried it? Then what would you do? Destroy me, too, along with my unborn sons?” Marr’s mouth worked a long time before any sound came out. “No,” he said, finally. “As I said, I won’t lose you, too.” She stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. “It’s over, Colonel. You’re not losing me to them. I was never yours to begin with. I go with them to right a wrong done years before they were born. One life isn’t worth killing an entire race.” “They killed my mother, which caused a war. Tens of thousands died.” “Years ago. Liam and Lukha have done nothing to deserve this. Why should their people suffer for the act of one? Why are you still chasing them for no reason?” “Because.” He started to wheeze. They’d have to get him to the infirmary soon. “Not good enough. I won’t be your martyr any more. I’m going with the twins. We’re going to save their people, and you’re going to leave us alone.” “They’re murderers. You’re a saboteur. If you go, I can’t protect you from the Fleet.” “Sure you can. If you wouldn’t have been chasing Liam, I wouldn’t have had to blow up my ship. You can set everything right, just like you’re going to get us safe passage to Tharsia.” “All right. But only because I love you. You deserve a better life. I could get you a post on any ship in the Fleet.”

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“Thanks for the offer, but this is the life I choose. Thanks for your help, sir.” She left him to his men, wondering what sort of life she was turning toward.

***** Getting Liam from the Drummond to the Gull was a nightmare, even though Marr’s guards left them alone. Liam shook so badly that Lukha thought he would fall down the ladder connecting the two ships. Once aboard, Liam recognized where he was and gave out an anguished howl. “Liam?” His brother broke into a run straight for his quarters. Lukha followed, heart pounding in fear. Not now. Gods, not now when I’m alone with him. “Don’t do this,” Lukha said. His lungs burned from running. Liam looked at him with an expression Lukha didn’t recognize but had always been afraid of. The encounter with Marr had broken his brother. He’d gone mad. “Liam, please --” Lukha ducked as Liam started tearing his room apart. Pillows flew, sheets were torn in half, and in half again. Liam found harder things. Plates, silverware, everything he could get his hands on. Lukha shut and locked the door behind him. Sobs overtook him as he slid down to the floor.

Please, Tereza. Come to us. We need you more than you know.

***** Tereza practically ran to the Gull. It was still attached to the Drummond by the tentacles, and a tube with a ladder had been run from the hatch of one ship to the other. Her heart thudded as she climbed down. Her head still told her that this was wrong, that she should have taken Marr’s offer. Going with the Tharsians was a sure way to throw away any

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chance of a career in the Fleet, but it felt right. Now that she could choose for herself, without her body choosing for her, she wanted the twins. Both of them. Lukha waited for her at the hatch, dressed in a tank top and gray pants. He looked distressed: face drawn, eyes puffy as if he’d been crying. What’s happened? It’s to do with

Liam, I bet. “Permission to come aboard?” she asked. “You came!” Lukha embraced her so hard she had trouble breathing. “I thought… Never mind what I thought. He needs you.” His eyes shone with emotion. “So do I. But are you sure this is what you want? Once we go planetside, we may never leave again.” “I’m sure.” She put a hand over her belly. “My babies need their fathers. So do I. And Marr,” she said, making her voice as sexy as possible, “is a jerk.” She couldn’t wait to get her hands under his shirt to stroke the muscles he’d had on display back in the detention area. Lukha was warm, and she fit into his arms so well. All he allowed her, however, was a chaste kiss. “Not yet. You should see Liam first.” His voice was flat to hide his fear. She gripped his arm for comfort as they went to Liam’s quarters to find him still naked, pacing back and forth, hands and arms flailing wildly. The room was in shambles; everything that could have been broken or ripped was scattered across the floor. It seemed a miracle that he hadn’t cut his feet open. Lukha shivered. “I haven’t even been able to get near him to look after him. He won’t let me. I think… I’m afraid Marr broke him.” Liam had gone mad. It was the only explanation Tereza had. He looked like a dog or horse that had been beaten. He’d murdered, more than once, to achieve his goals, to save his people. He’d killed the doctors as well as Marr’s men, but in a way, she couldn’t blame him. In Liam’s view, anything that threatened his brother was not to be tolerated. The doctors had undoubtedly pushed him to the breaking point with their experiments; Marr had shoved him over it.

