CHAPTER ONE

One Standard Human Year Later

 

Emperor Tigh came as a supplicant before the humans’ Governing Council. Begging was not something a jit’suku warrior normally did, but dire circumstances called for drastic measures. Over the past year since he’d claimed the throne of his failing empire, almost all women of childbearing age and younger among the jit’suku had died.

But the humans had women. And Tigh had learned through his endless study of their peoples’ respective histories, some human women could, and had, bred with jit’suku males in the distant past.

The humans had few fertile men. Large numbers of human women had been sick with the virus, yet survived. As a result of the damage done to them on a genetic level, they would never be able to conceive from a human male, but some twist of fate would allow those same women to produce female children with more resilient double X chromosomes with jit’suku males.

The answer to both the human problem and the jit’suku problem was clear, though it would be difficult to carry out. Enemies must become not only friends, but lovers. Tigh knew, in order to show the way to his people, he must select a mate from among the humans—if any human female would have him.

He’d given up hope of finding his true mate and would settle for any woman that would at least be friendly towards him. What he did, he did for his people. He’d failed them once already by allowing Elius to have the throne that should have been Tigh’s. He would not fail them, again. He would take to wife the first human woman that would have him and get her with child, proving to both races that they could merge and end their fighting, once and for all.

It was an ambitious plan, and it would be his life’s work. Tigh had risked all by entering human space, seeking audience with their Governing Council over his advisors’ objections. Only old Torm and a small contingent of Tigh’s most loyal warriors accompanied him, steadfast by his side, willing to face any consequences his actions might bring. It would be well within the humans’ right to put them all to death without even hearing what he had to say. The use of a bioweapon was cowardly and not something a jit’suku warrior should countenance. Yet, it had been done. Tigh could hardly fathom his twin’s reasoning, but he would make up for it, if he could.

And so, he found himself before the Governing Council, ringed by women of power and their aides. Tigh noted a few males, as well—undoubtedly some of the famous Sons of Amber he’d heard about from his tech advisors. The humans had found a way to outsmart the virus, but it would take generations to restore the balance of male and female, and they would be forever changed on a genetic level, since the Sons were genetic creations of Dr. Amber Waithe and her team.

They were not fully human any longer. Their genetic codes had been modified to make them immune to the virus and able to father over ninety percent male children, with successive generations normalizing to about fifty percent within a few generations as the race recovered. It was a brilliant plan, but the jit’suku had no such similar strategy. Without women, they were stuck. Condemned by their own arrogance.

Tigh moved to the center of the Council chamber, all eyes on him as he was called to speak. He moved deliberately, knowing his actions were being recorded for posterity. Slowly, he sank to one knee, his ancient sword of office at his feet, head bowed in the traditional gesture of surrender, seldom seen from a jit’suku warrior. What he did here, he did for his people. Some would see it as weakness, but the wise among both races would understand the nobility of his actions. Or so he hoped.

One of the few males on the Council rose and moved to stand before Tigh. His death could come now, Tigh thought, and it would be justified. But all he’d learned of humans and their history made him hope they’d want to know why he surrendered first, before exacting retribution. He was counting on human curiosity to let him plead his case.

“I know you had nothing to do with the release of the virus, Tigh, warrior-priest and newly crowned Emperor. Your surrender means little, and I do not accept it.”

Tigh rose to face the other warrior, meeting the dark-haired man eye to eye. Tigh respected the steel he sensed in the other man, the unrelenting dominance and the honor in his words. He was also surprised at the man’s knowledge of Tigh’s past.

“It’s true I was not aware of what my brother had done until recently, but I took over his sins when I took his throne.”

“A throne that should have been yours to begin with.”

Tigh bowed his head in acknowledgment. “Another sin for which my people—and yours—have paid too high a price. I would never have released any kind of bioweapon. I could not. It goes against every teaching of my faith and tenet of our Warrior Code. I still don’t understand why Elius did it, but none of that matters now. What matters is how we fix the problems the virus has created and rebuild our societies.”

“We’ve found our answer,” Dr. Amber Waithe said from her seat on the Council. Tigh recognized her from the reconnaissance holos he had of all the Council members. He knew, too, that this genetically manipulated man standing before him was Commandant Michael Amber, leader of the Atlantia fleet, which made up a substantial portion of the humans’ fighting forces.

Tigh turned to the scientist, motioning also to Torm who stood forward from the small group of warriors who had been allowed into the chamber with him.

“You have come up with an elegant, but long-term solution, Dr. Waithe, and are to be commended. I can, however, offer a more immediate solution that will bring the added benefit of ending this war between our peoples for all time.”

Murmurs rose through the Council chamber, and Tigh took it as a good sign. Councilor Torm passed a collection of data crystals to the famous geneticist through her aides and returned back to his place among the jit’suku warriors.

