Materfamilias

by Wendie Nordgren

  “Teagan, don’t be cross. Your cover had to be set up to look realistic. The Galaxic Militia has two spies here on Parvac. We’ve been feeding them enough information from the Academy as to make it seem as though you are a harmless, pregnant, hormonal female.”

  I glared at him.

  “What? Keeping to the truth is always more believable,” he said innocently.

  I turned on Rovek. “So, am I kicked out or not? Tell me the truth, or by the stars, I swear I’ll twist your balls off.”

  Rovek’s raised eyebrow was barely discernable under his safety goggles. “We needed a feasible reason for your expulsion. You provided me with a perfect opportunity, so I took it.”

  “What about the safety of the cadets?” Anger didn’t keep the hurt out of my voice.

  Rovek said, “Ensign Probus, we don’t care if they fight. We encourage it. They need to learn to be brutal. Why do you think we have dispersal sedatives at the ready? While you will no longer be allowed to participate in most of the physical requirements, completing this mission will count in your favor.” My questioning look had him continuing. “The clause Ensign Flavian tricked you into agreeing to is legal and binding. He will assert his rights in the matter.”

  Papa smiled from ear to ear. “I had nothing to do with it, either. I like that boy.”

  Cormac said, “This mission is critical to the Empire, but also to the inhabitants of Laconian and Galaxic space. It is possible that we are dealing with an unknown alien presence. Can you handle it in your conditions?” He looked between Sparrow and me.

  I said, “You can bet your dick on it.”

  Frowning, he said, “I would prefer not to.”

  “Dismissed,” Papa said.

  Rovek and Cormac bowed and left, going in opposite directions.

  “Fucking Inquisitors with their fucking secrets….”

  Sparrow said, “You’re learning to be a fucking Inquisitor.” Her eyes were filled with humor.

  I snorted at her.

  Papa kissed each of us on the cheek. “Ladies, I will order the Empress prepared.” He walked out the way he had entered.

  After he had gone, Sparrow looked into my eyes. “Want to blow shit up?”

  “Yes!”

  Sparrow took my hand and led me away. “You stood up for me to the Emperor.” She said it quietly.

  “Well, yeah. Papa was being a jerk to you.”

  We went inside of a weapons testing room and over to a section that was set up like a typical firing range. From a weapons locker, she selected a long-barreled weapon and handed it to me. Automatically, I prepared myself to compensate for its weight, but it surprised me. The entire thing was made of a shiny chrome, and the grip was clear. It wouldn’t be a good weapon to take out at night.

  “It’s lighter than I expected.”

  Sparrow gave me a pleased smile. “Shoot that weighted sandbag.” She pointed at it. “It weighs two hundred pounds.”

  “Alright.” I took aim and fired. The air warbled outward like an invisible wave before making a poof of sound when it struck the target. The sandbag flew backwards and hit the wall which had been at least ten feet behind it. “Damn.”

  “That’s my prototype for the sonic blaster. I’ve made improvements to it and have two of them ready for you. Want them?”

  “Stars, yes! Thank you. These are great.”

  “I’ll code them to your palm prints. With children around, I’m adding additional safety features to all of our weapons.” She led me into another room which was filled with her prototypes. After she coded the blasters to my palms, she slid them into their holsters, and handed them to me. “Hungry?” she asked.

  “I could eat.”

  Leaving the lab, we got inside of Sparrow’s transport in search of sustenance. Both of us were beginning to feel cranky. It didn’t help when I spotted a transport tailing us. It didn’t belong to my guards. “We’ve gained some unsolicited notice.”

  “Who are they, and what do they want?” Sparrow asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure Kaoti is near and will deal with them if they are a threat.”

  Sparrow said, “Xavier, men are following us.”

  In our minds, he answered, “You aren’t in any danger, and Kaoti is with you.”

  “Where?” Sparrow asked.

  He said, “In the back seat.”

  Turning around and seeing nothing but the transport, I asked the thin air, “Who are those males, Kaoti?”

  The air shimmered as he deactivated his visual displacement shielding and appeared inches away from me. “They are lovesick cadets from the Academy who are intent on professing their undying love and devotion to Teagan.”

