BORN OF HEROES

— by Jeff Karamales

Chapter 42
 

Joplin was an unassuming rock orbiting the small dwarf star of the Yanin system, located almost in the precise center of the Planetary Alignment. To a casual observer it would look like nothing overly remarkable. The gathering of ships over the grey surface of the small celestial body indicated that Joplin wasn’t as inconsequential as it looked.

  As the SPF Patriarch made a slow approach to one of the sheltered docking berths it passed cruisers, frigates and pocket battleships that were built on almost every world of the PA.

  “It looks like the entire SPF fleet is here,” Sonja commented as she and the rest of the crew from the Guiding Angel sat in the forward observation lounge, looking out of the large panels of layered glassteel.

  “Everything but a few of the smaller sloops and pinnaces that are still engaged in system patrol,” Brees said with a stern look on his face and crossed arms over his chest. “We still need to maintain a presence in the various systems, but anything heavy is here.”

  The lion looked at the surviving crew from the first pirate hunter. He wished the three that had died in the attack on the Guiding Angel were here, especially Stram, one of his oldest friends along with Rovi. In a way, the gathering of ships in the vacuum around them had been caused by the loss of the badger, Melise Rains and Rutger Fallon.

  Each of his primary pirate hunters were dressed in SPF duty uniforms, complete with sidearms and equipment belts. All of them wore their new ranks that each had been brevetted to.

  Even Rovi Tambor wore the grey and crimson, his rank tabs of colonel gleaming in the indirect lighting of the observation lounge. The older fox had accepted reinstatement for this operation under emergency provisions that Brees had used.

  Lena looked out at the ship that they were pulling in next to, her eyes going wide. “An Eridani class cruiser?” she asked in awe, having heard of the new line of warships that were a joint endeavor by Sillon and Ryu but like the others, she’d never seen one.

  Sander Brees nodded. “She’s one of the latest additions to the fleet. Six dual Mark VII pulse cannon turrets, VRF magnetic accelerator guns, torpedoes, missiles and twenty Kestrel interceptors, two rescue shuttles and capable of breech boarding. It only requires a crew of twelve to operate, not counting pilots for the fighters and the engineering team.”

  Randal whistled appreciatively. Breech boarding was a modified method of getting onto an enemy vessel by using boarding tubes that burned their way through the hull of an enemy vessel. It was a dangerous proposition, but one where the advantage of being able to quickly swarm a ship was outweighed by the risks. It also meant that it wasn’t necessary to line up on an airlock for the operation and a capture team could be deposited anywhere within the vessel if contact could be made.

  There was a slight shudder as the cruiser settled on the solid rock base of the docking berth and a muted clang from somewhere in the ship as the access ways made contact with the three starboard airlocks. Brees turned to the others around him. “I hate to do this, but Sharan, Keena, Pala and Dona, you will be shown to your quarters. There are others that will assist you with the children. The rest of you need to come with me.”

  Rovi and Sharan shared a long embrace. They had argued for almost two days when Rovi had told his mate that he was putting his uniform back on for this operation. Sharan had finally surrendered her position that he’d done his duty and that she couldn’t bear to see him put his life in danger again and he pointed out that their family was already a target and that he wouldn’t sit idly by while their children were also in danger. Pointing that out had seemed to deflate the vixen and she had relented.

  There was moisture around her eyes as Sharan let her mate go. “You promise me you’ll come back,” she whispered.

   “I promise. I’ll always return to you, Dearheart. You know this,” Rovi said with a smile. He then bent down and gave the twins a fierce hug. “You listen to your mother. And this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to do your lessons,” he said sternly.

  “Yes, Daddy,” they both said at the same time, still not sure what was happening, but trusting their parents implicitly.

  “That’s my girls,” the ebony fox said with a smile, pulling them both back to him.

  On the other side of the lounge, Elias and Cerise were holding their children and talking with Pala and Keena.

  “It’s a pity that I can’t go with you,” the Kastan said as Elias fought Van from grabbing his whiskers. “It will be a worthy fight.”

