Starlight Gleaming Ch. 17

"Yes, sir."

"Take the Air Security cruiser outside for tonight. Meet me at my place at oh-six-hundred. We'll go have breakfast together, before we head over to the internment area. Your job tonight is to find out where that is, so I don't look like an idiot tomorrow, wandering around while trying to find it. And let Chita and the others know we are back in business."

Grinning, she saluted. "Yes, sir!"

I returned it. "Take off, Doyya. And good job today, Warrior. Good job. Yalcamara, you and Stimmi are going to give us a lift to C&C."

"Our pleasure, Commander," she answered. "We intend to see you safely home, too, sir. Sergeant Stimmi? Bring our cruiser to the front door."

"Yes, sir," he said, still shaken by the changes. Then he and Doyya left.

Janetta asked Jay, "How do you know the Commander?"

"I don't know if you have heard the story, but there was once an evil man by the name of Captain Stryker," he answered.

Janetta nodded at him. "I've heard some things."

He parked on the edge of the desk and continued speaking. "After weeks of being tortured, nearly all of us forgot that we were Warriors. The Commander, though, he didn't forget. I'd already watched him take down three men, each of them challenging him for the opportunity to have Deedee Marrin as their personal sex slave. He beat them without breaking a sweat, and two of them were bigger than him. Stryker ordered me to fight the Commander, but instead I surrendered to him. Stryker drew his pistol and was going to shoot me. The Commander blocked the shot, and then challenged him to a duel. Stryker not only backed down, he ran! Fucking coward, begging the Captain's pardon. The Commander saved my life and he saved our honor."

Janetta smiled with approval at me.

"Without Deedee, we would have lost him."

"Oh? Tell me about it," she urged. Yalcamara and Sowitwee listened. This was bits of news about where I'd been for half the year, while High Guard had slowly descended into chaos and fear.

"Stryker came back ten minutes later. By then, the Commander had reminded all of us who we really were. We were Warriors and nobles, not common criminals. The base commander, Chatolklan, told Stryker to take back command or he'd be in trouble. Stryker drew his pistol again and shot Commander Kandikan in the shoulder. Must have nicked an artery, because he lost a lot of blood fast. But the next second, he took down Stryker. Broke his xyphoid and then proceeded to beat his face into a pulp. Almost killed Stryker with his bare hands. Then he passed out from blood loss. I carried the commander to the tanks, but it was Deedee who saved him by putting pressure on his artery. Both of us were covered in his blood. Warrior's blood. She saved his life. We kept watch until he healed, to make sure Stryker or his two goons didn't arrange for an 'accident' to happen while he was unconscious and healing."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Janetta told him.

"For what, Captain?"

"For helping make sure he came home."

He laughed. "When I last saw him, he was a senior lieutenant. Three weeks later, here he is, a field commander! I don't know how he did it, but I am not the least bit surprised. If he told me we were going to invade Atlantis, I'd pack my gear to go. Llam nuqan, Commander. We work together."

"That's right," I told him, then shook his hand again. "We work together. Keep in touch."

"Will do, sir."

We exited the office, but stopped almost immediately. Across the row of desks, there were two Ground Service men. Underneath one of the desks was a man, refusing to come out.

Jay, looking perturbed, came to the door beside us.

He started to speak, but I held out my hand, cutting him off. "Listen to that voice! Who is that?"

He looked startled. "Can't be!" he muttered. "I tossed him down a shaft at Sparantzlo!"

"Who?" I demanded.

"Sergeant Cherunt, of course! That miserable, slimy fuck!"

"Then he didn't stay dead. We are both agreed, then, we are hearing Cherunt's voice."

Like hunting dogs hot on the trail, we zeroed in on them. Again, the two Ground Service troopers ordered the man under the desk to come out.

Jay didn't wait. He grabbed a corner of the desk and flung it back. It landed with a crash, scattering papers and office supplies everywhere. "Stand up! Right now!"

Timidly, the man stood. There were differences in the face. But I'd heard his voice. And, with the help of nanotechnology to alter a body, I'd seen Timon become Bilan, so I wasn't as easily dissuaded at Jay was. It was Sergeant Cherunt, I was sure of it.

"Gods of North and South," Jay muttered. "Maybe it's not him after all."

"I am sure. Cuff him. Two, no, four guards on him at all times, and he goes to the stockade, into isolation. I'll be by tomorrow, and we'll test his DNA."

