Commander Henry Gallant (The Henry Gallant Saga Book 4)

by Alesso, H. Peter

  “Hello, Mr. Gallant, I’m the foreman here. Can I help you?”

  “No, thank you, Mr. Treadwell has taken good care of me.”

  The young man smiled at Gallant, nodded at Treadwell, and left without saying anything else.

  Treadwell spat on the ground and said, “Like I said—none.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Sailing

  The day was perfect. The blue-green ocean waves crashed on the shore. White puffy clouds crossed the aquamarine sky. On the horizon the faint haze of the morning fog was departing. A light breeze blew across the harbor just as Gallant walked into the boatyard. He saw Alaina standing at the end of a pier—her gaze fixed on the sea. She wore a white halter and tan shorts. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, tied with a yellow ribbon. He stood for a minute, content to witness the scene.

  A warm gust touched his face and woke him from his reverie. He walked along the wharf, stopping several meters behind her.

  “Alaina?”

  Startled, she turned her head. Her eyes filled with delight.

  “Henry.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come up behind you like that.”

  “No, not at all. It was silly of me—my mind was far away.”

  “You look wonderful.”

  “Thank you.”

  An incoming wave shattered against the nearby rocks spraying them.

  “You wouldn’t go hiking in the jungle with me, so you decided the lesser evil was to go sailing?”

  “Yes,” She laughed—an infectious, happy laugh.

  The marina was crowded with small fishing and pleasure boats. Alaina’s yawl was at the end of the pier. They climbed aboard and began unfurling the jib sail. Gallant hauled in the bow line while Alaina cast off the stern line. The billowing jib caught the wind and they left the shore. The wind gently carried them to sea.

  He removed a line from its cleat to raise the mainsail while yanking at the furling line of the jib. He secured the boom in its cradle and sat down in the cockpit. As he heaved on the helm to point the bow toward open water, they had to traverse a seaweed patch. When they had gone a hundred meters, he pulled the sheets taut and let the boat heel over.

  They skirted a sandbar running parallel to the shore and passed the lighthouse on the bleak cliffs high above the bay. Large jagged rocks and shoals were silhouetted by the water’s spray.

  He had the feeling that they were starting a new adventure and wondered whether she felt the same, but he was afraid to ask anything that might disturb the delicate balance between them. He leaned over and pushed the helm over directing the boat farther away from New Kauai.

  The fifteen-meter yawl Haven clawed her way down the bay—away from New Kauai—toward the small deserted islands to the east. As the boat left the bay behind, the seaward breeze picked up. A westerly wind laid her over as she responded to Gallant’s hand at the helm. The blustery summer wind sang in his ears as the boat pitched forward and then rolled as a wave broke against her hull. Haven and the sea synchronized into a thrashing rhythm—pitch—roll—pitch—roll, while in the distance several other small craft ran before the wind. He savored the majesty of the vivid sunlight and writhing seas, but even so, today he was distracted by Alaina’s delicate silhouette as she stood at the mast grasping the rigging while her streaming blonde hair acted as a telltale.

  “Alaina,” he yelled over the gusty weather—beckoning her aft. She smiled, and balancing herself against the swaying motion of the deck, she made her way to the cockpit. She sat sideways to him—her knees tucked under her, a gay expression on her face.

  He sailed the boat closer to the wind to gain speed and the wind greeted him with new enthusiasm. The bobble and swish of the water made a chorus of sea noises that attracted the local inhabitants. There were small and large fish keeping pace with the boat, jumping and wriggling, glinting and twisting, as if they welcomed the yawl and adopted it into their school.

  Seeing that Alaina’s enthusiasm for adventure hadn’t waned, he reached toward her and pulled her close.

  “You love it, don’t you?” she asked. “Sailing, I mean.”

  “I find it grand—it’s usually tranquil—sometimes harsh, but always exhilarating.”

  “I didn’t know that you had so many chances to sail on Mars.”