  Elias still wasn’t able to hold his son for long and he winced as his chest began to ache. Keena saw his discomfort and took the kit from his arms, smiling slightly as the child settled down immediately. “Thanks,” Elias said gratefully. “He really prefers to be held by a female, the little scamp,” the fox said as he absently rubbed his chest under his uniform.

  “He’s going to be a heartbreaker,” Keena said with a chuckle.

  Elias turned to the Kastan. “Again, I can’t thank you enough. You are a true friend, Pala.”

  “We’re clan,” the felinoid said simply. “We’ve shed blood together. Nothing more need be said, Elias.”

  Cerise handed Renee to her mate then embraced Pala. “No. We’re family,” she corrected the other female.

  “Please, Cerise,” Pala said, still unaccustomed and embarrassed by such public displays of affection. “You’ll wrinkle your uniform.”

  Elias rubbed noses with his daughter, the little kit smiling and making a soft yipping noise at the attention before he handed her to the Kastan. “I hate to leave them, but we need to get going.”

  Keena nodded, handing Van to Pala, chuckling as she saw both kits settle in the other female’s arms before she deposited both into a small tram. “You two come home safe,” she said, giving her sister and brother-in-law a hug.

  “We will,” Cerise said. “And take care of Momma. You know she never did handle things like this well.”

  Keena nodded. “I remember.” She turned and saw Lemuel talking to Randal and Lena. “I…I have to say good-bye to someone else.” She looked at her sibling and brother-in-law. “I love you both, you know.”

  Cerise smiled warmly while Elias grinned mischievously. “Go on,” he said, jerking his chin in the Doctor’s direction. “And don’t worry. He’ll come back as well. That and I think he’s been wanting to talk to you, anyway.”

  Keena gave Elias a smile before turning and heading to the tiger.

  Randal saw the russet fox approaching and coughed lightly. “We’ll see you in a few,” the wolf said with a smile as he put his hand on Lena’s back and guided her away from the tiger.

  “What? I don’t smell, do I?” Lemuel said as the other two walked away, a perplexed look on his face.

  “No. Well, not bad at least. I think you smell rather good,” Keena said as she stepped up to the tiger’s side and took his hand in hers.

  Lemuel turned and looked down with a grin.

  The vixen looked at him for several long moments before swallowing hard and rubbing at her eyes. “You know, I had this whole poetic speech to tell you today…but I can’t remember a single word of it,” she gave him a sad smile as tears continued to fill her eyes before rolling down her face. “Isn’t that pathetic?”

  “Keena, you don’t need speeches or poetry.” The tiger pulled the female closer and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head as she leaned against his broad chest.

  “I…I love you, Lemuel,” she whispered as he held her.

  Instead of replying, the tiger lifted the vixen’s chin up with a finger so that he could kiss her deeply.

  “I will come back,” Lem told the female when they parted. “After all, I kind of have to be there for us to get married, don’t I?”

  Keena’s eyes grew wide as the tiger fished a small box out of his pocket and let her open it. Inside was a pair of matched gold earrings. “Elias and Cerise helped me pick them out. I kind of like the earring idea, myself.” Lemuel looked into the female’s eyes and saw the emotion in them. “That is, if you’ll have me.”

  A soft, “Yes,” was all Keena could manage to utter as her smile grew wider.

  “There’s something I forgot,” the tiger said with a shake of his head. He led the vixen to where her father and mother stood. “Colonel Tambor, Lady Tambor? I know that this is rather sudden and probably not the best time, but I would like to ask for your blessing to marry Keena.”

  Both of Keena’s parents looked at the unlikely couple, having known that this was where their relationship was headed for some time now. Rovi looked at both individuals coolly, having already given his blessing to the tiger after talking via the Net almost two months prior. He fought not to smile as Keena almost bounced where she stood in both anticipation and anxiety.

  “Do you love my daughter? Will you care for and protect her?” the fox asked.

  “Yes, Sire,” Lemuel said with an inclination of his head.

  Rovi looked at his daughter. “Do you love him, Keena? Will you support and care for him?”

  “Yes, Daddy,” she said, her eyes still moist.

  Stretching out the moment, Rovi looked from one to the other before slowly smiling. “Then you have our blessing.”

