Change Horizons: Three Novellas (12 page)

Dana’s cheeks warmed at the matter-of-fact praise. She wasn’t used to being the subject of a humanoid sensor sweep like this. It disconcerted her and made her nervous. The fact that EiLeen’s steadfast, scrutinizing once-over left her breathless was shocking as well. Not only was it completely unprofessional to react physically to those placed in her care, but she hadn’t allowed herself to feel anything of a personal nature for a long time. This woman, almost twenty years her senior, was way out of her league, socially and, according to EiLeen’s description of her new duties, professionally. Still, she couldn’t allow herself to be concerned about that. She needed to get them to the illegal space station before their pursuers showed up.

A lot was at stake and their lives depended on it.

EiLeen walked over to the narrow alcove that held a bunk bed. Reluctantly admitting she was bone-tired, she lay down and pulled a blanket over herself. The propulsion system had a soothing effect as it hummed and reverberated throughout the hull. She closed her eyes and immediately saw the vision of the blond beauty that was her captain. Dana Rhoridan infuriated her at times, but her undisputed courage and allure were as mind-blowing as they were unexpected.

EiLeen admired Dana’s fierce nature, but she didn’t welcome the attraction she experienced. She had no time for such complications in her life at this point. She had so many obligations—perhaps even more than when she was queen. That was another refreshing aspect of Dana—she didn’t bow and scrape or try to bask in the royal glory like so many others did. Instead, Dana seemed to question and challenge her every chance she got, which of course also annoyed her.

Turning on her side, EiLeen held the blanket close to her chest. What would Dana’s hair look like when not pinned up in that austere bun? Would it curl around her fingers or…? Gasping at where her train of thought was taking her, EiLeen pressed a hand to her chest as if to calm her suddenly racing heart. “Really.” As she muttered into the pillow, she tried to erase the imagery of lacing her fingers through long blond tresses of hair, or even burying her face just like so.

“I set the alerts on high sensitivity so we can both rest for a few hours.” Dana’s voice made EiLeen jump. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”

“I’m fine. I can take the helm if you like.”

“Not necessary. The computer will alert us if we need to correct anything manually or if sensors detect anything remotely suspicious.” Dana climbed into the upper bunk and gave a muted moan as she settled onto the mattress. “Stars and skies, I’m sore.”

“Are you all right?” EiLeen peered up at the top bunk.

“To quote you, I’m fine. Just sore. I’m pretty sure you’re feeling it too?”

“Feeling what?”

“The tendons, the muscles, and fatigue. We need some emergency rations. We haven’t eaten since dinner.”

“Tell me where they are, I’ll get them.” EiLeen sat up.

“No need to get up. You’ll find some rations and enhanced water in the cabinet to your right. This shuttle will sustain us for more than two months.”

“How utterly comforting.” Knowing she sounded pesky and out of sorts, EiLeen opened the cabinet and was soon munching a tasteless ration bar. “Would it hurt anyone to spice it up a little?” she muttered around the bite. “And make it less like paper?”

“They’re nutritious but definitely not gourmet fare.” Dana chuckled and leaned over the edge of her bed. “Actually, they’re not too bad once you get used to them.”

“Yes, they are. They’re awful.” It was impossible not to return Dana’s smile when she saw the impish look on her face. It was refreshing to see the otherwise stern captain joke. Suddenly Dana’s hair came undone and tumbled down toward her. She drew a deep breath as the fragrant masses of blond locks swayed right next to her. Without thinking, she touched them reverently. “Oh. Such beauty.”

“Damn. That was my last clasp. The other two broke earlier. Sorry about that.” Dana turned a pretty shade of pink. “I know. I should cut it to a decent length. My commander tells me that all the time.”

“No!” Stopping herself from gushing, EiLeen shook her head. “That’d be a crime. You have beautiful hair.”

