Sarin's War

by L. Fergus

  The men turned around and gawked at her. Her short skirt, bikini top, and leather half-jacket left little to the imagination. She waved a pair of pistols playfully. “Just in case, somebody thought they’d like to be a hero.” She holstered the pistols on her thighs and winked at the legionnaires as she went by to stand next to Talon.

  Talon leaned into Cinnamon’s ear. “Why are you flirting with them? What are you planning on doing when you’re onboard with them for weeks?”

  Cinnamon wrinkled her nose. “Ew, I wouldn’t do that. I have self-respect.”

  “Now I’m just confused.”

  “I’m not allowed to have a little fun? I was married three times, for a hundred and sixty-three years doing the same job. Now, that’s gone. It’s like being a kid again.”

  Talon shook her head.

  “You girls and legionnaires will take off as soon as we get things straight around here,” said Sarin.

  Talli, wearing a black sneak suit, appeared next to Sarin. “They’re down. I left them where they fell if we need to study the forensics later,” she said in a whisper.

  “Excellent,” said Sarin.

  “Why is this one still alive?” Talli asked, going over and grabbing Saunders by the jaw.

  “Intelligence. Put him down,” Sarin ordered.

  Talli did, but not before headbutting the man.

  “Talli, discipline!” Talon roared.

  “He’s just a gutless human. Why can’t I kill him? He knows nothing we can’t find out on our own.”

  “Because it’s faster this way,” Talon snapped, dragging the teenager over by the arm to join her and Cinnamon.

  “Sorry, she’s young, and she has trouble with men like Saunders,” Talon explained to the legionnaires.

  Major Baxter nodded.

  Sarin grabbed Saunders. “I might still have some questions for you. The rest of you legionnaires come with me and get our people back in the right uniform. Scarlett, get Kristi ready to go.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Sarin led everyone deeper into the station, leaving Talon and Cinnamon alone.

  “Come on,” Talon said to Cinnamon as she walked up the gantry.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Did you not see Jane’s face?”

  “No, why?”

  “I’m to give you the lesson on the difference between revealing, sexy, slutty, and bedroom attire.”

  “I thought I was being revealing?”

  “Sarin’s schoolgirl outfit is revealing. What you’re wearing is just stupid slutty. I know you’ve been in the office and this is your first time out, but that outfit is no good.”

  “This was what was in when I went to school.”

  “We need to find you something that is practical and functional for where we’re going.”

  “I can’t have a little fun?”

  “Who are you trying to impress: the rocks, the cows, or the poor people slaving away?”

  “But, Kita told me that beauty is a weapon.”

  “It is. But what would you rather have? A mass market light pistol or those custom forty-fives strapped to your thighs?”

  “Are you saying I’m cheap?” Cinnamon said with a frown.

  “I’m saying you’ve known Jane for years. You didn’t learn any lessons from her?”

  “I…always thought those things were out of my league.”

  “Trust me; they’re not. I’ll show you.”

  “This should be a pleasant voyage,” Cinnamon said in a sarcastic tone after returning from inspecting the Bjord Industries ship.

  Talon opened the door to the executive lounge they would be using as their living quarters, after finding the crew quarters weren’t big enough for wings.

  “What do you mean?” Talon asked with a curious glance.

  “There’s nothing to do. You can only do so much target practice.”

  “I’m sure there are some movies on the server.”

  “Ok, that’s a day.” Cinnamon sighed.

  “You think I’m going to be that big a bore?” Talon asked with a slight smile, but sounding mildly insulted at the same time.

  “No, but you are very reserved.”

  This was the first time Cinnamon had worked with Talon. Over the last sixteen months, Cinnamon had retained her normal position helping Sven run Gjord Industries while being trained by Sarin.

  Talon swept off her hood revealing the rest of her dark red hair. Still smiling, she looked at Cinnamon. “You just don’t know me that well. Now, the first thing we need to do is get you out of those clothes.”

  “And what are you suggesting?” Cinnamon retorted in surprise.