“Councilor Torm, who lost his own daughter to the virus, has just given you complete documentation from our best med techs and scientists. I’m sure you all know, by now, that the virus my brother allowed to be released has mutated and turned back on us. It has killed our females in massive numbers, as it killed your males. I’ve made a personal study of our peoples’ history, including especially, the time of the Three Hundred Year Peace, when my ancestor, Tren, mated and married a human female. She was the daughter of an Enhanced human warrior, and I believe now, that these early tamperings with your genetic codes included jit’suku DNA. Otherwise, my techs tell me, the virus could not have mutated enough in your populations to turn against us. It is the small amount of undocumented jit’suku DNA in some of your people that bridged the gap from human to jit’suku and brought our own terror back to us.”

The Councilors looked surprised and concerned, though Dr. Waithe seemed intrigued most of all. She had the knowledge of genetics to puzzle this through, and she also recognized the value of the information he’d just given her. She flipped open the accompanying dossier and sorted through some of the information he’d had prepared for her.

“You’ve given me the means to destroy you utterly.” Dr. Waithe silenced all in the room with her soft statement.

Tigh bowed his head. “Without our women, we are already dead.”

Silence reigned for a long moment.

“What do you propose?” This from the leader of the Council, an older woman named Mathilde Grey who had been a very successful lawyer then Galactic Court judge before being voted to her current leadership position. She was a shrewd woman who made tough decisions. Tigh had studied her record in some detail, looking for clues to the woman’s personality. Everything he read indicated a decisive nature tempered by wisdom and compassion. He was counting on that compassion to save them all, and now was their moment of truth. Perhaps the first of many. Or the last of his life.

“A blending of our races.” The murmurs in the chamber were back, louder this time. “Jit’suku do not make war among ourselves. It is our First Rule of Warfare. Now that we know for certain there is jit’suku DNA in humanity, our warriors are thrown into chaos. Once my people believe what the scientists are telling them, they will cease all hostility against humans.”

“But how do you make them believe?” Leader Grey asked, drawing attention as silence reigned, once again, in the large chamber.

“By joining with humanity in a visible statement, as my ancestor Tren did. By making a human woman my empress.”

Murmurs became loud talking as the listeners erupted in various reactions to his words. So far, no one seemed ready to kill him, so Tigh figured he had a good chance of pulling this off.

Tigh took a moment to look around the room, gauging reactions, taking note of people he hadn’t really seen before. There were many, many women here, and only a handful of men scattered throughout the large chamber. They were all big men with similar features. They looked like brothers, and Tigh realized they were—of a sort. They were undoubtedly Sons, made from similar genetic material, though there was surely enough diversity built into their codes to assure successive generations would breed properly.

His eyes returned to Michael, the warrior standing just a few feet from him, and he noted the small female aide now delivering a message to him. Suddenly, Tigh was struck. This woman… She seemed somehow familiar…somehow important. Tigh took an almost involuntary step forward, breathing deeply to sort out her delicious scent from those of the rest of the room. She was close enough that he could scent her curiosity as she watched him stalk nearer. He also felt a warming thrum within his own body, the recognition of a mate that had never left his people, primitive as it was.

This was a woman he could see as his empress. This woman just might be the one who could mate him and make him the happiest of men. And she was human.

Tigh could hardly believe it. She was a vision. A military woman with wavy brown hair and eyes of hazel green. Her uniform made her look neat and trim and altogether proper. It also made him want to see what she looked like out of that very prim uniform.

Michael must have noticed Tigh’s fascination, for he placed himself in front of the woman, blocking Tigh’s path. He might have challenged the Son of Amber, right there in front of everyone, but the leader’s voice called him back to his purpose.

“Dr. Waithe, what do you have to say on this issue? How would this ‘blending’ impact human genetics?”

All eyes turned to the woman who had laid the groundwork for the fight against the virus.

“I would like more time to study this, but off the top of my head, I can tell you that the infusion of more jit’suku DNA would be a benefit to future generations on a purely genetic level. Now, politically, you’ll have to decide for yourselves, but as for continuance as a species, my research tells me that jit DNA, when mixed with our own, creates very advanced beings, with high resistance to disease and improved sensory perception and reflexes. I don’t think it’s much of a secret, anymore, that this was how my long-passed predecessors created Enhanced spec ops soldiers during the Rim Wars. What the emperor said about us is correct. There is residual jit’suku DNA already laced throughout humanity from those early experiments. It wasn’t widely known due to the Genetic Purity Movement at the time, but many of the Enhanced soldiers went on to have children of their own, and those children reaped the same benefits of Enhancement. It got watered down a bit over the successive generations, but the DNA is still there, and it’s spread throughout most of the human worlds.”

