“I was rather loud, wasn’t I?” Sabine said, a bit embarrassed.
“Moderately so, love,” Anasha said with a smile.
“I just get so angry every time I think about how that man is still free,” Sabine said as she resumed her seat at her desk. “I may not have had the greatest relationship with my mother, but I did love her. It burns me to know that one of her killers is still out there. I want him here, in chains, facing justice.”
“We will get him,” Anasha reassured her, “Though I think it might be best, in the eyes of justice anyway, if you recuse yourself from sitting on the Tribunal this time.”
Sabine looked as if a new tirade might be forthcoming, but then her temper cool much to Anasha’s relief. She loved her tiny brown haired wife, but she didn’t really care for her temper when she got going. Sabine knew that, which made her try to rein herself in whenever Anasha was around.
“Thank you for having General Mannis arrange a council meeting,” Sabine said at last, seeming to let the last of her anger go for the moment at least. “I would have preferred tonight, but perhaps morning is better.”
“Excellent,” Anasha said with a smile as she walked to the Queen and kissed away the last of her anger. “I thought dinner with our husband would be better than a stuffy council meeting, anyway. I reserved a table at one of the new restaurants in the city.”
Sabine’s smile was all that Anasha had hoped for when she’d made the reservations. Sabine had been so confined lately by the effects of the pregnancy that a night of normal, unofficial activity was just what she needed. Anasha led the Queen from the office and picked up the usual quartet of guards and made their way back to the Palace.
The two women showered together, which as often as not led to a much longer shower than when they showered alone. They just couldn’t seem to be that close without clothes and not have anything happen between them. The tension was gone from Sabine by the time they dried off and began to do their hair and makeup.
Anasha had been looking forward to the evening all day, ever since she had the idea and made the reservation. Kristof had quickly agreed to the idea, knowing that both of his wives needed a normal night out. Anasha appreciated the willingness her husband had shown with her plans, since he didn’t enjoy being in the spotlight. An evening on the town with the Queen of the Protectorate guaranteed that they would be the center of attention while out in public. Kristof had said would meet the women at the restaurant, since he had spent the day in orbit with Admiral Arctura and would only have time to meet them directly.
Doing each other’s hair and makeup had become one Anasha and Sabine’s favorite parts of these date nights. The individual attention they gave each other was very intimate, and then the look on Kristof’s face afterwards was always gratifying. Simple things like this had made the bonds between them all tighter, so they tried to make time for them as much as they could.
Sabine had chosen a form fitting blue dress for Anasha, one that made the blue of her eyes even bluer. Anasha was glad that she spent so much time in the gym, since the dress left very little to the imagination in the way it clung to her body. Sabine then added light gold jewelry to the outfit that made her blond hair seem golden itself. The silvery sheen of the crystal at her ear shined like a small star in the light.
Anasha had chosen a red dress for Sabine, one that was also form fitting to show off the Queen’s exquisite figure. She knew that in a few months Sabine wouldn’t be able to wear this dress again for a while, and she very much wanted to see her in it. There was also a small red jacket that went with the dress, embroidered in gold and having gold buttons with the Royal Crest imprinted in them. Not that anyone anywhere in the Protectorate would not know their Queen when they saw her.
Finally decked out and stunning, Anasha walked with Sabine arm in arm through the Palace, guards in tow wearing their best formal uniforms. The limo ride through the neon lit city was smooth and quick, and they arrived at the restaurant in style. There was much fanfare, as always when they went in public, as the Queen exited the limo and greeted the waiting crowds.
Sabine enjoyed being a public face for her people, Anasha knew, even though she also knew Sabine hated having very little privacy. The Queen’s love for her people usually won out, though. Anasha also smiled and waved as they made their way into the quiet setting of the restaurant. Once the people had accepted their Queen’s relationship with Anasha, they had come to love her very much as well as evidenced by many of the cheers that greeted them. The peacefulness of the restaurant was a welcome change from the loud cheers outside.
They were shown to the table where Kristof waited for them, and Anasha smiled brightly at seeing her husband. She knew he had spent most of the day in orbit, yet somehow he had managed to find a stunning black tuxedo and had shown up in style. Sabine also smiled brightly as she pulled Kristof down for a kiss. Anasha also gave him a kiss, and whispered her appreciation into his ear.
The night was magic, Anasha thought, as just the three of them shared the table in a semi-private area. Sabine pouted at not being able to have a drink, but it was a cute pout that made Anasha want to bite the Queen’s lower lip playfully. Kristof voiced the same desire, which made Anasha laugh lightly. She suspected Sabine had pouted in that manner purposely, as all of them were flirting amidst their easy conversation and intent on making the most of their night together.
As their meal came, Kristof told them of his day in orbit touring the Archangel, one of two new ships in the Protectorate Naval Fleet that Sabine had ordered after the previous year’s hostilities. One of two new dreadnaughts commissioned by Sabine after the end of the conflict with the Clovani, the ships had been controversial to many in the Protectorate due to their overt militant intent, Anasha knew. Many had argued that such ships sent the wrong signals to their allies about only being interested in peace and defense. The cost of the dreadnaughts had been astronomical as well, both from a developmental and construction standpoint, especially since Sabine had ordered them built in under a year’s time.
