Starlight Gleaming Ch. 21 Pt. 02

"I wish I had the time. Maybe later."

With encouragement, Izel joined us as we worked on some katas. She was quick with picking up the stances and the movements. Then she went back to observing when Jay and I began to spar. We'd pause when delivering a potential debilitating or killing blow and the other called out "point." Depending on location, two or three serious injuries counted as a win. Jay won twice, and I won six times.

"Once more?" I asked, both of us bent over and panting.

He wiped the sweat from his face. "Nope. I'm done. I think you just like to hurt me."

"Cheer up, Jay. Just think. After next week, we can both hurt Pen."

Jay burst out laughing. "That's evil, Ranji. Pen's my blood brother! All right. I'm in."

Izel stood and clapped, making us blush. "You were both magnificent! Sometimes I could barely see the speed of your blows."

"Your husband is a wily opponent with a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Sometimes I don't win any matches at all." Jay grinned at me good-naturedly. "You need to start teaching me some of that Atlantean hoodoo, Ranji."

I rubbed my left shoulder. "Jay, even when you lose the match, I still feel like you won."

Jay laughed, not feeling sorry for me at all.

"Were you there when my husband fought the general?"

Suddenly serious, Jay stood up. "Yes, I was."

"If the general hadn't cheated, who do you think would have won?"

"Izel!" I said sharply, feeling awkward. After all, I was now married to the man's widow. Still, both of us had since acted with honor, and it was outside circumstances that had brought us together as husband and wife. That's the part that mattered. And I reminded myself that it was only awkward if I let it be so. Neither one of us had anything to be ashamed of.

She looked at me earnestly. "I need to hear his opinion. Please!"

"I'm sorry, Izel. I didn't mean to speak sharply to you. It's all right. Answer her, Jay."

Jay wiped his brow with his towel. "There's no question, Lady Kandikan. The general got in some good opening shots while Ranji took his measure. That takes a cool head. Not surprising, since he was taught by one the best. The general was fast but he wasn't clean in his movements, and some of his follow-throughs started to get sloppy. Most don't know it, but we learned afterward that the general was full of chemical enhancers. I'd say that even before he stepped into the ring, the general lost the match."

I handed Jay a water bottle and drank from mine until we emptied them.

A troubled look flashed across her face, but then it was gone. "Thank you for your honesty, Lord Raltikon. Husband, please don't be angry with me. I did not ask him because I doubted your assessment or that of Lady Tlacotli or because of any concern over your part in that duel. A good analyst takes information from a credible source and confirms it. This afternoon I must deal with Lord Chiatl."

"I'm not angry, Izel. Everything that happened that day was the choice of your late husband. You had no control over it, and weren't even on the same continent when the fight happened. General Rikoletsi asked that we not publicize the drug use. He said the fact of him using poison was shameful enough, and he was concerned over the fallout you'd get as his widow. I didn't know you or anything about you, so I agreed. As for Chiatl, what do you intend?"

With a look of resolve, she said, "If his answers don't satisfy me, I will dismiss him. He has served me faithfully for a long time but I am disturbed by his recent attitude. Yesterday morning I placed myself under your protection and yesterday afternoon I became your wife. Chiatl was my fail-safe. Now, while I might decide to keep him in my service, I no longer need him."

"I am honored by your trust, Izel."

Grinning, she shook her head. "You are world's away from my previous experiences. I know a good deal when I see one. I'm so glad Janetta and Calia gave their approval of me. I owe them both so much! As for you? I'm putting you on notice. I intend to hang onto you with both hands, Ranji Kandikan."

"Do tell, Izel Kandikan."

Jay snickered. "I've had a long night and my bed calls to me. While you two make kissy-face, I'm going to get cleaned up."

"Kissy-face?" Izel sauntered over to me. "I think that is a very good idea."

She stood on her toes while sliding her hands around my neck. So I thoroughly kissed her. She hummed in pleasure, so I kissed her again. That was also well-received and eagerly replied to.

I gazed into her warm brown orbs. Took in her dilated eyes as she inhaled deeply. "You're going to have to change, Izel. Your tee-shirt is all sweaty because of me."

She licked her lips before speaking, gently squeezing the muscles in my arms. "It's all right. I promised Calia I'd hug you and then let her have it afterward."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, so this kiss is just a roundabout way to pay back Calia?"

"No, well, sort of yes and no. She gets the tee-shirt. The kisses are definitely for me."

