Crineal Chronicles 1: In Hera's Service

by Raymond L Jennings

  Crineal watched her, amusement playing over his face. “I think I can manage. Thank you, Crewman.” She propped the package up in the corner near the bedroom door as instructed and then pulled out a data pad and brought it over to Crineal.

  “Authorization please, Sir?” as she held the pad out to him.

  He glanced at it to confirm it was correct as he wiped his hands on his napkin and then thumbed the pad to confirm receipt. The crewman saluted him. “Thank you, Sir.”

  “Thank you, Crewman, You’re dismissed.” He watched as she turned and left his quarters passing Cyndora at the door. If the sailor was still looking at her Crineal couldn’t tell. Once she was gone he said, “I think she liked you.”

  Cyndora returned to the table and sat down to finish the remains of her wine. “Probably, if I was in the rec area I might well be keeping her happy,” she said with a slightly forced casualness.

  Crineal tried to hide his surprise “Oh uh, I didn’t know you were ummm… A bit bi?”

  She looked at her glass and toyed with it a little. “I wasn’t, but when you volunteer for this you don’t get a choice anymore.”

  Crineal didn’t know what to say. He’d honestly never thought about that aspect. But thinking on some of what he’d seen in various O-Recs he couldn’t believe he’d been naïve enough to think that that many of the O-Rec assistants were bi-sexual by choice. He returned his attention to the remains of his food to cover his embarrassment and he finished his meal in silence. Once he was done, Cyndora picked up both of their trays and glasses and put them in the recycler.

  Crineal got up as she came back from the kitchen. “I need to head to med bay to check on my people. I’ll stop by my office on the way back to see if there’s anything urgent for me to deal with before coming back here. I’ll be a couple of hours. If you need me you can use the comm unit to page me. Just palm it and speak my name. It’ll connect you. Try not to bankrupt me with your clothes shopping if you can.” His smile was a little strained as he was still slightly off-balance from his remarks.

  Cyndora’s return smile seemed genuine though so he guessed she was at least a little immune by now. “Thank you, Chris. I’ll do my best.” He nodded to her and then left.

  Cyndora watched him go, still a bit surprised at how unaware he was in some things but very worldly in others. She went to the replicator unit and activated it with her palm. She’d not used one like this before and hoped it wasn’t unlike the food version. The display showed her name and her available balance. She had to look twice. He’d given her HOW many credits to spend? Unless the price of shipboard clothes was far more expensive than that of Earth there was no way she could spend even a fraction of that, even with a complete wardrobe unless she included ball gowns and evening dresses from the top designers. Cyndora hit the menu tag and the display came up with a number of categories for her to choose from. She keyed the clothing option and the unit flashed with a query: Cyndora? Other? She took the Cyndora option and it gave her lists of women’s clothing categories. As she started looking through the clothing lists it seemed that most items were cheaper than Earth prices. She started with the sportswear and picked out a grey with pink trim sports bra and matching figure-hugging thigh shorts, plus some running shoes and a couple of hair bands. During her time in the recreation training facility on Earth her hair had grown back to its full length from the prison buzz cut she had been sporting following her conviction. During this morning’s workout her long tresses had been a bit of a nuisance and she’d had to keep pushing strands off her face. She was going to be glad of the bra top, too. Her breasts weren’t huge but big enough to be uncomfortable after an hour of exercise with no support. Next on the list was something for around Crineal’s quarters. She found some cream pants in a kind of sweat pant style that looked comfortable and some long sleeved t-shirts in various colors. Both items looked to be baggy and it would be nice to be fully covered again. With that thought in mind, Cyndora spun the list down to the underwear section and ordered some basic bikini panties and a couple of comfortable, if plain, bras. Nightwear, she thought, and added some comfy-looking, cotton, knee-length pajamas to her list. Finally she found the items for waiting at Crineal’s dinners, white button-up, short-sleeved blouse, black short skirt, sheer black pantyhose and some strappy heeled sandals. She nodded to herself. That seemed to be everything. She punched the commit button and the replicator started to produce her new wardrobe.

