Steven Gordon 3: The Modloch Empire (12 page)

‘
We need a
patron.’

The Chief sat back and scratched his
muzzle, ‘Not so easy. I don’t really know any rich people.’

Charlie shook his head, ‘You can be
such a dick at times. Why would we need a rich person when we have
you?’

The Chief froze mid-scratch, ‘I
couldn’t be a patron. I don’t know much about it, but you have to
be a person of privilege and power.’

‘
You are an officer
in the imperial fleet.’

He laughed, ‘A bloody engineer! Hardly
qualifies. Nowhere near high enough in rank Charlie.’

‘
Ah ha, you’re
forgetting that you were an ambassador to Earth.’

‘
No!’

‘
A real ambassador,
as decreed by the Emperor. It doesn’t matter if the world in
question doesn’t belong to the your wee galactic family. I
checked.’

The Chief felt a rush of anger, ‘Is
this why you have been hanging about the past few weeks?’

‘
Stop being a dick
Chief, it was your guys that gave me the idea in the first bloody
place.’

He shook his head, ‘I am sorry Charlie,
that wasn’t warranted. Your right, I should have known better.’ He
reached out and placed a hand over Charlie’s. ‘That was just the
old soldier in me speaking. You saved my life, and I count you as
one of my true friends. Even if you are a freak. Forgive me?’

Charlie laughed out loud, the sudden
tension he had felt slipping away. ‘No problems. I would have
probably thought the same.’

‘
Two old soldiers
eh!’ The Chief held up a colossal mug and Charlie knocked his small
one against it. ‘Right Charlie, go through everything. Explain it
all to me.’

Eventually the Chief agreed to help and
began to make enquiries. It took a few days to get results but he
managed to arrange an appointment for them both the following week.
In the meantime, Charlie helped them refit the generators as they
arrived back from the workshops.

CHAPTER 18

Komoru was striding back and forth in
front of Steven’s desk waiting for him to finish reading the plans.
He eventually sat back and pushed them away as if they were poison.
‘Wow.’

‘
We are not endorsing
those plans.’

‘
No we are not, but
they are brilliant.’

She scowled at him coldly, ‘They
certainly are not.’

‘
I mean from a
tactical point of view.’

‘
I know what you
mean. It is a recipe for disaster. Knock out the Modloch fleet,
capture the planet, attack the other Modloch fleets and bombard
their planets from orbit?’

‘
It is audacious, but
it is a brilliant plan. The details are amazing.’

‘
We would have every
race on this side of the barrier against us.’

‘
Of course we would,
that’s why we can’t endorse it, and we will say that. The
ramifications of this plan would most likely lead to the
destruction of the Human race, but they are still brilliant. These
two should receive some recognition for that.’

‘
Who are
they?’

‘
Both Chinese, a
General Han and Admiral Chen.’

‘
Are you going to
recommend them to Baxter?’

‘
I certainly
am.’

‘
I don’t like
it.’

Steven sighed, ‘I know, but they are
very talented. We cannot afford to ignore this kind of talent.’

She rubbed her arms, ‘I know. OK, we
refuse to endorse the plans but recommend that Baxter takes a look
at them.’

‘
Yes. Is this the
last one?’

Komoru checked, ‘Yes, that’s the last
one.’

‘
Thank God for that.
So what next?’

‘
I was hoping for a
day off. I am exhausted. I haven’t visited Mya for a week and I
need a real bath so badly I can taste it.’

‘
So that’s what you
have been keeping secret.’

Komoru laughed, ‘I have not! I could
ask Mya if she could lend us her villa in the mountains for an
evening.’

Steven grinned, ‘I really don’t like to
impose... but it sounds great.’

Mya was more than accommodating. She
made sure the servants left early so the couple could have their
privacy. They took easy to heat meals with them. It wasn’t quite
the romantic dinner for two Steven had in mind but it sure beat
what was on offer in the local restaurants. What he found really
hard to cope with was the giant toilets that they had to balance on
for fear of falling in. It was always a laugh though as well as a
challenge.

Steven and Komoru languished in the hot
bath for over half an hour. Komoru nestled into his arms while they
leaned back and let the hot water work its magic. After a short nap
they got up and had something to eat. Steven decided that he wanted
to try the pool.

‘
You look like you
are enjoying that,’ Komoru shouted out to Steven as he completed
his twelfth length.

‘
I haven’t done this
since I was a teenager.’

She laughed, ‘What do you think of the
pool?’

‘
Awesome, no
chlorine, but the view scares the shit out of me.’ He swam to the
side and took a deep breath.

Komoru laughed, ‘It is amazing, I love
it.’

‘
Looks like you are
just going to swim over the edge.’

‘
You don’t like
it?’

‘
Not
really.’

‘
I didn’t think you
were afraid of heights.’

‘
I’m not really. I
suppose I’m just not used to it.’

She thought it was funny. ‘What do you
think of this villa?’

‘
You mean the
architecture?’

‘
Yes.’

‘
It is fairly plain I
suppose. Plush but nice.’

‘
I like all of the
polished stone. It looks so clean.’

‘
Gairloch wasn’t much
for decoration was he?’

‘
The main house is
the same. Very spartan. I think a lot of military men are like
that.’

‘
Some of the ones I
have met had their houses full of memorabilia. Maybe that’s a habit
they get once they leave the forces.’

‘
Maybe.’ She half
agreed.

Steven heaved himself out of the pool
and grabbed a towel. Once dry he lay down on a large lounger; there
was more than enough room for Komoru to snuggle up. They were both
close to dozing off when Babes sent him a message. He sat up. ‘Time
to get dressed.’

‘
Why, what’s wrong?’
Komoru asked.

‘
We are about to get
visitors.’

