Keeper of the Heart (25 page)

“But the Centura Star System is closer than five days off, isn’t it?”

“Sure is, and there’s a planet tucked in the corner of that system right about where we enter it. Care to guess why I didn’t mention it?”

Shanelle racked her mind for a moment to figure out why Martha was sounding so damned amused; then she groaned inwardly. “If memory serves, that planet would be Sha-Ka’ar.”

“Your memory serves pretty good, and the only help you’ll get there is assistance in mounting an auction block. But you
are
going to need help. You’ll have to actually arrange for some type of sanctuary or protection, because whichever planet you land on, your warrior can also land on, and if he isn’t informed by someone in high authority that he can’t have you, well, you know how warriors are ... and this one will be armed with your father’s approval—if your father hasn’t come along for the ride himself.”

“Don’t even think it!”

“Relax, Shani. Your father joining the chase isn’t high on the probables list. Challen would have an excess of confidence in Falon, or he never would have given you to him. As for the only two planets within our range, I hate to admit it, but I don’t have an abundance of information on either one.”

“So give what you do have.”

“Sunder and Armoru were discovered by accident four years ago when a cargo ship from Antury was damaged in a meteor storm—shows what happens when humans do the piloting—”

“Put gloating on delete, will you?”

“You’re no fun at all this morning,” Martha complained, but continued. “The Antury drifted for a few days while making repairs, and by the time they were ready to get back on course, they had both Sunder and Armoru in their sights, the two planets orbiting so close to each other they were almost touching.”

“That’s impossible.”

Martha’s tone turned testy. “I’m making a point here, so stop interrupting. The fact is the planets are close enough to be seen clearly by each other, and for male-dominated societies with an excess of aggression, that can have a predictable effect—each one wanted to conquer the other.”

“Are you saying they’re in a state of war?”

“Semi-war.”

“There’s no such thing.”

“Sure there is. The Armoruans would go in and wipe out the Sunderians’ entire race if they could
get
in, but fortunately for the Sunderians, the Antury picked their planet to land on first and they’re now in possession of a Global Shield, and just in time. Both planets are advanced in some areas, like medicine, government—weapons, though not by our standards—but they’re babies when it comes to transportation, and they would probably have annihilated each other long ago if that wasn’t so. They didn’t even know there were other worlds in their own Star System when the Antury arrived, let alone other Star Systems. But two things happened only recently. One, they each finally developed spacecraft that would reach the other. Two, the women of Sunder somehow took over their government five years ago and that put an end to Sunder’s desire to go neighbor-conquering. As it stands now, Armoru is still concentrating on finding a way to sneak over the space border to do whatever damage it can, while Sunder is now determined to prevent invasion.”

“You’re not painting an encouraging picture, Martha.”

“Did I say your options were wonderful?”

“Does either planet even welcome visitors?”

“Who knows what policies will be in effect from one week to the next with such war-minded civilizations? You’ll probably find it easier to land on Armoru, but you’ll find better assistance on Sunder—if you can talk your way in. Armoru has been visited by a couple of worlds since discovery, but as backward as they are, and with so little of value for universal trade, they haven’t been put on the traders’ route. Their men just aren’t easy to get along with.”

“And their women?”

“Pretty low-class. They also have a servant class and a slave class.”

“Dammit, Martha,
why
do you always wait until the last minute to drop your bombs?”

“Sorry, but it’s the same on both worlds. The Armoruans would much rather invade Sunder, but until they can manage to do that, they’ll keep fighting and conquering among themselves. They’re too aggressive not to. And, typical of more cultures than not, whoever doesn’t get killed gets enslaved. Up until five years ago, Sunder was doing the same thing.

“Sunder, on the other hand, is still pretty much a mystery. They made a point of educating themselves about the rest of the universe by sending a delegation off with that first Antury ship when it continued on its way. But they’re very closemouthed about their own discoveries, and very suspicious of anyone requesting landing. And no one outside their world, and maybe not even all of their own people, know how the women of that world managed to wrest the power away from their men.”

“Do they still have armies?”

“Undoubtedly. They’re on constant alert for invasion, after all.”

Shanelle sighed. “You’re sure there isn’t another planet around you’re just not telling me about?”

“Would I make things harder for you than they have to be?”

“When you obviously want me to give up and go home? Who are we kidding?”

Martha chuckled. “In this case I didn’t have to try. Of course, we can always make a run for the Centura Star System and hope our shadow gets delayed for some reason or other. Just one extra day would put us within reach of another four planets, three of which would treat you like a queen for just half of the gaali-stone cargo Tedra had loaded for your use. But that puts us in risk of getting within Transferring distance. And you know that in order to keep it safe you can only Transfer three times without waiting at least an hour in between. Otherwise we’re talking definitely unhealthy, as in ‘missing limbs and organs.’ And that third Transfer would put you in Falon’s arms no matter how you look at it—unless you wouldn’t care if he got Transferred a fourth time?”

“No—no, and the risk isn’t worth it to try for that extra day. Take me to Sunder, Martha.”

“And if they don’t let you land?”

“I’ll worry about that when I get there.”

The office was utilitarian in its decor: a large desk, wooden chairs, a long row of filing cabinets, and battle pictures on the walls. It was as depressing as it had always been, but Donilla Vand was reluctant to change it. In fact, she hadn’t even straightened a picture since the office became hers five years ago.

The previous occupant of the office entered now with a stack of papers for her perusal. He didn’t glance at her. He wouldn’t while she was in the middle of a conference. Actually, Ferrill rarely looked at her anymore even when she was alone.

