Meadows of Heaven (7/23)

[epeeblade]

Chapter 7

"Well, now this place is starting to look . . . functional."

Maggie looked up from the navigational panel as Whitfield entered the bridge. The team working in the engine room had managed to hook up a power supply and the ship had come alive; the overhead lights flickered, tiny colored lights on all the panels blinked, and the doors slid open as one walked up to them. The ship with its clunky angles and awkwardly placed machinery would never look like the Mercury. Maggie was fond of it though she missed the sleek curves and handy design of their ship.

"Engineering did a good job with the power supply," she said. "They've got power routed everywhere on the ship."

"Huh," Whitfield mused, looking over her shoulder at the mess of wires. "Sure that's wise with the way you've taken everything apart?"

She gave him a grin. "I disconnected it from the grid first. It's fascinating; these ships couldn't even achieve warp three. And they made it all the way out here."

"Thanks to the Isaac Wormhole. That's how they got stranded out here in the first place. Didn't count on the damn thing collapsing."

They were interrupted by a sharp beeping noise. Whitfield put his hands over his ears as Maggie went over to the agitated panel to quell the sound. She paused, fingers over the keys as she read the display. "Oh, stars." Slapping her comm she shouted, "Who's in engine room three? Evacuate, ASAP. I’m getting overclock errors like you wouldn't believe."

Whitfield came up beside her and flipped a few switches. "They still used uranium on these old ships. Might be a radiation risk too."

"Corporal Gyllenhaal, I’m not seeing any energy warnings here," a voice echoed back.

She didn't recognize the voice, but Maggie didn't care. "The bridge is lighting up here. Better safe than sorry and get your asses out of there while I contain the location from here."

"Corporal. . ."

"Just do what she says," Whitfield snarled. "Get your people out of there, Chief."

"Let me know when everyone is out so I can throw up the force fields." Maggie didn't know if 300 year old containment technology would do it, but that's all she had at the moment. The thought of a radiation leak scared her, had they come all this way just to doom the citizens of 328?

Her finger hovered over the activation key. Maggie's heart pounded in her chest as she watched the heat meter increase. Come on, she thought, how long did it take to evacuate? She hoped they weren't taking their fucking time because it was her word over their instruments.

"We're out, Corporal."

Maggie slammed her hand on the key, and prayed she was in time. Just as the force fields went up, a loud boom sounded and the ship rocked to one side. She went flying to the opposite end of the bridge, landing on Whitfield as they both slammed against the wall. "Damn it," she said, pushing herself to her feet. "We have to pull out the power source, or else we're going to lose the whole ship."

"You all right?" Whitfield asked.

She whirled, puzzled at his concern, but when Maggie ran a hand against her forehead to deal with the tickling sensation she realized she was bleeding. "I'm fine. Come on. We have work to do."

"Lead on, Corporal."

***

Peter watched from the shadows, not quite brave enough to actually enter the auditorium, the tall circle of blood red seats around the center stage that hovered in the center. He'd followed Commander Morgan and his sub here, and really, he shouldn't have been surprised to see they'd stopped to take in a demonstration. Morgan had gone on and on about learning their ways, after all. The surprising thing was that they hadn't attended more demonstrations. During the Choosing they had their fill to pick from, training, as mother used to say, didn't stop when one graduated the Schola.

Peter knew that all too well.

He still flinched if anything brushed near his back, even knowing that Nicci had healed him completely. She hadn't even left him with a single scar. A residual ache reminded him that it was just the night before last he'd survived the whip.

The crowd began to applaud, calling Peter's attention to the end of the exhibition. He half hid behind the curtain of one of the entranceways, a lone sub lost behind the rolls of fabric. Otherwise he was sure one of the guards would have said something to him. The rope master bowed in the center of the stage, his subs in various states of bondage around him, one still suspended in midair, another bound spread-eagled to a rack, and the third seemingly free, but wrapped in crisscrossing ropes from head to toe.

