Kahlia has fought a few battles for the survival of innocents on Allishan 9, but her primary concern is her life as a designer. On one of the school trips that her sister badgered her into chaperoning, she meets her destiny, and her doom. Rupture is a member of the Sector Guard and he has his eyes on the woman stepping out of the battle suit. With the holes in the exterior and interior, she was either inside the suit or a helluva magician. Either way, he is going to bring her back to Udell base, by any means necessary. He sets his personality to charm, but it is the facts that draw her attention…and agreement.

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  Armed and Armoured

  Copyright © 2010 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-55487-658-7

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Devine Destinies Books

  An imprint of eXtasy Books

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  Armed and Armoured

  Sector Guard Book 12

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Being summoned to the commanding officer's office was an unusual occurrence on Sector Guard Station Udell. They were an autonomous group that only banded together for large assignments.

  Guardian normally briefed them during sparring sessions. This meeting was for Fenn's ears alone.

  Fenn was curious, "You are certain?"

  Guardian tented his fingers in front of his face and smiled slightly. "No, but Commander is and that is good enough for me."

  Fenn's heart beat a little faster as it always did when he thought about his true mate. As an Admaryn descendant, he was concerned with keeping his bloodline going.

  "What is her talent?" He leaned forward eagerly.

  "She animates technology."

  He furrowed his brow. "Like Tech does?"

  "No…she gives it its own soul. It operates on its own. We don't know how yet, but we are willing to learn." Guardian leaned back and rubbed his ridged silver skull with one hand. "I have no idea if she is a willing recruit or not. Charming her into coming with you is your job."

  Fenn flexed his fingers eagerly. "When can I leave?"

  "The ship is ready and waiting. Fixer has even provided some toys for your lady, as well as a concealing mask, she is fairly well known to her people. See you when you get back from Allishan 9."

  * * * *

  Kahlia Morning huddled with her sister and three of the students from her sister's class while weapons fire blasted past the marble pillar that shielded them.

  Shora cried, "What do they want?"

  "I believe that they want to kill us, Shora. Your children's day out seemed to have ruined their plan to heist the weapons exhibit here at the museum." Kal was looking at her options.

  The tank would be effective, but it had the wrong sort of aura for her purposes. It wouldn't do any good for the children and Shora to be run over by the treads. The battle suit was much better, but it wanted her to be inside it when it moved.

  The children screamed as another volley of fire was aimed at their hiding place and Kal made up her mind. "Keep them all here. Don't move a muscle."

  "Kal, what are you doing?"

  "Hopefully, the right thing." Kahlia used the statue to hide her and waited until the spray of weapons fire was on the far side of the marble.

  A shout rang out as she sprinted the ten metres to the battle suit. In seconds, she was up on the foot pedals and the cheerful suit was folding in around her. It was pleased that she had chosen it--it was a defence module and wanted to be useful.

  In front of her eyes, the display showed the location of the attackers as the suit powered up.

  Five bodies with weaponry were facing her and the suit expressed anticipation as its weapons warmed up.

  The attackers gave up on the teacher and her class in favour of the battle suit that took a hesitant step toward them.

  Encased in the suit, Kahlia winced at the impact of the projectiles. She would be safer if she simply blended herself with the metal of the suit and when it did not object, she did it.

  Inside the wires, cables and steel, her hesitant steps became sure as the suit became her body and not her clothing. With precision, her guns started spinning and she took aim at the men who had crashed into the museum to steal weaponry of Allishan 9's past.

  Shells larger than her fist struck the ground in front of them, causing them to scream in surprise.

  Kahlia would have grinned, if she had a face. As it was, the net guns on the shoulders of the battle suit fired with satisfying reliability.

  They were pinned to the ground and fighting for their freedom.

  Kal stepped forward and settled the battle suit on the edge of the nets, using the crushing hands on the barrels of their weapons. She ignored their cries of panic as the suit leaned over them, concentrating on making the path safe for her sister and the children to escape.

  When they were all pinned and fixed under the glare of the battle suit, she used the speakers.

  "I have them pinned. Get the little ones out of here."

  Shora didn't waste a second. She hauled the dozen children bodily forward and to the side window. She picked up the bust of one of the city's founders and smashed it through the window, used it to clear the glass and dropped the children, one by one, onto the grass outside.

  "Run to the parking lot. If you see police or military, let them know that we are still inside."

  She spoke to the last of her students as she dropped her out the window, just in time to see another figure round the corner.

  Kahlia cursed luridly. "Hide, Shora. He has a launcher."

