Adjudication (Metatron's Army, Book 13)

By Elizabeth Maxim

Commander Christine Baker is prepared to fulfill the destiny mapped out for her before she was born – but she’ll do it on her own terms.

Happily. Between leading a fledgling government, commanding an army, and guiding a species toward a new future, it’s hard to find time for love. Especially when your former fiancé is still in the picture.

Ever. Taking responsibility is not the same as owning it and Christine is learning that rearranging her vision of the future is becoming an inconvenient – if necessary – habit.

After. Finding the Center of your Universe requires understanding that you are the center of theirs. Christine learns that for better or for worse, the way forward is through the romantic triangle of her past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth Maxim
• Release date: Oct 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463251126

Elizabeth Maxim

If Elizabeth were to map her life’s journey, it would resemble the chaos of a Pac-Man game but out of this chaos came the foundation for her stories. She draws from knowledge, personal experience, and imagination in creating strong independent characters who steer their own destiny... often with a little help from love.Elizabeth studied alternative medicine with an MD for several years before earning a doctorate of philosophy in that field. She also holds a bachelor's degree in holistic childcare. Currently living in the Pacific Northwest, she is the author of multiple books, fiction and nonfiction, as well as two blog sites.You can follow Elizabeth at elizabethmaxim.com.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Adjudication: Method to decide the result of an unfinished game

2013

Eol, Vetria System

Christine’s Office - Airfield Administration Building

Happily Ever After.

Commander Christine Baker stared at the phrase she’d written over and over during a meeting that morning. She hadn’t been at it very long before her love, Energy Shifter Verix Sterling caught on that she wasn’t taking notes.

"What are you doing?"

"Staying sane."

That was truth enough. Though she understood the need, she despised meeting with bureaucrats.

"I don’t think -."

"If I don’t keep my hands busy, I’m going to slap duct tape across several mouths."

"As you will."

She’d never kidded herself transitioning from one style of government to another would be without its challenges, but the seemingly endless stream of whining was starting to wear on her.

"I don’t understand why you have to move the headquarters off of Eol. Why can’t you just move it to another part of the planet?"

There was no way in hell she would explain the matter to fools who spent enormous amounts of time trying to benefit from chaos - and transitioning from one style of government to another was definitely that.

The new coalition style government known as Dynamic - named for the military academy where it was launched - was taking on more responsibility with every passing week, which made for a delicate time. Especially, because not everyone was happy about a shift away from the old method of rule by oppression.

Dictators.

An apt description of the twelve Councilors each of whom ruled a star system that bore their names. Though some of the Councilors, such as Councilor Vetria, were reasonable, many had been heavy-handed and liberal with punishment for any perceived slight. Worse, some of them had been working with the Iconoclast, a being that tried to destroy the fabric of time-space

Though the traitors were no longer in power, rotting in crystalline prisons as they were, the star systems they'd ruled were the ones most likely to fall into anarchy. Thus, the need to tread carefully.

In many respects, Christine understood. People who lived under authoritarian governments, who’d spent generation upon generation oppressed, generally didn’t know what to do with newly gained freedom. Especially, when that freedom was handed to them as opposed to having been earned through some sort of transformative action.

Seeing there was a very real possibility warring factions and malevolent opportunists would exploit the situation, she put together a task force to identify the systems and planets most vulnerable. She approached the remaining Councilors - those not corrupted by power - and asked them to work with a team of Light Beings, the police arm of the former Council, to keep a close eye on things.

"Don’t get too used to the way things are. Eventually, these, too, need to come under the coalition umbrella."

She set up a separate task force to plot a path forward for those systems to govern rather than simply be governed.

Happily, ever after, she mumbled, more than happy to turn her mind from tedious activities and even more tedious individuals. It wasn’t the happy part she pondered. Any healthy adult understood happiness came and went depending on a number of factors. No, it was the ever after side of the equation that kept her attention. Because it implied time held sway over everything, including happiness. Which contradicted the came and went part. But what if it was always the came part?

