Ensign Probus Read online

  “Large group?” I spat out a clump of my hair that had blown into my mouth and thought wistfully of cutting it but not too short. Sitting up higher in my seat, sure enough, I squinted from behind my protective eyewear at the scene playing out on the sand ahead of us. A sea of swim dresses blocked my view of what I dreaded might elicit from me the same pity with which I might feel for a beached whale. “What did you do to them this time, Kaoti?” I muttered under my breath.

  Kaoti, determined to make the team of cadets to which I had been assigned the best, had been allowing them to benefit from his own personal brand of training. Only yesterday, he had tied dead fish to them, dropped them into a shark-infested reef system with aquatic shock sticks for protection, and told them to have fun and to return home safely. When I had learned of it and imagined my friends being ripped and torn by sharp rows of teeth into bloody pieces, I had cried which had made Neema and Poppy cry. Kaoti hadn’t liked it.

  “I guess I was wrong to hope he would lay off of them.”

  Parking a few feet away, I grabbed a first aid kit. A few of the swim dress clad females turned their solid-black eyes toward me, Terre, and Sparrow. We had interrupted their quiet whispers which the wind and rolling waves had disguised, but those things did nothing to hide their annoyance at our interruption. I scowled at them, annoyed they were doing nothing to help my friends, even if they were Parvacian and not Eriopis. I was still a Bosh. Didn’t that count for anything? Terre looked down her nose at them, but Sparrow and I plowed through them with as much civility as possible. Then, we stopped short.

  Six members of my team, Cedrenus, Binder, Ross, Stayton, Levi, and Tyler, were drenched in sweat. It glistened in fine sheens over their nude, horizontal bodies. They were doing push-ups along the beach in sync with each other. Our arrival was quickly forgotten by the Laconian females. I didn’t even want to know if their dicks were leaving indents in the soft sand beneath them, but snickered behind my hand at the thought. The females were practically drooling over the muscles rippling under the guys’ skins.

  While bouncing the unnecessary medical kit against my thigh, I asked, “What’s he got you doing now?”

  Ensign Tad Stayton, not only one of my team members but also my new cousin since our grandparents had married, answered me without stopping. “Whoever lasts the longest can waive physical participation for the next five days.”

  I rolled my eyes at them. No wonder Clark had left them to it and hadn’t participated. He must have suspected as I did that there was a catch, and that it would be wearing a swim dress. “If you all were to tie….”

  The six of them groaned at their own gullibility and dropped to the sand at the same time.

  “You must be thirsty. Here. Try this.” A blonde with solid-black eyes offered Stayton a frozen beverage.

  We had ventured down to a stretch of semi-private beach shared by several extravagant homes. Hopefully, it would keep the guys from getting fined for public nudity. Being so close to the Bosh property, I wondered how many of the well-manicured, wealthy Laconian socialites had tried to get their claws and shiny white teeth into Quaid. From what he had told me, power, credits, and social standing meant more to them than desire or love.

  One of them, obviously having spied on my thoughts, turned her head toward me and smiled. “Commander Bosh could easily have all of the wives he might desire and comfortably support. If he were to do so, he could have biological offspring of his own.”

  I was so shocked by her words that I said nothing and dumbly watched when she turned her back and walked away toward one of the well-to-do homes in the distance. She shook her ass, covered in a pink swim dress, the entire way there. Inside, I seethed.

  Giggling stole my attention away from her.

  “I am strong enough,” Ross argued.

  “Prove it,” a girl countered.

  “Fine. I will. Get on.”

  She sat demurely on his naked back. Then, Ross continued doing push-ups. My sweet boys were clueless. They had no idea that the tables were turned. In the Empire, males competed for a small female population. It was quite the opposite elsewhere. Now, Kaoti’s insistence on them doing nude push-ups on a stretch of beach in a heavily female populated area made sense. He was trying to make amends for making me cry by making the boys happy for once. However, even though Inquisitor Academy students were academically brilliant, emotional intelligence with anything other than guilt or prevarications was an area in which they were lacking.

  “Oh, you’re so strong, but you’re all sweaty, and you’ve gotten my suit bottoms wet.” She giggled.