  “Ha,” he said. “Terraformed Mars offers nearly all the amenities of Earth, though on a modest scale.”

  They spent several hours sailing on the open water until they approached a tiny deserted island with white sandy beaches and secluded coves.

  He loosened the sail and let the course fall off toward the ragged shore. They slowed and gently drifted to the sandy beach. The boat slipped through the rippling shoal water. He let the anchor go and allowed the boat to gently ground on the sandy bottom. He quickly furled the sails and then jumped over the side into the shallow water. Alaina sat on the edge of the boat and let him lift her off. He carried her several meters through the surf to the dry beach while she made only a half-hearted protest. She didn’t protest at all when he kissed her. Her lips pressed back with equal intent.

  He could smell her musky scent—strong after the day’s activities. It made him recall their past adventures.

  She spread a large fluffy blanket and opened the picnic basket. She laid out their lunch, but they hardly ate anything.

  He was beginning to believe he could read her face, and what he saw gave him hope that what she had found charming about him before, she had again.

  Gallant had grown to trust her as she had trusted him. At the moment, she was two people—one was his lover, and the other was a stranger. He wished to separate the two, or perhaps, wear away the distinction until there remained only the friend and lover that he desired.

  He asked, “How about a swim?”

  “I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”

  “That was never a problem before.”

  As a smile spread slowly across her lips, he knew it wouldn’t be a problem now.

  “You’re a bad boy,” she said with an amused expression.

  “I can be.” He wondered if she knew that she was the cause of that.

  They stripped and jumped into the surf. They swam out a hundred meters from the shore and then continued to swim parallel to the beach for nearly a mile before doubling back to the beach. They flopped down on their blanket, exhilarated and exhausted, with heaving chests.

  They watched for several minutes as the incoming tide covered the footprints they had left in the sand. A flurry of spray washed over them.

  Alaina lay on the blanket in the sun, comfortable with her nudity. She leaned forward—her lips moist and parted—she kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and found her response genuine and fulfilling. Their lovemaking filled the afternoon. Afterward, they lay there together, not moving, nor wishing to move, for a long, long time.

  Gazing at the sunbaked sand and the glimmering blue water, Gallant dismissed the past from his mind and focused on the immediate future. He was certain of only one thing—he never wanted to lose this girl. He knew they belonged together, now and always.

  “Are you cold?” he asked.

  “No.” She snuggled comfortably into his arms and he pulled the edge of the blanket over them.

  “I love you, Henry,” she said, her words anchoring him to her world.

  “I love you, Alaina.”

  “Because?”

  “Because it would be impossible not to.”

  They fell asleep. An hour later, Gallant woke up, lying on his back. Alaina was beside him still asleep. He touched her and she woke. She was relaxed—unaffected in her emotions. A satisfied smile signaled her approval.

  The sex had always been good between them. It was good to know it still was. It was the separation that kept getting in their way.

  She leaned on her elbow and put her hand on his shoulder. Her touch instantly shot electricity through him and she saw the look on his face. She smiled and turned away rolling on her sid
e. He put his arm over her and kissed her neck. After a moment she twisted around to face him—eager to resume their lovemaking. They made love once more. Then they remained quiet watching the waves break on the shore and the ocean swells caress the sky.

  “I have a keepsake for you.” She reached into the picnic basket and gave him a small cameo pin with a picture of herself inside.

  He looked pleased and knew he would treasure it on his future missions.

  “I’ll keep your charm near.”

  “Is your life charmed?”

  “It must be, or I’d already be long dead. Though possibly, I am and this is heaven.”

  Soon however, he asked, “Home now?”

  “A little longer, the afternoon is so grand and warm. I wish to keep it as long as possible.”

  Bleary-eyed, he rubbed the gritty sand from his eyes and peered at the sea.

  “The wind’s picking-up,” he said, pausing to allow himself a few moments to cherish the memorable events of the day. “I fear we’d better head for home soon.”

