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"Casina, please snap out of this!" Jenny pleaded. She turned away, exasperated, having tried everything to pull Casina from her lethargic state. At her friend"s lack of response, Jenny sighed and moved across the room to check on Arian, who lay resting peacefully in the middle of Kaanig Altair"s large bunk. "Oh, Arian," she groaned as she tucked a blanket about him. "What are we going to do without your daddy now?" She blinked away a tear, but it fell unbidden to the baby"s cheek. Stirring at the contact, the child whimpered in his sleep as though aware of the calamity that had befallen them.

At the plaintive sound, Casina raised her head, halfheartedly coming back from her vegetative state. Straightening in a corner chair, she gave a heavy sigh of resolve then slowly rose to her feet.

"Jenny," she said in a low voice, sounding forlorn, her hand seeking that of her friend.

"I"m here, Cas. Are you all right?"

Casina nodded, her mien downcast and lost.

"I can"t believe he"s gone, Jen."

"Nor can I."

"So, what do we do now? Go back home and pretend all of this was just a wild dream?"

Casina gave her friend some semblance of a smile, knowing that neither of them had an answer. It was only natural to assume that Jenny would want to stay with Ganymede, but what of Arian? What was to become of him? She knew nothing of raising an heir to an empire. Heck, what did she really even know about anything related to Jupitar? And now that Dammen, her life, her heart, her soul mate, was gone, what was to prevent Menakam from taking over everything he had desired for so long? And who was she to stop him?

"Oh, Cas," Jenny said, trying to reassure her friend. "Of course we"re not going home. Not now. Not after all that has happened. Jupitar is our home now. Since Dammen had his men level Ivory

Post and even St. Christi"s, there isn"t much there for us now anyways."

"Be realistic, Jenny. There"s nothing here for me either, now that Dammen is dead. He—" Only then did Casina realize what Jenny had actually said.

"What?" she said in horror, turning sharply. "Dammen did...what?"

Jenny grew alarmed then at her faux pas, unaware that Casina was completely ignorant of what had transpired just prior to their departure from Earth.

"He…destroyed Ivory Post," she began, afraid to look Casina in the eye, "and then he went over and did the same to St. Christi"s Institute. But don"t worry," she added, her hand reaching out to touch that of her friend, "no one was hurt. Dammen ordered everyone be removed before he leveled everything. Even...um, even our house is gone. Although, he did allow us to get what we could before the destruction took place."

Casina was stunned by this news, shocked to think her husband would do such a thing…until she recalled how he had physically blasted away the lawmen who had hurt her. He had the capability, to be sure, and was, by all accounts, a very powerful ruler.

"How did you learn of this?" she said.

"My father overheard Dammen discussing with Jeiel his intent to level the town, so they"d always remember, he said, and not continue in their old ways. He said he wanted to let them know that not everyone was stupid enough to be pushed around, regardless of what they thought. And the way I heard it, nothing was left except for the ivory monument that stood in front of the post office. You know, the one Dad jokes about as being the only historical evidence that the town actually existed prior to the 21st century?" She giggled, but Casina remained emotionless. "Well, anyways, I guess Dammen wanted to leave one final reminder so the townspeople would think twice next time they failed to act like human beings—civilized human beings. Word has it he may have blasted away some military ships, too. They apparently fired on us when he began attacking the town."

Jenny paused to look at her friend, but Casina remained stationary beside her chair as she concentrated on Jenny"s words. Her focus was on the small wooden ornament, much like a cross, hanging over the bunk.

"My father thought Dammen knew he was eavesdropping," Jenny continued, "so he spoke to Jeiel in English so my father would understand, whether out of courtesy or deliberation, we aren"t sure. But Dad took the time to confront him about this, so Dammen gave us time to get what we wanted from the house beforehand. He even let us transport Dad"s new green house aboard. Knowing how close I am with you, Dammen probably figured I"d tell you at some point but that by the time you heard of what he did, it would be too late for you to try and stop him." Jenny choked up then, her hand going up to stifle a sob. "As you know now, Cas," she said, "it is way too late."

Jenny"s words sank into Casina"s being like the Titanic into the ocean, and they were drowning her with meaning and emotional grief. As she continued gazing at the ornament hanging over her husband"s bunk, the completeness of Dammen"s love for her became all too clear.

"He did it for me, Jen, didn"t he?" she finally said, her voice close to a whisper. "He wanted no reminders, no memories for me to fall back on. He wanted us to build a new life in Jupitar, with our son." She turned to her friend, still sitting on the large bunk beside Arian"s sleeping form. "And you and Jim, too. He truly wanted you to enjoy living in his world and to forget everything you had to leave behind." She moved to look down at her son, Dammen"s son, wishing with all her heart that she had died alongside her husband. She loved her baby, his image but a tiny likeness of his father, but she didn"t know how she would ever live without her beloved Uri by her side. She had been so happy being his life mate, even if only briefly, and never once gave thought to what could ever happen if he were wrenched from her life as he had. And she realized now, as she gazed at Arian, that Dammen had probably never considered it either. Even with his unique abilities, she was certain he hadn"t seen it coming.

