CHAPTER 2

Lon

"What do you really think of this guy?" I asked Nick.

We were having breakfast in one of the Canis Guard dining halls.Nick's data glass was on a stand on the table.The Colonial Newsfeed was playing back the ceremony in the Regency Manor's Media Center, where Kris Tynan was decorated for Outstanding Valor in the surprise attack of the mutated trees in the courtyard.Right out of the Canis Guard Academy, he hadn't been on Lycia for more than a few hours when he took action in a crisis and chased down and captured a Soorn spy.The next day the Prime Regent held a ceremony in the Media Center, with everyone present who had been there when the trees started walking, plus a few of the most important Nobles and Urbana and some other VIPs from across the Colony.Nick and I were there, and so were Tara and Commander Brunson.Tara stood near her father and next to the Commander, smiling for the cameras, as Nick was brought up to the podium with the Prime Regent.Daniel Landon personally put Kris's first wolf claw on the young recruit's uniform and thanked and congratulated him for his quick-thinking actions.

A ceremony like this would usually have taken place in the courtyard outside, but that place was in no condition for an event like that after what happened during the welcoming of the new recruits.The place was full of patches of blackened grass and the spaces where the trees had been were now ugly holes torn in the soil.The grass would have to be regenerated and the trees replanted.The whole thing had happened just a couple of days ago; there had been no time to get the courtyard ready for Kris's decoration.So it was done indoors instead.

Watching Kris receive his first claw, I said, "How about this kid, anyway?He just got here a couple of days ago and it looks like he's already going places in the Guard."

Swallowing a bite of his breakfast steak, Nick said, "He showed initiative.The Commander ordered everyone to attack, and he didn't follow orders—but he caught the Soorn bastard who'd been planted there."He took a sip of his coffee and curled his lips in an ironic smile." ‘Planted'—pardon the expression."

"And there's the other thing," I said."The Soorns using their mutagenic agents on the trees.They never did that before."

This was true.In Lycia's past dealings with the Soorns, the aliens had only used their bio-weapons to turn animal life into monsters, which was bad enough.If they were now going to start using plants against us too, it would escalate our battle with them as soon as it started.We were lucky the Soorns only went about mutating higher orders of life.If they mutated some strain of bacteria or some virus to throw at us, we'd be facing a plague.But what little intel we had on their history suggested that creating artificial plagues was taboo with them because at some point in their history they had almost wiped themselves out that way.They'd probably be careful about how they altered plants too, since a release of mutated plant spores would be a plague just as bad as a killer virus or bacterium.

Nick agreed, "They've picked up some new tricks since they were fought off the last time.Since the Soorns are more clever now, we're going to have to get more clever too."

The glass showed Kris, the Prime Regent, and the other higher-ups on the stage stepping down onto the Media Center floor to mingle around with the other dignitaries and talk to the press.Kris looked quietly proud, as a Canis Guard who's done a distinguished job always does.I caught sight of myself and Nick in the room, circulating among the people there.But where my main attention went was to Tara in her long white coat and light cream-colored vest top, slacks, and shoes, her golden hair falling over her shoulders, looking pure and ladylike the way she always did.I watched the Princess, and I watched the Princess watching the newly honored Guard.I noticed she was polite to everyone—but she never took her eyes off Kris.

Nick and I had both been with a lot of human females, both separately and together.I had learned how to read the quiet signals that a human female gave off, the way she carried herself when one of us was around, the look in her eyes when she looked at us—and the scents that she gave off.I knew from having been there, as I knew from watching her now, that she was giving looks and scents of interest, and they were all directed at the newly decorated Sub-Lieutenant Tynan.

I said to Nick, "It was pretty obvious what she thinks of him."

Nick chuckled suggestively."The scent coming from the Princess almost reminded me of a she-wolf in heat."

"Think she'll do anything about it?"

"What do you think?There's nothing to stop her.She's a Regency daughter.He's Canis Guard.And she's impressed as hell with him right now."

And there was another fact that was not lost on any member of the Guard who was stationed on Lycia, especially those assigned to the Capital city.The sons and daughters of the Regency, going back for the half-century that Earth had colonized this planet, all took advantage of a special, understood but unspoken privilege with the Canis Guard.They were known to be close—very close—with us, and not just in our official capacity as a security and peacekeeping force.It was an open secret that when Regency sons and daughters took a lover to bed, that lover, often as not, was a member of the Guard.

Nick and I had talked about this more than once.We knew that she'd been with some of the Guards on a casual basis.The two of us had both entertained the idea of trying to get closer to her and becoming her next lycanthrope partner or partners.Neither of us had ever shared the bed of someone as important as Tara Landon.We'd been with ladies and women well up the social food chain, but not a Princess.How would that be—one of us, maybe both of us, perhaps both of us at once, serving very intimate duty with Tara?

"She could have him," I said."Easily."

Nick arched his brows and took another sip of coffee."She could have any of us, easily, as long as they were male and attracted to females."And he bit into another forkful of his steak.

