Alien Hostage (49 page)

She spoke to the people who had followed her into the room. “Excuse me, ladies. If I have to wear this heavy-ass gown one more second—”

“Language, please,” Jessica warned.

Noelle giggled. “Tasha said a bad word.”

Tasha whirled around, gasping an apology to mother and daughter. “Oh no. I’m acting not mom-approved again.”

Jessica grinned as Noelle sat on the thick rug that softened the polished rock floor. “Ah, don’t worry about it. I can’t count how many times I’ve slipped up in front of the children. And none of us is as bad as Cissy.”

She sank into a pile of seating cushions, perfectly at ease in her own fancy gown. She was used to it after years of being on display as empress.

Noelle seemed equally at home in her ruffled dress, though she lolled on the floor in a pose that showed off matching ruffled pink panties. No one chided her for being unladylike in the privacy of family, especially in the aftermath of her abduction. At least the frequent nightmares were finally abating. The therapist in charge of her case was impressed with the swiftness of her recovery.

During waking hours, she was the same adored and adoring child she’d ever been. Surrounded once more by loved ones, Noelle showed the same strength of the other women in her family.

No one was surprised when the little girl powered up her new handheld. The program that had given her the few happy moments she’d enjoyed on Lobam continued to be her favorite recreation. With a cry of welcome, she greeted the baby vid animals that appeared all around her. They gamboled enthusiastically until Noelle called them to order.

Narpok was as decorous as Jessica. After checking her appearance in the mirror over Tasha’s vanity, she settled on the lounger, her white gown a beautiful contrast to the dark piece of furniture. She put the purple velvet box she carried – a match for the one Tasha had tossed on the table – in her lap. She snickered as Tasha snagged a skirt and loose tunic from her closet. It was nice clothing, but casual.

The Kalquorian woman shook her head even when Tasha added a gold metal link belt to draw the tunic around her waist. “Earthers and their lack of fashion sense. Your twin is something else, Tasha.”

Cissy had shown up at the event in a dress that had been nice enough, but a bit short and low cut enough to challenge decorum. Her Nobek had glared at anyone who looked at her too long. Still, Tasha counted it as a boon her sister had shown up at all.

Cissy had not taken the news well that she’d suffered years of guilt for a murder she hadn’t committed. When Tasha told her the truth of their neighbor’s death, Cissy had stormed away from her sister. She refused to speak to Tasha for two weeks, something that had never happened before. Even during their worst disputes, they’d never not spoken for more than a few hours.

The separation had hurt like hell and Tasha had feared she’d lose her sister over the matter. Not that she blamed Cissy. She’d had every right to be deeply hurt. Tasha admitted she had no good excuse for never coming clean about what had happened. Fear of what Cissy would think of her coldly killing another human being was not a valid explanation, not even to Tasha. Her shame over the matter had been second only the the heartbreak of separation from her twin.

It had only been last week that Cissy had begun the process of reconciliation. Tasha knew they had a long way to go before she’d be able to make things up to her twin, but at least they were speaking again. It was a start.

Cissy should be here now with the rest of them, Tasha thought. The sisters had always been close, and she felt Cissy’s absence every moment of the day. Yet she was able to smile as she recalled the hug her twin had given her today and Cissy’s loud declaration of “Way to whoop that ass,” much to her royal councilman Dramok’s embarrassment – especially since she’d practically yelled it in front of about a hundred dignitaries.

Feeling better about life in general, Tasha turned her grin to Narpok, a welcome addition to the family’s inner circle. “You Kalquorian women have it all over us, but you’ve been dressed to the teeth from birth.”

Narpok did look stunning. She was still too thin, but her dark skin had a healthy glow. Nur had taken it upon himself to give her a new hairstyle that accentuated her well-proportioned features and softened the haughty cast of her facial structure. Men stopped to look when Matara Narpok glided by.

