Jax expected Port Sea to be different than it was.  Truthfully, she never expected they would get far enough to see what Port Sea was like, but if she was going to describe the planet that Lucan Warrung called his own, she would have expected something opposite to what she found when The Fire docked at the space port.  That they were allowed entrance with minimal fuss had her rethinking again who Tolan Lark was.  But thoughts of her mercurial temporary partner were lost as soon as she stepped onto the hot sand of the landing pad.

The first scent of magic in the salt-laden air was nearly a shock after the sterility of space and Rindel.  The smell of the ocean and the feel of nature and life that permeated the planet had her little Dainaree heart fluttering in joy. It had been so long since she visited any place that had the feeling of home that she staggered under the pleasure of it.

She had forgotten, made herself forget, what she gave up when she denied her birthright and escaped Dainaree.  A few steps on a planet that burst with the power of nature and she felt something close to regret.  She would not change the decisions she made, but remembering what it had cost her hurt just the same.

She was so overwhelmed by the beauty that was pressing in on her and the magic that her cells seemed to soak up that she missed the welcoming party until a large burly man she belatedly recognized stepped forward and shot a hammer-like fist into Tolan Lark’s face.  It was the Shakien’s body hitting the ground at her feet that brought her back to the present.  She started to pay attention. 

Right, Captain Barnos.  If the rage on that handsome stubbled face was anything to go by, he definitely needed more time to get over it.  A few hundred cycles maybe.  She had forgotten how big the man was, not just in height, but in girth as well. 

In the flowing white top that set off his swarthy skin, tight leather pants and nanite boots that flowed over his long muscled legs to above his knees, he did not need the tartan sash or the sword buckled to his side to exude rugged swashbuckler.  But it didn't hurt.  Solid as a well-muscled rock wall, he stood with two other men. 

He exuded a sexy kind of danger even in his rage, but this time the wicked humor she remembered was absent from his handsome face.  His hair was shorter, not as wild as the first time they met, and she noticed in the sunlight the red hidden in the dark brown hair was more obvious.  But it was the dangerous black eyes that caught and held her attention.  The sexy humor he had treated everyone with on Rindel was gone, and all she saw in the black depths this time was Tolan Lark's death.

Yes, safe to say he needed more time to get over it.

Tolan cracked his jaw back into place and slowly stood up.  None of his usual fluid movement was affected by what had to be a painfully throbbing jaw. 

"I suppose I had that coming," he said mildly enough when he could talk again.  Then he defied death by smirking that irritating smile of his right in the big pirate’s irate face. "Should I take it as a good sign that you didn't strike me with your cybernetic arm?"

"No, you fucking well should not take it as a good sign," Captain Barnos replied, his voice a gruff, rage-infused rumble.  He was taking a threatening step closer when another man spoke up behind him.

"If you would not mind postponing the well-deserved thrashing, I have a few questions." The dark voice turned dry.  "Seeing as this is my moon."

So this is Lucan Warrung? 

Tall, muscled, and intimidating in a much more subdued version of what Barnos wore, his boots to his knees, his pants nanite, and his shirt black, he was shorter than Barnos but not by much. His muscled frame was made along more fluid lines, like Tolan Lark.  But unlike Tolan Lark’s somewhat shaggy, unkempt wildness, this man, with his dark blue eyes and short black hair, was perfectly and precisely put together.  And coldly dangerous in a way that Jax recognized in the more primitive parts of her brain. 

Of all the well-armed, dangerous men present, something in those cold blue eyes assured Jax that he was the one to watch out for. 

The last man, standing just behind Lucan Warrung's right shoulder, had more weapons on his burly nanite-armored body the rest of them combined, looked as intimidating as a space marine and had an almost military watchfulness in his dark eyes.

The man stood taller and broader than all the rest of them and looked ready to fight a war singlehandedly and still, he was not the one who had Jax fingering the stun stick at the back of her waist.  It was the coldly dangerous man talking that she watched carefully. The rest of them were dangerous, yes; the deck was pretty much awash with enough dangerous man vibes to have her flight-or-fight senses buzzing, but Lucan Warrung was in an intimidating class all his own.