"Thank you all for attending. If you have any questions, I will be here to answer them," the master announced. Most of the crowd seemed satisfied and began to make their way towards the exits.

Not Peter's quarry. Morgan and Jensen remained behind, walking towards the hovering stage, which descended to their level. Had they really so little experience in such a thing?

Master told him to learn all he could about Sub Jensen, the green-eyed sub from the stars. Peter snorted at the thought. If ever put on the market, there would be a bidding war for Jensen. No sub in three hundred years had ever been born with green eyes. No dom either, the color simply didn't exist in Harmony.

Peter recalled his first Choosing, when he was just nearing marketable age and there were already whispers. Who would gain the mastery of the son of the queen? He'd been the darling of the nobles then. Now he wondered if anyone remembered who he was. No longer prince with a city to choose from, he'd been locked into a contract far longer than any sub negotiated for their first master.

Stupid, he thought, fixing his gaze on the stage, where the rope master had begun plying his trade on Jensen's pale body, showing Morgan where the knots should fall. He shouldn't be thinking about the past, about the hopes he'd had back then. Master had given him orders, and Peter obeyed. If he relished his extra freedom while he did so, well, no one could blame him.

***

Jensen followed Jeff as they made their way through the palace, familiar enough now that they no longer needed a guide. Although Jensen found he missed little Colin, not only had the kid grown on him, it would be useful to see how young subs were raised. He wondered how much of their lifestyle was ingrained at a young age.

It might explain Peter, who seemed awkward in his skin, and not at all suited for what his master wanted of him. He hadn't been at dinner last night; Adrian had brought another sub in his place, but didn't make any explanations. It had been Duchess Rachel's turn to provide entertainment, and thinking about how she used that hairbrush was enough to get him stiff. There was only one duke left, and Jensen chafed with worry that he and Jeff would be expected to perform next.

This meeting with the queen should clarify things, he thought, although they were ostensibly there to discuss the contract for the UP base. Jensen didn't think she'd forget to tell them something so important.

"Enter!" the voice commanded after Jeff had placed his hand on the door. Instead of the sitting room, they'd been ordered to this location, the negotiations room. Jensen called it the war room in his mind, but he figured he'd been watching far too many old 3D movies.

Instead of a conference room, really what Jensen had expected, the room resembled a sitting room, with chairs and pillows in a circle. A table was set off to the side, so Jensen figured they could pull it over if they needed it.

The queen sat in the chair opposite the door, Sub Fredric at her feet and a woman standing next to her. "Thank you for coming. Please have a seat. Lady Verona, this is Commander Morgan and his sub Jensen."

Verona inclined her head. "Pleasure to meet you both."

"Lady Verona is a contract specialist. I brought her here for her expertise," the queen explained.

Jensen, who had knelt at Jeff's side as he sat, placed his hand on Jeff's thigh. "May I speak?" When Jeff nodded, he went on. "Wouldn't it be proper for us to have our own expert?"

One of the queen's eyebrows went up. "Do you think I would arrange things so unequally as to not allow you access to Lady Verona?"

"No, mistress." Jensen's eyes went to the floor. "But we did leave our own team of experts back at our camp."

Jeff cleared his throat. "Jensen does have a point. Diplomacy isn't necessarily my strong suit."

Michelle smirked in response to that comment. Jeff continued. "If you will permit me, I can contact my camp. Dr. Sasha Barresse. She is one of our negotiators." He pulled out his comm unit from under his tunic. Jensen didn't know where he kept it; he'd had to leave his own back in the room, unable to secret it beneath his far more revealing clothes.

"Do so." The queen nodded.

Jeff dialed a comm code and pushed connect. After a moment they heard: "Barresse here."

"Dr. Barresse. This is Commander Morgan. I am in a meeting with Queen Michelle and others. May I put you on holo?"

"Of course."

Jeff touched a button and the device projected an image of the good doctor in front of them, as if she were standing among them. Barresse smiled and gave a polite little bow to the queen.

