

The FIRST

Attitude

# Part One of Three

## a story of acceptance and

## love on a distant planet

## Geoff Schultz

ebook format edition - distributed by www.smashwords.com

Copyright 2020 by Geoff Schultz

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, and events in this book are products of this writer's imagination or, in the case of referenced historical persons, are used fictitiously. Any other similarity to actual persons, names, or events is purely coincidental.

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License Statement

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this writer.

WARNING:

Part One of Three of The FIRST Attitude does not contain scenes of consenting adults sharing physical intimate affection. However, some of the conversations are of an adult nature which are inappropriate for children and may be offensive to some adults. While this writer agrees that such conversations should be limited to adult access, this writer is also very aware that people frequently begin their sexual experiences before they are legally adults and rather than be provided with clear and open discussions about the subject, they often have no guidance other than so-called 'alley talk' or the bragging of their peers. Based on those facts, it is hoped that this story may encourage responsible adults to more clearly discuss the subject of sexuality with teenagers so they might consider all of the factors and possible consequences rather than simply act like animals which are driven by hormones to breed.

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References:

Dictionaries quoted in chapter 4 are listed below in the order they are quoted (while they may be out of date based on the timing of the story, they are used to make a point):

Webster's New International Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Co., Springfield, MA, 1927.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA, 1980.

Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Co., Springfield, MA, 1980.

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An explanatory note:

Since the terms 'sentience' and 'sapience' have changed definitions and usage over time, this writer does not use either term to describe an intelligent self-aware being. Most humans are anthropocentric in that they consider humankind to be the most significant entity in the universe whether that's as a result of evolution or a creative deity or some other cause. Therefore, humans have and will probably continue to use humanity as their criteria by which to determine if another species consists of intelligent self-aware beings who are of equal value with humans.

Throughout history, some humans have been unwilling to acknowledge other humans as having equal value to themselves whether the differences between them had to do with ancestry, economics, gender, geography, language, religion, social status, or any of a multitude of other factors. Because of that, this writer will make the assumption that when humans use themselves as the criteria to judge another species, they will use the more positive attributes of humanity such as compassion, empathy, and respect.

Based on those factors and since this story is written from a human perspective, this writer will use the term 'anthro-equivalent' to refer to a non-human species which is considered to consist of intelligent self-aware beings who are acknowledged by humans as having equal value with humanity.

The FIRST Attitude -

# Part One of Three

Chapter 1

"Hey, Professor!"

He sighs at being interrupted, sets his writing utensil down, slightly smiles since he recognizes the voice of the person who is interrupting him, turns, and waits a moment or two for her to get closer so he can respond in a quieter voice, "Hello, Ilena. . . . Or do I call you 'Sister'."

She briefly frowns at him then says, "You know I haven't taken my vows."

"And you know I'm not a professor."

"I know, but you used to be and you're the smartest person I know."

"Thank you for the compliment, but I would rather not be referred to by a title I don't currently deserve."

"Okay, Chet."

"So, what can I do for you, young lady?"

"I just wanted to make sure you haven't forgotten our lunch appointment."

"I can assure you, I didn't forget something so important."

She briefly pauses then says, "I'm not sure I would call lunch important."

"It's not the lunch which is important, it's the appointment with you which is important."

"Oh. . . . Thank you."

He gathers up his things and as they start to walk, he asks, "So, how was your meeting with Mother Superior?"

"Okay, I guess."

"What's the matter?"

"Well, she recommended that I not take my vows because she said I had too much dirt in me."

"Somehow, I doubt if that's what she told you."

"Maybe not, but once she said she recommend that I not take the vows to become a sister, I guess I didn't listen too closely to what she said after that."

"I can understand that."

"So, what am I going to do if I don't take my vows?"

"Did Mother Superior say you couldn't continue the work you're currently doing?"

"Um, no. But, how am I going to be recognized as someone with value if I just keep doing the same thing I've been doing for years?"

"Do you think what you're doing has no value?"

"No. I know it has value, but . . . I guess what I really mean is that after years of training and preparation and planning to take my vows, it's kind of hard to set all of that aside."

"Believe me, I understand. . . . You might want to meet again with Mother Superior to see if she'll explain a little more fully why she made her recommendation."

"I . . . I don't think I want to run the risk of being more disappointed by what she might tell me. . . . I don't want to impose, but . . . would you be willing to talk to her for me?"

He chuckles then says, "Ilena, you don't need to worry about speaking with Mother Superior. She thinks very highly of you and greatly appreciates the enthusiasm, effort, and attention you put into doing your work as well as the effort you put into getting your education."

"Really? Then, how come she doesn't want me to take my vows?"

"Because you're a very down to earth type of person who would not be happy if you tried to devote yourself to a life of quiet spiritual contemplation."

"Yeah, I have too much dirt in me."

Chet briefly laughs then says, "No, Ilena, that's not what it means."

"It isn't?"

"No. Being down to earth means you're a practical person who is thoughtful and cares about doing their work to the best of their ability. You're also willing to say what you mean and mean what you say. Would you want to turn your work over to Sister Rosa?"

"No way! Nothing would get done."

"Can you imagine spending your time like Sister Rosa spends her time?"

"No. . . . Is that why Mother Superior recommended that I not take the vows to become a sister?"

"That was a very important part of her reason."

"Oh. Thank you for telling me. . . . I guess that means she's already talked to you."

