"Then we won't let them catch us," she countered.

He shook his head. He could foresee a future of never winning an argument again.

She pointed through the viewport. "You can't let InterGlax continue to terrorize the galaxy. Innocent people are dying. I know you don't want that. You hate InterGlax for doing this. So for once, stick around and give it a shot."

He scowled. "I tried to play the hero before. It didn't work."

"Yes, but you were missing one important component."

He eyed her. "And what would that be?"

She raised her chin defiantly. "Me."

He couldn't help it, he laughed. "Lacey, even if I had an army at my disposal, there is no way to stop IG, no one to report them to, and no way to get evidence against them-especially with an op like this. This station is totally automated and virtually untraceable. I tried once to find answers to questions I shouldn't have been asking and it got my partner killed in a swamp." He finished with a snarl.

"So you didn't kill him," she said, not looking the least surprised.

He raked a hand through his hair. "I may as well have. It was my fault. I was the senior officer. I should have followed protocol and waited for backup. We walked right into their trap. They set us up, ambushed us, and left us for dead."

"How did you get out?" she asked.

"I called a couple of friends who are very good at sneaking around. They airlifted me. By the time I was conscious and healthy enough to contact InterGlax with my report, I discovered they had issued a warrant for my arrest-for murdering Crista."

Lacey's eyes widened. "Crista was your wife?"

Pain tightened his face. "My scouting partner."

"And more?" she asked.

He turned his eyes to her. "Does it make any difference? I couldn't save her."

"The nightmares."

He nodded. "I deserve whatever nightmares I get, Lacey. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not the safest person to spend time with."

She lifted her chin. "Maybe so, but I'm not going anywhere until we figure out a way to stop InterGlax from attacking my planet. I suggest you start thinking about it."

Chapter Nineteen.

New Year's Resolution #9: Do not volunteer to save Earth again.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't the smartest thing she'd ever done, but what was she to do? Earth might be a mess, it might have a lot of problems, but it was her home and she wasn't about to hand it over to greedy extraterrestrials. It would be like handing Tombstone over to Johnny Ringo and his gang. Not on her watch, even if it meant her career went down the toilet.

She shoved aside the frustration and swallowed a big chunk of pride. She'd have to confess the situation with Robert to her family and beg a loan to get through the winter. She hoped there would be other contracts. She really didn't have any other choice. If the aliens took Earth, her little piece of it wouldn't matter a hoot. It certainly put the New Year's list in perspective.

Lacey spun her chair around to face the front of the ship where Reene displayed a miniature replica of the dome on the holodeck. Oliver warmed her lap and Pio sat folded up in the corner where he'd been for most of the day. She was beginning to think Pio had a thing for her cat.

Zain cursed from the back room, and she knew he was battling the new power cell into place. Her job was to figure out how to shut down the dome and teleportals before he tried to send her home. Once there, the only recourse she'd have would be to run down the road yelling, "The aliens are coming! The aliens are coming!"- which she seriously doubted would work.

She said to Reene, "The portals must be linked to the images inside the dome and the facility below."

"My sensors indicate a conduit link."

"Could that conduit be severed?" she asked.

"Possibly. However, I do not know what effect that would have. It could bring InterGlax in here or trigger a self-destruct sequence of the facility."

Her eyes widened. So much for that idea.

She leaned back and stroked Oliver's head. The dome's image flickered in front of her. It was the key to this whole puzzle. It was tied to Stonehenges all over the galaxy; she was sure of it. There must be a good reason.

"Any idea how old the building is, Reene?"

"Based on the krudo accounts, I'd estimate roughly five thousand years."

That made sense. Stonehenge was about five thousand years old. Then she remembered reading something about a legend of giants dancing at the site where Stonehenge was built. She eyed the tall archways. They were big enough for giants.

"Pio, do you know who built the dome?"

The creature stretched his many legs, one at a time, and stood up on the console. "The travelers," he replied. "They come. They leave. They come. They leave. Like you."

She stared at his shiny red skin and wrestled with his logic. Travelers who came and went. Then it occurred to her. "Did the portals belong to them?"

"Yes."

Finally, something that made sense. "Reene, do you have any information on a race of space travelers in this region five thousand years ago? They would have been very tall, like giants."

"Working." After a minute, he responded, "Affirmative. Archives indicate a species called Narous who fit your description. They averaged five meters in height, with multiple appendages and large craniums. They were indeed well-traveled in this sector and known to have established portal entrances on mousands of planets. They disappeared approximately two thousand years ago."

"Then Stonehenge is definitely a terminal," she concluded. "And this dome must be Grand Central. Amazing. But why would they want to visit a bunch of juveniles?"

"As tourists."

"Be serious," she gasped.

Reene replied, "It is not unusual. Many juveniles are considered rustic and exotic locales."

She shook her head: The aliens had already come. Guess that answered that question. "Well, it doesn't seem like the Narous set up the portal system to be used for attacks. They would have done so long ago. Pio, did the travelers build the Well, too?"

