Charlotte Boyett-Compo- WIND VERSE- Hunger's Harmattan (15 page)

“We had a slight problem with our main
thrusters so we’ll most likely be here a few hours longer,” was the reply.

“Good,” Shanee said. “There are some things
I need to do before we leave.” She indicated the elevator at the rear of the
bridge. “Let’s get settled in,
ehemann
.”

“Oh by the way, Lieutenant,” the captain
called out. “We’ve stored in plenty of tenerse and Sustenance for you and there
is a containment cell if you need it during the trip.”

“He won’t,” Shanee said, and urged him to
walk.

Ailyn looked at her but said nothing. He
had noticed the change in the tone of her voice. It wasn’t soft or feminine as
he was accustomed to hearing it and now held a slight disdain and haughtiness
that caught his full attention. As they took the elevator up to her quarters on
Level Four he even noticed her shoulders and back were now ramrod straight,
making her appear untouchable. He was surprised at the size of his wife’s
quarters as they entered. He looked around him and whistled.

“Not bad, little Amazeen. I was expecting
nothing more than a bunk and a table.”

“I am the Primary Riezell Guardian,” she
said with her chin lifted. “The military caters to me.”

A slow, sensual grin spread over the
Reaper’s full lips. “Is that so?”

“Aye, it is so,” she stated imperially at
his lifted brow. “Don’t give me that look, Harmattan.”

He moved closer to her and slid his arms
around her waist. “I understand the appearance you must present outside these
walls,
ionúin
, but inside them, remember who the husband is and who is
the wife.”

She gave him a stiff look. “What are you
saying?”

“I am saying that outside these walls I
will be a dutiful husband and respect you for the position you hold. I will
never undermine that position nor will I question it. But when we are alone,
you are not the Primary Riezell Guardian and I am not the target you were sent
to retrieve. I am your husband, your mate.” He pulled her close and lowered his
lips to her neck, whispering against her flesh. “I am your lover.”

Chills wiggled down Shanee’s side and her
knees felt weak as his lips trailed over her skin. Her hands were pressed
between them and beneath her palm she could feel his stalwart heart beating
calmly and steady.

“I can be a bitch,” she warned him.

“I imagine you can,” he replied, and moved
his lips to her ear where he caught the soft lobe between his teeth.

“I can be arrogant and…” She stopped as he
thrust his tongue into her ear and she shuddered beneath his gentle assault.
“Ailyn, don’t.”

“Why not?” he whispered. “It is my legal
right to seduce you and I intend to do just that.”

She pushed him back, surprised when he
allowed her to do so. She put up a hand and shook her finger at him. “Behave,
ehemann
.
There will be time for that but right now there are things I must do before we
leave Theristes.”

He shrugged as though it didn’t matter.
“All right.” He looked about him. “Where is the vid-com?”

A bit disappointed that he had given in so
quickly, Shanee frowned. “Over there.”

Ailyn glanced at the screen to which she
was pointing and grunted. “Things have changed since I was last on a starship.”
His eyebrows drew together. “Where is the keyboard?”

“A keyboard is not required,” she said.
“Vid-com on!”

The screen went from black to a pearly gray
and a woman’s face appeared. “How may I help you, Colonel?”

Shanee indicated her mate. “This is my
husband Lieutenant Harmattan. He wishes to…” She turned and looked at him.
“What is it you wish to do?”

Ailyn thrust his hands into the pockets of
his black leather trousers. “I would like to catch up on what’s been happening
since I was away.”

His wife nodded curtly. “Good idea.
Vid-com, access historical data from twenty-one years earlier so the lieutenant
can view them. Provide whatever assistance he needs.”

“Understood, Colonel,” the vid-com replied.

“On standby then,” Shanee said, and the
figure on the screen froze.

“Cybot?” he inquired, staring at the
screen.

“Class 8 construct,” she answered. “Have a
seat at the desk and when you’re ready, just tell her what you want to see.”

He nodded. “Okay.” When she started for the
door he asked when she’d return.

“When I have accomplished what I need to
do,” she said, and then softened the answer with a smile.

After she was gone, Ailyn went over to the
desk and leaned against it, his arms now folded over his chest. “Vid-com?” he
said in an authoritative voice.

The woman on the screen smiled and she
became animated again. “Aye, Lieutenant?”

“I need to know everything you have on the
wreck of the
Abroholos
and any information on its crew, especially
Kiefer and Ailyn Harmattan. When you have pulled that up, see what you can find
on Captain Jules Guerrier of the
Cierzo
.”

* * * * *

Shanee made her way down to engineering and
demanded the chief engineer’s attention. “Do you have metal sheeting on board?”
she asked.

Chief Norris frowned. “What kind of
sheeting are you looking for, Colonel?”

“What do you have?” she countered.

“Tin, brass, copper, titanium, bronze,
stainless steel,” the chief replied. “What do you want to use it for?”

“Artwork and crafts,” she said, lifting her
chin to dare him to comment.

“Then I would suggest tin, copper and
aluminum, Ma’am,” he responded. He scratched his cheek. “Is this for someone
here on Theristes?”

“Aye,” she snapped.

“Will he or she be needing some tools for
this artwork and crafts?”

“Why?”

“Well, I just happen to have a set of
boxwood tools sitting in storage. One of the yeomen left it behind when she
transferred off the
Midian
. They’re just sitting down there gathering
dust.”

Shanee looked away from the man. “Can you
cut the metal into eight by ten and fourteen by sixteen sheets? I will need at
least twenty of each metal.”

“Aye, Ma’am, I can. That’s gonna be pretty
heavy to tote but…”

“I’ve got that handled,” Shanee told him.
“Just get that cut ASAP. I want it done before liftoff.”