"Yes. She knows you like to talk to me so she wanted to make sure I understood her reasons so I wouldn't be upset with her for disappointing you."

"You mean, . . . she's afraid of you?"

"Of course not, but we do have to work together so we do our best to cooperate."

"Oh. . . . I certainly appreciate it that you're willing to talk to me, but I never considered you would be a sort of protector to me."

"I wouldn't consider myself to be your protector, but everybody needs someone they trust enough to go to in order to speak about what's on their heart and mind and I'm privileged to be the one you feel safe and comfortable enough to talk to."

She puts her hands around his nearest arm and holds on to him as they continue to walk. After a brief pause, she asks, "So, where did that saying of down to dirt come from?"

"The saying is 'down to earth'."

"But doesn't 'earth' mean 'dirt'?"

"In general, but 'earth' was also the name of the human home planet."

"That's right, but does that change how the saying is used?"

"Not really. Another way to look at it is that a person who is considered to be down to earth has their feet on the ground, in other words, they're practical, instead of them having their head in the clouds as they spend their time considering things which have little or no practical value."

"That makes more sense." She hesitates a little longer before she asks, "Was there more to Mother Superior's reason?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"You're demonstrating it right now."

"What do you mean?"

"You're touching me."

"But I like to touch, but only someone I trust, like you. Sometimes I feel like I have to touch and to have an actual physical connection with another being. Is that wrong?"

"Of course not. However, it is considered inappropriate for a sister to touch others when she's supposed to consider herself to be in a marriage relationship with her Deity."

"That's something I was concerned about in thinking about taking my vows, but after I've studied and worked and planned for so long to be a sister, I wasn't going to let that stop me. Even though I wondered how a sister can be in a marriage relationship when there isn't any . . . physical interaction of a marital nature."

"It was wise of you to consider that. I also think Mother Superior was aware of your concerns which is another reason she recommended that you not become a sister."

"How could she be aware of that when you're the first person I told?"

"If you happened to frown when the subject was being discussed, that could give her an indication of your feelings. In addition to that, she knows you like to touch and hug those who you trust and that would make it difficult for you to be happy with a non-corporeal relationship."

She briefly pauses to try to remember the definition of the word then says, "Yeah, you're probably right about that."

As they near the cafeteria, he says, "Well, I suppose we ought to get some food before they run out."

She looks at him in surprise and is about to remind him they haven't run out of food previously then she realizes he's teasing her and returns his grin.

Chapter 2

They quietly converse while they eat then Chet guides the conversation towards her educational status and accomplishments before he suggests, "Since you've already taken a lot of college level classes as you prepared to become a sister, you might want to check with the Dean and find out what other classes you might need to take so you can qualify to receive a college degree.

Ilena again looks at him in surprise and responds, "Mother Superior suggested the same thing."

He looks at her with his own surprise and says in a somewhat stern manner, "That woman is going to have to quit being so smart and agreeing with me or we won't have anything to argue about."

Ilena's eyes widen at his tone then she clamps her hand over her mouth to stop herself from bursting out into laughter. When she has gained some control, she suggests, "I don't think I'll tell her what you said."

"It would probably be best if you didn't or she'll claim I'm finally gaining some wisdom in my old age."

She grins in response and when they finish eating, they turn in their eating utensils to be washed then leave the cafeteria. A couple of moments later, she asks, "Chet, will you walk with me over to the farm? I have something I would like to ask you in private."

"I can do that, as long as you allow me swing by my quarters to drop off my things and make a pit stop."

She returns his grin, then hesitates before she asks, "Would it be okay for me to use your quarters for the same purpose instead of walking all of the way over to the dormitory and back?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

A few minutes later, they're walking towards the farm. Instead of holding onto his arm like she did earlier, she holds his hand and interlaces her fingers with his. He looks down at their hands in surprise then looks up to her smile and slowly smiles in return. He's briefly concerned that if one of the sisters or sisters-in-training sees them, they may report her to Mother Superior, but if Ilena isn't going to become a sister, then it probably doesn't matter.

When they arrive at the farm they walk a little further then step into the main barn where she's warmly greeted by her less than fully anthro-equivalent friends. He may not get over to the farm often, but since he's known to be her friend, he's considered to be their friend as well and he does his best to give them his greetings. He's a little hesitant to hug the creature who appears to be very similar to the drawings of a saber toothed tiger he's seen in history books, but when he hears the contented rumbling 'purr' as he scratches it behind its ear, he calms down.

He briefly pauses to remember its name then asks, "Do you still ride Regit?"

"Only briefly. I don't know what her limits are as to what is safe for her to carry, so I only do it when she seems to insist on it. I don't know how she does it, but she always seems to know when I need to go into the commercial district and she insists on going along."

"That's good. I'm sure she's reduced how often people bother you."

"I don't really know for sure, but compared to what some of the other females have had to say about their trips into the commercial district, I think you're right."

Before he can think of a response, he sees some movement in his peripheral vision then looks around and says, "Well, hello, Silky. Do you remember me?" It apparently does as he watches what looks like a somewhat round piece of almost translucent cloth float down from the rafters to wrap around the arm he holds out. He gently slides his other hand across the 'skin' of Silky then reaches into his pocket and lays a sugar cube on Silky's 'back' and watches it be absorbed while the nearby 'skin' seems to glow in response.

