Rys had his hands buried in his drawers, trying to find something that could get wet that would show as little skin as possible, when Gremlin sent him a mental ping.
Yes, Gremlin?
“Sir, I need to brief you on something.”
He went stock still, feeling a little worried. Whenever Gremlin said that, either a lot more work followed or an avalanche of trouble. Mentally bracing himself, he responded, Alright. What’s the situation?
“I can’t get enough intel just hacking,” Gremlin informed him with an irritated half-growl. “I can’t tell from the code whether the subroutines are manually engaged or not. Whoever wrote the programming for this did an amazing job. It’s so seamlessly integrated into the operating system that I can’t pick one line of code apart from the rest of it. Part of the problem, I think, is that the coding automatically scrambles itself into new algorithms at certain intervals.”
Rys knew just enough about computers to guess that this would be very bad. Not to mention frustrating to try and untangle. If you can’t find the answer in the code, then we need to follow some of these operatives. If I can get close enough to a Novan, can you use my chip as a relay point and sync up with their network directly?
“Yes, sir!” Gremlin went from despondent to chipper in Mach three seconds. “If you’re observing them as I’m watching the code streams, maybe we can spot one of them actually turning on the system.”
If the Guardians were with them. Once you identify it, do you think you can see it in other systems as well?
“Should be able to, yes, sir.”
It wouldn’t hurt to try, at least. I don’t want to follow just one Novan around. He might or might not be an operative, after all. According to the last data sheet you sent me, most of them tend to stay in the ship ports.
“Yes, sir, and that would be a good place to go. There’s also a trader’s convention that’s to be held in three days. It’s in a downtown convention center.”
That would be another very good place to observe them from. A Fourth Colony teenager wandering around wouldn’t get as many strange looks in a convention center. I’ll figure out where to deploy people and get back to you.
“Yes, sir. Um…one more thing.”
Rys slowly withdrew his hands from the dresser and stood up straighter. The change in Gremlin’s voice was subtle, but he’d shifted gears from business to personal. Whatever weighing on Gremlin’s mind had nothing to do with mission parameters. Yes?
“Sir. I know that our superiors have been encouraging us to make friends in this place and try to earn full citizenship here. But honestly, I’m spending more time as a civilian than I am a soldier. It feels…odd.”
He sympathized completely. I know it does. Gremlin, this goes no further than you and me but — I think half the reason they gave us this assignment was for us to learn how to be civilians. They knew that unraveling Nova’s schemes would take weeks if not months. Really, we were given a lot of downtime to adjust to this new life. You don’t need to be working on mission-oriented tasks round the clock, alright? In a way, learning how to be a Bijordan citizen is part of the mission.
“So…making friends, playing paintball, and having swimming lessons are all acceptable?”
Rys had an odd moment of clarity. The fact that Gremlin felt it necessary to ask for permission to have fun outside of the 01 gave him a double perspective. He could suddenly see what he must look like in Sara and Jeremy’s eyes: an adult in a teenager’s body. Had they really been wound so tightly that even after the war had ended, they still didn’t know how to relax?
His throat tight, he replied as levelly as he could, All of that and more, Gremlin.
The smile in Gremlin’s voice could be clearly heard as he responded, “In that case, sir, you’re going to be late for your swimming lessons.”
See you there. Rys cut the connection and went back to hunting in his drawers. He’d just thought of the perfect thing to wear.
***
“When are these soldiers from Fourth supposed to be here?” Candace asked the question dubiously, trying to figure out her sister’s motivations.
“Oh, any minute now.” Anne gave her sister an innocent smile. Two days ago, when she’d told Candace that she had a friend that needed swimming lessons, her sister had naturally been curious. What kind of friend, she’d wanted to know. Anne responded automatically without thinking. He’s a Captain in the Special Forces. You’ll like him, he’s really nice.
