Westrons Pt. 08

She was happy to come that way, but immediately pulled me into the missionary position. My second (or third?) wind kicked in.

A day later, my fourth wind was definitely gone. I don't know if Aneli took pity on me, or if she was tired out herself.

I staggered back to camp, late at night. Tallia helped me to my cot, and covered me with a blanket.

***

The next afternoon - I slept through the entire morning - Tallia had hot soup for me.

- "How was she?" she asked, with a big grin.

- "Great." I was a bit shy, but I remembered how Tallia's whole family had been interested in the details of Airta's hemmer. Time to start thinking and acting like a Westron, I told myself.

"Countess Aneli has ... umm ... large appetites."

- "And large breasts." said Tallia, holding her hands well out in front of her chest. "You must have enjoyed playing with them."

- "Ah -" Okay, adopting more Westron attitudes was going to take me a little longer.

She looked down, at the gap between her hands and her own tiny breasts. "Sometimes I wish that I was much larger."

- "Don't." I said. "You're perfect as you are."

Oops. I hadn't meant that to sound flirtatious. Tallia blushed, and lowered her hands. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. She broke it first.

- "The guns are here." she said. "Your cannon have arrived."

I was out of bed a moment later. Langoret was waiting for me.

There they were - six brand new 3-pound guns. As cannons go, these were pop-guns. But they were light enough to be pulled by a couple of soldiers. And they just might - I hoped - offset a little of our opponent's advantage in firepower.

- "They don't look like much." said Tallia.

- "Mobility first." said.

To my surprise, and delight, one of the Wole drivers who'd transported the guns to us was familiar to me.

- "Lebuc?"

- "You remember? I am honoured."

Lebuc was the ox-cart driver who'd given me a ride from Frenet, and then found me another ride to get me to Cercen. His mustache was even more luxurious, and he was wearing a bright green vest around his portly frame.

- "How could I forget?" I said. "You did me a great service. And if ever I can repay it ... you have but to ask."

- "You've come a long way, Colonel." said the Wole.

That was when I remembered another of my projects - I had dozens, but this one was high enough, in terms of priority.

- "Would you share my midday meal, Lebuc? You and the other drivers?"

He was taken aback, but recovered quickly.

- "We would be pleased, Colonel."

There are many ways to defeat your enemy: advantage of numbers, superior position ... and better intelligence.

I was frustrated by how little we knew about what the Crolians intended. Themis had told me everything she knew about her hereditary enemies, but it hadn't helped me much, in terms of predicting what they might do next.

But the Woles knew both Westrons and Crolians. They travelled freely between the kingdoms, did business, and were relied on by both sides.

I wasn't so crass as to ask if they'd be willing to spy for me. But Lebuc and his friends saw nothing wrong with telling me what they'd seen, or what they'd heard. Of course, they expected something in return; who doesn't?

Langoret wasn't thrilled, at first, when I invited her to join us. But halfway through our meal, she began to see what I was after. By the end of our meal, she was in a state of disbelief.

- "They know so much." she said.

- "True. And we've only just begun to ask questions."

***

We split the guns - three to each regiment - and practiced taking them with us on marches. A trooper could carry two of the 3lb shot without too much trouble. Two women could drag the little guns, though it took four to get them across rough terrain.

We were also fairly wasteful with powder, making sure that our riflewomen and our skirmishers got plenty of practice with our new weapons, and our new tactics.

- "You spend an awful lot of time working with the soldiers." observed Tallia. "I didn't think Colonels did that."

- "Know your soldiers, and make sure they know you." I said.

- "Well put." said Langoret.

I explained to Tallia that a commander was only as good as their chain of command. If the junior officers and the rank and file troopers understood what you were trying to do, they were more likely to implement orders correctly.

- "I see." said Tallia. She did, too. For someone with no military training and zero experience, she caught on quickly.

I admired her intelligence, and her ability to adapt so swiftly - just as I also admired her slender form as she bent over the map table.

It was strange to have her know what I'd been doing at the Countess' Manor. Tallia had once again helped me pick the right flowers to send to Aneli - but I noticed that she didn't ask for any more details of the encounter.

Unfortunately, my time with Aneli, far from sating me, only whetted my appetite for more. But I wasn't about to start visiting my soldiers when they went into hemmer - even if some of them might have appreciated it.

