A Stellar Affair (11 page)

“Ardra, please don’t hide. Come to me.”
Jack’s voice filled her head.

Although she didn’t answer him, the connection between them was strong. She could tell he was close.

If Ardra had harbored any doubts about the planet being after her, she certainly didn’t have any now. The search party was closing in on her fast. She stayed low in the ditch until she came to a dead end, and her spirits fell when she cautiously peeked at the road. It was clear she would have to make a run for it. Straight ahead and to the left, the road took a turn. Beyond it was a clearing about eighty feet across and then a wooded area. If she could reach those trees, she might be able to use them as cover.

The problem was there were people no more than fifty feet away. She recognized two of them as guards, but it looked like the whole compound had turned out to search for her. No need to ask how they’d known where to look. She couldn’t see Jack, but she knew he was there.

It didn’t matter. They would spot her in another minute if she didn’t make for the trees. She scrambled up the roadside and took off running.

“There she is!” someone yelled.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two guards sprinting after her. In what seemed like slow motion, she bolted across the road and ran so hard she thought her heart would burst. The pair behind her matched her speed. Once she reached the soft grass of the clearing, she pushed herself even harder. She had to make it.

Ardra didn’t even see Arrius until it was too late. The third guard tackled her, and suddenly the world flipped upside down. It was like getting squashed by a space freighter. As her feet flew halfway over her head, something inside her left leg caught fire. She landed in an awkward twist that almost left him hugging her knees. Despite the jolt, she kicked and squirmed.

The guard grabbed her hips and dragged her beneath him to get at her arms. She clawed and scratched and was rewarded by crushing pain in her forearms as he clamped down on her bones. When she bit his right arm, he bellowed and drew back his fist to punch her.

She waited for the impact, but it didn’t come. Jack lunged for Arrius and hauled the guard back before he could strike. He then went at the man as if he were going to put his fist through Arrius’s skull. She was pleased by his defense, but she wasn’t going to stick around to watch.

Ardra made it into the woods. Since she had pulled something in the back of her thigh, all she could do was hobble. The ground was littered with dry, cracking branches, and every step gave away her position. She limped farther until she was practically dragging her left leg. Then she swore when her progress came to a sudden halt.

In front of her, a high fence ran between the trees. She was only about fifty feet from the roadside, and this obstacle ran parallel for some unseen distance. The fence was too high to climb, and she couldn’t see where it ended.

She tried to put more distance between her and her pursuers, but she hadn’t gone even a quarter mile before they closed in on her. Sweaty, bloody and hurting, she did the only thing she could think of. She backed against a tree to take the weight off her injured leg and picked up a branch to fend off the people circling her. She could feel their collective thought.
“Don’t let the Tetch spy get away.”

“Easy now,” one man said.

He held his palms up in peace, but she saw him signal the others. They couldn’t grab her from behind, but she was still outnumbered and overpowered. She made a threatening swipe with the stick.

“Wait!” Jack yelled. “Everyone, back up.”

He jogged through the trees and stopped behind the small crowd. The female guard, Gabriella, was with him.

“Stop,” Jack told them more calmly. “I’ve got it. You can go now.”

Nobody moved.

He touched the nearest man’s arm. “I said I’ll take care of this.”

There was a tense moment. Some of the people started to step away, but others held their position. As soon as the nearest guy backed out of reach, Ardra stumbled along the fence, which made everyone move toward her again. She leaned back against another tree and held her pathetic weapon in front of her.

Jack interposed himself between her and the mob. “I won’t say it again. Pull back. I’ll handle this myself.” He pitched his voice low, and she knew he was exerting some mental force.

“Fine,” one of the women said. “Handle it.”

They slowly retreated, though Ardra was sure they didn’t go far. She was left alone with Gabriella and Jack. He lowered himself into a crouching position and held his hands out at his sides. She thought for a moment he was getting ready to pounce, but then she realized he was trying to make himself appear less threatening.

He looked her over. “You’re hurt.”

She bit her quivering lip and threatened him with her stick. “I could hurt you too.”

“You don’t want to hurt me,” he said matter-of-factly. “You just don’t want anybody to hurt you.”