Ilena asks, "How did you figure out that Silky likes sugar?"

"I was hiking in the forest one day and stopped to fix some tea. While I was waiting for the tea to brew, I opened up a small package of sugar. A couple of moments later, I saw a Floater drift down and watched in amazement as it cautiously tried a little sugar. Although the biologists have assured us that the Floaters aren't dangerous, I was still cautious since the biologists can't really explain anything else about them or even why they aren't considered to be dangerous. When Silky decided to take up residence on the farm here, I offered it some sugar and after that I seem to be its friend. At least I'm assuming this Floater is the same one considering we really can't tell them apart."

After Silky seems to levitate off of his arm and settles back on a rafter, he gives some attention to some of Ilena's other less than fully anthro-equivalent friends before they wander off. Moments later, she steps close and hugs him and he quickly returns her hug while he wishes he could think of a proper way to tell her how much he enjoys her sincere hugs. He hesitates to admit it even to himself how secretly glad he is that Mother Superior recommended Ilena not take her vows to be a sister.

She seems to press herself a little tighter to him then says, "As I'm beginning to get over the surprise of Mother Superior's recommendation, I think I was secretly hoping that would be her decision even as I couldn't admit to myself that I really didn't want to be a sister. At the same time, I didn't want to think that all of the time and effort I spent to learn and prepare to be a sister was a waste."

"An education is seldom a waste."

"I understand that, but it's not a comforting thought to know that I spent so much time heading in a direction which wasn't appropriate to who I am."

"I know what you mean. Sometimes it seems as though we almost have to go in a wrong direction one or more times in order to find out who we are before we can find the right direction for our lives."

She seems to briefly shudder before she verbally responds, "Oh! I hope I don't have to go through something like this again or I'll really feel like a failure."

"Please don't think that. Maybe you won't be a great success according to the secular standards of the world, but you're a success according to Mother Superior and you're a great success to all of your friends here even if they can't verbally express themselves."

She hesitates then softly asks, "What about you?"

He pauses before he answers, "I think you're a very wonderful person and I hesitate to express how much I appreciate your friendship."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me, because you're my best friend."

"Um, I hope Regit didn't hear that because I think I would lose an argument with her."

She briefly chuckles then says, "Then to clarify, you're my best human friend."

"Thank you very much."

A couple of minutes later, she starts to loosen her hug and he prepares to release her when she turns her head, guides his closer, and kisses him. Even as he's greatly surprised by her action, he can't resist responding. Sooner than either of them want, they're somewhat out of breath, slightly turn their heads to be check to check, and tighten their hug.

"Thank you, Ilena. Although you greatly surprised me, I shall treasure this moment for a long time."

"Thank you. I was a little concerned I might offend you."

"You certainly didn't offend me. I've always felt honored that you willingly share your hugs of affection with me. I just hadn't expected you to increase the level of affection you're willing to share."

"I don't have anyone else to share my affection with who can return it in a similar manner. At least someone who won't try to take advantage of me for their own benefit without considering my interests." The silence stretches as they each think their own thoughts about what just happened.

A few minutes later, she quietly asks, "Chet, while I was preparing to be a sister, a lot of the other females in my college classes teased me and my fellow sisters-in-training about the things we would miss out on after we took our vows. Of course, that made me rather curious. Now that I've had a few days to think about the fact that I'm not going to be a sister, . . . will you teach me how to make love?"

He freezes in place and seems to stops breathing. It's almost a couple of minutes before he's able to verbally respond, "I'm sorry, but I'm not very good at flirting."

Since that answer is totally unexpected, it takes her awhile to ask, "Flirt? What's that got to do with making love?"

"According to the dictionary, that's what making love means. Well, the dictionary puts it in better terms, but that's the essence of it."

"Chet, are you teasing me?"

"No, I'm serious."

"But, . . . I thought that making love was the same as sexual intercourse. Or at least that's how everybody else seems to understand it."

"I guess that's an example which can demonstrate the idea that so-called common knowledge isn't very clear or accurate."

"Then let me be more specific. I want you to gently push your cock into my pussy."

His eyes widen in near shock before he responds, "Ilena, there's no need for you to use crude and imprecise terms. You're smarter than that. . . . Besides, I don't own a male chicken."

Even though she tries to think and respond reasonably, she can feel her lower lip begin to tremble as she asks, "Are you rejecting my offer?"

"I can neither accept nor reject your offer until we both have an agreed to and clear understanding of what is being offered and not offered. I would rather disappoint you by my inaction than to hurt you by an inappropriate action."

She steps back and softly says, "Please leave."

"I'm sorry, but I am trying to consider that your welfare is more important than my interest."

"Just leave."

He considers saying more then turns and quietly walks away.

A moment later, Regit steps up next to her, stares at Chet's back, and quietly growls. She quickly assures her, "No, Regit. He's a good man. He just confused me." Regit seems to relax and sits down. A moment later, Ilena hugs her and barely has to lean over to do so.

Chapter 3

Three days later, one of the other sisters-in-training knocks on the door to Ilena's dormitory room. She has to knock again before she hears a response, "Yes?"

"Mother Superior wants to see you in her office." The tone of her voice makes it clear that the messenger believes Ilena is in trouble.

"Okay. I'll be there soon." She forces herself to get up and to finish dressing then goes to the bathroom to make herself more presentable before she walks to Mother Superior's office and tries not to be obvious about her reluctance to do so.

