Calming herself down again with breathing exercises, she considered and discarded everything she owned and finally settled on the black dress again, trying to convince herself that it wasnt as revealing as shed thought. It was just nerves, just paranoia.
She needed to wear it if there was any possibility that it might draw Anka to her, she realized with a sudden burst of enlightenment. Meacham would
know
if she didnt at least make the effort. Resolve after so much uncertainty went a long way toward calming her and she finished dressing and left her quarters to gather with the others. Most of them were already in the lobby waiting. She folded her arms over her waist, hoping the purse shed grabbed would help to conceal her condition as shed thought it might.
She didnt attempt to join any of the conversations. She knew a few of them by sight since theyd been part of the treaty delegation, but shed pretty kept to herself on the trip out. She didnt know them any better now than she had before theyd left the moon.
In any case, it hadnt taken more than five minutes to realize that every one of them knew, or suspected, why shed been included. They made that abundantly clear in the looks and whispers that followed her everywhere she went.
Even if she hadnt already been distraught about her situation and fearful of trusting anyone, that was enough to discourage her from attempting to find a friendly face among them, which was just as well. None of them went out their way to approach her and she thought they would have if theyd wanted to extend friendship or felt any empathy for her situation. It was the silent judgment, where no one actually knew anything for a fact, but had heard something, and then had decided they should be judge, jury, and executioner-because they disapproved of what theyd
heard
about you and accepted it as fact.
That being the case, she was glad when the transport finally arrived to carry them to the building where the festival would be held, despite her anxieties. The relief, naturally, didnt last until her arrival. She was as tight as tension wire by the time the transport docked and they began to disembark.
Theyd been told that conditions outside were safe enough to go out, but no one really wanted to test it-not on the word of the Sumpturians, certainly! Of course, even if they had been willing they wouldnt have wanted to expose their finery to the elements.
Ruefully, Sybil acknowledged that she was underdressed by their standards although shed worried she would be overdressed for the occasion. Most of the Sumpturians had been in uniform the first time shed attended one and it hadnt appeared to be dress uniform at that. They seemed more inclined, particularly on this kind of occasion, to favor comfort over pomp.
She saw shed underestimated them as soon as she entered the ballroom. It was clear that theyd donned their best for the occasion. Her heart was beating about ninety miles an hour when she glanced around the room in search of the only person that mattered to her. When she spotted him it was like leaping from an airplane without a parachute. She sucked in a sharp breath instinctively, feeling as if her heart had stopped and the floor fallen out from under her.
He was looking straight at her, but he had the advantage. Clearly, hed spotted her first. His face was expressionless and she had no idea how he felt about her presence beyond the fact that, if he was glad to see her, he was hiding it excellently well.
The urge to cry slammed into her like a stray bullet to the chest, the shock of the pain shattering her mind and knocking the breath from her before her mind could register that shed been hit, leaving her confused. The instinct of the wounded animal to burrow into some small, tight space for protection followed upon the heels of the pain.
It was fortunate that she was too frozen to move. She thought she wouldve turned and fled if not for that.
One of the men, a member of her own party, took her limp arm and linked it with his. Ill escort you to a seat. They dont seem to have put out place cards.
Sybil stared at the man blankly, trying to figure out who he was and why hed suddenly begun to behave as if he knew her when she didnt know him at all.
He patted her arm. Smile.
She struggled to curl her stiff lips into a smile obediently, still struggling with the bizarre sense that she was trapped in a nightmare. She didnt know why he was behaving so familiarly but she was vastly relieved when he helped her to a seat and she could collapse. He took the seat next to her.
Im Brant. We didnt get the chance to meet on the voyage over.
Because he hadnt made any attempt to talk to her? She was torn between the certainty that he must be one of Meachums watchdogs and a flicker of hope that he might actually have come to her rescue out of pure chivalry. Im sorry
Is that your first name or the last?
He grinned at her. Sorry, force of habit. Lieutenant Cole Brant, USMC.
Sybil struggled to follow his lead. She had no idea whether he was friend or foe, but she was aware that her odd behavior must be noticeable and a sense of self-protection urged her to try to hide her vulnerability. She smiled back at him. Im First Lieutenant Sybil Hunter, Air Force.
I know.
Her smile flat lined.
Uh oh. I guess I shouldve pretended I didnt know, but I asked around
He had the sort of angelic pretty boy looks that usually hid the heart and soul of a devil and completely disarmed everyone around him. Sybil was hardly immune, but she
was
wary. She wasnt certain she believed hed asked around. Why would you do that?
He looked genuinely surprised. He leaned closer. Have you actually
looked
at the other women on the ship? Prune faced.
It was hardly a compliment and actually a little mean, but his outrageousness startled a chuckle out of her. She clamped a hand over her mouth. She encountered several disapproving looks when she flicked a glance around at the rest of their party. That isnt nice and it isnt very flattering to me either.
Laughter danced in his eyes. What? That I think youre be-u-ti-ful
next to the competition?
She gave him a look. Cocky arent you, pretty boy? Youre that certain theres a competition?
Why thank you, maam, he drawled, although his face darkened slightly. Im glad you think Im pretty.
