Josephine carefully climbed back into the hovercraft. She stared at the controls, trying to remember which ones she needed to turn the vehicle around. She was unfamiliar with such transportation and had not dared ask the Pura for instructions. Technically, she had stolen it while they were too busy to notice. She liked to call it borrowing. It sounded far less illegal. There was no other way to reach the other side of the mountains and return in one day without the use of a hovercraft. She considered her theft necessary to stop a war. She touched a button, and the craft sprang forward a few feet and then came to a sudden halt. Her head slammed into the front window. She rubbed the throbbing knot on her forehead and spied the handsome Urim shaking his head in disbelief. She wanted to ram the craft into his smirking face but feared she would touch the wrong button again and make a bigger fool of herself. She decided that instead of turning around, she would make a large circle and return to camp. Those controls she had figured out. She circled the Milisarian spacecraft and headed for her temporary home.

The peace negotiations had not gone well. She had found that Urim was a stubborn, barbaric man. He thought of war as a way to resolve all problems, big or small. She supposed that it was an ingrained trait for the Milisarian species. They were born that way, and the idea was further perpetuated by their training as warriors. The very best was honored in an elite group known as knights. It was a frustrating trait. She could see his point, though. They had prior claim on this planet, first come first served and all that. But, it was also a little childish when you considered it. It reminded her of children fighting over a toy. Urim wouldn't even think about sharing. He just swore it to be impossible. She feared that Ixia would be even worse. Josephine had seen two goats butting heads once. Both had been injured, and there had been no definitive winner. Ixia and Urim were exactly like those goats. The problem was, in this battle, there would be deaths instead of bad headaches. She had to find a way to stop the nonsense.

On the good side, she had learned that Ohber and Valeri were alive and happy on Milisaria. They even had children. A great weight had lifted off Josephine with that news. She could begin to heal her mind and heart.

The trip had also given her a chance to meet Urim and his gorgeous knights. There was nothing wrong with enjoying the sights when you went on a mission of peace. The planet was beautiful, with waterfalls falling from every mountain. She had noticed them on her way to the Milisarian encampment. But, they did not compare to the large army of knights standing at attention as she came around the mountain. The sight had taken her breath away. They beat out the sexy dancers at women's clubs any day. They would make a fortune off women shoving money in their thongs. The idea of the powerful Urim dressed only in a thong made her want to swoon and laugh all at one time. He was so hot and charismatic that it was sinful. But, he would destroy anyone who tried to force him into a thong.

Josephine needed to get her mind back on the dire situation at hand. She pushed Urim to the back of her mind and concentrated on a way to convince Ixia of the folly of starting a war between the Pura and Milisarians. If Urim was telling the truth about other weapons, and she would bet he was, there would be a bloodbath on both sides. Someone had to listen to reason. The two alien species refused to talk to each other, so it was all up to her to be the neutral go-between. It was a lousy job, yet necessary. This wasn't something she had trained for, nor had she expected it when she volunteered to help the Pura. She was a nurse, not a negotiator of peace. If the two sides refused to call a truce, she would be stuck in the middle of the war with nowhere to hide. She didn't want to die on some forsaken planet, far from her family. Ixia would have to listen.

The campsite was just ahead. Ixia was standing with his hands on his sparse hips and waiting for her to arrive. Josephine knew he was angry. She dreaded the consequences she would face for taking the hovercraft without permission. Would he see it as theft and lock her away until the Earth ship returned? Or would he consider her trip to the Milisarian camp as treason and worthy of death? She couldn't be sure of the answer. The Pura had seemed kind and peaceful at the first meeting, but Ixia's comments had shown an underlying ferocity. Whatever the outcome, she would have to face it alone. She had no way to reach humans for aid. Josephine stopped the hovercraft and climbed out. She stood calm and defiant in front of Ixia.

