Powell's face darkened with color as he reached them. He nodded curtly. Kushbu studied the floor as he pa.s.sed them. Sybil threw Anka a look he had trouble interpreting. 'I need to go in now.'

Reluctantly, he released her. Dr. Rains s.n.a.t.c.hed her arm free of Beckt's hold and dashed through the door before Sybil could, nearly knocking her down.

Anka stood frowning at the door for several moments after they'd disappeared and finally looked at Beckt. Beckt looked as confused as he was. He shrugged. Abruptly remembering himself, he stiffened, saluted and headed down the corridor at a brisk walk, leaving Anka in the hall alone and wondering what the h.e.l.l had happened.

Holly beat Sybil to the facilities and leapt into the shower. After glaring at the woman through the opaque material surrounding the shower for several moments, Sybil left and returned to their sleeping quarters. Plopping tiredly on the edge of her bunk, she stared at the floor, trying to empty her mind. Thoughts swarmed like a flock of carrion feeders, however, determined, relentless.

Foremost in her mind was the *walk of shame', which she, unfortunately hadn't been able to avoid despite the fact that she'd given it her best shot. She supposed she shouldn't feel too embarra.s.sed about it since she hadn't been the only one, but she couldn't tell that she was any less less embarra.s.sed from encountering the rest of the crew outside of the observatory. True, they were hardly in any position to make a judgment on her, but that didn't change the fact that they knew exactly what she'd been doing. embarra.s.sed from encountering the rest of the crew outside of the observatory. True, they were hardly in any position to make a judgment on her, but that didn't change the fact that they knew exactly what she'd been doing.

It sucked that she'd managed to think up a really good lie to cover herself and had been thwarted from using it by the circ.u.mstances!

Holly was still dripping when she left the bath a little bit later. Without glancing at Sybil, she headed for her bed. Jolting to her feet, Sybil headed into the bathroom. When she came out again, Holly was either asleep or pretending to sleep. She wasn't sure which, and she didn't particularly feel any need to rest herself. Discovering the moment she poked her nose out of the room, however, that Spencer was pacing the observatory like a caged lion, she headed back to bed.

For a while after she lay down to stare up at the ceiling, the only thoughts rambling through her mind were of the embarra.s.sing encounter with her fellow crewmembers. Slowly, however, the endless round of questioning what she might have done differently wore itself out and she began to remember her behavior in a totally different light.

What must Anka think of her odd behavior, she wondered?

What could could he think, she realized in dismay! That she was ashamed of what she'd done and embarra.s.sed that her fellow crewmembers he think, she realized in dismay! That she was ashamed of what she'd done and embarra.s.sed that her fellow crewmembers knew knew what she'd done! what she'd done!

G.o.d! She wouldn't even talk to him, or look at him!

She hadn't meant to leave him with impression! She'd just been too caught up in her own distress to consider that it might make him feel badly!

She just hadn't wanted them pa.s.sing judgment on her, whispering behind her back! It wasn't that she was ashamed of him or what they'd done together! It wasn't! It had been beautiful! More wonderful than she'd ever imagined it possibly could be!

Tears clogged her nose and throat at the thought that she'd ruined it by behaving like a silly child caught at something they shouldn't be doing and fearful of punishment. G.o.d! She was twenty eight years old! She was d.a.m.ned well old enough to make her own decisions about her life! It wasn't any of their business at all! Why should she care what they thought?

She did, though. Actually she didn't, not really, but she did care about being shunned.

They weren't really in any position to look down on her, though, were they, she thought, perking up slightly?

Not that she'd seen that had ever really stopped anybody from doing so. They always found an excuse for themselves.

Angry male voices from the observatory alerted her to the fact that the men had left their quarters. Holly sat up, listening intently. Her alertness made it clear that she hadn't actually been sleeping any of the time.

'What's going on?'

'Your guess is as good as mine.'

Holly was silent for several moments, listening. 'Do you think we should go out and try to break it up before they fight?'

Sybil sent her a sour look. 'Do you honestly think we could? Anyway, I don't care if they beat Spencer senseless. He's an a.s.shole.'

Holly seemed to consider that. 'Yes but What if he beats Powell and Kushbu senseless?'

Sybil blinked at her, digesting that, and then surged off the bed. The last thing she wanted was to end up at Spencer's mercy the way he'd been acting! She didn't know about Powell, but Kushbu was about as big around as a thread! Spencer would mop the floor with him.