Of course Candace, not having a clue about Special Forces troops, assumed that this man must be at least thirty. In their military most Captains were about thirty, or older. And then she’d also been informed that the Captain’s friends were coming too, since they didn’t know how to swim either. What kind of military men didn’t know how to swim?!
Candace had been hoping for younger men, more her own age, and was frankly puzzled why her sister was hanging around with such old men.
Anne, knowing the truth, decided not to enlighten her. At least not yet! Seeing the expression on her sister’s face was going to be priceless.
The doorbell rang.
Rosalita Stewart, their Major Domo, who ran their household with the precision of an expensive watch, reached the door before Anne could and opened it. Even though Rosalita was used to seeing a lot of strange sights on the other side of the Dorian front door, she was speechless. She just stood there, immobile.
Anne was careful to wipe the smirk off her face. Seeing Rys for the first time could have that effect on a woman, of any age. This guy was pure eye candy, and didn’t even realize it. With dark copper colored hair, clear hazel gray eyes, and a body that would turn heads on any continent, he would look more at home on a fashion shoot than a battle field.
Until he issued you that sharp, assessing look with the formal military bearing. Then he looked like a soldier on a recruiting poster.
“How do you do, ma’am. I’m —”
“Rys!” Anne called, ducking around Rosalita and risking a life threatening injury. “You’re right on time.”
The formal look on his face washed away instantly, replaced by a crooked smile. “Hey, Anne, I really appreciate this.”
“No problem, come in.” As soon as he was clear of the door, Anne turned so she could see both Rosalita and her sister’s faces. They both looked very confused, although Rosalita seemed to be putting the pieces together rapidly. Her eyes got a little wider every second. “Rosalita, Candace, this is Captain Arystair Savar, Special Forces 01 from Fourth Colony. Rys, this is the glue that holds our household together, Rosalita Stewart. This is my sister, Candace.”
He nodded to both them, polite and smiling. “Ma’am, miss, it is a distinct pleasure.”
They both managed to nod back. Anne was heartily amused to see her sister scrambling for a response; it looked like her brain had just shorted to ground. This was not the kind of “Captain” Candice had been expecting. It was exactly the way Anne pictured it in her mind, her sister’s stunned expression was priceless. Anne wished she had thought to bring her camera out. She decided to be charitable and throw her sister a life line, to extract herself from this rapidly expanding silence. To provide some much needed recovery time, she turned and asked Rys, “So where’s the rest of the team?”
“They’ll be here shortly,” he assured her, perking up at the prospect of experiencing his first swim. “All of our units should be arriving within the next 10 minutes.”
Somehow, that last statement didn’t make any sense to her, and she felt like she had missed something important. Anne decided to try to clarify what he meant and asked, “That would be all three of them?”
“No,” Rys responded, confusion now clouding his own face. “We have five units. That would be nineteen additional personnel, not counting me. You did say that you would teach all of us, correct?”
Oh. Oh! Anne had a sinking feeling as she tried to imagine teaching twenty soldiers to swim, all at the same time. Maybe Candace would be
willing to help? After the bomb she’d just landed on her sister’s side of their sibling battle field, she was desperately hoping Candice would be in a forgiving mood. “I thought you meant your team needed help.”
Rys winced, a chagrined look on his face, and understanding started to dawn in his eyes. “Well, they do, but I meant everyone in 01. I apologize; I should have been more precise in my request. There is still time to call them and cancel the other teams.”
“No, don’t do that,” she interrupted quickly. “I mean, they’re already on their way, right? It’s okay. We’ll set up a rotation schedule to handle the additional swimmers. The pool’s certainly large enough to accommodate twenty people. Candace, it would be a big help if you’d be willing to teach too. That way we can each have ten students a piece.” Anne shot her sister a plaintive expression.
Candace held up a finger, giving Anne a look that said she was now getting a little of her own back for the ambush. “I just have one quick question, for clarification. Captain Savar, are all of these additional soldiers your age as well?”
