Dark Stranger Read online

“What do you want me to tell them, Doc?”

  He thought for a moment. “Is the head Asi for us or against us?”

  “I get the impression that he doesn’t think it’s in their best interest to attack humans at this moment.”

  “That’s as much as we can ask for. Tell him we don’t want a fight, at this moment.” Then he rubbed his heavy jaw and added, “Let the boss know that we’ve got his back.”

  “For now? You have to be very specific when speaking to the Asi.”

  “For now it is. Tell him.”

  Zoe tried not to consider the implications of what the general meant by this attempt at an alliance, as he was the one in command. She took a deep breath, made a small bow to the alien leader, and spoke Doc’s message in the Asi’s buzzing, clicking language.

  A wave of shock went through the alien crowd, and the Asi momentarily stood still as stones. While the aliens were flummoxed, Doc grabbed her hand.

  “Let’s go.”

  He set a slow, unconcerned pace until they were out of sight of the Asi. Zoe matched him step by stately step. Once they were certain no one saw them, they sprinted back to the human section of the prison, still holding hands.

  When Zoe noticed, she stepped away and concentrated on business.

  “Was it wise to offer an alliance to an embattled leader?” she ventured to ask. They were in the central plaza once more.

  Raven shrugged. “Can you think of a better time to do it?”

  “That would depend on what you want from the Asi,” she pointed out.

  “I’m not sure I know yet. What I do know is that their current leadership hasn’t given us any trouble. We can’t afford trouble.”

  Yep, Zoe thought, we need a quiet life down here.

  She took another step away from the general to keep him from knowing that she was shivering with dread. She hated being down here.

  “You will adapt,” her commander promised.

  She doubted he’d had to use any telepathy. “Thank you.”

  They stood looking at each other, until Zoe finally remembered there were other people in the plaza.

  Disconcerted, she began, “Sir, I—”

  “Let’s find you somewhere to stay, shall we?”

  The next thing she knew, his arm was around her shoulders again. It seemed to belong there. She liked the feeling of being tucked against his side. His hard muscles and earthy scent were a reassuring anchor in the darkness.

  They walked together up one of the long ramps that circled above the plaza floor, and Doc turned them into the entrance of a corridor several levels up.

  They passed plenty of people along the way. Some lurked in shadows; most congregated beneath the dim and widely spaced lights. Zoe couldn’t help but notice the hard looks she received from several of the women, even though they were always surrounded by a group of men.

  Her first reaction was an appalling jolt of jealousy, a possessive fear of losing Raven’s attention. She knew it was just the darkness playing on her nerves. He made her feel safe, and she needed to feel safe on a totally primal level.

  In the most basic way, Doc was the most alpha male in the place. It was easy for the female prisoners to gather their own harems when they were so outnumbered by males, but maybe it was Doc’s harem they jockeyed to be part of.

  Zoe didn’t deny an attraction to the general, but would she be interested in him in another time or place? She doubted she would ever get the chance to find out.

  “Here we are,” Doc said.

  Zoe came out of her reverie to see that they’d reached a small carved-out hole in the charcoal gray wall at the farthest end of a meagerly lit corridor. Blackness gaped beyond the small opening.

  She gave him a panicked look. “That’s a cave.”

  “So it is.” He stepped away from her and gestured at the low opening. “You’ll appreciate the amenities.”

  She peered briefly inside. “There are no amenities.”

  “Use your imagination. That’s what we all do.”

  She laughed, and knew that she would like him no matter where they were.

  She cleared her throat. “Are there, uh, sanitary—”

  He pointed to the very end of the corridor, not far away. “The plumbing is about the only decent thing our landlords have provided. At least they don’t stink. The Kril keep us on a water ration so we limit showers to once a week. Laundry’s done a lot less often. There is a hall officer—the first doorway on the right off the ramp. Report to Lieutenant Athenou for further instructions and let her know that you’ll be working with me. Actually, you can report to her right now,” he added as someone walked toward them through the gloom.

  The woman who approached them was as bald as General Raven, but her shaved head didn’t lessen her attractiveness. In fact, it heightened the effect of her high cheekbones and large eyes. She was underweight for her tall frame, but that was the norm around here. She wore cut-off camo shorts and a stained halter top. Zoe could detect no rank markings on the newcomer’s skimpy clothing.

  “I hear you have a new one for the concierge level, Doc,” she said as she stopped in front of them.

  Athenou gave Zoe a sharp once-over that caused Zoe to move farther away from the general.

  Zoe wondered if she should salute—then finally recalled that naval officers didn’t salute when meeting indoors, no matter what the service or rank differences were. What was the use of having all those data implants if she forgot to use them?

  Then again, the Kril might monitor all energy usage in the underground prison. Detecting use of the implants might be difficult, but it wouldn’t be impossible. Better to simply work with the brain and sense nature gave her than to run any risks.

  “Lieutenant JG Maria Athenou, meet First Lieutenant Zoe Pappas, also navy, also of Terra.”

  So now I know that I outrank her, should the subject come up.

  Athenou’s sharp expression dissolved into a friendly grin, and she spoke in rapid Greek.