"Astonishing," Michelle murmured, standing to attempt to touch the figure. Her hand went through the hologram of course. "Perhaps there is something we can learn from you after all."

"I hope so, your majesty," Barresse said politely. "For example, has Commander Morgan told you we've found one of the ships the colonists used to come to this planet?"

"He has not mentioned it, no."

"I'd only learned myself last night," Jeff said. "When I checked in with my team. They hadn't yet gotten the power up and running."

"Then I get to tell you that our engineers have done that this morning." Barresse grinned at them. "I can forward you some images, Commander, so you can share them with the queen."

Michelle looked thoughtful. "How far from Harmony is this ship?"

"Harmony is the city," Jeff explained quickly for Barresse's benefit.

"About ten kilometers west. Not terribly close."

"But not far either," Michelle said softly.

Jensen wondered if she realized how insular they had become, not venturing past their little utopia behind safe walls. Something had brought the colonists here, and perhaps the logs on this ship would tell them why.

"The commander," Michelle began, "wishes to obtain permission for your people to build a base on our planet. I'm inclined to think it may be a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Barresse didn't bat an eye at the sudden introduction of the base idea, making Jensen wonder if she too had been in the know. "Certainly. I'd be happy to facilitate negotiations for such an arrangement."

Jensen wondered if Barresse would attempt to get an invitation to inside the city. The queen hadn't explained why she'd only permitted Jeff, but perhaps she'd explain now.

"I think the best place to begin," Barresse began to say, but the rest of her words were cut off by a loud blast, and the hologram fizzled out for a moment.

"Dr. Barresse, Barresse come in. Are you all right?" Jeff cut in. "What happened?"

She turned around, obviously looking at something they couldn't see. "I don't know Commander."

Jeff hit another button on the comm. "Brown, come in."

"Bit busy here, Commander," Brown's voice responded.

"Sit rep, Brown."

"Some kind of explosion on the ship. Give me ten, I need to find out what went down."

He signed off with an annoying click. The hologram of Barresse hovered for a moment, Jeff still hadn't cut that connection.

"Will you require healers?" The queen asked, looking from the image of the doctor back to Jeff. "I offer our best."

"Thank you," Jeff said, sounding surprised. He tried the comm again. "Brown, do you require medical assistance? We've got an offer here."

"Negative, commander, so far we've got some cuts and bruises. Nothing the medics can't handle. Thank Corporal Gyllenhaal for that, she threw the ship's force shields up just in time."

Jensen met Jeff's eyes, a little smug at the fact that bringing Gyllenhaal along had been his idea.

"What caused the explosion?" Jeff asked.

"Sounds like a bad connection to our power supply." Brown growled. "I'll report in later, I need to handle this."

"You do that, Commander," Jeff said. "I expect to hear from you by 1800."

"Got it."

Jeff closed both connections, the hologram of Barresse winking out. "I apologize, I'm afraid we'll have to discuss terms at another time."

"Of course." The queen turned to look at Lady Verona, who had watched the entire exchange in wide-eyed silence. "Although this discussion was most illuminating. Don't you agree?"

"Yes, mistress," Verona said. "Very educational. I believe I know where to begin drafting the contract."

"See to it."

Verona bowed her head and then left the room, presumably to begin her work.

The queen took her seat once more, resting one hand on the back of her sub's neck. Her brow furrowed, and Jensen wondered what she made of all this.

"I wish that had gone better," Jeff said, half an apology.

"Not your fault, Commander. I don't expect these negotiations to be completed in one day. But that is what the time of the Choosing is for. Contracts and bargains struck." She frowned. "Tomorrow night is usually the dinner in which I provide the entertainment."

Oh, Jensen thought, leaning back against Jeff's legs, here it comes.

"I would defer my turn to you, if you wish."

Well, Jensen thought, at least she wasn't making it an order. But it would be very bad form for Jeff to refuse. They'd gone to the rope demonstration that morning as Claudia suggested just for this very purpose. Neither of them were the type to back down from a challenge.

