Starlight Gleaming Ch. 20

I got off the bed and she was transferred to it. With little persuasion, the safety rails were raised, and I crawled back onto the bed beside her.

Janetta mumbled and curled into me. A blanket was thrown over us and I closed my eyes again.

A little while later I was being shaken. "Better move, Kandikan, or I'm going to piss all over you."

Making way for her, Janetta got off the bed. I offered to assist, but she stated flatly, "No," and walked unsteadily to the toilet on her own. Not bothering to pull the curtain, she sat down roughly, then sighed with relief as the sound of a loud stream hitting water could be heard.

I yawned and then stretched, trying to wake up. The fact that I'd fallen asleep as soon as I'd laid down was proof enough that I needed rest.

A nurse came in, and after Janetta was done and her hands washed, the nurse took her vitals. Afterward, Dr. Jehantli came in, and once he checked the results, he said, "Thank you, nurse. I'll take it from here."

After the nurse left, I asked Corporal Cooma to step outside as well.

"Before you two start jabbering, can I get dressed?" Janetta snapped. "It's fucking cold in here! My nipples are so hard, they are about ready to pop off and I won't be held accountable if they shoot someone in the eye. Gods of North and South, doctor. It's summer time, yet I can feel the cold air coming in from the damn vents!"

"Yes, you are cleared to go. Try not to stress the leg, will you? Light duty tomorrow. Commander, because of his bone injuries, Lieutenant Fortri is off for three days, and then light duty for three more. That should give his bones time to heal properly. Because of space issues, we're sending him home to recuperate. Your injuries were all soft tissue, Commander. Nonetheless, you should take it easy tomorrow. Corporal Akama should be on light duty tomorrow as well."

While we spoke, Janetta got dressed in the clean uniform.

"You still want to know about Calia, I suppose. All right, Doctor, I will give my permission to do your scans and tests, but the final decision at every step along the way is hers. She can stop or object to any part of the process. Any scans, tests -- any data you collect and any analysis will be classified as top secret. You may pick one assistant to help you and no one else. The only ones who can see the results of whatever you do are you, that assistant you pick, Calia, and myself. I will periodically ask for copies of the information, too, via a data stick. Any information you obtain or discover is not to be transmitted electronically, even by secure email. Am I clear?"

"I will agree to those conditions, Commander. Now how long has she been able to heal like this?"

So I told him what I knew, which wasn't much. He seemed astounded by the notion that she had left her body, somehow found me, and tackled my poisoning from the rather infamous duel earlier in the year. I debated whether to reveal her telepathic abilities, and decided for the moment to keep those quiet. A healer is one thing, but confronting a real telepath might make a few people afraid.

People get dangerous when they're afraid.

While the doctor was still writing notes, we departed with our bodyguards, Corporal Cooma and a new arrival, Private Quico.

Along the way, I paused near the entrance, and at Janetta's puzzled expression, I pointed to the uncovered large brass plaque affixed to the wall facing the front entrance.

In large, bold lettering, it said:

Tlacolti Nano-Tech Healing Center

dedicated to the memory of

Captain Milintica Tlacotli, Ground Service

Outnumbered by Atlantean forces,

he selflessly gave his life in valiant action, ensuring mission success

318.17.00.04.13

Let us never forget the sacrifice of our honored dead

Ground Service!

Below it was an image of her father's face.

Janetta slowly reached out, running her fingers over the lettering. Then she traced the embossed image. She briefly looked at me, then returned for almost a full minute to the words enshrined upon the wall. Suddenly snapping to attention, she saluted the plaque. A terse nod to me as she husked out, "Let's go home."

At Tikún, I recalled watching her exit the temple covered in blood -- yet she was ignored by the other warriors. Despite being almost a rad distant, I had clearly heard her prayer to her father's spirit. Janetta was proud to be a Warrior and combat pilot, and she strove hard to live up to the Warrior's Code and its ideals. "I am a Warrior. All my enemies are dead, and I am still standing" was her mantra; it provided a focus that pushed her to never give up, no matter how seemingly hopeless the situation. She was also her father's daughter. Her fierce dedication to the Warrior's way of life was for them both.

I loved and admired that fierce heart of hers.

Cooma blinked. At first she was astonished, and then she was perplexed by Janetta's behavior. By my glance, she wisely kept her thoughts to herself.