“The last of the construction dry docks have been removed,” Kristof said as they ate. “Admiral Raekis attended the tour and says the ship at Durani is also out of dry dock and ready for trial runs. I think you may have created a new shipping industry, my Queen, since they had to pretty much reinvent the three dimensional printers to create the spaceframe of the ship instead of piecing it together in the traditional manner.”
“Well, it’s good to know we can ‘print’ up new ships at need, then,” Sabine laughed. “General Mannis says the Finance Minister is still having fits over the expense. And I also want to strangle Stephan for naming the other dreadnaught the Queen’s Honor.”
“So you heard about that, huh?” Kristof said with a smile. “I was hoping it would be a surprise at the christening ceremony.”
“Did you have anything to do with that?” Sabine asked accusingly.
“No, my love,” Kristof laughed, clearly enjoying Sabine’s aggravation at Stephan’s gesture. “Stephan did that all on his own. I only learned about it this afternoon from Admiral Raekis.”
Anasha laughed at seeing Sabine’s dismay at the dreadnaught’s name. She could be distraught over the funniest things at times, Anasha thought as she watched her lovely wife. Yet as she watched, Anasha could see Sabine’s mood start to dim and she knew the Queen was thinking of her great uncle again.
Kristof seemed to pick up on Sabine’s mood as well, and he asked what was on her mind before Anasha could stop him or change the subject. Sabine sat speechless, not knowing how to say what was on her mind without breaking into another foul tirade. Sabine gave her a pleading look, so Anasha filled the silence for her.
“General Mannis’s intelligence sources located Salas Arctura,” Anasha said quietly, as she mourned the loss of the light mood of the evening. “Her Majesty here seems to have some difficulty expressing her feelings about her great uncle without screaming and swearing at length.” She watched as Kr
istof processed the information as he gave Sabine a speculative look. After knowing Kristof for so long, Anasha could already see the thoughts in his head as he began planning a way to go get Sabine’s uncle.
Kristof rose from his seat suddenly and offered his hand to Sabine.
“Come have a dance with me,” Kristof said, his voice once more returning to the light mood of moments before. He then gave Anasha a wink, and she felt her heart for this man swell as she saw that he would not let the evening be ruined by thoughts of Salas, even if it meant doing something he hated like dancing.
Sabine gave Kristof a shy smile as she took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. Anasha knew Kristof hated dancing with a passion, so his gesture was bigger than Sabine knew. They danced gracefully as the restaurant’s violin players played an old Puranni tune for them. Anasha sat in awe, wondering where Kristof had learned to dance like he did now with Sabine when he hated it so.
Anasha fell in love with both of them even more in that moment as she watched them together. She smiled to herself seeing how small Sabine was next to Kristof, the top of her head not quite reaching his chin. Everything about Sabine physically was tiny, yet she cast a huge shadow in the lives of everyone around her.
Lost in her thoughts, Anasha did not see Sabine come to her until the diminutive Queen took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. They shared a dance together to another old tune as Kristof watched from a short distance away, his love for them in his eyes and his smile. She mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to him, and he blew her a kiss in return.
The applause from the restaurant at the end of the dance surprised both Anasha and Sabine. It seemed they had had an audience, and Anasha realized that this had been the first time she and Sabine had been seen together in public in a romantic embrace. The people of the Protectorate had been shocked at their Queen’s three way marriage, and even more shocked to learn one of her spouses was a woman.
While same sex marriages were nothing new to the people of the Protectorate, their views concerning the Royal Family were definitely extremely conservative. Sabine had been adamant about breaking down that tradition though, and had refused Anasha’s suggestion that people did not need to know. It seemed that the Queen had won her people over to her way of thinking as Kristof came to join her and Anasha, the crowd applauding even louder.
It seemed love could conquer anything, Anasha thought, as she blushed and smiled brightly.
~14~
The peace of the night before was in stark contrast to the mood in the council chambers the next morning. The debate was fierce when it came to what was to be done, if anything, about Salas Arctura. Sabine was adamant that Salas be apprehended, Kristof knew. Just the look on her face as he watched her observe the debate was enough for him to know that no matter how the debate ended, she would order a mission to Dorcanus II to bring back her great uncle. As the last remaining conspirator in the death of her mother, it had become an obsession of hers over the last year.
Now that they had solid intelligence on the Salas’s whereabouts, it was only a matter of time before Sabine acted. She would not allow him to slip away again if it could be helped. Kristof was already drawing up mission plans in his mind and making notes on his data pad as the debate raged on around him. He had been doing so since the night before once his wives had fallen asleep.
The representatives of the Great Houses that had been included in the session mostly seemed to have sided with the Queen, while General Mannis and the other top brass of the Protectorate military advised caution due to Salas’s present location. Sabine had promised Anasha that she would hear out all sides before making a decision, but Kristof hadn’t heard anything that would sway her decision yet.
“The Dorcanus system in currently under Clovani control, and also sits very close to the Tunani border,” General Mannis argued. “Any action by us in force there could easily be seen as an act of potential hostilities with the Tunani, who are extremely nervous already with the Clovani Empire threatening their borders and because of what happened here last year. It would also most likely reignite hostilities with the Clovani.”