The presence of a human female on this planet was unexpected and a shock to Urim's system. The Puras landing here had caused enough of a surprise. How could he have ever imagined that a single human female would appear as well? He had not been prepared for these situations. How could you prepare for such an anomaly? It had never happened in all of their history. Why must he be the first to experience such a thing? He did not possess enough wisdom to deal with an unknown alien species and a human female while trying to terraform a new planet. It was too much responsibility for someone so young. The king should have sent an older knight on this mission. He could not handle the pressure.

No, he must not think that way. A Milisarian Knight was expected to handle any type of situation he encountered. Others had handled worse problems. Urim had been alive to see it. True, he had been no more than a child, but he remembered it all. His commander, Nabvan, had killed the previous king to save human females and himself. He had faced possible death for his actions with dignity. King Siefer had fought against a rebellion on Milisaria. It had been brought on by his own brother, who had been killed by the king's wife. Many disloyal villagers had been executed for treason. Ohber had suffered terrible pain due to experiments on his body and mind. Some of his organs would never heal properly, and yet he had forgiven his tormentors. He had used his mental strength to build a new life and was prospering. Urim wanted to be like them, his heroes and mentor. He would not allow negative thinking to overcome his mind. This mission had been given to him. The king trusted him to carry it out and he would. No one would be allowed to get in his way, not even a beautiful human female.

Josephine's bright green eyes haunted his mind. Their innocent stare as she begged him to compromise had nearly broken his resolve. She did not understand how futile her efforts were. He wished that she could find a way to leave this planet before a battle began. The fight was between the Milisaria and the Pura. The lovely human was a pawn, bouncing back and forth between two species to negotiate peace. Neither side held allegiance to her. If she got in the way, she would die. It saddened Urim to consider it. Any life that was wasted was regrettable, but she was special. Her heartfelt regret and years of punishing herself for the experimental lab were proof that she deserved to live. Maybe these mountains would hide and protect her from the war. He would protect her himself if he was able. His loyalty to the Milisarian Knights had to come first. He had sworn allegiance to Milisaria. He would have to choose them over Josephine if it came to that decision.

That night, Urim dreamed of a woman with red waving hair. She walked through the green sea toward him. Her eyes held the four moons in their depths. A filmy dress blew in the gentle breeze and clung to her shapely legs. She smiled as she drew closer. Children with the same auburn hair ran splashing in the waves behind her. She reached out a hand for him to take, but before their fingers could touch, a bolt of light came out of the sky and struck her. She fell in the shallow water, still reaching out to him. The children screamed for her and began to cry. He knelt at her side and lifted her head into his lap. She touched his face gently and smiled sadly. He heard her whispered last words. "You could have stopped this."

Urim awoke covered in sweat. The nightmare had left him shaking in agony. There were tears running down his chiseled cheeks. He wiped them away angrily. He was a warrior. Tears over a meaningless dream were forbidden. He could not let Josephine get under his skin this way. The dream had to be about her for he knew no other women with hair that color. The sea was that of Milisaria. Only it was colored green. The children he did not recognize, though his heart told him they belonged to the woman. Why was he dreaming such things? How had Josephine gotten on Milisaria? He left his bed. He could not go back to sleep. Urim feared that the dream would return. He refused to contemplate its meaning. In the morning he had to prepare for a war that he did not wish to happen. He must appear calm and in complete control when he faced the knights. They would not obey him if he showed vulnerability. The colonists must continue their work. Urim would finish this assignment with dignity and strength. He would return to Milisaria with honor.

He watched the sun rise over the mountains. It was glorious. A new day was always supposed to bring new hope. Urim only felt fear. The colonists depended on him to make a place that would furnish enough food for all of them. The knights and terraformers depended on him to protect them. Josephine wanted him to compromise with the Pura and stop a war. He could not do all of those things at once. It was too great a burden for any single man to bear. Yet, he had to bear it. There was no one else. Wearily, he lifted his sword and swung it through the air. He practiced in his room until his arms grew too sore to continue. He could hear his warriors outside, laughing and making jokes among themselves. The atmosphere would change drastically when he joined them. His face held no joy, and they would notice. He took a really deep breath and let it out slowly. He must look calm and in control on the outside regardless of how he felt inside. It was time to tell his warriors to prepare for battle.