Starlight Gleaming Ch. 21 Pt. 05

I recalled Kilfoor mentioning a Pre-Nup Agreement. Fishing through the marital documents, I found it and scanned through it.

Finding the bride's rights and limitations, I read in more depth. I wasn't an attorney, but this wasn't my first contract. I noted that the bride had access to the wealth that she brought to the marriage, with the exception of her dowry, which was noted as being twenty-five thousand credits. I swore; she must have told him about the money that I'd set aside for her, and this was his way of getting his hands on it. The following clause said that in case of marital dissolution before five years for cause, the bride forfeited her entire dowry.

Another clause noted that whether by death or by divorce for any reason, at no time would the bride have access to or inherit any money the groom brought to the marriage because of her commoner birth. Further, any jewelry the bride received at engagement, during the wedding, or during the marriage from the groom were on loan, and at the end of the marriage, by death or divorce, those items were to be immediately reclaimed by the groom or his legal heirs.

Cheap bastard, I thought, and continued reading.

Another clause that piqued my attention was any that funds the couple earned either jointly or separately would be overseen and administered by the groom or his legally appointed fiscal manager.

Reading further, I saw that any children would be tested upon birth to confirm parentage, and would inherit only if no children of dual noble-caste parentage existed, and that if under majority age at the time of death, a legal guardian would be appointed to take care of any child or children and the mother. The wife was entitled, during the marriage, to a stipend of one thousand credits per month, but that any monies unspent would be reclaimed before the next month's stipend was issued. A subclause was that as the bride was an adult, the cost of her bridal gown and her accouterments would be charged against her monthly stipend until the groom was fully reimbursed for his expenses.

Yet another clause stipulated that if she survived his death, that she would be entitled to five thousand credits per year, plus another five thousand for each child that proved to be their joint progeny.

Really cheap bastard, I thought, and put it back into my satchel.

I tried not to see my island girl on her back, crying out in ecstasy as that nasty, greedy, entitled bastard pounded into her tight little pussy until he emptied himself into her. To compensate, I then imagined drawing both pistols and emptying both magazines into his worthless body, then pissing on his corpse. Sadly, my satisfaction was fleeting. Intellectually, I knew it would take a lot of time to get over the aching emptiness where Cholan used to live in my heart. I didn't even know if it was possible to stop loving her. Added to my own pain, I wondered how Roshan had seduced her so thoroughly to agree to such egregious terms.

The important thing was to not lose control in front of my command.

I am a warrior and I am still standing.

It still hurt that she was gone, and without a single word to me beforehand. I repeated it two more times because it seemed to help.

We arrived at the gym.

The clothes in my locker were clean but a little musty as they had been there since the day of the attack by Atlantis, over three weeks ago. I skipped the tee-shirt, shoes and socks, and wore the shorts. I started on the weights, moved to the rowing machine, then pounded and kicked the punching bag - imagining it was Roshan - until I was a sweaty mess, my hands swollen and aching. Panting for air, my muscles burned and I reveled in it. I had been too long away from my maintenance regimen.

Once I caught my breath, I pulled myself back to my feet, went to an open area, cleared my mind, and started my katas, beginning with Jaguar, and with every intention of doing Snake, Eagle, and Eskirat. If I let my thoughts get distracted, I redid the kata.

I was aware I had two diligent and protective guardian angels hovering at my periphery.

What surprised me was the arrival of my wife, dressed in exercise shorts and a sports bra, her long hair in a bound-up braid. Janetta is the most beautiful woman in the world, but there is a grace, even a worldliness about Izel when she moves. She is a looker and those eyes see a lot more than most people give her credit for. What was amazing and heart-wrenching was the love and concern she had for me as she approached.

"I warn you, Izel, I'm covered in sweat."

"Do you think I care?" Her arms came up and she embraced me, squeezing me tight.

Tilting up her head, she kissed me with passion, but pulled back when my hands started to roam. "Not here," she quietly admonished, then louder, added, "Show me those stretching exercises, and then what you were doing."

Time held no meaning as we exercised together. Both of us were sweating and panting when those angels arrived bearing electrolyte-enhanced water bottles. I took note that Mack and Akama had been replaced by Haytam and Cooma. I also noticed both of these corporals were sporting sergeant bars.

