“What was that word you used before?” she asked.

  “What are you talking about?” he asked.

  “It was like a knight rescuing a maid?”

  It took John a second. “Oh, ‘gallant,’” he said. “Yeah, I try to be gallant. I try to be the best and boldest I can.”

  “Where did you get all those ideas?”

  For the first time, his lips tightened, and he turned away from her. He walked in silence.

  Dawnstar noticed that his strides lengthened. She matched his pace. Now there was something different about him, a tightened spring energy, like a coiled tiger.

  Dawnstar astounded herself by saying, “I’m sorry if I insulted you.”

  “No, it isn’t that,” he said. “You think I don’t know the hard things of life. But I grew up in a Leningrad school for troubled boys.”

  “What’s that?” she said.

  “Now you’re laughing at me?”

  “No. Tell me about the school and why you were there.”

  John started to, and Dawnstar really listened. She didn’t just pretend to listen. She asked good questions, too. Before John knew it, he was spilling his guts to her. Later he would shake his head and think what an idiot he had been. Yet, there seemed to be genuine interest in her.

  “Did you ever get to see your dad?” she asked.

  “Not until the very end,” John said. “We had our conversations. He told me things by which I live my life now. Mainly it was my mom and me. But I pulled stunts even then, and people told me I did stupid things. My mom sent me away to the school.”

  John shrugged. “One thing about the Leningrad school, it had a great history section. Charles XII fought against Russia, against Peter the Great, and Leningrad was built just before the great Northern War. The library had a lot of stuff on Charles. They didn’t always like him, but the Russians did admire his courage and soldierly values.”

  “Tell me more about Charles.”

  Dawnstar could not have said anything better to uncork John Steele. He told her about his hero.

  She smiled some, nodded, and said later, “Didn’t Charles have any sense of proportion?”

  “Maybe not,” John said, “but that was part of his magic.”

  “He led people to their deaths,” Dawnstar said.

  “But he led them so courageously. His legend—”

  “John,” Dawnstar said, stopping him and putting her right hand, on his chest.

  He noticed that, all right, grinning.

  She snatched her hand away.

  “What did I do?” John asked.

  “Nothing,” she said. “Let’s keep walking.”

  It turned out she accepted dinner at Glen Eagles. He had prime rib. She had shrimp. She loved it, saying she’d never eaten anything like it.

  John wasn’t able to finish the prime rib, though he sure did like it. He preferred it rare. That’s probably how Charles XII would have liked it.

  They had a glass of wine, and that didn’t affect either of them much, given all the food they had eaten.

  Dawnstar set down her fork, finishing the cheesecake dessert. “I hope you’re not going to tell me I have to go to your bed to pay for all this.”

  “What?” John said, outraged. “What do you mean my bed? We’re not married.”

  “What?” she said.

  “You’re not my wife.”

  “What?” she said again.

  “You know, that’s what you got to do first, right?”

  “What?” she said for the third time. Then she finally regained her composure. She gave him a strange look, and blushed afterward.

  “What’d I say?” asked John.

  “Can we go and walk a little bit more?”

  “Sure.”

  John paid the score and they left the restaurant and resumed walking the outer corridors.

  Maybe the wine affected John a little. He didn’t grab her hand, but moved it mouse-like, touching her palm with his fingertips.

  She accepted his hand. So maybe it had been bold but done exactly in the way it would succeed.

  Hand in hand, they walked along the corridors until he brought her to an observation deck. They looked in silence at Earth. John knew he should try to kiss her. He had dated other girls, but this was different. This was so different.

  He didn’t want to ruin any of it.

  “I need to take you back,” John said. “It’s later than I said I’d bring you in. I have to keep my word.”

  “I understand,” she said.

  He brought her to the detention room. The guard was waiting.

  “Goodbye,” John said. “I had a great time. I’d like to do that again.”

  Dawnstar stared into his eyes. Then she gave him a kiss on the cheek, turning to leave.

  John watched her walk past the guard. The man followed, and the heavy hatch shut with a snick.

  John couldn’t believe it. That had probably been the greatest evening of his life.

  -17-

  Three weeks passed in a blur. Then, word came down that there was a hiccup in the training facility, and it would be another month before everything would be ready again. That meant there would be at least four weeks before the next batch of space marine trainees would enter the program.

  That month made a great difference in the history of Earth, but not in a way anyone could possibly have suspected at the time. At the time, it seemed ordinary enough.

  John continued his special privilege of walking with and taking Dawnstar out to dinner. They were comfortable in each other’s company. The greater surprise about that was to Dawnstar. She had never felt comfortable on a date before.

  There was something high-principled and noble about John. He was a spirited young man with exotic, militaristic ideals. He didn’t just talk about courage or daring. He practiced them, and often.

  It was funny. Dawnstar was beginning to appreciate his qualities. He was rash, prone to doing stupid things and kept his word. There was also a touch of innocence to him, and that struck Dawnstar the hardest.

  How did John see her? Dawnstar was beautiful, although some of Petty’s secretaries and nurses were more so. Dawnstar had courage, but there was a hurt in her. She had told him a little about herself. It had filled him with an overpowering desire to protect her.

