Moondust And Madness Page 3

  Varian’s sapphire eyes revealed stormy lights. “You’d think Ryker’s appetite for revenge would be sated by now. How much misery and blood does he want from me? Shara murdered my parents seven years ago. I can’t help it if she then killed herself. For certain, one day, Ryker and I will be forced to end this lingering war. Then I’ll go to the Androas Empire and confront Kadim Maal and settle that old score. I need to get both of them off Grandfather’s back. He’s getting old, and he’s suffered enough because of the Triloni family. He still talks about Mother every time I visit him. I know it must have been hard to lose his only child, my mother. Amaya Saar was so beautiful and gentle. Why do such tragedies happen, Nigel? And why do I have to be punished for them? I need to stop the accidents I’ve been having for years. I want to find a special woman, marry her, settle down on Altair, and raise sons.”

  As Varian’s mind dreamily roamed to his privately owned planetoid, Altair, which orbited the capital planet of Rigel where his citizenship rested, Nigel grimaced in shared anguish. Why were these memories plaguing his friend tonight? Because of their conversation over uncontrollable events? Or because of the beautiful, sunny-haired Earthling named Jana Greyson? If Nigel had ever seen or imagined a bewitching goddess, Jana was surely one. Still, Nigel was surprised that Jana inspired dreams of home, a wife, children, and military retirement in the adventurous and roguish Varian Saar. The starship commander had made no secret of his vow to never mate with an alien female and mix Saar blood in another half-alien bastard. And in Varian’s eyes, children born of a union with a “captive mate” were not legitimate heirs. Besides, he could not imagine buying a mate!

  It seemed obvious that Varian did not view Jana Greyson in the same light as he viewed Ryker’s mother. Princess Shara Triloni had been an exquisite alien creature from another galaxy, a ravishing temptress who had nearly ripped apart Varian’s world, a green-eyed blonde whose actions had provoked the fierce hatred and hostilities in Ryker and Maal Triloni. Now, her evil bastard son was in a position of great power and wealth, exceeded only by a few males in this sector of space. Ryker’s private planetoid, Darkar, was beyond the authority or conquest of any galactic alliance, law, and power. Nigel knew Varian was not asking him questions he wanted answered, for most had no answers. He knew his friend needed to clear his head and appease his anguish. Nigel waited and listened patiently for Varian to finish his dark and painful trek into the past.

  “It all seems so long ago, Nigel, yet almost like yesterday. If I had been at Grandfather’s home on Eire that day, Shara would have slain me too. I’m glad he buried them before I returned home. I was told that Shara used a laser knife countless times on Mother. It seems Shara planned to kill Mother, then use her potions to entrap Father again. She even called her magical powder Moondust. He said when Father arrived and attempted to stop Shara, she went wild and slashed him numerous times. I suppose she decided to kill herself when she realized she had slain the man who had been the object of her obsession for twenty-three years. Even mad, Shara was clever. She took poison to prevent spoiling her beauty with bloody wounds. They should have cremated that alien witch’s body before releasing it to be displayed in a glass case by her father! Eternal beauty and youth—she doesn’t deserve them even in death! Would you believe Shara’s note said it was all done for love of my father and her bastard son?”

  Varian snarled coldly, “No Triloni knows the meaning of the word! I wish I could prove Ryker plotted and ordered my parents’ deaths.”

  “Jana reminds you of Shara, doesn’t she?” Nigel asked in dread. “They have the same colorings, and they’re both from alien galaxies. Is it necessary to say Jana is nothing like that alien enchantress Princess Shara?”

  She’s enough like her to carry out my new scheme, Varian said to himself. Knowing how impressed Nigel was with Jana, he would not expose that plan to his science officer just yet. “Don’t worry about Jana, Nigel. I’m concentrating on defeating Ryker and succeeding in this mission. If it’s a lethal confrontation he wants, so be it.”

  “Until you obtain indisputable evidence that Ryker is plotting against you or our Alliance with his grandfather or Supreme Ruler Jurad Tabriz of the Pyropean Galaxy, your hands are bound,” Nigel warned.

