Close Encounters (31 page)

Piece of cake, I decided. As soon as I was in range, I stopped to listen. It only took a few seconds for my extra-sensitive ears to detect the slight noises each man made.

Taking a deep breath, I replaced my blaster in its holster and began to move. Before I could take another breath, I was in overdrive. To any Natural watching, it would have looked like all three men just spontaneously died.

But Dorn wasn’t a Natural, and I realized the trap too late.

“Impressive. I suggest you stop now, or your mate won’t last another second.”

When I halted, she was staring right at me. Her blaster was pressed against Thor’s spine at an upward angle. If she pulled the trigger, he was dead. And if she could move even a fraction as fast as me, I wouldn’t be in time to keep it from happening.

“Nothing to say?” She smiled. “Don’t you think it was clever of me to post those men nearby so their deaths would warn me of your arrival?”

“Let him go, Dorn.”

“And lose my advantage? I don’t think so.”

“It’s all over anyway. Your Chapter Twenty is being denied. The news would have been delivered this afternoon.”

Her smile turned feral. “Well, golly gee. Isn’t it too bad you and the Buri won’t be around to celebrate? And with all of you gone, the planet will be up for grabs again.”

Thor was watching me intently and I read his intention to act, to die so that I could take her out. Panic roared through me.

No!
I sent him a mental shout.
Don’t do it. Give me time. I’ll find a way out.

His expression remained calm, but he gave the slightest nod of agreement and I turned my attention back to Dorn.

“If you kill us, Alien Affairs will lock you up and throw away the key.”

“Me? Now, why would I kill you?
Au contraire
, most of my crew died trying to save you from those nasty pirates.” The weapon never wavered in her hand. “And unfortunately, our ship is too old and out of date to be of any help.”

Realization hit me too late. “You had this planned from the beginning, didn’t you? That’s why you used an outdated ship, why Max’s satellites kept going out. You used a disrupter on them to give the pirates a chance to hide behind the moon without him seeing them.” Inside I was praying harder than I’d ever prayed before. I needed something, anything to distract her. Just for a split second. “How are you going to explain the bodies with blaster wounds?”

“What bodies?” She gave one of those shrugs she’d mastered so well. “They were all destroyed by the pirates’ laser cannons.”

The horrifying thing was, it could have worked. If not for the Limantti. And the Buri ship. And the thousands of Buri currently in deep sleep, all of which Alien Affairs knew about, but Dorn didn’t.

As it was, we were all going to die for nothing unless I came up with a plan.

From the over-canopy, I heard a faint rustle and caught a glimpse of jeweled feathers in my peripheral vision, but I didn’t dare look away from Dorn. One second of inattention and she could shoot me, then finish Thor off at her leisure.

I had to keep her talking.

“So what happens now? If you shoot Thor, I’ll kill you. If you take the blaster off him long enough to shoot me, I’ll kill you. You may be a GEP, but I’m still willing to bet I’m faster than you.”

“Oh, you finally figured that out, did you?” She snorted, a most unladylike sound coming from her. “Took you long enough. Yes, I was one of dear Dr. Gertz’s first experiments, although certainly not his last. Gave my ‘father’ a rather nasty surprise when he discovered he’d gotten more than he paid for. Of course, by then it was too late for him. He died screaming. As for what I’m going to do, one of my crew will be along soon. Then I’ll take great pleasure in having you killed. I believe it takes a head shot, correct?”

My hand hovered over my blaster, muscles tense and ready. From the limb above Dorn’s head, my dragon bird peered down at her, his eyes flashing the blood red of fury. And he wasn’t alone. Every tree branch held one of the glittering creatures.

Silently, they were creeping ever closer.

Frantically, I searched for a topic that would keep her attention on me. “What do you mean, you weren’t the last?”

One of her perfectly shaped brows arched. “You didn’t really think you were the only one Gertz toyed with, did you?” She studied me, and then smiled. “Yes, I can see you did. The truth is, there are hundreds of his creations running loose. And I imagine he’s still at it.”

“Gertz is dead,” I told her. “He killed himself when he realized my boss was onto him.”

She laughed. She actually laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. A man with an ego the size of Gertz’s does not kill himself. He simply killed one of his own clones and made it look like suicide.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’ve been in contact with him. He’s the one who gave me copies of your records. After all, what good is being a genius if you can’t brag about it, and he was very proud of you.”

Another rustle sounded, this time from behind me, and Dorn heard it.