  Keena leapt into her father’s arms, “Thank you, Daddy!” she cried, her voice muffled.

  The rest of the group had gathered around and congratulated the pair raucously until a new voice called from the hatch that led to the observation lounge.

  “Attention on deck!” Major Talia Paris called as she stood at rigid attention off to the side of the hatchway. The cheetah looked slightly nervous.

  A human in full dress uniform with more ribbons than most of the SPF personnel had ever seen entered the lounge. She was an older human with hair that had turned almost a uniform shade of iron grey, though her eyes were bright, intelligent and penetrating, indicating that while she might be up in years, there was nothing wrong with her mind.

  “As you were,” the human said.

  Elias had never had the privilege of meeting Breth Janes, the High Commander of the Spatial Police Force. The only one that the woman had above her was the Planetary Alignment Legislature. He swallowed hard as the highest ranking SPF officer walked up to him and extended her hand.

  “I’m glad to see you up and about, Major Tivnan,” Commander Janes said with a smile. “Are you feeling up to this next mission?”

  Elias swallowed again and nodded. “Absolutely, Commander. Though, if I may speak candidly, I’m still unsure as to what my role will be.”

  Janes turned and fixed Brees with a raised eyebrow. “You mean the Colonel didn’t tell you what your next command would be?” she said to the fox.

  “No, Commander. I was fairly certain that I would be sidelined with my injuries,” Elias admitted.

  “Doctor Sidhara assures me that the treatments you’ve been receiving after your surgery will enable you to function well within the capacity I want you in.” Breth Janes looked at Lemuel. “I also believe that Doctor Anders agrees with this evaluation.”

  The tiger nodded. “It’s not too dissimilar from the stem cell treatment that Cerise was getting after the poisoning. It works a little faster in repairing the damage than it did with her, but that was because her treatments were having to essentially rebuild the organs that were damaged. It’s already being used in other hospitals across the PA.”

 “That explains why I’ve been eating twice my normal amount,” Elias mused. He turned back to the Commander. “If Lem and Doctor Sidhara have cleared me for active duty, then I’ll take whatever you give me, Ma’am.”

  “Not so fast, Major,” the Commander said with a chuckle. She turned to Saul. “I know you were slated for your own Q-ship, but would you agree to continue serving as Major Tivnan’s First Officer for a little while longer?”

  The jaguar grinned. “Elias hasn’t led me astray yet, Commander. If he wants me, he has me.”

  “Sandy and I have been discussing this, and I was thinking that with your exploits over the past year, you have one hell of a crew. I can’t see breaking them up just before the biggest operation in the history of the SPF. As of this moment, your crew is the senior ranking cadre for the ship that you’ll be commanding. That includes all aspects of operations.” Breth Janes crossed her arms as she looked at the fox and his mate. “Sandy will be accompanying you on your ship as overall authority for the mission. Do you accept, Major?”

  Elias nodded. “Just point me to my ship, Commander.”

  Janes looked at the lion that stood off to the side. “We really do need more like him, don’t we?”

  “I’ve been saying that for over a year now,” the lion agreed. “Do you want to tell him about his next command before he explodes?”

  “I suppose,” Janes said with a grin. She stepped over to the observation port. “Major Tivnan, think you can handle that?” she asked pointing at the Eridani class ship. “The Righteous has undergone full shakedown and is ready. The only reservation I’ve had is for so many family members being posted to the same vessel at one time, but Sandy has assured me this won’t be a problem.”

  Elias was surprised that he was being given command of one of the newest and most powerful ships in the SPF fleet. “I’ll take a swing at it, Ma’am. I don’t know why you’re giving her to me, though. There have to be other captains that are more experienced.”

  “It’s more than experience that’s needed when commanding a ship, Major. You’ve gone up against this group a few times now, and you’ve come out on top with the exception of the attack at the starport, through no fault of your own, I might add. You are the right one for the job or I wouldn’t be putting you in the chair.”

  Elias went to attention, trying not to wince at the pain in his chest. “Then you’ve got me, Commander.”