  Alaina nodded. They dressed and packed up their gear. She helped him handle the yawl as they made their way back to sea.

  The Haven lay over before the strengthening wind. The waves crashed and hissed over the railing. A wild gust of air almost took her aback and she staggered momentarily until Gallant pushed down the helm to let her pay off. She continued to thrash through the ocean as they made their way back to the harbor.

  It was sunset when they docked in the New Kauai harbor.

  CHAPTER 9

  Immigrants

  Alaina said, “Twenty-one years ago, the Titans kidnapped our people from an asteroid colony in the Solar System and transported them to this planet. We rebelled and drove the Titans out and made this world our home. For the last two decades, we’ve been united in our struggle to create a civilization that cherishes our values and dreams.”

  She looked around the town hall conference table at the faces of the assembled councilmembers. “Now that new settlers have arrived and we have welcomed them, it is our responsibility to assimilate them into our society so that we can continue developing as one people.”

  She paused before beginning what she knew would be controversial. “I propose that we lease them land for their homes and businesses, and grant them the necessary rights to establish a path to citizenship.”

  There was a discontented murmur throughout the crowd.

  She continued, “This will ensure a smooth and peaceful transition to integrating the new arrivals with minimal disruption to our way of life.”

  Wolfe stood up and said, “No!”

  A large group people in the gallery as well as many of the councilmembers rose and shouted, “No!”

  He added, “Such an approach is too slow and unacceptable to the new arrivals and to those of us who would benefit from a rapid acceptance of these people into our society.”

  Many around the table nodded agreement, encouraging him to continue, “We should welcome the new arrivals as equals. They have the ships, supplies, and resources to turn this place into a paradise.”

  “It’s already a paradise,” said Alaina flummoxed.

  Wolfe said, “I have an alternative proposal.” He paused for dramatic effect before adding, “We should grant them immediate citizenship, and cede the western half of New Kauai to them.”

  Alaina said, “Such a precipitous action would effectively give control of our government to the NNR Corporation. It would seriously diminish our own citizen’s rights.”

  “I have the personal assurances of Commander Neumann, the son of the president of NNR, that none of that will happen. He merely wants to make as rapid a transition as possible to ensure that the industrial capacity of this planet is rapidly built and ready for any further Titan threat.”

  “We don’t have to take such precipitous action.”

  “It’s to everyone’s benefit to act quickly. I call the council to vote on my suggestion.”

  “No. There will be no such vote while I’m president of this council,” said Alaina.

  “Fine with me,” said Wolfe. “I call on the council to call an early election to vote for a new president.”

  He added triumphantly, “That’s one vote you can’t veto.”

  The debate did not improve, and eventually the council voted against Alaina. They set the date for electing a new government.

  As leader of the opposition, Wolfe was nominated as a candidate to run against her.

  CHAPTER 10

  McCall and Alaina

  It was strange to see the two women facing each other—eyes locked—McCall challenging but curious—Alaina wary but fearless.

  With a fretful glance, Gallant left the women alone in the wardroom. He ushered several Elysium councilmembers on a tour of the Warrior to show them how Elysium’s assistance was helping make progress on their repairs.

  Once the women were alone, McCall leaned back in her chair and said, “Henry has spoken of you often.”

  She dropped a spoonful of sugar into her coffee and stirred it, slowly and methodically, clockwise, all the while keeping her eyes locked on Alaina.

  “That’s odd,” said Alaina, “he’s never mentioned you.”

  She stared at the SIA agent, appraising her from every possible angle.

  McCall’s well-tailored uniform hugged her flawless figure, making her seem powerful whereas Alaina’s simple black suit with a short skirt and white blouse made her appear less so.

  In truth, neither woman was comfortable.

  “I can see why he finds you attractive,” said McCall, “though his greatest weakness is his failure to nurture his relationships. I think he would confess to that.”