There was plenty of ribald talk, and I heard quite a bit of it, even firsthand. Sometimes I wondered if I'd been meant to hear it. It just wasn't worth the risk, though: if 2 or 3 soldiers would have welcomed my attentions, that was all well and good, but if just one felt that I was abusing my position, then I could jeopardize all of the trust and credibility I'd built up.

My thoughts kept returning to Tallia. She was lovely - and only 18. I was ... 25, I suppose (does stasis count?). The difference between us was considerably less than that between Vanova and me. Still, Tallia seemed awfully young.

If she went into hemmer, could I send her away? Or did the simple fact that she was here at all indicate that her parents knew what might happen, and were prepared to accept it?

***

We took the troops on lengthy marches, dragging our little guns along, and blew off plenty of gunpowder as we practiced with cannon, rifles, and muskets.

I spend my days explaining to the troops what we were trying to achieve, a company or a platoon at a time. Langoret did the same in her regiment.

Then I was ordered to the capital. Langoret took over while I travelled to Cercen. Tallia came with me, in the company of our Inhaber. We rode in an ox-cart designed for carrying passengers.

Aneli was friendly and easy-going - but it seemed to me that no one would ever be able to guess that we'd rutted for three days straight only a few weeks ago.

There were no lingering glances, no intimate touches. Aneli wasn't at all shy, though; she could discuss the regiment's business for an hour, and then switch to the topic of sex.

- "If I'd known earlier what you could do ..." she mused. "I would have kept you locked in my cellar. Or perhaps not - your gifts should probably be shared."

It made me more than a little uncomfortable - especially with Tallia sitting next to me. I had to adjust, obviously. Sooner or later, I'd have to learn to think like a Westron, when it came to sex.

If I could.

***

I gave Tallia leave to spend with her family; she'd never been away from them for an extended period of time. I joined them for a meal, on our second night in Cercen. Most of the time, though, I was at the Palace.

This year's campaign against the Crolians wasn't going particularly well. The South was quiet, after Tonol, and would stay that way until the enemy could replace all their lost siege guns. But the news from other areas was less encouraging.

Kanitz kept me busy. I met gunsmiths and foundry workers, a Quartermaster and a wheelwright. The gunsmiths interested me most.

- "You know," I said, "you could increase production dramatically if you could persuade these gunsmiths to take on more workers - even just a second apprentice."

She laughed. "That won't happen, Cook. The apprentice sleeps in his master's house. He works for a roof a over his head, and his daily meat. But he fully expects to take over the shop one day - and probably to marry the master's daughter, into the bargain."

"If the gunsmith took on a second apprentice, his first apprentice would quit."

- "Hmm. I hadn't thought about it that way." I admitted.

Kanitz gave me a funny look, but then we moved on to other matters. She arranged for me to see my children again.

Airta was holding Oscel and Caneia, one in each arm. But there was another child in a bassinet: a baby girl, with bright yellow hair, and sparkling blue eyes.

Her mother's hair - and my eyes.

- "She'll be well looked after." Kanitz promised me. "Her name is Tonola. People will think that she was named for the victory. But you know why her mother chose that name."

- "Does she - come to see her?"

- "Almost every day. The Queen put Princess Maia Simonia in charge of the Palace nursery, among her other duties."

What incredible people, I thought, again. What an incredible place.

***

Kanitz spent quite a bit of time with me. Countess Aneli was present for about a quarter of our discussions. We covered the new weapons, new tactics - and I broached my plan for the winter, for the very first time.

- "You can't be serious." said Aneli.

- "No one campaigns in the winter, Cook." said Kanitz.

- "That's why it will work."

Kanitz asked me to stay behind, and I explained in greater detail what I had in mind. When we'd exhausted that subject, she brought up some other ideas I'd mentioned the very first time we'd met.

- "You have an amazing memory, Lady." I said. "I'm impressed - and flattered - that you would remember such things."

- "Perhaps it's because you continue to raise such interesting subjects." she said.

Some of my notions were too innovative for her; they would have required wholesale economic or social changes. But she was a visionary, of sorts, who could see the potential in some of my proposals.

A few of my plans would give us only a temporary advantage; the Crolians could copy them, and use them against us. But I did have a few ideas exclusively suited to the Westrons.

