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  “Commander, you will remain on medical leave until I have received a clearance from our resident ST.”

  She started to rise, the lines at the sides of her mouth tightening, and on top of his desk her knuckles turned white. He waited as she drew herself back, tensing like she was ready to argue the point. “With all due respect—”

  “No, Commander,” he cut her off. “This is a routine requirement, and you know it. Besides which, you need to log in with the accommodation section and obtain a billet. So I have no doubt the time will be welcomed.”

  Her eyes flashed against her pale skin. She sat back in the seat, obviously understanding this was not an argument she needed. “Sir. Yes, sir.”

  He understood she wanted to fight his decision, and the urge to grab her and tell her why he’d brought her back here raged within him. He contained his anger as reality of the distance she hid behind slammed into him. He held on to his patience. With time, he hoped to breach the armor she’d erected around herself.

  “You’ve also been transferred to the Admiralty on security detail. The current commander is taking leave. He will arrange to complete the official handover in the next day or two. Once you’ve effectively taken control, we’ll be required to meet and discuss a particular case I want you to investigate. You will also contact SurgiTech to arrange an exam, allowing you to resume duty.” He kept his words quiet and controlled, dismissing her.

  “Sir, I need to be back in the field—”

  “No.” His voice was decisive and firm, stopping her outburst. His gut churned. It felt like every word he had spoken had built a brick wall between them. This one more insurmountable than the one which already existed. “I need your completed report on my desk before 1500 hours.”

  She reached into a pocket of her suit and pulled out a micro-disk. Leaning forward, she placed it on his desk. “My report is complete. I had five weeks of nothing to do.” She raised her chin and looked at him. “Sir.” The last word she chewed out, cold enough he visualized ice dripping from her lips, and that almost shattered his control. “If that is all, sir?”

  He nodded, and she stood, a small gasp escaping. He half-rose. Even as she tried to deny the truth she still experienced pain, and he wondered just how much. He needed to know she was ready to resume her role as a security officer. Sending her in, unprepared and only half-recovered, wasn’t an option. Her eyes flicked to his, as if daring him to say something. He subsided, watching her heft the bag, and with a smart salute, she left.

  That went well. He slammed his fist on the desk, watching as the disk she had presented him jumped in response. Barsha! Even after nearly ten years, he still wanted her. The tortures of being near her, but unable to be with her, would never end, not if they continued this way. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply in through his nose, before exhaling.

  Gustav pushed the defeatist thoughts aside and focused on his work once more. He pressed the communications center, giving orders to his staff.

  Chapter 2

  She’s arrived. Jerrold grunted to himself as he made his way across the plascrete. His master’s concubine had arrived at the Admiralty and remained under surveillance.

  He’d only caught a quick glimpse of her in the hangar, but enough for him to be positive of her identity. His legs propelled him forward. Crick Sur Banden had always rewarded them well for the information they gleaned and passed along. He and his few associates here would share the spoils received in return for the information. But first, he needed to relay the information back and find out what Crick wanted done next.

  Jerrold passed the officers’ billets and sneered. “Cunts.”

  He headed to the laborers’ apartments located at the end of the long plas-glass tunnels. As he shuffled wearily to the building he thanked the stars his shift was finally over. Now he needed to confirm what her new posting would be and where. He wondered if he could use the information as leverage. Would he be able to act against the admiral now? Pay him back for his actions as a captain so many years ago.

  He spat on the plascrete flooring, watching the spittle fly through the air and land in a blob on the ground. The admiral. The one who had busted him down from petty officer to a grunt when the admiral first took command on the Star of Ishtar. Jerrold knew his personnel file was stamped Embargo on Promotion. It alone was the reason why he was here now on Aenna, this filthy, forgotten rock in the middle of an asteroid field, working in a hangar crew as a basic grunt.

  “I’ll get even yet,” he vowed.

  The panel opened beneath his scanned palm, and he moved inside the dingy apartment, shutting the door firmly before commanding the locking system to engage. He didn’t want anyone coming in while he sent his transmission. Not even his associates, though he doubted they would. Stuck-up bitches, they were. They refused to discuss anything until he cleaned himself. As if they weren’t the same as him. Infiltrators.

  Under the bed, a small box filled with stashed supplies such as emergency food bars waited. He snatched it up. Investigators didn’t usually check these boxes, something he had learned in his years of training. Pushing a hank of greasy hair away from his face, he rooted around in the box until he reached the base, and jerked up the false bottom.

  Holding the communicator in his dirty hand, Jerrold checked the blocker—a small black box which kept his furtive communications undetectable—that he kept beside it and sent the transmission. Texts were quicker and easier to send and only required a single blocker, unlike vid-trans. He waited until the unit’s light returned to a dim, green glow before he turned off the transmitter and stashed it back in the box. No use waiting for a reply; it would take a few days.

  For now, he would need to update the others on the status of the transmission sent. “Those bitches just get in the way.”