As we downed the bottles, Cooma said, "Drink the entire bottle, Lady Kandikan. You've both been going for two hours without even a water break. You don't want to get dehydrated. Here, Commander, you're a bit flushed. You'd best drink this second one as well."

Working on the second bottle, I said, "Congratulations to you both on your promotions. Well deserved."

Haytam grinned. Cooma tried not to smile as she insisted, "Drink, Commander!"

Several of the returning veteran women had sat for and passed the sergeants' exam; there just hadn't been any open billets available. Normally, two sergeants would be split and paired with new and greener partners. I would have to try and remember to give these women the option to stay with their current partner. Then I realized the exercise had worked; I had been blindsided by the news this morning, but I no longer felt overwhelmed.

Izel told me she was done, and I agreed. As we walked to the lockers, Izel said, "Let's collect your gear and go home to clean up."

"In the cruiser, we'll be sweaty and in close quarters. Are you sure?" I put my shirt back on so as to protect the seat.

"If need be, we can open a window, my husband. I'd rather not shower in the men's area, thank you."

"Okay, that's a reasonable request."

After we collected my things, during the drive home, I called Janko and told him I was out for the rest of the day on personal time, but that I would be back in the office tomorrow morning. Then I called Terkouri and told him much the same, adding I'd received some bad personal news earlier in the morning and unless there was an emergency, I was out for the rest of the day. Both men wished me well and hung up.

Once I was home, I discovered that Sowitwee was doing what I'd asked him to do. A few troopers with their little children dressed to the nines waited outside what used to be Terra and Saliva's room while Sowitwee took photographs of the child, the mother, and both together in a handful of poses that the women themselves had agreed upon.

Upstairs Izel and I quickly undressed and enjoyed a hot shower together. Because she asked, I washed her hair for her. She cooed and hummed in pleasure the whole time. As we sat on the bed, Izel said, "Sometimes you brush the hair of the others. Will you brush mine?"

Smiling, I nodded and set to work, untangling the hair and brushing out her long tresses. When I was done, she put on underwear, socks and soft leather shoes, and because the weather was getting cooler, added leggings and long-sleeved dress. While I pulled on clean underwear, slacks, tee-shirt, and deck shoes, I put our dirty clothes to put into the laundry hamper. In the meantime, Izel had taken the neckerchief she'd received at our wedding and had me use it to tie off her hair.

The third time my stomach rumbled, Izel raised her eyebrows and asked, "Did you eat lunch today?"

"Nope."

With a determined look, she immediately strode out.

I plopped onto my back on the bed, thoughts whirling. I was no longer furious, but I was angry about Cholan leaving, especially without saying goodbye, or even talking to me first. I felt hurt. Betrayed. But I kept coming back to the fact that none of it made any sense. We hadn't fought or drifted apart, but in between her working on the upgrade project, she had been effectively isolated from contact from those she knew and cared for, working solely within Roshan's immediate purview for twelve days. And during the last few days, she'd avoided her officer as well.

Then I realized why the sudden change was familiar because I'd learned such things at Sparantzlo. It was the same tactics used to turn those loyal to another cause to become spies or double-agents. Mild psychotropics were used to improve suggestibility, to make what had once been unthinkable into something plausible, even desired.

Digging out my laptop, I fished around and found the data stick from Hackatay. Izel returned carrying a tray with two drinks, a bowl of steaming soup, and a grilled sandwich cut in half. She moved things on the desk, setting out the plate with the sandwich and the soup.

"Come eat, Ranji. You'll feel the better for it. Leave the computer for a few moments. While you eat, you can tell me more about the news that has upset both you and Janetta so badly."

The drinks turned out to be smoothies, and Izel took one for herself. I talked while I ate, surprised at how hungry I was once I started eating. I must have inhaled it as quickly as it all disappeared. She listened attentively while I spoke. I started to talk about my observations, but she interrupted.

"You and Cholan went to Copán a couple of months ago. I keep hearing references about the trip, but I've not heard the entirety. From the beginning, tell me everything that happened."