And there it was. Just the ever so slightest of smirks before the act of being scared.

"Where are you taking me? What have I done?" he protested fearfully. "Why are you doing this to me?"

I wasn't going to mess around. It would be Truth Drugs for Cherunt. A full dose. As much as he could stand. I wanted to be a hundred percent sure. The fact that both of us had believed his voice was that of Sergeant Cherunt had to mean something. And if he had Supay's toy in his chest, well, it'd be a short interrogation.

After putting zip-ties on his hands and feet, the troopers hauled him away. I kept my eyes on him, until they vanished around a corner.

"You hate him. Why?" Janetta stood near me.

"With every fiber in my being. I'll make sure it's him, but in my gut, I know. And I want his blood."

"Again, why?"

"That's Sergeant Cherunt, and he tortured us both."

"Ah," she said, suddenly nodding. "The one who got away. Will you kill him?"

"I hate Cherunt. And yes, if it's him, he will die. He promised that he would torture, rape, and kill you, your entire crew, and Calia. And then he promised that he'd do those same, unspeakably horrible things to Sisi and Mina. And I would not be surprised if he's a mole for Huginn."

"What?" Jay looked at me in surprise.

"Deedee and I never did get to ask him why he favored Atlantean weapons."

"But his face -- it's not the same. I'm not so sure now."

"Imperial Security has the technology to use nano-machines to alter a person's face, posture, skin and eye color. They can change anything. I watched a man and a woman alter right before my eyes, Jay. It's how they set up agents to go overseas, so that they don't show up on any military or security databases, even when they test the DNA."

"Then what... I see. You're hoping he still has that bomb in his chest."

"Commander," ventured Sowitwee. "If he threatened your family and your children, and you believe it's him, he's too great a danger to remain alive. Let me go after them and kill him for you now." He cradled the shotgun meaningfully.

I shook my head. "I need to be as sure as I can. Yes, I know, I have the Air Marshal's permission to do anything and everything I need to -- to get this War Base functioning again and cleaned of corruption. Cherunt is personal. If I go around killing people I don't like without following some sort of system of rules, I become as bad as those I'm opposing."

"If you believe it's him," Janetta said to me, "Then so do I. I have no problem killing anyone who threatens my family. No problem at all."

"That's one of the reasons I love you, Captain Tlacotli," I said. "He's in custody, and we have other things to do today."

As we headed out the door, she asked me, "What exactly are those other reasons?"

I had to laugh. "You are a true Warrior with a fierce heart. And you are the most beautiful woman in the entire world. You're intelligent, loyal, strong in battle, and you possess a strict sense of honor. Do you need to hear more?"

"You've been gone for half a year, Commander," she reminded me. "You have a lot of catching up to do. Please continue."

Yalcamara and Sowitwee both smiled at our exchange.

"Your point is well taken, Captain. Well, you're also an excellent pilot, the best in all the Empire in my estimation. You are perceptive, honest, practical, and you keep me on my toes...."

* * * * *

At the base Command and Control, I introduced myself to the base commanding officer, General Tolmec Dagantochtlo. I could see by his face that he recognized me instantly. And that was probably not in my favor. I'd cleaned up the desk afterward, but there had been no mistake that I had fucked Commander Orchid in his office. He probably didn't know for sure it was on his desk, and I wasn't going to volunteer that bit, either. But he knew what we'd done.

I presented my orders from the Air Marshal for him to read. He looked at me disdainfully, and insisted on secondary confirmation of my orders.

So we waited for two hours until the reply was decoded and presented to him.

Or at least Yalcamara and I waited in chairs outside his office.

It was dinner time when we'd arrived, and the general had dinner brought to his office and then ordered the door closed. So I asked Janetta to go to the Commissary for some food for everyone. Stimmi went with her.

When they came back with the food, Stimmi looked rather surprised. I asked him if everything was all right.

"The Captain drives... very fast."

"I'm a combat pilot, Sergeant," she informed him. "I'm used to going much faster than what your cruiser is capable of."

He was quiet through the rest of the meal.

As a surprise, Stimmi had his new sergeant's bars on. They'd obviously taken care of that while getting our food. Janetta ripped off Yalcamara's grade before putting a pip on each collar. "You'll need to get an officer's shirt so you can wear it on the shoulder boards, like you are supposed to."

