"I'm awake, I'm awake! Kiss me so I can open my eyes, d.a.m.n it, I'll explain later."

"Okay, my sleeping princess, come awake." He leaned down and gently caressed her lips with his.

"You know this one," she accused as she opened her eyes, smiled mistily at him, and then stretched and whispered hoa.r.s.ely. "And Sleeping Beauty awakens to true loves first kiss. The beginning."

After three seconds of stunned silence, everyone began laughing, talking, crying and congratulating one another and in general, acting as if she had left the room.

"Water, please," she croaked, completely ignored.

"Water," she asked again even louder. Nothing.

"Zorroc, water now!" she blasted into his mind. He finally rushed to do her bidding.

* * * * "Where did you find her?" Zorroc demanded. He could not remember the last time he slept and now he had been summoned to direct the interrogation of Zana. "In the Women Dorm, she had not been expecting us; we found her inflagrante delicto with Sandra," Prolinc commented with a cynical smirk. "I consider you most fortunate for escaping that one."

"Both of them, you mean. Why did it take so long to capture her?" Zorroc asked.

Prolinc shrugged and admitted, "We have held her for three days deciding she could wait, while Catarina could not. Now that she is out of danger and your heir is safe, your judgment and questions will be wiser."

He was right of course. He almost looked forward to his final confrontation with the House of Tinz.

"Ah Divo, I see you are ready to greet your former betrothed. And how is our little Nadia?" Zana sneered expectantly.

"She does not know," Zorroc mindspoke to Prolinc.

"She knows nothing," he confirmed.

"You tried to kill my sister but like the warped quiver you are, you missed your target. As a result you caused no ones demise but my fathers...and your own," he conceded sardonically.

Zana started. She had expected rage, tormented accusations and dementia, anything but his calm facade of relaxed control. She grew enraged but continued to smile. "You should thank me, Zorroc, for making you Divo. Of course, that had not exactly been my plan, my father should have succeeded yours, but I was not quite fast enough with his demise while you, my betrothed, proved too fast. I did not realize the inroads you had made in a.s.suming your father's duties. In truth, I considered you no more than a pampered boy. No one was more surprised than I when you ascended to Divo. I should have finished your father a full year earlier but I did not want the poison detected, a small miscalculation but one that would have been easily remedied with our mating. You see, as soon as I had conceived an heir, you would have met with a fatal accident, leaving my father as temporary Divo until my child could inherit the t.i.tle." She expelled a sigh, "I guess it is too much to ask that your mouse of a mate was the one who ingested the poison; that would have been truly lovely."

As Zorroc began to lunge, Prolinc telepathed, "It is just what she wants and, the only stinger she has left. Do you want to swell with her barb?"

Zorroc immediately drew back, once again grateful for Prolinc's timely intervention. "Do you have any last words before your execution?"

"You may have killed my father but I cannot die," she stated, with insane certainty. Before he could react, a fireball of kinetic energy came hurtling toward him only to disappear inches from his face with Zana's incineration.

Zorroc turned and stared open mouthed at his friend.

Prolinc shrugged and crossed his arms in front of his ma.s.sive chest. "She was not immortal, after all," he stated smugly, then smiled and added, "I believe your mate is awaiting you and I too am expected elsewhere."

Chapter Twenty.

"How far out are they?" Zorroc demanded as he entered the makeshift Strat-room. He had been sleeping soundly with Catarina on his mat, where she belonged, curled into him like a kitten when the alarm sounded.

In the week following her staged awakening, Cat rapidly gained the weight needed to nourish their offspring and with it, the return of her color and energy. She demanded answers about the poison, the health of her offspring and the status of Zana. She guiltily admitted relief upon hearing of her demise and expressed surprise that Nadia had been the target. Who could harm someone so sweet natured and intrinsically kind? Zana had been like a termite infested tree looking fine and healthy on the outside but completely rotted inside. Nadia, he confided, did not seem to garner that she had been the intended target and Zorroc refused to bring the point home to her. In the end it did not matter, the threat to her had disintegrated.