  An ominous grin traveled Varian’s face and settled in his rich blue gaze. “Not for long, old friend. I have two men secretly working for my brother on Darkar. All I need is to lure Ryker out of Trilabs and off his planetoid for a few days. Once my men have the facts, Ryker can be dealt with once and for all.”

  “How do you plan to lure him away from Trilabs and his work?” Nigel inquired skeptically. “It’s rare for him to leave Darkar, or to trust anyone.”

  “My bait will be Jana Greyson,” Varian replied. “Don’t you see how clever my scheme is? Trap another Saar with another green-eyed alien enchantress. I’ll order Martella to send out publicity on Jana’s enormous talents, beauty, charms, and intelligence. Martella is the perfect trainer for the charls, and she’s a member of the Elite Squad like myself. We report only to the Council. Besides, Grandfather personally selected and assigned her to this mission. She’ll know how to handle this plan wisely and carefully, and she’ll agree to help me capture Ryker.”

  Nigel wanted to refute Varian’s impressions about the serious-minded First Lieutenant Martella Karsh. From talks with the sixty-year-old woman, Nigel knew that Martella did not approve of her part in the enthralling project and was actively seeking ways to change the charl laws. Also, Martella was greatly impressed by Jana Greyson and would surely resent being ordered to use the helpless woman in such a cruel manner. Although Martella’s fiery hair was gradually turning gray, the superior officer had a temper and personality to match that once-flaming head of curly hair, and Martella wisely and skillfully kept them under control ninety-nine percent of the time.

  Varian explained his ruse. “By the time we arrive at our first auction on Zamarra, Ryker should be consumed with curiosity about a unique alien enchantress who’s not only ravishing but is also a research scientist like himself and holds the only elite position on my list of charls. When Ryker views Jana’s pictures and reads about her many qualities—which I’ll make certain he does—he’ll be forced to check her out. He’ll want to see if Jana is another Shara who can be used against another Saar. This mission has been a gut-wrencher, Nigel, so we should make some valuable use of it. Maybe that will make up for our having to abduct and sell these women, and for having to kill those two villains when we captured Jana. If we can’t save her world, maybe she can help us save our own galaxy.”

  Nigel was stunned by this clever, but pernicious scheme. “Is that why you captured her and agreed to her special training? Not because of me and Tris?” he asked.

  “As soon as you showed me her tapes and told me about her,” Varian confessed, “this plan came to me, but I rejected it. I decided to capture Jana and consented to her special training based on your and Tris’s advice to use her as the focus for our cover mission. Displaying a rare goddess at each stop will provide a logical reason for avatars being drawn to our auctions so I can safely pass along those info tapes. Who would be watching me with a distraction like Jana Greyson nearby? I was going to rescue her from Earth’s doom regardless of her appeal as bait for Ryker’s defeat. But the more I watched those tapes and read her file, the more I realized my idea could succeed. You believe in fate. Maybe fate led Jana to us for several reasons. I hate to trick her, but any risk is worth taking to earn such a victory.”

  “What if Ryker doesn’t take your bait?” Nigel inquired sullenly. He knew how desperately Varian wanted to defeat Ryker for himself and the Maffei Alliance, but this plot was dangerous for all concerned, especially for Jana.

  Varian reasoned aloud, “I’ve considered that angle too. As you and Tris suggested, Jana will be sold last on Rigel, but at a special auction befitting her superiority over most females in all galaxies combined. She’ll accompany me at each planet and auction along the way. On
my arm, she’s the perfect lure. In fact, I think she’s the only one who can draw Ryker into my trap. I’ll see to it Jana isn’t harmed. She’s too rare, and I didn’t rescue her from her world to let her die in mine. Ryker’s sly and intelligent; this may be my only chance to defeat him.”