“I’m actually a little older,” Rys informed her with a perplexed smile, completely missing the reason for that question. “I am seventeen, and on the upper end of the scale. The majority of the rest of them would be sixteen, or under.”
A beautiful, serene, selfless smile lit up Candace’s face; she was positively glowing with the milk of human kindness. “Anne, dear sister, you can’t possibly manage twenty students all by yourself. I’ll be more than happy to help you. I can’t think of a better use of my time on a Saturday morning, than helping these brave soldiers learn a new and vital skill. Father would certainly approve of his family assisting them with their transition into our society.”
Anne, by sheer force of will, managed not to laugh out loud at her sainted sister. She didn’t need to be a mind reader to know why Candace was willing to literally jump in the pool.
“Thank you,” she managed to reply in a calm and gracious manner. “Candace, since our guests will be showing up soon, you should go and change into your swimsuit. Rosalita, if you would show everyone to the pool as they arrive, I can get started with Rys’s lesson.”
Rosalita nodded amiably, a satisfied grin tattooed on her face.
Rys followed Anne out to the pool, where they both stripped down to their swimsuits. Anne was definitely proud of hers—it was a royal blue one piece that did miraculous things for her figure, a notion confirmed by her mirror. Judging from the covert, admiring glance Rys gave her, he certainly approved of it too.
She was more than a little perplexed by what it was he was wearing though. It was tight, and black, and obviously waterproof, but…not the standard swimming attire. It looked more like a wetsuit than anything, covering everything from his collarbones to his thighs just above the knees. It was sleeveless; allowing for ease of motion, but it sure curtailed her view severely. It looked more like bathing costumes she had seen in history books. “Rys, is that normally what you wear in the water?”
“No, I’ve never even seen standing water, much less been in it. This was just an undergarment that was issued to us in case we encountered moisture on a mission. I believe it will be adequate for swimming though; and it is very flexible, durable material.” He dropped his shirt on a deck chair, and started rummaging around for something in his bag.
“You do realize that most men don’t wear that sort of thing to a pool?” Sometimes Rys’s knowledge of Bijordan was incredible—but he also had some sizable gaps in the most unexpected areas. Anne had gotten into the habit of not taking anything for granted where he was concerned, and double checked, just in case he missed something vital.
“I understand that, but I still have stark white colony skin. It will burn easily; most of my skin has never ever been exposed to sunlight. This was the most sensible thing to wear today, to avoid getting an over exposure. I was not issued any sun block; I have never needed it before.”
That sounded completely logical, practical, and well thought out. Why had he blushed when he said it? Anne regarded him suspiciously for a moment and asked, “Rys are you body shy?”
He gave her an indignant frown. “What would lead you to that conclusion?”
“I am not detecting a denial in there, anywhere,” she pointed out dryly.
“I am only concerned about being broiled like a steak. I had a radiation burn during a spacewalk once, and it was very painful. I had to sleep without a sheet for a week. I was covered in large blisters, and when they broke I looked like a reptile shedding his skin. It was not very pleasant, and something to be avoided if at all possible!”
Alright, he was a redhead; he probably did have to be concerned about sunburn. Another thought occurred to her while she was considering his limitations and she asked, “What about your eye? Can you get it wet without causing any problems?”
“Oh, it will be fine,” he assured her with a nod. He finally located what he had been searching for, and pulled out a pair of goggles from his bag. “My eye is impermeable; Doc made it that way to be universally adaptable in any environment I might encounter on a mission. We never know when we are deployed what we might run into. Sara insisted that I bring goggles for some reason. Do you think I will need these?”
“For your left eye perhaps, since it is organic,” Anne confirmed. “There’s a lot of chlorine added to a pool’s water to keep it free from bacteria that could cause an infection. Chlorine can aggravate the tissue of the eye if it’s exposed too long, or too frequently.”
He seemed enlightened by her explanation, and grateful for the information. “Okay, that’s why she suggested the goggles. What’s next, Coach?”