  “Aww. How sweet,” I said dryly.

  Sparrow said, “They thought tailing us so closely as to almost run us off of the road was the way to prove their love? They could have scratched Ruby.”

  “You named your transport?” I asked.

  “Your warship has a name.” She waited for me to argue.

  When I said nothing, she pulled into the parking lot of a café. The three of us entered, and Kaoti guarded us at our table. The men who had frightened us entered, and we realized how silly it had been to be frightened of them. There were six of them, and they seemed to be between the ages of sixteen and seventeen. I recognized them from the Academy.

  “They do realize they are too young. Don’t they?” I asked quietly.

  Kaoti said, “You and Clark are the talk of the Academy. The boys thought only high-ranking officers were good enough to attract your notice. Word has spread that Clark is your husband and forbade you from fighting. It has made him popular among males of all ages. In our culture, it is unthinkable. Females should not fight. For Princess Probus to obey her young ensign, has made him a legend. The ensigns and cadets are eager to prove themselves to you as Clark did during the mission to capture the traitor. You’ve become attainable.”

  I groaned.

  A waiter placed a basket of bread and a bowl of pineapple jam on the table and took our orders. I made Kaoti order something, too. The boys were seated at a table, but quietly argued with each other about what to do the entire time. Instead of doing the cowardly thing, they got up. Their apparent leader tugged down the front of his jacket, straightened his shoulders, and walked purposefully toward our table with his classmates following behind. The six of them kneeled beside our table. Sparrow and I exchanged glances. The boys didn’t say anything. She nudged me with her foot under the table.

  “May we help you?” I asked.

  The oldest had lost his courage. Another cadet spoke up. “Princess Probus and Lady Ponidi, we did not mean to disturb your peace but only to offer our sincere support.” He had black hair, golden-brown eyes, muscles, and a voice like honey. Ever calculating, the cadets had sent the most attractive among them to address me.

  I grinned. How cute. They were trying to manipulate me, the woman with more husbands than she knew how to handle. I asked, “What’s your name?”

  “I am Cadet Allen.” He rattled off the names of his classmates. “Princess Probus, we speak to you on behalf of the majority of Academy students. We thought you should know how adamantly opposed we are to your expulsion, and we vow to make the lives of our instructors miserable until the day you are either re-enrolled or we graduate.”

  “Oh?” I asked perking up enough to smile.

  Another cadet said, “Inquisitor Rovek will not have a moment of peace.”

  “Why? What are you doing?” I asked.

  “We’ve started off with an audio nag.”

  “What’s that?” I asked. Sparrow was just as curious and paid attention to him in between bites of bread. I took a piece for myself.

  He said, “One of the most annoying sounds is a cricket during the night that can’t be found. I programmed the sound into a probe the size of a pea and set it to go off as soon as his biological scans indicate REM sleep. When his heartrate speeds up indicating alertness, it turns off. I
t will disturb his sleep each night, and he won’t even realize it is happening.”

  Kaoti chuckled in appreciation of the prank and said, “Diabolical.” It was high praise.

  Emboldened, another cadet said, “We have also hidden paint bombs and programmed them to go off when they scan his uniform.”

  “What color is the paint?” I asked.

  He blushed, but said, “There was a rumor going around the Academy about you sending him a phallus….”

  I smiled and nodded. “Totally true.”

  “The paint is pink and glittery with penis confetti mixed in,” he said with red cheeks.

  Sparrow, Kaoti, and I laughed our heads off. Everyone was staring at us. I wiped at my eyes, forgetting I still held a roll. Bread got in my eyelashes, and Sparrow had to get it out for me which made us laugh harder.

  Sparrow said, “We should give them a box of our sculptures to use as yard decorations.”

  Laughing, we called out to Xavier for help. It wasn’t long before my supporters were given a big box of dicks with which to annoy Rovek. After I had thanked each of them personally and Sparrow and I had posed for pictures with them, they excused themselves to their table where they quietly discussed everything. Luckily, it didn’t take long to make sandwiches, so Xavier’s was brought out with ours. I had just taken a huge bite of mine when Cormac walked in. I rolled my eyes which prompted Sparrow to look.

