Ensign Probus

by Wendie Nordgren

  “No, of course not.” His tone was filled with contriteness.

  “You won’t be fighting spiders,” Clark stated. He crossed his muscular arms over his chest and frowned at me.

  Sneering at him, I said, “Duh. Like I would fight a spider. What would I do? Would I punch one in an eye? The idea is abhorrent. It would be like punching a puppy.”

  “Bark!” Flake ran to me and put her paws on Yukihyo’s leg. She came running anytime she heard her name or the word, “puppy.” Yukihyo scratched behind her ears. Clark looked from Flake to Thunderdrop and back again.

  Zared cautioned him, “I wouldn’t say what you’re thinking if I were you.”

  “He doesn’t need to vocalize his thoughts. Clearly, the Pup doesn’t find Thunderdrop to be as aesthetically pleasing as we find him to be,” Yukihyo said. He raised an eyebrow at Clark, daring him to deny it. He was deliberately instigating, so I pinched him. A deep laugh rumbled through his chest.

  Saddened, Thunderdrop lowered his body to the back of the couch, making himself small.

  Noticing, Clark said, “Thunderdrop, Teagan thinks you’re cute. I don’t. When I gaze upon you, I see a vicious adversary. You are monstrous, deadly, and the stuff of nightmares. With your fangs, you can bring immobilization or death to your enemies. You can move silently, strike, and consume your prey, be it a rat or something several times your size. Personally, I find you to be more intimidating than Kaoti.”

  Thunderdrop no longer huddled sadly against the couch. Instead, he preened himself. He was as full of praise as he was silk and venom. When he jumped onto Clark’s arm and shoulder, he nuzzled his cheek. “Chirp!” Then, having been affectionate, he went to Fitz.

  It was telling to all of us that Clark hadn’t cringed when Thunderdrop jumped on him. I wondered if he’d been telling the truth about being afraid of my spider baby, if he was truly a fearless and unemotional Inquisitor in training, or if he had a sensitive soul, deep down, and had been trying to save Thunderdrop’s feelings. There was a lot I didn’t know about Ensign Clark Flavian.

  Thunderdrop hissed at Fitz. He was angry.

  Fitz asked, “What have I done to gain your ire?”

  Lifting up on his back legs, Thunderdrop shook his front legs at Fitz. “Chitter clack chitter chirp clack!”

  Translating, I said, “He’s offended because you assumed he couldn’t protect me, his very own bonded human, from his own kind.”

  Thunderdrop showed me a telepathic image of him introducing me to massive Arachnean Silk spiders who would bow to me and drop plump rats at my feet in tribute. The imaginary rats didn’t appeal to me in the slightest, but if it did happen the way Thunderdrop imagined, Simon could have the aforementioned rodents processed into canned spider food.

  “We should bring them some toys to soften them up,” I told Simon.

  “Good idea. We will see to it.”

  Peter didn’t cry, but he sent me his feelings of discontent. He didn’t want to be held any longer. He wanted to go and play with the other children. Getting up from Yukihyo’s lap, I carried him to the playroom beside the nursery.

  Yukihyo said to Simon, “We will be making a brief stop on Aurilius to collect Jazon and Tracy.” The two of them continued speaking of the silk trade and the family business.

  Stepping inside of the playroom, their conversation was lost to me as the happy sounds of children at play filled my ears. Neema and Poppy were playing with their dolls, Niklos was coloring, and Peter pointed at a color shape. I sat beside one and put him down. He enjoyed raking his tiny claws against its surfaces and watching as they changed color, finding it as fascinating as Neema and Niklos did at his stage of development.

  Pierce and Lorca gave me subtle nods to acknowledge they had everything under control. It was understood amongst us that once we boarded the Empress, we would follow a schedule of family meals, daily walks with the children along the corridors, academic advancement, social calls to family and friends, naps, and entertaining diversions. The children’s playtime was the perfect time for me to study. Leaving them under the excellent supervision of their nurses, I joined Clark in the sitting room, and together we left in search of our team.