He had her there. A tear spilled down her cheek, but she smacked it away with the back of her hand.

“Come on, Ardra,” he said. “We’ll work it out.”

“No.”

“I won’t let anyone hurt you. I know you’re frightened and upset, but we can deal with this. Why don’t you come with me? We’ll talk this out and make it better.”

“You’re trying to trick me again,” she said.

“Look at me, Ardra. I’ve never lied to you. We will work it out.” He slowly straightened, and he dropped his voice. “You’re injured, Ardra, and I know you’re tired.
Very tired.
”

She glared at him when she caught the mental echo of those last two words.

He cocked his head. “You’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. You were brave enough to escape and try to fight your way out, and you’ve certainly bested me several times. Use that strength now. Direct it inward, and I promise you’ll win your freedom. Not only from this place, but from everything bad that has happened.”

Another tear escaped, and she lowered her gaze. She looked up again when he stepped closer.

“Where are you going to go?” He pointed to the fence. “This runs for miles. There’s no way around it, and you would have climbed over it already if you could.”

She was trapped.

Jack took another step, never taking his eyes off her. “It’ll get better. I promise.”

He reached forward and grabbed the stick she still held in front of her. Instead of wrenching it from her grasp, he pulled it carefully from her fingers.

“Let go,” he told her.

She hesitated.

“Let go, Ardra.”

And then she was in his arms. She didn’t know how she had gotten there, whether she had thrown herself against him or he’d pulled her to him. She only knew she was there, bawling against his chest like a hurt child. It felt like giving up, but maybe it really was letting go.

He held on to her until her tears began to dry. Then he picked her up. Still sniffling, she leaned her head on his shoulder as he carried her out of the woods and back to the road, where there was a vehicle waiting. Once they were seated, Jack held her hand the whole ride back. Ardra wasn’t sure if he was preventing her from jumping out or if he was still trying to comfort her. She was too worn out to care.

When they reached the infirmary, she sat motionless as a tech swabbed the blood from her temple. Everything hurt, and the bruises had already begun to pop up all over her limbs.

Jack watched Ardra from the doorway as the med tech worked on her.

“Is she all right?” Gabriella asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

She studied him. “Are
you
all right?”

He touched her mind and realized she was still worried about the incident with Arrius. Going after that man was probably the least cerebral thing he had ever done, but he couldn’t regret it.

“Don’t worry, Gabriella. I won’t be getting into another brawl anytime soon.”

“Walter wants to see you,” she told him.

He had assumed as much. “Now?”

She nodded.

He glanced back at Ardra. “Will you stay with her until I get back?”

“Of course. And, Jack, for what it’s worth…” She didn’t finish the statement, but she didn’t have to.

Jack took his time walking over to Walter’s place. When he got there, his superintendent waited until they were both seated before he said anything. He actually looked worried.

“Are you okay?” Walter asked.

“Yes,” Jack assured him.

The other man continued to stare at him. “Are you sure? Because I’ve never known you to go off like that. Arrius was just in here, and he says you attacked him.”

“He was going to punch Ardra,” Jack told him.

“She bit him,” Walter said. “He was doing what he had to do to subdue the prisoner.”

“What? Do you know how many injuries she has? He just about pummeled her. She wasn’t trying to attack anyone. She was only trying to escape.”

“Which it was Arrius’s job to prevent.” Walter held up his hands. “Look, Arrius is a big guy. Maybe his use of force was a tad excessive—”

“He was going to
hit
her.”

Walter continued in the same calm voice. “I’ve already talked to Arrius about it. I’m not worried about this happening again. My concern is for you.”

Jack dropped his head into his hands.

“You’re taking this too personally, Jack. It’s only going to lead to trouble.”

“Dammit, Walter, this isn’t some routine interrogation. It’s all walled up in her head, and the only way I can get to it is through a lot of bad memories. I can’t help her if she doesn’t trust me.”

“Us,” Walter said.

“What?”

“Us, Jack. I’m hearing too many I’s and me’s from you lately. I’m beginning to worry that you’ve forgotten your loyalties.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it? Come on. You’re infatuated with this girl.”

