Starlight Gleaming Ch. 15

"What's the trigger word?" Bilan asked.

"Persavati."

He frowned. "Is that a name? Or some foreign word?"

"It was the name of my mother's hand-maiden. She was killed shortly after I was born, by Vedan operatives trying to stop my parents from reaching the Empire. My speaking her name in front of my parents is supposed to trigger the attack."

"Don't worry, Ranji," Bilan assured me. "We will stop them."

Styen glanced in the mirror at me. "Master Ranji, are we to try to take prisoners?"

"Your practical expertise here is much greater than mine. What are your thoughts?"

"From what you've told us, it sounds like even seconds will be vital. A quick kill may be all we can manage and still save your father. And you, too. I would rather be safe than to risk either one of you."

"Any prisoner would no doubt delight Imperial Security. However, I agree with you. We take no chances with my father's life. Stun or disable if you can do so without a chance of failure. Kill if you cannot be sure."

They both nodded, then became quiet as they thought over the information I'd given them.

Taking Bilan's advice, I exhaled slowly and closed my eyes.

* * * * *

I don't know what it is, but whenever I approach home, I wake up. I know, home is High Guard, where Janetta, my daughters, and the other women I love live. Still, the home where you grow up is also home, full of its own memories. Maybe it's the play of light through the tropical trees combined with the sound of the rubber tires on the concrete road, or even the subtle turns of the road itself. Perhaps we just know deep down when we approach a place that is familiar to us?

In any event, we were only a couple of rads out when I came awake. After clearing my eyes and my throat, I spoke.

"Bilan? When we get there, I want you to go in first. Have Rana tell one of the servants that she and your boys will take their meal in their room this morning. The absence of your family will not cause suspicion, and there is no reason to endanger them. If anyone asks why, say they are spending some family time together."

"But what about you?" he asked. "If I do that, how can I be there to help you?"

"When we arrive, I'll stretch my legs. We'll wait outside about twenty minutes. Styen and I will circle around, through the garden, entering into the house through the sun room. Remember, protecting my father is top priority. If he's here, I'll wait until your arrival before I attempt anything. If he's not there, we'll talk after the meal and make follow up plans."

Bilan looked at me, then nodded. "As you wish, Ranji. Thank you for this honor, this chance of helping to protect your family. May the gods smile on us this day."

Styen pulled up by the garage and shut off the engine. Bilan immediately headed inside while Styen stood watching me stretch. Shaking his head as he heard my body make popping noises.

"You still have the stunner?" I asked him.

"In my jacket pocket, fully re-charged," he replied. "You are moving like an old man, Master Ranji. Whatever is the matter with you?"

"Except for a couple of nights, I haven't had a good night's rest in weeks. Tonight, it was three hours in the Condor and another two sitting up in the back seat of the ChoCac. Seems like every time I turned around, someone was getting hurt. And by the gods, there's always so much to do." Continuing my stretches, I told him about the break-in the night before, and Anton's injury.

Styen's face was incredulous. "Three Atlantean riffraff broke into your house? How in the world did they get onto an Imperial War base? How did they get past gate security?"

So I quickly filled him in on Commander Voyacherno, the two attempts on me, and the other recent events.

Styen was right, though. My body was tight and fidgety. I needed a long, hot shower, a deep massage, and a couple of days of solid sack time. And a lot more regular exercise. Not that I'd really get any decent sleep, mind you, missing Janetta, my girls, and the other women. Noticing I had trouble putting my palms flat onto the ground, I frowned.

I saw his disapproving look, and I nodded. "I know, I know. Whatever I say is just an excuse. The one thing I can control is myself, and I need to take the time to keep myself in shape."

As we started around the main building, Styen asked, "Do you need me to return to High Guard while you're gone?"

"Yes, please. I would really appreciate you being there. Plus, it would allow Anton to return here to his wife. Janetta's a straight-up hard-ass in a fight, but she can't do it alone. The rest of them will fight given the chance, but they don't have the training or the experience to respond quickly. And Calia, Nariya, and my daughters are helpless."

"Don't be so quick to write off Calia. She's kept up her exercises. If cornered, she can defend herself."

"She knows the skills, but I've never seen her use them against another person. And even if she did, she'd grieve afterward over the violence."