“Salas Arctura must stand trial,” Prime Minister Rossada countered. “His continued evasion of justice cannot be allowed, especially now that we know his location. Also, if he is allowed to reach Tunani space, the Republic has a long standing tradition of not extraditing political criminals that would face the death penalty. As for the Clovani, we are still technically at war with the Empire anyway, since we have no formal declaration of peace from either side of the conflict.”
The debate erupted again, each side going over their same arguments again and again. Kristof looked to Sabine and raised an eyebrow, indicating that they’d heard all that they needed to and it was time for her decision. The determined look on his diminutive wife’s face told him all he needed to know.
Sabine signaled for the room to come to order, and slowly the voices died off until all was silent. Appearing to debate the issue in her mind a moment longer, she turned to Kristof and gave him a long stare.
“You’ve been very quiet, Colonel Anders,” Sabine said formally, for the moment ignoring the fact that they were married, for the benefit of the assembled nobles and commanders.
“My Queen,” Kristof responded with a nod, equally formal for the assembled council, “Since I believe I already know how you will rule in the matter, I have taken the liberty of beginning to draw up plans to extract your uncle for the Dorcanus II mining facility without involving the entire fleet, thereby avoiding escalating tensions with both the Clovani and the Tunani Republic.”
“A bit presumptuous, aren’t we?” Sabine asked archly, with a hint of a smile teasing the corner of her mouth as she tried to maintain a stern face before the council.
“Perhaps so,” Kristof answered lightly and with a wink, “Though I do hope my Queen will forgive me.”
Sabine could not help but smile as she nodded for him to continue.
“Since a full out assault on the moon would have potential negative political and strategic consequences, as the council has pointed out,” Kristof began, “I believe a small strike force will be more effective in extracting Salas Arctura. Our intelligence resources there have the target’s position pinpointed, as well as supplied us with detailed maps of the facility and the moon in general. I therefore believe my team should be able to make a stealth landing on the moon without issue and navigate the complex to extract Salas without too much difficulty.’
By the look he received, Kristof knew Sabine had not been happy about the inclusion of himself in the mission plan. He had no intention of sitting by and letting someone else carry out a mission he’d done himself on several occasions already, however. Nothing in the intelligence sent to them by the rebel forces on Dorcanus indicated the potential for complications. The mining facility was remote and little visited by the Empire except as part of their regular patrols, which were not due for another week or more.
Also, this was a family matter, and Kristof would do this because Sabine needed it done. He knew the disappointments of family and how painful their betrayals could be, having lived through them with his own family most of his life. Sabine needed closure in the death of her mother, so if bringing her great uncle back to face justice would help heal her heart, then he would see it done personally.
“Do we have any indication why Salas is there?” Subat asked from a few seats down from Kristof, his face troubled. “As I recall, Salas was ever fond of a softer lifestyle. This mining facility is a mean and inhospitable sort of place and totally out of character for him.”
“Our contact reports that Salas arrived under an assumed name from Clovani Prime,” General Mannis replied in response to Subat’s question. “It would seem that Salas may have fallen out of favor with the Emperor and is on the run. Salas has booked passage on another freighter to Hosteeus IV in Tunani space, which is due to dock at the mining facility in four days.”
&nb
sp; “Which means our window of opportunity is very small here,” Kristof pointed out. “It is a two day trip from here to Dorcanus II. My team and ship can be prepped and ready to go by tomorrow morning.”
Silence fell as all attention turned back to Sabine, who was watching Kristof with a mixture of worry and anger, which told him all he needed to know. The Queen would order the extraction, but not without giving him an earful in private later that afternoon. He had expected no less when he had begun drawing up the mission plans.
“Gentlemen,” Sabine said at last. “I have heard enough to make my decision. The prosecution of Salas Arctura is a matter of importance for the Protectorate and its closure in the death of my mother, Queen Josephine. Colonel Anders, you will therefore assemble your team and any assets you require, and are hereby ordered to apprehend the fugitive, Salas Arctura. This meeting is adjourned.”
The Prime Minister struck a gavel and the gathered dignitaries and commanders began filing out of the conference room. Sabine remained seated at the head of the table, her deep brown eyes hard and angry as she stared at Kristof. He endured her anger. Had he not known she’d be furious with him, after all? By including himself in the mission plans during the briefing, he’d precluded her being able to forbid him from going himself without embarrassing him, which she would not do to him. He could only imagine Anasha’s anger when she found out that afternoon about what he had done.
One battle at a time, he told himself, as Kristof rose and walked to his fuming wife. The room was empty now except for the two of them, and Subat, who had lingered. Subat’s face was troubled still as he moved to join his two adopted children.
Kristof decided not to have this fight later and opted for a quick, preemptive attack as he approached Sabine. She had risen from her chair and was straightening her gown as she turned to him, an angry look upon her face. Before she could say a word, Kristof swept in and kissed her.
“Not fair,” Sabine whispered against his lips. “I’m trying to be angry with you.”
The Smuggler's Ascension: Dark Tide Rising Page 8