“And this is a totally surreal conversation to have aboard a star shuttle while hounded by thugs.” Twisting her hair into a low knot, Dana snorted. “But thank you for the compliment. I guess it’s a sign of vanity to keep it like this.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” EiLeen turned on her back and gazed up at Dana. “Sometimes it’s hard to remember that we’re also women, really just regular people with hopes and dreams like everybody else. We give so much of ourselves to our nations, to the SC, and it’s all about duty. I admit that at times I’ve felt completely drained. Depleted.”

“Was that why you abdicated?”

EiLeen flinched. “No.” She wanted to share the reason, but habit, perhaps more than anything else, made her remain silent.

“Sorry. None of my business, I suppose.” Looking awkward, Dana disappeared from view.

“It’s all right. I’m just not used to talking about it. It’s not really a secret or interesting, but I didn’t abdicate because being a queen exhausted me.”

“You don’t have to explain if you’re uncomfortable.” Dana’s face showed up again. “Mind if I join you a bit? I’m certainly not comfortable hanging upside down.”

“By all means.” Her heart rate increased when Dana climbed down and even more so when Dana sat down next to her, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them.

“Then share what you can…and want, please.” Dana looked so young with her hair once again tumbling around her shoulders.

“Oh. All right.” Hating how she dithered, which was something she
never
did otherwise, EiLeen took a breath. “I was never meant to be queen. My brother, however, was groomed from day one of his existence to be king. We even went to different types of schools, which is why he and I had a different outlook on things.” She plucked at her sleeve and then pushed herself up into a half-lying position against the pillows. “I had traveled incognito for years, seen other worlds, visited Earth and Corma multiple times and observed how their societies thrived in complete democracy. I felt Imidestria’s government was reactionary and old-fashioned. When I was crowned, it was as if my life was over.”

“Why was that?” Her eyes darkening with sympathy, Dana placed a hand on top of EiLeen’s foot.

“I enjoyed working as an ambassador of sorts. But I was a prisoner at the palace, and the only other place I saw regularly was the Manbular Nesto. That’s our governmental building in Imicaloza, our capital.”

“Yes, I know. I’ve been to Imidestria several times, but I’ve seen only the main sights while on leave from the
Koenigin
.”

“Then you know, it’s a large, not very beautiful structure, and it’s even less appealing inside. Anyway, I was dreading having to be the one with the ultimate, if not complete, power. My first session at the Manbular Nesto…it was horrible. The things the local politicians and businessmen bring before their queen is astounding. I broached the idea of altering the ruling system. If Imidestria was to gain membership in the Supreme Constellations Unification of Planets, we needed modernizing. Getting rid of myself, so to speak, was the first step. I proposed a course of action that would make me obsolete, but it took much longer than I had hoped.

“Then, four years ago, the moment arrived. Finally I was ready to hand over my role to a democratic, freely elected government. I was free, or so I thought. As it turned out, SC Intelligence made me an offer that was too good to pass up. I realized that working as an undercover liaison would let me remove myself from Imidestria and not hinder progress. I could use my status as former queen of Imidestria and gain access to the inner circles on most worlds within or outside SC space.” Tipping her head back, she closed her eyes. “It was in my interest, and I suppose in the SC’s as well, that I cultivate my image as a luxury-loving, harmless ex-royal bitch.”

“Even when it deterred potential personal relationships,” Dana said softly.

EiLeen flinched and snapped her eyes open. “Yes. Quite.”

“Sounds lonely.” Dana seemed unaware that she was actually rubbing gently along EiLeen’s lower leg.

“It can be. As you know, that’s the nature of the beast, so to speak, when you work undercover.”

“Yes, but I don’t feel I have to act out of character every single day.” Dana frowned.

“Who says it’s out of character?” Laughing mirthlessly, she tried to ignore the escalating tingling where Dana’s hand now merely rested against her shin.