Holly, who'd suggested *they' try to stop the argument before it escalated into a fight, followed Sybil to the door and then hovered in the doorway as Sybil strode into the observatory. Sybil didn't even realize she'd lost her backup until she'd reached the men. 'What's going on?'

Spencer, who'd been chest to chest with Powell, snarling in his face, whirled to look at her. His expression was ugly. He looked her up and down as if she was a pile of s.h.i.t and curled his lips back. 'Stay out of it, wh.o.r.e!'

Chapter Seven.

Absolute shock hit Sybil as if she'd been punched. Never in her life, certainly not in her military career, had she been a.s.saulted in such a way. Rage chased the shock in a counter wave. She balled her hands into fists. 'What did you say to me, Corporal Corporal?'

He didn't get the chance to respond. Powell grabbed him by one shoulder and half spun him around to punch him in the face. Caught off guard, the blow was far more effective than it might have been otherwise. Spencer staggered away from the blow, trying to catch himself and lost the battle. Almost the moment he hit the floor, however, he rolled to his feet, uttered a bellow of rage, and charged Powell.

Holly screamed ear-splittingly.

'Have you completely lost your mind, Spencer?' Sybil shouted as he b.u.t.ted Powell with his head and shoulders, carrying him across the room and into the wall. She heard Powell's head make a sickening sound as it struck the wall. His eyes rolled back in his head. He slid down the wall when Spencer released him and turned, fixing her with a deadly look.

Her heart slammed against her chest wall, knocking the breath from her, but she shook it off, a.s.suming a fighting stance. 'Don't do anything you're going to regret, soldier!' she said warningly.

Not surprisingly, he was too enraged to listen. He charged her. Sybil waited until the last possible moment. Instead of meeting his charge, however, she leapt out of the way, whirling as she landed and driving her foot into his back. Pain shot through her ankle. Gritting her teeth, she resumed an attack stance, watching Spencer as he slammed into the floor from her blow and then rolled up again. Before he could get from his knees to his feet, the door of the observatory flew open and Anka, followed by two other soldiers, raced inside. Anka caught Spencer around the shoulders and lifted him bodily from the floor as if he weighed no more than a child. Spencer wrestled to free himself from Anka's hold and then abruptly threw himself forward and down, flipping Anka over his back.

Sybil sucked in a sharp breath. Before Spencer could follow through, however, Anka was on his feet and facing his adversary. Spencer had been reduced by his rage to snarling and grunting, but he managed to throw a few insults in her direction as he attacked Anka, throwing three quick punches in succession. Anka blocked each strike and then slammed a fist into Spencer's face. His head snapped back at the blow. His eyes rolled back into his head and he fell toward the floor like a felled tree, stiff as board.

Aghast, Sybil stared down at the man. 'Is he dead?'

'Not yet,' Anka growled, glaring at the unconscious man. He seemed to collect himself with an effort and tamp his anger. 'Are you hurt?'

Sybil looked down at her foot. 'I think I might have sprained my ankle when I kicked him.'

Surging toward her, he scooped her off her feet before she even realized his intention and carried her into her sleeping quarters, settling her on the bed. Crouching beside the bed, he gently lifted her leg, supporting the calf and foot, and studied the knot that had sprung up. His expression hardened. 'I'll have a droid scan it. It might be broken.'

Sybil didn't object. The pain had started to set in the moment the shock began to wear off. 'Do you think Major Powell will be alright?'

He studied her face for a long moment. 'I'll check on him,' he said abruptly, turning to go.

The urge to stop him smote her as he reached the door but she curbed it. Listening intently, she struggled to interpret what was going on in the observatory, but discovered that Anka and his men were speaking their own language. After a few minutes, she saw one of the men who'd accompanied Anka carry Spencer out over his shoulder. Anka appeared in her door a few minutes later. 'Powell has come around, but we'll be taking him down for a scan to check his injuries.'

'What are they going to do with Spencer?'

His lips tightened. 'He's to be confined alone.'

She stopped him when he turned to go. 'Anka.'

He turned back, lifting his brows questioningly.

'I'm sorry about the way I behaved this morning.'

Surprise flickered in his eyes. 'We'll talk later.'

Disappointment wafted through her when he'd gone and anxiety. She couldn't tell that her apology had had much impact. Swallowing the sudden impulse to cry for no d.a.m.ned reason at all, she settled back against her pillow and stared at the ceiling.