  “I know what you’ve got in mind, Varian, don’t do it,” Nigel gravely beseeched. “After you flaunt Jana for weeks, Ryker might take your bait and bid the highest for her. You know your behavior will snag his interest, not Jana’s beauty or intelligence or science background. What then? Ryker legally qualifies as a bidder. Even if he is Maal’s sole heir, he’s become a citizen of Maffei and he’s single. He’s also very rich. If he purchased Jana, you couldn’t refuse to hand her over to him. And he hates you. Don’t let Ryker think he can make you suffer by injuring or destroying an innocent woman.”

  Varian stressed, “I told you, I’ll protect Jana from Ryker. But I must convince Ryker that I’m blindly fascinated by her—luring him away from Darkar so my agents can obtain the evidence and opportunity we need to arrest him. You think about the consequences of my failure, Nigel. You know Ryker’s dark desires: my life, my holdings, the Saar name and rank. He also wants to hurt Grandfather for preventing Galen from marrying Shara and legitimizing him. You know our laws: a blood heir inherits everything, and there’s no denying Ryker Triloni is Galen Saar’s son and my half brother. If Tirol is slain or dies, I inherit the Trygue estate as I did the Saar estate. If I was killed, that would give Ryker the Saar, Trygue, and Triloni fortunes, powers, and positions. Can you envision that mad devil with such awesome wealth and strengths?”

  Varian inhaled and exhaled heavily. He stood up and flexed his tall, supple body. He went to the servo for a refreshing drink for Nigel and himself, then he sat on the divan and propped up his feet. He slowly sipped the beverage as he reminisced about his stormy past.

  There were episodes which he wished he could rewrite. In the midst of many had been the beautiful alien witch Shara. Now, fate had offered a path to equity through another alien beauty. “Poetic justice,” he murmured to himself, then prayed he was making the right decision for all involved in his scheme.

  Varian wondered if Ryker still carried the scar on his right shoulder and jawline from the knife wounds he had received during one of their worst fights. If Nigel had not intervened, Varian shuddered to think what might have happened. That had been long ago, and Varian had learned to conceal his warring emotions and to master his violent reactions to his nemesis.

  A nemesis? his mind challenged. Besides Ryker, there was Kadim Maal Triloni of the Androas Galaxy, ruler of the Androas Empire, wanting revenge for his daughter’s grim fate and his grandson’s misery. Then there was Supreme Ruler Jurad Tabriz of the Pyropean Federation, head of the Pyropean Galaxy. As with Maal, Jurad had been in on this twist of fate from the beginning.

  The two neighboring rulers had requested permission for Princess Shara Triloni to be allowed to travel through the Maffei Galaxy from the Androas Empire to the Pyropean Federation, as the Maffei Alliance was positioned between them and the route around the Maffei Galaxy would add months to her journey. Naturally the Alliance Force had refused to permit alien starships to cross her territory, as neither ruler was trusted. But as a gesture of goodwill, Kadim Tirol Trygue had offered to deliver Jurad’s promised consort to the edge of the Pyropean Galaxy. Tirol had given the weighty assignment to his much loved and respected son-in-law, Galen Saar: notable starship captain of the Galactic Gem and supreme commander of the Alliance Forces.

  Trouble had struck almost immediately following the departure of Galen Saar and Shara Triloni. The ravishing and willful princess instantly decided she preferred the handsome and virile Galen to the “repulsive barbarian” Jurad. It was a known fact that Tirol was grooming Galen for a seat on the Supreme Council and eventually for the rank of kadim. Shara selfishly resolved to have all she wanted or needed through seducing Galen. During the first week of their ill-fated trek, Shara had gone to work on entrancing the mind and body of Galen with her hypnotic drugs. Neither Galen nor his crew realized what was happening to him until it was too late: Shara had brought him under her mesmerizing control and had seduced him. As days passed and it became noticeable that Galen was spending too much time with the alien princess who was betrothed to another man, Chief Medical Officer Tristan Zarcoff started an investigation into the matter.

  Upon discovering the secret affair between Galen and Shara, Tristan realized that Galen was functioning in a near hypnotic state induced by a potion which had been outlawed. Tristan had formulated an antidote, and ended Shara’s enslaving control.