I did. Because of my emotional state, I stood and sometimes paced as I talked. It took some time, and about halfway through my telling, Janetta and Zinja came into the bedroom. Both quietly got into civvies as I continued the tale.

I started to gloss over the incidents with Sowitwee and his family as well as late-night rescue raid, but Janetta interrupted me, saying, "Tell her everything, even the private things you told me. We could use her take on things."

All three women listened attentively, and by Janetta's motions, they scooted closer to sit together. Because of Breena's involvement, I included that incident as well, and by Janetta's face, she wasn't happy that I'd withheld that incident.

"I can see you're upset, but why?" I asked Janetta. "Cholan and I were lovers before that trip. You even emphasized it was our chance to be alone together."

"I'm not upset that you fucked or made love with her, though I am jealous that you and she became members of the Rad High Club and I am not! No, it's the secrets, Kandikan. I hate 'em. The fact that her sister watched you fucking should have been told to me. That sergeant of yours, Mack. Did she watch the both of you, too?"

"I don't think so. The way I was facing, I'm pretty sure I would have seen her if she'd peeked. But there's no doubt she listened to us and this afternoon, she admitted that she'd heard all the things Cholan told her sister."

Izel said, "That's very enlightening." Then her visage grew more serious. "I'm aware that something dreadful happened to Sergeant Stimmi and Lieutenant Tchanoonka. Was Minister Supay involved in their deaths?"

Mentally, I flinched against the memory of Yalcamara's death that tried to replay those grisly images in my head. Willed myself to believe that one day I would have revenge. I needed to focus on the here and now.

"Yes. He not only knew, he ordered their deaths," I answered, looking away.

"I see," Izel said. "I won't ask for details, Ranji. Obviously, you cared about them both and your wounds are still too fresh."

"There's more," I told her. "He sent two teams of assassins to kill me, Izel. Much worse, he also sent agents to destroy the primary school solely on the chance it would kill Sisi and Mina. If you can believe it, the bombs were set to go off on Ascension Day, the day the Empire was founded. The school had a whole set of patriotic events for the children to participate in. When the bombs were set to go off, the place would have been packed with children, parents, and teachers." I took a long breath and exhaled before continuing. "We even found the flimsy evidence set to blame Atlantis for the intended atrocity. We are angry that the Atlanteans bombed both schools and killed forty-two little kids, thirty-seven teens, and nineteen parents. Had Supay's mad plan succeeded, I would have lost my girls, Calia, and Ixma, and High Guard would be reeling from the loss of nearly every child from five to ten years old."

"How awful."

"Thanks to Calia, we found those bombs and safely diffused them—"

"Calia?" Izel queried. "How was she involved?"

"She dreamt the bombs had gone off, and described where the explosions had come from. I've learned that when Calia gives me a warning, to take it seriously."

"How remarkable," my wife observed. "A foretelling. Oh, do go on."

"Proof of Supay's involvement led to the War Minister, Lord Wanitsl, severing all shared military communications with Imperial Security. The only reason Supay's efforts stopped is because my father is an important researcher, and his team were the ones to develop the shield generator circuit board that Cholan worked on. The Air Marshal and War Minister pled the case that the death of me or anyone in my immediate family would have adverse effects on my father's continuing participation in further work. The Emperor himself had to intervene and personally order Supay to desist in his efforts to kill me or anyone in my family, especially my parents."

"Does this have anything to do with Cholan's nightmare a short time ago?"

Janetta said, "Yes. A short time later, Supay murdered Cholan's parents, and all the servants as well. He had them declared traitors to the Empire, sold off all their property and pocketed everything. Cholan and her two sisters were sent large photographs graphically documenting their murders. Their bodies were badly mutilated, but their faces barely touched. Her sister Tanti had been living with her parents when Ranji and Cholan visited. Breena and her kids likely would likely not have survived had they remained in Copán. By bringing them both to High Guard, he saved all their lives."