“I’ve only known you for, what is it? A little more than a day? I think I’ve seen enough of how you conduct yourself when we’ve been alone together to claim that you are not that one-dimensional. I’m sure you can be—what did you call it—a luxury-loving bitch? Oh, quit glaring at me. I mean, that’s hardly all you are. If you were, no way you’d give up the throne, risk your life like this.” Dana suddenly stared at her roaming hand and then yanked it away. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” A lump, immovable and nearly choking her, sat in her throat at Dana’s words. “Believe me, not many people dare to touch me. Really haven’t for many years.”

“Wha—? Really?”

“You sound surprised.” EiLeen chuckled at Dana’s baffled expression. “Well, apart from an endless series of hand-kissing, which I detest now, apparently my level of intimidation forestalls any potential attempts. Until just now.”

“I find it hard to believe that someone as lovely as you doesn’t happen upon people brave enough to do more than kiss your hand.” Dana tentatively shifted and placed her hand on EiLeen’s ankle. “Why are you frowning? Surely you know you’re attractive?”

“If I’m frowning, it’s because I wonder about your motives. Why would you suddenly call me lovely, touch me, and act so interested in why I abdicated, etcetera?” EiLeen knew she was pushing Dana away like she did with everyone else, but it was how she operated, what she was used to.

“Hey, no need to be pesky. I have no other motives, or agendas, than getting us out of this mess alive. As for this,” Dana said in a low voice and squeezed EiLeen’s ankle lightly, “I think you know I have no reason to lie or be obtuse. We have a break right now before things get dicey again, so it’s just me, responding to you. You confided in me, and if you regret it, I can’t do anything about that, but I appreciate you leveling with me. Regardless of your former status I can safely say I’ve never met anyone quite like you. You’re something of an enigma. You intrigue me.”

Only her many years being scrutinized by an entire world kept EiLeen from gaping. Who but this nearly ethereal-looking young woman had ever spoken to her like this? Like she was a normal, feeling person, a woman who elicited an emotional response within another person. She shied away from asking herself which response exactly, but couldn’t deny that the unexpected touch, chaste as it was, stirred new and surprising feelings.

“You expect me to believe that you’re intrigued by me, not the former queen part of me or even the undercover-agent part? Just me?” The very idea was unfathomable. When had anyone ever asked about her as a humanoid being?

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Dana leaned her chin on the top of her bent knees. “We have,” she checked a built-in chronometer in the bulkhead, “three hours before we reach the space station.” Dana slid closer. “Unless you tell me in no uncertain terms to go back up there, I’ll assume you don’t mind if I…stay.”

“How can you be so bold?” EiLeen’s heart hammered now and made her dizzy. “You sit there, looking like this water-lily fairy goddess. If I hadn’t seen you in action, I would’ve thought you were too fragile, too beautiful, to be anything but a model or a pampered actress. Then again, all I have to do is look into your eyes to discern your strength, your character.”

“Not sure if this is all flattering, but believe me, I’ve been underestimated before while out of uniform.” Dana shrugged. “I’ve set a few people straight over the years. When I was younger, I had a lot to prove, and I did, constantly, until I convinced my superiors I’d earned my promotion.”

“And on a personal level?”

“What personal level?” Dana snorted and tossed her hair back with an impatient flick of her hand. “I’ve lived and breathed the
Koenigin
ever since I assumed command. As you surmised, only L’Ley knows my double duty, and of course my chef.”

“What are you suggesting, then, since you seem reluctant to return to your bunk? I admit that you have me at a disadvantage.” Cautious, she gazed at Dana, down to her hand where it still rested on her ankle, and back at her eyes.

“I don’t know about you, but I have all this adrenaline coursing through me and I can’t make myself relax. You just admitted you find me attractive…”

Her heart fretted like a crazed, caged animal. Was Dana really suggesting they have sex? Just like that? EiLeen had just confessed how out of practice she was when it came to physical nearness! Was this a joke on Dana’s part? Was it a way of taunting an insufferable woman who needed to be put in her place? Or…or was it what it sounded like? Could she take Dana’s words at face value?