"But she would be alive," he assured me.

Turning the corner, we followed the building until it was met by tall, wooden fencing.

"Ixma and Sisi have had one practice session on the first Jaguar kata. So if you go back, helping them begin regular self-defense training would be appreciated."

"It would be an honor," he said, smiling.

He unlocked the gate and we entered the garden. While Styen locked it again, I scanned around, taking in the tropical herbs and flowers that my mother spent so much time managing and cultivating. She kept three gardeners busy full time. Of course, there were many changes from the last time I was there. And yet it all somehow seemed the same.

We entered the main house, sliding open the sun room's large glass door.

My mother and Muni, her primary personal maid, entered at almost the same instant.

"Ranji!" my mother exclaimed, holding out her arms as she advanced on me. "It's so good to see you! I've missed you so much, my son."

Kissing her cheek, I embraced her, savoring the comfort her arms gave me. "It's good to see you, too, Mother. How are you? And how's Father?"

"I'm fine, and he's here, finishing his breakfast. I decided to take a chance and wait until you arrived so I could eat with you. I really am pleased to see you! When your father learned last night you were coming today for a short visit, he made arrangements to stay home. Just for you, you scamp!"

Then she narrowed her deep brown eyes. "Just how long is a short visit, my son? And Grandchildren! I want you to tell me - from your own lips, mind you! - all about these two girls you have adopted. What are they like? How did it come about? Did you bring them along? I am eager to meet them."

To emphasize her point, she looked around me for any small girl children I might have tried to sneak past her vigilance.

I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not exactly sure how long the visit will be, Mother." Then I took a deep breath, the danger to my father demanding my attention. "I hope it will be a few days. I don't know. A lot depends on what happens today."

"It is good to hear you laugh, but now you look so serious. What troubles you, my son?"

I looked at Muni, my mother's handmaid. She was my mother's trusted servant, and her companion for more than ten years. It was just the four of us present. Perhaps I was being paranoid, but the draconian camouflage technology nagged at me.

"It will all become clear very soon. Come, let's go see Father."

"I want to go into the garden first, to gather some orchids for the table. You go ahead. I'll only be a moment-"

Grasping her arm, I shook my head. "Surely that can wait until afterward? Please."

Startled, she looked at my hand firmly gripping her wrist, taking in Styen's impassive face, then looking at me.

"I'm sorry, Mother. That was rude of me." I released her. "Shall we take breakfast together?"

"As you wish, Son," she quietly replied.

I stepped back, gesturing with my arm. "After you, please."

Muni paused to follow behind me, but I shook my head. "You first."

Styen quietly pulled up the rear.

As we strode through hallways toward the center of the house, nervous tension built within me. Even though the temperature inside was cool, I began to sweat.

Entering the dining room, I saw my father in his usual place at the head of the table. The remains of his breakfast were just being cleared. Seeing us enter, he set down his hot tea and newspaper, rising up. Mother reached him first, and they lightly kissed.

"No flowers, Shanti?" Then he whispered, "Shona. My love."

"Pyar shir. My precious tiger," she breathed, touching her forehead to his as he clasped her hand into both of his. For a second, deep affection was mirrored between them before hiding once again behind propriety. "Ranji's just arrived, so I've decided to wait to get fresh flowers until after breakfast. I want to hear his news."

Pulling out her chair beside his own, she smiled as he helped her sit next to him. Then he turned to me, holding out his arms. "It's good to see you, my son!"

"I've missed you, too, Father. You and Mother both."

We hugged briefly, then I moved to my usual place at the other end of the table. I found myself glancing around for Calia to enter and take her place beside me. Focus, I reminded myself.

Seated again, my father replaced his cloth napkin onto his lap. I saw him smile knowingly at me. "I half expected to see her, too. Calia is where she should be, taking care of you and your home. Things are working out with her there?"

"They are, indeed," I replied. "She and Anton have been invaluable. I've asked Styen to go back to High Guard so that Anton can return here."

Muni poured tea for my mother, then stood against the wall, out of the way. Sometimes in private, Muni took her meals with my mother, but never when there were guests present.

At that moment, Bilan entered the room. Spotting me, he took the nearest chair beside mine.

Mother smiled at his entrance. "Our dashing young Lieutenant. Thank you for driving half the night to bring our son home. We are in your debt."