The most profound revelation shimmered to life the night before, as the family gathered for the evening meal. Dressed in a gossamer iridescent gold and silver, floor length gown-slightly resembling a pregnant candle flame-Catarina delivered her coup de grace.

"Has it occurred to anyone that your father, in fact, did not die of a broken heart?" She paused to ensure she had his attention. "And that his love for your mother did not cause or even hasten his decline and death but, rather, his love for you both kept him anch.o.r.ed here fighting to remain with the children he adored?" she proposed and took a sip of her soup. "Umm, this soup is heavenly, what's in it?" Before anyone could utter a sound, she amended. "No, scratch that question, it's better if I don't know. So what do you think?"

"About the soup or the bomb you just leveled," Zorroc managed.

"I thought it more in the way of a torpedo, you know, the heat seeking kind that follows you around until it finds its mark," Cat volleyed back.

"I would describe it more along the lines of a Sleeper," Nadia added conversationally.

Zorroc indeed felt gutted. Everything about his father's death and his relationship with his mother, their love, his devotion to his children and Zorroc's own conclusions on their relationship instantly came into question. He sighed, "I concede that my father did not die of a broken heart."

"And," Cat prompted.

"And that the love he had for her did not weaken his will to live."

"Therefore," she suggested.

"Therefore, we will leave my sister and our aunts to finish their meal in peace while we explore and a.n.a.lyze your latest juxtaposition."

"Umm, juxtaposition, I don't think you've taught me that one yet," she whispered quietly, only to hear him growl in response.

He smiled at what transpired next...

"Zorroc," Prolinc enunciated for the third time, finally breaking into his friend's thoughts by both mind and voice. "Zorroc," he continued in a more sedate manner, "I a.s.sume that the question you asked a moment ago really did expect an answer, so if you are through mind-drifting about your mate, if your rapturous expression is anything to go by, then heed me," he finished with exasperated blatancy.

Zorroc flashed him a sheepish grin before a.s.suring Prolinc that he now claimed his undivided attention. "The Dargons are about seventy-two hours out and our screens indicate a ma.s.sive invasion that will make the last one look like a Choc-bean tea gathering.

"Is everything prepared?" Zorroc asked; thinking of his own plans to keep his family safe.

"Yes, we will be more than ready for them this time and our neighbors on all sides have been contacted and are battle ready to a.s.sist us." He shook his head in wonder. "It is strange; we expected their cooperation but not this level of partic.i.p.ation. It may be a positive beginning for our planet; working together as a united front. Even the Nefari have condescended to support us. Apparently, some of their females were effected by the virus so they are anxious to retaliate against those responsible."

"Have Carpov and Angel completed preparations for the Dargon virus and are we sure it will be effective against them and not us? Have all of our females and women been vaccinated against FIS in case they decide to spray the agent again and has everyone been informed of probable hot spots for attack and made preparations to stay well clear of those areas?"

"Yes, yes, yes and yes," he drawled, opting for the short answer instead of the long explanation. "Sycor, Bandoff, Carpov and Rosik are due here in thirty minutes to go over what we have in place so far, and a meeting with our allies is scheduled for eleven tonight. We expect it to last long into the night."

"Is there extra serum available for the Nefari females? This is the first I have heard of them being affected."

"A team of our Med-techs were immediately dispatched to Nefar to take care of the inoculations," Prolinc responded. "How is your mate," he ventured, changing the subject. Dee had confided that Cat seemed healthy and very well pleased with her impending motherhood. "Is she back to normal? I mean aside from her considerable paunch that expands daily," Prolinc teased dryly.

"You risk your private parts with your less than flattering phraseology, Prolinc. I would try again if I were you, keeping in mind that Dee would be on my side and revenge could take many forms," Cat advised as she strode into the room.

"You look ravishing, little flame," he acknowledged with a Gattonian nod.

"Um, better. I a.s.sume the Dargons are about to pull a Darth Vader?" she asked matter-of-factly.

