The Smuggler's Ascension: Dark Tide Rising Read online

  “I know,” Kristof whispered back and kissed her again. “You can’t keep me in a bubble here on Purannis,” Kristof said as he released her after a few moments more. “We’ve had this argument already, several times as I recall.”

  “I know,” Sabine sighed as her anger abated. “I just can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you. I worry every time you go on these missions and deliberately place yourself in harm’s way.”

  “If I may,” Subat said as he stepped forward, “I will accompany Kristof on this mission. It may be that perhaps I can keep him out of trouble,” he added with a wink to Sabine. Sabine did seem relieved at the idea, and quickly agreed to Subat’s inclusion.

  “Great, now Anasha is going to be doubly mad at me,” Kristof groaned, which was met with Sabine’s giggle and an out stuck tongue.

  “You did this to yourself, Mister” she pointed out without sympathy.

  As expected, Kristof’s blond haired wife greeted the news of his impending mission with a furious outburst of disapproval once she and Max had returned from another round of novitiate evaluations. Anasha was most eloquent in her pronouncements of Kristof’s disregard for his wives by putting himself in such needless danger, and she was also very skilled at evading his attempts to mollify her by quickly changing the tact and course of her arguments. She also made sure to stay out of reach so he could not employ the same tactic he’d used on Sabine that morning. In the end, it had been Sabine who came to Kristof’s aid and quieted her livid wife.

  “Anasha, my love,” Sabine said quietly. “I’m no happier with this than you are, but in the end we must allow Kristof to be the man that he is and that we love, and allow him to do the things that made him who he is. As he reminded me, we can’t keep him in a bubble here.”

  “But something doesn’t feel right about this,” Anasha objected, still angry. “Why else would my father volunteer so suddenly to go with him when he hasn’t been so inclined to for months now?”

  Kristof watched Sabine give Subat a questioning look with her suddenly suspicious eyes. He admitted to a touch of curiosity himself as he watched his father-in-law meet Sabine’s questioning gaze. Subat hadn’t elected to accompany him and Max on the rebellion support missions in almost six months now.

  “Have you seen something regarding this mission, Master Su’Tani?” Sabine asked formally, as the Queen.

  “Nothing of a certainty, my child,” Subat responded just as informally. “I sense great joy mixed with great pain when I look towards Dorcanus, but the feelings are clouded and intermixed and do not seem to include Kristof directly. I do not fully understand it, to be honest. It just feels right for me to accompany Kristof on this mission.”

  “Sounds to me as if Salas is going to find my arrival quite painful,” Kristof jumped in to try and lighten the mood. Sabine laughed, and Anasha managed a smile. The matter was allowed to drop then as they all sat to a quiet dinner that Max had prepared while they argued.

  Kristof marveled at the change in his friend over the past few months. While Max remained a fearsome killing machine on the battlefield and Kristof’s most devoted friend and companion, their time on Purannis in a more peaceful setting had made a startling impression on the android. Besides the cooking, which had improved a thousand fold, Max’s whole demeanor had become more human over the months. The change was a good one, Kristof reflected.

  Anasha’s blue eyes glowed in the candle light, and the crystal wrapped around her ear shone brightly as Kristof gazed at her across the table as they ate together. While she joined in the conversation and laughed along with everyone else, he could tell that underneath she was still troubled and angry. He vowed that later he would do whatever he must to ease her misgivings with this mission and his role in it.

  His other wife seemed most talkative over dinner that night, and Kristof found himself gazing lovingly at her as well as she amused them with tales from court earlier that day after the briefing on Salas had ended. She’d braided her long dark hair and draped it over one shoulder, which left her other shoulder bare and he found himself longing to run his lips along it.

  It struck Kristof suddenly that he was storing memories of his wives away, as if he would not see them for a long time. The thought was a little troubling, since he’d never felt that way prior to other missions. Subat’s description of his sense of Dorcanus II came back to him then, and he turned the words over in his mind seeking some sort of meaning. He began to wonder if the mission was truly as urgent as he had believed, then chided himself for being foolish. It was a simple job, and it was for Sabine, so he would see it done.