Dana tried to decipher the expression, or rather, the several different expressions that ghosted across EiLeen’s face. Trepidation, certainly, and something like fear mixed with anger struggled for dominance. Not surprisingly, anger won out.

“You are joking. Surely.” EiLeen pinched her lips, her cheek flushing an annoyed red.

“Joking? No. About what, by the way?” Keeping her gaze level, Dana watched EiLeen pressing herself farther into the pillows, glowering at her.

“About this whole seduction scene. Acting as if you honestly would find a woman past her prime attractive.”

“Past her…?” Gaping, Dana tried to follow EiLeen’s reasoning. Could this larger-than-life woman really be that insecure? “First, you’re not past your prime, as you put it. You’re stunningly beautiful, not that beauty is all that matters. Second, I’m not joking. I do find you very attractive and I think we could be very good together, if you’d allow it to happen.” Dana persuaded herself to continue talking even if she risked EiLeen’s wrath. “I’m not a player. In fact, I’m usually rather shy when it comes to personal relationships.”

“Shy?” EiLeen laughed joylessly. “If that’s your being shy, I’m not sure I could handle you being confident.”

“Am I wrong to think that you’re something of a shy woman yourself?”

“Hardly.” EiLeen closed her eyes and sighed. “Perhaps, in a way.”

“There. You see. We’re not that different. Age seems to be another hang-up for you.”

“And it isn’t for you?”

“No. Never has been.”

“You sound very certain all of sudden.” EiLeen shifted and moved nearer, her eyes darkening. “You sound like you think you can handle getting closer to a woman who’s seen every damn planet within the SC and then some. Who’s met every dignitary worth meeting and been the leader of an entire planet with its moons and asteroid belts as well.”

“I have no intention of getting closer to your leadership persona, or the front you put up while shaking the hands of dignitaries. I want to just feel the genuine, authentic EiLeen, the woman who had to recede into obscurity when she inherited a throne that was never meant to be hers. That’s the woman I’m interested in.”

EiLeen’s eyes were wide and her fists clenched and white-knuckled. “You sound like you mean it.”

“I don’t usually lie.”

“I’m not sure you truly comprehend what you’re implying.” EiLeen touched Dana’s cheek with unsteady fingertips. “So soft. I admit I’m wondering whether the rest of you is just as soft.” Clearly startled by her own words, EiLeen closed her eyes and groaned. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

“Would you like to touch me?” Dana lost the last of her oxygen after her spontaneous question. She trembled where she sat, her legs tucked up against her.

EiLeen’s eyes turned almost black as her star-shaped pupils swallowed what was left of her irises. “Yes,” she whispered.

Balancing on her knees, Dana pulled down the coverall from her shoulders, baring her upper body. She slid up to EiLeen and just sat there, waiting to see what EiLeen would do.

“Oh, you’re wicked.” EiLeen shook her head. “You’re like this evil sindianah, out to tempt me.”

“What’s a sindianah?”

“A mythical water creature said to live in the sea and occasionally claim the heart of a sailor.” She cupped Dana’s shoulder and skimmed her hand down her arm. “Yes. Soft. Even softer than I thought.”

Dana’s skin broke out in goose bumps. “As are your hands, EiLeen.” She wasn’t sure where her courage and conviction came from, but she ran her fingertips along her neck and traced the modest neckline. “And your skin.”

“Temptress.” EiLeen’s eyes roamed all over Dana’s naked expanse of skin.

“No. That’d be you.” Dana moved in, claiming EiLeen’s pale-pink lips with her own. She lingered there for a moment, unmoving. Slowly parting EiLeen’s lips with the tip of her tongue, she deepened the kiss.

EiLeen moaned against Dana’s mouth. “Been so long. Too long.”

“I’m here now,” Dana said, her voice husky. “I’m here. Let me, EiLeen. Please, let me.”

“What do you want?”