I noted, "She's probably not about to have him right away, though.He'll have to go through Capital orientation now.That'll take a little time."

It was true.All the new recruits would have to become familiar with the Capital and the legislative Houses.They'd already been briefed about the layout of the Regency Manor and all the official buildings, but now they'd have to go through personally guided tours and learn all the ins and outs and protocols of the way things operated.That would take up most of Kris Tynan's time—for a while, anyway.After that, with Kris here and the Princess confined to the Manor for the time being, who knew what might happen?

But there were other concerns, even more pressing than who the Princess's next bedmate or mates might be.As we watched the proceedings go on, the Newsfeed flashed a scan of a Soorn warrior in reference to the Soorn spy that Kris had captured.There were still some ominous questions surrounding him.Nick turned up the volume on his screen for that part.

The reporter's voice echoed our own thoughts as she said, "Preliminary studies of samples of the mutated trees showed traces of mutagenic compounds similar to the biochemical agents that the Soorns used to alter animal life on Lycia fifty years ago.It's clear from the attack on the Regency Manor that the Soorns have modified those compounds to be effective on plant life as well.What is not so clear is how the Soorns were able to smuggle an agent onto Lycia, past planetary security.It's speculated that their ships are now using certain mineral compounds that are known to block or fool sensor scans, compounds that are found on Lycia itself and on other space bodies including some asteroids in this sector of space.Thus far, Colonial sensors are able to detect those minerals themselves, but not necessarily determine whether the substances are being used to conceal a spacecraft or other technology.Colonial scientists and engineers are actively looking for a way to work around those limitations…"

"Which means," Nick said, lowering the volume again, "that we've probably got other Soorns lurking around here, morphed to pass for human, and their morphing powers can even mask their scent, the way that one that Tynan caught posing as a server did."He looked around at other Guards sitting at other tables in the room, and at the staff behind the counters at one end of the dining hall."The bastards could be anywhere or anyone.If we're not careful, that could ramp up the paranoia in this place."

"And that's probably something the Soorns want," I said."Make people suspicious enough of each other and we might not see their next attack coming any more than we saw this one."

"The Soorn that Tynan caught is supposed to be being close-mouthed as hell in interrogations," said Nick, frowning."So unless we want to break some laws about torturing detainees, we're getting no damn help from him.They'd torture the hell out of one of us, damn them."

"Our own doctors and biotech people are studying him pretty closely, though," I reminded him."If there's a way around their shape-changing powers to detect them while they're hiding out in human form, they'll find it."

Nick took a last swallow of his coffee and said, "Well, they'd better find it in a hurry.I want to be sure of who I can trust around here."He looked at me with a twinkle of camaraderie in his eye."Besides you."

I smiled at him and gave him a tap of the knuckles on his shoulder.Nick had seen me up through the ranks of the Guard and taken me on as his partner.There was a bond between us that we'd never allow anything to break, not even some damn slinking, lurking Soorn."You and me.Always," I said.

"Speaking of which," Nick said, "we'd better reserve ourselves a practice room to work out in before we have to take off."

"Right," I said."A little workout will do us both good before maneuvers."

As soon as we got up from the table, our wrist comm units both went off.This was curious.Was this the Commander with other orders besides our assignment to report for field training maneuvers as we were scheduled to do?We lifted our wrists and tapped on the receivers, and at once we got a very welcome surprise.

Into the air in front of us blossomed the transmitted image of a smiling Tara Landon.

Nick and I exchanged a fascinated glance, then Nick said, "Princess.Good morning.Your call is a nice surprise.How can we help you?"

"Good morning, Sub-Commander Travis, Lieutenant Black," said Tara cordially."I'm glad I caught you before you had to leave the Capital.You were both so brave, protecting my friend and me from those mutated trees the other day, I'd been wanting to have a little personal time to get better acquainted."

Another look passed between Nick and me.What had we been talking about just a moment ago?

Nick replied, "Lon and I would welcome that, Princess…"

She gently interrupted him, "Please…call me Tara, won't you?"

We both smiled at that.We'd like nothing better than to be on first-name terms with the Prime Regent's daughter.

"Tara," Nick continued."We'd both welcome a little personal time with you, of course.Right now, Lon and I were on our way to have a little session in the practice rooms…"

Her transmitted image put on a bigger smile.

"Really?" Tara said."Do you mind if I come down and watch?I've always enjoyed watching you guys practice."

I could sense Nick's heartbeat speeding up as fast as my own."We'd love to have you," I replied, then quickly added, "at practice.As soon as we have our room reserved, we'll send you the info."

"Wonderful!" Tara said."I'm so looking forward to this.It'll be the best part of my day.Talk to you soon."

"Soon," said Nick.

"Looking forward to it," I said.

Tara's image blinked out and Nick and I exchanged another, very intrigued and interested look.Having the Princess watch us work out would be the best part of our day too.