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And she loved him. Even without the change, she loved both him and Lukha more than she would have thought possible. Her body ached for him, her heart sympathized with him, but would there be any chance of bringing him back? Or was it too late? “Liam,” she said, as soothingly as possible, “come to me. It’s all right. It’s over. We’ve got him. He’s letting us take the Gull and go home.” He hung back, still not trusting. “You did it. You led them here on purpose. They hurt my brother because you led them here.” He rushed toward her. Lukha moved to put her behind him for protection, but he wasn’t fast enough. Liam grabbed her upper arms and shook her. “It’s your fault. Your fault!” She said nothing, knowing it to be the truth. “I killed because of you. First those damn doctors, then those two --” “They deserved it,” Lukha said. “All of them.” “I killed them,” Liam said again. He let her go. His gloved hands shook as he stared at his palms. “All those years. You had no idea how angry I was at them for hurting you. They’re dead, by these hands.” Tereza took a few steps forward and grasped his hands. “These hands saved my life more than once. They’ve tended your brother when he was hurt and sick. And” -- she put one of Liam’s hands up to her cheek -- “they taught me what love could be.” The look in his eyes was something caught between madness and carnal desire. For a moment, she was afraid; it wouldn’t take much for him to hurt her, badly, whether he meant to or not. “I’m here,” Lukha said in a low voice, calm and reassuring. “I won’t let anything happen that you don’t want.” With that support, she pressed her body against Liam’s warm one. He was hard already. His cock nudged her impatiently between the thighs. He caressed her face, leaning in to kiss her with a force that took her breath away.

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Lukha turned on the music. Liam’s favorite. “Stolen Moments.” How apt. All the times

that were stolen from us, and we have a chance to make up for them now. Their childhood. My engines. Our love. She twisted one hand behind her to gesture to Lukha, and he was there, sandwiching her between them in a cocoon of warmth. Liam continued to kiss her, prying her teeth apart to explore her mouth, while Lukha eased her clothes off. “You know what this means, don’t you?” Lukha whispered in her ear. A trumpet solo nearly buried his words. Naked as she, he cupped her breasts and pressed his cock between her buttocks. “You’ll change again, and this time there’s no doctors to reverse it. It might become...difficult to actually get any work done around here.” Liam released her mouth long enough for her to say, “I think we’ll find a way.” There were no more words, then. Liam wouldn’t let her talk. Lukha’s hands trailed over her back and buttocks, teasing her with a touch more arousing than ticklish. The hands disappeared. She heard the sound of a drawer opening and shutting, and then Lukha’s warmth was back along with a new, cool slickness being spread around her rear entrance. All this time, Liam’s rough hands explored her body, squeezing her breasts, crushing her to him. His lips never left hers for long. Impatient, Liam tugged her down to the ground where they both knelt on the rug amidst a pile of shredded fabric that might have once been a pillow. One gloved hand fondled her between her legs, rubbing her clit until she was entirely wet and slick. She did the same for him, gently cupping his balls and rolling them in her palm until he was shivering with strain. Hand around his cock, Liam guided it inside. He filled her easily, and she gasped as she felt his thickness. They writhed together for a while, arms clasped tightly around each other’s chests, enjoying the way their two bodies merged much the same way the jazz musicians blended together.

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Lukha spoke quietly. “Not so fast, you two.” Again, the cool slickness explored between her buttocks. Gently, one gloved finger worked its way inside. It felt good, glorious, with Liam’s cock inside her also. A second finger followed, stretching her but not uncomfortably. They explored her, spreading more lube. She shuddered, mind gone wild with the sensation Lukha caused. “Are you all right?” Lukha asked. “Never better,” she said, and meant it. Then the fingers were gone, replaced by Lukha’s cock. She stopped rocking with Liam, wanting to focus instead on his brother. Little by little, Lukha eased himself inside. She nuzzled Liam’s neck, hardly able to stand the overload of sensation. A whimper escaped her throat, as did a few quiet groans from Lukha. The baritone saxophone solo accompanied them. “Tereza?” he said at last, hardly able to speak. She could only offer a groan in return. Then, as if by some unspoken accord, the brothers worked her in tandem, one sliding in as the other slid out and reversing it, so they not only pleasured her but each other through the thin wall of her interior. After only a little of this, she was extremely glad they were doing all the work. She couldn’t move, yet there was no place she’d rather be, trapped between the two men she loved more than anything in the galaxy. More than her engines, more than the life of solitude she’d struggled so long to maintain. Liam came first, climaxing with a shout that embodied the pain he’d so recently endured. He threw back his head, eyes and mouth wide, hands clasping Tereza’s face. Again, he shouted, long and drawn out, expelling both the demons from within him and from his past.