"Thank you," Jeff said. "We are honored."

She smiled, as if aware of the undertone of Jeff's comment. "And tonight, with your permission, I would invite Sub Jensen for another game of tournabout."

Jeff at this point had learned not to look like he was checking with Jensen before giving permission. He only pressed his leg against Jensen's back and Jensen leaned back, giving his assent. "Of course."

Jensen wondered if playing the board game was all the queen had in mind.

***

"I should be out there," Jeff said.

Jensen could see the agitation in the lines of Jeff's body, the way he held himself stiff, his eyes always darting to the west, as if he could see the camp from here. Well, they were pretty high up, but no one had vision that good without a scope. He'd dragged Jeff out to the gardens in an attempt to soothe him. They couldn't leave the city right now, not when they'd made so much progress.

"You left Lieutenant Commander Brown in charge," Jensen said. "Obviously you think he's a capable commander. Trust him to handle it."

Jeff gave him a small smile. "You're right."

"Of course," Jensen said. "I usually am."

So it was with a laugh that they came up on the princess Alona, sitting on one of the ornate benches in the garden, surrounded by baskets of leather and leather-working supplies, a sort of mini-loom on her lap. She looked up from her work at their appearance. "Oh, good day."

"Good day, Alona," Jeff said. "Sorry to have interrupted you."

"Oh, no, I'm just working on a courting gift. It's just not coming out well at all." She frowned down at the length of leather in her hands.

"You decided on who to court then?" Jeff asked, coming closer. He gestured to the chair and she nodded, so he sat beside her. Jensen went to take his place on his knees, surprised that the stonework felt soft, as if the very structure of the ground had changed to meet his needs.

"I have hopes. I won't find out until tomorrow if he's agreed. Still, I need to be prepared." She pulled one of the baskets on her lap and sorted through the lengths of leather. "And I'm having the worst time in deciding which design to shape, what color to use, whether I should use rivets or not."

Jensen hid his smile, she sounded so perplexed, so much like a girl with her first crush. Or, he guessed, a dom with her first sub.

"I don't want it to look cheap, that would be insulting. But I'm afraid I'm just not very good at leatherworking."

Jensen wondered what kinds of gifts were acceptable, if they had to be handmade or not. When the princess asked what Jeff had given Jensen, he bit his lip and turned away. He should have laughed at that, knowing this was only a charade. But Jensen longed for the day when a dom would try to woo him, not quite in the same way Alona had in mind, but at least chase Jensen for who he was, not what he was.

Jeff didn't have to answer, because Colin came up the path, toting a floating basket behind him, filled with even more lengths of leather. He dropped it at Alona's feet and scowled at her.

"I hope you can find something out of his basket. Why can't you just have the leatherworker help you?"

"Colin, you know it has to be handmade. Or else it doesn't mean anything," she chided him.

He snorted in a way that made him look much older, Jensen thought, more like a teen and less like the boy Jensen had thought him. "As if you could possibly make a match with someone you found on the street!"

"Colin!" Alona's cheeks flushed a bright red.

"It's stupid, Alona: standing around; hoping to be bought. But you'll never know what that's like!" Colin spat out before turning and stalking away from them, deeper into the garden.

Jensen put his hand on Jeff's thigh, but Jeff said, "Go after him," already ahead of Jensen on this one.

It wasn't hard to keep up after Colin, he made plenty of noise stomping through the gardens. Jensen caught up with him on a terrace with a view of the ocean; Colin had curled up on the stone ledge, gazing out into the distance.

"Colin?" he asked, not wanting to approach if the boy really wanted to be alone.

Colin drew his arm across his eyes, wiping away tears. "Sorry," he said. "Shouldn't have gotten mad in front of you."

"Will you be punished?" Jensen asked, approaching slowly.

"Only if Alona tells. She won't."

