Broken Vision (7 page)

Alerik's body language had taken on an air of menace. He looked like he was barely
holding himself in check from reaching out and wrapping those large hands around her throat.

She maintained her ground. She could hold her own despite his size. "You have such a
high opinion of me, husband. And I'm really curious why a Mariltar heir would choose a flesh
trader as a life partner?"

"Mmph." Black sapphire became blue again and the rigidity left his large body. It was like
she'd passed some kind of test. She couldn't fathom what.

"One of these days, Green Eyes, you're going to shock me by actually providing an honest
answer to a question. Our respective parents send their blessings, by the way."

There it was again, that womat attention span. The man had a problem. She'd seen the
entries in her communicator log but had put off opening them. Another way of denying reality as
long as possible. A parent's acknowledgement of the marriage would legitimize it more effectively
than anything else.

She didn't react and he didn't seem to expect a response, but turned and strolled to the
curved plexiwall of her office. Large as he was, he moved with a fluid, powerful grace. At his side,
his hand flexed. Then it reached out and smoothed over the rounded top of a waist-high support
pylon at the plexiwall. Sapphire gleamed at the base of his middle fingers.

An odd little shudder rippled through her body.

"Pallas Four's reputation is not exaggerated," he said in a conversational tone. "It is
beautiful and very peaceful. I shed a layer or two of stress every time I come here."

Maegan tensed. This did not bode well. Unless womat syndrome kicked in quickly.

"We emphasize the scenic attractions in our marketing," she said lightly. "We'd have a lot
less business if people knew about the batriels and gadserp bugs."

"Gadserp bugs?" He sounded amused.

"Tiny little things that burrow under the skin and gnaw holes in you." They were only a
problem for unprepared hikers in the jungle undergrowth, but he didn't need to know that.

"I'll be sure to avoid them. You answered that question very nicely. It's not so hard, is
it?"

He glanced at her. The sapphire eyes gleamed. A dimple flashed briefly in his chin.

Another shudder made its way through her body.

He turned back to the view. "You met the deadline to turn in your corporate records.
Impressive under the circumstances. I would have extended it."

"My staff did most of the work." On the standard financial records for Janas Corporation,
her statement was true. But only she, Morgon and a close friend of Morgon's, who happened to be a
financial wizard and wasn't associated with Janas Corporation, knew about the second set of
records. Which was what had been turned in to Governor Mariltar's audit committee.

"And all that remains now are the economic reports for Pallas Four."

"You'll have those by your deadline as well." Maegan was growing a little desperate. This
felt like some bizarre dance where they advanced and retreated and circled in a complex pattern of
words, yet never joined to reveal the true purpose. She didn't really want to hear what that was. It
was sort of obvious anyway.

What wasn't clear was what her response would be. Because it had to be convincing.

"I have no doubt."

His hand continued to stroke the pylon. Her body alternated between little shudders and
hot and cold prickles. She wasn't as well recovered as she had thought. How much more time
would he suck from her jammed schedule? Patience, especially these days, and especially around
him, it seemed, was not her strength. She stopped herself just in time from blurting an irritated,
"What do you really want?"

She might as well have spoken the words out loud because he turned at that moment to
face her.

"I think the solution is clear. We both have busy schedules and obligations. But we also
have a marriage partnership. We'll split our time equally between Pallas Four and Pallas Five."

He could read her as clearly as a vid screen. Maegan was not that good at hiding her
feelings. What part of his solution had shocked her? That he acknowledged the importance of her
work by giving her equal time on Pallas Four? Or that he expected the marriage to function
normally?

He ignored the irritation that surged through his veins. She'd had much less time to get
used to the idea than he'd had.

"We can duplicate your facilities on Pallas Five," he said. "You'll be fully connected to
Janas Corporation. You won't be the first corporate head to work remotely."

Her mouth worked. Her face pinkened. "I know that," she snapped. "And I'm the
communications expert, remember? It just won't work. I have to be here on site. I meet with my
research team at a nan's notice. I--"

"Vid conference."