“It’s not like that,” Jack lied.

“No?”

He shifted his weight. “Look, maybe I do have some feelings for her, but that’s the only thing helping me. If I lose my connection with her, then I’ve lost her and everything you want to know. Stop fighting me and let me do what I need to do.”

Walter sat back and crossed his arms. “Let me tell you something. I feel like I’m repeating myself a lot these days, but I don’t want any misunderstandings. I will say this one more time. I don’t care what you do with her as long as you get me what I need. Get me those coordinates.”

Chapter Ten

Six weeks until deadline

The next day, Jack went to see Terrah. His visit with her was long overdue, and he needed someone to talk to. Growing up, she had always been one of the first friends he turned to when he needed advice, and she frequently knew what was wrong with him even before he did. In this case, maybe that was why he had put off seeing her for so long. He was afraid of what she might sense.

Although it was a hot summer day, he made the journey to her house on foot. Terrah liked a more rural lifestyle, so she lived back in the woods to the northwest. Out here, she wasn’t technically part of any compound, which suited her. She was fiercely independent and resisted any attempts to impose boundaries on her.

Jack picked some wildflowers and grouped them into a neat bouquet. When he reached her door, he received a mental welcome and strode inside.

“Jack!” Terrah met him in the entryway and threw her arms around him.

She was much shorter than he was and always managed to tickle him when he bent to kiss her.

“You devil. I thought you would never come see me. Come in.” She waved him forward.

“I’m sorry, Terrah.” He handed her the flowers. “I meant to come sooner, but I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“You and everybody else.” He glanced around curiously. “Is Damek around?”

She shook her head. “You can’t expect the boy to be cooped up training with me every day. We all need a life outside of work.”

Terrah was rarely subtle, and he knew that last part was directed at him.

“It’s hot out there,” he said, hoping to distract her.

“I’ll get you something to drink.”

She scurried off and returned with a cold pitcher of lemonade a minute later. After she had poured them each a drink, she sat and examined him over the rim of her glass.

“Thanks,” he told her after he’d taken a sip. “That hits the spot. So how was your trip to Edalus? Did you and Mom have fun?”

She returned a smile. “Everything was fine, Jack. The flight there went smoothly, and your mother and I had a wonderful visit. Most of the time, we talked about you. She misses having you on-planet where she can reach you, but she’s very proud. I think she’s hoping that you’ve found a nice girl and are busy with her.”

“Really?” He tried to laugh, although he was a little embarrassed. “I think you two need to find better things to talk about.”

Terrah looked at him suspiciously. “You don’t really want to discuss my trip, do you?”

“Of course I do,” he lied.

“Jack.” Remarkably, she spoke his name in the same tone his mother would have used. “I know you. I appreciate that you’re trying to be polite, but you really came here to talk about what’s bothering you.”

The guilt must have shown on his face.

“It’s all right,” she said. “I know how much pressure you’ve been under. So what is it?”

He didn’t know quite how to start. “It’s kind of a long story. We managed to capture a transport vessel, as I’m sure the whole planet knows by now. There were three carriers on board. I’ve already finished interrogating the two men. The older one, Slade, wasn’t carrying anything important. Private Thales had valuable information but not the next strike coordinates. That means Ardra must be the one programmed with the coordinates. I know her real identity now, and I know her husband used her in his black-market intel business before he was killed. She was programmed with a false life and then relocated to Nintu V until the buyer on Algoron was ready for her.”

“And Ardra is an untrained precept?” Terrah asked.

“Damek told you?”

“Of course. Since you didn’t visit me, I had to rely on him for information.”

Jack frowned. “You really are trying to make me feel guilty.”

“Only a little bit,” she said. “Does Ardra recognize the inconsistencies in her memories? Is she able to separate the truth from the programming?”

“She’s beginning to.” Jack opened his mind and shared images of Ardra and the tangled memories in her head. It was a faster way to communicate, but he couldn’t help revealing some of his own feelings in the process. “Walter is pushing me to get the intel, and ever since she tried to escape, the locals are even more on edge.”

Terrah stared at him. “You really have been busy.”

He nodded.

“And what exactly do you want from me?”

