Chapter 21

Entering into the room, holding a bouquet of blooming thistles in one hand behind his back, Duo saw Trynity bent over a digital notepad as a young man spoke to her. There were several other men and women wearing lab coats in the observation room, some studying the readouts from the space telescopes while others, like Trynity, analyzed the data. He could not quite make out the face of the man standing with Trynity, and when he put his hand on her back to massage between her shoulders, Duo grew hot with anger until she raised her face to the man and gave him an intimate smile.

His heart seemed to stop beating as his worst fears were confirmed. And when she raised her gaze and it met his, he saw surprise as well as irritation. She said something to the man who glanced briefly in Duo's direction before he nodded and moved away, taking up a position not so close that he could hear them, but close enough to help if she needed it. What did he think Duo would do?

"What are you doing here? I told you not to come." Trynity's voice was hard, her glare like golden fire.

"I was hoping you didn't mean it." He brought the bouquet out from behind his back to hold out to her. There were a few white roses scattered among the thistles, and he hoped she realized that he meant them as a peace offering.

But Trynity ignored the flowers. "Of course I meant it!" she hissed furiously, seizing his wrist and pulling him out of range of hearing of the other researchers who were now watching them with interest. When they were far enough away, she released his him as if touching him disgusted her. "You did not answer my question. What are you doing here? Can't you see that I am busy?"Her gaze swept over the uniform he wore. "When did you get out of the brig?"

Duo had been overjoyed to have his commission reinstated, hoping that Trynity would see it as proof that he had become more responsible. "I am on my first leave and I wanted to see you."

"For what?" she demanded. She grabbed the flowers from him and flung them in the direction of a garbage receptacle. "Do you think you can charm me with a handful of flowers into forgetting what you did?"

"I came back," he reminded her. The flowers had been a bad idea. That was the last time he would take Heero Yuy's advice.

"Too late! I have moved on with my life and it doesn't include you." She turned on her heel and started to walk away, but Duo reached out to grasp her arm. The young man she had been with surged forward, but she put up her hand to stop him.

"Don't do this to us, Trynity. I love you. I stayed behind in the binary system so that you could have this," he threw out his arm in the direction of the researchers.

She yanked her arm from him. "Is that what you told yourself when you terrorized the binary system with those pirates? Did you think I would not find out what you had done?" When he did not answer, she stepped back. "I am involved with someone else, someone who has a great future, someone who understands me. I never want you to touch me with your blood-stained hands ever again."

Duo closed his eyes as the pain of her words drove through his heart, and when he opened his eyes, he was staring at the ceiling in the room Apolo had given him at the fortress. His heart was pounding and his body was drenched in sweat, and while he knew what he had experienced was another dream, it was no different from the others. He could not allow himself to rest long enough to fall into a dreaming sleep or she would be there breaking his heart, again and again, each time her words crueler and yet he deserved to hear them.

His body ached as it always did these days, and he was so hungry that his stomach now growled loudly. He saw by the shadows in the room that the first sun had risen, and when he left his bed and stepped to the doorway to the balcony, he saw the rays of the second sun peaking over the horizon. No wonder he was hungry when he had missed the evening meal. Worse, he had intended to speak to Trey, to explain personally what he was doing there, but when Arora walked back with him and avoided the questions that needed asking by talking about his training, Duo had felt relaxed. She had remained in his bedroom as he bathed in the next room, reminiscing about her youth at Edgeland Fortress, and when he had emerged wearing clean clothing and feeling more refreshed, Arora advised him to get some rest because Trey would be busy now discussing the upcoming war with Wiskop with Apolo.

So he sat on the bed, then laid back when he grew tired. Listening to her voice as she talked about her rigorous training when she was just a child was comforting, and before he knew what was happening he had fallen into a deep sleep. He had been so worn out that he could not even wake himself to avoid dreaming and now he was paying the price. The Trynity of his dreams had seemed so real that he felt the anguish her words had caused.

Dragging his aching body to his bed, Duo went to the bathing chamber where he relaxed in the deep, warm water. Today he would not go to the training yard. He would speak to Trey to find out if he knew anything about the wormhole and if he did not, he would ask for permission to speak to his mother. He would also find out if Trey knew where he could get a crystal to power the Baymani ship so that he could return to space to wait for the wormhole to open.

He was about to leave the bath when he sensed he was being watched, and raising his eyes to the door to his chamber, he found one of Apolo's women, Jana, waiting with a smile on her lips and his towel in her hand.

"You are up late, Duo," she said, her sparkling blue eyes looking over his body. He could have used a few soap bubbles at that moment to hide what had drawn her attention. "It looks like I came at just the right time. Lord Apolo sent me to ask you to share the morning meal with the imperial family, but I see you are not quite ready. I can help, if you wish."

