“Of course. You’re right,” she said as she put their plates back down.
The nearest bedding area was to her left, so she climbed onto the pillow and didn’t bother removing her robe. Sleep and a full stomach seemed to overcome her. She didn’t move for several moments after she plopped down. He found a pillow-bed nearby and stretched out.
Above him, sparkling decorator lights shimmered like stars on a warm Craetorian night. But even that lovely vision didn’t take his mind off the woman sleeping nearby.
How long was he capable of remaining the professional commanding officer? And if he couldn’t, how could they complete this mission?
He
craved
her.
Even though he’d tried to cast out all such longings in the shower, he still recalled every nuance of her face and lips. As he now was, he daren’t even kiss her for luck. His need wouldn’t allow such innocent contact and leave it there.
This
is what a warrior from his world suffered when he’d been too long without feminine company and desired it above all else. This is what happened when a female Earther ran down a narrow canyon and into his life.
He turned on his left side, struck the pillow several times with his right fist, and buried his head into the indentation. Even though his body ached for hers, the comforts of a plush bed coupled with absolute exhaustion eventually quieted his brittle nerves.
The soft sheets and luxurious bed cover felt like a warm breeze against his skin. His eyelids drooped but he quickly jerked them open again as he would have had he been in battle too long, without rest. But sleep finally came.
• • •
Soldar awoke to what he thought was the next morning. He slid out of his pillow bed, tightened the belt on his robe, and checked the time on the holo-com work station. “Corona’s balls!” He passed his hand through the holographic image as if by doing so might change the time. It was many hours past morning. Too many. He hadn’t expected to sleep for so long.
There were no messages on the computer system. That meant nothing was amiss; Aigean was calm enough with the situation to let them rest. It was conversely bad if their hostess actually couldn’t warn them.
Perhaps they’d slept too long and the woman couldn’t get to a holo-com because she was being watched. But no alarms had sounded. Surely they would have been activated by the Condorians themselves, if they perceived a threat.
His left hand automatically dredged through his hair and he decided to awaken Lyra. Since she hadn’t done him that favor, he assumed she was still asleep.
Indeed, he found her snugly tucked beneath a blanket, resting like a soft little bird. His hand moved forward to gently nudge her shoulder, but he hesitated and pulled it back. All he’d have to do was sidle into her bed, stretch out next to her, and pull her into his embrace. Some instinct told him she’d turn into his body and cuddle against it as if she belonged there.
The first kiss they’d shared at the oasis vividly came to mind. It would be so easy and warm to awaken her with another but he couldn’t yet find it in his heart to break her soft slumber.
Asleep, she was the most captivatingly sweet sight he’d seen in a very long time. She lay on her right side with her hands tucked beneath her cheek. Her palms were pressed together. It was as if she was praying.
He’d once witnessed her Earth brethren praying before going into battle. During that instance — where these brave fighters had stopped to ask forgiveness before their priests — Soldar had stopped to observe and learn. He’d asked questions about their deity. An Earth cleric had explained creationism philosophy that was eerily similar to his planet’s beliefs. Sadly, he’d later learned that most of those praying warriors, and the priest who went with them to serve as their battlefield minister, had been slaughtered.
That
memory forcefully brought his senses back to the mission. No one was safe. No one was spared. And they might be set upon at any minute if Aigean’s people faltered and one of them gave this mission away.
Such things happened when people panicked. They could trust no one but themselves until proof of loyalty was presented. There was no question where his partner’s allegiance lay. Lyra ran upon his location while turning to fight an enemy she thought would kill her. She’d die before giving up this mission. Everyone
else
must prove they could be trusted. As for him, he’d never give up the encrypted codes that Allied Forces used to identify messages as authentic. To that end, they had to make some quick plans that wouldn’t include Aigean’s bridge crew.
He slowly sat on the bed so as not to alarm her, then leaned over and pushed the fringe of soft silky bangs off her forehead. “Lyra … it’s time to get up,” he whispered.
She took a deep breath, turned onto her back, and slowly opened her eyes. “W-what time is it?”
“By Reisen Four time, it’s evening of the next day. We slept for many hours.”