He was shocked. “What do you mean, what do I want? What do you think I want? You’re my friend. I was counting on you to give me some kind of sage advice. I need help.”

She looked irritated. “Help with what? You want to pry open this woman’s psyche, but you don’t want to feel bad about it? Be a healer or be an interrogator. You can’t be both. That’s why you keep failing.”

Jack sighed. He knew she disapproved of the military application of special perception. She had voiced her objections quite strongly when he had decided to volunteer. However, he didn’t think this was the time for a difference of opinion.

“Look,” he said, “I know how you feel about this, but this is the situation I’m in. I owe it to our people to get those coordinates, and the only way I can do that is through Ardra’s memories.”

“Then what’s the problem?” she asked.

He didn’t answer.

Terrah grinned. “My, my, Jack. I don’t have to read your mind to read your mind. You’re falling in love with her, aren’t you?”

He couldn’t lie to her. “What should I do, Terrah? I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

She sat back with an arch of her eyebrows. “If you really care about her, then I say screw the intel. Love can be the best cure, and I’m betting she could use someone in her corner right now. Stop pushing her and give her guidance.”

“I can’t do that,” he said.

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t understand her feelings for me.” He had meant to say
his
feelings for
her
.

She shook her head. “Her feelings for you must be strong.”

“Yeah, bad feelings,” he said.

“Use your connection to her, and you may have a chance. She really needs an ally right now, and poor one that you may be, she’ll trust you if she believes you’re not just using her.”

“How can you be certain?”

“We women know these things.” When he still looked doubtful, Terrah grew impatient. “Look, here you’ve got this obvious ulterior motive for being nice to her, and you wonder why she suspects you? You asked for my advice, and I’m giving it to you. Prove that you’re her friend and not her enemy. Put her needs first. That’s what every woman really wants. You’ll see results as soon as you’re not chasing after them, and then you’ll both get what you want.”

He thought about it. Hadn’t he already tried that approach? Since Ardra had arrived, he had told her he wanted to help her and had done his best to prove it. What more could he do? He couldn’t just stop trying to extract the intel, could he?

“A number won’t love you back,” Terrah said, reading his mind. “Getting the intel has to be an afterthought, or else you’re not being sincere. So far, she’s the one who has the most to lose.”

“You may be right,” he admitted.

She crossed her arms. “I’m always right. That’s why you keep coming back to me for my advice. You’re only unhappy because it’s not what you want to hear.”

That advice stayed with Jack the following day. Instead of pushing for information from Ardra, he took her for a walk through the fields behind his house. The afternoon heat was beginning to subside, and now that her leg had healed, he noticed she kept up with him without a problem.

“So how is it the Tetch don’t know about this planet?” Ardra asked.

“Misinformation,” Jack told her. “When the first probe was sent this way, we hacked into the signal and fed back reports that this sector was barren and uninhabitable. No one ever bothered to do a second scan, and we’ve been here ever since.”

“We?”

“Roimirans,” he said. “This planet has been occupied for almost sixty years now. I transported here a year ago and found this compound much as you see it today. Ryso has become a hodge-podge of temporary buildings turned permanent.”

“Hence the shoddy workmanship on my prison cell,” she said wryly.

He couldn’t help but smile. “You’re the first person clever enough to figure that out. The truth is no one ever thought we’d be able to stay here this long, what with being so close to Tetch space.”

They turned toward the road.

“Then why chance it?” she asked. “Why did you establish a settlement so close to Tetch space in the first place? Surely you could monitor the channels from a safer distance.”

“Monitor, yes, but we’d be unable to act. Everything is short-range. If we hadn’t been this close, we would never have been able to—” He caught himself.

“Capture the
Oberon
?” she finished for him.

“Yes.” Jack didn’t see the point in denying it. “Honestly, we’re not as unified as we’d like to be. Much like the Tetch, we operate more as a series of smaller commands. Human beings are too spread out across the universe to sweep everyone under one government.”

“And what will you do under this command?” she asked. “Do you intend to keep working here for the rest of your life, or will you move somewhere else?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “For a long time, I thought I’d stay here and keep working for the military, but now I’m not sure.”