She pursed her lips. The Iconoclast, bastard that he was, promised her such was possible when, years earlier, he held her captive in a cave on Isolar, a planet at the far end of the Vetria System. Beyond exhausted, bleeding, and believing she and the grim reaper were about to become roommates, she’d listened to him promise that if only she agreed to go dimension hopping, all her suffering would end. And, just for being a contestant on today’s show, she would be able to live her heart’s desire, be in a place where her Earth father, a policeman killed in the line of duty, was still alive.

"Look. See."

She supposed it was fortunate the Arcs had been so thorough. The blood running into her eyes made obeying all but impossible. Not that she hadn’t gotten enough of a gist that her heart hurt for months, years.

It didn’t help that her friend and former fiancé, Corus Argai, had been forced to do something along those lines after being dragged through an artificial time gate by one of the Iconoclast’s henchmen. He’d traversed multiple alternate dimensions in an attempt to return to the one in which he belonged, ostensibly with her. What a terrible thing to witness what you couldn’t have while desire for it burned in your belly.

He hadn’t told her more than what he felt she needed to know but he had explained that in at least two other dimensions, they’d fared better than in the current one.

But was it better? Time, she supposed, would tell. Which circled back to the phrase on the paper. Why was it time held such power? Did people give it away or was it just the nature of an essence that pulled people into its web, driving the belief that everything they held true about their lives was dictated by it?

"Come home."

The telepathic hail was a pin prick at the base of her spine.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. I just -. I need you."

Shoving the paper in a drawer, she slammed the office door and made for the main entrance.

* * *

It felt good to run. Too many months at a desk - either aboard the Phoenix or at her office at the Academy. She still trained, which is why the sudden physical activity didn’t leave her huffing and puffing. Nor did it blind her to the fact she had company. In addition to a handful of cadets trailing behind, Gabriel and Shane close friends and colleagues, were jogging alongside, slowing their stride so she didn’t have to push it.

Tell me you have plans for the weekend, Shane asked, impressing her that he seemed only slightly winded.

I hadn’t really thought about it, she replied, winded enough she slowed the pace a bit. On her other side, Gabriel made a sound of impatience.

You have to be the only person I know who isn’t thinking about the weekend by the middle of the week.

"What big plans have you got?"

He nodded toward Shane. I’m going fishing, with him.

And Aysa, Shane added.

Aysa? she exclaimed. You’re taking Aysa fishing?

Aysa was an Archivist, a Light Being in charge of cataloging memories energetically scanned from species throughout the star systems. She lived with Shane who’d come to the Vetria System from Earth years earlier.

Yeah, I’m taking her fishing, Shane replied. She’s never been.

Christine tried to picture the graceful female Light Being sitting in a boat at the crack of dawn.

The idea, Gabriel said in his crisp British accent, is to do something spontaneous. Something fun. You ought to try it.

Gabriel was also from Earth but whereas Shane’s coming to Vetria was by choice, Gabriel’s was not. Both men served in the military while living on Earth; Shane in marine Special Forces and Gabriel in the RAF. Their knowledge and experience, along with a unique outsider’s perspective, made them ideally suited for positions on a number of advisory committees. That she’d grown up on Earth meant the three of them were closer than they might have been. It was also why she didn’t mind the good-natured bantering about her tendency to be a workaholic.

Ah, Rapunzel, Gabriel said pointing, your tower.

Owned by the Council that was, the Water Tower had been converted into a residence for the pair of Light Beings who policed the system for Councilor Vetria. Two two-bedroom apartments were on one floor, with a technology lab on another. The two Light Beings who worked the Vetria System occupied one of the apartments, leaving the other available for the occasional guest. At least that’s how it was before she graduated from the Academy.

You now report to the Council which necessitates they take further responsibility for you.

Verix, the Light Being overseeing her academic efforts at the Academy had gone to the Council on her behalf. After having the place spiffed up, he turned over the keys as it were.

Though she’d called it home for years, she had yet to consider it such. It would have been easy to lay the blame for that at the fact she’d never spent much time there, but the truth was more involved. Too involved to think about, she decided, and picked up the pace, impressed when her companions kept it.

* * *

2013

Eol, Vetria System

Water Tower - Christine’s Apartment

Ten minutes and a wave of appreciation later, she left her jogging companions behind and stepped into the lobby. Thankful the VR receptionist was off duty she made for the elevator.

