The Challenge (26 page)

She noted he didn’t mention his own loss. “Who raised you?”

“My grandfather.”

She heard the bitterness in his tone, wrapped her arms around him, and held him tightly. He’d lost his father and mother due to his grandfather, whom he probably hadn’t forgiven either. No wonder Kahn trusted no one. No wonder he didn’t like to break rules. His grandfather’s lie and Azrel’s interest in his father had torn his family apart.

While Kahn had grown up without a family as she had, she’d become an orphan due to an accident. She hadn’t spent her life blaming the only family member she had left for her loss. Or aching for a father who had voluntarily given her up to live as a love slave to save his world.

Knowing Kahn as she did, he hated not only the bargain that his father had made with Azrel, he also hated the fact that his father might be content with his lot. The story explained much about him.

She kissed Kahn’s neck, snuggled against him, pleased that he no longer bristled when she initiated contact. Every day he accepted more of her Earth customs, and the closeness between them grew. This was the first time he’d spoken to her of a personal concern, and she badly wanted to help. “How long since you’ve seen your father?”

“He never returned to Rystan after the Challenge.”

“You hadn’t spoken via your hyperlinks?”

He shook his head. “At first, we feared the Federation might learn of the deception. After the statute of limitations on Corban’s Challenge win finally passed, so much time had gone by that opening up old wounds seemed pointless.

“You must go speak with him,” she urged. “I would give anything to talk to my parents again—just once. You cannot give up this opportunity, or you may regret it for all your life.”

“No.”

“Kahn, the choice must have been difficult for him. Think of the decision he had to make—to give up the family he loved so his world could join the Federation—the choice could not have been easy. You owe it to him to listen to what he has to say.”

“No.”

Although he sounded certain, she caught a certain convince-me look in his eye that made her keep pushing. “Carrying such bitterness inside can taint the soul. Go talk to him. See if you can find it in your heart to forgive him. And if you cannot—at least you’ll have judged him with the eyes of an adult and not those of a child.”

He hugged her. “Woman, your words have merit.” He astonished her by admitting that much. Whether he realized it or not, Kahn was changing, and she couldn’t have been more pleased by his open affection. “However, I cannot leave you.”

“Of course, you can. I will be fine.”

He fisted his hand in her hair, gently tugged back her head so he could stare into her eyes. “Promise me that you will not leave this chamber until I return?”

“I promise.”

TESSA MADE the promise with every intention of keeping her word. She was tired enough to sleep for a week. Her feet ached from her shoes, and the tension of the long day had caught up with her. Most important of all, she had committed herself to her marriage and to Kahn. His honor attracted her, and when he wasn’t bossing her around, she genuinely liked and cared for him, even if she didn’t always understand him. Before he left, Kahn released her from the shoes, and she changed her dress so she could comfortably sleep, and she figured Kahn would be back long before she awakened.

Still, before she rested, Tessa examined the tiny slip of paper Azrel had secretly placed in her hand. She frowned at the series of numbers there, but too tired to consider questioning Dora, Tessa closed her weary eyes and immediately slept.

Several hours later, Tessa awakened to a pounding on the door. “Who’s there?”

“Azrel.”

Kahn still hadn’t returned. While Tessa had promised him not to leave the chamber, she hadn’t agreed to refuse visitors. Besides, Tessa was curious about the middle-of-the-night visit from Azrel.

Using her psi to cover her body, Tessa also opened the door. “Come in.”

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but while Kahn is detained I thought I’d pop over for a visit.” The green-skinned woman entered the chamber, her expression serious.

“What do you mean? Why has my husband been detained?”

Azrel laughed, delighted with something Tessa didn’t understand. “Do not worry. His father requested that I arrange for the two men to spend the night in conversation. They have years of catching up to do.”

“So why are you here?”

“I thought we should become . . . acquainted.”

“Why?” Tessa knew Kahn didn’t trust this woman and kept up her guard.

Azrel sighed. “Our society is a matriarchy. And while Corban claims he is happy, he is not.”