  Jerrold closed his eyes, envisioning himself back on a shuttle or freighter and off this lifeless rock. A trio of women naked and on his bed ready for him. Better yet, he imagined them tied up and available for his pleasure. His liberation from this ugly, dirty, little life was coming and he’d live the life he was meant to enjoy, rather than the existence he endured. The thought made him hard and engorged, and no one could satisfy him as much as himself. Smiling, he stripped his pants off and rubbed his erect shaft, baring his teeth in pleasure.

  Chapter 3

  Orders in hand, Kera moved quickly toward the stores where she planned to grab her communicator badge and extra uniforms. She had already received her billet details; a small one-bedroom unit in the senior officers’ lines. She was surprised at the bright, sunny yellow colors. Military apartments usually ran to dull grays or blues. So it niggled at her that the rooms were decorated with her favorite color, and that gave Kera pause.

  She focused instead on how to requisition furnishings—until redeployment anyway. Or not, she thought with a sour laugh, depending on what openings became available within the Admiralty. Since she’d been working with the diplomatic corps as a security officer on the Ru’Edan home world, most of her belongings were shipped to the embassy apartment complex. She groaned, thinking of the pretty cushions and images she had collected to fill her unit. She had to hope they’d salvaged her items after a new officer had moved into her place. Perhaps they’d packed her items away? All she could do was wait and see.

  New communicator in hand, Kera contacted the SurgiTech bay, hoping they’d find a way to fit her straight in. Thankfully, it was quiet and she arranged to meet with the senior attending officer. He was amazed at her progress, assuring her there was no reason she couldn’t immediately resume duty. His promise to write the necessary report for the admiral within the shift made her feel a little more sure of herself. She wouldn’t consider the niggling doubts she still harbored that her injuries would stop her from working. Or that in the back of her mind there remained the fear Crick Sur Banden’s men would come looking for her. After all, he’d wanted her as his newest concubine, a role she feared and remained sure he still wanted her to fill.


  Kera returned to the ST suite several hours later and collected the report before hurrying along the drab gray tunnel and up the echoing steps leading to her apartment. She quickly scanned the surrounding area as she reached for the handle before letting herself in and wondered what pre-prepared foodstuffs were available for ordering.

  The door swung open beneath her fingers, the scanning pad already disengaged. Clenching her fingers, she swallowed even as her mouth dried with concern. Silence greeted her from inside, and she moved her hand to the gun belt she always wore slung around her hips. Kera grasped the butt of the slender EM-4 laser pistol, sighting as she hunted around in the gloom for any sign of the intruder.

  “Hello?” Kera called. Stupid! Alert the intruders that you’ve worked out they’re here. Kera rolled her eyes at herself. A rookie mistake. She had become rusty at her job, and that only made her angrier.

  “In here.” Gustav’s voice filtered out of the room beyond, and she closed her eyes.

  Gustav was here, in her apartment. Barsha! She hadn’t expected his arrival this evening. Indeed, she’d planned to put together her case for immediate reassignment to Earth, or one of the other major staging points, either as Head of Security or a similar role.

  She cursed her bad luck as she stepped into the darkness. “What are you doing here?”

  “Waiting for you, Kera.”

  A light flicked on. She ignored the glass of wine he held out toward her and watched his face. Why is he here?

  “Admiral. Is there something I can help you with?”

  His face stiffened at her words, just like the rest of his body. His smile died away, and she could see the yearning in his face along with intense loss.

  “Kera...”

  Her heart thudded rapidly. Could he hear the way her heart was thumping so loudly, moving faster than usual at his presence? Even across the room, she was sure he’d be able to.

  “Kera, I need to talk to you.”

  “Good. You’ve just saved me requesting a meeting with you, Admiral.” With a decidedly professional tone, she let the words drop between them. Kera reached into the pocket of her flight suit before stretching out her hand and giving him the small disk the medic had given her.

  He took it, a puzzled look on his face. “What is this?”

  “Those are the results of my scans and my medical clearance.” She smiled tightly. “That means I can return to work as early as tomorrow.”

  “Kera...don’t rush back. You were badly hurt...” He seemed flustered and at a loss for words. For an instant she fought the need to hold out her hand and take his, to offer him some comfort. The genuine concern in his voice pierced her heart. With ruthless strength, she shoved the crushing pain aside.

  “Admiral, if there’s nothing else, I’d really like to go to bed. It’s been a trying day.” She wasn’t sure how much longer her control would last. The urge to fling herself into his arms screamed through her system.

  “Kera!”

  She closed her eyes as the pull in his voice reached out to her like a physical entity. No! He’s used all his chances, and it’s time for me to move on. “Gustav, you chose this path of distance. Not me. You put this space between us.” The words escaped, sounding strangled, and her eyes burned.

  For the first time since her return to Aenna, her own lack of self-assurance made her weak and vulnerable. Staying with him, day after day, seeing him and ignoring the emotions welling in her chest, would become a consuming ache. One she couldn’t bear to deal with.

  “Please, Gustav. Please leave. Now.”

  Kera opened her eyes as the sensation of movement in the room intruded on her pain. He touched her face as he walked past, and a spark of electricity arced through her body. She flinched away from the sadness in his face. Desolation coursed through her at the sense of loss she experienced. But she had to wonder what the loss was really of. Friendship? It had been so much more and yet a lot less than that, Kera conceded. It couldn’t possibly be the chance at a lifetime of love. He’d never allowed anything more to develop.