  Sparrow snorted while I snickered.

  “I apologize, my lady,” Ross said. When she stood, he did as well, dusting sand from his hands.

  The others also stood. I couldn’t help it. I looked to see if their dicks were sand-dipped. They were. I silently died laughing. The guys didn’t realize that they were surrounded by females who had probably never seen such sexy, tall, muscular, and completely naked soldiers in the broad daylight of twin suns. To Parvacs, nudity was natural and socially acceptable near and around water. They failed to realize such was not the case elsewhere in the universes. The girls swarmed like emaciated piranhas taking their hands and leading them into the waves.

  “Come! This is how we cool ourselves on Epopeus!” a laughing, giggling girl said while splashing Stayton.

  The females had to know with a telepathic touch that the boys’ innocence wasn’t feigned. I couldn’t tell because of their black eyes, but I was quite certain male appendages were being ogled. Sparrow, Terre, and I returned to the roller. Turning it around to head back, I muttered, “The reef sharks were less dangerous.”

  Puzzled, Terre asked, “Why would you say such a thing? Those young ladies seemed gracious and friendly.” She ran her fingers through her inky hair to comb it. “The ensigns were conducting themselves like gentlemen.”

  Sparrow, having spent most of her life with AIs or kidnapped scientists, didn’t get my shark comparison either.

  “Let me explain it this way. Do you remember on Parvac when we were all craving olives?”

  My friends nodded.

  “It sucked. When I’m craving something, I need it immediately, or it drives me crazy,” Sparrow said.

  I slowed the roller and watched Izaac and Clark. They were lying on their boards and paddling out to catch a wave. “Remember when Zared walked in with the last jar of them?”

  “Yep,” Sparrow said.

  I nodded my head back in the direction from which we had just driven. “They are the olives to male-starved, desperate females. Those girls want to suck out their centers and swallow them whole.”

  Sparrow busted out laughing.

  Terre said, “Ew, gross.”

  I shrugged. It was the clearest way I could think to describe it.

  Sparrow said, “Shit. You don’t think one of them will offer himself to the one with the high-pitched squeaky laugh, do you?”

  “I hope not, but Tracy studies aquatic creatures. She could probably learn to communicate with her.”

  We laughed. It was a mean thing for me to say, so I apologized for being an asshole. I cared about my friends and wanted them to be happy. If they returned to the Empire with wives, good for them. It was the pink-assed bitch who had deliberately pissed me off. If I wasn’t carrying adorable twin daughters, I might have dragged her by her blonde hair into the ocean and fed her to… something that liked rotten, snotty females.

  Gazing in the direction of the Bosh compound, I said, “I’m going in. Are you staying, or do you want to ride back with me?”

  Terre motioned for me to drive.

  Sparrow said, “I want a shower and a snack. Also, I stocked up on nanites from Bosh Technologies, and I’m feeling inspired.”

  I grinned at her. There was no telling what she planned to create, but whatever it was would be spectacular. I parked the roller in the back of the compound, and we all split up.

  After getting cle
aned up, I wandered into the building which housed the kitchen and dining room for the Bosh family. Searching through the cold storage, I found a pint of banana ice cream. Carrying it back to Quaid’s house, I sat on the couch with a spoon where I drowned my sorrows in its creamy deliciousness. A dark shadow appeared in the open doorway. It was Rovek. He’d been moping around since Tracy had left for Aurilius.

  “I’m all caught up with my assignments.” I dropped my spoon into the empty container.

  “I am well aware of your progress. As your instructor, it is my job.” Not bothering with an invitation, he entered and took a seat, making himself as comfortable as he ever allowed himself to become.

  “If you aren’t here to nag me about my coursework, why are you here? Have you heard something?”

  Noticing a stones board, he got up and retrieved it, placing it on the coffee table between us. “Yes, I have heard something. Your team won the challenge to discover those responsible for the probe. Therefore, you will be allowed to shadow a team of Inquisitors in the field, my team.”

  Inquisitor Rovek’s team included Eli Beck, one of my husbands, Aurek Maxim, and Cory Flavian, Clark’s father and my new father-in-law.

