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all, he was a walking, hunk-o-luscious advertisement for testosterone overload. Even through the vid I felt an odd magnetic pull toward him. It was an unsettling feeling, and I forced myself to shake it off.
    Peri must have picked on my interest, because she leaned so far forward that she did a somersault and landed in my lap. With a gurgle of embarrassment, she righted herself and hopped to the console for a better look.
    I didn’t blame her. I seriously wanted to crawl into the vid and swarm all over him.
    While I was in the process of trying to get my eyeballs back in my head, he moved to face the decked-out dandy, a beam of sunshine picking out copper highlights in the dark chocolate hair that waved gently in a slight breeze. To my horror, the dandy drew a jewel-encrusted sword from the scabbard attached to his belt and took aim at the unarmed object of my lust.
    I completely forgot that this had happened at least five cycles ago. My hands tightened into a death grip on the chair arms as the sword whistled through the air toward the man’s neck. Only by the time it reached him, he wasn’t there anymore. In a blindingly fast move for such a large man, he whirled and stooped as the sharp metal edge passed over his head. And when he straightened, there was a sixteen-inch knife in his hand pointed directly at the dandy’s gut.
    Breath I hadn’t realized I was holding whooshed out of me as the surrounding group of trainees whistled and cheered. The dandy laughed and clapped the man on the shoulder before returning his sword to its sheath.
    As I leaned back in my chair, the vid shut off and my entire body went into mourning. I wasn’t done looking at him yet, damn it all. “Who is he?” I asked Lillith.
    “I believe that was Reynard du’Marr, commander of the king’s army. The man with the jewels was King Politaus. According to my information they often put on exhibits for the common soldiers. It keeps up morale to know their ruler is just a man like them.” She gave a delicate snort. “As if.”
    “Du’Marr,” I mused, ignoring everything else she’d told me.
    “It means ‘to move like lightning,’ in their language.”
    Immediately I perked up. “You have a language program?”
    “Yes, it was included in the download. It seems to be based on Galactic Standard, so by tomorrow you’ll speak Madrean like a native.”
    “Excellent. I’ll be able to communicate with him.”
    She let out the equivalent of an AI gasp. “What do you mean, communicate with him? Are you out of your mind? On the list of Madrean men you must avoid at all costs, he’s Number One.”
    Instantly, my heart sank. “Why isn’t the king Number One?”
    “Because, while the king might grab your ass, he wouldn’t really look at you. Reynard du’Marr would. The man didn’t get to be commander of the imperial army by being a slacker. He’s sure to notice every little detail, and according to my files he’s totally loyal to the king.”
    My lips formed a pout. “I bet I could pull it off and he’d never realize I was an off-worlder. Just for an hour.” I thought that over. “Okay, maybe three hours. With not much talking involved.”
    Her voice took on the stern tones of a judge handing down a sentence. “You have been a full-fledged, certified agent for all of eight hours. You have no practical experience. This man is a warrior, trained to be observant, and he’s dealt with members of the Federation before. Promise right now that you won’t seek him out, or arrange to meet him ‘accidentally.’ If you can’t give me your word, I’m turning around right now and heading back.”
    Surprised, I turned to look out the side window. Sure enough, I’d been so absorbed in the vid that I hadn’t noticed her taking off. Already, Centaurius was a silvery dot, and the suns were dwindling rapidly. Even Primus, the small red sun usually rendered invisible by the brighter rays of the two yellow stars, was discernible.
    A hard, hollow