- "We should continue this." said Kanitz. "I have to meet the Queen for an hour or so. What about supper, afterwards? Here?"

- "I'm at your disposal, Countess." Was I wrong, or was there a hint of promise in the look she flashed me? But I hadn't smelled or felt anything which suggested that she might be in hemmer - or even close to it.

- "Airta will show you where you can refresh yourself."

That meant a chamber pot and a wash basin. But I was happy to take advantage of them. Better than the camp latrine, by far.

Kanitz was a bit late, but she'd evidently washed and changed her clothes. She was wearing that damned sheath dress again, which did little to conceal the shape of her breasts, or her prominent nipples.

Airta and another aide served us roasted meats, with a vegetable which reminded me a little of eggplant, onions shaped like leeks, and a variety of mushrooms (most of which were quite tasty).

- "This is wonderful, Countess." I said. "Thank you."

- "You are very welcome, Cook." she said. "Would you like to know what the Queen and I were doing, while you waited?"

- "If ... you want to tell me."

- "Of course I do. I wouldn't have mentioned it, otherwise. There are factions, at court, Cook. There are some who believe that Maia Matila isn't fit to rule. But there are also those who believe that a male should not be allowed to command a regiment."

"Your friend Aneli had to listen to three separate proposals that she turn over command of her regiment to a Westron female."

- "Oh?"

- "She was magnificent, of course. Aneli has a certain ... flair - wouldn't you say?"

- "She certainly does." I agreed. The odds that Kanitz didn't know that Aneli and I had spent three days fucking were ... negligible.

- "She told them that it was her regiment, and that she'd choose a Penchen or a Wole to command it before she let anyone else tell her what to do."

"She also stunned everyone when she told them she was pregnant - and that you were the father. She ... added some details about your ... "

- "Yes - I can imagine." I said, quickly.

"You should be proud, Cook. The Countess hadn't conceived in a number of years. She also rated the experience quite highly."

"Aneli silenced them, for the moment. That's not the same as winning them over. You've had a success, Cook - a brilliant success. But ..."

- "But?"

- "I won't lie to you. There are several influential women who believe that you should not be in command of a regiment."

- "Because I'm a male?"

- "Male. Not a Westron. Too popular ..."

- "Too popular?"

- "Don't let it go to your head. The Queen had to address these requests that you be replaced. There are several people who believe that they could have done even better, at Tonol, had they been there."

- "Ah." I was familiar with the type - I'd met enough of them at AFOTA.

- "We need another success, of some kind." said Kanitz. "I understand, it's not fair, to ask you to win us a victory, when you just did ... but there it is ..."

- "Would the winter plan do it?"

- "It might. But a failure would be ... very awkward."

- "Then we won't fail." I said.

- "I will be occupied for most of the day, tomorrow. Could we meet for supper again - in the evening?"

- "I'm entirely at your disposal, Countess."

- "I like the way you say that, Colonel."

***

I spent the day with Tallia and Esyle, who wanted to 're-stock' the 'food chest', as Tallia put it. That meant following the pair of them about as they found bargains.

- "How is she?" whispered Esyle, at one point, as Tallia haggled with a Wole merchant.

- "Fantastic." I replied. "She knows where everything is - her memory is phenomenal ..." I went on to extol the virtues of my aide. More and more, I was thinking of her as a miracle - some sort of gift from heaven.

- "Oh." said Esyle. She wasn't as impressed as I'd thought she'd be.

Talley was grumpy, and the sisters quarreled. I was happy to get back to the Palace.

Kanitz had changed her clothes - it was another clingy sheath dress, though, which didn't help my concentration at all.

- "Do you mind, Cook, if we don't discuss military matters this evening? Or politics, for that matter - I've had both of them up to here -" She held her hand up to her neck.

- "What would you prefer to talk about?"

- "Tell me about Pylos. Your life there, music, people you knew ..."

This was dangerous territory for me. I could bring up what I'd learned in Sleepread, and rattle off statistics. But Kanitz was very intelligent; she'd recognize it if I sounded like a textbook, or an encyclopedia.

So I began to describe people that she'd never meet, people that I knew, from AFOTA, mixed in with a few childhood friends. Kanitz began steering me towards the subject of my family.