  “Isn’t Cory on Parvac?”

  Rovek waited for me to make the opening move. After I had done so, he said, “Yes, he is still recovering, but I suspect our next mission won’t pose too much of a physical challenge. He needn’t be present to participate.”

  “Gee. Thanks. My team gets to shadow a boring mission.”

  He moved one of his stones and captured one of mine. “Revealing lies and uncovering the truth bores you?”

  “No.” Instead of taking two of his stones, I rethought my strategy and took one instead.

  “You have learned much since joining our ranks. Eventually, it will become a part of you. You will apply thoughtful consideration to all of your dealings, and instead of taking your frustrations out on frozen dairy products, you will take action and arm yourself with facts. Knowledge can be far more damaging than physical force.”

  Our eyes met across the board. He knew who had infuriated me. “Do you know who she is?”

  He nodded and took another of my stones. I made another move. When it was his turn, he took advantage of a move I had overlooked and took seven of my pieces. “I know everything about her.”

  “Well, who is she?”

  He looked into my eyes. His were brown and average. Inquisitors were masters at using average to their advantage, able to blend in and hide in plain sight. “Use what you have learned and find out for yourself.” He slid my vid-screen across the coffee table to me. Then, he took out his own and occupied himself with reading.

  Drawing my feet up to the couch, I encrypted my search as I had been taught and started hunting for answers. Deciding it would be practical to search property records since I knew for a certainty that she had some connection to the property owners of the semi-private beach, I learned to which prominent families the homes belonged. Then, I researched each family’s birth records for the past thirty years until I found her.

  “Jemaphera Totesh is her name.”

  “Hmm,” Rovek agreed while I continued to pry into her past.

  I searched all things Jemaphera until what I found caused my heart to lurch. In some old vids from society get-togethers, I saw her dancing in Quaid’s arms. They had attended many glamorous functions together. Speculation had been that he would take her as his first wife, but he had joined the Galaxic Militia. Had he come to regret leaving her? We didn’t spend much time together. Was I not adequately seeing to his needs? Laconian males often took several wives to increase their control of their telepathic abilities through their symbiotic bonds. Was he thinking of taking another wife to ease his mind and give him more control? I couldn’t find any current evidence of Quaid’s involvement with Jemaphera or any other females, but if he had decided to keep it a secret, I wouldn’t. Continuing my search, I created dossiers on every female with whom Quaid had ever been seen in public.

  Rovek said, “I can make her death look natural.” I glanced up at him. His tone of voice suggested that he was offering me his idea of comfort. Then, he confirmed it by leaning forward and gently patting me on the back.

  “I don’t want her dead. There is no evidence to suggest Quaid has been seeing her behind my back.” I frowned. “Anyway, it’s not like I’ve placed any restrictions on my Laconian husbands.”

  Rovek wasn’t buying my nonchalant approach. “You don’t want her dead. I understand. Would it please you if her House was suddenly to find itself destitute?”

  “No, Rovek. Don’t eradicate all of her family’s wealth, but it is really sweet of you to offer. There is nothing going on between them. She was trying to plant a seed of doubt because she wants him for herself.” Getting up, I washed my spoon and placed the empty container in the waste disposal unit.

  “Should you change your mind, say the word, or better yet, I can teach you ways to bring ruin upon her.”

  “Thank you.” For an Inquisitor, such an offer was the equivalent of a declaration of friendship.

  He bowed to me and left.

  A few minutes later, Izaac and Clark returned.

  “Did you have fun?”

  Clark went to the beverage dispenser for a cool drink. “Yes, it was relaxing until the waves got choppy.”

  Izaac entered the bedroom, and soon I heard the shower start.

  Clark tilted his head back, downed his drink, and refilled it. Epopeus’ suns made it important for off-worlders to stay hydrated. “What have you been doing?”

  “I had a nice visit with Rovek. He said our team won the challenge.”

  Clark didn’t look surprised, not after what we had been through. I sat back and scrolled through some of my pictures and old vids. I stopped on one of Luca. He smiled back at me with eyes full of mischief.