  Zoe laughed in response, but answered in Standard to the flow of information. “You left Santorini to move here?” she teased. “What were you thinking, sister?” She gestured toward her recently assigned hole in the wall. “With the housing costs in New Constanz this place is certainly more affordable. But Santorini …”

  She and Athenou laughed while Doc looked puzzled. “You two are sharing Terran humor and a bonding moment, right?” Both women turned their attention to him. “I can see you want to share girl talk,” he told them. “Come see me when you get Lieutenant Pappas squared away, Maria.”

  “That I will, Doc.”

  From the purr in Athenou’s voice and the look the two exchanged Zoe could tell that the pair shared more than just a professional relationship.

  Good, Zoe thought, though for an intense moment she hated Athenou. But she had every intention of being this woman’s friend. She didn’t have the option of being anyone’s rival for a man anyway.

  “Are you really from New Constanz?” Athenou asked when they were alone.

  “That I am,” Zoe answered. They both spoke Greek now.

  “That’s where I went to university.”

  “I used to have an apartment in the university district.”

  Athenou shook her head. “How often do you meet someone not only from the same world but the same area?”

  “Not often,” Zoe conceded. This rarity was a sweet coincidence, one that could help ease the strangeness and loneliness of this place for both of them.

  She went into the little cave when Maria gestured, and the two of them settled down on the floor for a long talk. After a while, Zoe even began to get used to the darkness.

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  6

  “Here comes another one, Zoe.”

  “I don’t want to know.”

  “Yeah, but this one’s cute.”

  Zoe continued to squint at the datapad in the diffuse light of the plaza. She was determined to make the device do what she
wanted, even if she had more willpower than mechanical skill to work with.

  “You said that the last time,” Zoe reminded Maria. “He was more desperate than cute.”

  “They’re all desperate—even the cute ones.“

  Zoe sighed. “To think I used to have trouble getting dates. I miss that.”

  Maria laughed softly, as theirs was a whispered conversation as they sat with their backs propped against the stone wall. Zoe had gotten used to the slight dampness permeating the rock behind them.

  The plaza was crowded today. One group of people were exercising, another was involved in some sort of football game Zoe didn’t recognize. A choir was practicing on the ramp. People were mingling, some just chatting, others conducting mating rituals. They all had too much time on their hands no matter how they tried to fill it.

  Maria Athenou was spending most of her time studying the hubbub. Zoe sat beside her and worked as they chatted. Every now and then the two women were approached by males. Maria accepted the attention as her due. Though she’d been in Camp Five nearly a week, Zoe hadn’t yet gotten into the social rhythm. She found the constant sexual tension irritating and distracting. The general had given her work to do and her sense of duty helped keep everything else at bay; Maria’s friendship also steadied her. Zoe was certain she and Maria would hit it off no matter where they met.

  Because she knew she needed to blend in, she’d finally let Maria cajole her into spending some downtime in the communal gathering place of the plaza after days—if they could be called days in the constant dimness—of trying to put together a report about the Asi culture on the barely functioning datapad Raven had given her.

  “This time I really mean it about his being cute,” Maria whispered.

  “You take him, then.”

  “I’ve got plenty.”

  Zoe finally looked up when Maria nudged her sharply in the ribs.

  The young man who approached had let his hair grow into shoulder-length black dreadlocks. His skin was a light cocoa shade, and he had a dusting of freckles across a turned-up nose. When he squatted in front of them she noticed that his eyes were a light coppery brown. His smile was eager and altogether charming.

  Maria was correct about his being cute.

  He also seemed so young, even if he was probably no more than a couple of years her junior. “How long have you been here?” she asked him before he had the chance to speak.

  “Fourteen months!” came his snapped reply.

  Zoe thought he was about to stand up and salute. “I didn’t mean to sound so firm,” she told him. When his smile made a tentative reappearance, she smiled back. This was a mistake, as it only encouraged him.

  “Sergeant Cary Siler,” he said, introducing himself. They responded with names and ranks. He glanced at Maria. “I know you’re officers, but we don’t stand on formality here, do we?”

  “No, we don’t,” she answered.

  This gave him the permission he needed to concentrate on Zoe. “What have you got there?” he asked. “It looks like a piece of junk.”

  Since Siler sounded more interested in the object than in her, Zoe held up the datapad for his inspection. “I’m trying to input a report and a basic Asi dictionary on a pad that was designed for medical use. It isn’t cooperating.”

  “Why Asi language?” Maria asked.

  “Because no one has come up with that universal translator linguists keep trying for, and the general could use some basic Asi.”

  “Why? He’s got you.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “In a way, there is a universal translator,” Siler put in. “There are data implants that download languages right into people’s brains.”

  “Yeah, but only a few people in the whole Empire are allowed to have those,” Maria said.

  Zoe couldn’t help but respond to the hint of bitterness in her friend’s tone. “That’s because the implant surgery is delicate and dangerous, and the devices and the training to use them are ruinously expensive.” She held up the datapad. “Meanwhile, what we have to work with is this piece o’ crap.”

  “Can I have a look? I’m a ’puter tech,” Siler offered.

