"I've looked forward to this for a long time, but now that we're here in deep space, it seems strange to be so far from everyone." Tajlon spoke through the communication hub to Anakron.

"I'm always available if you have need of me, Tajlon. Tell Yoeke that Bethon gave him a few demerits for stowing away, but has cleared him for your mission," Anakron said. "How are things coming along?"

"Fine. With Widhbo's help, I've reconstructed a composite of my father's persona within my own files. It will be easy to embed him in a clone now. We've also developed an exploration grid to maximize the likelihood of finding human life."

"Unfortunately, habitable worlds are few and far between. Beldora would have been perfect, but it will be in a nuclear winter for good while longer. There are some others known to us, but they are still millions of years away from evolving human life," Anakron said.

"It's overwhelming, but we won't give up," Tajlon said. "How are things with you?"

"I've finally returned home and catching up with with my old life. I fear if I had stayed away much longer, I would be looking for a third wife."

"Tell her I greatly appreciate the time you devoted to us."

Anakron laughed. "I will. I told her what a pitiful bunch of orphaned Beldorians I found rescued by Admiral Bethon."

"Has she met the admiral?"

"Yes. Her first response was sympathy for all concerned."

Tajlon laughed at that. "Now we need her sympathy for putting up with Widhbo. He's been full of himself ever since Bethon gave him the rank of Star Captain." Tajlon perceived a faint flutter of movement across the room. "He's getting along well with his shields. He can almost slip past me and Nova."

"That doesn't surprise me," Anakron said. "Good luck on your quest."

After he signed off, Tajlon returned to the galley where everyone was congregated, but the room was unusually silent.

Greyla looked up before he walked in, sensing him as always. "I've been waiting for you."

Tajlon raised an eyebrow in question.

"I've felt something. A change in the demon and Etaine. I hesitate to even think it, but I'm sure they're evolving some sort of relationship."

"Relationship?"

"Yes. There's something I should have told you a long time ago, Tajlon," Greyla gestured to the others in the room. "Can you guys give us a little privacy?"

"I need to check over some things on the engine," Hal said giving Greyla a kiss as he left the room.

Yoeke and Nova followed him silently.

"What's wrong, Greyla?" Tajlon asked.

"I should have seen it coming, but it was so long ago I stopped thinking about it. I put it out of my head. When I was a young girl I had a huge crush on your father, Jejliard."

Tajlon sat down beside Greyla and took in the meaning of her words. "So, you think Etaine is acting on those emotions now?"

"It's the only explanation for what I'm sensing out there. There's a new energy between them. I wouldn't call it love exactly, but close enough."

"What can that mean?"

"I suppose Etaine is enjoying herself and thinks she can control him through some romantic gambol and duel of wills."

"I suspect demon will win," Tajlon said.

"The only thing slowing him down would be the BakoNaat influence she holds over him," Greyla said. "I'll inform Kage and Sag Leggan. If they get all the adepts to work on the problem perhaps, they can feed more power to her in some way."

"I fear Etaine is in over her head this time." Tajlon looked past Greyla's eyes, then sensing her permission, deeper into her core files. "You still love him, don't you?"

"I never stopped loving him, Tajlon. And every time I see you, I'm reminded of him," Greyla said her eyes brimming with tears.

"Did you ever tell Jejliard?"

"No."

Tajlon drew Greyla close to him and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. "You're telling him now."

* * *

Etaine sent out a seductive song of enchantment which penetrated space to reach her adepts and magi trapped within the demon. They in turn broadcast it within their dark battleship that loomed across from Etaine. The demon was taken by surprise to hear a song coming from within the bowels of his own vessel. He had not commanded it. He didn't know from where this foreign song arose. If not his own directive, then whose?

The song united the BakoNaat within the demon ship as they recognized their queen. They began to sing softly, then louder until Etaine could hear them answering her call. The demon was furious, but powerless to stop them. He searched for the origin. He found it came not from within but from without, from the Dark Queen. He could sense her nearby, taunting him. Something buried deep inside of him recognized the signature of her persona and a dim memory caught fire.

"I know you," the demon said. He let out a threatening roar. "You got away from me before. You'll not escape this time."

"Of course, you know me darling," Etaine cooed.

"You are from Beldora," the demon said. "You are rightfully mine."

Etaine felt his arrogance and scowl focusing on her. "Yes. I was little more than a child. We've both grown a lot since then. You're this awful demon and I'm your evil queen."

"You might be the BakoNaat's queen, not mine."

"I rule them even within your belly. We're communicating through their telepathic abilities. You wouldn't want a bad case of indigestion, would you?"

"I'm their master, not you."

"They still have to obey their queen." Etaine gave a command to the adepts to rise up within him and break free of his control.

The demon groaned as the BakoNaat elements responded and moved together against him, together disrupting his power over them. He ordered them to stand down. The adepts vacillated, torn between the demon and their queen. He tried to fire on Etaine's planetoid from his battleship, but she had maintained the shield and presented no firm target. The BakoNaat refused to fire on their queen. Etaine burned her rockets and stayed beyond his reach. He chased the heat plumes from the rocket engines but could never mark her location. She outran his ship and placed the black hole between them. His weapons would never reach their destination. Etaine circled opposite the demon to stay forever out of his reach. His battleship was neutered. He could chase her for an eternity, never to catch her.

Etaine wanted more. She called to her adepts who started singing again and refused to stop. The demon grew angry but was pulled toward Etaine despite his attempts to resist. She sent mental images of her dark and sensual serpentine body, morphing to human and back again. She exuded self-adoration, unleashed every desire, and lured the demon with promises of pleasure. He was tempted and finally could stand it no more. He wouldn't risk all for the Dark Queen but duplicated himself instead and sent out his copy with a company of BakoNaat on a transport to visit her. She responded in kind and puffed up her body until it could be split in half, before taking a transport from the planetoid to meet halfway with her demon lover. The passion between them exploded into a fiery romance that danced between hate and lust, neither gained the upper hand.

"You make me so very happy, darling. Stay with me forever." Etaine pleaded. She let a few emerald green jewels drip from her eyes and blood red rubies oozed from between her scales.

"I love you Etaine. I want to drain your essence and consume you," the demon said. "You will become one with me and do my bidding."

Etaine laughed, a harsh wicked laugh that filled the demon's ears with joy. He did love this evil queen.

"I'll never merge with you. What's the fun in that?" Etaine said and proceeded to torment him even more. "You should fear me, Jejliard. It is I who will consume you. Someday, in the moment of your greatest pleasure, I will strike a killing blow and you will die for me."

"I will send another and another to be sacrificed to you, my love. There's no limit to me," the demon boasted.

"I will feed on your infinity. With every drop of your demon blood and every feast of your stolen flesh, I will grow even more powerful. You can never win." Etaine grew her dark serpentine body into a coil of terrible proportions, a swirl of black and purple vapors poured about her. She lashed out her wicked tongue, now studded with thorns made of diamonds.

"You can never destroy me."

"That was never my intention."

The End.