"I am not familiar with that maneuver but we have less than seventy-two hours before they enter our air s.p.a.ce," Zorroc informed her, vaguely wondering how much she knew of earth battle stratagems. Had he underestimated her again? "Things will happen very quickly. Have chambers been prepared for our guests? I think it would be best to show them to their rooms before the meeting commences for it will most likely stretch into the middle hours of the early morning."

"Yes, everything is prepared and I've memorized pertinent names and locations. Nefar, the province to the north and closest to us are sending Prince Sherem, the oldest son and next to rule and, from what I am told, a pain in our posterior; Kerr lays to the southeast and are governed by Queen Thanasa who is older than dirt and respected by all. Tena located due west, will be sending the head of their military named Qetu, a friend of Rosik's," Cat recited, a little nervous about entertaining the high level dignitaries in her first official capacity as Divitta.

"Very good, my cream, a clever Darth Vader, to memorize the names and geographical locations of our guests."

A bark of laugh escaped before she could stop it. "Zorroc, Darth Vader isn't a stratagem, he's a bad guy in my favorite science fiction movie called Star Wars. Actually, now that I think about it, the Empire and the Dargons have a lot in common, both exist to conquer and destroy worlds. You could learn a lot from earth movies. I find your education sorely lacking in a number of critical areas," she scolded with mock gravity.

"I will endeavor to improve," he whispered s.e.xily and then caught himself, cleared his throat and lifted his shoulder in a rueful shrug, aimed at his friend. "Now, have you and Dee familiarized yourselves with the Magic Caverns," Zorroc challenged.

Endless tunnels and catacombs crisscrossed deep into Ganz, with the only known access under the House of Ra. The Magic Caverns, as a much younger Zorroc and Prolinc had dubbed them, contained numerous springs and luminescent minerals imbedded in the walls that provided natural lighting. Cat had been both delighted and horrified at seeing them. Delighted, because it looked like a world fashioned by gnomes and fairies and horrified, because if she wandered down there alone she would be lost for all eternity. Nadia had displayed child like exuberance in showing off the secret hideout that Zorroc and Prolinc had discovered as children, and the three knew every nook and cranny. It, however, remained slightly terrifying for someone unable to traverse a simple parking garage to an exit.

"Yes, she showed us. Just tell me the tracking device on my wrist will be strong enough for you to locate me when I become hopelessly lost and disoriented," she pleaded tapping down her growing panic as she pictured herself isolated and alone fleeing all those gnomes turned goblins.

"There is nowhere you could go that I would not find you," he vowed, pulling her into the circle of his arms and kissing her lightly on her forehead. "But if you are really apprehensive about the tunnels I will have Nadia take you down every day until you can find your way around blindfolded. Will that help?"

"Yeah, stuck within the pages of the Hobbit for a month; that would help immensely."

He chuckled then looked up and greeted Rosik and Sycor. The meeting would begin in earnest with the arrival of Bandoff and Carpov. "I need to get to work, there is still much to plan and from now on I think it would be wise for all of you to stay within House grounds; no doubt there will be added disquiet and panic when the invasion is announced province wide."

Thus far, the people of Gattonia had taken the news of an impending attack from the Dargons with controlled optimism. They were well prepared, and with the a.s.sistance of the other three provinces, plus the help of two off-world allies, in addition to the advanced warning not afforded them last time, they were ready to vent the rage that had been building for two years.

Rosik, Bandoff, Carpov and Sycor were briefed on the players set to join them at eleven. "The province of Kerr is sending Thanasa. Although approaching her one-hundred and fiftieth year, she remains the finest negotiator on the planet and has the closest relationship with the other provinces and the Leader of Jasper, Queen Heptshu. We are counting on her to successfully mediate between our off-world allies and the provinces of Ganz. Tena is sending their highest ranking military leader, Qetu, and the Prince of Nefar, Sherem himself, will be gracing us with his guidance," Zorroc had continued speaking over the groans.