'My G.o.d!' Holly muttered, plunking down on her own bunk weakly. 'What in the world happened?'

Sybil thought it was a rhetorical question, but she'd been trying to understand it herself. 'I don't know. According to his file, Spencer's had some discipline problems in the past, but nothing like this. At a guess, he spent the night brooding over the fact that he was sent back here while we stayed to take part in the festival and was spoiling for a fight long before we got back. I think that only fueled the fire-the fact that none of us came back until this morning.'

Holly cleared her throat. 'I got to talking with Beckt-about their culture, you know?- and just completely lost track of time.'

Sybil sent her a sour look. 'You, too? That's what happened to me-except I was talking to Anka.'

Holly's face reddened with anger. 'Are you insinuating that I'm lying?'

'Are you insinuating that I I am?' Sybil shot back at her. am?' Sybil shot back at her.

'If that's true, why was Spencer screaming *wh.o.r.e' and *s.l.u.t' at you?'

'Because he has a nasty mind and a fertile imagination?' Sybil retorted angrily. Why the h.e.l.l was it that men could bed hop as much they pleased and yet the very d.a.m.ned moment a woman took a lover she was automatically a f.u.c.king wh.o.r.e? Was that just? Was that reasonable? It wasn't right. It wasn't fair, and yet it was fact of life-always had been, always would be. There were two standards-one for men and one for women. And the worst of it was that women were largely responsible for it! Here was Holly, judging her, when she didn't have any right whatsoever to do so, and instantly believing Spencer just because he said so!

Holly sniffed. 'I'm not in the habit of sleeping with strange men,' she said stiffly.

'Neither am I!' Sybil said tightly. 'Not that I don't have a perfect right to do so if the mood strikes me, d.a.m.n it! I'm single and I'm an adult and, if I have to take on the responsibilities of an adult, then I also also have the same freedoms as any other adult!' have the same freedoms as any other adult!'

'I saw you leave with Anka-we all did.'

'So? I saw you drag back in this morning, and Powell and Kushbu, so don't take that *holier than thou' att.i.tude with me! At least I'm not married!'

'I am not married either!' Holly said angrily. am not married either!' Holly said angrily.

'Well, I wouldn't brag about it!' Sybil snapped. 'What are you, forty? And Powell d.a.m.ned sure is!'

'I was was married,' Holly said defensively. 'I'm divorced. It isn't disgraceful for a woman who's been married before to uh consider finding another husband!' married,' Holly said defensively. 'I'm divorced. It isn't disgraceful for a woman who's been married before to uh consider finding another husband!'

'Says who?'

'Everybody! Single young women shouldn't well, they aren't used to living with a man and it's different when you are.'

Sybil gaped at her. 'When were you born? were you born? Where Where were you born, for that matter?' were you born, for that matter?'

Holly glared at her but apparently decided to keep the rest of her opinion to herself. Sybil just wished she'd kept all all of it to herself! She stewed over it for a while and finally realized she wasn't nearly as angry at Holly as she was upset by what had happened between her and Anka. of it to herself! She stewed over it for a while and finally realized she wasn't nearly as angry at Holly as she was upset by what had happened between her and Anka.

He'd been cool and polite but he hadn't unbent even a little when she'd apologized. That could mean only one thing as far as she could see-he regretted everything and he was trying to build a barrier to keep her out.

The urge to weep swept over her again, but she beat it back, refusing to give in to her emotions.

She decided after a while that he was probably right. They shouldn't have done it. The situation was already a crisis waiting to happen. Allowing themselves to get emotionally entangled was only going to complicate things further.

Not that she thought he he was in any danger of that! She couldn't actually blame him for trying to protect himself and the interests of his people, though. was in any danger of that! She couldn't actually blame him for trying to protect himself and the interests of his people, though.

Well fine! If he wanted to pretend it had never happened, she she could pretend with the best of them, d.a.m.n him! could pretend with the best of them, d.a.m.n him!

The creepy droids arrived about the time she finished arguing with Holly, scanned her ankle and wrapped it. She guessed that meant it wasn't broken. It was just a sprain, which she'd thought all the time-meaning she'd permanently f.u.c.ked up her tendon. She refused the medicine they offered for the pain. She thought it was probably alright, but she didn't want to take the chance of being knocked senseless and being defenseless.

Of course, it didn't appear that Spencer would be allowed to cause any more trouble, but no one was exactly friendly and if Holly, Major Powell, and Dr. Kushbu were going to be hatching a story to cover their a.s.ses, she d.a.m.ned well wasn't going to be left out!