Sooner than she wants, she arrives, takes a deep breath, knocks on the open door, and hears, "Please come in, Ilena, and close the door."

"Yes, Mother Superior." After she closes the door she steps up to the desk and remains standing.

"Please sit down."

She does while she appropriately responds, "Thank you, Mother Superior."

"Ilena, what's the matter?"

"I . . . I want to take my vows to be a sister."

Mother Superior just looks at her for a little while then asks, "What is really the matter?"

She hesitates, then repeats herself, "I want to take my vows to be a sister."

"Ilena, please don't lie to me. I know you were surprised when I recommended that you not take your vows, but I also know you are not suited to a life of spiritual contemplation and I know you are aware of that fact as well. . . . Now, what's the matter?"

She hesitates then softly says, "It's embarrassing and humiliating."

"That's part of being human. If any of us were perfect, we wouldn't need the Deity." When Ilena doesn't respond, Mother Superior prompts her, "So, what did you do which was so humiliating?"

"I . . . well . . . when I realized I wasn't going to be a sister, . . . I asked Chet to . . . teach me . . . how to make love."

Mother Superior is surprised she's not totally surprised then she hesitantly asks, "And did he?"

Ilena silently shakes her lowered head.

Now, Mother Superior's eyebrows do rise in surprise. It takes her a little while to calmly ask, "And did he give you a reason why?"

"He said he wasn't good at flirting."

Again, she has to pause before she can ask, "Did he explain that answer?"

"He said that's how the dictionary defined making love."

"Did you check the dictionary to confirm that statement?"

"No. Although I find it hard to believe, I know he wouldn't lie to me about something like that."

"Although I don't recall specifically looking that term up, I would find it hard to believe he would deliberately lie to you. . . . Was anything else said?"

"Since I thought that maybe he didn't understand me, I told him I wanted him to . . . gently put his cock into my pussy."

"Ilena! Where did you hear such language!?!"

She hesitates to admit, "From some of the other girls and from people in the commercial district. I also read it in one of the books in the library."

Mother Superior pauses a little while in an attempt to speak more calmly, "I suppose that shouldn't surprise me. How did Chet respond to that?"

"He said I was too smart to use such crude and imprecise terms. I didn't ask him what he meant by that. . . . Then he said he didn't own a male chicken."

Mother Superior manages to keep her chuckle from being expressed. She waits a little longer before she asks, "What happened next?"

"I asked him to leave."

"Did he?"

"Yes, but before he did, he said he was trying to consider my welfare more than his interest."

When nothing more is said for awhile, Mother Superior gently asks, "How are you feeling?"

"Very confused. . . . For a long time I've felt like Chet was my best human friend who greatly cared about me and was always willing to listen to me and give me gentle advice. But, now, I don't know. I felt like I tried to give more of myself to him, but . . . he didn't either accept me or reject me which makes me feel like I'm in some kind of limbo."

"I can understand that." She lets the silence lengthen.

Ilena hesitates then asks, "Did . . . did Chet say anything to you about the situation?"

"No. I suspect that since he knows you're an adult, he believes that if you have a problem with something he said then it's up to you to meet with him and express your concern. At the same time, he won't put pressure on you because he isn't going to know when you're ready to discuss it."

"Oh. . . . I suppose that makes sense. . . . Mother Superior, what should I do?"

"I think you know what you should do."

"I guess. . . . That doesn't make it easy to do it."

"Nobody said life was easy or fair."

"I know. . . . I suppose I ought to talk to him and see if I can understand what he really meant."

Mother Superior briefly pauses before she responds, "That would probably be the wise choice. . . . Remember, the Deity's grace is with you and if you want to talk more, I'm willing to listen."

"Thank you, Mother Superior." She pauses a moment longer then gets up and leaves.

Chapter 4

Although she knows she should talk to Chet, it still takes her another couple of days before Ilena can build up the courage to discuss the situation with him. Even when she's standing in front of his office door, she still hesitates to knock. When she does, she hears, "Come in." She opens the door and notices a brief look of surprise on his face before he says, "Hello, Ilena."

"Hello, Chet. . . . Do you want me to close the door?"

"That's up to you." She hesitates then closes the door and as she steps closer, he says, "Please be seated. Would you like something to drink?"

"Iced tea, please."

He soon hands her a glass then sits down behind his desk instead of next to her like he usually does, but he does lean forward as though his attention is totally focused on her. A couple of moments later, he gently asks, "How are you feeling?"

"Confused."

"I can understand that. I'm sorry I caused you to be upset and feel confused."

"I . . . I don't know if I can blame you for that. . . . From everything I've heard, it was a simple matter for two people to decide to make love as long as there wasn't any legal issues to cause problems. . . . I guess it confused me that you made it seem like something more."

He waits a little while to see if she's going to say more before he nods his head and responds, "Most people, when they think about getting involved in a sexual situation, are like children going to an amusement park. They only consider how much fun they're going to have and deliberately ignore any possible consequences. And when the consequences hit them, they regret what they did, but now they can't go back and undo it. Either that or they act like animals which are hormone driven to breed without applying a single thought to what they intend to do. I prefer to consider the consequences ahead of time and do what's necessary to mitigate or eliminate them so the experience can be enjoyed without regret."