Sherem was proud, arrogant and a renowned warrior known for his uncompromising dealings with enemies and allies alike. The relationship between Gattonia and Nefar had always been strained.

"Our other off-world ally is Mesper, whose military head is Arisi. Representatives from the three provinces will be here in person while our off-world friends will be linked into the meeting through Video COM."

Sherem dreaded the hours to come. For one, he did not like being under the roof of a leader with little worth, who, most likely, had embroiled them all in a confrontation of unnamed proportions. For another, he was not adept at socializing with figureheads not worthy of the thrones they sat on, with the exception of Thanasa. In addition, he chafed at the inevitable wasted hours of bombasting protocol and a.r.s.e licking when they should be preparing for the inevitable battle. Of course, it might not be that bad, his friend Rosik COMd that he would be in on the planning sessions and Sherem wondered how he had come to the attention of Zorroc. Rosik and Sherem had met the three years before on Jasper and found immediate rapport. They had similar battle strategies and both liked to celebrate as hard as they fought. In the past year, they had formed a strong friendship and shared females, drink and stories. It had been a few months since they last met and he looked forward to fighting by his side.

He pressed the ornate entrance panel announcing his presence to the House of Ra and checked the time. He figured arriving an hour early would allow him ample time to settle in and gather his patience and resolve.

The panel slid soundlessly open to reveal the most exquisite sight his eyes had ever beheld. She had shimmering amber hair clasped back with the ends still visible on either side of her slim waist. She was tall and willowy with golden sheened skin, and high cheekbones above p.r.o.nounced dimples, as well as large amber eyes that shouted her innocence. Her mouth, however, told a different story; it begged him for his attention with rapt hunger and moist promises. It did not matter who she was or whom she belonged to because from that moment on, she belonged to him. She was obviously a servant of some kind, maybe even a Chosen One to Zorroc. No matter, he would buy her contract, and she would leave with him on the morrow for Nefar.

Never had Nadia seen anything like him and stared in open wonder and curiosity. His hair, a similar shade to her brother's, curled in loose flowing waves past his shoulders. His skin looked dark and weather worn with lines like crows feet accenting his eyes with a scar dissecting his left eyebrow extending into his hairline. He had hair on his face, something she had never seen first hand. It covered his jaw and chin and circled his mouth, calling attention to sensually masculine lips. A beard, she suddenly remembered, they called it a beard, and she wanted to touch it to see if it felt as coa.r.s.e as it looked. He was a mountain of a male, taller than Prolinc and broader than Zorroc and he looked dark and foreboding, like a cloud about to storm. His eyes, an unsettling black, had a thin silver ring surrounding his pupils, the only relief from pure perilous temptation.

Maybe she should run.

Maybe she should call for Jaffers.

Maybe she should touch his beard.

The choice, however, was taken from her when he firmly but gently grasped her shoulders and moved her backward until he had her pinned between himself and the inner entranceway wall. Both surfaces felt equally hard but where the wall held no warmth, he radiated enough to scorch her. He began to a.s.sault her lips with his. His beard, teasing her cheeks and chin, felt course but soft like silken fibers and contrasted with the lush feel of his lips devouring hers. His tongue ran along the seam of her closed lips causing her to sigh...and giving him access to her mouth. His tongue plundered its depths, challenging hers to a duel before sucking it right into his mouth. She groaned helplessly, seeking more contact with their bodies, wanting to give him all of her.

She had never been kissed before but took to it like a bird to flight. His hands moved to her rib cage spread so his thumbs could press firmly into her budded nipples. She screamed her arousal. He rasped into her hair, demanding her ident.i.ty.

"Nadia, I am Nadia," she groaned helplessly.

"You belong to me now, Nadia, who do I see to buy you?" he countered.

Her wings swiftly disappeared and became fins as the freezing waters of Ganz drenched her out of her soaring stupor.