  Crineal was pleased to find that the medical staff had now discharged all but ten of his pilots. Even if a lot of those released weren’t fit for duty, they were fit for leave. He hoped they were kicking back and having a good time somewhere. He spent an hour chatting with those still detained, hopefully making them feel a little better. Then it was on to his office and more paperwork. There was nothing demanding his immediate attention so Crineal set about finishing up the battle report and started in on the commendations list. He was about halfway through it when he realized that his duty shift had finished twenty minutes ago. Crineal saved his work, made a last check for messages, shut down the displays and left the office. He entered his quarters to find Cyndora sitting in front of the entertainment unit watching a news program. Her outfit caught him little by surprise, slightly baggy pants and long sleeved top. He couldn’t remember seeing her in anything quite that frumpy back in Coventry. She looked up as he came in and his thoughts must have been showing in his expression. She stood, holding her hands in front of her nervously.

  “If it’s not ok, I can find something else to wear,” she offered.

  Crineal blinked. “No, it’s fine. I just don’t remember you wearing anything like that before. The main thing is that you’re comfortable.”

  Cyndora gave him a quick nod. “Yes, it feels good.” Crineal gave her an understanding look. He figured it must be after being forced to parade around in next to nothing for all that time.

  “Let’s see about getting that bed set up and you can put your clothes away, too.” He nodded towards the pile on the table and then moved to the corner, palmed open the door to the bedroom and lifted the long bundle. Cyndora followed him into the room and looked around. It was spacious for a starship’s quarters: a double bed, closet space and drawers and a door to one side that must be a bathroom. Crineal dumped the package on the floor next to the bed and caught her taking in the room.

  “Oh, sorry, I neglected to mention the bathroom; it has a shower, too.”

  Cyndora suddenly felt a pressing need. “Umm… may I?”

  Crineal looked amused. “Most certainly, unless you plan on making a mess in here.” Stupid social custom, he thought, like anyone was going to say no. As Cyndora disappeared he turned the bundle he was holding around until he found a control panel. After setting the dimensions to the required size and hitting the activation command he stepped back as the long parcel started to expand out into a rectangular box of tubes. A soft but tough membrane covered the central well and stretched out with the frame. Finally it reached the programmed size and stopped moving. The bathroom door opened and Cyndora emerged to join Crineal looking at the newly erected bed.

  “That’s pretty cool,” she said as she looked it over.

  Crineal pointed to the control panel that was now set near the head of it. “You can adjust the firmness of the air mattress using that.” He waved his hand towards the bed. “Go ahead and try it out.”

  Tentatively she sat and then lay down on it with a little more confidence. Crineal tossed her a pillow from his bed and then went to one of the drawers. He pulled out a couple of linen bundles as Cyndora played with the controls until she thought she had it right. Crineal handed her the sheet and cover he had found for her. “There you go, all settled in. Just need to get your clothes away now. You should have enough space.” He gestured to the wardrobe and drawers.

  Cyndora put the linen down and got up. “Thanks, I’ll do that,” and went to collect her stuff from the lounge. Crineal took off his jacket and hung it up in
one of the closets before heading through the lounge to the kitchen to get a drink. He heard Cyndora in the bedroom as she stowed away her clothes, whilst he scanned through the news updates for anything of importance. Crineal shut down the display in disgust after fifteen minutes; it was just all the usual propaganda and celebrity news rubbish that he hated. He stretched back, sipping his tea. He closed his eyes. Damn he was tired. Maybe he did need to think about some leave. A quiet cough made him open his eyes to find Cyndora standing there.

  “I’m all done,” she said. “My clothes are away and the bed is made up.”

  Crineal nodded, now feeling completely exhausted, and it wasn’t even that late. Tomorrow wasn’t supposed to be particularly busy, but the sooner he could catch up on the admin the sooner he could maybe grab a day or two of downtime. Cyndora took a seat and seemed unsure of what to do as he finished his tea.

  “Well, I’m going to get some sleep.” Crineal stood and took his cup into the kitchen and returned to find Cyndora standing as well.