“Kahn says his father is a love slave.”

Azrel smiled. “Corban does not object to that.”

“So what is the problem?” Was Kahn’s stepmother, Tessa’s mother-in-law, asking her for advice? She didn’t have any. She wasn’t even sure what was going on. But if Kahn was anything like his father, she imagined the adjustments Corban had to have made to live on Azrel’s world had to have been enormous.

Again, Azrel’s smile faded. “Corban can never be free on my world. I was hoping a visit from his son would cheer him. They haven’t seen one another in over twenty years.”

“Kahn told me . . . that you broke up his parent’s marriage.”

“Kahn believes what his grandfather told him. His grandfather lied again.”

“I don’t understand.” Tessa rubbed the last of the sleepiness from her eyes and helped herself to a cup of coffee. “Would you like some?”

“No, thank you.” Azrel composed her body, floating into a sitting position. “Corban’s father lied to the Federation about the fact that Corban had no family. He certainly wasn’t a virgin, and although the Federation can bring people through time and make psi suits, they have no way to prove whether a Rystani man is telling the truth. Anyway, after Corban won the Challenge, his father couldn’t allow him to come home. He still feared the Federation would discover the lie and revoke the Challenge win. So he told another lie. He told Corban that while he’d been gone for the Challenge, his wife and son had perished in a storm. He begged Corban not to return until the law of limitations had passed and ten years had gone by. My husband did as his father requested, never knowing he’d left behind his wife and son.”

“Oh . . my . . . God. Kahn doesn’t know . . .”

“He does now.” Azrel’s face was grim. “My soldiers had orders to keep Kahn there if he tried to leave before Corban tells him the truth.”

“Kahn may not believe him. There’s much anger inside him and hurt. It might take more than one visit to overcome . . . the distance between them.”

“Exactly. After you complete the Challenge, I thought we could visit Rystan. This is presumptuous of me, but I hoped you would offer an invitation.”

Wow. Tessa knew Azrel could be lying, but she didn’t think so. The woman truly appeared to want Corban to regain ties with his son. “I’ll see what I can do, but I have promised to follow Rystani custom, and I’m not sure if I’m allowed to issue invitations.”

“Trying is all I ask, and it is generous of you to accommodate me. After seeing what a mere two decades of marriage have done to Corban’s spirit, I fear how several hundred more years on my planet will affect him.”

“Several
hundred
years?” Tessa eyed the woman over her coffee. “Excuse me if this is a personal question, but how old are you?”

“On Scartar, no woman likes to admit her age. It is probably much the same throughout the galaxy, at least among humanoids,” Azrel qualified. “I am four hundred and fifty-four years-old. My life expectancy is about nine hundred years, just like yours,” Azrel told her.

“No,” Tessa shook her head vigorously. “We only live about eighty to one hundred years. Unless my suit isn’t translating your numbers properly.”

“Your translator is in perfect working order. The numbers are accurate. You see, the suit increases life expectancy for everyone, eight to ten times normal.”

Tessa rocked back on her heels. “Nine hundred years,” she repeated, stunned.

“Yes, and you are married to Kahn for all nine hundred of them.” Azrel brought Tessa back to reality gently. “Do you love him?”

“Why is this your business?” Tessa asked warily, still stunned by Azrel’s story and her new life expectancy.

“Do not be insulted. Corban was forced to adapt to Scartar, and obeying the laws of my people was a difficult adjustment. Do you realize on Rystan you will not be allowed to work outside the home, keep credits in your name, and that your value will be decided by how well you cook?”

Tessa tried to hide her dismay. “I suspected some of this, but Kahn has been damn secretive about Rystani culture.” She didn’t know if she could live in such a repressive society. Live for nine hundred or a thousand years? Her mind boggled, and she focused on the mundane. “I don’t even know how to cook.”

“Earthling, you have nine centuries to learn,” Azrel’s voice was kind, trying to console her.

“Maybe I should buy a food materializer since there are none on Rystan.”

