Crineal Chronicles 1: In Hera's Service (12 page)

“Oh,
sorry, I neglected to mention the bathroom; it has a shower, too.”

Cyndora
suddenly felt a pressing need. “Umm… may I?”

Crineal
looked amused. “Most certainly, unless you plan on making a mess in here.”
Stupid social custom, he thought, like anyone was going to say no. As Cyndora
disappeared he turned the bundle he was holding around until he found a control
panel. After setting the dimensions to the required size and hitting the
activation command he stepped back as the long parcel started to expand out
into a rectangular box of tubes. A soft but tough membrane covered the central
well and stretched out with the frame. Finally it reached the programmed size
and stopped moving. The bathroom door opened and Cyndora emerged to join
Crineal looking at the newly erected bed.

“That’s
pretty cool,” she said as she looked it over.

Crineal
pointed to the control panel that was now set near the head of it. “You can
adjust the firmness of the air mattress using that.” He waved his hand towards
the bed. “Go ahead and try it out.”

Tentatively
she sat and then lay down on it with a little more confidence. Crineal tossed
her a pillow from his bed and then went to one of the drawers. He pulled out a
couple of linen bundles as Cyndora played with the controls until she thought
she had it right. Crineal handed her the sheet and cover he had found for her.
“There you go, all settled in. Just need to get your clothes away now. You
should have enough space.” He gestured to the wardrobe and drawers.

Cyndora
put the linen down and got up. “Thanks, I’ll do that,” and went to collect her
stuff from the lounge. Crineal took off his jacket and hung it up in one of the
closets before heading through the lounge to the kitchen to get a drink. He
heard Cyndora in the bedroom as she stowed away her clothes, whilst he scanned
through the news updates for anything of importance. Crineal shut down the
display in disgust after fifteen minutes; it was just all the usual propaganda
and celebrity news rubbish that he hated. He stretched back, sipping his tea.
He closed his eyes. Damn he was tired. Maybe he did need to think about some
leave. A quiet cough made him open his eyes to find Cyndora standing there.

“I’m
all done,” she said. “My clothes are away and the bed is made up.”

Crineal
nodded, now feeling completely exhausted, and it wasn’t even that late.
Tomorrow wasn’t supposed to be particularly busy, but the sooner he could catch
up on the admin the sooner he could maybe grab a day or two of downtime.
Cyndora took a seat and seemed unsure of what to do as he finished his tea.

“Well,
I’m going to get some sleep.” Crineal stood and took his cup into the kitchen
and returned to find Cyndora standing as well.

“I’m
tired, too. Sleep sounds like a wonderful idea,” she agreed with him. Crineal
gave her a little bow and indicated she should precede him into the bedroom.

Cyndora
nervously entered and waited just inside the door as he followed and moved past
her. She stood there uncertainly clutching her pajamas as he started to
undress. She couldn’t believe she was suddenly shy about undressing in front of
someone. In the last eight months she’d been worse than naked in front of
people and sometimes crowds. Now, here she was, reluctant to just change in
front of one man; this was stupid. Crineal finished pulling off his shirt and
then noticed Cyndora’s lack of movement. He looked at her shrewdly as he sat
down on the corner of his bed.

“Why
don’t you change in the bathroom?” Crineal suggested kindly.

Cyndora
felt a wave of relief flood through her and her knees almost gave way. “Thanks,
Chris," she replied. Cyndora could feel the tears welling up at being
offered this simple opportunity for decency. As she moved past where he sat she
leant down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He looked startled by it and then
she was gone into the bathroom.

Crineal
shook his head in bemusement as he pulled off his boots. He finished stripping
and changed into some sleep shorts before putting his uniform away. Crineal was
already settled in bed before Cyndora reappeared in her powder pink pajamas.
She stowed her clothes in a drawer, then slipped off her sandals and finally
climbed into her own bed. Crineal waited until she’d tucked herself in and then
killed the light.

“Night,
Sam,” he said.

“Night,
Chris,” she whispered back.