"That makes sense. I guess some of the consequences would be legal issues, pregnancy, and disease."

"Those are some of the big consequences, but regrets and disappointments can also be experienced if there are unspoken expectations or different definitions."

"What do you mean by unspoken expectations?"

"One person may think their agreement to have a sexual encounter is a one-time event while the other person is looking forward to an ongoing relationship. Another common one is that the male is often only thinking about the fun of the direct sexual encounter while the female is looking forward to a romantic experience which leads up to the sexual encounter."

"Oh. Yes, I can see how that could cause problems. I suppose when you referred to different definitions it would be like me thinking making love was a sexual experience while you were thinking it was only flirting."

"That would be a basic example. Just to assure you that I wasn't lying to you or pulling your leg, I would like you to read this definition under the word 'make' which I've marked so you don't have to search for it."

She looks at where he points and reads out loud, "To make love to, to express affection for; to woo; to court; to solicit union with in marriage." Her eyes widen in surprise and she reads it again before she looks up at him and says, "Well, that may not quite be flirting, but it certainly isn't making love as most people seem to understand it."

"That's true."

"But isn't this an old dictionary and don't some words change meaning over time?"

"That's also true. So, let me show you a newer dictionary."

Again, she reads what he points to, "-make love. 1. To pay court to; woo. 2. To caress; pet. 3. To engage in sexual intercourse." She smiles and says, "There it is, 'sexual intercourse'."

"True, but notice that it's the last meaning which is typically the least important or the least used."

"Oh, yeah."

"Now look up sexual intercourse."

She does then reads, "Coitus, especially between humans." She has a puzzled expression and without him suggesting it, she flips pages and finds, "coitus . . . Sexual intercourse between two human beings." She briefly stares then flips back and looks at both of the definitions then proclaims, "That's circular."

"That's right. So, based only on this dictionary, would you know what was meant by the 'sexual intercourse' definition of making love?"

"No."

"So, if one person was to use the first definition of making love, 'to pay court to,' and the other person used the common understanding of the third definition of make love, 'sexual intercourse', there's going to be a serious misunderstanding and somebody is going to be hurt."

"You're right. I never would have expected something like this."

"Here's another dictionary which was published in the same year as the last one." He hands it to her and points to the definition of sexual intercourse.

She reads, "1 : heterosexual intercourse involving penetration of the vagina by the penis : coitus." She turns to coitus and reads, "physical union of male and female genitalia accompanied by rhythmic movements leading to the ejaculation of semen from the penis into the female reproductive tract". After she reads both definitions again, she looks over at him and says with a smile, "That's what I want you to do with me."

"Okay, then rip your clothes off and we'll go at it like rabbits on the farm and after I pump you full of babies, I'll go get a beer in the cafeteria and brag to my friends about how I was able to knock you up before they did."

"Chet!!"

"What?"

"That's not what I want!"

"But that's how most of the males in the community would have interpreted your offer."

"Oh. . . . Why are you making this so complicated?"

"I'm not. I'm trying to make it safe and sensible and not simplistic."

She hesitates then softly asks, "Safe for whom?"

"You."

Although she expected that answer, she still feels it necessary to ask, "But, what about you?"

"I can't get pregnant."

"Oh." She sets the dictionary on his desk, takes some slow sips from her glass, and tries to think. After awhile she asks, "Chet, why didn't you take advantage of my offer?"

"Because I care about you as a friend. If I had done anything else, I would have clearly demonstrated I wasn't worthy of being your friend."

"Am I only a friend?"

"There's nothing 'only' about being a friend. At this point in my life I consider you to be my best friend. Now if you want that friendship to become something more, then we'll talk about what that might mean so we understand each other and reduce the chance that we might hurt each other through ignorance or assumptions."

She thinks about that for a little while then hesitantly asks, "Will you give me a hug?"

He barely pauses before he gets up, comes around the desk, and opens his arms to her. She can't seem to stop herself from leaping to her feet and throwing her arms tightly around him. Without being able to understand her own feelings, she bursts into tears and tries to hug him tighter.

When she's calmed down some, she tells him, "This is where I want to be." She soaks in his comforting embrace for quite awhile then asks, "Can I stay here forever?"

"As much as I would like to say, 'yes', I have to regretfully say, 'no'."

It takes her a little while to try to understand what he means then she slightly leans back to look into his eyes and asks, "You really want to hold me forever?"

"Very much so."

She's not sure she lets him finish his statement before she kisses him and is thrilled at how quickly and wonderfully he responds. After their breathing has settled, she tries to think beyond the simple enjoyment of being comfortably and lovingly hugged then asks, "Now that I have a better understanding, can I renew my offer that you make love to me?"

"You can, but I'm still going to have to say I can neither accept nor reject your offer until we each have a better understand of what is actually being offered."

"But we now have a clear understanding of what it means to make love."

"We have a definition of the physical activity, but how do you want me to treat you? Do you want me to just knock you up and go brag about it to my friends over a beer?"

"No. But I know you would never treat me that way."

"No, I probably wouldn't, but I still want you to have a better understanding of everything which is involved so you can make an informed decision and not end up being abused or living with regret."

She hesitates then states what she thinks is the obvious conclusion, "You really do care about me."

"Yes, I do, but I would hope to treat any woman with the same courtesy."

"Oh. That makes sense. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Chapter 5

Ilena thinks about their conversation for a little while then asks, "What else is involved which needs to be understood before you can respond to my offer?"

