I quickly packed my belongings, most of which was my combat gear of course, I handed Cassandra my extra rifle and tossed the stereo on top of everything in the duffel bag.
"Just one second soldier!" I heard a growl as I started for the door. I looked up and saw Aruba in the passageway.
"Hi Aruba, I guess you've heard the news by now right?" I asked nervously.
"Yes I did, and you better not be planning to leave without saying goodbye!" I thought I heard a note of pleading there.
"No of course not," I dropped the bags and gave her a big hug; it took me a minute to separate myself. She didn't want to let go. I then turned sideways in the door, "Aruba, let me introduce Cassandra, my mate." I looked at her while she examined Cassandra.
"I see they didn't treat you too well down there huh?" she replied in a neutral voice.
"No, it'll be awhile before I'm totally fit again," she said quietly. "Thank you for taking care of him for me, I'm sorry you didn't get what you want, but as long as I'm still alive he's mine!" She suddenly didn't look so weak anymore and Aruba backed off surprised, even I was a little shocked at how fiercely she’d said those last two words.
Aruba looked at the both of us then and smiled, "Well good luck, and take care of each other," she ducked into the room then as we cleared the doorway closing the door behind her.
"I really didn't want to hurt her," I said quietly as we headed down to the shuttle access way.
"Don't worry, she'll get over it I'm sure," said Cassandra as she followed me down the hall.
I was surprised to see both my squad and John's there as we got to the access. Even Captain Johnson was there. They all wished me and Cassandra good luck; I think everybody knew the story about us by now. Then they told her a few of the more outrageous stories about me while I prayed for the shuttle to show up noticing some of the glances that Cassandra was giving me as they listed my various insanities. It did eventually and we waved goodbye and I dragged my gear aboard.
"They really liked you Raj," she smiled, "I see you have developed a good knack for making friends."
"Well, I try, believe me. They're the second most important thing I have!" and I smiled at her.
"How much of those stories were true anyway?" she asked looking very dangerous all of the sudden.
"Ummm," I said quietly, "More than I want to admit, take a look at my list of commendations sometime. Aruba used to get on my case about it all the time."
"Well," she smiled sweetly again. "That's all going to stop now, or I'll break your kneecaps! Understand?"
"I promise to behave," I said putting my hand over my heart and laughing.
"I've heard that one before!" she sighed.
At that moment the intercom came on and told us to make ourselves secure. The ride took only about twenty minutes; I had hoped it would be longer however, we were both enjoying the privacy.
The shuttle docked then, and they brought the air pressure up on the outside. When the door opened I picked up my gear and followed Cassandra out the rear hatch. I stopped and dropped my bags when I saw who was there.
"Terease, Banner, Balizar, Sharazad!" I started; I was back on the Astra! And surprisingly quite a few of my old friend's were still there, I saw Mist and Lyle, Ron the shuttle op's Chief, and some of the older flight crews, even Marcus! I introduced Cassandra to everybody of course, and Sharazad took her under her wing immediately.
Everybody wanted to hear the story about what had happened, and where I had been.
"The Captain told us only an hour ago that he had got you back on the crew, and that you had a mate now as well!" smiled Balizar, "So of course we all had our hopes up Raj."
"Well, I'm glad to be back, that's for sure!" I smiled at everybody, "Does anybody know where our room is by chance?"
"Sure Raj, you're in five forward, E deck. Why?"
"Unfinished business," I smiled at Balizar, then recovering Cassandra from Sharazad, I picked her up left for our room. I could hear everybody laughing as we left the flight deck.
"What's the rush Raj?" asked Cassandra, eyes sparkling mischievously.
"Now that we've finally got some privacy, I want to consummate our lifemating," I growled.
We got to the room without further incident then, and both growled at anyone who knocked on the door for a long time after that.
29
The Astra's next stop was going to be Hobson's Choice of course, the regular troops were all being left behind as an occupation force with the other transport and the cruisers providing support. We loaded up all of the freed prisoners that belonged to Tri-Star, and some of the ones whose companies weren't present. The trip back took about a month, the Astra was riding pretty light, and so the trip was a quick one. By the time we made port Cassandra had recovered most of her weight and was working on her strength.
Dave also wrangled his way back on the Astra before we left, I’d need a WSO when I went back to my old duties obviously, and with the war over he saw no need to stick with the Falcon.
