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  In the meantime other methods of procreation were attempted. StarLight had heard of some of them. Unfortunately, scientists found that in vitro fertilization and fertilization outside the womb were successful in less than one for every one million couples. For some reason they could not explain, once any part of a sperm or egg left the donor’s body, zero viability was guaranteed. The only way any success could be found was in the way nature had originally intended. Procreation through consummation.

  While scientists battled against the inevitable, the superior ranked adults left were not reproducing quickly enough to offset the balance. There were hundreds of thousands of genetically adequate men and women living and working and surviving, but not having babies.

  Thus was born the HandFast lottery. And the laws. Laws even she could not break because once she had taken the oath to be a Guardian, she knew she was subject and answerable to all their decrees. That much had been clearly spelled out to her.

  At first, the outcry of anger and resentment against those laws nearly threw the world into a bloody civil war. It was many decades later, when no other reasonable answer could be found, that the HandFast was accepted as an unfair but necessary fact of life.

  Every month, twenty couples were drawn for the ceremony. Every man and woman, once they reached the age of consent, had their names placed in the lottery. If they created a child, they were showered with gifts and good wishes. If they didn’t, there was no condemnation. Everything was made as simple, pain-free, and easy on the couple as possible.

  And, miraculously, the HandFast worked. The population blossomed, slowly but inexorably.

  Star understood the odds of eventually being chosen were long. There were people she personally knew who never had their names called. In fact, she had never worried she’d be forced to participate, especially since she was a Guardian.

  Yet now…

  There was a rustle of the leaves. It was a faint sound, but in the dead of night it alerted her. Star opened her eyes and stared at the thick wall of tree branches that kept her out of sight. The last thing she expected was the deep voice softly speaking her name.

  “Star. We need to talk.”

  Her heart thudded to a stop in her chest. Suddenly it seemed as if the moist, earthy smell around her had turned cloyingly sweet and stifling. There was no way to avoid him. No way she could. At least, not for the next year. And heavens knew she would never be able to avoid him if they both chose to remain as Guardians after all of this was over.

  “Push the leaves aside. It’s not far,” she said softly.

  The enormous branches bowed out of the way, and Master Hunter stepped carefully into her private grotto. She watched as he scanned the small enclosure. Her first impulse was to ask him how he’d found her, but she swallowed the question before it ever left her mouth.

  He was the ultimate Hunter. He could find anyone, or anything. That was his power.

  She noticed he was wearing a simple jersey and casual pants, and with a start Star realized she’d never seen him out of uniform. A second later, a hot flush of emotional pain swept through her as her next thought betrayed her. You’ll see him soon without any clothing.

  Images of what his body might look like underneath that thin layer of fabric came to her. Hard, sculpted muscle. Thick muscle. Thick.

  Bowing her head to hide her embarrassment, Star waited for him to speak. After all, it was he who had sought her out, not the other way around.

  Dark blue eyes turned on her. His face was clouded with his own pain, yet he kept his voice low so as not to carry. “Star, I wanted to make a few things clear before the ceremony.”

  “What kinds of things?” She lifted her face to find him standing less than a yard away. “I don’t blame you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  A tiny smile lifted the corner of his mouth. He had a good face, a rugged, handsome face. And a very nice smile. There had been many times in the past when she’d sought his comforting hug after a hard or stressful mission. Heavens knew he was much easier to talk to than, say, Condemner or Challenger. He had a quick mind and terrific instincts. Even Corona once grudgingly admitted he was the person most likely to follow Deceiver as leader once Deceiver’s reign of command was over.

  “You come here often,” he stated flatly. Before Star could open her mouth to ask him how he knew, he answered her. “You put that bench here, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah.” Taking a deep breath, Star smoothed her gown over her legs—a gesture that was not lost upon the man intently watching her.

  “I wanted you to know that, after much deliberation, I am forced to admit I have much to be thankful for that you were named as my mate.”

  Narrowing her eyes at him, she demanded, “What makes you say that?”

  “Because I’ve fought alongside you. I know more about you than any other regular man would. I know how you react under stress. I’ve seen you happy. And sad. And annoyed. And frightened. I trust you with my life, and you feel the same. Plus we have the protection of our fellow Guardians. We will fulfill our obligation, Star, yet keep our business lives apart from our personal ones. It’s the only reasonable solution I can see to this thing.”

  “How do you feel about being a father?” she whispered, watching his face. What she saw was a brief flash of pain, which surprised her.

  “I can’t say for certain what I’ll feel. Or do. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around that concept. Not just yet.”

  “Did you … did you ever want children?”

  “Eventually, yes. But with a woman of my choosing.” He paused to assess her emotions at the moment. “I’m sure what I’m saying is really not much different from what you were wanting.”