  We found them in our study area under the watchful supervision of Inquisitor Rovek. He didn’t seem so glum now that we were on our way to pick up Tracy and Jazon. Our teacher, not one to express emotion, had managed to fall in either love or lust with Tracy and was determined to become her second husband. Having been raised on Aurilius, a planet where female births far exceeded those of males, she had been overlooked and taken for granted. Therefore, she had focused her attention on the pursuit of knowledge, in her father’s footsteps, rather than on family, well that is until she had met Jazon. Knowing she doubted her obvious beauty, with her shiny black hair, solid-black eyes, and creamy-white skin, he had decided not to disembowel Inquisitor Rovek and strangle him with his entrails.

  I thought it was quite decent of him to put his wife’s self-esteem above his own territorial feelings and to embrace Parvacian culture in the process. Whether or not she allowed Rovek to win her was entirely her decision.

  Clark pulled out my chair for me and sat beside me. The large oval table had plenty of room for all of us and was far more comfortable than our desks at the Inquisitors Academy. Cedrenus gave me a quick smile before returning his attention to his vid-screen. Thankfully, I had just barely managed to complete the requirements for the chemistry course which I abhorred, and my educational program prompted me to select a new course. Several selections appeared on my screen along with their descriptions. Overjoyed at not being prompted to take the next chemistry class, I read the descriptions and decided upon something I would actually enjoy, Ancient Parvacian Civilizations from our pre-interstellar travel period. After finalizing my selection, I glanced up to find Rovek carefully observing us. The guys sat up a little straighter.

  Without any preamble, those of us who had not yet been awarded it had been awarded the rank of ensign for outstanding performances on our previous mission. A part of me worried that the increase in rank might inspire Cedrenus to pursue me with more vigor.

  Rovek, continuing to observe us with cool detachment, said, “Ensigns, the opportunity for you to shadow my team, comprised of Inquisitors Beck, Maxim, and Flavian, has arrived. However, we have decided to take an unconventional approach. During this mission, should you have questions or require assistance, we will provide it. However, we are curious to see what you can accomplish on your own.” He made eye-contact with each of us. “We have learned who had the most to gain from inciting war between the Galaxic Government, Laconian Sector, and the Parvac Empire and what they hoped to gain.” He stared at me and raised an eyebrow. “However, we still do not know with certainty from whom they acquired their technology. Frankly, we want it for ourselves, but we aren’t the only ones. My team will investigate, and by default so will yours. The eight of you will continue functioning as a team. Do what you must, but don’t get caught breaking any alien laws.”

  I smirked. It was doubtful that I’d get in any trouble, even if I was caught. I had citizenship in each sector through the Bosh family, Yukihyo, and the Montgomerys and Alarics, as well as diplomatic immunity. Confident that I could keep my team safe from prosecution, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Are there any bonus incentives?” I asked while looking pointedly at Cedrenus’ rank insignia.

  Rovek replied, “Enjoy your history course.”

  “Oh.” Uncrossing my arms, I took a lock of my hair and twirled it around on my finger. My reward for helping with the Mad Ones had been a reprieve from chemistry. I’d take it.

  “You will document all of your thoughts regarding the investigation, possible leads, suspicions, and facts. Questions?”

  I was about to ask where we should start, but Ross gave me a look telling me not to.

  “Carry on,” Rovek said as he left.

  “Does anyone have any idea how to begin? The Mad Ones didn’t exactly leave
us any clues,” I asked.

  Ross nodded his head. “They had to be getting large payments in credit chips.”

  My vid-screen beeped. It was from Ross. Opening the encrypted message, I found a file full of millions of financial transactions. “What the fuck?”

  “Calm down. We have to start somewhere. Each of us has the same amount. Flag everything that looks suspicious,” Ross said.

  Scanning the nightmare, Clark said, “These are all financial transactions from Chione.”

  “It’s the closest planet to the space station on which they had made their base, so it seems like a logical starting point,” Tyler agreed.

  This was the tedious and utterly boring aspect of an Inquisitor’s duties. Getting comfortable in my chair, I got to work. After several minutes, I said, “Ross, I’m impressed. You bypassed some impressive security measures to get all of this information.” I hadn’t flagged anything yet. All of the purchases and payment records I’d seen had seemed mundane and predictable.