  “Are you ok, my son?” Subat asked quietly from his left as Sabine and Anasha talked amongst themselves as only young women can manage and their men can barely follow.

  “Just a few pre mission jitters, is all,” Kristof replied lightly, not willing to give voice to his doubts from moments ago. He was a bit annoyed with himself that his father-in-law had picked up on them at all.

  “You do not get pre mission jitters,” Subat pointed out. His father gave him a searching look for a moment. “Are you sure it isn’t something else you are feeling?”

  “You mean like a vision or something?” Kristof asked in return with a smile. “No, it’s nothing like that. I just seem to be taking in details of my wives tonight a little more than usual.”

  “Premonitions come in many forms and make us act in peculiar ways, sometimes,” Subat said seriously. “Don’t discount little things if you feel they might be more. Our subconscious sees more clearly than our waking mind and will give us subtle warnings sometimes.”

  “Its fine,” Kristof said, just a bit stubbornly, and returned to the meal and tried to pick up the conversation with his wives. Yet soon he found himself once again storing away those small details. Subat’s words echoed in his mind, but they only served to make him more determined.

  That night, once they were alone, Sabine and Anasha felt the need and desire to be quite passionate, as they usually did before he left on a mission. Kristof lost himself in the love they offered and accepted from him and each other. Dawn was slowly creeping up on them as they lay together quietly, physically spent after a night of passion yet still emotionally charged.

  “Perhaps I should go with you as well,” Anasha said quietly as she lay with her head on Kristof’s chest, while Sabine lay with her head on his shoulder and her leg draped across him and Anasha.

  “No, love,” Kristof said softly. “Sabine will need you for the baby’s episodes. Even with the crystals and Celeste, one of us needs to be close at hand, and the Elders believe that it is you who must reach it to find out why these episodes are happening.”

  “I wish we knew the sex, already,” Sabine complained softly. “Calling the baby ‘it’ seems so wrong to me. It’s not like I’m carrying a piece of luggage or something, after all.”

  “Soon enough, love,” Anasha said as she leaned across Kristof’s chest to kiss her softly.

  Across the room, an alarm chimed softly, telling them that their time was almost up. Kristof disentangled himself reluctantly from the pile of his wives’ arms and legs and went to turn off the alarm. Turning back, he took in their nude forms and bright eyes as the sun rose through the windows to land upon them. He felt his arousal stir and regretted their lack of time.

  They watched as he dressed quickly. After much argument the night before, Kristof had convinced them that he did not need a grand sendoff and that they should remain home while he left. Once dressed, he looked back to them. Sabine was the first to rise and embrace him fiercely. As always, he marveled at just how tiny she was as his hands wrapped around her waist and lifted her to him. She held him tightly and kissed him.

  “You better come back to us,” Sabine whispered, near tears. “I love you so.”

  “Hey, I love you too,” Kristof said softly, wiping away a tear. “Four days and I’ll be right back in your arms. I promise.”

  Anasha kissed him just as fier
cely but managed to control her emotions better.

  “You better come back intact or I’ll kick your ass,” she told him firmly.

  Kristof held her tightly and gave her a quick, playful squeeze on her ass. “Yes, ma’am,” he said softly. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, my Kristof. Hurry back to us, please.”

  The sun was fully up as Kristof made his way onto the landing pad where the Phantom waited for him. Subat and Max waited at the end of the boarding ramp as the engines began to start up behind them. After a quick glance at his watch, he knew he was late. The goodbyes with Anasha and Sabine had not been easy.

  “You’re late,” Max pointed out. “I supposed you were…”

  Subat elbowed the android hard before he could finish his sentence. Max’s tendencies of blurting the obvious and making assumptions had not diminished despite his gains in other areas of civilization, Kristof noted with a smile. He wouldn’t want Max to be any other way.