She glared at him. "The products are sensitive and highly proprietary. We simply can't run
the risk of pirates infiltrating communications."

"You're the communications expert, remember?" He kept his tone mild. "Even I know that
unbreachable technology exists for these purposes."

"Nothing is ever completely secure. It won't work."

He rested his hand on the pylon again. Her eyes flickered. The pink across the top of her
cheeks deepened. Interesting.

"Let's not put up barriers where there are none. You can't tell me that Janas Corporation is
a failure. I've seen the numbers, Maegan. You have clients across the galaxy paying for technology
you're trying to tell me doesn't work. I'm willing to move the governor's office to Pallas Four for
part of the time. It's not without inconvenience, but I believe it will work, just as I believe you can
make your side work."

Experimentally, he stroked the top of the pylon. An almost imperceptible shiver seized his
wife's body. "Let's talk about the real reason for your reluctance."

Her hands clenched at her side. Her lids lowered part way over her green eyes.

"You can't ignore this marriage partnership. It may not have been your choice, but it's
done. We have to begin somewhere, and we cannot build even a foundation by being separated.
Besides, I'm looking forward to the benefit of your knowledge of the Grogon Asteroid Belt and
your leadership skills. You've done an excellent job with Janas."

He'd surprised her again. The green eyes widened, but then she turned away.

"That's what advisors are for," she said dismissively.

Behind her back, Alerik shook his head. Blood of Cor, she was an obstinate little female.
And why wouldn't she be? Her genes predisposed her. From adolescence on, when he'd begun to
pay attention to the dynamics in adult relationships, he'd observed the occasional battles Maegan's
mother and his own had fought with their husbands over sometimes trivial issues. It had interested
him how often the men had conceded simply to reestablish harmony, because the women had taken
a position and refused to budge. It was also interesting how the concessions produced certain
responses that even a child couldn't misinterpret. Alerik suspected manipulation on both sides. He
just couldn't figure out which side was cleverer.

"My team is setting up my office in the Jalo Complex and securing it. It will be at least two
cycles before it's ready." In profile to him, she stiffened, but remained silent.

"They'll assist you with whatever you need on Pallas Five as well. You'll stay with me, of
course, in the governor's habitat and I will expect to share your habitat here. We've made some
external scans and find the security of the building to be...adequate, despite its isolation."

He paused for a reaction, but she stood gazing out onto the ordered, colorful beds of
flowering shrubs and plants as if she hadn't heard him. Her illness hadn't done her any favors. If
anything, she appeared more gaunt. The circles under her eyes were bigger and darker. One thing
he was going to do, he vowed to himself, was teach her how to eat real food and get more rest.

The console behind them chimed.

"Maegan, are you there?" It was a male voice filled with excitement.

She stirred and turned. Her gaze flickered over him as if he were inconsequential. "Yes,
Makiee."

"Celeeebration time." The male voice was filled with glee. "The prototype of ComXFive
came through the test without a burp or hiccup. We'll meet you down at Gloriana's."

"Well done, Makiee. I'll be there." None of the liveliness in her voice was evident in the
cool expression she turned to him. "Business calls."

"Of course, and I must get back to Pallas Five. I'll see you in two cycles."

Margaine Confluence:/Fifth Rising
Pallas Four

Gloriana's was jammed with bodies and it was still early in the evening. The real action
wouldn't happen for some time yet.

The Janas group had arrived early enough to stake out a corner with padded stools and a
table. Most people stood in intimate, closed groups. Some prowled through the brightly lit room,
trolling for interest in an age-old mating ritual, or posed on one of the many balconies that
overlooked the main floor to see and be seen.

Gloriana's made that easy enough. From floor to wall to ceiling, the entire club was
mirrored. There were few locals in the crowd, which was interesting. When had the shift occurred
from favored local hangout to tourist hangout?