"Ah." Jensen leaned against the ledge, not looking at Colin, letting the boy speak at his own pace. He'd gotten used to being a big brother, being there for Jared when the kid suffered through high school while going through his gene treatments. Now that Jared was all grown up, Jensen found he missed it a bit, being the rock that his brother relied on. Although he'd bet Jared would say otherwise.

"How do you do it?" Colin asked, so low Jensen could barely hear him. "Leave everything you've ever known to be owned by someone you don't know."

Jensen coughed. "Things are a little different where I come from." Although he realized he wasn't the best person to explain this, he'd made a career out of being owned by strangers. "And I think your perspective might change a little when you're older."

Colin gave him a look, as if he'd heard that before. "I'm not a child," he said.

Jensen bit his lip to keep from smiling at that. "I'm not saying you are. But you'll find you may look at things a bit differently."

He shrugged. "After training, I guess. I just. I just don't want to end up broken."

The heartache in those words hurt and Jensen gave in to the impulse to put his hand on Colin's arm. To his relief the boy didn't flinch.

"Broken and with no home. My parents are both subs. I'll never really have a home to go back to."

"I don't think that's true. Do you really think the queen would let that happen?" Jensen knew he was grasping at straws, he barely knew the woman.

Before Colin could answer, a rustling of the leaves behind them alerted them both to a third presence. Jensen, expecting Jeff or Alona, sat up straight at the sight of Peter standing near a bed of blue and purple flowers. If anyone had been the cause of Colin's distress, Jensen would pin the blame on this young sub. For once, Peter wore actual clothing, a dark blue tunic over crimson trousers, instead of the leather kilt. And he smiled, lighting up his whole face.

"Hello Colin, didn't expect to find you here. I was looking for Sub Jensen." He nodded at Jensen. "Your master sent me in this direction."

Colin pushed himself off of the ledge and launched himself at Peter, hugging him around the waist. "Easy." Peter laughed, but he put his arms around the boy. "It's good to see you too." He ruffled Colin's hair before stepping back. "Were you telling tales?"

"Never," Colin said, but his grin didn't quite reach his eyes. "I have lessons now."

"Well, listen to your tutors, then," Peter said as he sent the boy off.

Jensen stayed by the ledge, watching as a myriad of expressions ran over the other sub's face. The grin faded to worried and then determined as he looked back at Jensen.

"What did you want to speak to me about?" Jensen asked.

"Oh." Peter ducked his head. "I wanted to thank you for visiting me at the healer's. It meant a lot."

Jensen shrugged, feeling slightly guilty he had gone to learn more about Peter. "Um. No problem."

"I liked your stories about where you come from." Peter finally approached and hopped up on the ledge where Colin had just vacated. "I wanted to return the favor. And hear more, of course. Your world must be very strange."

"Not that strange to me." Jensen smiled.

Peter looked out into the distance. "This is where my sister and I used to play test the force field." At Jensen's look he explained, "Throw ourselves off the terrace. The force field would bounce us back. Father punished us both when he caught us."

Jensen frowned. "And your father is?"

The question didn't seem unexpected; in fact Peter gave him a wry smile. "Fredric. The queen's Primary."

"Can doms only have children with their primary subs?" Jensen asked. He still didn't know how that was regulated, and how two subs could have a child.

"No. Children are usually contracted in advance. A dom can even contract with another dom's sub for a child."

"Ok, now I find your world strange."

Peter laughed and Jensen found he liked hearing the sound of his laughter, and how it made his whole face change, look open and carefree. He looked so different than he had that night, bound to the X. Jensen realized Peter looked free, despite his collar, without his master.

"I think the more we share," Peter said. "The less strange it all would be."

Jensen couldn't help but agree.

***

Jeff slipped his comm out as soon as he managed to get away from the princess, after telling her that yes, chocolate brown was a perfect color for her leatherwork.  He paused under a tree with low hanging leaves, and a clear view of the path back to the interior of the palace, so he could see Jensen when he returned. Only then did he punch in the code for the Mercury.

"Devine here. You're a little early for your daily report, Commander."

"Yes sir. I'm interested in an update on the situation at the base camp."