He dropped his gaze when she sat up. The front of her robe had fallen open and the full swell of her breasts was quite visible. She quickly pulled the right side of the garment over the left and retied her belt. As he saw it, the gesture was a bit pointless seeing as how she’d originated the idea of their being a traveling sex team. But they weren’t putting on an act for anyone right now. Both of them needed to keep perspective.
“Was there any communication from Aigean?” she quickly asked.
He shook off the pleasurable sight of her round, cream-colored breasts, stood, and turned away. “No, and that worries me. She should have left some kind of message.”
“Let’s not borrow trouble,” Lyra reasoned as she scooted off the bed and stood. “I was hoping someone might show up with clothes. If we put on the same things we arrived in, we’ll look even worse than when we just came in off the badlands. I’m sure everyone except the Condorians must be dressed impeccably.”
Soldar was about to concur with that point when the buzzer to their quarters sounded loud and long. He held up his hand, motioning for her to stay put, and went to the hatch that served as their door. The security monitor allowed him to see Aigean and half a dozen of her crewmembers standing in the passageway, all bearing crates, cases, and bundles of goods. “It’s all right,” he confirmed and saw Lyra let out a sigh in relief.
They stood in the middle of the room after he let in their hostess and her minions. It was a shock to see Aigean breeze into their quarters smiling, as if the universe had no problems too big to handle.
Crewmembers with her were wearing dark blue robes. Their hoods were pulled up to designate them as servants, not sex givers. These silent vassals flooded in behind the blue-green Elderian and began to unpack sundries.
Soldar glanced at Lyra and shared a confused shrug with her while the people worked. He noted that some of them were Elderian like Aigean. Others were from various worlds where every skin hue was represented, along with a spare arm or two.
“What’s all this stuff?” Lyra asked, gesturing toward the boxes, crates, and parcels.
Aigean gazed around her before explaining. “We told the Condorian guards that these were the crates of goods and other paraphernalia necessary for your act.” She moved closer. “You still intend to pass yourselves off as a traveling sex duo, do you not?”
Soldar and Lyra simultaneously nodded.
“You may speak in front of any of my employees on this vessel,” she assured them. “I know this is difficult to understand, given what you two have probably experienced, but you can trust them with your lives.”
When Soldar glanced at the faces of the crew, they concurrently nodded. This
we can be trusted
signal was appreciated but he was still of the opinion that confidence needed to be earned. Apparently Lyra thought the same thing.
He held up his hand and gestured toward the sleeping area he’d used the night before, silently asking both Lyra and Aigean to follow.
When they were in his bed area, Soldar spoke softly. “Aigean … I appreciate the danger you’re in, but we have no plans at all. I came here depending on you to have the details worked out as to my movements. If one of your crew is ever accosted or threatened by a Condorian, they could easily sell us out.”
“They wouldn’t,” Aigean argued. “Not in this life or the next.”
“Others we thought were allies
have
,” he insisted. “We need to know what’s going on and right now. Why didn’t you contact us or leave a message? Why were we allowed to sleep so long?”
Aigean raised one brow. “First, as I’ve already told you, every one of my people has lost family to the Condorians. They’d as soon die rather than cater to them, but do so on this ship to glean vital information. They find it repugnant to even have them near. I’ll warrant my employees’ experiences are as horrific as anything you may have seen while fighting,” she vehemently insisted. “It was information my people gleaned that kept me from contacting you these last hours. But we’ll get to that in a moment.” She arranged her long, tunic-style gown around her figure before continuing. “Second, I don’t know if either of you were aware of how desperately exhausted you looked. I could see it in your eyes, and knew you’d never make it through events I’ve contrived if you didn’t get some much needed rest. My information has the same importance attached now as when I received it. It will be the same tonight, so that’s when you’ll get it to Allied HQ.”
“Explain,” Lyra responded.
“The midnight shift period will be the best time approach the bridge, and use your authentication codes to send a message. But only Lyra will be able to actually gain access to that area.”
Lyra held up her hands in confusion. “Okay, back up. Could you explain everything you just said? We’re moving pretty fast here. Why tonight?”