  “Good. It’s going to be a week before the rest of the fleet comes in from the outer sectors of the PA and other vessels will be joining up with the task force at the periphery of the Van Connor Nebula. Add in three weeks of transit time and you should be ready for whatever happens out there.” Breth Janes continued to look at the fox for a moment before turning her gaze out of the viewport. “Get your people settled and report to the Righteous at oh-five hundred tomorrow. It’s time to cash the Legion out.”

***

  Lemuel and Keena had their marriage bonding performed in a small non-denominational chapel deep within the labyrinthine tunnels of Joplin Base with a chaplain that held the rank of Lieutenant. The mouse wore small silver disks on her collar tabs that had a myriad of religious symbols on their border, indicating that she was familiar with many of the beliefs of the various PA member species. Elias stood as the tiger’s second and had to admit that when Keena appeared she looked positively radiant.

  As with Elias and Cerise’s ceremony, her family walked with her, though instead of standing off to the side with her parents, Cerise stepped up to her mate and held his hand as they watched the two exchange vows.

  When it was finished, Lemuel and Keena had a small dinner with the rest of the group as they all celebrated the bonding. During a lull in the impromptu festivities, Elias made his way to the tiger. “I know that you’ve already inspected the infirmary onboard,” he told his friend. “Why don’t you take the next two days as personal time.”

  Lemuel’s brow furrowed. “I can’t do that, Captain,” he protested. “I still have to get all of the records for the crew and go over them, make sure there aren’t any problems I need to know about and-”

  “And spend time with your mate, you dozy cat,” Elias said with a grin. “We have three days before launch and a little over three weeks in transit time, which means you can get to the records then. Don’t make me order you to take downtime.”

  Keena appeared next to her new husband and whispered something in his ear that made Lem’s eyes grow wide and his long whiskers stick straight out while he swallowed hard. “You’re right,” he finally agreed. “Two days downtime might not be a bad idea.”

  Elias gave Keena a wink before joining his mate and the rest of her family.

***

  The SPF Righteous was an impressive ship no matter how one looked at it. The hull design was a flattened cylinder with streamlined port and starboard protrusions like sponsons that held the bays for the vessel’s fighter and auxiliary craft compliment. Unlike the bridge of the Guiding Angel and many other vessels, the bridge of the new the new warship was built deep in the center of the ship. Visuals for piloting and navigation were sent to the first and second pilots’ cubicles, fully encapsulated positions that contained not only the flight controls, but would also provide a full sphere of view via holographic screens. The overall layout of the bridge was an elongated horseshoe shape with the seat that Elias would occupy in the direct center. To the sides were the stations for the rest of the bridge crew.

  One notable feature was the interior of the vessel was smooth and flowing with far more space than was standard. There were no sharp edges to run into, no corners and the lowest ceiling was eight feet high to accommodate Silloni and Ryujin physiologies. Likewise, accommodations were also what one might call luxurious with bunks that were easily two and a half times the size of bunks on other SPF vessels, and twice as thick.

  Elias sat on the bridge with Cerise, Saul, Treena and Odette going over the checklist for the vessel and further acquainting themselves with the different layout. The one benefit that Elias immediately found with the holographic input for piloting and navigation was that he could run simulator programs on the actual bridge equipment and stations without having to use a specially designed and built simulator. They had just finished their third practice exercise when Brees entered the bridge with a young female that looked slightly uncomfortable in her uniform. It was Cerise that realized who the young female was.

  “Jenna! You look great!” the vixen exclaimed with a wide smile and a twinkle to her eyes.

  The ferret snapped to attention. “Thank you, Ma’am,” she replied curtly, though there was a slight smile that twitched the corners of her mouth, pleased that the crew that had rescued her remembered her.

  Elias got up from his chair with a broad grin. “Not bad, cadet,” he told her lightly. Decided to put on the uniform, did you?” The others that had been with Elias when they rescued the young ferret were smiling as well. Her hair was shorter than it had been when the girl had been rescued on their first encounter. It barely brushed the top of her shoulders giving her a slightly older appearance. She’d also filled out some since Elias and the others had seen her and she had a healthy look to her fur and eyes that hadn’t been there before.

  “It was the only way I could think to repay the SPF for what they…for what you did, Major. Maybe I can help others the way you did me, Sir.”