“Here come my men. Sorry, Smith. I really have nothing personal against you.”

There must have been some signal I missed, because suddenly the air was full of shrieking, diving dragon birds, all bent on ripping Dorn to pieces with their sharp little talons.

With a scream of surprise, she threw her hands in the air, instinctively trying to protect her face. It was all I needed. She was dead before she knew I’d moved. But her finger must have been tight on the trigger.

In a blast of heated air, Thor collapsed, blood welling from a gaping hole in his bronze skin.

“Thor!” His name was ripped out of me as I dropped to my knees beside him, pulled him into my arms. Already, the bond that linked us was growing thinner, dimming as blood pumped from the wound in his back. I pressed my hand against it hard in a futile effort to stop the flow. “Don’t you dare die on me, damn it!”

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I stared into the face I’d come to love. “You can’t die,” I pleaded. “You’re the only one who’s ever loved me. Please don’t leave me all alone, Thor. I don’t want to live without you.”

His lips curved, just the tiniest bit, and his voice came to me faintly through what remained of the bond.

You will survive, mate. You are the strongest person I know. Promise me you will care for my people, make sure they are safe.
His eyes closed, and his breathing slowed to a gurgling rasp.
Never forget I loved you and part of me will always be with you.

“No!” The word ripped from my very soul. Gently, I laid him down and rose to my knees. His people? Right now I didn’t give a gergian’s ass about his people. He was dying and there was only one way I could prevent it.

Above me the dragon birds swooped and circled, chittering wildly as I slowly lifted my hand, palm out. Thor’s blood covered the black outline of the stone, but I ignored it. Teeth tightly clenched, my voice was more growl than words.

“Of my own free will, I accept you. Take me.”

Instantly, blue-black light exploded inside my head, flowed throughout my body, and my mind spun away, flung through space. Galaxies turned, stars were born and died. But this time, I didn’t just go with it. This time I fought for control, and I could feel the Limantti urging me on, showing me what to do. But I needed time, more time than I had before Thor was lost to me.

The thought was barely formed when the movement around me slowed and stopped. The wildly swooping dragon birds hung suspended in midair, and the leaves moving in a gentle breeze froze. Even the sun halted in its orbit.

With all my strength, I focused on one star system, and abruptly I was there, hanging in the darkness above it. I backed off and tried it again, and this time it was easier.

I needed something that would take more delicacy before I tried to help Thor, something that would require more from me than just strength. And I knew just the thing.

In a split second, I was hovering over Alpha Centauri, the home of the Galactic Federation and Alien Affairs. I formed a picture of the boss in my mind, and there he was, in a small courtroom, a judge signing the stack of documents the boss had given him.

I studied him in great detail, and noted his back was bothering him from staying so long at his desk the night before. With only a flicker of thought, I fixed it.

His hand went to his back and he straightened, looking around the room as though he sensed my presence, and I wondered if I could do more.

Pirates hired by Dynatec have attacked the Buri
, I sent him.
Max was hit. People are dying.

He stood so fast his chair tipped over and hit the floor with a crash. Then he rushed from the room without a word to the surprised judge.

Okay, if I could do that, I could concentrate on the problems closer to home. With minimal effort now, I was back in the Orpheus system, looking down on the pirate ship. Its cannons were still firing, but the beams were frozen in space, and I was a bit shocked to realize how little time had gone by since the first beam had hit the village. To me, it felt like hours, but in reality it had only been minutes.

As tempted as I was to grab the ship and toss it into the sun, I couldn’t. The pirates would be needed as witnesses before they were sent to Inferno.

Drawing on the power of the Limantti, I shut down all their equipment except life support. The cannons went dead and the ship hung dark and still above the planet. And then I disabled the blasters of what remained of the Dynatec crew members.

Now for the most important task of all.

I don’t know when I’d closed my eyes, but I opened them and looked at Thor, concentrated all my attention on scanning him right down to the cellular level. There. Rapidly I repaired damaged cells and grew new ones to replace those already dead. With a single thought, I knit vessels together, closed the hole in his lungs, strengthened his heart and poured energy into him.

He would live.

Joy sang through me. Not only did I accept what I’d become, I embraced it. I wasn’t just a genetically created freak. I was Kiera Smith, Agent for Alien Affairs, GEP, mate of Thor, and Shushanna to the Buri.