The
alarm buzzer brought Cyndora sharply awake as she sat up in a panic and tried
to remember where she was. The clock display on the bed panel caught her eye,
oh six hundred. OH GOD! She was late for her day’s work. Then something moved
in the dark a few feet away and grunted as a hand snaked out and hit the alarm
off button. The lights in the room came on to a very dim setting and Cyndora
finally remembered where she was and she slumped in relief. She wasn’t late;
she was in Chris’s bedroom. His figure moved under the sheets in the bed that
was next to hers and finally pivoted around until he was sitting up on the edge
of the bed with his bare back to her. Cyndora watched as he rolled his neck and
shoulders before levering himself up off the bed. Then he seemed to remember
her presence and turned to her.

“Morning,
Sam. Did you sleep well?” he asked drowsily, still stretching.

Cyndora
tried not to stare at him but kept stealing glances at his mostly naked self.
He’d never been a fitness freak when she’d known him before but now his body
was well toned and healthy looking. She supposed being in the military did
that. Cyndora finally remembered to answer his question “Umm, yes, thanks, I
was out like a light…until the buzzer scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry,
forgot to warn you about that. I start early with some exercise,” he yawned.
“Ummm…do you need the bathroom?”

Cyndora
shook her head. “No, you go ahead. I can last for a few minutes.”

Crineal
stumbled sleepily through the door and it closed behind him. Cyndora sat up in
her bed with her arms wrapped around her knees whilst she waited for him to
finish. She didn’t have to wait long and Cyndora exchanged places with him in
the bathroom. When she emerged Crineal had already straightened out the bedding
on his bed and was just finishing with hers.

She
arched an eyebrow at him. “Wasn’t that supposed to be one of my jobs?”

Crineal
looked down at the beds almost guiltily. “Oops, sorry, force of habit. So,
ready for some exercise?” he asked, edging past her to one of his drawers.

“I
guess so,” she sighed. As she turned to where her gear was stored she saw that
Crineal was already stripping out of his sleep shorts. At first she was a
little shocked, but then figured that the military probably wasn’t big on
privacy, either. Nice bum, though, it looked tight and firm. She tore her gaze
away as he stood up and started pulling on some briefs. She remembered her
sudden bout of shyness last night and it suddenly felt a little silly to her.
If they were going to be living in here together they were undoubtedly going to
see each other’s bodies at some point. She steeled herself and pushed down her
pajama bottoms, then unbuttoned her top and let it slip off her shoulders to
the floor. Crineal pulled on his exercise vest and turned to find Cyndora
standing there wearing just a pale blue pair of panties, shaking out some
exercise shorts. Her nicely rounded breasts and their pinkish nipples caught
his attention and held it. Cyndora flushed a little at his gaze, but stared
determinedly at him, daring him to say something. Crineal wisely stayed silent
and pulled on his own shorts before sitting to slip on his workout shoes.
Cyndora waited a long moment and then pulled on her skin tight shorts followed
by hauling the bra top over her head and breasts, adjusting it so that it fit
snugly. Then she sat and pulled on her own exercise shoes.

As
she finished sealing the tops closed, Crineal stood up. “Ready?” he asked.
Cyndora nodded as she pushed herself to her feet.

Crineal
looked like he wanted to say something. She waited for a moment and then
prompted him, “What is it, Chris?”

He
grimaced at her reply. “That. Much as I hate it, you can’t keep calling me
Chris and I can’t call you Sam. If anyone hears us we could be reported. The
consequences wouldn’t be good for either of us.”

Cyndora
was quiet for a moment and then met his eyes. “You’re right. I should stick to
calling you Sir.”

Crineal
grimaced again. “When we’re around others, certainly. When we’re in here on our
own you can call me Crin. It’s close enough that you can pick it up fast and a
slip in public would likely be overlooked.”

That
made sense to her. “And you’ll call me whatever you like, I guess?” she teased
him lightly.

He
growled at her in mock frustration and picked up two towels, offering her one.
“Let’s go before I put you over my knee and spank you.”