I need you.

She hadn’t detected anything amiss along the energetic bond she shared with her Light Being lover, but she wasn’t about to leave it to chance. And in any event, it was a good excuse to leave on time for a change.

For the past several weeks she found herself apprehended - just as she was walking out the door - by a number of individuals who seemed to think she held all the answers. Didn’t they understand the word coalition? As in cooperation? Co-op? Multiple heads? Not a hydra, mind you, but still. It wasn’t as if she alone had the authority to give them whatever it was, they were after.

They generally fell into one of three groups, those making a power grab, those trying to hold onto whatever power they thought they already had, and those trying to curry favor. It was the last group that was the most tedious. They went out of their way to remind her they’d known her back when. As if she owed them because they interacted at one point in time. Provided she remembered them to begin with. She’d been on the receiving end of more than one dirty look because she didn’t know who they were or what they did.

* * *

The mental fatigue cleared the moment she stepped into her apartment. It wasn’t what she saw so much as what she heard. Closing the door, she made her way down the hall.

"Should I come in?"

"I’m just finishing."

The bathroom door opened before she got there. Communicating telepathically was just one of many advantages to being involved with a Light Being.

By the nature of their physiology, Light Beings were incredibly fit. By design they were gorgeous. Rivulets of water slid down a muscular chest, over washboard abs, disappeared beneath the towel wrapped around his waist. Steam curled around and between well-muscled legs. Finding the warm humidity as inviting as the man waiting to see what she would do, she nudged him inside, shutting the door to keep the warmth from escaping.

Moisture beaded on the notch at the base of his throat, but it was the scar above his right nipple that drew her gaze. No longer red, it was nonetheless a reminder of how close she’d come to losing him when he was hit with an emitter, the one weapon capable of killing a Light Being. Stepping close, she put hands to his shoulders, pressed her mouth to it, licked tiny droplets clinging to the hair above and below the scar. When she reached for the zipper to her jumpsuit, he brushed her hands away.

Allow me, he murmured, then helped her out of her uniform.

She licked her way over his shoulder, up his neck, met his mouth when he turned to her. Groaning as hands went to her breasts, thumbs gently scraping her nipples, she hooked her right leg around his hip, deepened the kiss.

Moisture created a suction holding her body to warm skin, giving with a soft burst of air when he suddenly drew back.

We could move to the bedroom.

It’s warm in here, she responded then hopped up on the counter and opened her arms – and legs.

* * *

Verix hesitated only a moment. Sliding hands beneath her buttocks, he stepped forward, drew her close, pushed into warm wet. Taking her gasp into his mouth, he appreciated how she locked her ankles over his lower back. Not only did her actions show her trust, they were evidence of confidence - in herself and in their relationship; a relationship that, before her command, would have been an impossibility.

Under Council rule, Light Beings were forbidden from expressing high emotion. Or more to the point, love, along with its darker step sibling, lust. It meant sexual intercourse was an impossibility, although that had been approached as a separate yet related issue. Under Council rule.

Since it was an accepted fact Light Beings could not reproduce naturally, the sexual organ was set to an off switch by design. And they were designed. Grown in labs, their bodies received energetic cores, what Christine called a soul. Once the energetic essence was firmly rooted, they were given training to prepare them for duty as the policing arm of the Council.

But accepted fact had been a lie. Years earlier, data obtained while blowing the lab of a corrupt scientist by the name of Garvon revealed Light Beings were - and had been - capable of natural reproduction. Unfortunately, the highly sophisticated electrical systems that gave them enhanced abilities were vulnerable to energetic spikes resulting from extended exposure to high emotion. It was a bitter irony. Even though they could physically reproduce, the emotional vulnerability meant that to try would bring almost certain death by fatal energy spike.

Only Verix and a handful of others knew the truth. The woman whimpering as she arched against him was not one of them.

It was another bitter irony, for she’d made it her personal mission to get Light Beings to the point where they were invulnerable to high emotion, so that they could experience intimacy, and though she could enjoy some of the fruits of her labors, reproduction was still out of the question. And not because of him. Ironically.

