Petr's Mate (14 page)

“I
’
d like that. To go and visit your home.” She took a deep
breath and watched the doors sliding open.
Petr nodded to the crew, who
all snapped to attention. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he waved her off.
“Go and look around. We should not be too long, so if we’re done before you
return,
I’ll come find you.”

“Thank
you.” She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, which she noticed raised more
than one eyebrow. She walked away from him so that she could go and look at the
different parts of engineering, moving from station to station so that she
could see what they were doing and learn more. She would turn and look for Petr
from time to time
but, for the
most part,
she was happy to simply learn from the people who answered
her questions with the patience of Job.

The
meeting he was a part of broke up a few minutes
later
and everyone went their separate ways.
Sam watched Petr stride toward her with purpose. The look in his eyes made her
body start to hum in reply. “Have you seen everything?” he asked when he was
close enough.

“I have and it’s so cool. Thank
you for letting me ask them questions.”

He nodded, then said, “Come on,
we need to get some sleep, little one. We both need to be alert for our
meeting.”

“True.” She didn’t want to be
yawning when she met his ruling body. “I need to be on the top of my game when
I meet them.” She waved goodbye to the people in engineering and let him lead
her out of the area.

Wrapping
an arm around her
neck,
he pulled her close when they were inside the lift. “We’ll need to be awake
earlier than we have been before.”

“I won’t keep you up long, I
promise. I just want to view a couple of things that
Adira
had said before and then I promise that I
’
ll let us both sleep.”
He held her close for the rest
of the ride. When they reached their
floor,
he loosened his hold so they could walk comfortably side by side to their
rooms. He let them
in
and let her loose so she could walk ahead of him to the bedroom.

Once she was inside of their
room she walked to the bathroom first. She knew she took longer than he did in
there and as long as she was able to get cleaned up quickly she could get into
their bed and wait for him, naked.

He was waiting outside the door
for her when she stepped out. “I left the data pad on the bed with the vid
keyed up. All you need to do is start it for the tour of the house.” He brushed
a finger to her cheek before moving away from her. The door shut behind him and
she could hear him moving around getting ready for bed.

Quickly she climbed up onto the
bed to scoop up the data pad to start the video.
Once she had the video keyed
up,
she got under the covers and got
naked. She watched the video that
Adira
created and
was amazed. It was more than a home. The place looked like a medieval castle.
When he walked out she didn’t look up, just asked, “Is this place drafty?” It
was beautiful, beyond compare, but it was massive and made of stone.

“Hardly,”
he said. Slipping onto the bed
,
Petr wrapped his arms around
her
and rested his cheek to her hair. “We don’t have the dramatic seasonal changes
like your world did, but it does get cooler for a while, then much warmer. What
you would call the winter and summer. There are no drafts, and
it’s
all temperature controlled inside. It may look
old,
but it has all the latest technology
carefully hidden behind the various facades.”

“It’s
amazing,” she told him and shifted so he could watch the end of the vid with
her. “It’s a large home, made for a family.” She wanted that, one day, with
him. “I would like to have a large family. Nothing silly like six kids, but I
would love to be able to have two or four children. Maybe a couple years
between the kids. That way they can still play
together,
but they will each have their
time of being the
baby
, so to speak.”

“Whatever
you want, little one.” The last few minutes of the video showed some of the
upper rooms, with
Adira
providing the information on
who they belonged to. The one she identified as her own had a feminine flair to
it
while Petr’s was very
spartan
. The master bedroom had a massive bed, a sitting
area, and flowed out onto a huge balcony with more seating. From
that,
Samantha got her first look at the
land surrounding the house.

She
paused the video and looked at him. “This is your home? This is spectacular.”
She was stunned by the lay of the land. “This bedroom is gorgeous.
Yes,
it needs some work to make it our
home, but I love
it,
Petr. So much.” She looked forward to making the place their home, one day in
the future. Right now their home was here and now.

“We’ll
take some time in the future for an extended stay. It will allow you to see it
for yourself and make a decision based on your own experience there. Now, if
you’re done.” He took the data pad from her when she nodded, then set it aside
before he turned the lights off. Wrapping her up in his arms when they both
slid down in the bed, he pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Sleep well, little
one.”

She hugged him right back and
shifted so that her body was wrapped around his. “As long as you
’
re here with me.” Because, with
him holding her, life was good. Her cheek rested against his shoulder, her arm
over his chest, and she smiled. “Rest well, Petr. Tomorrow will be a new day.”
Sam
felt herself relaxing, the sound of his breath a steady rhythm that eased her
slowly into sleep.

Chapter Nine

Petr reached out to stop her
fidgeting. Lacing his fingers through hers, he squeezed. “Breathe, Samantha.
You are working yourself up for no reason. We are not yet on the ground, which
means we have plenty of time before our meeting. You can see a little of the
planet on our trip, and then we will be in and out in no time at all. Relax,
little one.”