  “My wives had a hard time saying goodbye this morning,” Kristof said as the three of them climbed the loading ramp. The ramp closed behind them and the ship lifted into the air. Apparently he was really late, he thought, and the crew was eager to be on their way.

  Four days, Kristof thought to himself. Piece of cake.

  ~15~

  Sabine sat at the terminal and watched Kristof’s ship rise into the air and climb towards space above. The quick flip of a switch changed the view from the camera shot to a tactical view of the planet that was tracking ships in orbit. Kristof’s ship was already programmed into the tracker, and she watched the icon move past the orbital station and head for deep space. Another minute later and the icon was gone, the Phantom had jumped to hyperspace.

  Remaining in her seat, Sabine debated going back to bed or not. The fact that she hadn’t bothered to dress yet made going back to bed the easy choice, but she knew there was much to do. Anasha came to her from behind and hugged her, sending a thrill through her as their skin glided across each other. She didn’t need to ask if Kristof had jumped to hyperspace yet, they’d both felt it through their shared connection.

  It amazed Sabine how they could feel each other even over vast distances. Often what they felt from afar was vague and diffused, but they could still feel it. That sensed of connectedness over such great distances was comforting. It meant she always knew Kristof was ok when he was on a mission, and she needed that comfort right now.

  “What is on your agenda today, love?” Anasha asked quietly. “You can’t sit around naked all day.”

  “I could if you stayed with me,” Sabine said with a naughty look at her wife. Anasha laughed as she pulled Sabine to her feet and towards the shower.

  “Come with me today,” Anasha said with a smile as they stepped beneath the steaming water of the shower. “I am making an inspection tour of the Su’Tani garrison here in the Palace. Father was supposed to do it, but now it’s up to me. The troops would enjoy meeting the Queen they protect.”

  “That would be lovely,” Sabine said with a smile. “I don’t think I could sit through committee meetings today, anyway. Plus it gives me a chance to spend the day with this amazing, beautiful woman I know.”

  “I thought you were coming with me!” Anasha said in mock shock, and Sabine laughed as she smacked her wife’s ass. It was good to laugh, because deep down they were both worried about Kristof and they knew it would do no good to spend the time in anxious suspense.

  The Su’Tani garrison in the Palace was a perfect example of precision, from the crispness of their uniforms and the polished appearance of their boots and weapons, to the orderly arrangement of equipment and the execution of their marching formations. Sabine often forgot that her personal guards were Su’Tani warriors, but seeing them there with the rest of the garrison it was hard not to notice.

  The uniforms of the Su’Tani Royal Garrison were in the royal blue and white and of a slightly fancier cut, but they otherwise matched the typical black and light grey uniforms of the Su’Tani ranks. Their weapons, belts, boots, and holsters were all a deep, polished black that shined in the sunlight as the ranks of the garrison now stood at attention before her and Anasha.

  Anasha had come in full dress uniform for the inspection. The troops had not come in their dress uniforms since they had not expected the Queen to attend, but Sabine didn’t mind. Between all of the finery of the members of the noble families to the lavish outfits of visiting dignitaries, Sabine liked things a little less formal.

  Sabine watched as Anasha paused at random troops and inspected their uniforms and gear in greater detail, before nodding for the trooper to resume his position. The Royal Garrison took great pride in their service to protect the Queen, and their gear and uniforms reflected that pride. Sabine had been surprised at the size of the garrison, which was five hundred men and women strong.

  As feared, once the inspection was complete Anasha invited Sabine to speak to the garrison. Improvised speeches were not her favorite, and Sabine gave Anasha a little scowl when nobody else could see. Anasha laughed as she led Sabine to a small platform that would allow everyone to see her.

  “Just speak normally,” Anasha told Sabine when the Queen noticed there was no microphone of loudspeaker on the platform. “They train to use their power to elevate their senses, so they’ll hear you.”

  “Elevated senses, huh?” Sabine said as she gave her wife a stare. “We’re going to talk about those times you claimed you couldn’t hear me, then.”