Laylandi, looking amused, led the way while we walked arm and arm back to the lockers. Halko pulled up the rear.

We undressed together at my locker. While she dug into her bag and pulled out a bra, I grabbed the bottle of liquid soap and a towel from mine. After pulling out her clothes, Izel snagged my sweaty ones and stuffed them into her bag.

I strode to the shower, chuckling.

What surprised me was seeing Izel leaning against the tile wall, watching me wash, a smile on her face. The short-sleeved salwar-kameez was dark green bordered in light green, with a multitude of small gold leaves clustered along the edges. The long, thin scarf she wore hung down to her knees; also dark green, it had a silhouette of a large golden vine running its entire length. She did look amazing in it.

There were about a dozen other men under their own shower-heads. At least two of them turned sideways and started washing their cocks, encouraging them to harden. Emboldened, a third one started openly masturbating as he stared at her. A couple of others openly invited her to join them.

From the back of the group came Jay, naked save for a towel around his neck, a bottle of shampoo in hand. "Knock it off, you guys. She's here with her husband."

Both of his guards, slightly damp, came behind him. Both nodded at me as they passed.

The guy who was masturbating suddenly jerked, spraying out three jets of semen, then leaned against the tile wall, panting.

"Hey, watch it! I'm walking here!" With a look of disgust, Jay skirted a wide circle around the splash zone and exited.

"She's here for her husband? I'll be her husband! Hey, pretty lady!"

"Bet I can get her to scream my name."

"Your name's ugh, ugh, ugh?"

"Who does that guy think he is?"

"Mind yourself. Those guards were Air Security!"

"She wants to look, I'm gonna show her what I've got!"

"Hey, baby! Don't be lonesome. Come on over here. I'll keep you company!"

"Hist! Cool it! She's wearing a commander's rank on that neckerchief!"

"Oh, shit."

After rinsing off, I grabbed my towel and dried my hair, rapidly ran it over my body, then collected the bottle of soap.

Izel's eyes were on me the whole time, and her smile widened as I approached. Then she frowned as she scanned my body. "Ranji, you have so many bruises!"

"When you pull the punches, sometimes you miscalculate. We're getting better, though. Sorry about the rude comments."

"The sight of one hen and the roosters strut about with self-importance. I was ignoring them. You were the only one I wanted to see, Husband." She ran her hands over my chest and I crowded her against the wall. She looked up. "I feel like a giddy school-girl. You are so exciting, I keep wanting to look at you. Are you going to do something to me, Lord Kandikan?"

"I intend to when we're at home. Right now, I need another kiss." Handing off the shampoo to the nearby guard, I pulled her against me. One hand to went her back while the other slid down and cupped her rear. Her face lifted as I leaned down and kissed her again.

When we broke apart, I gave her butt a firm squeeze, then walked to my locker, Izel following closely behind.

Hair combed and deodorant on, I started getting dressed. I noticed then that Mack and Akama had switched out with Laylandi and Halko. "Good morning Mack. Hello, Akama. How are you doing?"

"Just fine, Commander," Akama answered. "I put your shampoo into your bag. Looks like the lieutenant got in a few good hits this morning."

"Yeah, he most certainly did," I said, smiling as I buttoned my shirt.

"It's all right," Mack murmured. "Lady Calia'll fix him up."

Giving Mack a meaningful look, Akama nodded.

Izel quietly asked, "Has she healed you, too?"

"Not here, Lady Kandikan, please," Mack whispered. "Commander's orders."

With my trousers secured, I sat down and put on my socks. "You can tell her on the way. Apparently we're going shopping at the Commissary instead of going to work. Izel needs some things, and I need to help with some legal and financial matters."

Once my shoes were on, I stood. Mack handed me my keys and phone. Then Akama handed me my hip holster first, and then the shoulder holster. I checked the safeties of both weapons.

On the way to the Commissary, Mack told the story of Akama protecting me, and how Akama, Pen, and I all ended up in the hospital from a sniper. Akama then talked about her near-fatal wound and her belief that Calia had kept her alive until the medical staff could get her into the nano-treatment tanks.

"She was like a warm and bright light," Akama said. "Keeping me tethered when I kept trying to float away. Like I was a boat on a river. Shima needed me, she told me, over and over. I know she saved me. Kept me here for my little girl." Then she paused. "The doctors said I shouldn't have made it. The wound was too massive. Lady Calia saved me. I know that, deep in my heart. She's a real and true healer."

