Living With Syn

by A. C. Katt

  —Proverb

  Stoker directed Syn to an even larger suite down the hall to get some clothing. Syn had to depend on the fabricator for clothes as hers smelled of smoke and ash. She threw on jean shorts and a white blouse, ready to get to work. Syn noticed the beauty and luxury of the sprawling home. However, there was no time to explore her surroundings. Coffee, I need coffee. If I’m preparing dinner for eight, I can’t do it without coffee!

  Syn finally found the kitchen after a few wrong turns. It was large and very hi-tech, gleaming with what she assumed was Sarran stainless steel with black, granite-like counter tops. The black counters contained large sections of green crystal inlaid into the rock. Naffie was sitting on a tall stool drinking juice.

  “Agh! They brought the coffee maker but I don’t see how to connect it to an electric current.”

  “Ask Zadda, Mommie. He can fix anything.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be napping?”

  “I’m not sleepy anymore. Can I watch you? Zadda really can help you with your stuff.”

  “I’m sure Zadda doesn’t want to be bothered for something so trivial.”

  “You don’t understand, Mommie. Nothing a fem needs is too small to her Warriors. You come first, before anything else.”

  “Did I hear someone say my name,” Bron asked as he entered the kitchen area.

  “I need to know how to operate the appliances.” Syn flushed in embarrassment.

  Bron walked over to his new mate, “Anything you need, Pa Syn, to make you comfortable is of major concern to your Warriors.” He kissed the nape of her neck.

  “Ugh! That’s gross!”

  “Then, my offspring, I must assume we will be grossing you out frequently. Now, what is the problem?”

  “It’s the coffee maker, Bron.”

  The huge Warrior put a finger on Syn’s lips and a shiver of need snaked down to her center. “Then, my little love, the coffee maker shall be fixed.”

  “The coffee maker, grinder, and all of the small appliances on Earth, connect to a power source using a cord with prongs.” Syn dangled the power cord and sighed. She looked around at the kitchen with all the strange looking devices. “I don’t know what to use as a substitute appliance and cannot connect mine.”

  Bron smiled and the golden eyes lit up with mirth. “Pa Syn, let me show you. Naffie, get Zadda’s toolbox.”

  Syn’s eyes popped as the toolbox materialized on the counter. Bron said, “These green crystal flats are the power source. When I remove the cord, I will place a small power converter on the underside of your appliance. When you place the appliance on the crystal power source it will operate as intended. I see there is a switch, our appliances don’t need one, but you can turn it on and I’m sure it will work properly.”

  “I’ll need the coffee maker, the grinder, the mixer, and the food processor.”

  Bron raised his hand. “Show me these objects and it shall be done in a quarter tine. I will do the coffee maker and grinder first as your mind is screaming in need,” Bron said, sounding amused.

  ::Naffie, get your Mommie some Tierest juice until her coffee can be made.::

  Naffie opened a large drawer, and drew out a pitcher of a light colored liquid, which he poured into a glass. “Here Mommie, drink this.’’ ::It will make you feel better until the coffee is ready.::

  “Sit, Pa Chette. This will be a long day so you must rest while you can. Zaron is arranging for some Sarran clothing for you. Of course, you will be fitted for handmade garments, but for now, we must make do with the fabricated styles.”

  “I own clothing.”

  “Yes, but would you consent to please us by wearing Sarran garb this moontine?”

  “Yes, I suppose. But don’t think I’m a pushover. On Earth women make their own choices.”

  Bron looked away from the coffee maker. “On Sarran, you have choice and unconditional love.”

  Syn’s head filled with doubts. How I long for what he promises. I’m so afraid this fairy tale will end very badly for me. I’m in love with them already and I like them! I’m in danger of losing my soul. I must shore up my walls and re-arm my defenses. I can’t handle another rejection. Get busy, Syn, you can’t be maudlin if you are busy.

  Bron stepped up behind her. “Don’t doubt us, love, you and everything you are is all we need.”

  * * * *

  The chefs arrived with a sincere desire to learn how to please an Earthen fem with their expertise. The Tierest juice turned out to be the sweetest, most refreshing drink she ever tasted and gave Syn the energy necessary to pursue her project.