  “You’re wasting your breath telling me about Henry’s faults. I know them all too well.”

  McCall chortled. She rose from her seat and walked closer to Alaina. “You amuse me. What are you thinking? About events that never were? Or deeds that might be?”

  Alaina rose and walked to the other side of the room before replying, “I’m not obliged to respond to an interrogation.”

  Like two lionesses they prowled around each other as if stalking a prey—one lithe and quick with cunning eyes and hands that curled like claws—the other impatient, strong willed with an inner strength.

  “My first instinct was to kill you,” said McCall, only half-jokingly, “quietly and discreetly of course. But then, the more I learned about you, the more . . . uh . . . curious, I’ve become. Here, at last, is a rival, too beautiful and too complicated to simply destroy—at least, without farther analysis.”

  Alaina said, “I have no idea how to respond to that.”

  “I don’t know what you’re after, but I know you have power over Henry. That troubles me.”

  “You’re troubled, about what, exactly?”

  “Perhaps, I’ve expressed myself poorly. I don’t think you appreciate Henry’s significance . . .”

  “I understand more than you think,” said Alaina.

  “Perhaps.”

  Alaina Hepburn and Julie Anne McCall had distinctly different approaches when it came to dealing with men, in general, and Henry Gallant, in particular.

  McCall said, “Kelsey Mitchell had a firm grip on Gallant before Neumann came along and upset that dynamic. Now you have him. Will you hold fast, or let him slip away?”

  Alaina thoughts wandered. She assumed that he would forever have some ties to Kelsey—some bindings do not break so easily.

  She wondered . . . Is Kelsey still bound in her heart, as well as her marriage, to Neumann? What if she were free? Would Gallant seek her out again? Is he hers for the beckoning?

  McCall guessed that she might have underestimated the younger woman. She was chary of putting a strain on the situation with too many personal questions. Alaina might lack sophistication, but there was a steadfastness about her.

  Alaina broke the silence. She asked, “And what is your interest in Henry?”

  “Oh . .
. strictly professional, of course.” It was a glib answer that held little credulity for either woman.

  In fact, McCall considered herself to be Gallant’s nemesis. He was of considerable importance to the fleet, but to her, he was a curiosity. She had known him long enough to be both impressed and apprehensive about him. He represented a personal and a professional opportunity. During their last mission, she had tried to seduce him. She told herself that it was so she could better study him, but his resistance had surprised her. She was somewhat discouraged that her charms had not prevailed. However, after he interrupted several of her plans, she became wary of him.

  She was the product of an Earth education and genetic engineering, and she had inherited tendencies of the most diabolical kind. She was an artisan of manipulation. That had fostered her brilliant SIA career. What she lacked in kindness, caring, and sharing, she more than made up for in guile, sensuality, and allure. Her proficiency in analyzing her opponent’s character flaws was astonishing. Her cold-bloodedness, lack of empathy, intellect, and grandiosity made it fair to label her a sociopath; she saw people either as pawns to be manipulated, or obstacles to be destroyed. As such, McCall would do anything to achieve her goals. Extremely intelligent, cunning, and ruthless, she intended to control Gallant.

  Aliana was ever bold and direct, with a passion to be taken as an equal in any venture. Her openness and honesty left her artless and unaffected. Although she might be aware of McCall’s cunning and wile, she was helpless to counter it. Underneath her bravado she was nervous, but as she talked she became more confident.

  “Henry Gallant is a good man,” said Alaina earnestly.

  Seething with sarcasm McCall smirked, “So, it’s not his looks that attract you; it’s his nobility of character?”

  Alaina didn’t respond.

  McCall said, “OK, let’s leave him out of this—for now. Let’s just consider your intentions. From what I know of you, I’ve become concerned. I would like to dissuade you from resisting certain necessary developments that must take place for Elysium and its people. Otherwise, you will suffer severe consequences.”