  “I’m tired, too. Sleep sounds like a wonderful idea,” she agreed with him. Crineal gave her a little bow and indicated she should precede him into the bedroom.

  Cyndora nervously entered and waited just inside the door as he followed and moved past her. She stood there uncertainly clutching her pajamas as he started to undress. She couldn’t believe she was suddenly shy about undressing in front of someone. In the last eight months she’d been worse than naked in front of people and sometimes crowds. Now, here she was, reluctant to just change in front of one man; this was stupid. Crineal finished pulling off his shirt and then noticed Cyndora’s lack of movement. He looked at her shrewdly as he sat down on the corner of his bed.

  “Why don’t you change in the bathroom?” Crineal suggested kindly.

  Cyndora felt a wave of relief flood through her and her knees almost gave way. “Thanks, Chris," she replied. Cyndora could feel the tears welling up at being offered this simple opportunity for decency. As she moved past where he sat she leant down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He looked startled by it and then she was gone into the bathroom.

  Crineal shook his head in bemusement as he pulled off his boots. He finished stripping and changed into some sleep shorts before putting his uniform away. Crineal was already settled in bed before Cyndora reappeared in her powder pink pajamas. She stowed her clothes in a drawer, then slipped off her sandals and finally climbed into her own bed. Crineal waited until she’d tucked herself in and then killed the light.

  “Night, Sam,” he said.

  “Night, Chris,” she whispered back.

  Chapter Six

  The alarm buzzer brought Cyndora sharply awake as she sat up in a panic and tried to remember where she was. The clock display on the bed panel caught her eye, oh six hundred. OH GOD! She was late for her day’s work. Then something moved in the dark a few feet away and grunted as a hand snaked out and hit the alarm off button. The lights in the room came on to a very dim setting and Cyndora finally remembered where she was and she slumped in relief. She wasn’t late; she was in Chris’s bedroom. His figure moved under the sheets in the bed that was next to hers and finally pivoted around until he was sitting up on the edge of the bed with his bare back to her. Cyndora watched as he rolled his neck and shoulders before levering himself up off the bed. Then he seemed to remember her presence and turned to her.

  “Morning, Sam. Did you sleep well?” he asked drowsily, still stretching.

  Cyndora tried not to stare at him but kept stealing glances at his mostly naked self. He’d never been a fitness freak when she’d known him before but now his body was well toned and healthy looking. She supposed being in the military did that. Cyndora finally remembered to answer his question “Umm, yes, thanks, I was out like a light…until the buzzer scared the hell out of me.”

  “Sorry, forgot to warn you about that. I start early with some exercise,” he yawned. “Ummm…do you need the bathroom?”

  Cyndora shook her head. “No, you go ahead. I can last for a few minutes.”

  Crineal stumbled sleepily through the door and it closed behind him. Cyndora sat up in her bed with her arms wrapped around her knees whilst she waited for him to finish. She didn’t have to wait long and Cyndora exchanged places with him in the bathroom. When she emerged Crineal had already straightened out the bedding on his bed and was just finishing with hers.

  She arched an eyebrow at him. “Wasn’t that supposed to be one of my jobs?”

  Crineal looked down at the beds almost guiltily. “Oops, sorry, force of habit. So, ready for some exercise?” he asked, edging past her to one of his drawers.

  “I guess so,” she sighed. As she turned to where her gear was stored she saw that Crineal was already stripping out of his sleep shorts. At first she was a little shocked, but then figured that the military probably wasn’t big on privacy, either. Nice bum, though, it looked tight and firm. She tore her gaze away as he stood up and started pulling on some briefs. She remembered her sudden bout of shyness last night and it suddenly felt a little silly to her. If they were going to be living in here together they were undoubtedly going to see each other’s bodies at some point. She steeled herself and pushed down her pajama bottoms, then unbuttoned her top and let it slip off her shoulders to the floor. Crineal pulled on his exercise vest and turned to find Cyndora standing there wearing just a pale blue pair of panties, shaking out some exercise shorts. Her nicely rounded breasts and their pinkish nipples caught his attention and held it. Cyndora flushed a little at his gaze, but stared determinedly at him, daring him to say something. Crineal wisely stayed silent and pulled on his own shorts before sitting to slip on his workout shoes. Cyndora waited a long moment and then pulled on her skin tight shorts followed by hauling the bra top over her head and breasts, adjusting it so that it fit snugly. Then she sat and pulled on her own exercise shoes.