Once we were in the cruiser, Cooma let Quico drive, but she kept a discreet eye on him.

Janetta and I sat in the back, my arm around my lover.

She leaned against me. "This has been a first-class shitty day."

"Mine went a bit better than yours, I think."

She snorted. "Ranji Kandikan! The Minister tried to kill you twice in one day. How could that get any worse?"

"I could have lost any one of you, and it would have been a thousand times worse."

"Don't say any more, Kandikan. Otherwise, you'll make me cry."

"I love you, Janetta Tlacotli. I love you true."

Suddenly pulling away, she punched me in the arm, hard.

"Ow! Janetta--!"

As she burst into tears, she cried out, "Damn you, Kandikan! What did I just say to you?" Then she burrowed into my chest and let loose with great heaving sobs.

I held her close, doing my best to offer comfort. She and her crew had had a bad scare earlier, and while she was toughing it out, there was no getting around that it could have ended quite badly for several members of my family. The assassins had had the drop on Janetta and their crew, and if they'd opted to simply murder them, I would have lost them all four of them and the men would likely have escaped. On top of that, there were the losses of the pilots, some of whom she'd known.

One part of me toyed with the idea of sacrificing myself to kill Supay. It would be one way to protect them from the most dangerous threat to all their lives. But the women in my life would not be happy with losing me. And, it would leave my girls without me as their father. While Sisi had handled the loss of her parents, if she lost me, it might damage her emotional stability.

On the other hand, the words from the Air Marshal gave me hope. Having three powerful military leaders as my political allies had to count toward the survivability of my family.

Janetta cried for most of the trip home, only winding down as we turned onto Cirrus Drive. There were a few calming breaths as she pulled herself together.

Without her even saying anything, I pulled out a handkerchief.

She shook her head, sniffing. "No, I want the other one."

Sighing, I unsnapped my neckerchief and handed it over. Watched as she wiped her eyes, then winced as she blew her nose in it.

"Thanks, Ranji. Next time, get the regular neckerchiefs, not these pre-fitted pieces of crap." Then she handed it back to me.

Pursing my lips, I took the soiled cloth without a word.

Catching Quico's disbelieving stare in the rearview mirror, I also noticed Cooma struggling to suppress her laughter.

If my neckerchief was one of the tributes she insisted on demanding from me, then so be it.

After we parked, Cooma and Quico joined the other two troopers on duty. In light of the two attempts on me, my Second had ordered both to remain on site for the rest of the night.

As soon as we entered our home, Zinja went to the kitchen and started warming up the meal for us. In the living room, Calia had her massage table up, and was working on Cholan's battered body.

Cooma asked quietly, "Quico's doing a perimeter check outside. Shall I take care of your gear, sir?"

"Yes, thank you, Corporal."

Both of us were hungry, so we followed Zinja into the kitchen.

Janetta went straight to the kitchen cupboard and pulled out two tumblers, filling both half full of metl juice. She downed the first one and refilled it. I leaned against the frame of the archway, watching her.

She took the second tumbler to the living room and bade Cholan to drink it down. Back in the kitchen, she placed the empty onto the counter. After tucking the bottle under her arm, she picked up her glass and guided me to my usual seat at the table.

Instead of taking her usual spot, Janetta grabbed the seat next to me, sitting adjacent to me. A full refill. After taking a long swallow, she put down her half-empty glass. Taking my arm, she wrapped it around her shoulder and leaned against me, giving a big exhale.

For long moments, it was just the sound of the spatula under Zinja's deft hand rapidly stirring and turning food on both pans.

"Where's Ixma?" I asked.

"She's upstairs with the girls," her mother answered. "I think she's reading to them."

After pulling the pans off the heat, Zinja served us dinner. Stir-fried potatoes, chicken strips, mixed vegetables, and fresh, hot flat bread with dabs of melting butter on them. Zinja grabbed a seat, worried and focused on her officer.

At her unspoken question, Janetta quietly said, "I'm doing better now. Thank you, Zinja. For everything."

Zinja's concern morphed into a sad smile before she returned to the stove. The tall Oexican woman added more oil, then food to the pans.

I ate left-handed. It was difficult, but I wasn't going to let my lover go.

After a bite or two, Janetta put down her fork. Leaning against me, she sighed. "I can't believe how much I love you, Ranji Kandikan. I think of you and my heart is overwhelmed by it all. Nor can I believe how much I need you holding me right now. I don't understand this. When the assassin came in and he started hitting me and telling me what he was going to do to me? Instead of reacting like a warrior, all I could think of was, 'No, I belong to Ranji. You can't have me.'