He could hear her heavy sigh even over the static on the line. "Minor injuries, Commander. It could have been much worse."

Which is why Jeff chafed, needing to be there, to check his people out, make sure everything was okay. He shook his head, knowing there was nothing he could do about it now, and there were two people here who counted on him. "What's the situation with the relic ship?"

"I've ordered them to disconnect all power sources until the logs have been scoured. None of those fools is an expert in ancient tech."

"The logs themselves are incredibly valuable," Jeff said. They'd have access to the actual diaries of the original colonists, the first time ever in the reclamation project. None of the other ships they'd encountered had been in one piece, never mind salvageable.

"Cohen's historians are shitting themselves with glee."

Jeff choked on a laugh. "I bet."

"We wouldn't even have them if it weren't for Gyllenhaal. What ever made you add her to the roster?"

"It was Lieutenant Ackles' idea," Jeff said.

"A damn good one. What's the status on your progress?"

"Finding that ship actually did a lot more for our case. We've got proof now that these people came from somewhere else. We're going to start negotiations for the base."

"Good. Run any provisions by me before you agree to them."

"Yes, sir. Morgan out." He closed the connection. To think, two weeks ago, all he had to worry about was bringing his people home, convincing the queen that Jeff was a capable master. Now, he had to negotiate a prime base for the UP, worry about his team blowing up ancient technology, and then there was Jensen.
Jeff wasn't sure why he added Jensen to that list, so far the young man proved more than capable of the challenges facing them. Of course, the rapport they had developed would be more than tested tomorrow night when they had to perform in front of the queen's court. Now that he'd gotten a chance to know most of them, Jeff felt uncomfortable with the idea of having to perform sexually in front of them. Although to be technical, it was only Jensen who really needed to be on display.

He heard the sound of laughter and looked over to see Jensen coming down the path with Peter. Whatever Peter had said, it caused Jensen's face to transform, his lips stretched into a wide grin, those adorable crinkles appearing around his eyes. Jeff didn't like the sour curl in his stomach at that sight, and he couldn't explain the cause of it.

Instead he merely stepped out of the shadow of the tree, surprising both subs.

"Did you even talk to Colin?" Jeff asked, his tone sharp.

"Yes, sir. He had to go to his lessons," Jensen answered, eyes lowered.

"I'm glad he has a sense of responsibility." Implied of course, that Jensen did not.

Peter took the opportunity to bow and excuse himself. "Till dinner."

Once he'd gone, Jensen murmured, "You're laying it on a little thick."

Even Jeff realized that, but he didn't respond.

***

When Jensen arrived at the queen's sitting room that evening, he expected the queen to be in her customary chair, her sub at her feet as she set up the tournabout game. Instead, Fredric stood at the Dumb Waiter, pouring steaming liquid from a pitcher into two mugs. He looked up at Jensen's entry and smiled.

"Good evening, Sub Jensen."

Jensen blinked, not accustomed to hearing the man's voice. Hell, he wasn't used to seeing the man standing and not on his knees. "Oh. Uh. Good evening, Sub Fredric." He hoped he used the right address, it seemed all subs were equal despite their doms.

"You're surprised to see me." Fredric gave him a gentle smile. He set the tray with the mugs down on a side table before kneeling gracefully on his customary royal blue pillow.

Jensen sank into the pillow across from him, still disconcerted. Perhaps the queen would be delayed? "Not to see you." Jensen said, "Seeing only you."

Fredric laughed. Then his expression sobered as he picked up one of the mugs and cradled it between his hands. "I wanted the chance to speak with you."

"Sub to sub?" Jensen said. At Fredric's confused look he said, "The queen isn't coming, is she?"

"No. Feel free to make the first move, however." Fredric gestured to the tournabout board, already set up.

Jensen picked up a frog and set the opening gambit. "What did you wish to speak with me about?"

"Many things. Anything you feel you cannot say in front of the queen."

"Only to have you inform her of everything I say." Jensen looked up, relieved for once to be able to look someone in the eye.