A healing sound, Tereza thought. Heat and tingling lit within her and flared, racing along like a lit fuse until it exploded deep inside her. Orgasm hit with a fury, grasping both men in an embrace far more intense than arms alone. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, had no way of coping except to submit to the happiness of her body.

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Lukha, neglected somewhat, came last, his seed needing the encouragement of her spasming body. He made no noise, but his body said it all. He nuzzled against her back like a small boy seeking comfort. He let out a sigh, utterly content. The music faded. Slowly, they keeled over, tangled in a mess of limbs and body parts, the men grasping her...and each other. Both brothers held on to each other with a fierce, protective grip.

It’s over. They’re both safe. This time, Tereza felt the change creep over her, warm and stealthy. It doubled her love for them both. Tripled it, along with the desire to take them again, and again. But this time, she was content to have it so. A long time later, when the group satiation had just begun to wear off, Tereza met Lukha’s eyes. He smiled, grateful and languid, arm wrapped protectively around his sleeping brother. “Thank you,” he said. “I think he’ll be all right, now.” “Good.” She reached over Liam’s body to grasp Lukha’s hand. “And what about you? Are you all right?” “I will be. Now that I have you both here with me. Stay,” he said. “Always.”

***** Ten days later and fully dressed, Tereza joined the brothers on the bridge. They’d been making love frequently for the past several days, but at some point Liam had managed to escape and program the ship to head toward Tharsia. At this point, they could have been heading toward one of the prison moons, and she wouldn’t have cared, as long as both brothers came with her. Liam pointed to the viewscreen. “There it is. Home.” “Even though we’ve never been there?” Luka said. “I suppose it’s about time we found out if the doctors were right about anything, or if they were lying to us all along. At least

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Marr cleared our return.” He said the name with distaste, reflecting the trio’s dislike for the man. “I’m surprised he’s still alive after what you did to him.” Liam laughed, and Tereza felt grateful that they could laugh again. Much of the terror had left Liam’s eyes, though there would always be that instability lurking within him, threatening to break free if someone pushed him too far. “We have Tereza to thank,” Liam said. “If it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have gotten the Fleet’s cooperation in this.” “Just because we’re going home doesn’t mean they’ll let us leave again,” Lukha said. “What if they think of something worse after we’ve spread the cure around?” “Then we’ll deal with it,” Liam said. “They won’t. They’d damn well better not.” “If they do, Marr will have more to deal with than two prosthetic hands.” Tereza had automatically averted her eyes when Liam pulled up the viewer, but this time, curiosity overcame her fear of the stars. She looked, and felt nothing except awe for the blue-green world and the stars surrounding it. She felt giddy, realizing that for the first time in her life, she had everything a person needed. Life. Hope. Love. The fear had disappeared. “I’m not afraid anymore,” she said. Both men held her tighter. “I’m not afraid of the stars anymore.” She found herself humming Liam’s favorite tune. No more stolen moments, not for any of them. Her hand stroked her belly with Lukha and Liam’s atop it. “We’re going home, little ones. Home.”

Nica Berry Nica Berry is a writer of queer science fiction, fantasy, and erotica. She's a graduate of the Clarion Writer's Workshop for Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Taos Toolbox workshop for SF/F novelists, and will graduate with an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in January. She lives in San Diego with her two cats, where she enjoys going to the zoo and taking pictures of the animals, especially lizards. Check out Nica on the Web at www.orossy.com/nicaberry.