Not that she seemed to care. Narpok preferred the company of the Earther Sonia, who’d been rescued from Maf’s secret camp. Sonia was now a resident of the Matara psychiatric wing with Narpok. Both women had off-site privileges, and it looked like Dr. Govi would soon upgrade them both to outpatient status. Sonia, thin but recovering, had been Narpok’s special guest at the event that day. She’d been invited back to Tasha’s residence along with Narpok and Jessica, but she’d demurred, saying she wanted to do a little shopping before curfew. The warmth Narpok had shown her as they parted had not been lost on Tasha.

Jessica picked up the velvet box from the table. She took out a small wall-mounted vid projector and clicked it on. A gold shield hovered in the air, one that matched the jeweled pendants that Tasha and Narpok wore on their necks.

Jessica read the inscription. “‘For valor and courage in service to the Empire’. Kalquor’s highest honor given for the first time to an Earther,” she said. “Along with Patty Donnel’s posthumous award.” She beamed at Tasha.

Tasha waved off the accolade. “Patty and Narpok earned theirs twice over. That was some brave shi—uh, stuff, lady.” Dressed, Tasha sat next to Narpok.

Narpok shrugged dismissively, but her smile was pleased. “I’m glad I woke up in time to earn it. Maybe I’ll get a chance to win another.” Her grin turned wicked with anticipation.

Jessica snorted. “You may get your wish since the Basma placed a bounty on your head. I wish you would reconsider moving to an apartment here when Govi releases you.”

Narpok gave her a look that was a curious mix of gratitude and stubbornness. “I have to stand on my own two feet, Jess. I have to prove it to myself that I can. Besides, I’ve got Global Security shadowing my every move. If they can’t keep me safe, no one can.”

An investigation had revealed that Maf had indeed established close relationships with three members of Global Security. The men had been removed from their posts. After being given the option of life imprisonment instead of execution for treason, the three officers had confessed to being in Maf’s employ and exposed two more of their number in the ranks. It was hoped that Kalquor’s premier enforcement agency was now clear of spies.

“I guess moving in the Royal House for the short term makes my clan a bunch of wimps,” Tasha said, sniffing with pretended offense. She didn’t mind living on Jessica’s dime so much as the overwhelming grandeur of the Royal House’s apartments. The place was the size of a cathedral and far too grandiose for Tasha’s tastes. Yet she and her clan had conceded the necessity of being under close guard once it became known they were at the top of Maf’s bounty list. Apparently he’d not taken his son’s clanning an Earther well at all … not to mention the whole clan fouling up his surprise attack.

Narpok stretched luxuriously and gave Tasha a confident smile. “Call me if that new batch of Royal Guards doesn’t do their jobs. I’ll be your bodyguard. And I’ll look good while I’m doing it.” She smoothed her manicured hand … courtesy of Nur … over the skirt of her fancy gown.

Jessica and Tasha laughed. They took what humor they could get. Despite Maf’s initial attack going awry, the Empire was in the throes of a full-blown civil war. The fighting on Kalquor had been rebuffed, but with one-third of the space fleet siding with the Basma, many of the traitorous ground troops had managed to get off the planet. They had numbered almost half of the Empire’s complement, and included a full quarter of the high commanders and half the commanders.

Most of the men who had thrown their lots in with Maf were soldiers. Almost all were unclanned Nobeks. It had been Emperor Egilka who had pointed out those men had little to no chance of attracting Earther mates. Many thought it was jealousy rather than agreeing with the Basma’s stance on an Earther-free Empire that led to the huge number of rebel fighters. Egilka and Jessica had begun to ask for discussions on changing the laws that stated only clans made up of the three male breeds could officially claim Mataras. Hundreds of women who had relationships with unclanned men or incomplete clans applauded the motion. The majority of the Royal Council, led by Dramok Terbal, were vehemently opposed to it, however.

Maf’s rebels had won a few strongholds. They had notably maintained their grip on Lobam. There had been heavy casualties during the Empire’s offensive on the moon and many loyal soldiers taken prisoner. Tasha’s friend Commander Bifen was among those missing, presumed captured. She worried over him, but with his history of escapes she thought he might be giving his guards fits.