  Galen had been enraged by the woman’s deceit and his uncontrollable submission to her plans and wanton desires. He had refused to complete the voyage, suspecting Shara would pull the same trick on Jurad, then take over his Pyropean Federation and join it to her father’s Androas Empire, supplying them the power and means to crush Maffei between them. Galen and Tristan had no trouble convincing Tirol of Shara’s treachery and possible future threat if she wed Jurad. Tirol was the one who met with Jurad and related Shara’s evil to the supreme ruler, who refused to believe him, and accused Galen and Tirol and the Alliance Force of treachery.

  Matters had become worse when Shara not only humiliated Jurad by refusing to marry him when she was brought back to her father but she also publicly announced she was pregnant by Galen Saar. Shara had proclaimed undying love for Galen and pride in bearing his child. But she had also vowed innocence in the drug charges against her; instead, she had sworn that Galen Saar had seduced her and had promised to marry her as soon as he could rid himself of Tirol’s daughter, Amaya!

  Kadim Maal Triloni had demanded that Galen divorce his beloved wife, Amaya, and marry his daughter Shara. Galen and Tirol had rejected such an incredible demand, and had raised countercharges of treachery. Maal would not believe the accusation against his daughter; or if he was a party to it, he would not admit it. The further her pregnancy progressed and the longer Galen refused to even speak to her, the deeper into madness she went. Until finally Maal was forced to confine her to prevent her from harming herself and the unborn Androas heir. The man’s hatred increased over the years.

  So had Jurad’s, for he had lost his valuable bride to Galen Saar and his dream of obtaining the Androas Empire through her. Jurad had been forced to settle on a marriage to Brea Ylor, daughter of his most elite planetary ruler. Although beautiful and gentle, Brea had lacked the intelligence and strong character which Jurad had desired in a wife. Brea had died six years after her marriage while giving birth to their second child. Jurad had not mourned poor Brea for she had fulfilled his need for her—a male heir.

  Both Jurad and Maal blamed and hated Tirol for believing Galen and protecting him from their vengeance. Seven years ago, the insane Androas princess had escaped her father’s confinement and murdered Galen and Amaya Saar. Maal and Ryker had claimed innocence in aiding Shara’s escape and grisly crimes.

  Now, at every available opportunity, Ryker or Maal or Jurad took their hatred out on Galen’s son and heir.

  Silence filled the room while Varian reflected upon the twists of fate. Watching him, the ship’s first officer was tense and troubled. Nigel wondered if Varian understood stood the perils and costs involved in recklessly creating another deadly triangle…involving another beautiful woman…

  Chapter Two

  Varian was too keyed up to sleep after Nigel left. He decided to go to the gym and exercise. He changed into an ocean-blue T-back tank top and sweat pants. First, he wanted to check on Dr. Tristan Zarcoff’s progress. He arrived at the medical laboratory to find Tristan at the data acquisition-input system entering the results of his examinations of captive females. Tristan glanced up and smiled at Varian, the son of his past commander, a very special man like Galen Saar had been.

  Not wishing to interrupt Tristan’s concentration, Varian nodded and entered the adjoining alcove. All alien females were kept sedated
during this initial period of the capture process; it was easier on them and the medical staff. Varian ignored two forms sleeping on stretchers to concentrate on the lovely Earthling who was to unsuspectingly aid his mission and scheme. Varian smiled at the rangy doctor of fifty-eight who joined him.

  “All finished?” Varian inquired, leaning against the wall. Varian had always admired and respected this man, with whom he shared an easy, warm rapport. Besides intelligence and loyalty, Tristan had a pleasing disposition and spotless character. Varian couldn’t imagine his own character without the good and steady influences of Nigel Sanger and Tristan Zarcoff.

  “They’ve all been through the decontamination process and initial testings. I have these three exams to complete,” Tristan remarked. “I was about to return to the lab. Did you need to see me for something?”

  “Just checking everything before I turn in.” When Tristan eyed his outfit, Varian shrugged and clarified, “After a little exercise and a cool shower. How long will you be? I might check back after I visit the gym.”