Jenny stared glumly at her best friend, hiding her fear over her now uncertain future.

"So, you"re going to give up then?"

When Casina dropped her head in defeat, Jenny sprang upwards in anger. "Tell me, Cas. What ever happened to the girl I used to brag about to my parents? You"ve always been a strong-willed survivor, an intelligent person who could go through anything and come out of it unchanged, still sweet and kind, considerate of others, only stronger in character? Whatever happened to her, Cas?" When Casina refused to look at her, she continued, "My God, have you changed that much, Cas? Have you become a spineless creature that cringes when the wind blows?" At the insult, tears of self-pity began streaming down Casina"s face.

"What have I done that you should speak to me so?" Casina cried, feeling overwhelmed with helplessness and grief beneath her best friend"s heartless tongue-lashing. It didn"t occur to her of how afraid Jenny was, that she was wondering now if she had made the right decision in moving to JupitarCasina. Her harsh words were the last thing she had ever expected from her friend. It was so unlike her. Then again, neither of them had ever been in such a predicament before. But it wasn"t as if any of this was Casina"s fault.

"I thought you were strong, Casina! Strong enough to overcome anything that interfered with your life! Why," she continued vociferously, her hands flailing the air, "what would Dammen think if he were to see you now? My God, Cas, he"d probably order you out of his life and tell you he"d made a mistake in choosing you for a wife! He"d—"

"Enough!" Casina stormed, recalling Dammen"s similar words before leaving Earth. "How dare you! What do you know of our relationship, of what we shared? Of what I still feel for him? Losing Uri was like having part of myself torn away. Blast it! I love Uri! I always will. He"ll not leave my mind or my heart for one second! But what am I supposed to do? What do I know about running an entire galaxy?"

Drained after this outburst, she collapsed back into her chair, sobbing over her loss. "Oh, Uri," she moaned brokenly. "How can I go on without you?" With her elbows resting on the arm of the chair, she rested her forehead on a damp palm as torrents of tears flowed unabashedly down her cheeks.



Properly reproved by her heartbroken companion, Jenny stood quietly aside, allowing her own shame at her uncalled-for behavior to wash over her. She had no idea what had come over her. She bit her lip, feeling guilty, as she watched Casina fall apart before her very eyes. She had almost forgotten how ill Casina had been recently. Of how she had almost...died.

It was true, she realized too late. Casina loved Dammen in a way Jenny could not understand. She was clearly unaware of the depth of the emotion between the two. Surely, it was a bond that was lacking from her own budding relationship with Ganymede. She cared for him, but she now doubted that she loved him the way Casina and Dammen loved each other. Their passion reminded her more of the passion she had experienced when…when Jeiel Vernier had grabbed her that time and…kissed her.

As Jenny relived that moment in her own mind, she recalled how that kiss had made her feel. Like an electric current had shot through her body until she thought her socks would fly off. As she considered this, she began to wonder now if that was what Casina had felt every time Dammen had kissed her. If so, then Jenny began to realize that she wanted more from a relationship with a man before she tied herself down to one.

As it was, Jenny was already reconsidering her relationship with Ganymede. Something about him wasn"t right, and she noticed it more whenever she was alone with him. His attitude had changed drastically since they had passed through the black void, and it hurt her to know that it had been Jeiel who had seen to her safety while outside Le"pra Zh"r and not Ganymede. Did the man care so little for her that he could not be bothered with even trying to protect her? On the other hand, Jeiel, as usual, had been there to see that nothing happened to her. Jeiel, in fact, had put his own life on the line when he had had to run back and help her to safety.

When Jenny and her father had first boarded Le"pra Zh"r some months ago, it had been Jeiel who had prevented her from embarrassing herself. Used to taking care of Casina, she had been quick to move to assist her best friend when she thought she needed help, not considering that perhaps Dammen wanted to see to her needs himself. Without thinking, Jenny had not hesitated to step forward to comfort Casina and would have followed Dammen and Casina inside the spaceship and straight into their bedchamber if Jeiel had not put a restraining hand on her and prevented her from accompanying the couple inside. Jeiel had known that the Altairs had desired to be alone, but she had been blind to the sexual tension between the two.

Abashed by her own ignorance and naiveté, she had refused to look at Jeiel at all after that. She had felt so stupid at her foolish behavior in front of the whole township that she had childishly taken it out on the kind alien by refusing to have anything more to do with him during the entire journey to Jupitar. She wondered now if she had unconsciously used Ganymede as an excuse to get back at Jeiel for his having dared to kiss her without doing so in accordance with her own romantic notions. She realized now that she had wanted Jeiel to kiss her and had only been afraid of her own reaction to his alien touch.

As she considered past episodes where Jeiel Vernier was present, she began to realize that his concern for her may not only have been a result of his kind nature but of perhaps something more. There were at least two other instances wherein Jeiel had rescued her from her own immature, girlish actions, only she had been angry with herself and ignored his consideration towards her. Ashamed, Jenny lowered her head as guilt washed over her again.