I was doing exactly what I’d been designed to do, even though Gertz hadn’t known the extent of what he’d created. In spite of his machinations, I was human where it counted the most. In my heart. It had just taken Thor and the Buri to teach me that. It had taken Dynatec, too, and Crigo and Redfield and Claudia. It had taken Max—

Max!

I paused in my cavorting long enough to seal the breach in his hull and repair his fried circuits. He came online in mid-bellow.

“—day! Mayday!”

Abruptly he went silent, and a second later queried me in a confused tone. “Kiera? What happened? Where are you?”

“I’ll explain later, Max. But it’s all over and you’re fine. You can come back now.”

“What about the pirates?”

“Take my word for it, they aren’t going anywhere.”

A soft touch on my cheek yanked me back into the here and now, and I opened my eyes to see Thor kneeling in front of me, a look of such love in his eyes that I wanted to weep again.

“You joined with the Limantti,” he said quietly. “For me.”

“Yes.”

“Do you regret it?”

I gave him a luminous smile. “Not for a second. The stone is part of me now. Just like you’re a part of me.”

He stood and offered me his hand. The blood still streaking his skin was the only sign he’d ever been wounded. “Come. Our people wait. It’s time to go home.”

Home. Damn, that sounded good. I took his hand and together, we walked back to the village.

T
hor and I sat on the terrace of the stone building outside our sleeping quarters and watched the bustle of activity in the village. It had been a week since the Dynatec attack and there had been lots of changes, some painful, others exciting.

A hard knot formed in my chest when I thought of Poe, the gentle giant who had been killed in the fight, along with four other Buri. I’d never lost anyone I considered a friend before, so this grief was new for me. And it was only a fraction of what Thor was still going through. Not only had he lost his home and family, now he felt responsible for the tribe members we’d lost. How could I let him leave with me after that?

But there were things we needed to get worked out, urgent questions that needed answers. Dr. Daniels was preparing to leave, and as far as Alien Affairs was concerned, my job here was done. Yet Thor refused to talk about it. Whenever I tried he got a stubborn look and walked away. And to make matters worse, the boss was doing the same thing. I couldn’t get a straight answer from either of the males in my life and it was making me slightly crazy.

I’d learned a lot from the Limantti in the moment we’d joined, things I’d never dreamed she could show me. Like exactly how the mind bond worked. I could now wall off my thoughts from Thor at will while still maintaining contact, which was a relief. Even when you feel as close to someone as I felt to Thor, you don’t want them privy to all your innermost thoughts.

I also knew how to slice through his mental shields like a hot knife through butter without him suspecting a thing. But privacy is a two-way street, and I wouldn’t do that to him any more than I’d want him doing it to me.

She’d taught me one final thing, something I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. She showed me how to sever the mate bond without hurting either Thor or myself.

I glanced at him just in time to see Rayda, a scarlet-feathered dragon bird, land on his shoulder and then squawk warnings at two others who tried to follow suit. Thor belonged to her, and she was making damn sure the others knew it. Emitting meek little
cheeps
, they darted off to find other, unowned Buri.

Gem, my own guy, was striding up and down the length of Crigo’s back, chittering to the cat in dragon birdese. Whatever he was saying looked pretty intense, and I smiled in spite of my mood. Gem seemed to be laboring under the impression that he’d single-handedly saved me from Dorn, and now had the right to rule me and everything attached to me, including Crigo. The cat wasn’t happy about it, but he knew I’d frown on his making a meal of the dragon bird, so he sighed and put up with the indignity.

We weren’t the only ones with dragon bird issues, either. Even as we watched, a young Buri female with Ghost’s silvery hair and eyes stopped in front of a ruined adobe building, looking confused as four of the small creatures vied for roosting space on her shoulders. They had apparently decided en masse that if Gem could own me, then they deserved their very own people too, which was how Thor had ended up with Rayda. As for the young female, turned out she was Ghost’s cousin.

It had been a hectic week for all of us. We’d returned to the village after the attack to find Claudia and Redfield holding the remaining fifteen crew members prisoner. Nearly all the surviving Buri were injured in some manner, a few seriously. I’d moved from one to the other, healing them with the Limantti’s help.

The village didn’t fare as well. Only three of the adobe houses were intact, along with the stone building, which the Limantti assured me she had protected during the battle. The communal kitchen was damaged but still useable. And it was a good thing. With the prisoners locked in one of the remaining adobe huts, we needed all the space we could get. But being crammed into our few remaining buildings was fine.