* * *

Christine tried not to be bothered by Verix’s distracted air. It wasn’t too hard since his thrusting distracted her from his distraction. But as good as the sex was, it didn’t hide the fact something was bothering him.

I need you.

She was surprised by the force with which the sentiment traveled along their energetic connection. Though she didn’t doubt his love for her, as a Light Being, he wasn’t the most emotionally demonstrative individual in her life. It was ironic, really, because he felt more emotions and felt them more deeply than most of his peers, a situation that had the Council labeling him flawed. As it was a transgression punishable by death, if not for the intervention of a senior Light Being by the name of Alexander Craig, Verix would have been destroyed.

When he pulled away, she kissed him softly, hopped off the counter, and stepped into the shower, only mildly surprised he followed her inside. Something was definitely wrong. It wasn’t that they never showered together. He’d just had one.

I need to touch you, he explained.

Hadn’t he just -? That wasn’t -? Enough?

No.

She waited.

Ever since this morning I’ve felt your frustration, your fatigue.

Can’t you filter that out a bit? Throttle it back?

I didn’t want to.

Can I ask why since I know it had to be draining.

I need to understand the depth of your feelings in order to gauge the impact.

Her lips twitched. It was just so Verix, describing his care of her as if he was discussing the weather. I love you, she murmured, pressing her lips to his. Why gauge the impact? she asked then hummed as he moved his hands over her back, the silky soap making for a relaxing sensuous experience.

CHAPTER TWO

You are still recovering from your time in cryogenic stasis.

Not so much, she answered, lifting her hair off her back to better rinse out the shampoo. Though I appreciate your concern.

Several months earlier she’d run afoul of a temporal wave that came close to killing her. As she’d been anticipating such a possibility, she’d devised her own rescue. A Light Being Energy Tracker by the name of Strykus had gotten her out of the jet she was flying just before it was destroyed by the anomaly. Unfortunately, the lower third of her body was encased in the temporal distortion, necessitating she be put into a cryogenic device while they worked to free her from its hold.

Since her entire body was put into cryo with no time to prepare, she suffered a number of side effects, most notably a tendency to fall asleep unexpectedly. Ice crystals lodged in muscle fibers so there’d also been severe pain to deal with. And, some tissue burn though that healed quickly enough. What remained unknown was how much tissue regenerated after a previous injury was lost in the freezing process.

"Your best guess?"

Her biological father, a brilliant DNA scientist overseeing the regeneration therapy, had been reluctant to answer.

"My best guess? We lost about thirty percent, but I won’t know for certain until I do a thorough scan."

Which he’d been putting off for a number of reasons that were weaker than overstretched Silly Putty. She could only assume he suspected more damage and didn’t know how to break it to her.

"I don’t want pity."

It was why she’d gone to him about options to restore fertility lost after being shot while blowing up an artificial time gate. She was tired of looks of pity sent her way by those closest to her; the only ones aware of the situation. Officially at any rate. Whoever had paid for the information? Well, so far as she was aware it hadn't affected the balance of the universe. Yet. As heir to the Ivaran throne, if it became known she was unable to provide the next in line, her life would be forfeit because the Lesser Kings would put out a contract then stage a coup once she was dead.

Not even being married to a powerful Light Being would keep her safe since it was well known Light Beings couldn’t reproduce naturally. Not that they were married. Oh, Verix proposed but they hadn’t set a date, nor told anyone of their intentions. There was too much chaos and the newly won peace was too fragile.

Most people thought she would go back to Corus who was undergoing treatment for Time Distortion Sickness, a cellular decay resulting from being pulled across dimensions. If the trip was one way, there was no problem. It was only those who returned to their native dimensions who suffered, though not everyone who traveled dimensions suffered the disease that led to madness and premature death.

Light Beings and species who at one point intermarried with Light Beings were able to traverse dimensions without suffering ill health. Oh, and those who, like herself had Light Being DNA spliced into their bodies. So far as she was aware, she was the only one who could claim that distinction.

As Corus was Eolighten with no Light Being antecedents, he'd been facing a bleak future, would have succumbed to TDS were not for an unexpected offer by allies.