  The fox shook his head. “That won’t do, Jenna. You’re part of the family. Call me Captain, or Elias when we’re not on duty. I got used to less restrictive procedures on the Angel.” He nodded with approval and regarded Brees. “So, what are you up to, Uncle?” he asked with a lopsided grin.

  “Apart from Jenna passing all of her classes, there isn’t anything holding her back from being fully instated save needing to go out on her ‘prentice cruise.” He put a large hand on the ferret’s shoulder in a fatherly manner and couldn’t help but smile proudly. “I felt this would be the best ship for her, son. For some reason I like her Captain and crew and know they’ll keep her safe as possible considering what we’re headed for.”

  “Well, Cadet Brees,” Elias said, noting that the female had opted to assume Sander’s family name by her nametag, “I’m fairly sure that your file is somewhere in the computer, but I’d like to get to talk to you about what you’ve been training on. If you would be so kind as to join us for dinner at sixteen hundred, Officer’s Mess Nine, I’ll talk to you then.”

  Jenna stood a little taller and straighter. “It would be my honor, Major…er, Captain Tivnan. She saluted, which Elias returned and nodded that she was dismissed.

  Once the ferret had exited the bridge, Brees chuckled. “Once she learned how to read there was no stopping her!” he told the others proudly. “By the fourth month with us Jenna had already passed her educational tests and was eligible for the Academy. To say she kept her instructors on their toes would be an understatement! Graduated top of her class three weeks ago.”

  “You’ve done wonders with her, Sandy,” Elias said with a laugh. He looked at Cerise. I told you she wouldn’t be the same waif we pulled off the Mintaka!”

  “No. She isn’t. And why do I think that she’s also left a string of males in her wake, all soft-eyed and sighing in heartbreak?” the vixen asked rhetorically.

  “I talked to her about that…or at least Meri did. She has some pretty high standards for some reason,” the lion said giving the former crew of the Guiding Angel a sideways look. She’s far too familiar with the physical. Jenna is waiting for someone that has character, morals and intelligence. She told us when she finds someone like that then she might consider dating.”

  “Good for her!” Cerise exclaimed as she took her mate’s arm in hers. “Good things come to those who wait.”

***

  “Affirmative control, we are clear of moorings and are underway,” Cerise said into the microphone of her headset.

  “Good hunting, Righteous. Come home safe,” the traffic controller for their sector over Joplin told the ship.

  “Captain, we are clear of obstructions and have open space ahead of us,” Saul’s voice said over the speaker system that relayed his voice from the pilot’s cubicle.

  Elias sat in his chair, wishing that he could be the one with his hands on the controls of the ship. “Understood, Saul. Lay in a course for the Van Connor Nebula by way of Sol. Colonel Brees,” Elias said looking at the lion who sat at a redundant console that was unoccupied at the moment. “Would you mind accompanying me on an inspection of the ship?”

  “If we had bilges I’d volunteer to clean them if it meant that I wouldn’t have to just sit around,” Sander said with a slight growl. First time on a real mission in years and I’m feeling a little anxious.”

  The pair exited the bridge and entered the primary corridor that was lined with pressure hatches that could seal off the ship section by section if hull integrity were compromised, passing crew members that stepped to one side or the other and snapped to attention for the senior officers.

  Unseen from the inside of the Righteous were sixty three ships of varying size and classification that followed in the heavy cruiser’s wake. From frigates to pocket battleships, they all followed the same course on the same mission.

  “The Q-fleet has been making covering runs all around the nebula,” Brees said as they walked along the corridor, his hands linked behind his back. “Alistair and Chuck have been questioning anyone they can about possible goings-on. They’ve seen a lot of traffic heading towards the nebula, but not out. I think the Legion knows that we’re a little irritated with them.”

  “Good. Time for them to be afraid,” Elias offered. “I owe them for Melise and the others.”

  “Careful, son. A cornered animal is always the most dangerous.”

  “Or one that’s hurt and pissed off.”

  Sandy nodded slowly. True.”