“Aye, aye, Colonel,” he agreed.

Her next stop was at requisitioning and she
was annoyed that there were two people ahead of her in line. She barged past
them. “I am in a hurry,” she stated.

The two people who had been waiting stepped
back, fearful of incurring the wrath of a Riezell Guardian and an Amazeen at
that.

“Aye, aye, Colonel,” the storekeeper
responded quickly. “How may I help you?”

“I want to see your ’bot forms,” Shanee
stated.

* * * * *

When the
Midian
took to the skies,
the cybot Shanee had purchased, programmed and sent down to Theristes via the
transporter, was making its way along the streambed toward the little thatched
hut where Jules Guerrier sat in perfect amazement. He knew a ’bot when he saw
it and as the LRC soared past overhead, he figured he knew from where this had
come.

“Greetings, Jules,” the ’bot said as it
came striding forward, its arms loaded with metal sheets upon which sat a small
wooden box. “Compliments of Ailyn and Shanee.” The ’bot stopped and looked
around. “Where may I place these, Jules?”

Getting slowly to his feet, Jules pointed
to the hut.

“Very good,” the ’bot said in a jovial
voice. It disappeared into the hut then came out again and over to Jules. It
held out its hand. “Hello. You may give me the name of your choice.”

Unable to make his scarred vocal cords
work, all he could do was think the name but apparently that was all the ’bot
needed for it plucked his thoughts from the ether.

“Michelle it is,” the ’bot said. It tilted
its head to one side. “I like that name, Jules.”

He watched the ’bot sit down right next to
the spot where he’d been sitting and working on a tin punch of Shanee’s
beautiful face.

The ’bot patted the place beside it. “Come
sit with me, Jules. I would like to see what you are working on.”

Though it had been many years since he’d
seen a ’bot, he knew this one had to be top of the line. The artificial skin
covering its arms and legs looked real and the sparkle in its blue eyes and the
luster of its blonde hair was so lifelike, it was hard to imagine it wasn’t
genuine. Even down to the bright red fingernail and toenail polish, the ’bot
looked like a real woman—a real, beautiful woman with pearly white teeth, high
cheekbones tinted with rouge, ruby red lips, shapely legs and breasts that made
his mouth water.

All he could do was shake his head.

The ’bot frowned. “You aren’t pleased with
me, Jules? I am anatomically correct you know and I was made for you.”

Jules’ dark eyes widened. He made a
strangled sound in his throat.

“I find you desirable and I am yours,”
Michelle whispered as she laid her soft, gentle hand on his thigh.

* * * * *

Ailyn studied his wife as she came into
their quarters. He knew perfectly well where she’d gone and what she had
planned to do before she had left him earlier. Reading minds came in handy when
someone was acting secretively. He would allow her to tell him what she’d done
if she wanted to but if she did not, he would bide his time.

“I programmed her to play chess and
backgammon and a thousand or so other games,” Shanee said as she began
unbuttoning her tunic.

“He likes chess,” her husband commented. “I
wasn’t much of a challenge for him.”

“I programmed her with as many jokes as the
data bank had but I’ll check on Riezell when we get back to see if there are
other jokes.” She peeled off her tunic and laid it aside. “He needs to laugh.”

“That he does,” Ailyn said, his voice thick
with emotion. He watched her sit on the settee to pull off her boots.

“I had them put a vid-com link in so he
could access information like you wanted to know and he can listen to music or
view movies if he’s of the mind to do so,” she said as she stood up. She
unhooked the button on her trousers then stepped out of them. “The ’bot can
tell him how to use her.”

Ailyn grinned. “You don’t think he’ll know
how to use her?” he asked. He wagged his brows when she looked over at him.

“Get your mind out of the gutter,
Harmattan,” she sniffed.

“Well, it’s like riding a horse. Once done,
never forgotten,” he replied.

She stilled and stared at him. “You know
how to ride a horse?”

“Of course,” he answered.

Her eyes brightened. “I have a stallion I
keep at the stables near Tramond on Riezell. We’ll get you one too!”

“I’d like that,” he told her.

As was her habit, she wore nothing between
her flesh and uniform and she came over to him where he sat at the desk and
threw her leg over his thighs, straddling him. “Now, what shall we do?”

He circled her in his arms and laced his
fingers together behind her. His amber eyes were filled with an emotion she was
having difficulty reading until he thanked her.

“For what?”

“For making Jules’ life more bearable for
him. He’s been a good friend and I was worried that he’d have no one to talk to
or with whom to interact until we returned to Theristes to visit.”

She leaned her forehead against his. “My
heart ached for him. I wanted to help him.”

“You programmed the ’bot to accept him as
he is and that is the greatest gift that man has ever received. He will bless
you ’til the day he is no more and if there is an afterlife, he will continue
to bless you there. You’ve given him something he will treasure.”

“As I treasure the portrait he made for
us.”

With her in his arms, Ailyn got up from the
chair and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked with her into the
bedchamber where the lights were turned down low. He took her to the bed.
Shanee let her legs slide from his hips. Her hands went to the buttons of his
black silk shirt.

“Where’s your tie?” she asked as she made
her way down the buttons.

“On your desk along with the gods-be-damned
belt,” he said.

She glanced down at his bare toes. “You
can’t run around on the ship with a breechclout, you know,” she warned him.

“I don’t see why not,” he replied as she
pushed his shirt over his shoulders.

“Female crewmen are why not,” she stated.
“Lest you want to be raped every time you venture from these quarters.”

“You have too much faith in my seductive
abilities,
ionúin
,” he said with a snort.

“No breechclout,” she ordered. “You need to
accustom yourself to wearing clothes, you pervert.”