She wasn't offering to help dry him off or lay out his clothing and they both knew it. After dream Trynity's hurtful words, he was tempted by her offer, but he had to remember that it had been just a dream. He hadn't betrayed Trynity with another woman yet so she could not add that to her diatribe of his failings, but they had been separated for many months. Yet Jana had made it quite clear that she would do whatever he wanted to please him, and his knowledge that she was good at what she did for Apolo and a number of other men she fancied made for quite a temptation . She would not expect any more from him than she did her other lovers and he might get some relief, but he was sure it wasn't worth giving up on Trynity.

"Why don't you bring my towel to me, Jana, so that I can finish up my bath and something to eat." Duo wasn't going to act on his baser needs, but as he left the bathing pool and she approached him with a saunter that could temp a saint, he was hoping his hands did not take on a will of their own, especially when she was before him, leaning so close he could smell her womanly scent as she rubbed the towel over his chest.

When she finished, she wrapped the towel around his waist and reached up to run her hands up his arms to rest on his shoulders as she pressed against him. "I think you will be a great warrior one day, Duo."

He snorted derisively, trying had to ignore the heat her touch had sent racing to the part of him that wanted some attention. "Didn't you hear, Jana? I failed the first test. Not anything new to me, failing a test, but I actually studied for that one."

One hand moved down his chest to where she had tucked the towel at his waist. "I know how to make you forget."

He put his hand on hers, intending to move it away, but for a moment he allowed himself to be tempted. Yet that was all it was, a temptation he could resist.

"Jana! Lord Apolo sent me to find you to help me serve the meal and where do I find you?"

Duo looked up and he nearly groaned aloud to see Falia entering the bathing chamber. "I think that is my cue to exit stage left," he muttered. If he did not escape, he would end up rolling in the pillows with the females, and while he would have the time of his life, he would probably feel far too guilty when it was done.

Seizing the towel, Jana prevented him from escaping her long enough for Falia to reach them. The pretty dark-haired woman cooed as she ran her hands over his back. "Did Jana wash your back, Duo?"

He opened his mouth to tell her that he was done bathing, but Jana said, "I did not have a chance to wash him at all."

Duo took a breath to tell them he was done.

"Then we should give him a proper bath!" For a small woman, Falia was stronger than Duo would have imagined because she shoved him forward, and he might have been able to avoid the water, but Jana yanked away the towel and put out her foot to trip him.

He tumbled into the water, and before he could come up for air, the two women had shed their clothing and followed him. For several moments the water churned with his efforts to escape and theirs to keep him in the water. The women were laughing and tugging at him, and he was trying desperately not to touch them where he should not. Was Falia really trying to wash his back? And why did it seem that Jana had grown extra hands when she was grabbing below his waist. Just when he thought he gained had control of the situation, they would dunk him under the water.

"What is going on here?"

Suddenly the women released him and Duo sputtered to catch his breath. He looked up to see Apolo standing at the edge of the bathing pool. "Hey, I was just trying to bathe and..."

"I could see that. I sent these two worthless females to find you. Trey and Arora are waiting for you to join them." Apolo glared at Jana and Falia. "Tania has served the meal so your services are not needed."

"Are you sure?" taunted Jana, and Duo turned to look at her after he had securely wrapped himself in the towel. She was lounging at the edge of the pool with her arms on the edges, her lovely body glistening.

Falia swam to the edge beneath Apolo and looked up at him with wide-eyed innocence. "We were only trying to help."

"He didn't look as though he was appreciating your help."

Duo paused beside Apolo who was glaring furiously down at the two women. "Sorry I got up so late. If I had risen on time ..."

"Don't worry about it," Apolo cut him off without looking at him. "Trey and Arora slept late as well. But they are waiting for you now. As for these impudent females, I will have to deal with them appropriately."

Seeing Apolo's gaze fixed on the women, Duo inwardly cringed and hurried back to his chamber where he dried off and quickly dressed in a clean tunic and leggings. After pulling on a pair of boots, he headed back to the bathing chamber to tell Apolo he was ready to leave, but he paused before entering when he heard Jana's voice.

"You can do better than that, my lord!" And then he heard a slapping sound, but she gasped in what was obviously pleasure before he heard Falia begging for her turn. Duo had no idea how Apolo could handle both women, and he had no intention of finding out now, so he backed away and then left his chamber walking quickly towards Apolo's spacious living quarters.

His private lodging rivaled the furnishings of penthouse apartments Duo had seen on a telecom program about the living arrangements of the rich and famous. He had caught Trynity watching it one evening when he thought she was studying, and she confessed that she was so amazed by the gratuitous luxury that it was her favorite program. Those Cinq Kingdom nobles and billionaires had nothing on Calabrian ostentation. The furniture was not much different than Earth and Duo wondered how much was owed to Lady Virinea's influence. Until her run in with Dax and Lady Xuxa, she had been the emperor's wife for several years, years in which nothing was denied her. If she wanted the comfort in her home that was similar to her life on Earth or in the colonies, craftsmen would do whatever she wished and then turn around to make a profit by selling similar items to their customers.