Cyndora
took the proffered towel and turned to leave the bedroom. “That’s ok. I’ve been
trained for it.” Crineal shook his head sadly, she was probably telling the
truth. “And in prison my friends called me Cyndy for short.”

They
left his quarters and she followed a couple of paces behind him, eyes down cast
and trying her best to look like a dutiful concubine. They passed several crew
members on the way to the gym that all stood to attention, but didn’t salute as
Crineal passed them. She noticed that a few gave her more than a casual glance.
The exercise area that Crineal led them into was a far cry from the one she’d
been in at the Rec dorm. Just about every kind of exercise machine she could
think of was there, plus some martial art floor mats. A couple was using them
and she watched as a tall blonde woman handily pitched a stocky looking man
over her shoulder. Crineal was stretching against some wall bars after throwing
his towel onto a nearby cross trainer. Cyndora put her towel on the machine
next to his, tied her hair back with one of her bands and joined him in his
warm up. She saw more than a few people in the gym throw curious stares in
their direction, no doubt wondering who she was. If the rumor mill here was
anything like the prison and training center, Cyndora figured that by midday
that half the crew on board would hear that the general had got himself a toy.
She followed Crineal to the machines and they started their work out. At least
todays’ exercise was more comfortable than yesterday, her top alone made it ten
times more bearable. A few of the people in the gym deliberately stopped by
Crineal to wish him good morning. He cheerfully responded to them and they went
on their way. She gave him a quizzical look after the third one.

“Pilots,”
he said shortly. “Not mine, though. Well, not directly… sort of. My squadron is
all on leave or in the sick bay. Those are flight crew from the other
squadrons. And overall, I’m in charge of those squadrons as well. So they are
sort of mine if you see.” She nodded as they continued to push and sweat. About
forty-five minutes into their workout, a willowy brunette in an outfit similar to
her own stopped in front of Crineal and came to attention.

Crineal
slowed down on his machine as he nodded to the woman. “Major Quenna,” he
gasped. “How are you this morning?”

The
major relaxed into a more casual stance. “I’m good, thank you, Sir. Nice to see
you setting an example, as always. I use your name to motivate my slackers into
keeping in shape. ‘If the general can exercise, then so can you’ I tell them.”

Crineal
chuckled, catching his breath. “Perhaps you can give the same talk to my
squadron? I think my motivational speeches are starting to wear thin.” Quenna
smiled, knowing that Hera Squadron was regarded as the best. “Are you ready for
your leave, Major? I think I saw some of your Apollo pilots planning a week
long party yesterday,” he teased her.

Quenna
growled a little. “Couldn’t have been Apollo people, Sir. I warned them that
you’re taking them out the day after tomorrow and that you’d promised me a full
report on their deficiencies. I also indicated to them how displeased I’d be at
any of the names on that report. The last I saw of them they were all in the
mess hall studying up on the flight regs like first year cadets.”

Crineal
gave a bark of laughter “I’m sure that report will be blank, Major. Apollo has
some good pilots.” Cyndora watched surreptitiously as Major Quenna straightened
proudly at the praise. “Something that came up after I was out with Hypnos. How
do you feel about letting your second in command do the debriefing for
practice? Have him nominate an assistant to give him a hand in the same way he
does for you. Hypnos’ second asked if she could do it and thinking it over it
seems like a good idea.”

Quenna
nodded in agreement. “It is. Laball could use the experience. I’ll give him a
heads up.” The major glanced over as she noticed Cyndora paying attention to
the conversation as she worked out.

Crineal
followed her gaze. “Oh, this is Assistant Cyndora. I had her assigned to me
from Rec Division. Cyndora, meet Major Quenna, leader of Apollo Squadron.”
Cyndora thought that the major was about to fall over in shock.

She
slowed her pace on the trainer and tried to come to an awkward sort of
attention. “Pleased to meet you, Ma’am,” Cyndora said respectfully.

Quenna
gave her a small nod of acknowledgement and turned a quizzical look on Crineal.
He caught it and shrugged. “She needs to keep in shape and it seemed stupid to
send her down to the Rec dorm every day when I’m coming here.” It probably wasn’t
the answer to the questions Quenna really wanted to ask, he thought, but it
would suffice.