“I’m surprised. You seem like a man who is always in control and has a plan.”

Most of the time he was, but now he had doubts.

“What about you?” he asked. “What do you want for your future?”

“You mean if I ever get free of this place?”

He nodded. “Where will you go? Will you return to Nintu V? Do you want to go back to Earth?”

“I haven’t decided,” she answered. “Not Nintu V. I want to go back to Earth or maybe find some unclaimed Eden. I guess I want back what I’ve lost.”

“And what have you lost?” he asked.

Her sigh was so sad it made his chest hurt. “I used to know what it was like to have hope for the future. I knew how to smile and laugh.”

“And love?” he added gently.

“Yes.” She drew an audible breath. “The Tetch may have taken that from me, Jack, but so have you.”

“I can’t deny that.” Though he wanted to. “I could offer you a million justifications, but nothing I can say will make it right. Whatever happens, though, I think you’ll find happiness someday. I’ll do what I can to guarantee it.”

They continued to walk, their paces matched until they were almost in perfect sync.

Ardra studied Jack closely in the golden light. “You say that like you mean it.”

She sensed sincerity from him, but she was afraid to let down her guard.

“When I brought you back after your escape,” he said, “I promised you things would be better. I mean to keep that promise.” He gave her a pointed look. “I can only control what’s between us, though. You think I’m the one trapping you here, but I’m not. I’m just one guy.”

She swallowed hard. “What does that mean exactly?”

“It means no more tricks.” Jack didn’t break eye contact as he said it. “I won’t pretend that I don’t want the coordinates. If we don’t get ahead of the next strike, more people will die.”

“Don’t you dare put that on me.” Ardra would not be responsible for what the military did. “For all you know, someone else could be carrying the coordinates.”

“Someone like the real Rosemary Warner?” he asked. “Believe me, we thought of that.”

“And?” Ardra could tell by his tone that there was more to it than that.

“And Rosemary isn’t the carrier we’re looking for,” he said. “The Tetch never got her off Simos, and our people were able to interview her. The offer of some free therapy to help overcome her fear of flying gave one of our precepts access. Rosemary was programmed but not with the next strike coordinates.”

Jack grinned. “You might also be happy to hear she has made great strides in overcoming her fear of space flight.”

Ardra felt her lips twitch despite herself. “I almost feel sorry for the precept who interrogated her. That woman liked to talk a lot.” She immediately sobered. “So Rosemary’s fear of flying wasn’t part of the Tetch programming?”

He shook his head. “I’m pretty sure her fear was a side effect of her abduction. The Tetch nabbed her during her first time flying. Part of her must have remembered that trauma.”

She felt bad for thinking of Rosemary as neurotic. Apparently, they had more in common than either of them had known.

“I wanted to be certain,” Jack said quietly. “I wouldn’t have put you through all of this if I wasn’t sure you’re the right carrier. You’re strong enough for the truth.” He drew a deep breath and pinned her with his hazel eyes. “That’s why I’m willing to put aside the interrogation to help you.”

She stopped short. “What?”

“I want to help, Ardra.”

“How?” She scowled at him, uncertain of what he was offering. “Are you going to let me go? Because if that’s the case, you could have let me escape the last time.”

He was already shaking his head. “I’m only one guy, remember? The people on this planet would have hunted you down. Without my help, it might have taken longer to recapture you, but they would have caught you. You also would have been more likely to get hurt.”

Ardra remembered how tense the Roimirans surrounding her had been. Their one thought had been to not let the Tetch spy get away
.
She couldn’t be sure what they might have done if Jack hadn’t arrived.

“You’ve seen the guards,” he added. “They’re the ones who lock you in your room at night. Then there’s the superintendent of this compound and—”

“All right, I get it.” She didn’t fully absolve him, but she knew he was telling the truth.

Jack wasn’t her jailer. In fact, he might be her best ally if he really meant what he said.

“So no more sneaking into my memories and trying to confuse me?” she asked.

He had the grace to look apologetic. “No more sneaking. No more agendas. If I promise to help you, what would you say you need?”

To her surprise, she found herself fighting back the foolish tears that wanted to pop out.