  There was something else, something critical. John kept thinking about his dad’s instructions to find a good woman and have children by her. He felt he needed to continue the Steele line. It was also good for a man to have a woman, a good woman, not just any woman, but one to share his life, his dreams, that the two would become one.

  The additional weeks passed quickly. They had several arguments, which turned out to their benefit. He learned a few of her moods, and she learned that he was stubborn to an incredible degree.

  One evening, as they walked the outer corridors together, he touched her hand and then he held it. Soon, John stopped her and took her other hand in his. He looked in her eyes as the swirling feeling in his guts—the butterflies—churned overtime. This was it, man. His mouth had become dry and he was finding it difficult to formulate his thoughts.

  She felt something was different in him.

  “Dawnstar…” he said, “if I were to ask you…” He shook his head. “No, that’s not the right way.” He would do this right, do it straight, asking a direct question instead of beating around the bush, trying to play it safe. There was nothing safe about this—except, maybe, in the grand scheme of things. He didn’t want to regret failed chances because he was too cowardly to try.

  He bent down on one knee as he held her hands.

  Her heart was in her throat. What was the young fool doing now? He couldn’t be doing this, right?

  “Dawnstar, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  Dawnstar stared into his eyes, as she felt faint, lightheaded. He was so damn intense all the time. Even before she knew she was going to say it, she heard herself say in the softest, most feminine voice she had ever heard, “Yes.”

  He stood, grinning like a fool, his eyes shining with delight. He stepped closer, held her face in his hands, and kissed her. “That’s awesome. Should we get married before I go to space marine training, or after?”

  Then, she realized what she had just said. “Shouldn’t we first find out whether Mr. Petty is going to allow this?”

  “Maybe you’re right,” John said. “If Petty says no…” John’s eyes became slits.

  Dawnstar shivered as she felt some of his fierce intent. Who was this young warrior who let nothing stand in his way? He wasn’t that big or muscular, but the fire in his belly that transferred to his eyes was remarkable. What had she just agreed to? It might have been the worst decision she had ever made.

  -18-

  John might have been a high-spirited idealist, but he was also crafty. He held on to his news until he was sparring the next day with Garvey on the mats. He had convinced the older man to teach him space marine combat moves.

  They paused, and Garvey said, “I used to pester your dad the way you have me about the space marines. I learned a lot from your dad. Now I realize I’m the conduit between your dad and you. Things he didn’t have a chance to tell you, I can.”

  That got to John, and it confirmed that he had done the right thing by asking Dawnstar to be his wife. He had to be the luckiest man in the universe, bar nobody.

  They sparred more, and John threw Garvey so Garvey landed on his back. John held out his hand.

  “Guess what I did?” John said, believing this was the right time.

  Garvey gave him a funny look, shaking his head.

  John pulled him up. “I asked Dawnstar to marry me.”

  Garvey did a double take. “Are you crazy? What did she say?”

  “Yes.”

  Garvey turned and walked toward the hatch and then turned back toward him.

  John expected to see his eyes blazing. Garvey seemed upset. Instead, Garvey looked sad.

  “Petty is never going to let you do this,” Garvey said. “He doesn’t trust or like her. He’s only letting you see her because—” Garvey shut his mouth.

  “Yes?” John asked.

  “I should have known this would happen,” Garvey said. “You never do anything by halves. Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

  “What do you think?” John asked.

  Garvey nodded. “I’ll talk to Petty. But be ready for a bad answer.”

  “No,” John said, “I’m ready for success, and I’ll accept nothing less.”

  Garvey sighed, knowing this was going to be bad.

  ***

  That evening, Garvey met Petty, having gained admittance to the CEO’s office.

  “I’m busy, major. So make this quick, would you?” From behind his desk, Petty snapped his fingers.

  Garvey wondered if he should have picked a better time. "Maybe I should come back later, sir."

  “Get your butt in here. You bent some rules and pushed some people. And you said it was important. Now tell me what it is.”

  Garvey came in and sat before the big desk. This was never going to work. How could he make it work?

  Petty put both hands on the desk and stared at Garvey. “I see. It’s bad. What happened?”

  “Sir, remember how you said it would be good for Steele to learn some lessons from Dawnstar?”

  “Of course I remember. You think I would forget something like that?”

  “I do not,” Garvey said.

  “Well, what of it? Does he have a broken heart? Is he trying to commit suicide? Is he doing something crazy?”

  “That’s a matter of opinion,” Garvey said. “You may think he’s trying to commit suicide, but in a long, slow, possibly enjoyable way.”

  “Spit it out,” Petty said. “I don’t have time for clever mysteries.” He pointed a blunt finger at Garvey.

  Garvey nodded. “John Steele asked Dawnstar to marry him and she said yes.”

  Petty stared at Garvey. Then, he sat back in his swivel chair and laughed harshly. He got up, headed for the wet bar, and then stopped and turned around and pointed a finger at Garvey. “I knew nothing good would come from this. Now he’s done this? The hothead wants to marry the witch? Does he have any idea what he’s getting into?”