She rolled into a sitting position, ‘Is
one day off too much to ask?’

Steven sighed, ‘It is beginning to look
that way.’

‘
Who is
it?’

‘
General
Rannalld.’

‘
Is Mya with
him?’

‘
I have no
idea.’

They were enjoying a hot drink when the
flying machine appeared in the distance. It was almost silent as it
came into land. Rannalld was carrying a strange looking case and
was dressed in casual clothes. Mya leapt out, her eyes gleaming.
She grabbed Steven’s hand and placed it against her forehead. ‘I am
so happy to see you Captain!’ She repeated the process with
Komoru.

‘
I have a surprise
for you Komoru.’

‘
Oh! What is
it?’

‘
Fresh
fish.’

Komoru’s demeanour changed completely,
‘Seriously?’

Mya nodded her head vigorously. ‘They
use the fish from the sea here to fertilize the fields. Rannalld
managed to get some for me to try out.’

Komoru took a deep breath, ‘I will send
for an analyser and some rice.’

‘
Then we can start
cooking.’ Mya agreed. The two of them almost grabbed the case from
Rannalld and ran towards the kitchen.

The two males watched them go. ‘I don’t
think I have ever seen her so excited.’ Mused Rannalld.

‘
I just hope they are
edible.’ Steven added.

‘
If not they will be
unhappy?’

‘
Oh aye, very unhappy
and very temperamental.’

‘
Not good
Captain.’

‘
Nope. So how can I
help you General?’

‘
Please, call me
Rannalld, I am in civilian clothes and off duty.’

‘
In that case
Rannalld, call me Steven. Would you like a drink of
something?’

‘
I brought something.
Let me retrieve it.’

Rannalld fetched his bottle of wine and
they retreated to the living room. Rannalld knew where the wine
glasses were. ‘This is lemon grass wine, I know it is consumable by
Humans.’

‘
I have tried
it.’

Rannalld sat down and poured the wine.
The glass was huge in Steven’s hands. He took a swig. It wasn’t too
unpleasant. ‘So how can I help you?’

‘
I wish to discuss a
very personal matter with you.’

‘
OK.’

‘
I am not really sure
how to start.’

‘
Just come straight
out with it. I am Scottish and that’s pretty much the way we like
it.’

Rannalld took a deep breath, ‘When do
Human women come into season?’

The question caught Steven flatfooted,
‘Ah! Right! I am sorry Rannalld, but there is no such thing.’

He shook his head, ‘I don’t
understand.’

Steven scratched his head vigorously
for a moment, trying desperately to collect his thoughts, ‘Right!
How the hell do I explain this?’ Steven took a deep breath, ‘Human
women go through a monthly cycle. It is a fertility cycle. An egg
is fertilized by the male of our species in probably the exact same
way as in your species. How often do the females from your race
ovulate?’

‘
Twice a year,
however our years are longer than yours. When they ovulate they
come into season. That lasts for about a week to two
weeks.’

‘
I am aware of that
your years are longer. OK, our females ovulate once a
month.’

Rannalld’s mouth dropped open, ‘They
come into season once a month!’

‘
No, not quite. They
are simply fertile once a month. As far as I am aware the Human
female is the only species, on our planet anyway, that conceals
from the male – or can conceal from the male – the fact that they
are ovulating and fertile.’

‘
I have never heard
of anything like that before. How do they fight the
instinct?’

‘
I think instinct
certainly plays a large part in the reproductive cycle of any
species. However, childbirth was at one time the single most likely
killer of young women in our species. The mortality rate was very
high. I don’t fully understand it, but the ability to conceal their
ovulation could quite possibly have given our women the opportunity
to avoid childbirth until they thought they were ready. I have to
say that this is simply my opinion. You could talk to one of our
doctors if you want.’

‘
No, it’s OK. I am
still having difficulty understanding. ‘How do you know when to
mate?’

‘
Humans mate when
they feel like it. All through the year. I am not very experienced
in this matter. I have only ever had one mate. There are men who
have had many. I believe it depends on your sex drive. If you find
a mate with a similar sex drive then you are very
lucky.’

Rannalld shook his head, ‘Sex
drive...’

‘
It is linked to a
number of different factors. One of the main ones is the level of a
certain type of hormone. The higher the hormone level in males and
females then the more they desire sex. I think normal is somewhere
between two and three times a week.’

Rannalld seemed stunned, ‘Two or three
times a week, for the whole year!’

‘
Yes, pretty much.
People with a high sex drive normally have it at least once every
day, sometimes more. Or so I have been told.’

Rannalld rubbed his muzzle,
‘Unbelievable, mating for a whole year. What if they become
pregnant?’

‘
Well that then
depends on the woman. I have heard that they can go either way. I
had one friend whose wife simply wanted to kill him for the
duration of the pregnancy. She wouldn’t let him near her. I had
another friend whose wife went the exact opposite way. She wanted
sex all the time, every day for the whole nine months.’

‘
How did he
cope?’

‘
With great
difficulty I believe.’

Rannalld suddenly burst out laughing,
‘I couldn’t even imagine it. Still, do you know anything about
Mya’s sex drive?’

‘
As far as I am aware
she is still pure. Unmated; no one will know. She may have an idea,
but I doubt if she would tell anyone.’ Steven sat forward, ‘I think
if you are considering Mya for a mate, then you will have to take
something else into consideration.’

‘
What is
that.’

‘
The size difference
between our races. More specifically your size,’ Steven pointed,
‘down there.’

Rannalld’s head went up, ‘We Modloch
are known for our size and girth.’

‘
That’s exactly what
I was afraid of.’ Steven sighed, ‘Human women are very small down
there. Each race is different. Mya is Asian, and a race of Asian
that is known for being small. Both the men and the
women.’