  She sat down with the chefs, Brok and Tack, to plan the menu and make a schedule for preparation of the courses for the evening.

  She had a ham and a large frozen turkey she had planned to use for a buffet at the shelter. If she made a sauce for the ham using the sweet Tierest juice along with candied cherries it would go well with the turkey stuffed with local bread, nuts and apples. She prepared candied yams and steamed broccoli which would be topped with hollandaise sauce. The chefs prepared Sarran salads and sides. The basic roasting could be the responsibility of the Sarran chef, while she would do the prep work. He assured her that the Sarran oven would get the turkey done on time.

  Dessert would be entirely of Syn’s creation. She and Naffie dug through the contents of her boxes and found her cookbooks and all of the Earthen ingredients that she knew wouldn’t be available on Sarran. Providentially, she did her grocery shopping just before she fell ill and that she kept a well-stocked larder and separate freezer and refrigerator. She found her boxes filled with Earthen staples, fruit, vegetables and thank God, coffee and chocolate.

  I need to keep a small amount of each for the fabricator.

  By ten tines Syn assembled flour, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs, baking soda, salt, chopped pecans, and chocolate chips for her version of Toll House Cookies. She managed to find a bag of M&Ms and decided to give Nafer a treat by adding those on top.

  Naffie watched carefully as she sifted the dry ingredients together, creamed the butter, and then added the eggs. She followed by adding the chocolate chips, the chopped pecans, and saved the M&Ms for the finishing touch. She mixed the ingredients together gently but thoroughly and proceeded to drop spoonfuls on her cookie sheets. She made a triple recipe so that there would be some for the company to try in addition to the peach pie and pear tart she planned to put up later. If fresh Tierest fruit was available, it would make a fine strudel mixed with her frozen raspberries. Luckily, she had several cans of sliced peaches and pears as well as fresh apples. The turkey went into a type of appliance designed to warm it to room temperature. It didn’t resemble a microwave but seemed to perform the same function.

  Since both the Earthen and Sarran number systems worked on a base ten, once she figured out the Sarran temperature for freezing and for boiling it became easy to extrapolate the oven temperature for her baked goods. In ten minutes, the aroma of freshly baking cookies wafted through the house. Syn then began a second fresh pot of coffee using Columbian and Mexican Pinon coffee beans in combination with some finely chopped unsalted pistachio nuts.

  * * * *

  While Syn and Naffie worked in the kitchen, Bron and Zaron along with their security detail made a sweep of the house with Duchess padding at their heels. When they reached the office where the two Elders did most of their council business, Duchess began to howl and claw at the floor. Zaron bent down to soothe the agitated feline and got scratched for his trouble. He was about to send out a mental call to Syn when the enraged feline managed to pull up the offending floor tile. She carefully poked her paw at what seemed to be a hole in the solid slab beneath the tile.

  One dainty white paw held up a listening device.

  Zaron snapped at Stoker and Garlance. “Dispose of this immediately. One of you go the cooking center and check on Her Highness and Naffie. We must report this to Juraens and Mark.”

  Stoker interrupted Zaron, “Jurae
ns will be here in a tine. I told them we managed the earlier situation; however we need him as soon as possible this morning. We have a security breach. No one has entered the suite since the incident. We can show him the detritus and he and Dr. Stern can begin an investigation. The few people you can absolutely trust will be gathered here this moontine. You can make it known to them then. Garlance and I will work with Juraens, his bonded, and the petite beauty. They can help us search the rest of the manse; to be sure we are safe. Inviting a team, even one of our own, increases the risk of someone implanting another device.”

  “So be it.”

  ::We almost lost our offspring and our fem.::

  ::I didn’t think the BondStir reached so deep, Dragon, it terrified me. Hold me, Zaron, let me feel you against me.::

  ::Kiss me, Dearest.:: Zaron grabbed Bron by the shoulders and pulled him into his lean, long muscled arms. Bron’s thin, wide mouth covered Zaron’s with a hunger born of need that simmered unchecked for too long.