When he entered the salon, he saw that the elegant sofa was occupied by Trey and Arora who were completely oblivious to his arrival because they were on each other as if they were on their honeymoon. Could this still be considered their honeymoon? Not when she was obviously pregnant.

He cleared his throat. "Hey, I was told you guys were waiting for me, but if you need to get something out of your system, I can come back later. But I am not leaving without food."

Arora pushed back from Trey and stood to greet him, coming to him to take his hands. He hesitated at first, knowing that she could read his feelings, but he also knew that she was not as skilled as Apolo so he allowed her to touch him.

"You look well rested," she said with a warm smile.

"Your hair is a mess," grunted Trey.

"I didn't have a chance to do it." He had washed it in his bath, but he neither brushed nor braided it. "I had to get out of my room. There was stuff going on in there that ..." He stopped himself when he remembered who he was talking to.

Trey snorted. "That must mean that Apolo won't be joining us. He did look out of sorts this morning."

Taking a seat, Duo grabbed a handful of food to pop in his mouth so that they would not have to hear his stomach roar. "Maybe he has to power up."

Arora grimaced. "Does he have to do it often?"

"If he is busy doing it now, then maybe you needn't start your training with hi today." Trey slipped an arm around her waist and dragged her back onto the sofa with him.

Smiling, Duo continued to munch on the food as he watched Arora try to wriggle out of his embrace. "Trey! Duo is here!"

"I don't give a gods damn. You have no idea what I had to witness between him and Trynity Stryfe," he retorted, but he let her go.

His comment stabbed through him like a knife to his heart and Duo knew the time had come to tell Trey what he had done. He did not even wait for the inevitable question. "I had to do it!" he blurted. "She wasn't going to take the fellowship, and I knew it was because of me."

Trey and Arora exchanged a look and Trey seemed to want to say something, but Arora checked him by squeezing his hand. Trey stared at him for a moment in silence, then he said, "I respect that, Duo. You sacrificed more than you realized because you love her and wanted what was best for her."

Duo frowned at Trey as he thought of his words. "More than I realized? What do you mean you mean by that?"

Trey did not answer because Arora spoke before he could. "We have heard that the wormhole has not re-opened. There is a very strong possibility that you are trapped here."

His insides churned and he was afraid he was going to be sick, but he managed to swallow his food. "I never considered that as a possibility when I made my decision not to go back with her. Now I am hoping that your mother could tell me more about the wormhole, Trey."

"I don't know what she has observed, but I will tell you what we have always known on Calabria. We have always believed that the appearance of the wormhole in the night sky is by the will of the gods."

"Gods?" Duo rolled his eyes. "Do you really believe that, Trey?"

"If you stay on Calabria long enough," he predicted, "you will believe as well."

Duo waved his hand. "Sorry, Trey, but I don't plan on staying on Calabria long enough to start worshiping your gods."

"We do not worship gods," Trey told him. "We revere them and acknowledge that all that is good or bad comes from them."

"What about you, Arora? Apolo has told me about the ancestors. You guys don't believe the same, do you?"

She smiled and reached out to pat his hands. "Our powers are a gift from the ancestors, and we do believe in the gods."

"You will find that the worlds in the binary system have similar beliefs," Trey told him.

Duo laughed. "Don't you think that is just a little too coincidental? I'm not a genius, but even I can see why that is. Do you realize how long the Baymani have been traveling around the binary system spreading their beliefs?"

"Who is to say that their beliefs are wrong?" asked Trey with a shrug.

Before Duo volunteered to be that someone, Arora spoke. "When you are finished eating, Duo, I would be happy to work with you in the training yard."

Trey huffed with annoyance. "I was hoping to spend more time with you before the army arrives with its diaper wearing princess howling at its head."

"I am not quite done eating," Duo said, his gaze straying to the generous spread of food put before the emperor. "And I wasn't planning to go to the training yard today."

"Excellent!" Trey tried to snag Arora's hand, but she hopped out of his reach and sat beside Duo. Trey fell back on the sofa in disappointment.

Arora ignored him. "Just because you had a setback yesterday does not mean you should give up. Apolo told me this morning that you performed well but that you were too slow. That may have been because you were tired."

"Apolo told us you haven't been sleeping well either," remarked Trey. "A couple of marathon weeks of training as well as lack of rest did not work in your favor, however he was impressed by your progress. Most trainees work for at least a year to master the first attack."

"Most trainees are children," Duo pointed out. "I'd like to think I have one up on them in being bigger and stronger."

"Why are you doing it?" asked Trey, folding his arms over his chest. "Are you planning to use your skill in battle like those children with whom you began your training?"