“I’m trying to relax. This is
how I relax.” She couldn’t stop herself from fidgeting. It was something she
had always done on Earth when on a plane. She would fidget and move as she was
trying to calm her body from the knowledge that they were landing. “It’s a
coping mechanism.”

“You
don’t like to fly? Or is it the landing that upsets you enough to this twitchy
state?” he asked. Shifting in his
seat,
he wrapped an arm around her
shoulders
.
“Talk to me.”

“It’s
the landing and the taking off. Once I’m in the
air,
I’m fine, but for some reason it’s the
landing and taking off that bugs me.”

“I would say not to worry, but I
know you will anyway. So maybe I should kiss you instead, help distract you.
You can even climb into my lap. I doubt any of the crew would mind a little
show.”

“
Oh,
I love how you think.” She was always
willing to climb into his lap and kiss him. She shifted and moved so that she
was in his lap. “I love being in your arms.”

His warm hands on her back
pressed her in closer to him, one stroking slowly up and down. Petr tipped his
head to take the kiss deeper, slipping his tongue into her mouth to stroke over
hers when she gave him access.

Wrapping her arms around his
neck, Sam let him lead the kiss, following him wherever he might take them.

A
soft bump followed by the sound of those around them moving had her drawing
back. Petr lifted a hand to brush his fingertips to her cheek. “We’re on the
ground,” he told her. “Let the others leave first.
Hopefully,
it will be enough time that I
might be able to walk without issues.”

“Yes,
sorry, not sorry.” The proof of his desire pressed against her thigh.
God,
she loved that she affected him like
that. “So how long until they’re all off the deck so that we can at least stand
and wait for our turn to disembark?”

“Not
long at all. Unlike on the
cruiser,
the crawlers are much faster to clear out. You can stand up now, little one.
They’re almost all out, so it will be our turn next. The pilots won’t leave
until we do, and I’d rather not keep them from their families any longer than
they have been.”

“Oh yes, same here.” She stood
and held her hand out to him. She didn’t want to keep anyone from their family,
especially not since she had her family there with her now. Petr, he was her
family.

With
his fingers tangled with hers Petr walked out of the crawler at her side. Sam’s
first look at
Imara
wasn’t what she would term
impressive, since it was a shipyard. Lots of concrete, squat buildings, and men
and women in uniform. All of whom stopped to salute Petr when someone spotted
his uniform. Petr occasionally paused their progress through the area to speak
to a few of the
officers
and enlisted. He asked about family, how their careers were progressing, and
told them to pass on his regards to people
they
all
knew.

Sam watched Petr carefully. He
was an interesting person and what struck her was the fact that he knew
everyone that stopped or saluted him. He truly knew them, not just their name
but he knew their families. Sam was stunned that he even knew if one was a new
father or a child had gotten married. It utterly amazed her. “You are
incredible, do you know that?” she asked him when they were alone once more.

“How so?” he asked while they
walked. He was stopped by another young officer, and they were both shown a
newborn baby. Petr gave the young man’s hand a shake and wished him and his new
family well.

“That,
” she said when the officer and
his family walked away. “You know every single person you meet by name. You
know their lives. You are truly one of a kind and I’m beyond blessed to know
that you’re mine. Even on Earth I don’t think that the commanders knew as much
about their men as you seem to know about your men and women, and your vessel
is so much larger than anything that was in the ocean or land back on Earth.
It’s, wow. You. It’s just you.” He was really everything that a woman could
ever want or need in her life.

“I have a photographic memory,
little one. And I want to know these men, and women, well. It makes them feel
more like a family. It also fosters greater team structure if they know that
even those in the uniforms with all the extra decoration know who they are. I
’
m truly interested in my people
and will follow up with them even after they depart from my command.”

“I
love the idea that your people are your family. I like the idea that we’ll all
be family.
Hopefully,
they are starting to accept me as well.” She certainly talked to the men and
women often. She actually spent time with some of the women working out and
learning new ways to work out while teaching them things such as yoga.

Petr
let out a
sigh
and shook his head. “No matter how many times I say it you still don’t believe
me. You will have to make it up to me later when we’re alone in the apartment.
Come, we need to take transportation into the city proper.” He waved toward a
row of vehicles that looked to be taxis but were oddly shaped. Petr put a hand
on the skin of one, and a door popped open, lifting into the air. She slid in
to find they were completely alone, no driver.

She reached out and took his
hand in hers and squeezed. “When I learn all of their names and know as much
about them as you do I will know that I’m their family as well.” Even if she
knew she was already accepted by them, she wanted to be part of their family
just as Petr was. “I have found so many friends already and I
’
m very happy that they told me
that they
’
ll
be on board when we have to leave again.”

He typed in some commands on a
board that had appeared, and they were soon merging smoothly out into traffic.
“There are only a small number of crew that will be moving onto other posts.
Mostly for further education, and for a few others they finally have a spot in
the line of the military they wish to follow. We
’
ll have a few new faces, but the majority will be those we
have traveled with thus far. I know they
’
re all looking forward to having more time with you. If only
to learn more of your language, so they can confuse me with it.”