  The WarriorPair partially removed their clothing. Bron went down on his knees to caress his lover’s member. Zaron moaned as Bron’s mouth touched him. Bron worked quickly, aware that they hadn’t much time. He ran his tongue over the engorged head of Zaron’s phallus, sweeping down to encase it in his mouth while moving his throat muscles to clench the mushroom-like end while pulling back the foreskin. His hands were busy as his mouth worked. He kneaded his lover’s balls as his head bobbed. It didn’t take long for Zaron to touch Bron’s hair and to spurt into his mouth.

  Zaron slid back into the chair. “Now I must return your generosity, my Dearest.”

  “No time, Dragon. But after tonight we will make up this absence to each other and our fem tenfold.

  * * * *

  Syn finished all of the prep work for the meal, put the cookies in the oven, and sat down with her favorite ceramic mug filled with coffee. She poked around in the pockets of her jean shorts attempting to liberate her cigarettes. Not wanting to smoke in the house, Syn stepped outside onto the patio, bringing an ashtray from her kitchen box along with her.

  “Naffie, you can take the tray Mommie showed you and cover it with a napkin. I’m going outside for a little while.”

  “Are you going blow smoke again? That can’t be good for you.”

  “Whether it’s good for me or not, I smoke. It’s how mommies handles stress.”

  “Stress?”

  “Yes, stress.”

  “What’s stress?”

  “Stress is the overwhelming desire to knock the crap out of someone; and the inability to do it.”

  “Well that’s good then, you won’t need to smoke anymore. Poppie and Zadda will make sure their fem isn’t stressed.”

  Syn shook her head, chuckled, and slipped out the door.

  * * * *

  Mark and Juraens approached the back door and saw Syn standing outside, cigarette in hand. “Do you have another one of those?” Mark asked softly. “I’m Dr. Mark Stern and this is my bonded, Juraens.”

  “I’m Syn Sinclair. I’m taking a break from making the moontine meal.”

  “Zaran and Bron put you to work already?”

  Syn opened the pack of cigarettes. “Take a few and replicate them. I have two cartons in my things.” She took a long drag on the cigarette. “I was in my cabin for most of the trip. Excuse me Juraens, if I speak out of turn, but what do you know about my BondStirred?”

  “They are the finest men I know. Bron and Zaron have sacrificed their lives for their people. In the darkest hours, they never showed discouragement, never wavered in their determination that our sons would have the opportunity to bond like their fathers and their fathers before them.”

  Mark took a drag. “I got to know Zaron on board during the worst of the fighting. They lost a fempring and a beloved wife and yet spent their time comforting a nation. Zaron played his part disguised as the Chief for the whole trip. I believe only Juraens and the cats knew who he really was until it was necessary to break cover for the hearing.”

  Can I be honest here, gentlemen? I don’t know if bonding with two Elders is the right thing for me to do. You must have heard the rumors. I’m a former prostitute and heroin addict. I may tarnish their reputations and even prevent them from governing effectively. Maddy will make sure everyone on Sarran knows. The only way she would have accepted me is if I bonded with the street sweeper—covered in shit and grime, she wouldn’t have noticed me; only to comment upon my getting my just desserts. I can’t bring that type of scorn on TeBron and TeZaron’s head. And what about Nafer, this would be absolutely horrible for him.”

  “Nafer is the most resilient offspring I have ever encountered. His empathy and his psy ability make him more mature than his age,” Juraens said firmly.

  “You can help him by just being there for him with a cuddle, a pat on the head, or milk and cookies if my nose is working correctly.” Mark and Syn put their cigarettes out in Syn’s ashtray, a flat chrome circle with two chrome pelicans sitting on a pier. The beaks held the burning cigarette and would put it out if the smoker forgot it. They set it on the small table outside the door.

  “Come in gentlemen. Why don’t you wander over to the study and I’ll be there with some refreshments to compensate for all of us rising so early and facing such a full day.’’

  Mark and Juraens made for the study and Syn re-entered the kitchen.

  * * * *

  Naffie had disappeared. Syn thought he followed the guys to the study. She placed her fancy napkins on the tray and arranged the cookies over the platter. She poured coffee into the coffee server, tea into the teapot, and milk into a pitcher. After placing sugar cubes, Sweet and Low plus half and half, and cut lemons on the tray, she was done. Syn gathered up her courage and made for the study.