  Talon walked around the other Angel. “That we find you something more suited for an Angel. The bikini and skirt have to go, and fishnets are for their namesake. I’ve seen enough of those to last several lifetimes.” She put her hand on Cinnamon’s hip and pushed gently on a ticklish spot causing the other Angel to squeak in surprise.

  The tacky outfit morphed into a pair of low-rise denim bottoms and a cinnamon colored midriff that read FIREBALL. The boots changed from useless urbanite ware to feminine style combat boots that went to the knee. Only the half-jacket remained from before.

  “There we go, much better.” Talon smiled. “Flirty and revealing, but functional. Now sit down on the floor next to the couch and find us something to watch. I’m tired, and I’d love to relax some.”

  “Why am I on the floor?”

  “So I can work on your hair. If Jane hadn’t been so busy, she would have done it herself.”

  “Did you get orders from her to do this?” Cinnamon asked with a suspicious glare.

  “Maybe,” Talon said as she undid the hidden clasps that held her cloak together just above her knees. With a small bit of ceremony, the Angel whispered something to it and hung it on a metal hook.

  Cinnamon flinched when she saw the throwing knives, pistol, and a short sword strapped to Talon’s body. She looked at Talon dumbfounded.

  “What?” Talon asked seeing the other Angel staring at her. “You didn’t think I was just a walking tome of wisdom for a teenager, did you? I rarely have to use my combat talents, thanks to Kita’s gifts, to help me carry out my work.” Talon spoke as she undid the harness and pads containing all the weaponry and laid them out on a side counter, leaving her in a revealing solid white bodysuit.

  Talon reached into her cloak and pulled out a small bag. She took a seat with Cinnamon’s head in front of her. She dumped out the bag of hair care products next to her, picked up a comb, and brushed Cinnamon’s hair.

  Cinnamon knew her hair wasn’t in bad condition, but it wasn’t in excellent health either. She felt intimidated and embarrassed having someone as prestigious as Talon working on her hair. It didn’t seem like the type of thing the Angel did.

  “I can’t believe Jane never got after you over your hair or everything else,” Talon said with a laugh.

  “I was protected by Sven. He told her he wanted an assistant, not a doll.”

  “Well, now you’re an Angel and being a doll comes with it.”

  “I can do all this on my own,” Cinnamon said defiantly.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “How do you know how to do it?”

  “All the Angels are given lessons on grooming and hygiene. Some of the girls come from some horrendous conditions, like never having seen a shower and only bathing yearly. But, Jane’s one of my best friends, and she has spent some time pampering me.”

  “I can’t imagine Jane pampering anyone.”

  “That’s because you don’t know her as I do. She loves to pamper her friends and make them feel good.”

  “I thought she only did that sexually.”

  Talon made a disapproving noise. “She won’t deny that, and once upon a time I believe that’s what she did, but not now. I’m sure you noticed that Jane is not the girl that left on the colony ship.”

  “No. She was never so formidable.”

 
; “That’s a good word for her.”

  “How far back do you go?”

  “A long time. I met her while I was a buccaneer and she was searching for her children in The Swamp of the Alligator People. A group called the Mexorks destroyed my settlement. She helped me get over the death of my son and best friend.”

  “You? A buccaneer?” Cinnamon asked in awe.

  “That’s what you take out of that statement?” Talon chuckled. “I guess pirates and buccaneers are just movie fancy for you. I ran a settlement hidden on an island out on the ocean. We’d raid ships for supplies, and then we’d give the rest away.”

  “And they made you an Angel?”

  Talon sighed. “No. Kita spurned the idea. I got my wings much later after I helped Kita bring down a foundry called Inferno. It’s as bad as it sounds: a giant factory for the production of steel run on slave labor. I saw her arrive in town and I followed her. I wanted to make my case for being an Angel, even if it meant going into Inferno.”

  “You helped her? She doesn’t seem like the kind that needs help.”

  “Ha. Kita can get herself into all sorts of trouble. In this case, she helped me, but, yeah, I got wings and a place in her flock,” Talon said her voice full of pride.