"No. Belong to others."

Lacey tapped her fingernails on the chair. "So that means InterGlax figured out how to tie in to the travelers' portal system."

"Still trying to stop IG?" the deep voice came from behind her. Lacey spun to find Zain leaning against the corridor wall, arms folded and looking entirely too tempting.

He shoved off the wall and took the seat next to her. "Check your power levels now, Reene."

"Yes, sir."

She stared him down. "I'm not giving up, even if you are. And I'm not going home, Zain. Why is InterGlax bombing old tourist attractions?" He checked his ship's stats as he answered, "That part doesn't compute.

InterGlax is getting nothing out of this except a bad reputation."

"They didn't have a bad rep before?" Lacey asked.

"If they did, I didn't know about it when I enlisted. And I never saw anything like this while I was in. The trouble didn't begin until Cris..." He stopped. "I started poking around where I shouldn't have."

Lacey pounced on the opening. "What was Crista looking for?"

He glanced at her, none too happy. "It was my op."

"What was she looking for?" Lacey persisted.

"Why do I bother?" he muttered. "Stolen ships."

"InterGlax was stealing ships?"

Zain shook his head. "Someone had stolen ships from InterGlax. Crista wanted to look into it. That's when we were ambushed. Someone inside InterGlax betrayed us for getting too close to something big."

She could tell his body was present, but his mind was years away. Then a very disturbing thought occurred to her. "Zain, when were those ships stolen?"

He shrugged. "Crista started noticing them about eight years ago, but she suspected it went back further than-" He stopped and turned slowly to look at her.

"I think we found your missing ships," she said. "And if that's the case, then this is why Crista died."

She could sense the tension fill his body and, when he looked at her, there was a spark of intensity. He knew she was right. Whoever was behind the InterGlax conspiracy was also behind Crista's death.

She crossed her arms. "So. Are you going to help me now?"

Zain stared at Lacey and saw the past. There was no doubt in his mind that the fighters in this armory were the same type he and Crista had chased through the swamp. He had a chance to avenge her. No one knew he was here, or what he knew.

His gaze swept over Lacey's bare shoulders, soft skin, and lithe body. He should have never gotten a taste of her. He was going to crave her every day for the rest of his life. But he wouldn't put her in InterGlax's sights for any reason, let alone his purely selfish one. This was his battle.

"Okay. I'll take care of InterGlax. You are going home," he told her-over the clear and present protests of his body.

Anger lit her eyes. "You are not shutting me out. You need me."

"I don't need you." Was he trying to convince her or himself? "I am perfectly capable of dealing with this myself. I want you on Earth where it's safe."

"Safe? Don't you think that's a little premature? What if you don't stop InterGlax? Earth will be an easy target."

"And if you and I fail, Earth is in the same predicament. If you want to get killed, wait until then. You don't have the skills, and you aren't trained for combat. I am, so let me handle this my way."

"Forget it," she persisted. "I'm going to fight for my Earth. To you, it's just another juvenile."

"But the women are nice," he pointed out.

"Flattery will get you nowhere. I'm coming along, so just get used to it." She held up her hands. "Besides, you need these."

Giving in, he eyed her fingers. "Do I get to choose where you use them?"

She blushed. "For the Well."

He grinned. "And here I thought you just wanted to do more research on my DNA.".

She ignored his comment. "And you need my gun."

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

She winced. "Well, no."

"It's not like shooting Bobzillas, Lacey. And I have Pio for the lift."

Her jaw set and she spoke clearly. "I want to make my own decisions, Zain. I want to control my destiny. If I make mistakes, at least they are mine. That may seem silly to a man who flies wherever he wants, but it's a big deal to me. I won't let you take it away."

The fierceness on her face was familiar. It was the way he used to feel when he escaped an oppressive youth for the stars. It was passion. It was hope. All the things he'd left behind with Crista's body.

"I know you think this will turn out like before, but I trust you," she added, her voice softening. "We won't fail."

He knew he was losing. "I can't guarantee to protect you, Lacey."

"I'm not asking you to. I just want the choice."

He sighed. She had as much right to this operation as he did. He couldn't say no, no matter how much he wanted her safe and far away. He'd just have to find a way to keep her sheltered from the action.

"Fine. It's your choice," he conceded. "Any ideas on how we're going to take down the biggest military force in the galaxy with two operatives, a cat, and a few lasers?"

"And Pio," he chirped cheerfully.

Lacey smiled at the creature. "Of course. We wouldn't forget you, Pio. You know this place better than anyone."

Her comment gave him a thought. Zain turned his attention to the little alien. "Pio, do you know how to operate anything besides the lift and the bridge?"

He tipped his head. "No."

Zain switched tactics. "Do you know where and how the armory communicates with the other humans?"

"Lines," Pio replied.

Lacey's wide-eyed gaze met his. "That would do it."

Zain leaned forward. "Where are these lines?"