  Her pinioned captives shrieked in protest, but their companion didn't listen. With a high-pitched cry, he lifted the launcher to his shoulder and took direct aim at Kahlia in her battle mech.

  A shadow flickered in her vision and a man with two swords suddenly stood between Kahlia and disaster.

  The new man swung the swords and the rocket launcher fell into pieces. Before the terrorist could do more than blink, the apparition punched him in the face and fastened his wrists behind his back in seconds.

  The newcomer nodded to Shora politely. "Are you all right, miss?"

  "Yes. Yes, I am fine."

  Kal watched her sister's blush with amusement.

  Her amusement grew as the man turned toward her and her sister deflated somewhat.

  "May I assist you?" The newcomer in the skin-tight bodysuit had to repeat himself. She had wandered off into a daydream that did not bear repeating.

  "May I assist you?" There was a smile lurking around the clean line of his lips, his golden hair was tightly braided down his back, resulting in his highly pointed ears clearly showing in the light of the museum interior. His musculature showed that he practiced with those swords regularly and Kal's mouth watered as she ogled his abs from the safety of the battle suit.

  "Please. I am not in a position to restrain these creatures."

  He grinned and nodded, flipping the weighed edge of the net as if it was nothing. He hauled the attackers out, one at a time. The police stormed in as he was tying up the last of the terrorists.

  "Rupture, thank you for your assistance. The children told us that their teacher and her sister were trapped inside." The officer in heavy gear nodded to Shora, then looked around with worry.

  "Where is her sister? Was she hit?"

  Kahlia reformed inside the battle suit and thanked it most cordially for its help while opening the panels so she could exit. "I am here, officer."

  "Ma'am, how ever did you get into that suit?"

  Rupture held out his hands and she let him lift her out of the battle suit. "Hello, Kahlia. Well done."

  "Thank you. Um. Who are you?"

  He smiled, the bright green of his eyes warming as he grinned, "Rupture, member of the Sector Guard out of Udell Base."

  "Oh. Thank you very much for your assistance."

  He offered her his arm and she took it while the officer spluttered and looked from the tied-up attackers to the battle suit, to them. They walked calmly to the front doors of the museum and out into the morning sun.

  Kal smiled as they made their way past the crowds with little difficulty. Shora and the children were the centre of the attention. Medics came to check her out, but as she was not suffering with shock or injury, they let her go.

  "Thank you for your help, Rupture. It was nice meeting you."

  She turned and had taken two steps away before she was tugged back toward him. He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles that sent a warm wave of sensation through her.

  "I will see you again, Kahlia Morning. Make no mistake about that. Have a lovely day." The twinkle in his green eyes spoke of something that he wasn't telling her.

  She shook off the feeling that he was watching her and got into her vehicle, charging the engine and driving away. The safety and security of her home was the only thing on her mind.

  So why was she imagining those piercing green eyes watching her as she drove down the road and into the city?

  Chapter Two

  "She shouldn't have survived, sir." The officer was examining the battle suit. The men who had broken into the museum to raid the war-implement selection were on their way to prosecution.

  Rupture glanced at the battle suit and saw what he expected. The rounds that the gunmen had been carrying had taken huge chunks out of stone-

  -the steel of the battle suit had been no match for it. Large holes decorated the front and pierced the pilot's seat in three places.

  "So it would seem. What is your guess, officer?"

  He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the younger man.

  The officer fidgeted. "I am guessing that the battle suit was shot before she climbed inside?"

  Fenn smiled. "Good guess. What did you find out about the ammunition that she used?"

  "Uh, by some fluke, the guns that came in empty were reloaded without anyone having a record of it?"

  "You have got it." He clapped the younger man on the shoulder, wondering if he had ever been that young.

  Kahlia had saved the day, but Fenn had been standing by and watching every moment in case she needed his help. The appearance of the rocket launcher had been just what he was waiting for.

  His Admaryn ability to teleport to his mate was not one he publicized, but just as his ancestors had, he had appeared when she needed him.

  The Urska Province administrators and ruling council had reluctantly allowed him to present the offer from the Sector Guard to Kahlia. They were not keen to lose her as a businesswoman, but the offer of investigative services was too tempting for them to refuse. There had been a rash of archaeological thefts that they wanted to get to the bottom of and the Guardsmen of Guard Base Teklan specialized in that exact sort of investigation.

  The exchange of personnel had been made, but they still had no true idea of why he wanted the owner of a dress shop that filled the sector with her designs.

  Grinning, Fenn Althos made his way to the private apartment of Kahlia Morning. He idly wondered if his prospective mate and partner had any thoughts on what the morning was going to bring her.