"Styen did the driving, Lady Shanti. I just kept him company. And I was happy to do it," Bilan replied.

"Where's Rana? Surely your charming wife and your handsome boys be joining us?"

"They are indisposed at the moment. A bit later, perhaps." Bilan glanced at me.

"Nothing serious, I hope?" Mother queried.

"They are just taking their morning meal privately this morning," he answered evasively.

Frowning briefly, Mother glanced at me, then carefully sipped her hot tea. I could see her curiosity, but she politely left it at that.

I scanned around. Aside from Muni, there was the young servant girl I'd seen during my last visit home. She gave my father a refill of his tea. Beechan, another long-time servant, stood by the serving cart. Styen positioned himself near the large windows, close to my father, dividing his attention between the room and keeping watch outside the large windows.

The young girl filled Bilan's cup, and then mine. Hot, black tea with milk and cardamom filled the air. The familiar scents infused me with calm.

"Bilan, I find their absence a real deprivation," Mother said at last. "Your sons are so well behaved, and they remind me how much I miss the sounds of happy children running about. But since Ranji's here, I sincerely hope he will satisfy my curiosity about my new grandchildren."

I did not miss my mother's piercing gaze pointed in my direction.

"I wrote to Father about Sisi and Mina, asking him to share the information with you," I replied. My father nodded at that. "I sent along the only pictures I have of them. Calia and Ixma have had newer ones taken, and I've asked Calia to send copies to you as soon as she's able to do so."

Mother shook her head. "Ranji, that's not acceptable. You've written very briefly about them, but I have yet to see them or even talk to them on the telephone. You have formally adopted them, giving them our House name. What do their names mean?"

"Sisi is the Tacanan word for happiness. And she certainly seems to embody that. Mina is Sharanahuan for butterfly."

"Sisi Kandikan. Mina Kandikan." Mother said them slowly, testing how the words fell from her lips. Then she shook her head. "Ranji, I won't be satisfied until I hear their voices and hold them in my arms. Until then, they won't be real to me."

"What would you have of me?" I asked her.

"I want to hear how this all came about. And who is this Ixma? The last time you were here, you talked about how much you were in love with a woman named Janetta. Have you a new lover now?"

Beechan prepared dishes for my mother and set it in front of her, then returned to his place beside the cart. Mother nodded her thanks at him.

"Ixma is Mina's adoptive mother," I explained. I had already written about all this to Father, and I'd no doubt he'd shared it with her earlier. "Zinja is mother to Ixma and has adopted Sisi."

Breakfast was a delight. Masala eggs, with slices of avocado and sour cream. A large spoonful of blueberries with slices of papaya on the side. At both ends of the table were baskets filled with hot, freshly-made parathas, covered by a small towel to keep them warm. A bowl with soft butter beside them.

"There are two different women who are mothers to my granddaughters? That would make..."

"Sisi is Mina's aunt, yes."

Beechan placed food before Bilan and me. I suddenly realized I had completely missed dinner the night before. I also realized that things wouldn't happen until I myself provoked them. During basic and more so during the survival courses, we learned the maxim: eat when you can and sleep when you can, because you never know when you'll be short of either.

Picking up a fork, I dug in. Flavors and spices, hot and cool together going down was exquisite. I made pleased noises while I quickly reduced the portion on my plate. Eating fast was also quickly learned in boot.

"Ranji?" Mother prompted. "What about that Janetta you raved about? How did you meet these two? And are you... being intimate with... both of them?"

My father sipped his tea, his eyes on me. Carefully setting down his cup, he just nodded. He, too, wanted to hear the tale.

"Janetta is my love, the woman who fires my heart. Zinja, Cholan, and Ixma are Janetta's flight crew."

"So you're still together with this Janetta?"

I nodded, my mouth full. Swallowing, I said, "As long as she'll have me. For my part, I'm completely in love with her."

"But why isn't Janetta their mother?"

"She didn't know about them until after the girls were adopted. She was in the hospital when I adopted the girls. Janetta wasn't happy about it at first, but she's coming around." I remembered Sisi giving Janetta her magic hug, and Janetta's adroit handling of Sisi's attempt to finagle three cookies. Although, come to think of it, Sisi did get that third cookie!