She bit his lower lip and shrieked angrily as her knee came up and greeted his groin. He roared and threw himself away from her. "I am Nadia, sister to Zorroc, of the House of Ra, Leader to Gattonia," she wheezed in confused rage. What had happened? It had been her very first kiss and he mistook her for a spreader for many. Shame warred with fury as she summoned Jaffers and informed him of a visitor and then fled down the hall.

Cat undressed wearily and glanced at the time. Two in the morning, boy was she bushed. Greeting the dignitaries, getting them settled and then entertaining them had taken a great deal of her energy. Why had Nadia failed to make an appearance? She could have used her help. She placed her hands on her abdomen silently asking her baby how it fared. "He is happy and content, my cream. Now go to sleep," Zorroc mindspoke, and she did.

The plan was simple, straightforward, and hopefully comprehensive enough to guarantee an end to further visits from their enemy. The meeting lasted through the night and resumed the next afternoon before adjourning that evening. There had been remarkably few squabbles, with all parties wanting to maintain the current face of Ganz and end the virulent practices of the Dargons.

The people of Gattonia, though expecting the invasion, were unprepared for the enormity of the Dargon force. Hundreds of large ships blotted out the sun and hovered over the capital of Ra like a sinister plague, making it appear evening instead of early afternoon. The ships, diamond-shaped and in tight diamond formation had what looked like swarms of locusts buzzing around them. The Dargons had contacted all four provinces twelve hours before with ultimatums. They warned Nefar, Kerr and Tena not to interfere in the taking of Gattonia and they advised Gattonia to surrender, offering safe conduct off the planet. No one acknowledged the communiques for obvious reasons; the other three provinces recognized they would be next if they allowed Gattonia to fall and Gattonia knew that the chances of being allowed safe conduct off the planet to fight another day amounted to nil. They would no doubt be ga.s.sed and slaughtered like sheep. Most importantly, the four provinces wanted to hide their unity from the enemy, an essential element to their plan.

The Dargons would not attack at present, the show of force over the capitol intended only to frighten and intimidate. The attack would follow later.

Gattonia had been productive since the Dargon attack almost two years before. Along with the latest development of the vaccine for FIS, new environ suit materials had been developed and tested for every virus, agent and mist known to them, right down to fire acid. Next, they reinstated headgear and sealed the suits only allowing filtered air to circulate within. Special nourishment pouches attached to tubing could be ingested by mouth. Of course, the suits were only needed when leaving the security of designated shelters throughout Gattonia. The ma.s.sive undertaking expended indescribable amounts of currency, labor, and time, but the resulting accomplishment meant a safer place for the people of Gattonia. They had also created a multi-galaxy-knowledge-share in an effort to ensure the safety of other civilizations against viral warfare.

The invasion began in earnest the next morning. Carried out without a sound, the Dargons, flying in flocks without benefit of a ship, dispatched the virus in time-delayed canisters to avoid self-contamination. They would not have been detected except for the atmoscreening and sonic devices that sounded a warning of foreign agents or matter not native to their atmosphere, registering from each sector of Gattonia. As the sun rose, an eerie silence pervaded. Civilians were asked to remain in protective quarters and maintain COM silence except for emergencies. Updates and information broadcasted non-stop through the IVVS and everyone stayed glued to them. Cat thought the quiet, low keyed reporting of events and instructions, by the news announcers, sounded like a blow-by-blow account of a golf tournament. Biotechs, Technos, and Engineers were asked to report to the main lab to begin work a.n.a.lyzing the active properties in the new contaminant. Cat, knowing Angel would be a member of that group, experienced paralyzing fear for her friend and her unborn child.

"They kicked me off my team and sent me here, where I am to remain, until further notice. I was ordered, officially ordered!" Angel fumed, discarding her headpiece and peeling off the environ-suit before continuing.

She had arrived, escorted by two militia, minutes before to the shelter in the House of Ra where an overjoyed melee consisting of the aunts, Cat and Dee fought to bestow hugs and greetings. "I know Carpov was behind this and if he thinks to camouflage his cowardice behind the Science Head I will have his head. I didn't even have the opportunity to talk to him about it. I am perfectly healthy and the precautions we take to avoid contamination are rigorous to the extreme. No one in the department has been infected since I've been there; it's perfectly safe."