Yalcamara just nodded. Periodically, she'd finger them, as if checking to see if they were really there.

After we were done eating, I suggested that Janetta and Sowitwee go open our home up and check things out, and pick up Sowitwee's wife. I sent Yalcamara with them.

Yalcamara didn't want to leave, but I told her that I wanted to make sure our home had remained unoccupied during out absence, and for that, Stimmi needed his partner to accompany him. Unhappily, she agreed. Sowitwee, seeing I wasn't armed, gave me back my shoulder holster with the Caiman, since he seemed reluctant to part with the shotgun.

When the verification came through, the general plainly wasn't happy about it. He locked his office and went home.

I went to the communications center, and interrupted the Imperial Armed Services Radio Broadcast.

I introduced myself, my new role on the War Base, and my intention to stop the fear and assaults and to bring order to the base. I advised everyone to keep outside travel for the night to a minimum, as there might still be pockets of resistance, and to expect the Ground Service to heavily patrol the base until the situation was resolved. I further stated that I intended to work closely with the Ground Service and with Ground Security to keep everyone safe and protected. Then I announced the base-wide Protection Order, effective immediately, and that people were expected to report violations to either Air Security or Ground Security. I ended with the motto, we work together.

There was a long pause after I signed off, before one sergeant nudged another, and the entertainment broadcast was resumed.

Outside, Janetta waited for me, with Yalcamara and Stimmi standing behind her. The rest of the large room was a skeleton staff, but several of them openly stared at me.

Janetta didn't wait for me to say anything. She launched herself into my arms, kissing me fiercely, then hugging me just as vigorously.

"I love you, Ranji Kandikan," she declared.

"I love you, too, my proud, beautiful, perfect Warrior."

Outside the building, we were greeted by Killayana, standing by his own cruiser, his driver at the wheel. "Commander."

"Is it okay to call you Bennet now?" I asked him with a smile.

"Yes, sir. I understand you have a speaking engagement with the enlisted Air Security in the morning. Afterward, I'd like to meet you at your office to discuss what we've found so far, and to work out with some of the other Ground Security officers these new policies."

"I look forward to it. I should be back to my office by ten-hundred hours, but you should call me first to make sure where I am."

"Captain Tsocotchi gives you her compliments and says they are preparing to leave..." He looked at his watch. "They are probably boarding now, and will depart within the hour."

I looked at Janetta. "I had planned on taking you home. But I feel it's important to see them off."

She smiled. "Then let's see them off. And then go home."

Kilayanna called out, "Wait! Before you go, I have something for you, Captain." Reaching into the backseat, he pulled out a wooden box. He handed it to Janetta. "We recovered it at Commander Voyacherno's residence, amongst his collection of weapons."

Recognition and hope filled her face as she opened it. "My father's pistol! Thank you!"

The name Tlacotli was etched on the barrel, and the dedication plaque to Captain Milintica Tlacotli, Janetta's father, was there on the inside box lid.

Misting up, Janetta wiped at her eyes, then clutched the box to her chest. I helped her into the backseat of the cruiser.

Stimmi drove us back to the airfield, and Kilayanna followed behind us.

When we arrived, we found the several units of the 67th Armored lined up behind the Condor in parade formation. Five, maybe six thousand men and women in combat gear. We got out and took up position near them.

It took them another hour to finish loading and securing the armored vehicles inside the Condor. Then the Household Guard of the Empress lined up to enter the aircraft to return back to Cuzco. As their Captain watched them board, the seven casualties in body bags on stretchers came last.

Commander Barankoshto barked out, "Order! Arms!"

Beside the commander were several other officers, including one with a sun on each shoulder board. I realized that must be General Joh'roon Rikoletsi, the Division CO.

The Imperial Anthem played, and the officers saluted them as the women warriors boarded. After the anthem played, it was followed by The Princess Goes Dancing, a light and jubilant tune, and the unofficial song of the Empress' troops. As it finished up, Captain Tsocotchi returned the salute to us and turned to board. As the ramp raised, the six Sharsoo engines fired up and the propellers began to blur.

The damaged Condor we'd arrived in was gone, but a short distance away, the burnt out shell of the cruiser sat in mute testament to our arrival just a few hours earlier.

As the Ground Service soldiers began to disperse, we loaded back up into the cruiser, and Stimmi drove us home.

"Any problems at home?" I asked Janetta.