Chet suggests, "Let's sit back down because my old knees don't like to stand in one place for very long."

"You're not that old."

"Maybe not, but my knees have never liked to be in one position for long." They reluctantly release their hug then she sits down and he sits in the chair next to her rather than behind his desk. He briefly pauses then says, "Okay, the next two things to consider is the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. If your offer was with the intent of you having a child then my response will have to be 'no'. I have no interest in taking on the responsibility of raising a child and my genetics are such it would greatly reduce the possibility of a child having a happy and successful life."

"I . . . I hadn't thought about having a child, at least at this point in my life. Since I had planned on becoming a sister, I had assumed I would never be a physical mother. Mother Superior's recommendation was recent enough that I haven't given any thought to my changed status in regards to giving birth to a child."

"In that case, if I was to accept your offer then we would need to take precautions to avoid any chance of you becoming accidentally pregnant."

"How much of a risk is that?"

"I don't know because it depends on a number of factors. The risk can be very high because I've heard of some women who became pregnant the first time they had sexual intercourse. Or the risk might be very low because some women can have sexual intercourse with multiple partners without ever becoming pregnant. However, the only sure ways for a woman to avoid becoming pregnant is for her to never have sexual intercourse or anything similar or for either her or her partner to have preventive surgery."

"I never would have considered all of those things."

"Most people don't. They think they'll just have some fun. One of the problems there is that it's a lot easier for the male to just have fun because he doesn't have to worry about becoming pregnant. And if he did know that he made a woman pregnant, it's often easier for him to disclaim responsibility for the child which he was half responsible for making."

"Yeah. Even in my limited awareness, I've seen that happen."

He waits a little while to see if she's going to say more before he goes on, "The final physical factor to consider is whether either of the prospective partners is carrying a disease which can be transmitted through sexual intercourse or any related activities. That can usually be determined by each person having the appropriate medical tests done. However, that can have its own difficulties if either person is embarrassed to have the tests done or doesn't want to have the results show up in their medical records."

As she thinks about that, she almost shudders at the idea of how some people would respond if she did have those kinds of tests done. She briefly sets that thought aside in order to ask, "What do you mean be related activities to sexual intercourse?"

"Although most people would define sexual intercourse in a manner similar to what is in the last dictionary you read from, there are a lot of activities which can lead up to sexual intercourse as well as a number of variations to the actual activity which people have been known to practice. We can discuss some of those in more detail at another time. Oh, before I forget again, there is another physical factor to consider and that is for you to have your hymen surgically removed in order to reduce the chance that your first time will be painful."

She has to pause in order to remember what a hymen is before she responds, "Okay. So, what else would you want to consider before you could reply to my offer?"

"The next item is honesty. I'm not picking on you because I would want to ask this question of anyone who made such an offer to me. . . . Why do you want me to make love to you?"

"Because I want you to."

"I'm sorry, but that's not a good enough reason." He holds up his hand to stop her protest, then says, "Before you react, let me finish. Maybe it will be easier for you to answer if I make it into two questions. One, why do you want anyone to make love to you? Two, why do you want me to be the one to do so? The reason I ask the questions is that some women have been known to use their sexuality to entice a man to marry them and take care of them when they really weren't interested in either him as a person or in being sexually involved with him."

She briefly stares at him then drops her head and hesitates some before she admits, "I . . . I guess I didn't think about it very long because I'm not sure how to answer the first question. I can answer the second question and that is because I trust you and believe you would treat me with respect and gentleness."

"Thank you. I greatly appreciate your trust in me and would very much want to treat you only with respect and gentleness. You can take your time to think about the first question and even discuss it with whoever you trust."

"I can't think of anyone I trust more than you. I guess I do need to think about it some more before I'm ready to discuss it."

"That's perfectly fine. I would prefer that you take your time to consider all of the factors so you can be comfortable with your decision and look forward to the activity with positive expectation."

"Thank you. I appreciate your concern for me and am really glad you're willing to discuss it with me rather than take advantage of my ignorance."

"I'm only trying to do what I think is the right thing. I would be quite upset with myself if I was to accidentally hurt you because of a misunderstanding or because I made an incorrect assumption."

"Again, I thank you. Are there any other factors to consider?"

"Yes. Once the physical elements are dealt with and the honesty factor is in the open so there is no coercion and no assumptions or unspoken expectations in place prior to engaging in sexual intercourse, the other major factor is the attitude of the participants. This somewhat overlaps the honesty factor, but I still think it needs to be understood as a separate idea. The attitude factor is also affected by whether you are interested in a one-time event or are thinking of having an ongoing experience in a relationship at some level."

As he just looks at her, she hesitates then says, "Well, I had been thinking in terms of a one-time event. Please don't ask me why I felt it was important for you to make love to me soon because I'm not sure I have a reasonable answer. I guess the idea in the back of my mind is that I was hoping if it was enjoyable enough I would want it to continue."

"That's an understandable answer." He reaches over and grabs a pad of paper and a writing utensil from his desk and writes the numbers one through five down the left side of the top page. He explains, "There are five basic attitudes which can be identified in how people approach sexual activities in general or sexual intercourse specifically. Obviously, with humans as complex as we are, there can be some overlap or some less than distinct attitudes. I'll start at the bottom."