  He feigned surprise at having discovered us. “Ladies, what an unexpected pleasure.”

  I snorted at him. “Are you following me?” Opening my mouth wide, I chomped down on my sandwich. It contained layers of meats and cheeses, all thinly sliced.

  Cormac said, “I often come here for lunch.”

  Sparrow said, “Don’t let us stop you.” She waved her sandwich toward the counter.

  Cormac went to his knees beside me. “Please, forgive me.”

  “For what?”

  “I care for you. Your anger cuts me to the core.”

  “Then, let me eat my cold cuts in peace or risk more of my anger.”

  Kaoti and Xavier wisely kept out of it and continued eating.

  “Teagan, please….”

  Overhearing us, a couple of young soldiers stood from their table and approached. “Sir, you heard Princess Probus.” The one speaking was huge with thickly muscled arms.

  “Hey, don’t I know you?” Tilting my head to the side, I smiled. He was from Kane’s ship. He had once gotten into the ring with Yukihyo.

  Both of the soldiers bowed to Sparrow and me.

  Turning his face toward them, and in a cold voice that I had never before heard, Cormac said, “Stay out of this. It doesn’t concern you. Her Imperial Guards are present.”

  The soldier said, “If you are causing Princess Probus an upset, it is my business.”

  In a smooth motion, Cormac stood to his full height.

  Sparrow and I chewed and watched. The two of them reminded me of nature documentaries I had seen. Before me, two male bucks in their primes faced each other. Their eyes locked as they evaluated the opposition and prepared to battle for supremacy.

  “You gonna stop them?” Sparrow asked before taking a large bite.

  “Nope.” I took a sip of my tea and ate another bite of my sandwich. I still had a good seven inches of the thing to finish. It took my attention away from the quiet argument occurring between Cormac and what had grown into a few members of Kane’s crew.

  “Well, you’re off-duty, and you aren’t my superior officer. But if he were here, he’d be just as protective of Vice Admiral Valen’s cousin. Seems like the Inquisitor needs a lesson on how to treat a lady.”

  The men started moving, taking their argument outside. Most of the café’s patrons followed.

  “Um, this is good,” Sparrow said. Xavier smiled at her.

  Closing my eyes, I sighed in ecstasy and ate my sandwich in peace, now that I could do so unbothered. The twins were hungry.

  A huge crowd had gathered outside. With a furious expression and her curls bouncing around madly, Sparrow got up, went to the door, waved her sandwich around, and yelled, “Stay away from Ruby!” She returned to the table.

  Xavier was so amused that his eyes had crinkles in the corners.

  After we had finished eating, Kaoti and Xavier cleared the way to Ruby. I blew Kane’s crewman a kiss before taking my seat. It infuriated Cormac. He started walking toward us, but the soldier grabbed him by the back of his jacket and hauled him back.

  Xavier gave his wife a kiss and opened her door before walking to his own transport to follow us back to the Palace.

  I asked Sparrow, “What do you want to do next?”

  She rubbed her baby bump. “If we’re leaving tomorrow, we should pack.”

  Turning back to Kaoti, I asked, “Did you hear the conversation we had in the lab?”

  He nodded.

  “Of course, you did. Kaoti, would you please send Cormac a message?”

  He said, “I think you just did.”

  “Tell him I’ll forgive him for interrupting my lunch, for fudge, but only if he brings enough for five pregnant women.”

  Kaoti activated his communications device by tapping on his ear. “Are you done?”

  “Yes,” Cormac responded. Sparrow and I had to strain to hear.

  Kaoti said, “Don’t try talking to her when she’s hungry. If she’s putting food into her mouth, take up a defensive position. She gets angry when she’s hungry. Now, they want fudge. Bring enough for a squadron.”

  “The Palace?”

  “Affirmative.” Kaoti’s expression was bland.

  Rolling my eyes at him, I turned around and watched the scenery go by, thankful it wasn’t making me sick. As soon as we parked, Xavier and Zared opened our doors. They looked upset.

  “What’s wrong?” I was almost afraid to ask.