  Star shook her head. “You’re right,” she admitted in a low voice. “I wanted to find a man to fall in love with. Who loved me. And we could make babies together.” Take another ragged breath, she continued. “We can still have that, you and me … after this is all over with. At least we won’t be obligated to each other once I…”

  Another hot sweep of fire rushed over her, and again her thoughts betrayed her. Once you press yourself into me. Taking me over and over until I get pregnant and have our baby.

  Hunter didn’t seem to notice her reticence. “One more thing. And I promise this to you, Star.” He waited for her to look back up at him before he said, “You will be the one to say when and where. I will never force anything upon you, and I swear I will never intentionally hurt you. Yes, I know we’ll be under some very strict guidelines, especially in the beginning, but I will leave it entirely up to you to let me know when and where to fulfill our duties. Will that be satisfactory for you?”

  Tears flooded her eyes as Star realized the enormity of what he was offering her. He would not force anything upon her. He would let her set the pace for their sexual encounters, letting him know when she was ready to accept him, and where they would do it. Mutely, she nodded.

  “It’s the only way I believe we can get through this,” Hunter admitted gruffly. “I know the burden on you is greater. If there’s anything I can do to make it easier, let me know.”

  “Thank you.” Raising a hand to her face, Star wiped away the wetness on her cheeks. She was dimly aware of the gentle swoosh of sound that followed his departure as he teleported out of the enclosure.

  Oddly, the little talk seemed to have helped. The next few months would be unbearable, but at least the man to whom she would have to give her body was not a stranger, as Morning Fire had reminded her. He was Master Hunter. A fellow Guardian. A friend. A very strong and powerful man.

  And, not surprisingly, a gentle human being.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Subterfuge 1

  In a small warehouse near the outskirts of the city, the four men arrived thirty minutes apart, each of them on foot. They all came through a different doorway or passageway so as not to attract attention. It was also pitch dark; every source of outside light had either been extinguished
or removed. Once they were inside the building each man pulled out a small emergency lamp from their pocket. A pale blue beam guided them into the inner room where they would meet.

  They were cautious and extremely fearful. And they had every right to be, because what they had planned, and what they had already set in motion in order to obtain their grand design, would cost them their lives if they were ever found out.

  In the small room devoid of furniture they stood in a circle, facing each other. Despite their emergency lamps, each man’s face remained in shadow. Only their voices distinguished one from the other.

  “What is the word on the street about the HandFast?” asked man number one. He was tall and striking in appearance. From his attitude it was clear he was a man accustomed to being obeyed.

  “The people are appalled and titillated at the same time,” man number two replied with a smile. “They’re going to be glued to their screens to catch every morsel the news media throws their way about StarLight and Master Hunter.”

  “How is the media fixed to receive updates?” man number three quizzed. “Remember, no word must ever leak out that those two were never part of the original lottery.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” two snapped, quickly dismissing the man’s concern. It was a bold move, and one that could have easily antagonized three, but he dared because the man would be nowhere if it hadn’t been for them.

  “What’s the word in Guardian Command?” man number four spoke up with his soft, cultured voice. He was the man the other three feared. He was the instigator of all they were risking their lives for. He was the one who had brought them together in the first place.

  Two nodded, another smile oozing over his face. “I heard StarLight collapsed soon after hearing the announcement.”

  “Any chance they’ll try to buck the law?” one questioned.

  It was three who laughed with a mixture of humor and self-assurance. “Let them try. They haven’t got a valid point. Deceiver has already contacted Committee Head and demanded to know when and why the Guardians had suddenly become part of the lottery populace.”

  “How many days do we have before implementing Phase Two?” four inquired almost nonchalantly.

  “Our window is eighty-two days. There is no way StarLight won’t be pregnant before then,” One answered.

  “You seem awfully confident.” Four gave the man a cautious eye. “Remember, if she isn’t with child within our time frame, we’ll have to cancel this whole agreement, and there won’t be another chance. No other opportunity. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Again, two snickered in reply. “The doctors have not released the information about the Primes, and they won’t. So don’t worry. Just consider it valuable luck that we would find a male Prime within Guardian Command that we could join to StarLight. No … trust me. If she isn’t pregnant by the end of the first two weeks, you are welcome to send a small collection of your favorite, handpicked men to pay me a little visit.”

  Laughing aloud, he added, “I promise you, we’ll never have to wait the full eighty-two days, my friends. We shall accomplish the impossible before the end of this month. Just you wait and see.”

  “And Master Hunter. No problem there, right?”

  “No way.” Two grinned.

  One breathed out noisily through his nostrils. “The end of the Guardians. I never thought the day would finally come.”

  “Don’t count on it yet,” four roughly barked at them. “Until we get confirmation that StarLight is with child, I will continue to watch my back. And I suggest you three do the same. What we’re planning has never before been attempted, which is why no one, not even the Guardians, will ever expect it. But if we fail…” He left the sentence unfinished knowing each of the other three would finish it on their own.