  “Thank you. I seem to have an affinity for it.”

  Clark asked, “Why don’t we watch footage from Chione’s land port?”

  Cedrenus looked at him over his vid-screen. “We can, but do you really think they would have docked on an empath world?”

  “No,” Clark said. The one-word response was filled with defeat.

  Stayton said, “Even so, I still think it’s a good idea to watch the comings and goings for each land port, document the ships, and search for irregularities.”

  Absently, I said, “There are records of it all through the port authorities. They should be easier to breach than the banks.”

  Stayton nodded. “Gaining access to the records shouldn’t be difficult. We have programs we can use to track the ships which will alert us should any vessel be unaccounted for.”

  Narrowing my eyes in thought, I bit my nail. “I think we should pay special attention to any ships with ties to Earth, especially cargo.”

  Levi asked, “Are we still suspicious of Rupert Warren?”

  Binder said, “I think we should be suspicious of everyone.”

  Glancing around to judge opinions, it was clear we agreed.

  Steel entered Stayton’s eyes, but he didn’t share the thought which had put it there.

  “What?” I stared at him and waited. “Spit it out, Tad.”

  “Spitting in public is uncouth. Are you well?” He wasn’t the only one who was staring at me as if I was spouting gibberish.

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s a figure of speech from Earth. It means get to the point and tell us what you’re thinking without further preamble.”

  Stayton sneered. “Rather crass, isn’t it?”

  Becoming annoyed, I held my hands before me on the table and stared at him. It kept me from flipping him off, a universal gesture he’d recognize.

  “Very well. Warren is the logical choice, but not the only one. Sympathizers within the Militia could have provided assistance to the hybrids. It is no secret that certain individuals, Bosh, Alaric, and Montgomery, would prefer for you to leave the Empire and permanently return to Galaxic or Laconian space. Am I the only one who found it odd when Commander Bosh, Captain Alaric, Lieutenant Adair, and Consul Bosh kept their distances during our departure?”

  Anger had me clenching my teeth. How could he suggest such a thing?

  Levi quietly said, “I noticed. If they were conspiring with the hybrids prior to their capture, Teagan’s Imperial Guard would have reported it immediately. However, if after their capture, they learned of Militia involvement or that of one of her extended family, they would have wanted to cover it up.”

  My thoughts started to spin. If what he hypothesized was true, the only way to prevent my guards or me from learning of it would be to shun all contact with us. But, no. That wasn’t entirely correct. “My Omnes Videntes don’t need to touch a person to read their thoughts. Izaac could enter Quaid’s mind right now if he wanted to do so.”

  Levi stared at me from across the table. “Even if they are making use of neural blockers?”

  Concentrating, I asked Izaac the question telepathically.

  He answered, “No, from this distance and with activated neural blockers, I would not be able to penetrate his mind. However, I would very much enjoy penetrating you.”

  “Maybe later.”

  Soft laughter rolled through my mind. He showed me what he saw through his own eyes. Yukihyo stood before him on an exercise mat in the gym on Deck Three. His skin glowed with a fine sheen of sweat, and he wore only a pair of shorts. I jerked my head back when his fist sped toward Izaac’s face. With a startled gasp, I fled Izaac’s mind so he could concentrate on sparring with my fierce Laconian husband, but not before my own thoughts had taken an embarrassing turn.

  Fantasies of Yukihyo and Izaac in my bed had my cheeks and other parts of me heating. “Oh, stars.”

  “Yes, I apologize. If you were simply our princess, I wouldn’t have mentioned it to you. I don’t wish to cause you any distress. However, you aren’t merely the most beautiful woman in the Empire, you’re one of us, and I thought you should know.” Levi had a pained look on his face, as if someone had blasted him in his ball sack. He thought my heated cheeks had been brought about by his suppositions rather than my own sexual fantasies.

  I chose not to enlighten him. “Thank you for sharing your ideas and for being honest with me. One of my jobs will be finding Quaid, getting him alone, and fucking the facts out of him.”