  Zared said, “The Warrior Caste is in an uproar. They have learned that you are planning to leave the Empire and are petitioning Emperor Probus to forbid it.”

  Lacing my fingers together with his as we walked inside, I asked, “Why?”

  “They believe the threat of foreign hostility is still too great, you are pregnant, and most importantly, if you leave they can’t court you.”

  “So, are we sneaking away ahead of schedule?”

  Zared chuckled. Xavier grinned at me, and I winked at him. His black eye had a visible sclera, and his white eye was streaked with pink and gold. They had appeared that way each day since Sparrow’s morning sickness had passed. Laconians craved large families, and Xavier and Jazon were thrilled that their wives were adding to ours.

  My vid-screen started beeping. “It’s Kane!” Answering, I said, “Hello, handsome cousin!”

  Kane didn’t look amused. “My men got into a fight with an Inquisitor.”

  Smiling, I said, “Yes, they were so sweet.”

  Kane stared at me. He wasn’t amused. “Do you mind explaining?”

  “Cormac wouldn’t shut up and let me eat. Your men came to my rescue and thank the stars they did. These twins never seem to be satisfied. So, the men are going hunting on Chione. Please, come with us. We are planning a leisurely vacation without an itinerary. We will relax, enjoy ourselves, and do as we wish. Come on. You need to get away. Think of the fun you and Eric could have, and you could bring Grandmother back lots of cooking ingredients. Also, you could keep an eye on me and make sure I behave.”

  He didn’t look convinced. “I’ll think about it and get back to you.” He ended the call.

  Putting my vid-screen away, I held Zared’s arm. I started thinking about ingredients. “Oh, Zared,” I said dreamily.

  The way I had said his name made red creep up the neck of an officer who waited in the hall to speak to someone in an office.

  “I want stuffed olives, and figs, and cheeses. We should probably visit Aurilius. Anyway, Tracy wants to see her family. While she visits, we can go to the markets and stock up.”

  Sparrow asked, “How
long before we get the stuffed olives?”

  “Maybe, we have some left over. Let’s go look.”

  We got our husbands to change directions and went to the kitchens. A chef came over to us, and when we told him what we wanted, he said, “My apologies. Lady Tracy ate them all.”

  I thought something very un-princess-like at Tracy. “All of them? Every single one? Kaoti, do you have any hidden?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, where?” Sparrow asked.

  “On the Empress.”

  Xavier sighed.

  Kaoti narrowed his eyes at him.

  Xavier shook his head. “Jazon already found those and gave them to her, too.”

  Sparrow and I shared disappointment, annoyance, and a longing which wouldn’t be fulfilled anytime soon.

  To Kaoti, Xavier said, “We’ve got them.”

  With a nod of his head acknowledging that we were protected, he vanished. Violet needed his help packing.

  In the main hall, there was a commotion. Captain Merick Carus was towering over a very unintimidated Inquisitor Cormac Gordian. It was obvious that they were arguing over me, but Cormac had a fancy striped bag from a confectioner’s shop. Releasing our husbands at the same moment, we converged on it.

  Ignoring the argument, Sparrow asked, “Is that for us?”

  “What’s in the bag, Cormac?” I asked as I insinuated myself between the two angry males and tried to get a glimpse inside.

  Cormac pulled out a box and opened it. Sparrow and I gasped in rapture as the sweet, chocolatey smell wafted to our noses, making our mouths water.

  “I want this one,” Sparrow whispered as she reached inside of the box.

  Selecting one for myself, I held onto Cormac’s wrist for balance, closed my eyes, and savored the creamy treat. Then, all too soon, it was gone. Sparrow and I reached inside for more.

  “We should share. We don’t want to be like the olive hog,” I said as I licked my fingers.

  The hall had become almost completely quiet. Cormac, Merick, Dario, Yukihyo, Zared, and Xavier were either looking at Sparrow or me the way we had been looking at the fudge. I didn’t know the names of the other Warrior Caste males who were watching us.

  Xavier picked Sparrow up and started to carry her away. Then, he doubled back. “One more piece,” he said to Cormac.