To my surprise, Federation Troops weren’t the only ones who arrived two days later. Dr. Daniels showed up at the same time in his own ship, shouting orders and taking charge of the soldiers. And he’d brought supply ships carrying large quantities of food and Quonset huts. How he managed to get that organized, that fast, I’ll never understand.

The prisoners were rounded up and sent off on one the Federation ships, along with the pirates and the remains of Dorn and Frisk. Although there wasn’t much of Frisk left after Crigo finished with him.

The second the first Quonset hut unfolded, Auntie Em marched inside and punched in the combination for Panga ale on the food unit, but Junior and Elder went straight for the amberberries with chocolate sauce.

As soon as things were under control to Dr. Daniels’s satisfaction, he dragged Thor off for a long talk. Seems Max had completed a language program and the boss now spoke fluent Buri. Claudia and I immediately took advantage of the program. One of my biggest problems after that was keeping her pried off Ghost until we could have the mating ceremony, which had of necessity been delayed.

By the time Thor and the boss emerged from their conference, the Buri were the newest members of the Galactic Federation. A little dazed by the boss’s zeal, Thor had even agreed to awaken the rest of his people.

Upon hearing the news, I spent the next eight hours feverishly studying Max’s medical files with Redfield’s assistance. When I was done, I knew everything it was possible to know about the hypothalamus. I then went from female to female, including the ones still in deep sleep, permanently restoring the gland to full functionality.

When I got to Auntie Em, she glared and informed me that if I touched her, she’d break my fingers. All the Buri thought that was quite humorous.

The silver Quonset huts were now scattered through the jungle from the bluff to the plains. They would gradually be replaced as the Buri built their own homes, but for now they worked very nicely.

Even Redfield and Brownie had settled their differences. Since Redfield had killed a crew member who was intent on burning a large hole through Brownie’s forehead, the Buri considered all debts paid in full. Now Redfield was scheduled to return to Alien Affairs with Dr. Daniels for retraining and reassignment.

I glanced at Thor again. He was watching something over my shoulder, but I didn’t turn to look. “We have to talk.”

His chin got that stubborn slant I was becoming all too well acquainted with, but he didn’t speak.

“Talk about what?” Dr. Daniels’s voice came from behind me, and I swiveled to see him better.

“The future.”

“Ah.” He smiled and gestured to one of the cushions. “In that case, may I join you? I believe I have a stake in the outcome of this discussion.”

“Of course.” I poured him a glass of wine while he got comfortable. “I’m just trying to make Thor understand that I can’t stay.”

“I see.” He smoothed a wrinkle in his suit pants and then reached for his drink, sipping thoughtfully. “Do you want to stay?”

While I hesitated, Thor answered for me. “Yes, she wants to stay. This I feel through the bond. She is Shushanna. My people have become her people. She cares about them. But there is part of her that wants to go, also. This part I do not understand.”

The boss arched a brow at me. “Why don’t you explain the part that wants to go? I’d like to understand too.”

Sometimes being connected to Thor even minimally through the bond sucked. I rubbed my forehead to give myself a minute. “It’s not that I want to go, because I don’t. I don’t want to leave Thor or the Buri. But, there’s my indenture. I’m legally and morally obliged to pay it off, and I don’t have the credits.”

Dr. Daniels turned his questioning look on Thor. “May I?”

Thor nodded as I looked from one to the other. “What’s going on?”

“Your indenture is taken care of, my dear. The Buri paid it off three days ago.”

My mouth dropped open and I reeled with shock. “What? How could they pay it off when they have no credits?”

“They have something better than credits. They have Orpheus crystals. The Bureau was quite happy to accept an amount equivalent to the remainder of your indenture. I would have mentioned it sooner, but Thor wanted it to be a surprise. Actually, I believe his intent was to give you the freedom of choice.”

Was that your intent
? I asked him.

Yes
. He stared at me, his features schooled into a mask.
If you stay it must be because you fully want to be here, with me. And if you go, I’ll know you were not forced to leave.

Dr. Daniels was watching us, and he gave a slight nod, almost as though he knew what had been said. For a Natural, the man could be downright spooky. “Now that your indenture is off the table, why don’t you tell us what the real problem is?”

“Okay, I will.” I slugged down the rest of my wine and straightened my back. “Gertz created me the way I am and I accept that, accept myself. But part of that is accepting that I was created to do a job, a job I’ve done my entire life. If I’m not an agent anymore, what will I do? In spite of what Thor thinks, the Buri would survive just fine without me. I’ve fixed the females so they’ll reproduce normally. Eventually, another Shushanna will be born. The truth is, they don’t
need
me. If I stay here, I’ll spend the rest of my life twiddling my thumbs and being useless.”