  “So, with all those weapons what did you do?” Cinnamon asked. “Jane always says you’re a good-hearted goodie-two-shoes high angel only good for cleaning the degenerate trash out of the proverbial gutter.”

  Talon laughed. “I am, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t trouble in the gutter for me. The Owlery and I spent our time helping people. People rarely saw Kita off Base Station. Unless it was a major battle, catastrophe, or something, she didn’t want most people to know she existed. The Owlery and a few other good Angels were the face of and represented all of the others. I think Kita wanted it that way.”

  “I couldn’t imagine living in a world like that. It’s so…” Cinnamon stumbled for a word.

  “Chaotic,” Talon finished. “I lived there since the beginning. It was a gradual change. Coming back to this is a shock.” She finished rubbing the cream in Cinnamon’s hair. Talon tossed Cinnamon a lock of hair around so she could see. It was vibrant and shiny.

  “Wow, what did you put in it?”

  Talon showed her the cream labeled BLACK.

  “T-that’s the stuff Jane uses. That costs more than I make in two years.”

  Talon made an unhappy face. “You need to have a talk with Sven over back pay you’re owed. I’m surprised you don’t use stuff like this.”

  “I was hired as an assistant, twenty-four hours a day, every day. You think I had time to put crap in my hair or worry that my lipstick matched my pumps?”

  “Easy, owlet. I was just assuming with your status you’d have access to that type of stuff,” Talon said rubbing Cinnamon’s shoulders gently.

  Cinnamon sighed hard. “It’s not like Ray would have noticed anyway. How come it’s only now I realize all his faults?”

  “The mask we weave to fool ourselves falls away leaving us with the truth. I doubt he was a bad man, but you could certainly do better.”

  Cinnamon laughed. “A man all the way out here? I guess anything is possible.”

  Talon hit the play button, and the lights went down. She stretched out to take up the entire couch.

  “Where am I going to sit?” Cinnamon asked turning around and sticking out her bottom lip.

  “Plenty of room in front of me,” Talon said in a playful voice.

  Cinnamon took a seat on the floor and made sure her wing was in Talon’s way. Giggling, Talon moved the TV. “You’re bad at this, aren’t you?”

  “Bad at what?”

  “Take the jacket and belt off, cupcake.”

  “Cupcake?” Cinnamon whispered annoyed as she took her kit off. Before she could turn around to see what Talon’s next request would be, a strong arm grabbed her around the waist and yanked her backward. She let out a loud surprised squeak and landed squeezed firmly next to Talon, who snuggled Cinnamon to her.

  “I…Wha…Why…” Cinnamon’s face went through a wide range of emotions. “I…I am so sorry…If I…But, I thought…I am not…This is….I’m so, so sorry. If I…If I…did, something to…”

  Talon put her finger to the frantic Angel’s lips. She kept a pleasant smile on her face.

  “You’ve done nothing but look attractive since the day I met you. I’m sorry to embarrass you, but you will find it is lonely being an Angel. It’s hard to find affection, romance, and love in the outside world. Only a handful of Angels have done it, and it doesn’t last long. Going back to the first Angels, they turned to each other for affection to fulfill the need to be close to someone. Sometimes it blossoms into romance or love, but that’s if both parties desire. You seem to need some relaxing. And after ten years mentoring that kid, the first thing I want to do is shrug off being me for a while.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I am not always the wise and crusty old owl everyone sees. Like everyone else, I have more than one side,” Talon said softly. “Come on, just lay here and enjoy the movie.”

  Cinnamon swallowed but snuggled against the other Angel. Unlike her husband’s arm, which was big and clumsy, Talon’s was light and sat perfectly. Her body resting against Talon’s felt natural.

  She thought back to college. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been invited to those parties, she’d just met her husband early on, and they wanted to do other things. She’d gone straight from Brad to DJ. After splitting from DJ, she’d only been alone a few months before meeting Ray. At the time, sex wasn’t what she was after. She just wanted off Mars, and Ray was the ticket. In her life, she’d had no time to explore what was out there. She’d just done what biology told her to do, even though she’d never had any kids.