“To feel we’re alive. To feel you. This closeness.” The words, whispered with such heat, passed her lips with each hot breath. Dana cupped EiLeen’s cheeks and tilted her head, angling it perfectly for an even deeper kiss. She caressed EiLeen’s tongue, her lower lip, ran the very tip of her own tongue along EiLeen’s upper lip.

“We are. Alive. And close. And I don’t think I can stop.” EiLeen looked pained. “I don’t want to. I mean, I should know better, but I need…this.” She framed Dana’s face with her trembling hands, combing through her hair with her fingers. “So stunning.” Tugging at the tresses in her hands, she pulled Dana closer, recapturing her lips.

The kiss tore open something inside Dana, something that had clearly obstructed her breathing before. Suddenly it was easy to take deep breaths through her nose as she returned EiLeen’s kisses. EiLeen in turn seemed insatiable. Her mouth, so warm and soft, her teeth sharp and nipping at her, and, oh stars, the
sounds
EiLeen made in the back of her throat. Whimpers, moans, and the sexiest way of grunting she’d ever heard, all blended into a harmonic masterpiece that drew Dana in.

“How can you smell so delicious when you’ve used the same cleansing unit as I did?” EiLeen spoke in a raspy, tremulous voice. “How’s that even possible?”

“I don’t know.” Dana inhaled EiLeen’s scent greedily. Somehow, the expensive perfume, or whatever it was that made her olfactory sense stand at attention, lingered. Perhaps it was not just the faint perfume, but EiLeen’s own scent, that stirred these emotions in her? “All I know is that you drive all my senses crazy—scent, touch, sight…taste.” As if to prove her last point, she latched on to EiLeen’s lips. “So good—”

The blaring of the alarm klaxons made them jerk part. For a moment the pain of losing the connection was more than she could take. Her entire system cried out for the sensation of holding EiLeen close, but then she was on her feet, bolting for the helm with EiLeen right behind her.

“Damn, it’s them. No, I take that back. It’s not.” She punched in commands with hands suddenly steady. Inside, her body and mind were screaming, protesting the abrupt way they’d been yanked apart.

“Who are they?”

“Same type of ships, same marking, but the computer still says these are different. They had backup? Who the hell are they if they’re this well financed and equipped?”

“No messages from the SC command?” EiLeen pulled up another computer module. “Until we know who we’re dealing with, we can’t trust anyone who isn’t at Jacelon’s level. We have no way of knowing who’s involved and how far this spreads.”

“What the hell are you carrying that they want so dearly?” Dana glanced at EiLeen, seeing the dullness in her eyes and wondering if the way their emotions had come to a sudden full stop had caused it. For all she knew, EiLeen could have decided not have anything more to do with her. Shaking her head to rid herself of this disturbing thought, Dana focused on the readings. “They’re less than twenty minutes behind us. I don’t see how we can outrun them on our way to the station. And even if we did, if they follow us there, it’ll be damn near impossible to escape undetected from it.”

“Didn’t you say the Guild Nation equipped and upgraded this shuttle? Surely they put in their famous masking features?” EiLeen scanned the console.

“Of course. It’s been a while since I piloted something smaller than the
Koenigin
. I’m not sure how you know about the MAFE, but I’m glad you reminded me.” Dana punched in commands. “I altered our trace emissions into in-space background noise. If they’re unaware that our shuttles have this feature, we might just be able to make a run for it.”

“Changing our course to see what happens.” EiLeen was immediately on top of what needed to be done, and Dana drew a tiny breath of relief that the woman she was meant to protect was able and self-assured. “Turning eight degrees, starboard. Setting a detour course to the space station.”

Dana couldn’t take her eyes off the monitor. She stared at the readings until her eyes stung from lack of blinking. Inside her mind, the danger they found themselves in was much less important than the way EiLeen’s kisses had affected her, and, stars and skies, the way Dana had returned the caresses. How could the physical bond she’d just experienced still exist so clearly even if they weren’t touching and were in the midst of a life-saving operation?