  “Did any of us when we were young?” Garvey asked.

  “Hell no,” Petty said. “Well, the answer is no.” The CEO made a chopping motion with a square hand. “On no account will I allow that infiltrating witch get her hooks even deeper into Steele. As of this instant, he is forbidden to see her.”

  “I respect your orders,” Garvey said, “and they will be carried out strictly. I can assure you of that, sir.”

  “It had better well damn be. Now get out of here.”

  “But…” Garvey said.

  “But? You’re telling me but? No, no, I have given you my decision and that’s final.”

  I’d better do this direct, Garvey decided, as he cleared his throat. “What could I do to change your mind?”

  Petty raised his eyebrows. “Change my mind? Are you serious? There’s nothing that can change my mind. I told you how it’s going to be. Now, go and do it.”

  “What if I could prove to you that she’s come over to our side?”

  “It would mean nothing,” Petty said. “It would take twenty years of solid service, and even then, I would doubt her.”

  “Maybe she could tell you something that would change your mind,” Garvey said.

  “If she did that, I would know she’s a mercenary willing to sell out. I knew this would happen. How could you have let this happen?”

  “Maybe we should let them do it.”

  “Do you hear yourself?” Petty asked. “Do you hear what kind of fool you are? I thought you were a friend of the colonel.”

  “I am, and I still plan to be. Maybe John Steele sees something in Dawnstar none of us does.”

  “Right, the boy wants pussy. What more is there to this?”

  Garvey stood up. He couldn’t believe it, but he was angry.

  “What now?” Petty said.

  “I ask, sir, that you not use those terms when talking about…” Garvey almost said, “My son’s fiancé,” and he realized he felt a fatherly affection toward John. “Sir, I don’t think you should speak that way about her, even though you dislike her.”

  “I will speak any damn way I please,” Petty said. “Who do you think runs Orbital Space?”

  “You most certainly do, sir, and I am one of your most loyal adherents. I still think you should give them a way to change your mind.”

  Petty scowled. “I’m sick of listening to you about this. I’m getting sick of John Steele. If he wants it this badly, yeah, let her give me some important information. Then and only then will I allow the marriage. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes, sir, I do, and thank you, sir.”

  “Get out of here. You’re almost as big a pain in the neck as that kid is. I can’t believe that. Shoo, get out.”

  Garvey turned and wondered if this… No, he didn’t finish the thought. He would relate the information and see what happened next.

  -19-

  John heard a summarized version of what Garvey learned from Petty. The next date, John told Dawnstar the news. She turned haunted eyes upon him.

  “You want me to turn traitor?”

  “Never. Your honor is important to me. But I dearly want to marry you.”

  Dawnstar knew enough about John to realize he would never give in to Petty’s answer. There was only one thing to do then. “We have to run away,” she said.

  John shook his head. “I can’t. My dad said I have to stop the aliens. For me, that means being in space.”

  “So, that’s it? I keep my honor but we never get married?”

  “Far from it,” John said. “We need to do something bold and aggressive to turn this around. I don’t know what that is yet, but I’m willing to listen to any ideas.”

  Dawnstar turned away, bent her head, and thought about this. She knew some of the things Petty would want to hear, but she didn’t want to become a traitor to the Director. She didn’t know if Livia was the best leader for Earth, but she wasn’t going to tell secrets that would sell her out. Then she wondered about something different. It was a secret, but not a military or political thing.

  Dawnstar turned around.

  “You have an idea?” John asked.

  “I do, and it isn’t traitorous. That means I’m willing to explain it. I also think it’s something good enough to change Petty’s mind. But I’ll need to tell Petty and Dr. Huber at the same time.”

  “Great,” John said. “What is it?”

  Dawnstar raised a hand. “Can you let me handle this my way?”

  “Sure.”

  “If it doesn’t work, I’m ready to bust free. But will you go with me?”

  “I’ll do anything except go against my dad’s wishes. He sold his life to defeat the aliens. Can I do any less?”

  That wasn’t the answer Dawnstar wanted, but in these matters, she was far more mature than John.

  Later, John spoke to Garvey.

  The next day, Garvey spoke to Petty. Petty grumbled, but finally said, “Let’s get this over with.”

  That afternoon, Dawnstar left the detention center as two guards escorted her to Petty’s office. Dawnstar viewed the secretary as a strike against Petty, thinking of the CEO the way Livia did. The secretary told them Petty was waiting. Dawnstar walked through the door, but the guards didn’t join her.

  Dawnstar almost started when the door closed behind her. It was just her and the muscle-bound CEO behind his desk. Petty wasn’t as big or muscular as Livia’s bodyguards, but he was big enough. He was older than Dawnstar expected, but he looked tough and mean.

  “Sit, please,” he said.

  Dawnstar walked across the room and sat in a chair before his huge desk.

  He folded his thick hands on the desk. “So, you want to marry John Steele, do you?

  Straight to the point. She could handle it that way. “John asked me to marry him, and I said yes. I don’t know of a better man on Earth or on the space stations that I could find, do you?”