The leader nodded. “So then, it’s not really a question of introducing jit DNA into our own gene pool, but merely adding more?”

“Essentially, that is true,” Dr. Waithe confirmed.

The leader turned back to him. “What do you propose?”

Tigh tried to hide his excitement. It would not do to act the fool at such a crucial moment. Better to appeal to their generous human hearts.

“We have many motherless boys among our people now, as you have many women who might enjoy the chance to raise a male child. I would guarantee safe passage for any woman who wants to come to our galaxy to visit, at first, or settle, if they wish to stay. Our orphanages are overrun, and our men are, in many cases, unable to cope. Many wish to get away from the reminders of their loss. If you permit, I’m sure a few jit’suku men and their children would relish the chance to come to your galaxy and make a new life among your women, as well. My plan is to make such movement completely voluntary. It is only up to us, as leaders, to remove the obstacles and allow for it.” He read skepticism on many faces, particularly those involved with the military. “You can, of course, put limits on how many men you allow through, and where. For my part, I will place no limits on the number of women who may want to come look for a mate or a child among my people. We can use all the help we can get.”

“And who would you take as your empress to cement the deal?” Leader Grey challenged him with an odd smile. “I’m too old for you, sadly.” Her little joke broke the tension in the chamber and startled laughs from several ladies.

Tigh bowed his head gallantly towards the leader, but everything in him was focused on the alluring scent of the female who stood just behind Michael Amber. Tigh turned back to face the other man, meeting his eyes with a plea in his own that the Son seemed to understand. Michael moved aside, and the brunette beauty was once again revealed, a welcome sight for Tigh’s hungry heart. She was radiant, and a little uncomfortable with all eyes now focused on her. Still, she stood her ground, and Tigh noticed, for the first time, she wore the uniform of a high-ranking military officer. He grinned at the thought. She would make one hell of an empress.

“I’ll take her, if she’ll have me.”

Shocked gasps sounded through the room, but he paid them no mind. No, all he wanted now, was to take the beautiful girl in his arms and see if she could actually be the one his heart thought never to find in this lifetime.

He strode toward her, noting with pleasure how she faced him with curiosity and very little fear. When he stood toe to toe with her, he smiled gently to put her at ease.

“Forgive me, but I must know…”

His words were for her ears alone as he pulled her lithe body into his arms and kissed her soundly. Her lips were plump and soft under his, yielding after the first moment of stunned surprise. She swayed against him as his tongue sought and gained entrance to her mouth, and her unique flavor blossomed across his senses as no other had ever before. Her scent flooded him, the feel of her humbled him.

This was his woman.

The Mother Goddess was surely smiling on him from her home in the stars. To put this special woman in his path at this moment was the sign he’d hoped for but hadn’t dared expect. For each jit’suku warrior, there was one special woman who was his other half, the mate to his heart. He often knew her on sight, always upon their first kiss. The Emperor Tren had known his own human mate when he first met and kissed her. So too, did Tigh know this small human woman—a warrior woman, no less—was his perfect mate.

A hand on his shoulder pulled him back to his senses. Michael, the Son of Amber, spoke behind him.

“You’d better let her go, or, emperor or not, I’ll kick your ass for manhandling one of my officers.”

Tigh pulled back, shaking his head to clear his senses, but it didn’t quite work. Luckily, the girl in his arms looked just as shaken. Though he hadn’t held a female of any species in many years, one never did quite forget the look of an aroused woman. Tigh licked his lips and noted the way her dazed eyes followed the movement of his tongue.

Drawing back farther, he felt eyes on them and knew he was making a scene, but he couldn’t help himself. When she swayed, he steadied her, doing more for his cause—had he but realized it—with a simple kiss than he ever would have done with words. The romantic display would be broadcast over and over on every human world in the coming days, setting many lonely female hearts aflutter.

When she could stand on her own, Tigh stepped back and sank to one knee once more, only this time it wasn’t in surrender, it was in supplication.

“I would give you my heart, if you will but take it.” His eyes held hers, only slightly above his kneeling height. She was a petite little thing, even for a human.

“You don’t even know me.” Her low voice whispered through him, sealing itself in his soul.

“My heart knows yours. The Mother Goddess put you in my path at this most important of moments. That’s all that matters. But I know you humans do things differently.” Tigh stood with a sigh. “I will court you,” he searched her uniform for her nametag, “Captain Starbridge. I will show you that we are meant to be together. Then you will consent to be my bride.”

Tigh couldn’t help the smile that lit his face. The woman stared at him as if he were crazed, but he couldn’t contain the joy that bubbled inside him. Not only would they forge a lasting peace, but he would do it with his destined mate as his empress. Life simply could not get any better for a man in his position. They had a rough road ahead, for a certainty, but with his woman at his side, he could face anything that came.