Sybil shook her head at him, but she was actually grateful, whatever his motives, that hed distracted her enough to allow her to regain her equilibrium. She was equally grateful to discover that the droids had begun to serve. Whatever he had in mind, she wasnt buying.
Whoa! What are those things?
Droids. Ank
I was told their scientists had developed them specifically for interacting with humans. They thought they wouldnt seem threatening since they were small and humanoid in appearance.
Theyre creepy little bastards.
Sybil smiled with less effort that time. My sentiments exactly.
So
you met any of the aliens yet? he asked conversationally once theyd been served.
Sybil stiffened, flicking an assessing look at him. He either didnt know her history or he was damned good. I was sent on the first mission to come here.
Up close and personal, huh?
She felt her face heat. She still couldnt decide whether he was just pretending he had no idea or if he really didnt. The comment could have been innocent. She didnt believe it, but then shed ceased to really trust anybody. You could say that.
Where are you from
originally, I mean?
Strategic retreat? She responded a little absently, allowing him to lead her where he would while she divided her attention between her plate and surreptitious glances around the room until she finally located Anka once she had bolstered her nerves a little. Without surprise, she saw that the entire American group sat in a knot by themselves and ditto the Sumpturians. Without place cards, everyone had gravitated naturally toward their comfort zone, which meant their own kind.
It was the shape of things to come, she feared, but she supposed the Sumpturians probably preferred it that way. They had no reason to like Earth people and every reason to dislike and distrust them. That might change-eventually-but it wasnt likely to any time in the near future.
* * * *
The turmoil did nothing to soothe the anger that had been slowly rising toward a boil from the moment the dark haired man had claimed Sybil and escorted her to a table. Despite his grim determination to ignore her presence, he hadnt been able to resist searching for her among the Earth people. That had been his first mistake. He wasnt prepared for the effect seeing her would have on him after so long. Hed thought that he was, but it had thrown him into complete disorder, instantly crumbling his resolve, demolishing the decision that hed arrived at after a great deal of soul searching and consideration.
Hed thought hed succeeded in convincing himself that it was for the best for everyone concerned to leave well enough alone. It flickered through his mind the moment he spotted her, though, and felt the familiar yearning to be with her, that it wasnt as if ignoring her would make the problem go away. He knew why she was here, what shed been sent to do. He really had no choice but to pick up the game again.
On some levels he was aware that his reasoning wasnt nearly as sound as he wouldve liked to think. Hed considered the situation from the time he was informed that she was among the arrivals. Hed struggled with his feelings for her and realized the game had grown far too dangerous for him to play it any longer. He would make a mistake that he couldnt afford, that none of them could afford.
He didnt think hed made the decision not to approach her, however, so much as hed been frozen in indecision, torn by equally opposing forces as to whether or not reason had anything to do with the urge to go to her. He hadnt noticed the man until hed slipped his arm through Sybils so familiarly and led her away.
He supposed it was fortunate that shock had prevented him from doing anything unforgivably stupid at that moment. If hed been able to follow the instant prompting of his instincts he was fairly certain he wouldve regretted it-not convinced on every level because it would have satisfied something dark and savage within him to have staked his prior claim with violence-but he was also sure the shockwaves from such an action would have brought about just the sort of thing hed been working so hard to avoid.
The shock that had held him while he watched the
man
walk away with what hed come to think of as his had given him a few moments to consider, a window to remind himself that he couldnt react on a purely personal level when so much was at stake. Hed hardly known what he was doing from that moment on, however. His mind had been so completely focused on what was going on between Sybil and the man that hed had to rely entirely on force of habit and instincts to operate with anything approaching normalcy.
Hed struggled to tear his mind from her and focus, but he couldnt resist glancing toward them over and over and each time he did the anger churned a little hotter.
Sir?
Anka turned automatically toward the speaker and stared blindly at his adjutant, Minh, for several moments before he had any idea whod spoken to him. A frown drew his brows down above the bridge of his nose as he struggled to figure out why his adjutant had addressed him at all. He could see from his expression that Minh was trying to prompt him about something he was supposed to do, but his search turned up nothing.
Will you announce the festival?
Ankas mind leapt instantly to Sybil again. Despite that, the prompting pierced both his preoccupation and his rage, resurrecting some semblance of reason. He looked down at the table and realized hed eaten without any memory of the process
and he couldnt recall that hed preceded the banquet with the welcome speech hed so carefully prepared for their guests. I havent done it already? he asked blankly, feeling discomfort waft through him.
No, Sir, Minh responded. I thought youd decided to wait until after everyone had eaten.
Anka blinked at him, feeling his face heat. Yes. I didnt see any point in holding everyone back with political posturing.
He surged to his feet abruptly. The moment he did, he caught the attention of everyone in the banquet hall and silence began to fall around him. For several unnerving moments as he stared out over the sea of faces, he searched his mind in vain for the speech hed prepared and memorized. It refused to be jarred loose. Pasting a facsimile of a smile on his face, he discarded the effort. My fellow Sumpturians-or perhaps I should say Venetians?-let us welcome our visitors and celebrate our new home with festival!
Everyone stared blankly at him for several moments after he sat back down. After exchanging puzzled looks, however, they began to evacuate their seats and to clear space in the center of the room for dancing.