  “It doesn’t go away, the grief. At times, I think it has past, but then I feel it all over again just as strongly as when I first lost him.”

  Clark sat beside me, slid his arm around my back, and held me. He kissed my temple, and I could feel Izaac’s comfort wrapping around my soul through our bond. I looked up as he entered the room wearing dress slacks and a white shirt.

  “Wow. You look nice.” He looked a whole lot better than nice. He had a sexy and sophisticatedly dangerous look going on which had me thinking about taking the clothes off of him.

  Telepathically, he said, “Clark and I have made arrangements and would like to take you out on a date.”

  I perked up at the unexpected surprise. Clark left my side to go get ready.

  “Where are we going? Should I change?” I had my hair up in a ponytail and wore a pink, ankle-length sundress. Ever since learning of the twin daughters I carried, I’d had a penchant for pink. Elspeth and Julia had indulged it with shopping trips to all of the cutest baby boutiques on the planet.

  Drawing me onto his lap, Izaac purred into my mind, “You are perfect as you are.” He took my hand in his and lifted it to his lips, kissing my fingers. “I know your mind. The female, Jemaphera, upset you. Commander Bosh has not been unfaithful to you.”

  Looking at his strong hand covering mine, I wondered if Izaac would take other wives. It hurt me to even think about him wanting someone else.

  “No.” His mental response was firm and final. “You are all I need or want and were worth the wait.” To dispel my mood, he tickled me until I was squirming on his lap which caused a bulge to form in the front of his nice slacks.

  “Ready,” Clark announced. He had dressed as nicely as Izaac.

  I gaped at him. I’d never seen either of them dressed in Eriopis fashion. “Damn. You two are sexy. Clark, I need you to amend our marriage contract. I need to be able to fight off the females who are going to be trying to steal you both away from me. Is this how the two of you feel when I slip into a negligee?”

  Izaac laughed.

  “If you’re feeling what I hope you’re fe
eling, I feel it when you’re wearing dresses, shorts, swimsuits, your uniform, nightgowns, towels….” Clark winked at me. “About the marriage contract, forget it, Teagan. It’s not going to happen. Come on. You’re going to love this.”

  I couldn’t help it. I started to worry about the children. Izaac shook his head at me. His dove-grey hair was short in back and over his ears and a little longer on top, a popular Parvac style. He said, “Pierce, Lorca, Rozz, Walter, and Vawn are watching them, not to mention Eri.”

  Eri, Quaid’s little sister, wouldn’t let my children out of her sight. I forced myself to relax. Neema, Niklos, and Peter were under the supervision of their telepathic grandmothers, their nurses, and my Omnes Videntes. Thunderdrop was somewhere nearby, too. He was probably resting in a web under the house in which they resided, a few steps away, enjoying the shade.

  Clark took my hand and helped me rise from Izaac’s lap. Then, the three of us went out to our transport. My own guard detail followed as we drove away from the Bosh compound and along a jungle road. Light filtered down to us through a tangle of green foliage and tropical flowers. Izaac drove us out to a fancy marina where we were greeted by a gentleman who was wearing a blue blazer and white pants.

  “Welcome! Welcome! Everything stands at the ready! Right this way.” He smiled and gestured for us to follow him down the length of a long, white pier made of a thick plasti. Skid-resistant strips kept it from being slippery. Not too far away, children were snorkeling in an enclosed shallow pool, splashing and kicking while they searched for colorful fish. “The vessel is fully stocked and yours until you tire of her. The onboard tracking devices have been set to your security detail’s specifications.”

  Clark said, “Thank you. We’ll be careful.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about a thing. Her shields and hull will protect her and her occupants. If you get lost, push the red emergency button. The autopilot will supersede all other commands and safely return the vessel to her docking station.”

  I kept a smile on my face and tried to hide my lack of enthusiasm. A boat ride was probably going to make me vomit banana ice cream all over myself. Glancing around, I didn’t see the boat in question even after we had made our way to the end of the pier and some white fencing. Looking past it, I realized it was hiding something, the sail of a futuristic submarine sticking out of the water. Suddenly, my interest was piqued.