I scooped up another bite. I was making good headway on my plate.

"How is she handling Calia's presence? Is she treating her well?"

I nodded. "She and Calia have an understanding. Janetta made sure I had some time with Calia and Ixma before I left last night."

Mother coughed as she tried to swallow. "Excuse me? So you are intimate with this Ixma as well? And your Janetta is okay with this? Three women are -"

"Five," I corrected.

"Five?" she repeated. "You're... you're... I'm sure I don't know what to say to that, Ranji. Arjun! Our son has acquired a... a harem!"

My father gave me an odd look, like he wasn't sure if he should be proud of me or shocked or a mixture of both.

Styen knew about the situation, but hadn't had time to learn the circumstances. And Bilan, too, was curious.

"I didn't set out that way, Mother, I assure you. It just happened." I grabbed my second paratha, using it to collect eggs for another bite. "Janetta has my heart, and Calia will always have a place with me. Zinja and Ixma are now mothers to my girls, so I am bound separately to them as well. And Cholan, well, she's dear to me, too. I love them all, in different ways, but love them I do."

"How does sleeping with five different women just happen, Son?" she asked tersely.

"Zinja, Cholan, and Ixma are Janetta's flight crew. They service her aircraft and help keep her safe. When they were living in Tikún, they had some protection because they lived in the Women's Barracks. But at High Guard, we live together in one house. While Janetta keeps them all pretty busy, they are more vulnerable. I marked Ixma first, partly because she was with me, but partly because as a corporal, she was the lowest ranking member of Janetta's crew and the most vulnerable."

"You... marked her? What does that mean, Ranji?" Mother looked alarmed. "Tell me that's not some sort of tattoo like slaves get!"

So I explained how wearing the neckerchief of an officer gave the enlisted women some protection from being forced into sex by other enlisted and even some officers, based on the rank pins on the neckerchief.

To my mother's puzzled expression, Bilan confirmed my words. "In the military, because we wear our rank for all to see, a man knows instantly the status of the woman he encounters. A woman of lower rank can be ordered to submit to sex and has no recourse but to obey the order. An enlisted woman who can find an officer as her lover benefits from his rank, even when he's not there to protect her. In fact, because the woman's status is so readily known, a woman being ordered to have sex happens a lot more often than among the civilian population."

After sipping her tea, Mother looked at me. "So these neckerchiefs 'mark' them as belonging to you?"

I nodded, taking a long drink of my own tea. The cardamon and black leaves smelled heavenly. "Yes, they do. My name's not on the neckerchief, but my rank is. But to add credence, I gave them each charge cards to my account, so that if they need to get things, I don't have to be there. The cards have my name and theirs. Even Janetta has one - though that took some persuasion. She's a proud and independent woman."

"Well, I'm not sure that was a wise thing, Ranji! Is this a separate account you created for them? Oh, tell me it's not full access to your personal account! You're not married to a single one of them!"

Even my father raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Mother, they've had the cards for almost two months, and I trust them. Correction. I trust them with my life, Mother. Each one of them. They are fiercely loyal to Janetta, and they have come to love me, and I have come to love them in return."

I remembered Cholan's heartfelt declaration that after our first time having sex that I'd made her feel like a human being. Ixma's astonished, heartfelt joy experiencing gentle love. Zinja's resistance born out of loyalty to her officer followed by her eagerly taking me as her lover.

"All right, Ranji. Obviously you feel strongly about it. But this marking them, surely that didn't mean you had to have sex with them?"

I chuckled. "Of course it did. Janetta insisted on sharing me because her honor demanded it. She refused to let them wear the neckerchiefs without there being a real relationship to back it up. She is a Warrior and to her, that means she does not lie. If I wasn't sleeping with them and that fact came out, it would be a serious matter for all of us. And all three women are happy with the arrangements. You have to understand, too, that as much I would love to marry Janetta - and yes, I feel that strongly about her - she can't get married without having to leave the service. She lives to fly jets, and I love her too much to take that away from her. If I foolishly even tried, all I would do is alienate all four of them. To marry any of the others would force them to leave the military, and that would cause a hardship to Janetta, as she would have to replace them. Janetta, too, rightly points out that as officers, we too are at the beck and call of those of higher rank."