What an idiot she had been. How many times had Jeiel helped her, and not once had she expressed her gratefulness to him? Now he, too, was gone, and she hadn"t realized until now just how much his absence was bothering her. And as she turned to her grieving friend, feelings of regret made her move to place a comforting arm about Casina"s quivering shoulders. As the truth made itself known within her own heart, Jenny was at last able to understand exactly how Casina felt at losing the love of her life. She also realized how terrified Casina was at thought of being completely in charge now.

"Casina, I…I"m sorry. I just didn"t th—"

"Be quiet! I"ve had enough lecture from you, Jenny Tompkins!"

Furiously, Casina shrugged the woman away and dashed the tears from her eyes. She jumped to her feet with sudden determination and made for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To find out where everybody is around here? Or do you by any chance know?" Casina halted to turn and glare at her so-called friend, hands positioned impatiently on her hips.

"My father went with Ganymede to the bridge."

"Is Ganymede going to command this ship?"

Jenny gave a humble shrug. "I don"t know. Maybe."



"Please stay with Arian," Casina ordered and left the room. Too upset with her, Casina knew she would make up with her friend later, once Le"pra Zh"r and Dammen"s heir were safely away. They were still aground, and Casina knew she had wasted valuable time grieving when she should have been overseeing the safety of the ship and all those aboard her. She cursed her stupidity and female weaknesses for she could still hear the pounding of lasers blasting away at the ship"s outer hull as Menakam"s men tried to gain access.

Her sudden appearance on the bridge was a surprise to everyone, especially to Jim and Ganymede. Shocked silence greeted her as she calmly and politely removed the highest-ranking officer from the commander"s seat. The man, Tythis, gave her a wide-eyed stare, cast Ganymede a look of misgiving, then silently and obediently, though somewhat reluctantly, transferred command to the rightful recipient. He knew that Casina, as Kaaniga of Jupitar, was well within her rights and now held absolute power and authority over everyone in the galaxy. All he could do was step down and obey.

"By your command, Majesty," Tythis acquiesced, bowing respectfully as he backed away and returned to the helm.

Ganymede, masking his true feelings of mistrust for her, stepped forward and bowed in obeisance.

"We are pleased to see you, Highness," he purred. "I was just about to plot a course to the Omega quadrant of Jeztarain. We should be well out of harm"s way there."

"No."

Startled, Ganymede exchanged looks with the other crewmen, each look questioning her sanity and ability to handle matters in Dammen"s absence.

"Highness?" he asked, his tone one of a man humoring a small child.

Aware of what the men might be thinking, Casina shot the warrior a disgruntled look. Still upset with Jenny and emotional at her own loss, she had little patience for anyone at the moment. And little by little she could feel her old attitude returning.

"I said no, Ganymede. We are not going to the Omega quadrant."

"Uh, begging your Majesty"s pardon," Ganymede went on, "but do you, uh, know exactly…what it is…you are…doing? Can you fly this ship?"

"No, but you and these other sufficiently-skilled men can," she responded nastily, her respect for Jenny"s love-interest shrinking away quickly. She leaned closer to him, sneering, "I can give orders, too, mister. Do you think I"m a complete nitwit? Or a total incompetent?"

Taken aback by this, Ganymede was at a loss for words and again exchanged looks with the other crewmen. This time, however, they were more of humor or grudging admiration, if only slightly. "Not that it matters, Ganymede," Casina said, "but while on Konatha, Kaanig Altair, to help me occupy myself, allowed me manuals, charts, journals, and a tutor who gave me some instructions on flying one of these vessels, after I tried to escape in one of his ships. It was as if he had known such information might come in handy for just such a time as this, even if I wasn"t aware of it at the time. If I had known then what I know now I certainly would have paid more attention. However, with what I do know, and with your help, I believe we can get this ship well out of harm"s way. Why you waited for me to come up here is beyond me for you should have at least put this ship to flight as soon as that hatch had closed behind us. And if you"d shut up long enough, Ganymede, for me to get started, we might be able to get this ship out of here before Menakam"s men break through the hatch. Unless, of course, that is what you had in mind. Why, I"m surprised you didn"t just open the door and let them right in."

With that, Casina brushed past him, climbed the metal steps, plopped herself into Dammen"s chair and began issuing commands as smoothly as if it were part of her normal routine.



Flabbergasted by the content of Casina"s little speech, Ganymede could only gape at her as she moved past him.

"Mr. Remera? Are you going to stand there staring at me all day with your mouth hanging open? We"ve a ship to fly."

Ganymede gave himself a mental shake then remembered himself. Clearing his throat, somewhat discomfited at being reprimanded in front of everyone, he immediately changed his tone and hastened to obey.

"Uh, yes, Majesty," he stammered, flushing. "Sorry." He returned to his post, his mind in a whirl at what was occurring.