"But there's always a first time, Angel," Dee advised. "And you'd be the first to acknowledge it under other circ.u.mstances. Whether Carpov is behind it or not doesn't change the fact that they want you protected in case something goes wrong. And I for one am happy and relieved about it, now we won't have to constantly worry about you," Dee entreated unflinchingly, enveloping her friend in a warm hug of greeting.

"You would side with him against your best friend?" she railed at both of them.

"In this case, yes. What's the point in saving Gattonia if it means losing the women with unborn children, of which you are one?" Cat asked simply. "We've seen so little of you since our adventure began and if things cascade into disaster we won't have much time left; so can't we use this as a reprieve to catch up with one another and revel in the moment of being together again?"

"Well," she smiled wickedly, "you are my friends so I will forgive your defection to the other side this once, but I won't forgive Carpov! If I stew then he stews, and just because my stew will be a lot more fun than his stew will not play a part in it."

The science teams isolated the properties of the virus within hours. It was not complicated, just lethal. Unprotected people would have fallen sick within twenty-four hours and died within the week. Though quick acting and deadly, it would remain active no longer than forty-eight hours after exposure to the air; then it would lose potency and die out. The Dargons, tired of toying and torturing, decided to go for the jugular and end things quickly. Gattonia would play possum and let them believe their objectives met. It had been risky, allowing the Dargons to lay in the virus, threatening the ma.s.s destruction of his people, but Zorroc had great faith in his Scientists and they had a.s.sured him that with the proper equipment and preparation, everyone would stay safe. The gamble had paid off. So far, no casualties could be directly attributed to this latest misting. Now the trap they had laid so meticulously could go forward. They would wait for the Dargons to come and inspect their handy work-and fly right into an ambush.

The House of Ra had been designated as battle headquarters. The main level south wing normally used for b.a.l.l.s and banquets and to accommodate ma.s.s quant.i.ties of guests, had been taken over for planning, communication, strategy sessions, and defense. An endless stream of equipment had been installed to make this possible; even the roof above was utilized to ensure the safety and defense of Ra. The lower level had been sealed to protect against outside contaminants. It housed the family, militia, and guards along with food, clothing and supplies. The only two exits located on that floor had two inside guards at each panel twenty-four hours a day with more posted outside.

The household staff occupied one of the two apartments while the family shared the other.

Catarina, Nadia, the aunts, Dee, Angel, and the kittens, which now resembled teen-aged kitty terrorists, crammed into the small s.p.a.ce. With the addition of Spooka and occasionally Zorroc and Prolinc, privacy proved impossible.

Their apartment did, however contain the hidden entrance into the caverns.

Therefore, when Zorroc could get away, he and Cat stayed there together in a sizable and well-lit nook that gave them relative privacy. Zorroc had stocked it with mats, comforters and a private reserve of Cat's favorite foods and drink. She also used it to get away and be alone from time to time. Prolinc commandeered a similar spot for him and Dee.

Even with the safety of the environ suits, Cat was forbidden to leave the lower level until the air had cleared. She and Dee, suffering from cabin fever, joined by Angel, often disappeared into the caverns to lauch slumber parties, telling stories and giggling long into the night. Forty-eight hours after the misting, Nadia, the aunts, and Angel, while not allowed to leave the complex, could at least ascend to the main level and occupy their chambers. When the all clear sounded some twenty hours later, Dee and Cat raced each other to the main level and relative freedom.

"I was not meant to live the life of a mole," Dee gasped as she reached the entrance panel just before Cat, both bursting into the corridor like two swimmers breaking the surface of a lake after being under water too long.

"It would have been more polite to let me go first, after all there are two of me," Cat panted, holding her stomach.

"Sorry, it's every fetus for himself, he should have kicked you into a faster gear."