Maegan had had too much to drink and the Janas celebration was still going strong. Her
group had even pulled in Brown-hair and Black-hair, who had followed her to the club. The two
weren't participating in the drink of choice though. Grogon limale was usually a mild alcoholic
beverage, but tonight it seemed to be spiked with something. She would bet that whatever it was
her two bodyguards were imbibing didn't contain a trace of alcohol.

She turned her head and the entire room undulated. Maybe it was just that her body in its
present state couldn't handle even a small amount of alcohol. She should go home and go to
bed.

Her focus wavered again and settled on a disturbance in the room. Gloriana herself worked
the crowd tonight. Spectacular in studded bronze body armor, which made it dangerous for anyone
to come into contact with her, her enormous body forged a wide path. Fake scarlet hair tumbled in
artful disarray over her shoulders and huge breasts, which were faithfully outlined by the tight body
armor. Strands of beaded jewelry dripped from around her neck, and thick make-up glittered on her
face, rendering her age indeterminate.

Her intent wasn't. She was headed straight for their corner.

Maegan's flight instinct kicked in. She had to figure out how to vanish without attracting
Gloriana's notice. Brown-hair and Black-hair had become the focus of attention in her group. Her
young engineers had begun by launching a gleeful, unmannerly interrogation of the warriors. The
conversation had quickly turned more respectful and now an intense discussion on the complexities
of a hologame Maegan had never heard of was in process. With luck, she might be able to slip
away into the crowd.

Setting her half-empty glass on the table, she tried to rise and couldn't. Her legs wouldn't
obey her brain. She braced her arms on either side of the stool and pushed. Still nothing. A frisson
of panic swirled through her. She must have made a sound because Black-hair turned to look at
her.

His gaze sharpened. He set his drink down.

Before he could speak, Gloriana was upon them. "My favorite young things," she cooed.
"So glad to see Janas Corporation hasn't abandoned me. You're all working too hard, and not
coming to see me often enough." Her jewelry chimed and tinkled. The finger she shook was aimed
at Maegan.

Respectful greetings rippled from around the table as Gloriana inserted her body into a
too-small space between Brown-hair and Black-hair. They tried to shift their stools, and froze as
Gloriana reached around and pulled them to nestle against her enormous breasts and studded
armor.

"And who are these two gorgeous ones? Maegan, I hear you have been a very naughty
girl."

For a nan, there was dead silence, before predictably the group erupted with a cacophony
of snickers, whistle trills and snide remarks. No one seemed too concerned about the predicament
of the two Mariltar warriors who appeared to be in danger of imminent suffocation. For men taught
to use their bodies as weapons, they weren't doing much to extricate themselves.

"Quiet. Quiet. That was not a license to employ bad manners." Gloriana shook her massive
body--hair, jewelry, warrior appendages and all. And when the chimes died away, she had the
group's fascinated attention. "Better." She turned her gaze on Maegan. "Your hand."

Starpits! There was no point in dissembling. Maegan gritted her teeth, unclenched her hand
from the edge of the stool and presented it for Gloriana's inspection.

"Ah. For once the gossip leakers are right." Gloriana must have tightened her grip because
one of the men in her grasp groaned. Black-hair rolled his visible eye at Maegan.

"So why does Governor Mariltar leave his newly bonded life partner on her own?
Bodyguards are a poor substitute for a husband. But perhaps he needs some direction."

She must have squeezed again. Black-hair winced.

"You two!" She shook herself again and rolled her gaze down at the two heads clutched to
her breasts. "Bring him to see me on his next visit to Pallas Four."

She turned her attention back to Maegan, ignoring the quiet state of shock that held the rest
of the group immobile. "Heard you were attacked by a batriel recently. Hope you're not drinking.
Alcohol and batriel venom produce unpleasant side effects."

She glanced down. "Hunh. Maybe I'll keep you two. You don't squirm." A rumble of mirth
shuddered from her. She squeezed, and abruptly released them.

"Be good," she commanded of the group in general. "I'll hear about it if you're not." And
off she waddled, causing bodies to scramble frantically before her.