  * * * *

  “Let me help you with that,” Zaron said as he waylaid her as she tried to open the study door. He took the heavy tray and told her the voice command to open the door automatically. He set the tray on a cart the Syn likened to a room service cart in a hotel, but more elaborately designed with inlaid wood of different hues crafted into a pattern of clouds.

  “What a lovely cart!”

  “It came with the manse several thousand years ago.” Bron stepped up to the cart. “You will notice that the pattern is strictly clouds, no Tierest tree. The Tierest tree has come to symbolize Sarran unity. The crest of the FireClan has a flame at the top of the tree, like the spreading rays of our sun. The cloud is the relic of the members of the AirClan who became extinct during the ClanWars. The clan that fought Air was the WaterClan. There is nothing left of them, except a ruin of a manse.”

  “How sad, a whole culture lost. Have your archeologists looked for remnants of the clan?”

  Bron came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. “An attempt was made after we regained space flight; however, it was short lived. The Zyptz came and all of our resources were spent on the war.”

  “Hmm—I wonder if there are any archeologists among the women?”

  Zaron came up to Syn with a cup of coffee, there was cream and Sweet and Low, just how she liked it. “I have the Brightstar’s manifest, it lists the occupations of all of the fem on board.

  “I’ll have to look at it, sometime, if it’s allowed.”

  “I’ll allow you anything, Pa Chette.”

  She turned and looked about the room. Mark sat in an upholstered chair with an expression of bliss on his face. “Had some coffee?” Syn asked.

  “This is the nectar of the Gods, give me the secret so I can make some for myself. After the coffee on the ship, I thought I was doomed to sludge for eternity. TeZaron try this, you’ll like it.”

  “I tried it on the ship, it tasted like laptard piss.”

  Syn’s face darkened.

  “Better not offend your fem,” Juraens smirked. “TaCynthia seems very proud of her coffee. She wants you to taste it.”

  “Where is yours?” snapped Bron.

  “Just
about to pour some; after you, Bron.”

  Bron poured some coffee. Syn encouraged him with a kiss. “Let me make it up for you. She looked at him carefully.” She took his cup, dropped in two sugar cubes and a dollop of cream. She handed him his cup. “Try it,” she urged softly.

  Bron picked the cup up from the saucer and brought it to his lips. His eyes widened and he hurried to take another sip. Mark laughed out loud.

  With aplomb, Syn fixed a cup, black for Juraens and lastly, dark and sweet for Zaron. There was silence in the room for about three minutes while the men guzzled their coffee.

  “Gentlemen, would anyone like another cup?” Four cups rose up.

  As Syn poured Bron his second cup, he turned to Zaron. “We have to investigate this. Earth can use this as an export to the galaxy. It is magnificent!”

  Syn giggled, “Would you care for a cookie?”

  There was a timid knock on the door of the study. “Poppie, Zadda can I come in?”

  Both Warriors eyes turned to their fem. She opened the door, “Of course Naffie, you can have some cookies and milk.” A big smile broke out on his face. “Let’s give Duchess some milk because she can’t have cookies. Tonight I’ll have Bron and Zaron feed her tuna for her efforts today.”

  “You’re in for it, gentleman. Tuna is the bane of Tonas’ and Jonal’s existence,” Juraens said, laughing.

  Naffie dutifully poured Duchess her milk and passed around the plate of cookies to his Elders as he watched the pile diminish. Syn bent over and whispered in his ear, ‘‘I have plenty more, don’t you worry. Good boys get cookies.”

  Zaron’s mouth exploded with the flavors of chocolate, brown sugar and butter. The look on his face was priceless. “I think our fem needs to give cooking classes to all of our chefs.”

  “I don’t think so; I bet there is a professional chef among the women who would be happy to give lessons covering far more than I know. Cooking for me is a hobby. A professional chef can perform miracles at the table.”

  “I’ll bet the professionals don’t prepare meals with as much love as our fem.” Bron kissed her on the cheek. ‘‘Your reluctant Warriors were bowled over by your expertise.”