“Hop in on the shallow end of the pool,” she instructed.
He did so cautiously, with all of the reticence of a person who was not familiar with the effect of thousands of gallons of water pressing in on him. Anne landed in the water next to him, sharing his excited grin when his head broke the surface of the pool.
“I feel lighter and heavier at the same time. This is like being in a zero g suit, and bouncing on the surface of a moon with low gravity, only there is nothing between me and the vacuum of space. This is amazing; I couldn’t fall if I wanted to!” Rys spun around in a quick circle, and enjoyed watching the waves his every movement generated. Anne let him have a minute to just savor the sensation of being immersed in water for the first time. She felt like she was seeing water again for the first time, through his eyes. The pure joy displayed on his face was something that she would never forget.
First order of business would be teaching him how to float. It took several attempts on his part to relax enough and tip his head back. Once he managed it, she explained that even if he couldn’t swim yet, he could at least float unassisted. He was now at least water safe and he wouldn’t drown if he accidentally fell into water over his head.
He looked very heartened by this piece of news, and became a little more adventuresome when she advanced to teaching the technique for treading water.
Erksome and Gremlin showed up at the same time, calling out cheery greetings. Anne nearly laughed out loud when they stripped off their shirts, sporting the same wetsuit that Rys was wearing. What, were all Special Forces body shy? This was a topic she was determined to look into a little more closely. They weren’t the only ones who were good at covert intelligence gathering.
Or perhaps it really was just standard issue, and they didn’t think twice about wearing it.
She coaxed them into the water, and began their instruction on how to float as well. Rys had his assignment, and was practicing treading water. He looked like he was really warming up to his subject, and getting a real kick out it. By the time she was done with them, three more members of his company, that she didn’t know, had appeared.
After that, soldiers seemed to just pop into existence whenever she had her back turned. Within the next fifteen minutes, her pool rapidly filled up. Anne looked around in amazement, counting heads as she tur
ned. Yes, there really were twenty additional people here.
“Anne?” Candace called from the pool’s edge.
“Coming!” Anne swam over to her sister to see what she needed. Candace dropped down into a crouch on the deck above her so she could whisper, “Twenty hot looking guys in one pool? Our pool! Go, sis!”
Anne rolled her eyes, but she had to laugh too. “I didn’t exactly plan for twenty.”
“I’m still diggin’ the plan,” her sister announced. “I never expected soldiers to be such completely satisfying eye candy.” She cast a significant look around, pausing here and there for a longer look.
Rosalita appeared in the doorway. She caught Anne’s eye, gave her a vigorous thumb’s up and a lecherous waggle of the eyebrows, and then disappeared inside. Anne had seen that look before, and she was sure that she would have a firm ally in her corner when she eventually had to explain all of this to her father.
“I think Rosalita agrees with you,” Anne murmured back. “Well, what are you waiting for? Hop in, half of this is yours!”
“Oh, with pleasure, I assure you,” Candace murmured gleefully.
Anne looked around, wondering how to conveniently divide this group up. “Um, guys?” she called out. When they were all looking at her, she pointed toward the pool house. “Everyone to the left of the pool house, come over here. My sister Candace is going to instruct you. Everyone on the right side, stay where you are, you’ll be working with me.”
Anne dove in and swam toward them, putting together a hasty line of attack in her head as she did.
The swimming lessons were very educational—and not just for the soldiers. Anne was watching her ten charges very carefully, and several things became apparent over the next few hours. One, the command structure was firmly in place. Unless Anne completely missed the mark, she had at least three Captains in her group. If any of the men got a little too rambunctious, or a little too familiar with her, a sharp look from any of those three immediately snapped them back into line.
All of the Captains were obviously very close friends. They acted more like brothers than anything, tormenting one minute, and encouraging each other the next. Rys was more relaxed and open than she had ever seen him, although it took a few minutes for her to understand why.
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