  Anasha actually blushed, and Sabine smiled as she turned to the assembled troop. The garrison looked even more impressive when seen from above, and Sabine felt pride in her troops.

  “I want to thank Commander Undani for the honor of witnessing the unparalleled precision of the Su’Tani Royal Garrison today,” Sabine began as she looked out at the men and women before her. “It is my deep honor to have such dedicated troops to serve in my defense. I value you all for not just your dedication and your commitment to your service to me each and every day, but also for the sacrifices you make in the commission of that service. Your families should be proud of the fine men and women standing before me today. You are the best of the best, and both I, and the Protectorate, are grateful for your service.”

  The garrison applauded as Sabine waved, and she hoped that they didn’t see her blush, but then she remembered Anasha’s words about heightened senses and said a silent curse. She met Anasha at the base of the platform and allowed her wife to introduce her to a number of the troops present. She had seen many of these people as they guarded her each day, but it was nice to get to know them on a more personal level.

  Following the inspection, Sabine insisted they go to the Operations Center to see if there were any updates on Kristof’s mission. She knew it was silly, the Phantom wouldn’t reach Dorcanus II for another day yet, but she didn’t care. It was important to her to feel involved somehow, since so much was at stake and because she had pushed so hard for it to happen.

  With no hostilities to monitor at the moment, the Operations Center was fairly quiet. General Mannis greeted them and showed them to his office, which overlooked the large room filled with computer terminals and officers from both the Army and Fleet Command. After bringing Sabine and Anasha a drink, General Mannis took a seat behind his desk.

  “How can I be of service, your Majesty?” the General asked curiously.

  “I just wanted to check if there were any updates regarding the mission,” Sabine replied. “With so much riding on the mission, I want to stay abreast of any developments.”

  “We’ve had no new intelligence from Dorcanus II,” General Mannis said politely, apparently seeing through Sabine’s reasoning to the concern for Kristof beneath. “In fact, we’ve heard nothing from Dorcanus II.”

  “As in no communications at all?” Anasha asked, suddenly alert.

  “Nothing,” General Mannis said. “My people tell me the planet gives off some curious radiation that interferes with sensors and
shipboard systems. They think it is this radiation that has blacked out signals from the planet.”

  “What is it?” Sabine asked Anasha. Her wife seemed like a coiled spring all of a sudden.

  “I don’t know,” Anasha said quietly. “I just suddenly got the same bad feeling I had when Kristof first mentioned this mission.

  “General, is the Phantom scheduled to drop from hyperspace to receive updates before committing to the mission?” Sabine asked, hoping it would be the case so she could call off the mission.

  “Colonel Anders did not indicate that they would,” General Mannis replied quietly. “It is not unusual for a mission of this type to go directly in without a final check in. I am afraid they were committed the moment they jumped to hyperspace unless Colonel Anders aborts on his own.”

  ~16~

  Kristof had greeted his team as he, Subat, and Max passed through the hold on their way towards the command deck. Strike Team Six was Kristof’s own team of Special Forces operatives that he’d chosen for his missions in support of the rebels fighting against the Clovani Empire. The team and he had been through some tough scrapes together and he trusted them all with his life. Many had become good friends away from the missions, as well, and he greeted them each warmly.

  The Phantom had jumped smoothing to hyperspace as he walked onto the command deck, which was quite a bit bigger than the Wraith’s had been but was still somewhat cramped. Two pilot stations commanded the fore section, while to either side of the hatch were the weapons and communications/countermeasures stations. At the center of the command deck sat Kristof’s own command chair which gave him access to all ships systems at need.

  It had taken Kristof a while to get used to having an actual crew. The Wraith had been so heavily modified that he and Max had been able to run it by themselves most of the time instead of its normal crew of eight. Not counting himself and Max, the Phantom had a crew of fifty, also not counting the twenty four man strike team in the hold below. Gunners, engineers, and a combat medic were onboard along with the command deck crew. Kristof had gotten to know most of these people too, and counted them as friends.