"Nope. Everything was still secure."

"Good. Where's Sowitwee?"

"Probably banging his wife. We picked her up and dropped them off at the house before we came back to get you."

"Banging his wife? Isn't she pregnant?"

"She's huge! Like she swallowed a beach ball. It gives me the willies to think she's going to shove that enormous baby out of her pussy. But they'd been separated for almost five months, because he left with Doyya to keep watch over her. They were kissing almost the whole time it took to drop them off. Who knows? Maybe she'll have had the baby by the time we get home."

"A baby? She's not that far along."

"If he pokes her hard enough, who knows?"

"I don't think it works that way, Janetta."

"You sound pretty sure about that. You ever been around a pregnant woman before?"

"There's been pregnant women at the estate. I'm pretty sure babies come out without having to be prodded by the father."

"So you say," she retorted. "I think it makes perfect sense. The father fucks her, using his cock to batter down the door, telling the baby it's time to get out so he can plant another one."

"Pussies have doors inside them?" I asked her.

"You know what I mean!"

Yalcamara snickered.

I reached over and took her hand in mine. She glanced at me, then smiled and gave me a squeeze. We rode the rest of the way home in silence, holding hands.

Stimmi pulled in front of the house. Yalcamara said, "Commander, we want you to know, it's good to have you back here at High Guard. And hearing what you said, coming out of the radio? Historic, sir."

"Thank you, Yalcamara. I'm going to need everyone's help in cleaning up the mess around here."

"You've got it, sir. Have a good night, Commander. Captain."

Janetta and I got out. It wasn't quite dark yet, but as we stepped onto the porch, the light flicked on. She dug out her keys and unlocked the door, and the hall light blinked on. We stepped inside, and I closed and locked the door behind us.

No sign of anyone.

"You said you dropped Sowitwee and his wife here before you picked me up?"

"Yes, that's what I did."

"House AI, where are Sowitwee and Nariya?"

The male computer voice replied, "They are in their quarters."

"Are they all right?" I asked.

"Assessing," it replied. "Heart rates elevated. Perspiration detected. Frantic movement. Database suggests--"

"Never mind," I said.

"I told you he was gonna poke her. Almost seven months pregnant and he is trying to make that baby come out."

I drew her into my arms. "Let them play. They've been apart for a long time. As you said before. I, too, have a lot of catching up to do."

I leaned down and she tilted up her head. When our lips met, she made a noise as our kiss deepened.

For several long, wonderful moments we held each other, enjoying the taste and the feeling of mutual growing interest.

We took a breath, looking at each other. I was headed back for another kiss, but she pushed away. "Come on. Let's go to the kitchen."

It wasn't far, so I followed her, watching the sway of her hips.

Setting down the pistol box onto the counter, she reached up first into one cabinet and then another. She produced two shot glasses and a bottle of Blue Label metl juice. "Have a drink with me, Ranji."

"Okay. Sure."

She poured us each a glass, then raised hers in toast. "To the honored dead, who fought beside us and fell in combat, whose hearts were nonetheless brave and true. And to us, the warriors who survived. Our enemies are shattered or dead, and we are still standing."

She clinked her glass to mine, and tossed it back. Two, three, four swallows, then a shake of her head as she exhaled. I watched her.

Setting down the glass, she frowned. "Come on, Ranji. Drink up! It's a good toast."

I gave her a nod, and drank my glass down.

By the time I finished, she had her shirt and bra off, tossed onto the counter, and was pushing down her trousers and panties.

"What are you doing? I... oh..." The alcohol roared down my gut, then seemed to bounce above my head, somewhere above my skull.

"Pansy-ass," she snickered. "You are a fucking lightweight."

Taking off her boots and socks, she set her trousers onto the counter, then came up to me. "You are a shitload of complication, Kandikan. But by all the gods, so help me, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. We've flown together in the air, we have fought together in battle, and then you issued a base-wide Protection Order!"

Taking my glass, she put it onto the table. Then, taking my hand, she guided it to her cleft. Heat and wetness exuded from her core like steam from a hothouse. "Feel that?" she demanded. "You did that to me. And gods above, I'm almost ready to come on your hand alone!"

I reached for her, but she pushed me away.

"Get naked first, Ranji. I've shown you mine. I want to see some skin, too."

"Here, in the kitchen?" I asked, even as I pushed off my clothing as fast as I could.