Fredric took his own move in the game. "We've ruled for a long time. Everything I know is hers."

"'We?'" Jensen echoed.

"I was a green band long before I wore the gold." Fredric gestured to his collar.

Jensen tried to remember what Misha had said green represented. Like his own red collar, it required special training; green bands were subs who could dominate other subs. Yes, it would make sense that the queen had a sub like that, she couldn't take charge of her 200 subs without some help. "I don't recall what the gold means," he said.

"Gold is for life," Fredric explained. "When my mistress breathes her last, so will I."

Okay, Jensen thought, that was rather morbid. He couldn't imagine committing to a single person in such a way. "Oh," he said.

"There is normally a progression, you see. New subs rarely start out with their first masters in black."

Except for Peter, Jensen thought, wondering why the young prince had made that commitment at such a young age. He'd told Jensen he'd been Adrian's sub for five years, ever since he turned 21 and was deemed old enough to require a master. "I'm not a new sub," he clarified his own collar, "And we don't recognize the same structure you do."

"So how long are you bound to Commander Morgan for?" Fredric asked, using his wolf to cower a group of Jensen's rabbits on the game board.

"For as long as I need to be," Jensen answered honestly. He and Jeff had decided not to lie, worried there would be some kind of lie detectors built into the walls here, but they had figured out a few ways to equivocate.

"Mmm. I prefer contracts with a set date. You can be sure of them ending then." He put his mug down. "I wanted to thank you for aiding my son the other night."

Jensen thought of how different Peter had been that very afternoon, so open and talkative, different from the dour silent sub he'd taken to the healers. Even during dinner this evening, Peter had seemed different, more willing to chat in the kitchens with the other subs, much to Misha's surprise at least. "I was happy to do it."

"What do you think of Duke Adrian?" Fredric asked, point blank.

Adrian had offered Jeff more of Peter's time in teaching them about Harmony. He had been polite to a fault during the exchange, but even that conversation had set Jensen's teeth on edge. Something about the man just bothered him, although he couldn't say way, and he wasn't prepared to judge him based on the single scene Jensen had witnessed, especially with the differences in Peter's behavior.

"I don't know him," Jensen answered, again honest. He'd learned to listen to his instincts in this job, but the prickling sensation at the back of his neck hardly counted as thoughts.

"Ah. I was hoping to get an unbiased opinion," Fredric said.

"I'm hardly qualified," Jensen shot back. "Since I've only been here for a few days."

Fredric looked down at the game board, as if he suddenly realized Jensen had turned three-quarters of the board to his side. "Yet you seem to have mastered this game."

"Sub Misha gave me a few tips." Jensen shrugged.

"He's been known to do that," Fredric said dryly. "I'm curious as to how we seem to you. You say you're not the norm where you come from. We can't imagine that. But I wonder, if that's so, if Harmony feels more like a home to you."

Were all these people incredibly insightful? Jensen wondered if he could go for an hour without someone pointing out something they shouldn't have noticed. It made him worry that their deception was really no deception at all, that every master and sub could see the truth of his and Jeff's relationship

"It seems unreal," Jensen finally admitted.

"Would you tell me more about your world?" Fredric asked, pale eyes curious.

Jensen took a deep breath. "Well, first, it's actually, worlds. UP stands for United Planets. Each planet sends a representative to the council of Senators, who make decisions for anything that concerns the entire UP. Otherwise each world does govern itself. I'm from a planet called Earth, though I wasn't born there. My parents escaped Sienna, one of the more war torn planets when I was four years old . . ."

Fredric proved an attentive listener and Jensen knew all that he said would be carried back to the queen, if she weren't already watching from somewhere else. Jensen found he didn't mind, he liked the older sub, found him fascinating, in fact. Perhaps it wasn't so far fetched to think someone could be happy, submitting to his lover for so long. Jensen wasn't an expert on long-term relationships, but it was nice to imagine the possibilities.



Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Epilogue