As he writes the word next to the number five, he says, "What I would refer to as the least desirable attitude towards sexual activities would be rape in which one person forces another person against their will to participate in a sexual activity. The next one up would be what I would call, excuse my language, fucking, where one person allows another person to involve them in a sexual activity. One example of this would be a prostitute who allows a man to use her body sexually in exchange for money.

"The third attitude I would label as simply sex or basic sexual intercourse where two people decide to mutually agree to engage in a sexual activity. Examples of this are what people refer to as casual sex or the so-called one night stand. Hopefully, the two people took at least long enough to agree to a definition as to what they mean, but too often one person is thinking of enjoying sexual intercourse while the other person is thinking more along the lines of domination which would be closer to rape.

"The second attitude is what many people would consider as making love where two people who care about each other want to express their care in a physical manner. An example of this should be the marriage relationship."

She had been quietly listening up until now, but that surprises her so she asks, "What do mean by it 'should be the marriage relationship'?"

"That goes back to the honesty factor because most people who go into a marriage relationship are not honest with either themselves or their prospective spouse. Each partner will have expectations or assumptions the other partner isn't aware of or is unable to meet. Then, because one or the other or both of them are soon disappointed, their apparent initial care for each other dissolves into apathy or becomes antagonistic. If either of them feels some sort of obligation or doesn't want to go through a divorce for whatever reason, their relationship will generally deteriorate even further. Does that clarify why I said 'should be the marriage relationship'?"

"Yes. That also clarifies some of what has puzzled me about some of the marriages I've seen, or at least without investigating the specific details. Thank you for explaining."

"You're welcome. Now, for each of these four attitudes I've mentioned, many people will say they haven't been accomplished until the activity results in the physical act of sexual intercourse as defined in the last dictionary. Of course, there are variations or exceptions, but, in general, that's how most people would understand those attitudes."

"From what I've overheard or based on the small amount I've read that seems to be the consensus." She hesitates some, waits for him to take a drink, then asks, "What about the first attitude?"

Chapter 6

Just then, there's a commotion in the outer office and Chet is barely able to stand up and take a step towards the door before it seems to burst open and several people crowd in. Before he can ask what's going on, one of them points at Ilena and says, "There she is."

Chet takes a step which puts him a little closer to in front of her and asks, "And what is your interest in Ilena?"

"Mother Superior doesn't want her anymore."

"How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"She asked that new quarters be assigned to the young woman."

Chet briefly glances at Ilena with raised eyebrows and sees her own eyes widen in surprise which borders on shock. He turns back and asks, "So, Roilee, how is that any of your business since it isn't in your area of responsibility?"

With a somewhat smug smile, he responds, "I stay aware of what's going on. Besides, I decided that since Mother Superior no longer wants her, I would give her to my son."

Chet struggles to control his surge of anger as he asks, "You decided? By what right can you make such a decision?"

"Because I'm the judge."

"A judge is to see that the law is fairly administered, not change it to fit his whim. Beside, Ilena is a citizen and can make her own decision about who she wants to spend her time with. Frankly, I wouldn't give the time of day to your parasitic son." While Roilee raises his eyebrows in surprise that anyone would speak to him in such a manner, Chet raises his voice and asks, "Constable?"

"Right here, sir."

"Arrest Judge Roilee and be sure to confiscate any communication devices he may have."

"Yes, sir."

Roilee briefly stares at Chet in disbelief then asks with disdain, "And what are you going to charge me with?"

"Attempted slavery for trying to give a citizen to another person against their will. Do you happen to remember what the penalty for that is?"

Roilee visible blanches.

"Oh, and Constable, request that an audit of Roilee's office finances is prepared."

"Th . . . that won't be necessary."

"I think it just became imperative. Take him away, Constable, and thank you for your quick and courteous assistance."

"It's my pleasure, sir. Come on, 'judge'. Now you have the opportunity to see what the view is like from the other side of the bars."

As the people leave, somebody closes Chet's office door. A moment later, he shakes his head, turns to Ilena, and says, "I'm sorry about that. I've been wondering when he was going to step over the line." He walks back to his desk and takes a drink before he sits down and asks, "Now, where were we?"

Ilena stares at him for a little while before she quietly asks, "Who are you that you can have a judge arrested?"

"I'm your friend. Actually, any citizen is legally empowered to make an arrest of somebody who is in the act of committing a crime. It helped that the Constable was standing right there and heard Roilee's illegal statement."

She hesitates then says, "I suspect you're leaving something unsaid."

He softly smiles as he gently lays a hand on her cheek and asks, "Does it matter?"

"I don't know. But I do want to thank you for standing up for me and protecting me."

"I was truly my pleasure as well as being the right thing for me to do for my friend. . . . Now, where were we in our discussion before we were so rudely interrupted?"

She hesitates a little before she answers, "I think you were going to tell me about what I guess is the best attitude for a person to have when they're interested in being involved in a sexual activity."

"That's right. Thank you for remembering." He picks up his pad of paper and says, "Keep in mind that most people would consider the goal of attitudes two through five as sexual intercourse. For example, if two people agree to make love, no matter what they do before hand or how long they take to do it, they would not believe they had made love until they had sexual intercourse."

As he pauses to take a drink, she responds, "That seems to be the understanding from all that I've overheard."