"By the time I started to defend myself, Zinja burst through the door and shot him with the stunner. It hardly phased him, and he grappled with me. While the three of us struggled to control his weapon, we fell and I felt something in my knee pop and grind. I grabbed my boot knife and... I forget how many times I stabbed him. I remembered what you'd said this morning about the men who blew up, so I knew we had to get out of there. I couldn't stand, so Zinja dragged me out. We were barely out the door when the one by the locker blew. Seconds later, the one in my office exploded. I have the bravest and best ground crew in the entire Air Service."

Zinja glanced back at us, pride and concern on her face. She wiped her eyes, then resumed cooking.

"I've been hurt before, Ranji. I mean really hurt. Until my leg was injured, it wasn't much more than a slap and a few punches. I've been hurt much worse in sparring matches. Why does this feel so different? Is it because I've had a chance to get used to the idea that my body is my own? Or that I knew you would protect me?"

Setting down my own fork, I scooted back and pulled her into my lap.

At that moment, Cooma exited the garage, and the brief sound of the washer running disappeared when the door closed. Her arm and one breast pocket full, she discreetly moved passed, heading into the other part of the house.

"I think that's a big part of it, Janetta," I answered. "If and when you have sex should be your choice. Whether by strength or by social or military order, when you don't have the choice, it's you not being treated like you matter, but like an object. Worse, some men enjoy the humiliation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that even when you have birth control, there's always the underlying notion of being bred against your will by someone you despise. You having the choice does matter. I pray the gods none of you are ever taken against your will ever again. But what matters to me more than another man's seed inside you is your safety. If I could never hold you in my arms again, it would break my heart, Janetta. No matter what happens, I am yours and you are mine."

"Yes," she breathed. "Yours and mine."

She turned to straddle my lap. Her hands went to my face and she slowly kissed me. As our mouths opened, she became more ardent, and I responded to her.

When we at last broke apart, she smiled. "Thank you. I feel better now." She moved off my lap to her chair, and began to eat with enthusiasm. I matched her, and we soon devoured what had been set before us.

I don't know why, but after every time I've been in the nano-tech healing tanks, I wake up hungry. It's not a raging hunger, but it's there. I think Janetta was feeling the same.

Zinja paused in her cooking on the stove, and pulled from the warming tray a fruit pie.

Janetta looked interested. "What sort of pie is it?"

"It's a fruit pie, from the Seven Nations. Calia said they're called blackberries." After cutting two large slices, she went to the freezer and pulled out the ice cream. Using a heavy spoon, she dolloped out a scoop of vanilla onto each slice and set it before us.

Janetta took a cautious bite, then nodded in approval. "Tart, but with the ice cream, it's sort of sweet. I like it."

Then Zinja walked over to the front room, telling the troopers on guard duty there was hot food ready.

Calia came in, then, and sat on the other side of me. "I'm glad to see you both like it. Sisi liked the pie, but Mina decided against it. Of course, with her allergy, hers was without the ice cream. However, her tastes should mature a little in a year or so."

"Where are Terra and Salvia?" Using her fork with pie crust, Janetta sopped up the bits of ice cream on the dish.

"Terra is taking care of her sister. She's had nausea and abdominal cramps since this afternoon."

"Calia, do you think she needs to be seen?" I asked.

"I was just going to check on her. But first I wanted you to know that Cholan is asleep on the massage table. I'm not big enough or strong enough to move her to the couch."

I chuckled. "That I am capable of doing."

The troopers filed in and sat at the table. Cooma looked appreciative. Quico and the other two, who were new to me, were nervous about sitting down. I looked at their name tags. Field Corporal Wanama and Private Gaer.

"Sit down and eat," Janetta told them. "It's simple fare, but Sergeant Zinja is a good cook, and your CO likes to make sure you don't pass out from hunger."

They said their thanks while Zinja served them.

Smiling, I got up and followed Calia. "I'm wondering if I should take her upstairs to her room."

Janetta, who'd followed us, said, "No. I'm going to send Zinja to keep watch on your girls. Take Ixma to our bed and give her some of your loving attention, Ranji. I'm going to take a long hot bath. After you're done making Ixma feel better, you can bring Cholan upstairs to share our bed. She's so sore, if you took her upstairs now, you'd wake her up and it wouldn't be pleasant. But she'll like waking up with you close."