Izel looked at me for confirmation, and I just nodded.

"You're right," Izel replied. "She is a gifted healer. She's also kind, giving, and I'm beginning to think she's the wisest person I've ever met."

Startled, I thought it over. "I think you might be right, Izel. Calia is indeed a most remarkable woman."

"Tell me, Ranji. Did you want to marry her when you were younger?"

Once again her astuteness impressed me. "Yes, I did. But I couldn't afford to free her. As a young man, even the son of a prominent scientist, it would have cost me seventy-five thousand Imperial credits to free her to the Guild caste. Calia, for her part, said she loved knowing she belonged to me. I didn't have the funds and Calia was happy, so I let it go. My parents wanted me to become a scientist like my father. However, my Uncle Styen instilled in me the Warrior Code and a warrior's responsibility to those under his care. I loved flying my ultralight, so I entered the Air Service. I actually wanted to become a combat pilot like Janetta. While I have good reflexes and dexterity, I don't have the three-dimensional space awareness that she does. To put it bluntly, I washed out and decided to go into operations and logistics. Training that would help get me my own command. So I went to Tikún War College. While there, I met Janetta and her ground crew -- and that changed everything.

"The irony is because I am a commander, the cost to free Calia will only be five thousand, a drop in the bucket considering my current wealth. The privileges of rank."

Izel laughed quietly. "That's often how it is, Ranji. The rich and powerful make it easier for themselves to do things. That's how it's always been, and I think that's how it always will be."

Sighing, I nodded. "Sadly, I think you're right. I believe everyone should be equal under the law. It's hard to have justice if the rules aren't the same for everyone."

"You want that because you're an honest man. This Uncle Styen, is he related to you on your mother's side or your father's side?"

"Neither. He's actually not a blood relation. When I was young, he came to work for my parents and was put in charge of my physical education. Because of him, I was able to hold my own at the Academy, so I escaped a lot of hazing. Calia learned beside me, but she doesn't like to hurt people, not even to practice. She practices the katas purely for the exercise. She said it was my job to take care of the bad guys."

"This Styen, this man your parents hired, he taught you your mastery in Snake and Jaguar?"

"And the basics of the Eagle school, too. He's a formidable warrior in his own right."

"Calia also mentioned that you have a brother. I thought you were an only child."

"Bilan and I, we're blood brothers..."

There were more questions asking about me and my family.

In return, I learned that she'd had five siblings, but now it was just her and her brother, Kirfan.

"Father had a fatal heart attack just after I was married to the general, though he was but a field commander back then. Mother overdosed on narcotics shortly after. Tlico drowned in a swimming accident while I was growing up. Arakawn and five others were hit and killed by falling masonry in the city, about three years after my marriage. Both of my sisters, Berzi and Fassa, were married off around that same time period. Berzi died in childbirth a year later. Fassa and her husband and their two children were killed traveling aboard a passenger aircraft about eight years ago. They were going to visit the beaches of South Je State, and just like that, they were all gone. Now it's just my brother and me. I have a couple of uncles and an aunt, but I barely know them."

"I'm sorry for your losses, Izel. And to find that your last close family member treated you so badly must hurt deeper than just the physical injuries."

She nodded and took a deep breath. "I was closest to my sisters. My parents being traditionalists, we were separated from our brothers for education and training when we were six, so we only saw them at dinner and some evenings when there was entertainment. Being girls, we had to learn how to be good wives and to run a household, and have useful skills like accounting, sewing, and cooking."

"You can cook?"

"Please, don't ask me. I'm terrible at it and I haven't been near a stove in more years than I'd care to admit to."

I chuckled. "It's all right, I won't ask you. I can manage an MRE, but not much more than that. Raiding a refrigerator? Opening a can? Making some toast in a toaster? No problem. Cooking? I'd starve."

"MRE?"

"Meal Ready to Eat. Though most of them barely qualify as actual food." Both Mack and Akama snorted aloud.

"What are they for?"

"If you're in the field, it's specially prepared food that won't spoil due to heat or other considerations. But again, it's not something I'd care to consume any time soon. Naval Service has the best. They're at least palatable. Ground Service MREs are, hands down, the absolute worst. They give you the Atlantean Two-Step. Seriously. I wouldn't even give them to prisoners of war. Unfortunately, the Air Service variety is only slightly better."