"Should I assume by the state of your ship that you are here to make repairs and be on your way?" Lucan Warrung asked mildly enough, something in his voice promising that better be what Tolan Lark was doing on Port Sea.

"Repairs and information," Tolan said, rubbing his jaw, the light of mischief still in his eyes, but at that they went sharp.  "My mech could use some parts, but once the ship is fixed she would be better off staying at Port Sea as she has regrettably come to the attention of your brother.  Besides that, what I want most is information."

At the mention of his mech all eyes turned to study Jax. Her eyes had swung to Tolan at his casual suggestion she might be staying but she had no time to question him or argue, not with the attention of every male on the landing pad now on her.  Barnos looked surprised to see her, as if he had just noticed who she was. The others gave absolutely nothing away.

"A Dainaree?  Unusual to see one so far from home, and a female of royal lines on her own and away from home?" Warrung asked, taking in her tri-colored eyes.  "Unheard of."

Barnos snorted. "You think that is something, she's also a mech whisperer. And the last time I saw her she put this Shakien cat on his ass, made repairs and cracked his ship code before sending us on our way with a warning never to return," he finished giving away her secrets and pointed at Tolan, his voice loud and belligerent.  "What the bloody hell are you doing with him now?"

She glared at the bigmouthed bastard.  "Trying to stay out of Warrung hands."  She moved her glare around to touch Lucan Warrung, and then Tolan Lark to finish.  "And that's exactly what I intend to do."  If they thought they could dictate where and when she stayed, they would find out exactly what she was capable of.  She had no intention of trading one Warrung for another.

"A whisperer?" Lucan Warrung asked, a dark slash of brow raising.  "A rare gift, especially for a Dainaree.  And skilled enough in tech to crack the mercenary’s codes?  Are you equally powerful in both, or do you favor one over the other?"

She considered not answering, but he would find out soon enough when she started working on The Fire. There was no chance he would not have eyes on her every move, every second that she was on his moon.  "I am a mech whisperer, with a small tech ability."

"A small ability?" Barnos snorted again.  "She broke the cat’s codes and bypassed his failsafe’s, and I have yet to see someone as gifted as the Shakien with his tech."

Lucan Warrung looked from Jax to the Shakien in question and then back again.  "Quite the team then.  Between the two of you, I doubt there is a system you can't crack.”

"Well, we aren't here to crack yours, if that's what you’re thinking," she said.  "But if you are so worried about it, I'll be staying with the ship anyway. I don't need to see the inside of your bunkers, or whatever you have here."

Since she couldn’t see anything around them but a transport lift and a sparse market in the distance, she assumed they transported below ground, or somewhere far from here and heavily fortified.

"That won't be necessary," Warrung finally said after a prolonged silence, where no one said anything at all. "Danika wants to meet you, and she will insist you stay for dinner at least."

At his words the big tank of a man behind him shifted uneasily but said nothing.  Clearly, he hated the idea as much as she did.  But there was obviously no arguing with the man who held power here.  Uneasily she looked from them to Tolan Lark, who for some reason was smiling like he knew a secret.  With the big man, no doubt security, eyeing them, they were motioned to follow.  Tolan hit the remote on his belt and the ship hull sealed shut and locked down. 

Jax sighed.  This is such a bad idea.

She heard a thud behind her and turned to see Tolan on the ground, a good six feet from where he had been standing a moment ago.

Barnos watched the dazed Shakien wobble to his knees, not so fluid now.  "That was my cybernetic arm, in case you had the wrong idea," the pirate barked out in satisfaction.  "We'll settle the rest later."

Since Tolan Lark was still struggling to stand she winced at the thought of what later might bring.  The big burly pirate turned and clomped away on his huge boots.  The beating, at least for now, was over.