  “I’m delighted for any assistance,” she said and passed the datapad to him.

  The grateful look he gave her was so fervent she wondered how long it was since anyone made him feel needed.

  He poked around the insides of the little device for a few minutes before he said, “My partner and I have some scrounged components that we can use to upgrade this.” There was a hopeful gleam in his eye when he gestured toward the other side of the plaza. “Maybe you and I can go talk to Mischa about what you need, Zoe.”

  Even if the offer was a come-on, maybe the tech boys could help her. At least Cary Siler was into sharing. “Sure,” she said. Zoe reached out a hand and let Siler help her to her feet. Maria snickered softly behind her.

  “You’ll like Mischa,” he told her as they began to cross the plaza. “He’s a genius. We’ve been together since I showed up here. We’re both into stability.”

  “Why are you telling me this when we’ve just met?” she asked.

  He flashed her his boyish smile again. It went very well with the freckles and bright eyes. “Mischa and I saw you when you first came in. We liked the way you talked to the general. We think you’ll like us, and we want to invite you to make our partnership a triad. Mischa says we should court you, but what chance does a pair of geeks have against every male in the camp if we don’t strike first?”

  Zoe nodded. “I see your reasoning, and I like your initiative.”

  “And my honesty?” he asked hopefully. “Is my honesty endearing?”

  It was, actually. She noticed that other than a momentary clasp of her hand when he’d helped her to her feet he was not touching her. They were walking at least two feet apart. He wasn’t the sort to make overt physical overtures.

  “I appreciate honesty,” she answered carefully. “I’ll be honest in turn.” As honest as was possible, at least. “I’m new here. I’m still disoriented and I’m still learning the rules. It has never occurred to me to be involved in a multiple-partner arrangement. I see the value of it here, but I need to wrap my head around the idea. Until I’m more comfortable with the realities of camp life, I intend to observe rather than participate in the—um—communal activities.”

  He did not seem discouraged. “At least you haven’t flat-out said no.” He held up the datapad. “And Mischa and I really can help you with this. We need to do something useful.”

  “So do I.”

  He smiled again. “See? We’re perfect for each other.”

  “Don’t push it, sergeant.”

  His answering laugh was cut off as one of the footballers crashed into his shoulder and sent him sprawling. He kept a tight hold on the datapad as he fell. Zoe and the player hastened to help him up.

  Zoe looked around to discover that this commotion had drawn a great deal of attention. Just what she didn’t need. Worse, the group gathered around them was all male. Males with hungry eyes, radiating the hunting instincts of a wolf pack.

  She faced the ones in front of her calmly. She was half tempted to grab Siler’s arm and look lovingly into his eyes, but that would be using him, and she just couldn’t do it. And she doubted any show of prior interest would do any good. It might even get Siler injured.

  The ball player stepped protectively—or possessively—in front of her. “What’s up, Everard?” He addressed the alpha male of the group.

  “Excuse us,” Siler said, also to Everard. “Let us through, please.” He sounded scared.

  No one budged to let them by. After a tense moment, the ball player was roughly pushed aside. While he scuffled with a couple of the pack, their leader stepped up to Zoe. Everard was big and good-looking and far too aware of it.

  He looked her over with a critical eye, and a sneer. “You’ll have to do.”

  She returned the sneer. “Is this the point where
I ask, ‘Do for what’? And you reply with something sexually crude? If so, let’s skip along to the part where I ask you to let us pass, you refuse, and I rip your liver out.”

  She spoke in a calm, professional manner, and received the jeers and hoots of laughter she expected. Was confronting Everard going to make her friends or enemies among the general population?

  Why couldn’t people just leave her alone?

  Siler and the ballplayer had been hustled away from her, and she was now completely surrounded by Everard’s gang. Someone grabbed her from behind. Everard’s hand reached for her breasts. She prepared to fight.

  “What have I said about you boys playing nice?” General Raven asked.

  7

  Raven had been expecting this. Too many hormones and not enough to do with them caused an incident every couple of months. Things went on that he didn’t catch, but his occasional reminders about discipline seemed to help.

  He wasn’t surprised that Lieutenant Pappas was at the center of the harassment. “You’re just a magnet for trouble, aren’t you?” he asked Zoe as he pushed a pair of men aside to reach her.

  “’Ten hun !” someone finally thought to shout.

  “All I want is a quiet life,” she responded as the group around her moved away. Then she came to attention.

  The men formed themselves into a ragged, resentful line. Those not involved in the incident melted out of the plaza.

  Raven stood beside Zoe and looked them over in stern silence until more than half of them looked ashamed of themselves. Once he was certain he had their contrition, he said, “The laws and customs of the Byzant Empire will be observed by the citizens of the Empire no matter what the circumstances. The military codes of conduct are also in force. Remember who you are, remember what you are: soldiers and sailors of the Empire. Forget about where you are and be who you are. We will remain civilized.

  “As a reminder, the rules governing sexual encounters are as follows: No always means no. Ask nicely. No coercion will be tolerated. Unless”—he swept his gaze over the cringing men one by one—“you want me to personally rip your balls off. Corporal Arco?”