  The pair turned to the right and followed a branching corridor to the port section that housed half of the ship’s fighter compliment. They found Rovi and Lena both inspecting their planes, the rest of the pilots onboard following their example with technicians running to and fro with scanners and diagnostic DataPaks.

  Lena was the first to see her friend and Brees step into the pressurized hangar.

  “Captain on deck!” she bellowed, surprising the fox with her ability to project her voice. Normally the doe was fairly soft spoken.

  Activity stopped for a moment as everyone on the deck halted and went rigidly to attention.

  “Carry on! Elias shouted and gave Lena a slight scowl. “You know I hate it when people do that, the fox told his friend.

  “C’mon, Elias,” the doe said with a winsome smile as she batted her eyelashes. “I can’t have the rest of the crew not respect our fearless Captain, now could I?” She assumed a coquettish expression that turned mischievous. “Besides, I’ve been wanting to do that for a year now. You can take that gal outta the uniform and all. Now that I’ve gotten it out of my system, what can I do you for?”

  Rovi had joined the small group and looked on with amusement. “Sandy and I thought we’d do a quick inspection tour of the ship while Saul minds the shop. How are things shaping up?” the white fox asked.

  The rabbit shrugged. “No gripes about the wing or the pilots, and that’s as the Executive Officer for this motley group!” she said brightly. “The techs are pretty top notch. The only issue I have is that  a few of them are awfully green. I guess with what we’re headed to they’ll get seasoned right quick. When we drop out of warp outside the Sol System I was thinking about running a scramble drill. I’d like to see how they do if they think we’re popping into something real.”

  “I’ll second that recommendation,” Rovi said with a nod. “They know what to do with a standard hot launch drill, and I emphasize drill. Only a few of the pilots have ever done a true combat launch. It would be a good way to evaluate them.”

  Elias nodded. That wouldn’t be a bad idea for the whole ship. We’ve run enough simulations so that I’m confident everyone knows their job. It might be time to do a pressure test,” he said quietly.

  “Personally I’d like for it to happen while most of the wing is on sleep rotation,” Lena informed her Captain. “No better way to do your pressure test than when they’re shorted rack time.”

  “You know,” Brees said with a grin, “for an herbivore you have a rather vicious streak.”

  Lena chuckled. “Sorry, Colonel. This bunny has been known to bite.”

  “That’s for sure,” Rovi said. “Your munitions officer tried putting the moves on her. I think she’s been hanging around with Randal a little too much. I’ve never seen a bunny bare its teeth before.”

  “This isn’t a problem, is it?” Elias asked in concern.

  Lena shook her head no. “Not anymore. He may be a rabbit as well, but I’ve got my Randy. When he didn’t get the hint I invited him to spar for the privilege of talking to me. I didn’t warn him of the lessons that Randal and Pala gave me. We were able to come to an understanding and I here he’ll be able to hold a pencil again next week.”

  “Try not to do anything permanent to the rest of the crew, Lena,” Elias said rubbing the spot between his eyes. “We need everyone to be able to go at a  moment’s notice.”

  “As long as no one else pinches my tail they’ll be fine,” she said as she examined the dark blue polish she had on her claw tips.

  “Let me know if you need anything else and don’t forget I want your readiness and fitness reports by the end of the week,” Elias said as he and Brees turned to leave the hangar deck.

  “I think we need to focus a little more on conduct expectations during recruits’ time in the Academy,” Brees growled sourly. “I don’t like that kind of behavior.”

  “Agreed. I’ve met the munitions officer. Lieutenant Hern fancies himself as quite the lady killer. I hear of another incident like that and I’ll slam him in the brig and promote his assistant as a replacement.” Elias tapped the actuator for the hatch that led to the internal bay that contained the gear for the combat team.

  As soon as the hatch slid open, it was a repeat of the hangar.

  “As you were,” Elias said as Randal approached. The wolf didn’t look comfortable with his new lieutenant’s rank. “How are your people coming along, Randy?” the fox asked, looking at the contingent as they ran tests and maintenance on weapons, body armor, armored vac-suits and powered units.

  “We’re ready,” the wolf replied laconically.

  “Nothing to report? No problems of any kind?”

  The wolf shook his head. “Lena has already handled the only problem I’ve seen so far,” he said with a lopsided grin. “As for my section, all of them are ready and at their peak.”