Izel laughed in horrified amusement. Mack and Akama chuckled while nodding in agreement.

We arrived at the Commissary and parked. Secured in our protection, we headed inside. While Mack stayed with me, Akama accompanied Izel who grabbed a bag boy to push her cart, then took the elevator to the second floor to find personal items. I was not surprised to see her looking at ease. However, she did surprise me when she blew me a kiss and then grinned and waved as the lift doors closed.

I was already feeling very protective of her. I realized I could get very used to having her in my life.

I called Pen and left messages for Hanami and Chita, letting them know where I was. Pen wasn't happy we were shopping with only two bodyguards. "I assume you're shopping separately? I'll send another team over."

After the phone call, I went to the Financial Desk and withdrew more cash, then arranged for Izel to have a charge card of her own, attached directly to my account rather than creating a sub-account with a limit. In a way, it felt odd, because Janetta had the account I gave her as well as her own account. I still had access to the accounts I had set up for the others because they were subsidiary to mine. I could add money to theirs, but while they could withdraw the funds at will, I could only withdraw the funds with their permission. I did that for their protection. If I gave it to them, it was theirs. Full stop. Izel would be issued her card once her photo and both thumbprints were recorded.

With that done, I went to the electronics section, quickly selecting a top-of-the-line laptop and carry-satchel. Then I found a phone that looked capable of linking to the new laptop. While browsing, I found a few new music discs for Cholan. I also found some new educational programs for my girls, but I wanted to see what they looked like before purchasing them. I saw some simple board games, too. Added the board games and music discs into my shopping cart.

Moving from the computer games and into the toy section, I grabbed a box of plastic wild animals and simple painted wooden blocks in various shapes. The purchases for the kids and Cholan, I arranged to be delivered. The ten credits it cost was worth it. Still, I had the plastic animals and blocks with me in a canvas tote purchased at the checkout stand.

Having paid for the phone and the laptop, I took them with me. I slipped the second laptop carry-bag onto my shoulder to join my own. Heading upstairs with Mack, I put in the battery to Izel's new phone, noted it was in need of charging, and programmed in numbers for the house, my work phone, and Janetta's work number. Taking the elevator, and I added in my parents, Bilan, Doyya, Pen, and Jay as well.

Mack and I found them upstairs. Izel said she wanted to get some things for Calia and Janetta. She raised her eyes and asked me if I knew their sizes. I wasn't worried about the prices. Unless you were getting jewelry or special-order things, most of the Commissary's inventory was priced for mid-level enlisted and officers on a budget. Still, Izel had three shopping carts full and had acquired attendants to push each of them.

"I don't know them by heart," I admitted, taking in the fact that besides the cart being pushed by the bag boy, she was pushing one of her own. "However, I do have their sizes on my phone. Which reminds me, I will need to get your sizes, Lady Kandikan. Four carts? I hope you're not planning on opening your own store."

She looked surprised, then concerned. "Is this too much? Janetta told me to ask before getting any jewelry, but otherwise to get what I needed. I have one suitcase at your place and a small personal valise for soaps, perfumes, and other essentials. But the other three suitcases and two trunks are filled with very high-end clothing, headdresses, and shoes. Stuff you'd wear to the Imperial Court, or to a state dinner. I have almost nothing of a practical nature. You seem to prefer practical clothing at home."

Contrite, I said, "I'm sorry. I was only teasing you. I should have remembered you have only known me a very short while. Whatever you have selected is fine, Izel."

Raising her eyebrows, she looked at what I was carrying. "What are those?"

"Presents. For later."

Raising her eyes in return, she asked, "Anyone I know?"

I laughed. "Maybe."

Stepping closer, she asked, "Do you mind?"

Handing them over, she examined them. "Something for Mina?"

"Mina has a set already."

"Too old for Sisi. She's a remarkably bright girl. Someone else who's small, then. These are good. The animals are large enough to pass the taste test that babies do while being too large to cause choking. Once they are shown, blocks can provide hours of experimentation. Square blocks with letters or numbers or animal shapes are also good. Other ideas include kid-sized furniture. Modeling clay. Simple panels with latches and windows, like a house with windows showing different people doing different things is another idea. Books of their own with simple sentences. Hard to go wrong with stuffed animals, too. Even child-sized forks and spoons, especially if they have an animal or something bright and colorful that they can readily identify as belonging to them."