  Cedrenus started choking. Tyler hit him on the back a few times.

  Ross said, “Doing a run-through of the mission is often a key to its success. I volunteer.”

  Clark punched him in the arm hard enough to knock him sideways. “If any of us volunteer, it will be me.” He drew his fist back to punch him a second time, but I distracted him by slipping off my shoes and lifting my feet to his lap. Relaxing his fist, he brought his hands down to my toes and rubbed them just the way I liked.

  “I don’t need a practice run for seducing Quaid. I know exactly what to do. Give me your hand.” Stretching my arm across the table with my palm facing upward, I waited for Ross to gently take it. He couldn’t hide his eager expectations, wondering what I’d do to seduce my husband. The touch of my skin alone had caused his pupils to dilate. Dropping my voice to a low purr, I asked, “Do you want to know what I can do with the barest touch?”

  Ross nodded his head. The guys had each leaned closer over the table, all except for Clark. He knew exactly what I could do and loved it. Ross’ flirtatious banter had deserted him. Starting slowly, I made his sexual endorphins sing, rolling pleasure through him until he squeezed his eyes shut, clenched my hand, and almost fell out of his chair.

  “Ross?” I whispered.

  “Yes?” He was breathing the way he did after running six miles.

  “Do I need to practice?”

  “No. Stars, no.” I released his hand which felt sweaty, and he came to his senses. “I mean, yes! Yes, you do! Several times a day. I’ll help.”

  Throwing my head back, I laughed.

  “Alright. Back to work,” Clark grumbled.

  After hours spent examining the financial records on businesses and individuals on Chione, we’d found nothing.

  “What if they ran all of their payments through an established company, one above reproach?” I asked.

  “Then, the payments wouldn’t attract notice,” Levi said.

  Stayton tapped away at his console. “From what we know of the hybrids, they could have forced someone from within a company to work for them without the victim’s knowledge or anyone being the wiser.”

  Moving my feet from Clark’s lap, I stood and stretched my lower back. “It’s time for lunch. Are you all coming?”

  Binder snorted. “Ross already did.”

  Rolling my eyes at him and the dreamy look Ross gave me, I took the arm Clark offered me and returned with him to the Imperial Deck where everyone was gathering around the dining table
. Fitz got Peter into his highchair where our son decided to eat with his claws instead of his spoon. Neema and Niklos watched him enviously until he tried to eat a piece of fruit he’d skewered on a claw, poked himself in the tongue, and cried. Large, wet tears pooled in his brown eyes. Taking him from his chair, I held him on my disappearing lap.

  “There, there. It’s okay, Peter. Farowyn can teach you how it’s done when he comes home to us.” I rubbed circles on his little back.

  “Let me see, nanite.” Phillip crouched beside us and stuck his tongue out, getting Peter to copy him. Then, he caught Peter’s tongue between his thumb and index finger, making Peter laugh. He forgot about his tears. “Boop! All fixed!” Phillip grinned and made his eyes go wide.

  Smiling, Peter wiped his eyes on my shoulder and decided it would be okay for Mommy to feed him with his spoon.

  After everyone had been fed, including Flake, Milk, and Sue, it was naptime. We got the kids into their beds. Then, Violet and I sat beside each other on a couch and closed our eyes, enjoying our moment of quiet.

  “How long will it be before we dock on Arachne?” she asked while lifting her feet to the couch and poking her toes under my thigh.

  “It depends on how long it takes us to refuel on Aurilius when we pick up Tracy and Jazon.”

  We passed a few moments in silence.

  “Teagan?”

  “Yes?”

  “My feet won’t rub themselves.”

  With an exaggerated sigh, I rubbed my Imperial attendant’s feet. Kaoti kept a straight face and acted as though he paid us no attention. We knew better. I stopped rubbing her feet when she fell asleep. Yukihyo spread a blanket over her and helped me to my feet. He was leading me into our bedroom for what I hoped would be some mattress sparring between him, Izaac, and me when I felt the Empress slowing to a stop. Our eyes met, and without a word we changed direction and entered the lift. There wasn’t a good reason for our ship’s interrupted flight.