  As she finished sealing the tops closed, Crineal stood up. “Ready?” he asked. Cyndora nodded as she pushed herself to her feet.

  Crineal looked like he wanted to say something. She waited for a moment and then prompted him, “What is it, Chris?”

  He grimaced at her reply. “That. Much as I hate it, you can’t keep calling me Chris and I can’t call you Sam. If anyone hears us we could be reported. The consequences wouldn’t be good for either of us.”

  Cyndora was quiet for a moment and then met his eyes. “You’re right. I should stick to calling you Sir.”

  Crineal grimaced again. “When we’re around others, certainly. When we’re in here on our own you can call me Crin. It’s close enough that you can pick it up fast and a slip in public would likely be overlooked.”

  That made sense to her. “And you’ll call me whatever you like, I guess?” she teased him lightly.

  He growled at her in mock frustration and picked up two towels, offering her one. “Let’s go before I put you over my knee and spank you.”

  Cyndora took the proffered towel and turned to leave the bedroom. “That’s ok. I’ve been trained for it.” Crineal shook his head sadly, she was probably telling the truth. “And in prison my friends called me Cyndy for short.”

  They left his quarters and she followed a couple of paces behind him, eyes down cast and trying her best to look like a dutiful concubine. They passed several crew members on the way to the gym that all stood to attention, but didn’t salute as Crineal passed them. She noticed that a few gave her more than a casual glance. The exercise area that Crineal led them into was a far cry from the one she’d been in at the Rec dorm. Just about every kind of exercise machine she could think of was there, plus some martial art floor mats. A couple was using them and she watched as a tall blonde woman handily pitched a stocky looking man over her shoulder. Crineal was stretching against some wall bars after throwing his towel onto a nearby cross trainer. Cyndora put her towel on the machine next to his, tied her hair back with one of her bands and joined him in his warm up. She saw more than a few people in the gym throw c
urious stares in their direction, no doubt wondering who she was. If the rumor mill here was anything like the prison and training center, Cyndora figured that by midday that half the crew on board would hear that the general had got himself a toy. She followed Crineal to the machines and they started their work out. At least todays’ exercise was more comfortable than yesterday, her top alone made it ten times more bearable. A few of the people in the gym deliberately stopped by Crineal to wish him good morning. He cheerfully responded to them and they went on their way. She gave him a quizzical look after the third one.

  “Pilots,” he said shortly. “Not mine, though. Well, not directly… sort of. My squadron is all on leave or in the sick bay. Those are flight crew from the other squadrons. And overall, I’m in charge of those squadrons as well. So they are sort of mine if you see.” She nodded as they continued to push and sweat. About forty-five minutes into their workout, a willowy brunette in an outfit similar to her own stopped in front of Crineal and came to attention.

  Crineal slowed down on his machine as he nodded to the woman. “Major Quenna,” he gasped. “How are you this morning?”

  The major relaxed into a more casual stance. “I’m good, thank you, Sir. Nice to see you setting an example, as always. I use your name to motivate my slackers into keeping in shape. ‘If the general can exercise, then so can you’ I tell them.”

  Crineal chuckled, catching his breath. “Perhaps you can give the same talk to my squadron? I think my motivational speeches are starting to wear thin.” Quenna smiled, knowing that Hera Squadron was regarded as the best. “Are you ready for your leave, Major? I think I saw some of your Apollo pilots planning a week long party yesterday,” he teased her.

  Quenna growled a little. “Couldn’t have been Apollo people, Sir. I warned them that you’re taking them out the day after tomorrow and that you’d promised me a full report on their deficiencies. I also indicated to them how displeased I’d be at any of the names on that report. The last I saw of them they were all in the mess hall studying up on the flight regs like first year cadets.”