  “Why am I the last person to know about the issue with Hern?” the fox complained.

  “There wasn’t any reason to get you involved, Captain. It was a personal matter that got sorted quickly and all of the involved parties have come to an understanding.”

  “I’m starting to think I’m not needed,” Elias quipped.

  Randal shook his head. “Don’t count on it. You’re needed because you inspire those below you. And I’m sure not going to fly this thing. I have enough on my plate with being an officer now.”

  Elias laughed. “You don’t like being a commissioned officer, Randy?”

  “Apart from access to the officer’s lounge, the only things I got were a slight bump in pay and a tone more of paperwork,” the wolf said morosely.

  The fox laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Welcome to my world,” he said in a contrite tone.

  The trio talked for a few more minutes before a sergeant stepped up, but held back a discreet distance. Elias raised an eyebrow when he looked at her. “It looks like you’re needed. At least I don’t have to ask for your status reports. I already know that you’ve sent them to my terminal, haven’t you?”

  “About an hour ago,” Randal replied with a grin. He gave a precise salute before turning to see what the non-com wanted him for, leaving Elias and Brees to continue on their tour before the fox returned to the bridge for the ship’s entry into faster-than-light warp.

  By the time Elias made it back to his cabin at the end of his duty cycle, he was feeling a little strung out and his chest was aching slightly. He was technically off duty, but being the Captain of the cruiser meant that he could and would be called for anything that a junior officer deemed important. He unfastened his tunic and draped it over the back of the chair that sat in front of his small desk and terminal his cabin was equipped with then kicked off his boots. He wished he could still wear his preferred soft boots, unfortunately they weren’t even close to being regulation.

  The tour of the ship to check the various departments had gone well, and it looked as if his appearance had increased the already high morale of the crew. He and Brees had visited them all, from weapons to galley staff, and listened to the individuals from every department. Elias was please that his ship was crewed by such dedicated individuals.

  As he unfastened the catches on his trousers he heard someone giggle from the opposite corner of the cabin. He paused and peered into the shadows.

  “Don’t stop on my account. I was enjoying the show,” Cerise said, her black fur blending in well with the darkness.

  “I hope you aren’t too disappointed if all you get is a show,” Elias said as he finished disrobing. He laid the trousers over the tunic and moved stiffly to the bed, rubbing his shoulder and chest. “I’m fairly whipped at this point.” He sat on the edge of the bed before stretching out on his stomach, his head pillowed by his folded arms.

  Elias heard movement from where Cerise had been sitting then felt the mattress sink slightly as she climbed up on the bed. He found it hard to repress a smile when she straddled his thighs after moving his thick brush of a tail out of the way and began to massage his shoulders and back.

  “You are far too tense for your own good, Captain,” she said in a light tone.

  “I won’t be for much longer if you keep that up,” he murmured drowsily. He grunted when she hit a particularly sore spot.

  “Sorry, Love. You really are in knots, aren’t you?”

  “I guess I am.” He reached back to pat her thigh affectionately, realizing that she was completely unclothed when all his hand encountered was her leg clad only in her own rich fur. “Huh. For some reason I’m suddenly not all that tired,” he said, turning his head to look at his wife pointedly.

  Cerise chuckled and pushed his head back onto his arms. “Wait until I’m done and we’ll see how well you feel.” She began working on his lower back and was surprised that her mate wasn’t taking muscle relaxers and analgesics. “Elias, you’re a mess,” the vixen told him with concern. “Promise me you’ll see Lem tomorrow. Please?

  “If it’ll make you feel better.”

  “It will. I know you’re the Captain and all, and I’m a junior officer, but I’m still your wife and I worry.” She finished and slid off of his legs and stretched out next to her fox, resting on her side and ran her fingers through the fur of his back and neck, enjoying the way her ebony coloring contrasted with his white and light, silvery grey. “It doesn’t seem like we’ve been married for a year, and at the same time I feel like I’ve known you my whole life,” she told him with a smile.