That wouldn't do, either. I had a sudden inspiration, and began to tell her about a fictional family - the Allbetters, from a series of dramavids my mother had been addicted to.

- "You must have had your eye on a young woman ... or more than one." said Kanitz. This was safer territory. Westrons were fascinated by sex, and could talk about it all night.

So I told her about Bia and Long, the techs aboard the Halygon. I hesitated to say anything about Vanova, but the Countess was looking at me, so I began to describe my waitress-lover - probably the most important woman in my life before I'd come to this planet.

Kanitz was very curious about this aspect of my life. I was no expert on Westron females, obviously - but I began to suspect that the Countess might be approaching her hemmer.

There were signs: her eyes were bright, and her nipples were straining the fabric of her dress. She was also frequently touching her unruly hair, twirling the curls between her fingertips . But I couldn't smell anything, and it didn't feel like hemmer - from my limited experience. Perhaps she was still more than a week away.

- "Do you miss her?" she said.

I'd become distracted. She was asking about Vanova.

- "Ah - sometimes. But it's unlikely that we'll meet again. I mean, if I make a career here ..."

- "You are making a career here." said the Countess.

- "Yes. I certainly hope so."

Countess Kanitz smiled. "Shall we go upstairs? The moons are close together."

I didn't know quite what she meant by 'upstairs', but I followed where she led. Our path took us through some private apartments.

- "Yours?" I asked.

- "Mine."

She had a balcony, with a wonderful view of the river, and the city. I was surprised by how dark Cercen was at night. No wonder people stayed indoors after dusk!

- "You can see the rapids, as well." She pointed, off to the right. I was standing to her left, so I had to lean forward to see.

That put me quite close to her. I could smell her hair, and ... her scent. I could feel her body heat. But there was no sign of hemmer about her.

"See them?"

- "No."

- "Here." She squeezed herself in to the very corner of the balcony, to give me a little more space. Then she took my hand, and drew me closer.

"Lean out a little." she suggested.

I did. The white water was a fine sight.

But there was something else, even closer, which monopolized my attention. Kanitz was backed into the very corner of the balcony, but she was facing me. Her hand still held mine.

When I turned my head, our faces were only inches apart.

I didn't understand the hows or the whys - all I knew was that I was inches away from one of the most beautiful women in the Westron Kingdom. She wasn't in hemmer - and yet the invitation was plain.

I kissed her.

It was impossible not to compare. Vanova kissed with love. Airta, Aneli - even Themis - kissed with passion, carried away by their hemmer.

But Kanitz kissed with ... curiosity. She seemed to be exploring the possibilities, or cataloguing the sensations. Whatever it was she was doing left me weak in the knees. When we finally broke the kiss, we were still only inches apart.

- "Well, Colonel ..." She looked me in the eye. "Are you interested?"

I had to smile. Her memory for the things I'd said and done was phenomenal.

- "If the Countess thinks that it would be ... appropriate."

She led me by the hand, back into her chambers. She passed me a candle, and picked up another herself; she brought me to her bedroom.

This was decidedly odd. Unless I was sadly mistaken, we were about to have sex.

But how could she do this, if she wasn't in hemmer? Or was her hemmer so minimal that I couldn't even detect it? Never mind, Cook, I told myself. Enjoy the taste, and the texture - you can ask what kind of food it is afterwards.

Candlelight does marvelous things for a woman's beauty. In Kanitz' case, it made her look spectacular.

She took hold of the hem of her dress, and in one sinuous move, lifted it over her head.

I forgot to breathe.

She had nothing on underneath. Her skin was flawless, her complexion olive. That frizzy mop of dark hair, and her dark eyes ... yet she had the pinkest of nipples, perfectly seated on lovely breasts. Their size and shape suited her admirably.

Her stomach was flat. Her hips swelled only slightly. Her legs were slender, and shapely. She had a triangle of thick pubic hair.

I stepped towards her. Kanitz raised a hand to my chest, and stopped me at arm's length.

- "I'm not in hemmer, Cook." she said. "Do you understand? I will need ... preliminaries."

Preliminaries? What a lovely word for foreplay.

- "I understand, Countess."

She lowered her arm, and stepped closer, to press her body against me. But she buried her head against my chest.

- "When we are alone ... you can use my name, Cook. 'Kanitz' is a title."