"I'm not so sure I have the energy for all that activity. I'm pretty tired out myself." With barely a stir, I gently moved Cholan to the couch.

Terra opened the door to their room. Seeing Calia, she hurried over, bowing before her. "Lady? Please come! I think Salvia's really sick."

"Calia, if you think it's serious, don't hesitate. Take her in to the hospital."

Terra looked at me gratefully.

"Yes, my lord," Calia answered. "Come, Terra. Let's go check on her."

Janetta narrowed her eyes as she turned to me. "Two attempts on you, one on me and my crew. Do you think she might have been poisoned?"

I shrugged. "I suppose it's possible. He did try to blow up an entire school just to kill my girls. But why not both of them? Or all of us?"

Sowitwee exited his room. He came over, his demeanor tired. Dressed in casual, plain cotton trousers and a large shirt covered in large, stylized jungle plants and sandals, he nodded to me. "It's nice to see you up and around, sir. I see Cholan's finally asleep. She was in a lot of pain earlier."

"Calia worked on her," I explained.

"My lord, your Personal Servant, she's been going non-stop. When they got home, Nariya was worried. The doctor thinks she's due soon, but the baby hadn't turned yet, and the doctor was telling her a home birth probably wasn't possible. So Calia had her lay back and she massaged her feet. Then she pressed some places, and Nariya cried out. I saw the baby visibly move. She made it turn around! In between, she helped Ixma keep the girls distracted, and has been taking care of Salvia, too."

Calia quickly exited the room, leaving the door wide open. We could hear the sound of Salvia retching. "She needs medical attention now, my lord. Her appendix has burst."

Returning to the kitchen, I pointed at Wanama and Gaer. "You two need to take Calia and Salvia to the hospital right now! You will stay with them, and follow Calia's instructions. One of you will stay with Calia at all times."

Rising, both stuffed a last bite into their mouths as they nodded to me. Zinja quickly grabbed two storage containers from a drawer, upended the plates into them, sealed the lids, and passed them to Wanama along with the forks.

Calia retrieved her jacket. "I'll be back as soon as I can, my lord. Terra is really worried for her sister. Can she go, too?"

"We managed before without them, so we'll make do now," I answered. "Keep me apprised."

Gaer hustled over, following Calia. Terra carried the waste bin while the trooper carried the sick servant girl. Cooma followed them out, making sure they got into the cruiser without incident. She returned shortly with a short duffle over her shoulder. After securing the door, she returned to her own meal.

Janetta told Zinja to leave the kitchen clean up. "We'll deal with it later. Ranji's going to spend time with Ixma, so you'll need to keep the girls company."

"Yes, Captain." Zinja gave me a wink as she left.

Herding me back to the living room, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I said. I'm tired. A lot has happened in the past two days. My fear is that once I'm laying down with Ixma is that I'll simply pass out. So if you come up and I'm snoring in her ear, you'll know what happened."

She snickered at me. "I think once you feel her wetness, you'll find the wherewithal to poke her like she deserves."

"It's getting her there that I'm worried about. Besides, she might be already be asleep."

"I don't think so. Besides, that girl watches you more than you realize. Gods of North and South, Ranji. When we're exercising, all of us pause when you are in front us and you flex your butt cheeks. What?" She laughed. "You have a nice ass and I like watching it when you move. And we know you like to watch ours, too. When you flex those tight cheeks, I remember reaching down and feeling those muscles tighten under my hands when you push up deep inside me. It feels so damn good."

I chuckled. "The pleasure is mutual, I assure you. Feeling your tight sheath wrapped about my cock is heaven, Janetta."

"I'm trying to be considerate for them. You keep saying that, and it's just going to be you and me hammering away until you oil my engine with that nice injector rod of yours."

"That's a problem?"

"I'm serious, Kandikan. Today was the second time Ixma killed a man. The first time was retaliation for her mother getting shot. This time it was not only to defend the others, but also to defend herself. Ixma's come a long way since last year. The difference is almost night and day. She's confident, decisive, and very bright, and you are the cause of that change. All of us feel safe when your big strong arms wrap around and hold us close. All of us need you, but if I let your girls sleep with us, none of us can enjoy the physical comfort that your body loving us provides."