Page 12 of A Delicate Conquest

How polite and courteous they all were.

Bea had rarely been treated so well on Earth.

“Thank you,” she said to the Kordolian, her face flushing with embarrassment, her heart sinking in dismay. Of all thestupidthings to happen.

The crewman barely noticed as he stood next to her, offering his arm for her to lean on in a purely professional manner.

And Bea couldn’t help but wonder—absolutelyhypothetically—what it might’ve felt like to have thatotherguy beside her…

Would she even see him tonight?

Now that she’d been sidelined, her chances were looking pretty slim.

FIVE

Mavrel stared intentlyat the holoscreen, trying to make sense of Earth’s interesting topography.

Tarak wanted to build an impenetrable land-based defense shield. That meant they would be installing the highest possible level of Kordolian tech on Earth’s fertile soil.

The shield would be comprised of colossal plasma generators that could be activated instantaneously in case of an enemy attack. The goal wasn’t necessarily to surround the entire planet in a plasma shield all at once—that was practically impossible—but to respond to direct attacks over a discrete but substantial area. Created by massive ground-based generators and powered by fusion, the plasma shield would be stabilized by a powerful magnetic field.

The generators had certain requirements.

They had to be away from major population centers—not an easy feat on an already crowded planet.

They needed a stable base—bedrock was preferable.

They had to be located within a certain distance of each other in a pattern that ensured not even the tiniest patch of land or ocean on Earth would be undefended.

This was Mavrel’s kind of project.

A challenge involving the most advanced military technology in the Nine Galaxies.

A welcome distraction from the infernal discomfort of the Mating Fever.

Zharek’s drugs had reduced the severity of his symptoms by about half, but he was still restless, irritated, and bothered by the faintly throbbing ache in his temples.

It didn’t help thatshewould intrude on his thoughts at any given moment, and it took a considerable amount of willpower for him to pull away from them.

If he wasn’t careful, he could lose himself in a ridiculous flight of fantasy.

But his thoughts would remain merely that—fantasy.

Real life was never so simple.

Mavrel zoomed in on the detailed survey of Earth’s lower pole. The solid ground beneath was much smaller in area than the vast layer of ice that concealed it.

Interestingly, from revolution to revolution, the ice would contract and then expand, depending on the climate at the time. It was different from the ice on Kythia, which always stayed the same.

The ice on Earth was softer, more pliable, less permanent.

Fascinating.

Mavrel became so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice when the junior tech slipped through the door… until the lad was hovering over him, and something overwhelmingly familiar was trying to slip past his defenses.

Traces of her…

Scent.

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