The
major nodded again. “Makes sense to me, Sir. I know a lot of officers don’t
look after their assigned... assistants very well.” Cyndora spotted the pause
and wondered what word Quenna had been about to use. Pet? Slave? Toy? She’d
heard them all.

Crineal’s
look agreed with Quenna’s opinion of how RA’s were treated. “So, where are you
headed on leave?”

“I’ve
heard about something called the pyramids. I thought I’d give them a look,”
Quenna told him.

“Good
choice, they’ve fascinated Earth historians for centuries. I’m sure you’ll
enjoy yourself, just take plenty of sun block,” he advised her with a smile and
a glance at her fair skin.

“Already
packed, Sir. I read the travel guide. Well, I better get going and, please, be
as hard as you like on my squadron. Perhaps I can get them as good as you have
Hera.”

“Heh,
I’ll let Major Strieger know that you’re aiming for top squadron spot. I’m sure
she’ll have Hera knocked out of any complacency they might be wallowing in.”

Quenna
grumbled, “Giving her warning isn’t fair, Sir. She doesn’t need any help.” She
came to attention briefly once more and then moved to leave. The major paused
before Cyndora. “You look after our general, young lady. He deserves the best.”

Cyndora
straightened. “Yes, Ma’am,” she replied.

Quenna
nodded to herself at Cyndora’s answer and then left the gym, leaving Crineal
and Cyndora with no one close to them.

She
looked at Crineal. “Do they all adore you like that, Sir?”

Crineal
pondered that for a moment. “I wouldn’t say adore, I think I have their respect
though.”

Cyndora
thought that the difference between adore and respect in this case wouldn’t
feed a mouse. She looked at the door through which the major had exited and
sighed heavily. “I really envy the Galactics their figures. I’d kill for legs
like that.”

Crineal
looked over at her legs that were glowing with sweat as she pumped them. “Don’t
sell yourself short, Cyndy. Yours are pretty good too.” He saw her blush and
put her head down at his reply. “Well, I think we can call it good for today,”
Crineal said, as he slowed and then stopped. Cyndora did likewise and they
stepped off their machines, toweling their heads and shoulders dry as they made
their way out.

They
arrived back at Crineal’s quarters a short time later. Crineal waved Cyndora
towards the bedroom. “Go ahead and shower first. I need to get some messages
out.” She nodded gratefully and disappeared into the bedroom. Crineal caught
himself staring at her shapely figure as Cyndora headed to the shower. He
mentally slapped himself and forced his attention to the data pad in his hand.
He forwarded messages to each of the other squadron leaders to arrange a quick
meeting tomorrow before they went on leave. Once that was done he sat back in
his chair and contemplated breakfast. The door to the bedroom opened and a
soggy-looking Cyndora squelched out with a towel wrapped around her and an
annoyed expression on her face.

“What’s
up?” he asked as he looked at her wet towel clad form.

Cyndora
padded past him to the replicator unit. “I forgot that you wouldn’t have any
woman’s accessories in your bathroom," she explained a little grumpily,
her long chestnut-red hair dripping water onto the floor as she stood at the
replicator unit. He watched as she hit a few keys and came away with a
toiletries bag.

“Ummm…
nope, not much call for that recently,” Crineal said as he watched her go back
to the bathroom. As he thought about it some more, ‘not recently’ was in fact
far too long. But then, at the rank of general, his pool of available partners
was incredibly small, apart from one night stands during shore leave. So much
for the privilege of rank, he mused. Fifteen minutes later, Cyndora was out of
the shower and fixing them breakfast whilst he was washing himself down. Once
he was done and dressed, Crineal joined Cyndora for breakfast. She was already
nearly finished with hers and broke off eating to serve his. Cyndora polished
off her remaining breakfast and sipped her kafe, whilst Crineal attacked his
food. He cleared his tray and pushed back from the table, doing up his uniform
jacket.