There was a lot of celebrating that took place once we were given leave. I saw Gabe and Karen, who were both very happy and still planned to marry. Kathy was very happy for me as well, Cassandra was a little growly at first. She was still being pretty possessive, but I know that if I had run into any of her old lovers right now, I'd have acted worse. She and Kathy had a little talk then, and I was surprised to see Cassandra's whole attitude change afterwards.
I found out later that Kathy was involved very seriously with Sunil of all people! Cassandra laughed when I complained about being beat out by my brother.
I later learned that when Falcon block returned to Tau Delta thirty eight they were given an award's banquet, during which everybody was heavily decorated. They then passed out the bonuses and dissolved the Block, striking the unit until such time as the company needed it again, and putting the ship back into mothballs. I received quite a few awards myself. The nicest was the company's distinguished service award, with clusters.
Everybody in my old squad got that one for rescuing the prison camp. It turned out that extermination orders had gone out to all the camps during the battle. One camp hadn't been so lucky, and nearly half the prisoners were dead by the time our forces showed up.
As for the money situation, I had gotten eighteen bonuses over the last two years, but what I got for saving that camp was more than all of that combined. It turned out to be a percentage of the value of everyone we had saved; I heard that even the companies that weren't involved in the battle kicked in!
Cassandra was fairly well off too. She had almost three year's back pay, with a severe hazard bonus added in, that last came from a raid on the movement's cash holdings, so it was a nice chunk too.
I eventually had to tell her about Herza and my offspring of course. I waited till she was recovered; I didn't want her to hurt herself. Her reaction was about what I expected; you can still see the scar on my nose if the light's right. But she forgave me of course, and then sent a letter to Herza threatening murder if she sold my children to the company. She was happy to find out the Herza had no intention to. I secretly feared the day those two met, in many ways they were both too much alike and if they didn’t kill each other, they’d surely kill me.
As for the future, I used all of the ‘brownie points’ my commendations had gotten me, plus the Captain's recommendation, to get into helmsman training. I would be able to do that onboard the Astra, and I know it made Cassandra happy. The thought that I was moving farther away from combat made her purr for a week. I was still flying shuttles of course; I would be for a long time I was sure, but a career path that led away from all things combat related really made her happy. I still did the bar fights and competed in the ship matches of course, Cassandra even came along to watch. I think she liked seeing me kick butt; she definitely wasn’t the passive type obviously.
Cassandra was able to find a berth in the ship's intelligence group, and was actively trying for a bridge position herse
lf. So all things considered, the future was bright indeed.
If you liked this book, please check out my other stories:
Danger Money
Jotun was born and bred to be a corporate assassin, back in the days of the Corporate Wars. Confined these days to life in a gilded cage, Jotun welcomes any opportunity to get out and lately he's been getting out a lot. But as a genetically designed and Laboratory bred animorph by a company that isn't quite sure if it trusts him anymore his choices are few: do the jobs that eventually will kill him, or refuse, which will also kill him.
Of course it isn't like he doesn't enjoy the work, but when everybody wants you dead you start to wonder if there isn't more to life.
When an unexpected betrayal kills the few friends he has and nearly him as well, Jotun realizes he has bigger problems than his lifestyle, namely finding out who betrayed him and paying them back, no matter what the cost.
Danger Money is a Science Fiction story that takes place in my Children of Steel universe, a future where genetically created animorphs serve as second class citizens and handle all of the dirty and dangerous jobs that are part of humanity's extension to the stars.
Dialene
Dialene's Captain decided to play pirate, and one well placed nuclear torpedo later she finds herself prisoner of the Corporation whose ship they were attempting to raid; her friends and lover all dead. With no corporation to ransom her back she finds herself in the unenviable position of having to work off the debt assigned to her for her part in her Captain's actions. With concerns as to where her loyalties lie she has but two choices: Work in the mines on an airless rock where a small fem like her would not last long, or work in the company bar entertaining those very same miners.
At least working in the bar beats the alternatives, until one day an interesting character inserts himself into her life.
A Novella from my Children of Steel universe, Dialene is a foxmorph who until her capture was a highly rated shuttle pilot working a deep space trader for one of the more notorious corporations. Like most of her kind she had no choices in her employer who considered her nothing more than a disposable asset.
Available in eBook format wherever eBooks are sold, available in print from CreateSpace.
-John Van Stry
Children of Steel Page 52