Thor started to speak, but Dr. Daniels stopped him with a raised hand. “You’re afraid you’ll be bored.”

I nodded. “Out of my skull.”
I’m sorry
, I told Thor.
I love you, but I need something to do. It’s not in my nature to just stand around looking gorgeous. I’d be a gibbering idiot before the month was over.

“Weren’t you bored with being an agent, too?” The boss continued.

“Well, yes. But at least I had something to do, something to keep me busy and feeling like I was making a difference.”

He swirled the wine gently in his glass. “So if you were offered a challenging job that kept you on Orpheus Two, you’d be interested?”

Excitement mixed with hope began a slow trek up my insides to tighten my throat, but I kept my voice level when I answered. This was exactly what I’d wanted to talk him about when he was avoiding me. Now he was offering the chance I’d only dreamed of.

I sat up straighter. If there’s one thing I know it’s how to negotiate a deal to my advantage. “I might. Did you have something specific in mind?”

My calm tone didn’t fool the boss for a second, though. A smile lifted the corners of his lips as he answered. “As a matter of fact, I do. I’ve asked that you be appointed director of Orpheus Two. The Buri are going to need a lot of help to become productive members of the Federation, not to mention protection from unscrupulous people who’d love nothing more than to take advantage of them. There are also trade negotiations, and the crystals are going to be a large part of that, which will complicate matters enormously.”

His gaze met mine as he continued. “I can’t think of anyone more qualified for the job than you, my dear. And the truth is, I’ve been selfish. You should have been promoted several cycles ago and your indenture commuted. I knew you were becoming bored with the job, but you were the best agent we’ve ever had and I didn’t want to lose you, so I kept putting it off.”

“I’m getting a promotion?” I was so dazed at the idea I could barely blink. To think, I’d actually been hoping for a job as the new director’s assistant. “I didn’t know I was qualified to be a director.”

“All of our best directors were once agents,” he told me.

“Since it’s the same duties on a larger scale, being an agent is the perfect training ground for the job. Shall I assume you’re interested?”

I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head. “Does the job include a raise?”

Thor looked downright smug, waves of love and satisfaction rolling off him, and the boss was smiling again. “A substantial one.”

“And of course, I’d need a ship so Thor and I can attend the Federation council meetings.”

“Of course. You’ll be happy to know that Max has volunteered to stay with you.”

“Excellent.” By now I could hardly breathe, I was so excited. Ideas and plans for the Buri’s future filled my head. Abruptly, I thought of Claudia. I
had
promised her a job, after all, and I’m a woman of my word.

“I’ll need a staff, too,” I happily informed the boss.

This time it was the Dr. Daniels who narrowed his eyes.

“You’re allowed three paid employees, based on the Buri population.”

I cut my eyes at him. “And a new office building paid for by the Federation.”

He scowled. “Fine, and a new office. Hasn’t even accepted the job yet and already she’s a politician,” he grumbled.

With an exuberant whoop, I leaped on him and hugged him hard. “I accept. Thank you. Oh, wow, thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“Oh, I think I’ve got the idea,” he choked, untangling my arms from around his neck. “If you have to strangle someone, strangle your mate. He’s younger, and can withstand your enthusiasm.”

But he was smiling when he said it. “Now tell Redfield good-bye so we can be on our way.”

Thor stood when I turned to the GEP, who had just arrived. Impulsively, I leaped to my feet and hugged Redfield, too. “Thomas, I’m going to miss you. If I had a brother, I’d want him to be just like you. Promise me that after your retraining you’ll come back and visit us.”

He returned the embrace, his voice husky when he answered. “I’ll miss you too. And a herd of wild gergians couldn’t keep me away. If the boss ever gives me any time off, I’ll be heading your way.”

“I’m sure that can be arranged,” Dr. Daniels said as I released Redfield and moved to stand by Thor. He draped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close as we watched the men walk away. At the edge of the jungle, they both turned and lifted a hand in farewell.

I waved vigorously and called “Good-bye, Dr. Daniels, good-bye, Thomas!”

“Happy?” Thor asked me.

“Ecstatic,” I answered. “I get to stay here with you,
and
keep working.”

He gazed down at me, a smile curving his lips. “Did I not tell you there would be a new purpose for you?”

“Yes, you did. You’re a wise man, mate of mine.”