Azlaans were a unique species. They had a symbiotic relationship with the forest covered planet they inhabited, and since that planet had a temporal distortion going through its center, possessed the ability to create a temporal force field around sentient beings. If they were on the planet. Those who spent extended periods of time within the temporal distortion were able to reclaim their health. It had to do with the form the distortion took, a cloying mist that pulled into itself anything similar. In other words, it pulled any temporally mismatched energy from an individual suffering effects of such exposure. The trick was, it had never been tried on a species incapable of traveling dimensions.

The treatment appeared to be working. Corus was pretty close to his old self. Of course, even that came with a price. He had to remain on the planet majority of the time. At least for the foreseeable future.

With a need to focus on his recovery and with her efforts directed at ending a war, they’d agreed to end the engagement while remaining friends and colleagues. The situation was working but as with many things in life, it was not without its challenges.

Because the treatment was working so well and Corus appeared to have fully recovered, those not in the know were waiting for the two to marry, and due to the complicated reality that was her life, those in the know were far fewer than those waiting for their reunion. It meant she and the gorgeous man in front of her had to keep their relationship guarded.

Of course, anyone who saw them together would see the love they shared, but speculation was a distant cry from confirmation. If it was known she and the Light Being were intending to marry, pushback because of his inability to reproduce would be swift and severe, a headache neither of them needed at such a delicate time. She stepped out of the shower, accepted a towel.

* * *

Verix guided Christine to the counter. Turning her so she faced the mirror, he reached into a drawer, withdrew an elastic. Do you mind?

Not at all, she replied, and while she didn’t mind, she was concerned. Yes, he’d braided her hair before as he liked it that way, but she would be the first to admit she wasn’t sure what to make of his solicitous behavior. His hands stilled and she knew he’d energetically picked up her thoughts if not her feelings.

It isn’t that I don’t appreciate the attention, I’m just not used to the – domestic flavor of it.

I understand.

She made to turn, winced when it caused him to yank on her hair.

I do understand, Christine.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt by her cool reception to the affection. It had been, by far, the biggest challenge to their relationship. Prior to becoming intimately involved, they’d been fellow soldiers, fighting side by side, killing when necessary. Always respectful, they’d compartmentalized any feelings for each other - for both professional and personal reasons. The circumstances that paved the way for them to enter into an intimate relationship were painful; a legacy of secrets and lies set in motion generations before she was born, with many innocents hurt along the way.

She stared at herself in the mirror.

"Tell me you have plans for the weekend,"

"The idea is to do something spontaneous. Something fun. You ought to try it."

I don’t know how to have fun, she muttered. Too much time around Light Beings. They’ve rubbed off on me. She drew a long slow breath as she realized what just came out of her mouth. She met eyes the color of dark chocolate in the mirror. I’m sorry. That’s not fair. I didn’t mean -.

* * *

Verix turned Christine to face him, pressed his mouth to hers. Using his fingers to gently pry open her jaw, he tentatively thrust his tongue inside; tentative because it excited his love when he did so. He now understood it was because it told her there was passion within; passion under pressure, a volcano ready to erupt. For her. Because of her.

I know what you meant, Christine. I can feel you, feel your love for me, for the Light Beings. You are simply expressing the weariness of having to listen to an endless stream of power-hungry whining fools who love to hear themselves speak. He well understood as it was what he'd felt after interactions with the Council of Twelve. When she made to speak, he continued. In feeling you, I am able to sense the motivation behind those feelings. In this case, the need to hold your frustrations inside is draining you. It isn’t that you do not know how to have fun, it’s that your mental resources are otherwise engaged.

He held up a finger before walking out of the bathroom.

* * *

Christine wanted to kick herself. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Verix’s feelings or disparage his species. Yes, decades of being forced to repress their emotions had taken a toll, made them stoic to the point one would think they didn’t have any emotions, but it hadn’t destroyed their inner core. Like anything kept under pressure, eventually, containment would be breached, usually from the inside. Like a volcanic eruption, the energy exploded out.

If the Council had truly wanted to destroy the Light Beings, they would have allowed them to leach off the energy, mandating the methods employed to do so and monitoring the results so closely the beings would become paranoid and just withdraw the effort. Fortunately, they hadn’t been so cruel. Or, perhaps it was that they weren’t that clever. After all, their inability to end a centuries long war necessitated bringing in an outsider – her - to provide new perspective, new ideas. They were smart enough to realize the value of that, at least, for she managed to turn centuries of antagonism into years of cooperation.