“Those machines are very expensive. Only a few wealthy races have them, like the Zenonites and the Osarians,” Azrel explained.

“But I’ve one million credits. I could buy one,” Tessa said excitedly, and then she could drink coffee whenever she liked. “Or isn’t that enough money?”

Azrel laughed. “You have plenty of credits.”

“Great.” Tessa had many purchases she wanted to make before Kahn returned and they headed to Rystan. “Where are the stores? Are they open all night?”

Azrel’s green tinted skin deepened to emerald as she headed for the holovid. “You, my daughter, are going to set Rystan on its head. This is how you shop.” A neatly organized viewscreen appeared. Categories were indexed and items priced. “I’d recommend that you ship all merchandise directly to your ship. And I must take my leave. Corban will fret if I do not return soon. One last thing.”

“Yes?”

“The paper I gave you has numbers on it. If you ever want to contact me, plug the sequence into a communication console.”

Communication console? Hmm, Kahn had told her they hadn’t had one on Rystan until recently, but maybe she could buy one of those for personal use, too.

“Thank you. And I’ll do what I can to see that Kahn issues that invitation.”

After Azrel departed, Tessa scanned the lists of services and merchandise in fascination. Detailed descriptions with pictures could be accessed for further information. Quickly, Tessa searched for the food materializer. Azrel had told her they were expensive, yet they only cost a thousand credits. In addition, Tessa bought the stock elements to create enough food to last ten people one thousand years. This set her back another twenty thousand credits, but she didn’t hesitate.

After all, there was absolutely no point in saving the credits. If she died, the credits were returned to the Federation. If she lived, Kahn probably got to control them.

As rich as she was, the next item, even she couldn’t afford. A small space ship with a warp drive was out of her league. Reluctantly, Tessa skipped the transportation systems and moved on to communications.

Tessa also looked for hand weapons, but couldn’t find any. However, she did purchase a beautifully crafted knife to give to Kahn as a present. When she scanned for computer information, she hit pay dirt.

“Dora. Take a look at this stuff.”

“Compliance.”

Tessa was tired of being ignorant. She couldn’t make informed decisions when she didn’t comprehend the kind of new situations she faced on a regular basis in the Federation and was delighted for the chance to rectify her situation. Knowledge was power and she could improve her opportunities by educating herself. “Buy every scrap of information to update your memory banks.”

“I cannot hold all the information available.”

“Then buy more memory. And hardware so I can keep you with me on Rystan.”

Dora squealed, clearly delighted. “These purchases will be expensive.”

“If I’m to survive, I need an education. I’m tired of working in the dark.”

The information and technology were remarkably exorbitant and Tessa’s available funds significantly dwindled. Yet, she felt her money was well spent. She just wished she could find information on the Challenge—but that was classified.

Quickly, Tessa spent the rest of the credits, picking out gifts, toiletries, vid-tapes, a cleaning machine, a robotic baby sitter and a weather forecaster. Anything which caught her interest, she quickly bought and sent to the ship.

When she finished, she checked the time. She’d shopped for hours and Kahn still hadn’t returned. About to check into his whereabouts, the door chimed and Dora announced, “You have another visitor.”

“Who?”

“The Osarian.”

“What could he want with me?”

“Why don’t you open the door and ask him?” Dora prodded.

Tessa knew Kahn wouldn’t approve, yet curiosity got the best of her. Using her psi, she opened the portal and the Osarian slithered inside.

She immediately grabbed a tentacle, seeking the reassurance of the link. “Greetings, Osari.”

Linked brain to brain, she could “feel’ the Osarian hesitate as if making a difficult decision. Then he opened the mind link wider and invited Tessa to enter his head.

She sensed no danger but after she delved into a maelstrom of emotions and the core of the alien being, she lost all conscious awareness, lost her sense of individuality. Gently, Osari guided her within his mind until Tessa read his true essence. There was a mixture of love and hate, charity and greed, suspicion and curiosity, but the predominant and overwhelming feeling was a generosity of spirit and loyalty toward a new friend from Earth.