That
did have her laughing out loud. “Oh
goodness,
no kidding. I think the first time one of them asked you what had crawled up
your butt you about lost your mind.” It had been during a gaming night when
Petr was so intense and into the game. “I also look forward to them telling me
all about this new exercise some of the women are doing. It’s a lot like the
yoga that I’ve taught them, but with a twist.” It was more of a dancing yoga
sort of thing.

“You are not to teach them any
more of your Earth sayings, little one. I strictly forbid it,” he told her in a
firm tone.

“Okay.”
She grinned, then looked around. “I can’t believe the car is driving itself.”

“It’s
part of the automated system. There are no accidents this way. For a while back
in our history we were the ones in control, but the number of deaths was
unacceptable. When the AI was finally a proven
technology,
a young woman came up with the
system that ran from the main AI to small cells to control the vehicles, the
lights, and everything else. We are a highly monitored society out in public.
This helps the AI learn and adapt to ever-changing situations as our population
grows. In some of the smaller communities the in-road system isn’t in place
yet, so they’re still manually operating their vehicles, but soon it will
change.”

“I
don’t know, I like the idea that
there
are some places that still have
it where you can take control
of your own driving. Helps teach people, I’m sure.”

“We all know how to operate one
should there ever be need,” he told her. “It
’
s a rare occurrence that the AI is down, but it can happen
from time to time. Plus with some outlying areas not yet wired for the new
system if we travel there it
’
s a necessity.” The vehicle slowed, then pulled into a spot
at the curb. The door popped open, and Petr slid out before holding out a hand
to help her exit the vehicle.

She accepted his hand and let
him pull her out of the conveyance. She looked up at the massive building and
frowned. “So this is your apartment, right?” It was a stark building on the
outside but if she had learned anything it was that with his people you
couldn’t judge a book by its cover.

“No,
this is not where we will be sleeping while we’re in the city. This is the
building where the administration of the military is housed. I need to hand in
some
things, sign a few
more,
and put in the requisitions for the
supplies and fuel for when we depart. Then we’ll head for our meeting.”
Hooking her arm through his,
Petr led her inside the building, and they went to the lift at the back of the
austere lobby.

Sam
was nervous. They were only there to drop off some paperwork, so she didn’t
know why she was as nervous as she was. She took a deep breath and found that
Petr was so attuned to her moods that he squeezed her gently as they walked.
“So the report that you’re turning in, they won’t keep you to go over it, will
they?” She didn’t know how things worked on
Imara
,
but she was curious to learn.

“No,
they won’t keep me here for that. He gave the AI system a floor
number
and looked to her. “But it
will be boring for you, Samantha. Not what I wanted your first impression of
Imara
to be. It does get better.”

She shrugged. “I
’
ll have you with me, so I’m good
with it. Besides, this way I will be able to pick up a bit more of the
languages that your people speak. Everyone has different sorts of accents.” It
was like back home on Earth. Some people had a very distinct accent where
others could blend in no matter where they were. “Oh, while you
’
re making supplies requests can
you please ask for more of the candies that you gave to me? The ones I told you
tasted like chocolate?” She knew he would understand because he had asked her
at that time what chocolate was.

“It
’s
already on
my
list,” he assured her. The lift slowed, then came to a stop. Stepping off with
her at his side, Petr led her through a set of glass sliding doors and up to a
desk where he handed off his data pad. The young man behind the desk plugged in
a cord, and after a few minutes passed the data pad back with a thank you. A minute
later they were back on the lift.

“That was faster than I
expected. That’s actually pretty awesome that it’s so easy for you to order
your supplies. Hopefully, everything else will be just as easy,” she teased and
bumped her shoulder to his.

“That was only the report,” he
told her. The lift stopped again, and they were off moving through another
hall. He led her through another set of doors and up to a waist-high counter.
He passed over his data pad to the woman working behind it before turning his
attention back on her.

“But
we’ll have plenty of time here. I’ll give you a tour of the capital, take you
out for a true
Imarian
meal with all the pomp and
splendor that usually drives me crazy. And depending on what the seamstress has
to say on the wardrobe we can do a day trip out to see some of the countryside.
There is unfortunately not enough time to make the journey out to our house,
but I promise our next visit home will be much longer.” He accepted the data
pad back, took the other one the woman handed him, and after giving it a read
pressed his thumb to the screen. “Thank you,” he told the woman. Taking Sam’s
hand,
they headed back out into the hall.

“That’s okay, I really don’t
mind. When we get to see your home, our home, I want to know that we will be
able to get as much time there as we possibly could. I
’
d like to spend a good week or
more at your home so that I can learn all the ins and outs.” She was actually
looking forward to being able to spend more than a few days in what he called
their home. She hesitated a moment, then asked, “People won’t be staring at us,
will they?” She didn’t want to be the center of attention but had a feeling she
might because while she looked a great deal like
Imarians
,
she also didn’t. She was very pale compared to the people she had met so far.
She was also far shorter.