The Basma had control of another of the five moons, along with a dozen colonies on the Joshadan and Galactic Council on Planets’ borders, where the fleet had not kept a more stringent presence. While Kalquor itself remained under Imperial control, attacks from underground resistance had become a deadly fact of life. No one could guess how many enemy agents remained within the military, ready to rally to Maf’s side should his forces gain an advantage over the home world.

Rumors were rampant of course. The most prevalent one that had cropped up as of late was that renegade Earthers had joined with Maf. There were battlecruisers still under the control of Earth’s deposed Holy Leader Browning Copeland flying through space and causing trouble. It had been alleged with some certainty that Copeland and the Basma had worked together before, so that piece of gossip had gained a lot of ground.

The women had fallen quiet as they mused over the state of the Empire. The three of them watched Noelle as she tried to teach her vid animals a new trick: juggling balls. Since Noelle couldn’t juggle herself, none of the simulations did very well. The silence was interrupted from time to time by muffled snickers as the vid pets ate the balls, kicked them around, or ignored them altogether. Noelle’s face turned red with frustration.

Jessica suddenly asked, “How is Wekniz? He looked happy during the award ceremony. Well, happy for a Nobek.”

Two days prior, Wekniz’s parents had been convicted of treason. Since they had elected to give a large amount of information against the Basma and other traitors, none were sentenced to execution.

Tasha said, “Wekniz is fine. He’d given up on his parent clan long ago. His fathers being sent off to a prison camp for life is humiliating, but I think he feels free now.”

“His mother is under house arrest, also for life. Will he visit her?”

“He says no. She was as guilty as the rest. He won’t let me meet her either. She and his fathers have ceased to exist as far as he’s concerned.”

Wekniz had gone as far as to testify against his parents during the trial. Since he had made it a point to remain as ignorant of their activities as possible, he hadn’t been able to give much information. Yet him staring the clan down and denouncing them in a voice filled with painful fury had gone a long way towards easing the minds of those who questioned the clanning of an Imperial cousin to the sons of known traitors.

“I bet the mother’s sentence gets commuted in a couple of years,” Narpok said, curling her legs under her. She looked like a contented cat. “Everyone knows we Mataras must be handled delicately.”

“Only because the men don’t want us handing them their asses – oh shoot.” Jessica clapped a hand over her mouth as she glanced at Noelle.

“Potty mouth,” the child reprimanded in an uncaring tone.

Narpok rolled her eyes towards the high ceilings with their intricate molding. “Give it a couple of centuries of growing the population with hybrids. All that special treatment will come to an end. We’ll have equality for women in the worst ways possible.” She gave an exaggerated shudder. “Next thing you know, we’ll be expected to make our own money and pay our own way.”

She made a horrified face that had Jessica and Tasha laughing hard. Narpok liked to make jokes about being entitled. They knew she had plans for herself though, plans that did not include joining any clan. The young woman was determined to make her own future, once she decided what shape it would take. Fortunately, she had a hefty inheritance that would allow her to get the best training in whatever field she decided to try.

Jessica returned to the subject of Tasha’s clan. “I’m glad the court saw fit to give Nur’s fathers a suspended sentence.”

Tasha’s spirits lifted further. “We were all relieved about that. Their Nobek has been dismissed from his position in law enforcement, but the other two kept their jobs with the pharmaceutical company.”

“That’s a shame about the Nobek though.”

“Lindsey’s mate Japohn offered him a position at his training facility. I think he’s going to take it.”

“Excellent!” Jessica beamed. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”

Tasha nodded with pleasure. “With Maf’s influence gone from everyone’s lives ... well, at least our personal lives ... my clan can finally start functioning normally. When people aren’t glaring at Falinset like he’s Maf’s secret agent, that is.”

“People can shut up. Falinset was cleared in open court of having any active involvement with Maf’s schemes.”

As usual, Jessica’s temper rose with typical protectiveness over those she identified as family. While she’d been initially taken aback at the announcement that Tasha had joined Clan Falinset, she’d soon been won over by the three men.