Dana watched EiLeen pull up files on the monitor.

“They’re still on the original trajectory, Dana.” EiLeen turned and smiled, the first unabashed, full-blown smile she’d ever seen light up her features. “Some of the smaller vessels are scurrying on parallel tracks, but nobody has veered off toward us. Seems the MAFE is working according to the specs.”

Dana wanted to respond with her usual professionalism. She opened her mouth to say something like “affirmative” or at least “yes, it sure looks like it,” but all she could do was stare at the transformed face before her. EiLeen was a stunningly beautiful woman on any given day, but that smile, oh stars, that smile; it rendered her a certain softness that made her beauty esoteric and unforgettable.

“Dana?” The smile waned a bit and a frown showed up on EiLeen’s forehead.

“Yes. Yes, that’s promising. The MAFE, I mean. Not the smile. I, oh, stars.” Huffing in frustration, Dana decided to stop talking.

“Smile, what smi—ah.” EiLeen’s smile broadened again. “I didn’t know you were ever prone to babble, Captain.”

“Oh, don’t.” Her cheeks warming, Dana wanted to groan and thud her head against the console. “Don’t listen to me if I ever babble again. I’ll try not to do that again. And if I do. Don’t listen.”

“And I would suggest that you stop panicking. What happened to the confident woman from over there on the bunk bed?” EiLeen motioned with her head.

“She…
I
was rudely interrupted.” Dana huffed. “I don’t know about you, but I’m still reeling. Sorry for acting so weird.”

“Weird now or weird then?” EiLeen didn’t elaborate and she didn’t have to.

“Now.” Annoyed at her loose hair, Dana twisted it into a messy bun by tying it into a knot.

“What a crime.” Star-shaped pupils dilated again as EiLeen followed her every move with her eyes.

“Excuse me?”

“A crime to hide that abundance of hair.”

Flustered, which was even more frustrating than the hair issue, Dana busied herself at the helm, reading the sensors again. “They’re still on our original course. That doesn’t make us safe, though. They possess cloaking capability. I’ve tried every sensor sweep available and I can’t make out any traces, but they can still be there, tricking us.”

“Any signs at all from alien propulsion-system waste particles?”

“None. Just space dust.”

“Any chance of sampling the space dust and running a few tests? Does the shuttle keep a LABKIT?”

Dana snorted. “Don’t tell me you hold a degree in chemistry too?” She wouldn’t be surprised.

“No. I minored in physics at the Imidestrian Royal University.” Looking entirely serious, EiLeen laced her fingers and leaned back in her chair.

Not sure if EiLeen’s deadpan expression hid another way of ribbing her, Dana shook her head. “I can’t tell if you’re joking.”

“Granted, I’m a bit rusty, as it’s been at least thirty years since I completed my degree, but it’s true. I do, or did, know my way around a basic physics lab.”

“Of course. Well, it’s the first real thing we have in common. I minored in physics as well. Between us and what’s available equipment-wise, we should be able to look for trace elements of a cloaked ship.”

“You’re wrong.” EiLeen’s suddenly heated tone, coupled with the fire that burned in her eyes, shocked Dana.

“What about?” Folding her arms over her chest, she waited for whatever mistake EiLeen would pounce on now.

“That’s not all we have in common. Surely I don’t have to drag you back to bed to remind you?” The words left EiLeen’s lips like dripping honey.

Gasping, Dana trembled at the passionate words and the outrageously sexy way EiLeen spoke. Sitting there, only half a meter away, devouring Dana with her eyes, she looked every bit the regal, self-assured woman who had boarded the
Koenigin
some thirty-six hours ago. Now they would have to get inside the less-than-spacious area of the shuttle where the LABKIT was located. She wished they could conduct the test at the table, where they’d have more elbow room. Suddenly remembering EiLeen’s question, she felt the color rise on her cheeks. “Um, no. No, you don’t have to remind me. I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”