Jax was still trying to decide if she should help the cat when he stumbled to his feet, shook his head, and cracked his neck loudly, first one way and then the other.  When he finally looked at her his eyes were Shakien lavender and when he grinned it was through sharp teeth and a bloody lip.

Jax turned and followed the others, stuck between one of the most powerful men in the known galaxy, a pirate, and at her back a Shakien mercenary who made crazy look sexy.  Maybe she should have stayed on Rindel and waited for the megalomaniac to come back to torture and enslave her after all.

***

The lady Lara of the Heti was the first person she saw when they left the lift.  The big tank of a man, who she finally found out was named Tusk when introductions were made, was in fact Lucan Warrung's captain of security.  She thought his head was going to explode when the lift opened and not only the lady Lara but two other women were standing there waiting for them.

Lucan said nothing but the glint in his eyes when they focused with predatory intent on one of the beautiful women next to Lara was a clear indication he was not pleased.  It was way more effective in Jax's opinion than the growl from Tusk or the curse from Barnos.  Not that the women paid any man there the least bit of attention.  Well, the beautiful brunet with the scar on her face at least looked apologetic and worried.  Lady Lara actually clapped her hands in glee, completely ignoring the moods surrounding them.

"Jax," she said happily, her brown eyes wide and glimmering. "It is you.  When Barnos said ‘that bloody bastard Tolan Lark’ was in orbit and he brought a female Dainaree I couldn't decide if it was more likely he had found a second female Dainaree in the universe, or he had somehow convinced you to go with him. After what happened the last time you two met, either would be just as likely.  But here you are."  She shook her head but never lost her smile.  "What in the known galaxy could have possessed you?"

"Cor Warrung showed up looking for a mech," she said blandly.

"That explains something of your troubles, but how did you end up with Tolan Lark?"

"Do you think we can get out of the lift and make introductions before we grill the girl, Sassy?"  Barnos' voice was exasperated, but there was no mistaking the fondness in his eyes for Lady Lara.

Jax had figured when they met before, the wind blew in that direction, but she had not thought the pirate had anything in mind but a romp.  The affection he clearly had toward the pretty Hetian was unmistakable, and the piratical glint in his eyes was more than a little claiming.

Lara laughed but backed up and gestured to the women beside her.  "This is the Lady Danika, and behind her trying to look as small as possible is the lovely Kira.  This is the Dainaree mech whisperer I was telling you about."

The Lady Danika smiled. It was a sweet, almost innocent smile that contradicted the fortune in crystal pearls that draped her.  Jax had taken one look at the beautiful pearl-bedecked lady in a simple sarong, her red hair braided elaborately and hanging to her butt, and figured she was a servant who had found favor with the lord of the manor.  But if she was his Lady that was something else entirely. 

It made her no less or more in Jax's eyes, but it meant she was probably someone to be wary of.  She had to adjust her thinking when Lara made the introductions, but she would have anyway when the lady smiled and began speaking.  This was no casual bed mate.  And the way Warrung moved to her side and stood close enough to shelter the lady with his body made it clear she was under his protection.

"Lara tells many stories of her travels. I must admit if I did not hear the truth in her words I would think she had Barnos' gift for exaggeration.  The tale she tells of you besting Tolan Lark on his own ship is one that I have an even harder time believing now that I have seen you."  She laughed and leaned just a bit against the man at her side.  "I admit I assumed you would be bigger."

Jax shrugged her small slender shoulders in her casual ship suit, feeling grungy beside the other brightly colored females.  To a one they were all wearing flowing sarongs and bare feet, looking like tropical flowers, or birds, compared to her plain coverall and nanite boots.  She felt out of place and graceless, but decided after a minute she didn't care for the foreign feeling and dismissed it.

"He's not that scary," she said instead with another shrug. 