There was a time when she would have brought in the stack of papers and he would be sitting behind the desk. He’d pat his lap and wait patiently until she sat on it. And she’d have a few kisses and her breasts stimulated before she was sent back to the outer office to anticipate the end of the day, when they would go home together. He’d been her lover then, and her boss. He was still her lover, but it wasn’t the same. It would never be the same again.

“She calls herself a Kan-is-Tran from Sha-Ka’an.”

Donilla glanced toward her sister, who had spoken. It was easy to tell that Lanar was excited about this visitor, but then Lanar was a scientist, and the Antury and the few other alien ships that had come after them hadn’t nearly appeased her curiosity about other worlds.

Donilla looked at her advisor now. “Zoreen?”

Zoreen thumbed through the notebook in her lap until she found what she was looking for, then read aloud, “Sha-Ka’an—a barbarian planet in this Star System with the most powerful energy source known to man. What did you say her name was again, Lanar?”

“Ly-San-Ter.”

“Accurate as far as my notes go. That energy source is owned by a family called Ly-San-Ter.”

Donilla tapped her nails on the desk, speculating. “The Armoruans could have that kind of information. We know at least three outside spaceships have visited them. There is no telling what they have learned, or what new weapons they have gained.”

“Her ship isn’t like any of those three that landed on Armoru,” Lanar pointed out.

“They could have sneaked one in on the other side of their planet that we wouldn’t have noticed.”

“But we now have scanners capable of detecting anything that could be hidden inside the body, and she wouldn’t be allowed to bring anything off her ship, not even her clothes. So what are you objecting to, sister?”

Donilla’s lips tightened. Being the older by three minutes Lanar had always been the more dominant of the two sisters. It had infuriated her that, as a scientist, she couldn’t assume any command after the takeover, and it was no secret that what she had wanted was Donilla’s new position.

“It’s my job to be suspicious,” Donilla said. “It’s my job to make sure we don’t let in any more Armoruan saboteurs. That last one destroyed two arsenals and nearly got to the Global Shield before he was captured. It would be good strategy on their part to send a woman now.”

“I disagree,” Lanar replied. “They wouldn’t
trust
a woman to get the job done.”

“If she were a terrified slave being forced—”

“I’d know it in a minute,” Lanar insisted.

Donilla’s lips tightened even more, but in disgust this time. Yes, Lanar would know it. She was an expert when it came to terrified slaves—and getting them that way. It was one thing Donilla had never understood about her sister. She was brilliant in her field of medical research, respected by her colleagues, but she took pleasure in inflicting pain on the helpless. That she had suffered beatings from her last lover before the takeover was no excuse for her current obsession with whips and chains, for she had been cruel to slaves for as long as Donilla could remember. And unfortunately, there was no law to govern abuse of the poor creatures.

“What is her reason for coming here?” Zoreen asked to divert the two sisters from a heated exchange.

Lanar answered. “To put it simply, she left her planet to try and escape the man her father gave her to, but he has followed her in another ship that is only hours away.”

“Gave
her to?” Donilla said derisively. “Her planet really is barbaric, isn’t it?”

“According to my notes,” Zoreen replied, “the men are of the warrior caste that uses swords as weapons.”

All three women felt a measure of superiority. And the Antury had alluded that
they
were backward in relation to other worlds. Only in space travel, apparently.

But Donilla finally said, “I still don’t like it. It’s a story designed to outrage our sensibilities and make us sympathetic to her plight. It’s the perfect story for another Armoruan plant.”

“But if she’s genuine and we
don’t
help her, she’ll have no choice but to apply to the Armoruans,” Lanar pointed out. “They’ll be ecstatic to get their hands on her and her ship, especially since it doesn’t need a crew to fly it.”

“No crew? How is that possible?”

“She claims it’s run by a machine called computer.”

“The Antury had those, but none that could run an entire ship,” Zoreen remarked.

“And if her family is as rich as Zoreen says, the Armoruans can hold her for ransom,” Lanar added. “Imagine the things they could bargain for, Doni, things Zoreen and the others returned to tell us about, weapons that can destroy whole planets. Do we dare push such a prize into their laps? I say
we
do the bargaining, but with her, for the sanctuary she wants.”

Donilla hesitated before finally nodding agreement, albeit reluctantly. “All right, have the Shield opened enough so she can enter and land. But I want two guards posted at the quarters you give her, and they’re to stay with her whenever she leaves them.”

It was Lanar’s turn to hesitate. “Certainly—but she doesn’t want to land her ship,”

“Then how does she expect to join us?” Donilla said sarcastically. “Fly?”

“She has something called Transferring that allows her to just appear before us.”

Donilla’s eyes flew to her advisor with alarm. “Zoreen?”

“We were told of this Transferring briefly, but it seemed too complicated to understand, so we didn’t ask for further information on it.”

“Are you telling me this woman could have just appeared anywhere on Sunder without our knowing it?” Donilla shouted. “She has the means to pass through the Global Shield?”

“Apparently. But I
told
you the Armoruans would be thrilled to get their hands on her. Imagine what they could do with this Transferring.”

“That doesn’t bear thinking about. So why does she even need our permission to come?”

“Because she wants our help to keep the man who pursues her away from her when he arrives, he and his men.”

“And how are we supposed to do that if they also have this Transferring thing?”

“If they appear, we detain them. If they won’t cooperate, we use the Altering rod on them. They won’t be any trouble after that.”

By the look of her, Lanar obviously relished the thought of doing just that. But Donilla hated even the mention of that damn Altering rod that had changed all their lives so drastically. She hadn’t been truly happy since it was invented.