March To The Stars

Marines see everything, they hear everything. And you're going to be supported in a way that I doubt even another MacClintock ever was. We're going to be at your back.'

He picked a bit of leaf gently out of her hair.

'I love you,' he said.

'I look like hell,' she snorted. 'You're just trying to make me feel better.'

'You look great,' he said huskily. 'Absolutely beautiful.'

She looked at him for a moment, then pulled his head down to hers. The kiss lasted a long time, while Roger ran his fingers up and down her back. But finally she drew back with a snort.

'So that's it,' she said. 'You just like me when I'm immobilized!'

'I always like you. I was in love the first time I saw you out of armor, although I'll admit I was a bit ...'

'Intimidated?' Despreaux supplied.

'Yes,' he admitted. 'Intimidated is probably the right word. You're a bit overpowering, and I really didn't want to get into a relationship. But ... you're as good as it gets.'

'Your mother is going to go spastic,' Despreaux said. 'I mean, completely ballistic.'

'I don't really care about Mother's reaction,' he replied. 'Frankly, after what we've gone through, Mother is going to owe me, big time. And it's not as if I were the heir, so I'm not exactly a great dynastic match. Mother can kiss my ass before I'll give you up.'

'I love it when you talk dirty,' she said, and pulled him down for another kiss.

Roger ran his hands up her sides, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. After a moment, the hands migrated around to the front, as if by their own accord, and ran across her midriff in subtle fingertip touches. She writhed to the side, pushing up her T-shirt, and—

There was a discreet knock on the door.

'Shit,' Roger muttered with intense feeling. Then he sighed, sat up, and raised his voice. 'Yes?'

'Your Highness,' Corporal Bebi said from the far side of the door, 'Captain Pahner wants a command conference in seven minutes in the fortress commander's office. Sergeant Despreaux is excused on account of her injury.'

Roger didn't have to see the private's face. His tone alone made it eloquently clear that butter would never melt in his mouth.

'I told you the Marines know everything,' Despreaux whispered, pulling her top down with a moue of disappointment.

'Seven minutes?' Roger asked.

'It ... took a few minutes to find you, Your Highness,' Bebi explained, and Despreaux took the opportunity to run her hands up Roger's back.

'I'll—' Roger cleared his throat. 'I'll be right there.'

'Yes, Your Highness.'

'Two minutes to run from here to the commander's office,' Despreaux said. 'Now, where were we?'

'If I turn up out of breath and rearranging my clothes, everyone will know where I was,' Roger said.

'Rogerrr,' Despreaux said dangerously.

'On the other hand,' he said, leaning back down towards her, 'they can kiss my ass, too.'

She smiled in delight as he ran his hands up her back once more. He leaned even closer, her lips parted, and—

There was a discreet knock on the door.

'Bloody ... what?'

'Your Highness,' Dobrescu said diplomatically, 'I know you have a conference in a minute, but I'd like to talk to you about Cord.'

Roger shoved himself to his feet, shaking his head and breathing heavily, as Despreaux rearranged her clothes again.

'Come!' the Heir Tertiary to the Throne of Man said grimly.

'What now?' Sergeant Despreaux whispered.

* * *

Most of the supplies the Krath had laid in were stored in boxes of boiled turom leather. At first, going over the collection in the citadel's storerooms had been a bit like a very leathery Christmas. But after a few hours of opening boxes and cataloging contents, Poertena and Denat were getting worn out.

'Dried and salted fish.' Denat slammed the top of the box closed and resealed it. 'More damned dried and salted fish! I'm surprised these Krath didn't grow gills.'

'T'ey needed to grow some damned brains,' Poertena said. The company was still chuckling about Julian's find. 'You scummies are frigging weird when it gets cold.'

'Well, at least we don't go around bitching about a decently warm day,' Denat snapped back. 'How many times have I seen one of you Marines writhing on the ground over a little heat?!'

'Hey, I t'ink t'at was Pentzikis, and heatstroke's no joke!' Poertena protested. 'I was only kidding! Get a pocking grip—we're almost done here.'

'Well, pock you, you shrimp!' the Mardukan snarled. 'I'm done. You finish. If you can even lift the boxes!'

'Denat, what's eating you?' Poertena asked, and there was genuine alarm in his tone. The Mardukan was trembling, as if he were having a fit. 'We can quit t'is if we need to. You don' look so good.'

'I'm fine!' Denat bellowed. He grasped his horns and yanked furiously at them. 'I'm fine. I'll ... aaaarh!'

Poertena thought very hard about keeping his mouth shut, but he'd just noticed something, and it was really bothering him.

'Uh, Denat?' the armor asked carefully. 'Did you know t'at t'e bases of your horns were swelling?'

* * *

Roger smiled and accepted the candied apsimon from O'Casey.

'Ah, for the days of kate fruit!' he sighed.

The main command group had gathered, and he turned to the newest member of their party.

'So, Harvard. What in hell are you doing here?'

The IAS journalist set down his basik leg and wiped his hands fastidiously.

'It was a routine assignment, Your Highness. Not much has been done on Marduk, since there's not a regular passenger line that stops here. There was an IAS piece back in your grandfather's time, when they were first planning on opening the planet to colonization, but since then, nothing. And that piece just covered the Krath capital. At the time, the Shin were more or less at peace with the Krath, and a sidebar about the Shin in the article caught my editor's eye. He sent me out to get a story about the 'mountain tribes.' '

He took a sip of wine and shook his head.

'I knew as soon as I landed that things had changed. The only information on the planet available was the earlier IAS article and two studies of Mardukan sociology and planetography. They didn't say much, but there were obvious sociological changes in the Krath capital. Among other things, when I tried to get updated photos of their religious celebrations, I was barred from their temples.'

'Updated?' O'Casey asked. 'The previous IAS team had gotten pictures? And included them in its article?'

'Yes, the Krath were very open about their ceremonies,' Mansul said. 'It was a highly ascetic religion, similar in some ways to Buddhism, stressing personal restraint and meditation. The ceremonies involved small sacrifices of grain and meat to the God of Fire. Most of the contributions actually went to the priests, who were also the primary researchers and archivists, to pay for their upkeep. I don't know what they're doing now, but the rate of sacrifices has certainly gone up, if the smoke from the fires is any indication.'

'You might say there have been a few ... liturgical changes,' Roger said darkly. 'I wonder what bright person introduced them to the concept of human sacrifice?'

Mansul choked on his wine.