  * * * *

  Kahlia stretched, her arms grazing the top of the doorframe. She always felt so energized after she used her talent for melding with things, adrenaline burned through her. She wanted to run across the rooftops. The knock on her door snapped her to attention.

  She was off today. Her mother had control of the reins of the Kharial Designs. No one should be at her door.

  "Ms. Morning? We met this morning. You may know me as Rupture. May I come in?"

  She blinked. The image of the athlete with the golden hair and pointy ears flashed into her mind.

  She waited, calmed her blush and opened the door. "How may I help you?"

  "I am here to make you an offer. May I come in?" The Admaryn with the bright green eyes had an unfailingly cheerful attitude. Two officers of the Urska Province Police Department were with him. When he stepped forward, they remained in the hallway.

  She closed the door and followed Rupture into the serene layout of her apartment. He dominated her couch as he sat in the center of it and she surprised him by sitting on his right.

  "What can I do for you, Rupture?"

  He grinned and her heart pounded. "You can call me Fenn."

  She blinked, "Why?"

  "It is my name." His grin didn't falter. "Given to only those trusted by the Sector Guard."

  She swallowed heavily. When her kettle whistled, she jumped to her feet. "Tea? Orcaf?"

  He followed her into her kitchen, nodding at the accoutrements of the shelves. "Orcaf, please.

  Do you cook?"

  "When I can. Business takes up more time than I would like." Kal assembled a tray with the hot kettle, Orcaf blooms and the powdered berries that she used as sweetener.

  Fenn had taken up a seat at the buffet counter in her kitchen, so she sat next to him with the tray between them. They both fixed their own tea in silence and after he sipped his, she took a sip of her own.

  Kal set her cup down and tried to glare Fenn into speaking. He sipped deeply and smiled happily. "Thank you for that. I have been on rations for a little while now. Your representatives have not exactly been forthcoming with food and drink."

  She nodded. "Hospitality is not the purview of the politician. How long have you been on Allishan 9?"

  "Three days. It has been an endurance trial waiting for you to have an occasion to use your talents." He finished his cup and she waited until he assembled his second. She quickly got to her feet and prepared another tray with cookies, bread and cheese.

  She returned to his side and gestured for him to eat. He raised a golden eyebrow and tucked in.

  "Hospitality is my purview." She laughed as he tore through half the platter in a matter of minutes. She sipped slowly and replenished the hot water by the time he sat back with a satisfied smile.

  "That was excellent. Thank you. Now, I am here to ask you to become a member of the Sector Guard."

  The way he proposed it, it was almost an offer of marriage. There was a certain gleam in his eyes that made her think something else was behind his statement.

  She stifled her initial urge to agree to anything he asked. "What would I possibly have to contribute to the Sector Guard?"

  Fenn smiled, he reached into a pocket and flicked out a small holographic projector.

  "Last year, you were on vacation in Sorewach Province. There was an earthquake and a sinkhole threatened to swallow over a hundred people.

  You were seen entering a construction hover and less than a minute later, the driverless vehicle towed a barge to the endangered area and rescued those trapped on the island of rock. No driver to the vehicle was ever found, but after night fell, a security camera saw this."

  From the empty vehicle, a female figure emerged. It staggered slightly and then made a run for the cover of local buildings.

  "That could be anyone." Kal was being difficult and she knew it.

  He smiled and flicked to the next image. "Eight months ago, a statue in the city centre stopped a violent attack at a political protest before returning to its podium after dark. Again, a woman was seen in the vicinity before and after. That woman was you."

  She snorted. "That is impossible."

  "Impossible? Today the battle suit you wore was pierced by no less than three armour-piercing shells. You were unharmed."

  The picture on the hologram showed the damage to the suit and Kal swallowed heavily.

  She remembered the internal alarms, but hadn't realized the extent of the damage. "It was a magic trick?"

  Fenn laughed. "Some trick. The officers were afraid to report their findings for fear of being thought insane."

  She blushed. "What does the Sector Guard want with me?"

  He looked as if he wanted to say something naughty, instead, he said, "Your skills can be honed and you can help save lives with your ability to phase into objects and control them."

  Kahlia smiled. "Is that what I do? I always wondered."

  "From what we have been able to determine, yes. You shift your molecules between those of the object you want to control and you take it over."

  Fenn picked up a cookie and held it between two fingers. "Nice cookies."

  "Thank you. My grandmother's recipe." She looked at the tight-fitting bodysuit that her visitor was wearing. "Will I have to wear something like that?"

  He looked hurt. "What is wrong with my suit?

 

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