The Lady Danika raised a delicate red-gold brow over those shockingly green eyes.  Eyes that Jax was trying hard not to look at, as they reminded her of the green of her home planet, and like the feel of life magic she was absorbing, it was both beautiful and bittersweet to her senses.  "According to the galactic database Shakien cats are considered some of the most ferocious beings of the known galaxy.  Their presence is outlawed on most Alliance worlds because they are considered a weapon of mass destruction all on their own, and they are prone to feral episodes of mayhem that cannot be monitored or controlled."

Tolan Lark cleared his throat, drawing those amazing eyes his way.  "It's good to see you again too, Lady Danika," he said with a twinkle of humor in his blue eyes and a slight bow that mocked even as the fluid maleness of the move showcased his obvious manners.

The Lady Danika did not look the least bit embarrassed by her words or the teasing look in his eyes.  She did look curiously at her mate.  "Is the information not correct?"

Lucan ran his hand down the side of her exposed neck but his eyes were guarded and remained on Tolan Lark and Jax.  Obviously, he did see them as a threat, the Shakien male especially, all of which bothered Jax for some reason.  

"The Shakien are dangerous to everyone around them," he said in that deep voice of his, the words almost a threat for Tolan Lark’s benefit.  "Some more than others."

She shifted closer to Tolan without thinking about it and crossed her arms, her Dainaree eyes lighting with challenge for both Danika and Lucan.  "I doubt that the database says anything worse about the Shakien than they do about...say... a Warrung.  Warrung’s are invited to fewer civilized worlds than the Shakien."

Danika turned her eyes to Jax, her head canting and her eyes penetrating.  "There is no fear in you for this man, but from what Lady Lara said you did not know him before a solar week past.  Are you so much more fearsome than you appear then?"

 The innocence of her expression was eclipsed by something penetrating and deep.  It had Jax reevaluating who the most dangerous people in the room really were. 

She smiled, meeting Danika's eyes with a new respect, and a wariness and warning all in one.  "Yes."   It was the truth after all.

Those green eyes glinted momentarily and then the soft lips quirked up, a look of complete understanding passing between them. 

"Truth," Danika said with another smile. "And a further lesson that not all is as one would expect by appearances or reputation."

Jax bowed her head enough to acknowledge the point and Danika smiled again.  This time the innocent sweetness was in full bloom on her face and Jax felt something like a warm breath of welcome flutter across her senses. 

Immediately her shoulders lost some of their tension and she felt peace, like a warm blanket, settle over her.  It was so unexpected that she shook her head, trying to dispel the feeling, her hand landing on her shock stick at her waist automatically, thinking it was some sort of trap.  It was only then that she realized Tolan Lark had stepped up to her back and had a hand on her shoulder.  She felt his warm breath when he leaned down and spoke directly into her sensitive ear. 

"It is not a threat; it is simply the Lady Danika's way of saying she likes you."

"I feel like I've been gassed," she muttered back, fighting the shiver that was working from her ear to every other nerve in her body at his nearness.

Before anyone else could speak two things happened at the same time.  The feeling cut off, the Lady Danika looking apologetic, and the Lady Lara laughed, her twinkling eyes on Barnos, who had moved to her side and was looking at the two newcomers with his own naughty twinkle. 

"Well," Lara said, fanning her face as if she was hot, "I guess things have changed."

Barnos guffawed, and both Jax and Tolan Lark were distracted enough by the sound to look at the giant of a man, Tolan Lark with a grimace on his face, as if the loud sound pained him. 

Jax gave the woman questioning eyes, not sure what she was on about until Tolan spoke again. This time the teasing in his voice could not be mistaken. 

"Remember, Lady Lara is an empath."  His voice went on, smarmily satisfied to Jax' ears.  "She can feel how much you like me."

Oh no, Jax thought, then opened her mouth to deny it, prepared to lie through her teeth without compunction.

"Before you speak, you should also know that the Lady Danika is a truthsayer," he interrupted before she could speak, and her mouth closed with an audible snap.

Oh. No, no, no.

Tolan Lark chuckled wickedly at her back. 

She was going to kill him.