 

Captain Gineva Starbridge was overwhelmed by the kiss. An emperor—her sworn enemy, no less—had just kissed her senseless in front of the Governing Council and half the galaxy’s media. This must be the way her spec ops soldier ancestor, John Starbridge, had felt all those centuries ago when the intergalactic superstar, Diva, had agreed to be his wife.

Ginny didn’t like the limelight and had never sought it out, though from time to time, she’d been interviewed about her famous ancestors or feted for her military victories. But she’d never—ever—been kissed by an emperor and then proposed marriage in front of all of humanity. This definitely took the cake.

“Well, Captain Starbridge,” Leader Grey prompted her. “What do you have to say to the emperor’s offer?”

Ginny was stymied. To refuse outright could spell disaster. She didn’t want to be solely responsible for killing this peace initiative before it even began.

“I…I don’t know what to say, ma’am.”

The leader nodded as if in approval of her answer and turned to the rest of the Council. “We will take some time to go over the materials you’ve brought, Emperor Tigh. In the meantime, you and your party will remain here as guests of the Council.”

“Thank you, Leader Grey and Council members. We’re pleased to remain while we work out the details of what I hope will be a lasting peace for all our people.”

Oh, the man had a silver tongue, Ginny thought, watching him woo the ladies of the Council. A talented tongue too, she allowed, now that she’d been knocked nearly off her feet by his ardor. Under any other circumstances, Ginny would welcome a man like him with open arms, but her past and her future were colliding in the person of this very stubborn emperor, and she didn’t know where to turn or what to do.

Leader Grey dismissed the Council, drawing the special session to an end with a resounding ring of her gavel. Instantly, noise erupted from the gathered councilors and their aides, but Ginny stood rooted to the spot as the emperor turned back to her.

“Would you give me just one thing before we part?” His voice was a seductive purr that sizzled up her legs. “Give me your name, sweetheart.”

She considered him, thinking her name was little enough to give. It wasn’t like he was asking for a kidney, after all.

“Gineva Magdalena Starbridge, but my friends call me Ginny.”

An odd sort of recognition played over his handsome features. “Gineva is a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. But I’ve read about another Magdalena Starbridge in my ancestor’s journals. Maggie, they called her, although many knew her as Diva. Is she your ancestor?”

Surprised by his knowledge, Ginny nodded. “She was a spy in the Rim Wars, though that didn’t come out until well after she and her husband John were lost in the Pyramid.”

“She was also second-generation Enhanced, though I don’t know if your family was aware of it. I’ve heard the subject was taboo among humans for many years. My ancestor, Tren, knew her and thought, at one time, to marry her, but she turned out not to be the woman for him.”

“She married John Starbridge after orchestrating his escape from the Emperor Tren.”

Tigh’s smile nearly melted her bones. “Tren recorded later that he’d let them escape. He was so disappointed that she wasn’t his mate, he fell into depression for a time, but she’d promised to send other second-gen Enhanced women so that he might find his true mate. He did eventually find the woman he sought to be his empress, just as I have found you.”

“Now, wait just a minute—”

Tigh backed off, his manner appeasing. “Forgive me, but can’t you see it’s meant to be? You carry jit’suku DNA within you. I recognized you the moment I saw you. You are my mate, and you will come to realize that what I say is true in time. I’ll try to be patient, but I warn you, I never mastered the art of patience. It was one of my main failings as a novitiate.”

“You were supposed to be some kind of priest, weren’t you?” She couldn’t help her curiosity, though she probably should have gotten away from this disturbing man as quickly as she could.

Tigh nodded. “After giving the throne to my brother, Elius, I secluded myself on Zenai mountain and didn’t know about anything that occurred until after my brother died and I was called back to the palace. I would have stopped all of this if I could. What he did is inexcusable, and all jit’suku bear the shame of his actions. It is a dishonor we will carry all our days.”

“I’d like to hear more about your ways.” A deep male voice broke in from behind them, and Ginny belatedly realized her commanding officer, Commandant Michael Amber, stood behind them, listening in. They both turned their attention to him. “Perhaps you and your men will join me and my staff for dinner tonight?”

The emperor looked to her, then back at Michael. “If Captain Starbridge will be part of that company, I will most happily accept your invitation. As for my men, I know they are interested in meeting humans in friendship rather than across a field of battle. Each member of my group is a volunteer, chosen from among hundreds, especially for this mission.”

Michael seemed to look over the small group of warriors with an assessing eye. “All who come in peace are welcome at my table, Emperor Tigh, and Captain Starbridge will be there. She’s part of my staff, right now, between ships, as it were.”

Neatly maneuvered into spending more time with this strange, upsetting man, Ginny had no choice but to comply.