The alliances that made up the core of the fledgling government were a symbol of what was possible once attentions were turned toward a common good. Or, in this case, a common enemy. The Iconoclast. A former Councilor, he was still out there, if cornered. That he was still alive was due to the complexity of certain realities, the keyword necessity. He was, in every way, a necessary evil. For now.

The bathroom door opened and Verix stepped in. She smiled and grabbed the clothes.

You said it was warmer in here so I thought you might want to dress in here.

Thanks, that’s very sweet. Her smile disappeared. I really am sorry for what I said.

It isn’t necessary, but I accept. On behalf of the Light Beings.

Works for me.

* * *

Christine watched Verix slide pre-cooked meals into the hot box. He was still tense. From what she could tell, the tension wasn’t from the insult. Getting him to talk about it, however, was no simple matter. He’d once told her the need to protect himself was so deeply ingrained, it was difficult to discuss his feelings, even with someone he trusted.

Leaning against the counter she eyed the living room. Shane had been disgusted by the neutral color, bare walls, lack of art. So had Ryn, the Azlaan warrior overseeing Corus’ recovery. Both men made no bones about telling her the apartment was too antiseptic. At the time she explained she was rarely there, so it didn’t matter. It was a different story now. With the major offensives complete, she found she spent quite a bit of time in the sterile environment. With her stoic lover. Not conducive to intimacy. Not by a long shot. She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a bit.

Can we eat on the roof? Under the stars?

She wanted to laugh at her love’s expression.

Come on, it’ll be fun. It’s just – different. It’s warm out and with a clear sky we should be able to see lots of stars.

As you will, he said finally.

* * *

2013

Eol, Vetria System

Water Tower - Rooftop

I really love it up here. She grabbed a brown bottle, frowned at the label. What’s this?

A craft beer.

She cocked her head.

Shane told me the brewing industry in the US had undergone significant changes in the years since we left Earth. He suggested trying some of the craft brews available, then wrote down several suggestions. Dacan and I made a visit awhile back. I was holding onto these at the apartment until a good opportunity.

Wow. She shook her head and opened the bottle. That these guys could just pop over to Earth on a moment’s notice. Incredible. It had to do with the locks that divided the different dimensions. The Light Beings had the energetic combination, which basically amounted to frequency adjustment. They energetically modulated their cells to the frequency of the gate and voila! She sipped.

Ugh! Bitter!

We can swap if you like, he replied, handing his bottle over. It’s a stout.

She took a tentative sip. Hm. I think I like lagers better, but this is good. The other is too bitter.

Shane described it as hoppy.

He would know.

When she’d gone back to Earth years earlier to have him look over mission specs, she found him sitting alone in a bar, surrounded by empty beer bottles.

"Take me."

She’d been planning to blow a lab at Council Headquarters, something incredibly dangerous on a good day. That she’d lost one of her best men – Corus Argai – before she’d been able to execute put her in a terrible bind. Either go forward with fewer men which exponentially increased the odds of failure, or call off the mission, which she was not about to do. The lab was where Garvon, one of the Iconoclast’s henchmen, was forcing Light Beings into reorganization to be used as Arcs, the equivalent of an alien SS.

She’d argued with Shane to no avail, tried explaining he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. He’d countered every argument with examples her logic was flawed. In the end, she took him up on the offer, which was a good thing because not only did he save Dacan’s life, his presence ensured their success. The lab was blown, and, as a bonus, the Council toppled. Once she’d shown the vinegar faced bastards the corruption had gone on under their very noses, they agreed to her demands which included turning power over to the new coalition government.

Shane had been puzzled it had been that easy.

"They are far more powerful. Why would they listen to you?"

"Because they brought me here to do what they could not. End a war that has been ongoing for centuries. That war was fueled from within their own ranks thanks to the corruption they are unable to get under control. I’m the outsider brought in to do clean-up duty."

She’d gone on to explain that power was relative.

"It isn’t the ability to wield weapons. It’s the ability to establish and hold peace."