Duo looked down at his hands which he wasn't surprised were filled with food he planned to wolf down. Why was he training? He doubted Trey wanted to hear that he was bored or that he needed a distraction, and yet that is exactly why he was training.

"Don't bother to answer. You don't have a good reason." Trey made a sound of disgust. "And don't bother to train any more because you would only be wasting the time of the masters when you have no intention of using the skills they teach you to protect the empire."

"I just want to go back," snapped Duo irritably. He was starving and Trey was lecturing him. Could he eat while he was yelling at him or would that infuriate him even more? His mouth was watering for the food in his hand, so with a shrug, he put it in his mouth and began to chew while meeting Trey's angry gaze.

"You want to go back!" Trey nearly shouted at him and even Arora cringed. "Did you stop to think you should not have remained here in the first place?"

Duo shot to his feet, his fist clenching on a handful of food, delicious sandslugs that were now just mush. "Every moment since I jettisoned the escape pod! Do you think I want to be on this lousy planet? All you people ever do is kill each other, and when you are not doing that, you are enslaving the weak! I thought you were a decent guy, but choosing to stay here when you could have a nice life on Earth makes me realize you aren't any better than these Calabrians."

Trey stood, shaking with anger. "I am a Calabrian!"

"Yeah, well you have to fight a war to prove that," retorted Duo.

Arora cleared her throat. "The food is getting cold," she pointed out.

Trey lunged forward, scooped a handful of food and flung it at Duo's face. "That's all you want anyway!"

"Trey!" cried Arora in exasperation as she moved away quickly.

With his tongue, Duo snagged some food dripping down his face and then he said, "You just made a big mistake, your high and mightiness. I may not be able to master the first attack, but nobody fights better with food than me." Duo hurled the food in his hand at Trey and the wad smacked him in the middle of his chest.

Trey charged at him with the clear intention of knocking him off his feet, but Duo sidestepped him, spun and reached for a platter of food. By the time Trey had turned to face him, Duo had filled his mouth and chucked the platter at him.

"Stop this!" demanded Arora, but neither of them listened, and this time when Trey made a run at him, Duo caught him and they went down, crashing on the delicate low table filled with plates and bowls of food. The table gave way beneath them and they rolled over the slippery food, swinging at each other. Well, Trey was swinging at him, but Duo was swiping the food to eat.

"I am getting the guards!" warned Arora.

Trey shoved Duo away and struggled to his feet although he slipped a few times. "Stop! I don't want Duo to lose his head over this."

"Is this a grasshopper?" Duo popped the seasoned insect in his mouth.

"We call them ravagers," Trey told him. "They are like locusts on Earth, and here they are a delicacy." He sat beside Duo on the floor and he put his arm around his shoulders. "Truce?"

"Truce? You spoiled my meal," complained Duo.

"You insulted me."

"You should be used to that by now from what I have been hearing since landing on Calabria." Duo ate another of the ravagers. "That is quite tasty. Do bugs taste as good on Earth?"

"I don't know. I didn't have my memory," Trey reminded him, "otherwise I would have tried them."

"They have a bitter aftertaste," supplied Arora as she crept closer. She surveyed the damage. "I don't think Apolo is going to be happy about this mess."

"I didn't start it," said Duo. He looked at Trey who was looking around at the broken table and the smashed dining service. "I get it, Trey. I get what you are trying to do, but after everything I have heard from Wattan and Apolo, I can't help but think that you are fighting a losing battle."

"I won't lose this battle," Trey retorted stubbornly, and he reached out to Arora who came to take his hand. "I am doing this for Arora, for Shamara and for every female that has been used and discarded because one of my ancestors resented bonding with a female chosen by his father."

"Then as long as I am here, maybe I can lend a hand," said Duo. Trey was passionate about his cause, and maybe joining him would keep him from thinking about his own problems. "But when I have a chance to leave, I am going."

"I will do anything I can to help you do so." Trey reached out a hand to help him up, but Duo refused it.

"If you don't mind, I am just going to finish my meal here." He looked at Arora. "I think Trey needs a bath again, and when you two finish, you can find me in the practice yard."

Arora shook her head and moved away. "I have other things to do. He can bathe himself, and who says you don't need a bath, Duo Maxwell?"

"Gods damn, Maxwell, you have spoiled my morning!" Trey trudged away and he waved without turning back. "You know where to find me, woman."

Duo watched him leave through a door he supposed led to his chamber and then he looked at Arora. "Do you think I can use your bath? I don't want to go back to whatever is going on in mine."

"You can take that up with my mate." She glared at Trey. "When I return I hope you will have regained your dignity." With that, she spun on her heel and marched out of the salon.

Shrugging, Duo went back to picking at the food on the floor. "I guess I know who wears the pants in his palace."