Izel smiled at me. "And those two women are now living with young Penimits Fortri. By becoming your wife, I've potentially painted a huge target on my back." Izel immediately held up her hands to stifle Janetta's rising outrage. "Wait! Before you let me have it between the eyes, Janetta, I want to say I would still have come here and thrown myself at Ranji's mercy, still begged to become his wife. But for my friend's suggestion, I would never have even considered him as someone who would protect me from my own family. I am ashamed for all the good men and women murdered and hurt by my brother and his rampaging band of thieves. Yet even if I am now in the Minister's crosshairs, I would still choose to be here with all of you."

"Good save," Janetta murmured as she sat back against the headboard.

I gazed at my wife sternly. "Izel, you need to stop thinking of Kirfan as being part of your family. He is dirt beneath our feet. I am your husband, and all of us are your family now. Am I clear?"

Smiling demurely, Izel answered, "Yes, my sweet husband, you are very clear. You are right, of course. I misspoke and meant no offense. Will you forgive me?"

"I believe a kiss might satisfy my injured feelings," I told her. "If it's a good one."

Janetta and Zinja laughed as Izel eagerly bounded off the bed and wrapped herself in my arms. Pressing herself against me, she offered up a passionate kiss by way of apology. I accepted her penitence. Indeed, I had to have a few more before we were both satisfied.

Terra with Sisi knocked on the door to announce that dinner was nearly ready. While Terra collected the tray and dishes, we four adults washed up and headed down for our meal, which we enjoyed.

In the months since I'd started reading to my girls, more than a few hundred Imperial credits had been spent buying up large-picture books for Mina, books aimed for kids Sisi's age, and older stories that both girls could grow into. Even with more than two score books for Mina to choose from, we were already repeating them. For a couple of weeks, Mina often helped pick her story for the night, and definitely showed she had some favorites that she enjoyed hearing again and again. To my utter delight, when I was reading to her, Mina was quietly repeating the words, so I began to point to each word, giving her time to repeat them.

Later, as I said goodnight to them, I told Mina how proud I was of her. "One day, instead of me reading to you, you can read those stories to me!"

"Noooo!" Then she reached for her mother.

Lying beside her, Ixma hugged her girl. "What's the matter, baby?"

"Like stories!" Mina sniffed. "Keep reading!"

I chuckled. "Nothing is changing, Mina. You will get stories before bedtime as long as you want." Seeing my older girl watching, so I added, "Sisi, too."

Sisi grinned at me.

Leaning over, I kissed her cheek. "Excited that school is restarting next week?"

"Yes, Tenant. Should I get new clothes? You're in the Ground Service now, and I wanna match you."

"Ah. That's temporary, Sisi. I'll be back in Air Service blues before you know it."

"How long is temper... airy?"

I took the time and said the word slowly and had her repeat it a few times before I answered. "A few weeks, maybe a month at most. If it ends up being longer and you still want a junior Ground Service uniform, we'll make it happen. Good enough?"

She nodded. "All right, Tenant. Love you."

"I love you, too, Sisi."

In the bedroom, Izel, Janetta, and I - with Zinja in attendance, continued our discussion about Cholan.

To that end, on examining the data stick, I found a video file and queued it up. Watching it, we saw Roshan and Cholan in their marital clothes, standing in front of a priest to Inti at the temple in High Guard. Immediately apparent to me were the bags under her eyes, indicating that at the time of the video, she was seriously lacking in sleep.

Cholan's only words were, "I say goodbye to you and willingly start life as the wife of my Lord Roshan. I look forward to becoming a full-time mother and serving my new husband in that capacity."

She also did not face the camera, keeping her eyes demurely to the ground, and after this announcement, she sat at his feet, staring off as she leaned against his legs.

Roshan followed that announcement, forbidding all contact with his wife without his direct permission, and with the importance of getting the new weapon system into production as soon as possible, he declared that he would be too busy for the next year to receive any visitors.

At that point, the video ended.

"That didn't even sound like her," Janetta muttered.

"Lord Roshan has a dark reputation at the Emperor's Court," Izel told us. "He has destroyed the reputations of several young noblewomen, seducing and impregnating them, and then denying he ever made mention of marriage. The women each claimed that he convinced them to quit using birth control. The Empress has forbidden him from approaching the Emperor when she is present."

Janetta was incredulous. "How did this happen? After the first few times, you'd think his reputation would be enough to keep the young women would steer clear of him!"