Aigean took a deep breath before continuing. “Some of my sex servants were attending the Condorians at a private party in Admiral Kardis D’uhr’s quarters. The Condorian contingent was quite drunk and full of Ambrosiaq … a terrible substance I would never allow on board if I had a choice. Infuriatingly, the bastards insisted on bringing that foul, hallucinogenic sexual stimulant on my ship.” She pursed her lips in apparent contempt. “At any rate, the Condorians’ tongues were sufficiently loosened that the servants heard a plan concerning the mining colony of Taurean Seti-Seven. The Condorians intend to loot it for Lorbidrium. I’m sure you know they use it to fuel their ships.”
“My God! Now I remember where I heard that name. Admiral Kardis D’uhr is the new leader of all the Condorian attack forces in this entire sector,” Lyra blurted. “Information has it that he took over suddenly. Nobody seems to know why.”
“He took over when the old admiral mysteriously died in his sleep. Or so our captors say,” Aigean confirmed. “But D’uhr is nothing if not tenacious. He’s attacking hard and early in his new position. He means to wash this entire sector in the blood of every last ally. So if you can get a message to Allied Command that the Lorbidrium on that world is about to be looted, and that the miners and their families will be attacked, our side may have time to evacuate or at least hide the citizens. Certainly, the Allies will be able to destroy the fuel depots. That, of course, will leave some of the older allied vessels without a fuel source, but I understand that the Condorians are hard pressed to provide energy for their thousands of ships. I believe they can ill afford to run low, whereas the allies are having a difficult time finding enough troopers to even staff their vessels. Never mind fuel them.”
“Fuel is one of the reasons Condorians declared war,” Soldar mused. “Their race claims they haven’t enough of it, or enough provisions to provide for all their people. So instead of making diplomatic offers, the vermin attacked and took what they wanted. Losing part of their population hardly bothers them when there are so many. They have many more colonies around their home world than all the allies combined … something I’m sure all your employees are aware of.”
Aigean nodded in agreement. “I believe they won’t launch the attack until Kardis can send word to do so from my bridge. He hesitates only to allow his fleet to gather for the strike … that and he’s so sated with sex, wine, and Ambrosiaq that he can’t function properly most days. The bastard certainly doesn’t want to return to his own vessel. I do my best to make sure that, if he’s here, he stays satiated,” she informed them. “I waited until my people could glean every detail they could before coming to you now. This is one reason why I let you sleep … besides the fact that you both desperately needed it, as I’ve said.”
“But why would I have a better chance to get on the bridge?” Lyra asked.
“No Condorian will allow Soldar access. Even
if
they believe he’s neutral where his planet’s politics are concerned, he wouldn’t have any reason to be there so soon after arriving. But
you
could do it,” she insisted.
Lyra shrugged in confusion.
“You can disguise yourself in one of my servant’s robes,” Aigean explained. “We’ll alter your appearance to look like someone else. You’re of a similar size and stature as many of my women. But Soldar’s size makes disguising him impossible even if we could cover his facial mark. He’s simply too conspicuous.”
Soldar shook his head in objection. “Lyra doesn’t know the authentication codes. They’re long. Even if she could memorize them in such a short time, she hasn’t time to enter them into the computer
and
enter a message to HQ from the bridge. It would take several minutes for her to do this, assuming she got everything correct,” he argued. “Her actions would surely be noticed. Furthermore, those codes change every seventy-two hours. I’m the only member of my team left alive who knows the sequencing alterations.”
Aigean lifted her hands in frustration. “How did you intend to get any information back to the allies, then?”
Soldar walked to the wall computer in their quarters and put one hand on the monitor. “All ship spaces have computers like these. They’re solely for internal communications.”
“Go on,” Aigean prompted.
“It’s dangerous, but I was going to store the codes in one of these work stations and get someone I felt I could trust onto the bridge. Once there that spy could enter brief messages to HQ. Then I’d have shown that same person how to attach the stored authentication codes from the work station and onto the message sent from your bridge transmitter. In fact, I was relying on you for this part of the mission,” Soldar outlined. “I had a hunch I could never get on the bridge and I couldn’t just hand over the codes to one of your people.”