  Elias turned his head so that he could look at his mate and smiled warmly. “I feel the same way. And that brings us to something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. I think this will be my last mission, Cerise. I feel that I’ve done my part. I want this to be over so that I can spend the rest of my life wit you and the kits. I don’t want to lose what we have, and I don’t want to lose you. It’s selfish of me, and I feel a little guilty about it, but that’s where I stand.” He looked at Cerise who regarded him silently and felt a lump begin to form in his throat. “You aren’t angry, are you?”

  She remained silent for several seconds before shaking her head. “No. I knew that you were having thoughts along this line and was hoping you’d come to this decision. Like I’ve said before, I don’t want you to compromise what you are for me. I knew that you were in a dangerous job when we met, and I accepted that. You have to do this because it’s what you want and know that whatever you decide I’ll support you in it.”

  He slid a hand out from where it rested under his head and wrapped his fingers with hers. “You know that Merlin offered me a job with his freight company, don’t you? It would still be travelling around the Alignment. I know that he’d also be a great person to work for…”

  “But it could strain your friendship,” the vixen finished, seeing Elias nod.

  “It might, then again it might not. He’s an easy person to get along with and he knows his business. Merlin’s a sharp one, and he has a solid reputation with his clientele. That and we could get a ship that could be almost as well outfitted as the Angel was. Or I can take another job. We don’t have to decide immediately. I have enough saved up for us to get our own house outright and we could live comfortably for a few years before I need to find a job.”

  “The money has never been an issue, Love,” Cerise said with a smile. “I just want you happy. Though I have to admit that I like the idea of something that keeps us in space. There are plenty of advantages to it. And it’s not like we can’t ensure Van and Renee get a good education. That and seeing other worlds and how people live throughout the PA would be good for them. And whenever we go back to Dennier they can visit their friends.”

  “What friends? They haven’t really met anybody apart from us yet,” Elias replied with a chuckle.

  “I guess you haven’t checked your messages, then. Samantha and Merlin are expecting. I don’t think they’ve told anyone on the Blue Horizon yet, and we won’t spoil the surprise for them, but she’s due a little later this year.” Cerise continued to run her fingers through his fur and found it as soothing as he did. “I know that they’ll all get along great.”

  “That’s great! Merlin and Sam will be great parents. I bet he’s just busting with pride right now!” Elias enthused. “That reminds me of something. I can’t believe I forgot this! Then again, we were a little busy.” He pushed himself up and reached into the drawer of the stand that was built into the bulkhead of the cabin, tripping the catch to the drawer before sliding it open.

  Cerise watched as her husband pulled something out and gave Elias a suspicious look when he rolled to a sitting position, turning to face her with a flat box in his hands.

  “I got this for you to celebrate our anniversary. I know it’s late, but it’s my way of saying that you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I would marry you all over again.”

  Cerise took the box and flipped the lid open, her eyes widening at the necklace, earrings and other jewelry that rested on black velvet. “Oh, Elias! It’s beautiful!” She traced a finger over the star emerald before looking up at the other fox, a surprised look on her face. Then the smile fell. “I didn’t get you anything…” she said quietly, upset with herself.

  Elias chuckled. “Yes you did! You gave me two of the most incredible children in the history of the universe.” He lifted her chin with his finger and looked deep into her eyes. “Renee and Van are more precious than anything you could ever buy, wife of mine. They are part of you and a part of me. That’s more special than anything you can name.”

  Cerise set the box aside and wrapped her arms around her mate, clinging to him. “What did I do to deserve you?” she whispered as he slid his arms around her in return.

  “I keep asking myself the same thing about you.”

  Elias held her for several minutes before leaning his head down and nuzzling her neck, feeling Cerise react to the contact and smiled. He moved so that she had to lay back and looked at her for a moment in the faint illumination of the cabin security light, her hair spread about the pillow beneath her head as she regarded him with eyes that were as green as the emerald he’d given her and filled with all of the emotions that she couldn’t give sufficient voice to.

  “I love you, Cerise. And you are all I’ll ever need.”

  As was often the case when he was with his mate, he felt more alive than he ever had in twenty-nine years of life.

— NEXT CHAPTER —

Unless otherwise noted, all material © Ted R. Blasingame. All rights reserved.