  Gustav nodded and left the room without another word.

  Her heart broke again, shattering into tiny, sharp pieces. This time, she wasn’t sure she would be able to put it back together.

  Chapter 4

  Kera dressed with care, clipping her identification disk to her heavy, dark uniform. Then she twisted her hair into a knot, securing the length at the back of her head. “This feels more like me.” She patted the coil with a smile.

  Her newly grown long hair hid the multitude of marks and scars at the back of her neck, at least when they weren’t covered by the collar of her uniform. She turned slowly, looking at herself in the mirror. The dark circles under her eyes remained, reminding her of the nights tossing and turning as she relived the months of captivity. Kera was pleased that the bruises had faded away though. She refused to let what happened to her stop her from living her life though.

  “I don’t look half-starved and wild now.” Kera spoke quietly as she ran a finger along the side of her face, pleased the gauntness and hollows of her features had filled in once more.

  With a sigh, Kera turned away from her reflection; she still had a long way to go before she looked as good as before. Not that I want to look my best for him, she told herself. But somewhere deep within her psyche she knew she lied.

  Turning swiftly on her boot-shod feet, she grabbed her holster, checking the charge in the small silver pistol before fastening the well-worn leather around her waist. “Come on, Kera. You’re going to be late for your meeting with him.” She knew being late was never acceptable with Gustav, so she hurried her movements.

  Simon Beckett, the commander in charge of base security, had met with her the day before, handing over final responsibility for station’s safety. She had a sneaking suspicion his intentions of returning to this particular command were nonexistent. The post wasn’t the most sought-after position, even if the placement ranked highly within the Admiralty. After all, apart from their duties, opportunities to recreate and participate in social activities were naturally limited by Aenna’s hostile environment.

  Kera knew she was capable of running the security command post, yet she felt a level of concern centered on his final comments. As he left the office, Beckett passed on some concerning intelligence: short transmissions were leaving Aenna for unknown recipients, and they believed it had been going on for some time.

  Picked up accidentally, these communications continued to be untraceable because access to the correct tracking equipment remained unavailable. Admiralty believed for such a low-level threat, as the one to Aenna posed, the request for better equipment rated as overkill. In the face of such resistance, the security officers hadn’t managed to find the point of origin, except knowing the point was somewhere on Aenna.

  She would need to investigate the threat more fully, but not now. The intelligence niggled away in the back of her mind as she moved around the quiet room. It was imperative that she sift through the available material before drawing any further conclusions.

  Her immediate concern was the meeting with Admiral Gustav Elphin. The man who made her burn with a passion she had never before experienced. Not even during her short marriage with her long-dead husband. Gustav had avoided his attraction to her for years by ignoring it. But the zing of connection hadn’t been imagined by her. She’d caught his long looks and the subtle indicators when he didn’t realize she was watching. At least until that fateful night, then he’d forgotten about it and how he’d made her feel. She didn’t want to feel attachment to him anymore, because the emotions just hurt too damn much.

  Hefting the still-hot coffee, she took a sip from the disposable cup. Even after all those years had passed, she remembered her one indiscretion with him clearly. However, he didn’t remember, and for that she would be eternally grateful. Dealing with the fallout would be the final indignity, but the knowledge remained, quiet in the back of her mind, never shared.

>   Both of them had imbibed a little too much on the night he’d announced to his closest crewmembers his promotion to admiral. She’d been aboard the Star of Ishtar for five long years, crawling her way up the ranks to the second-in-command of the security division. During which she had come to feel respect and something deeper for Gustav.

  The announcement that he would take six of his most trusted crewmembers with him stunned her as her name was added to the list. The celebrations of that night still loomed bright in her mind. Those present had enjoyed the fine ales and wines laid out, some too much. At the end of the evening, after everyone else had drifted away, she’d sat there with him talking before insisting he should retire for the night.

  How she wished she had taken her own advice.

  Kera tried to cease the roll of memories coming to mind but couldn’t. They kept tumbling along, and she relived her emotions once more. Oh stars, even now, remembering the fine taste of him made her breath hitch and her skin burn with need.

  Together, they zigzagged to his cabin, and she tumbled with him onto the bed. “Kera, you’re a fine officer and a finer woman.”

  “Captain...”

  His finger, unsteady but warm brushed against her lips. “Shhh. I want you. Right now.”

  The ache in her belly and the fast beating of her heart, the press of his hot lips against hers, the touch of his hands, warmed her. He flicked open the jacket, revealing her shirt. Kera’s heart beat like a rapid tattoo, thud-a-thud.

  With exquisite tenderness, he pulled her down to him, his mouth roaming over her heated skin as he stripped her with shaking hands, murmuring words of love against her flesh.

  Their legs tangled and the heft of her feet intruded. Dammit! Kera had no intention of making love in shoes. She rolled only to pull off her boots, but when she turned back to him, he lay still, his eyes closed tight.