  After another couple of minutes firming their next step, they left the same way they’d arrived, until there was nothing left in the warehouse to show a meeting had ever taken place that would permanently change the world, and the lives of every person living on it.

  Including the complete annihilation of the Guardians.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter 3

  Interim

  Seeker glanced up to furtively look at the woman seated next to her. For the past two days neither StarLight nor Master Hunter had said a word about the upcoming HandFasting ceremony. But it was clear to all by the strain on their faces it wasn’t far from their thoughts.

  They continued to do their jobs with the same skill and determination as needed. What few words passed between them had been no different from normal banter during a mission, yet all of Guardian Command had come to a screeching halt the moment the two names had been announced over the public media system.

  Tension had descended upon the entire Guardian compound. The complications were just beginning, and they would only multiply as time went on.

  HandFasting couples were given an extreme amount of privacy, not to mention leniency. StarLight and Master Hunter would have neither. They would be forced to remain encapsulated within the group, visible every hour of the day to their co-workers and the media. Although there was a “step-down” of business after dark, no Guardian went completely off the clock. It was a twenty-five hour a day job, every day of the year. At any moment the claxons could go off, signaling the need for one, or for all, to rise to the call and give their help to whatever emergency had arisen.

  The only exception would be those Guardians injured and placed on the restricted access list, or those more permanently indisposed, and placed on the inactive list. At that moment, all sixteen Guardians were in perfect health.

  Soon, however, one of them would have no choice but to withdraw from the active duty roster.

  “Establishing orbit around Terminus Four in six minutes. Star, come take a gander at this baby,” Challenger called from the helm. Almost immediately his face flamed a bright red as he realized his slip of the tongue, and he silently cursed himself for his stupidity.

  As she unbuckled her harness and went forward to catch a glimpse of the derelict asteroid that had drifted into intergalactic shipping lanes, she patted the man on the shoulder to show there were no hard feelings. Challenger gave her a grateful look. “Foresee any problems moving it?” he inquired.

  “No.” She added a shake of her head.

  Behind them, Morning Fire, Seeker, Master Hunter, and Condemner were adjusting their equipment. “See the liner yet?” Condemner asked.

  “Not yet. Wait. Yeah. There she is.” Star motioned with a nod.

  The others crowded to the front to view the crippled passenger liner that had blundered into the misguided asteroid. It would be their jobs to find all the passengers and crew, give aid to those most in need, and make enough repairs to the ship so it could be towed back to the Pyrar system where Stellar Police would take over from there. Had the SP Force tried to tackle the job on their own, it would have taken days, if not weeks, to accomplish everything the Guardians could do in one day’s time.

  But the one thing the Stellar Police couldn’t do was move the rogue asteroid out of the path of more oncoming ships, and give it a gentle enough push into a safer and more secure orbit, well out of range.

  That was StarLight’s job.

  “We’re ready,” Hunter announced.

  Commander nodded as they all opened the inner door to the airlock. Four Guardians in their clear, protective suits and helmets, and StarLight, who wore just the inky black body suit and over-the-ear walkie-talkie, moved inside the chamber. She had no need for an oxygen helmet, and although they had seen her do what she could do nearly a hundred times in the past, Commander and the rest of the Guardians continued to stare in silent awe as the woman crossed her arms in front of her face as the outer doors to the ship opened to the void of space.

  Star lifted up and away from Transport Two without the benefit of any propulsion unit. She drew her power from the gravitational fields she claimed were like bands
of ribbons circling every planet. If they were near a sun or cluster, her strength would be even greater, and it then became evident what her full-length suit could do. It acted like a magnet, absorbing the invisible forces feeding the cells in her body, giving her the strength and ability to draw incredible mass either toward her, or away from her. With her raven hair, she blended into the blackness of space.

  “Luck’s with us,” she called over her headset. “The ship is floating free of the surface. You guys can go ahead and board her, then I’ll push her away from the asteroid before I take this lost little rock for a walk.”

  “Any chance we’ll get sucked up by that blue dwarf?” Commander eyed the system’s tiny sun in the distance. Even this far away, and despite its size, it could still pose a problem.

  Several hundred yards away, Star appeared to be free-floating away from the asteroid. “I can feel it tugging, but it’s too weak. Let’s just not take our sweet time out here, all right?”

  “We copy that,” Condemner agreed from the disabled liner’s airlock.

  Once inside, Morning Fire pressed her hands to the ornate wall paneling, and the interior of the enormous luxury liner began to glow with her infusion of light. Finding the survivors was made easier by Master Hunter’s unerring ability in locating everyone on the passenger list.

  As Morning Fire and Condemner rounded up the guests and crew, and gathered those being brought in by Hunter, they provided medical attention to those in need. Seeker kept track, matching a body with a name, sometimes having to delve into an unconscious mind to find the identity.