She was left out, though. When meal time rolled around, one of the creepy droids brought her food to her. Everyone else left to dine in the mess hall. Trying not to feel like Anka had ordered it just to steer clear of her, she ate what she could, set the tray aside, and lay down to stew.

Almost the worst of it was that she couldn't even enjoy the night she'd spent with him- not now. It embarra.s.sed her when she finally remembered what she'd said to him-which was probably why he was avoiding her like she had leprosy now!

'For crying out loud!' she muttered angrily. 'I was half asleep, d.a.m.n it!'

Of course she'd meant it-in a way, but she sure as h.e.l.l hadn't meant to say it! And it wasn't completely true anyway-just sort of. The truth was that she'd had to work twice as hard to make it in the service than she would have if she'd been swinging a d.i.c.k. Anybody could say any d.a.m.ned lie they wanted about *equality' but there was really no such thing. She hadn't dared dared get involved with any of the service men, fearful that it would show up on her record and earn her a reprimand that would go against her the next time she was up for a promotion, or a demotion, or maybe even a discharge. She'd had a few interesting encounters, but never interesting enough to make her lose her head and that went for her time before she'd entered the service. She figured if they couldn't convince her there was no point in *doing' it. get involved with any of the service men, fearful that it would show up on her record and earn her a reprimand that would go against her the next time she was up for a promotion, or a demotion, or maybe even a discharge. She'd had a few interesting encounters, but never interesting enough to make her lose her head and that went for her time before she'd entered the service. She figured if they couldn't convince her there was no point in *doing' it.

She certainly hadn't consciously made a decision to *save' herself! She supposed, after a while, though, she'd begun to think that way, to figure that she'd already missed the boat, so to speak, and she might as well wait until some guy came along that really tipped the scales.

And wasn't it just typical typical that he wasn't even human? Talk about unattainable! that he wasn't even human? Talk about unattainable!

She frowned at the thought, wondering if she'd been subconsciously considering that as a point in his favor. After all, it wouldn't be something that could come back to haunt her. At least, it shouldn't have been. Now she wasn't so certain. Unless everybody else decided to keep their guilty little secret about romping with the aliens, she could be in deep s.h.i.t! Especially if they were willing to lie through their teeth like Holly, swear they hadn't done a thing, thing, and that she had. and that she had.

Not that they could prove she had, but if they ganged up on her h.e.l.l, if Powell decided to report her she'd be cooked!

It dawned on her abruptly that there was no way it wouldn't come out, regardless of whether Powell and the others decided to keep quiet about it. Spencer certainly wasn't going to unless he decided to use it to blackmail them into dropping all charges against him. Given the situation, his behavior was mutinous, not just insubordination, and his attack on his superior officers, both her and Powell, would also carry heavy charges. He would be looking at spending years in the military penitentiary. Considering his personality, it was almost a foregone conclusion that he'd try to blackmail them, she realized.

So they were screwed!

She sighed, covering her face with her hands, trying to figure out how one innocent adventure in exploring her s.e.xuality could go so nightmarishly wrong! How was it that other other people managed to have s.e.x without landing in such an awful predicament? people managed to have s.e.x without landing in such an awful predicament?

She should've just had the d.a.m.ned thing sewn shut! She couldn't even have s.e.x one d.a.m.ned time without it turning into a f.u.c.king galactic incident!

It wasn't fair! It just wasn't fair! And, unfortunately, railing against fate wasn't going to do her any good at all.

Hearing a commotion of arrival outside her door, she immediately thought about Powell and decided to get up to see if they'd brought him back. Hopefully, he wasn't in too bad a shape and he could think what to do. He had more riding on the outcome, after all, than she did. It would be his career and and his marriage! his marriage!

She'd only managed to hop about half the distance between her bunk and the door, however, when it opened and Anka appeared in the doorway. She halted abruptly, trying to keep her balance on one foot. His lips tightened. He surged toward her and caught her before she could fall. 'I thought, maybe, it was Powell coming back,' she said uncomfortably. 'Is he alright?'

'He's being treated for a concussion. We need to transfer him to your facilities, however. This is why I came. Your base commander wishes to speak directly to you.'

Sybil went cold all over. She gaped at him in horror. 'Me?'

He frowned. 'You are second in command of the mission and Powell is no condition to speak to him.'