  In her mind, men went with women, because that’s how it had been for her, even with the likes of Jane running around. Did she want to? Could she actually do it if she wanted to? All things considered, the Angels only had one sex. Sarin had told her that at some point. But, Talon said it was possible to make it work with a male. The end of the movie interrupted her train of thought.

  “What did you think?” said Talon.

  “Oh, it was good. Let’s watch the second one,” Cinnamon suggested, trying to hide the confusion and uncertainty that she felt.

  Talon raised an eyebrow but found the movie.

  Cinnamon lay in Talon’s arms looking at the screen, thinking the second version of this movie is far worse than the original. The rest of her mind whirled. She didn’t know what to think, feel, or do if anything. Was this all Talon wanted or was there more? She liked Talon. There was definitely much more there than she realized. She bet she could tell the most wonderful stories.

  A sudden loud explosion caused her to jump, making Talon laugh at her. She, at least, had Talon’s attention. She’d felt the other Angel stroke her hair, but she thought that was to get it out of her face. A part of her was curious what it was like. She knew men. They were simple and easy to control. She never felt her husbands understood her. And now, was this a chance at something different? Did she want a woman, someone as complex and emotional as she? But, it would be someone who understood her. What would that be like?

  Cinnamon decided to take a chance. She put her arm on Talon’s and interlaced their fingers. Bringing the bonding up to her mouth, she gently kissed Talon’s fingers. She got no response. She feared she’d read everything wrong. Then Talon raised her fingers and squeezed her tightly.

  She was about to go wild with glee, thinking she’d hit a home run when she felt Talon’s warm lips press against the side of her neck. It was a spot none of her former husbands had found on a regular basis. They might graze it and cause her to contract, but that was it. Somehow, Talon knew exactly where to go and what to do. A tingling sensation washed over her and built rapidly. She couldn’t do anything to fight it. She was at Talon’s mercy.

  “Please, stop…” she moaned, but Talon refu
sed to relent. She continued asking Talon to stop, then demanded, begged, and suddenly she broke down into tears. It was when the tears came that Talon stopped. Talon took her in her arms and held her tight.

  “What happened?” Cinnamon asked through her tears. “I feel funny, and I can’t move.”

  “Hush, cupcake,” whispered Talon. “Just enjoy the sensation.” Talon looked out the window. “It seems so unfair to be so old and have never had one.”

  Talon picked Cinnamon up and carried her to the bed. She laid her down and tucked her in. She gave Cinnamon a kiss on the forehead.

  “No one has ever kissed me goodnight before,” Cinnamon mumbled on her way to sleep.

  “Well, maybe now you do have someone,” Talon whispered back with a smile.

  “How is it the one habitable moon looks like something out of the Wild West?” Cinnamon asked looking out the window as the shuttle descended into the moon’s capital, Notree. The town sat at the bottom of a wide rocky canyon.

  The shuttle door opened and a blast of dust came in.

  “So much for staying clean. How come the government couldn’t put their headquarters on the grazing side of the planet?” Cinnamon complained as she tried to dust herself off. Talon’s hand fell on her shoulder.

  “I know you’re nervous, but try and be quiet,” Talon said in a stern voice.

  Cinnamon nodded. She was having a hard time adjusting to the sides of Talon. She was sweet and tender when they were alone. In public, she was formal and rigid. She didn’t treat her poorly, far from it. Talon treated her like everyone else. Most times that was all right, but sometimes it would have been nice to be treated special in front of others.

  She found being with Talon intoxicating. It was unlike the beginning of any relationship she’d had before. In the movies, girls’ heads spun over new lovers. She always thought it was an exaggeration. Now, she knew differently. She didn’t know how long it would last, but she wished it would go on forever.

  They had a group of eight legionnaires with them, two ship pilots and a combat team of six. Major Baxter had left to meet with the locals, leaving the Angels with two guards. Cinnamon peered out into the light from the darkness of the shuttle.