He nods his head then explains, "The first attitude, which I'll refer to as 'sharing physical affection' or 'sharing intimate pleasure'," he writes those next to the number one on his paper, "does not have the same goal. The goal of the first attitude is just what it's called, 'the sharing of physical affection' to whatever extent the two people involved mutually agree to. That can be anything from hugging to sexual intercourse or anything in between.

"Of course, that assumes the two people respect each other and care enough about each other that they are willing to communicate and explain what they're interested in doing as well as assumes that neither person will force the other person to do more than what they're comfortable doing or having done to them. I know many people would consider such an idea to be rather idealistic, but I've seen too many situations where there were a lot of assumptions and expectations and no real communication and one or both of the individuals were either disappointed or hurt."

She pauses to think about what he's said then asks, "But if two people very clearly say how they want to be touched, then it seems like it's all planned out which leaves no room for spontaneity or nice surprises."

"Although it may seem like that when it's being talked about, it's still a preferable situation compared to one person suffering a nasty surprise or being forced to do something they're not comfortable doing. However, clear communication does not eliminate spontaneity or nice surprises."

"I guess I don't understand how that can be. Instead of speaking in generalities, can you give me an example?"

"I can try. What level of touching would you think you would be comfortable with allowing someone to touch you?"

After a brief pause to think about it, she smiles and tells him, "If I think of having you touch me then I would say all of me."

"Thank you for that, but for the example to be understandable, think about how much you might like a generic person to touch you. That's assuming you like them and mostly trust them to not take advantage of you."

She thinks for a little while then says, "I suppose it would be nice to have them touch my arm until I can decide how much I trust them to touch more of me."

"Okay. Since I'm going to pretend to be the new person, I'm going to confirm that you would allow me to touch your arm from your fingers up to your shoulder. Is that what you mean by touching your arm?"

She's about to say she thought that was understood then realizes he's trying to emphasize clear communication. After a brief pause, she says, "That's what I would mean by touching my arm."

"Then it would be my great pleasure to be able to touch your arm." As he watches her face to see if she's going to protest, he gently picks up her left arm which is closest to him and holds it with his left hand while he gently caresses her hand and forearm with his right hand. With each slow caress up and down her forearm, his hand, or just his fingers, seems to follow a slightly different path from her finger tips to her elbow as though he's trying to touch every square inch of her skin, several times.

Then his hand begins to slowly slide all of the way around her forearm to caress all of her skin while his caresses move up her forearm a bare finger's width at a time. Her eyes are already wide in surprise at how long he's taking to touch her as well as how his touch is both comforting and enjoyable and maybe even a little bit exciting. When he gently lifts her arm higher and starts to kiss her hand then slowly moves his kisses up to her forearm as though he's trying to kiss her everywhere he caressed her, she can't open her eyes any wider.

Since this is so much more wonderful than she could have even imagined, she's not sure how to contain the feelings which are welling up inside of her. Without taking any time for a thought to develop, she rips her arm out of his hands and before he can begin to register his surprise, she throws herself at him and kisses him as thoroughly as she can. When she has to break the kiss in order to breathe, she tries to cooperate as he adjusts her position until she's sitting on his upper legs while his arms snugly hold her to him.

When she has enough breath to speak, she would prefer to resume kissing him, but she has to let him know, "Chet, that was so beautiful and so wonderful, . . . I can't express it. That is what I want. . . . Oh, I can't tell you how much I want you to touch me like that all over." She can't think of any other words so she kisses him until she has to breathe again then she presses herself to him while she waits for her breathing to settle.

Chapter 7

As Ilena's breathing nears a normal pace, Chet gently places one of his fingers on her lips to delay her next words or the renewal of the kiss then says, "As much as I would like to take the time to touch you all over, I still want to give you some time to consider all we've talked about. Now only that, but I have a few other things I should accomplish before the end of the day. Before I reluctantly let you go, I have a couple of assignments for you."

Her eyes widen in surprise before she almost blurts out, "Assignments?"

"I guess that's my background talking. They say you can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you can't always take the classroom out of the teacher."

"Oh. I'm sorry I reacted. What do you want me to do?"

"In addition to taking some time to think about what we talked about, I would like you to check with either the housing authority or with Mother Superior's office about what kind of new quarters were recommended to be assigned to you."

"I can do that. Is there anything else?"

"Yes. When you've come to a comfortable conclusion about what we've discussed, if you think you might want to go forward with your offer, then it would be wise for you to see about having your hymen removed and to have the tests done to make sure you are clean of any transmittable diseases."

"I suppose I ought to do those regardless of what I decide."

"That would probably be the wise thing to do."

She hesitates some then asks, "I don't want to put you on spot, but what about you?"

"I had the tests done several years ago and haven't been in a situation since then to change the results. However, I've already made an appointment to have the tests redone. Although your offer reminded me of the possibility, it also reminded me that it's been several years and that the tests should be re-run periodically since the medical community might have improved the tests or discovered other diseases."

"Oh. Thank you for explaining. . . . Um, I know you want me to think about it some more, but if I do decide to go forward with my offer and am able to explain myself well enough to encourage you to accept my offer, um, . . . what's the plan to prevent me from becoming pregnant?"

"Since I had decided a number of years ago that I have no intention of fathering a child, I had the preventative surgery done and it was tested to be successful."

"Okay. So I don't need to worry about having a similar type of surgery done on me?"

"No. In fact, I would encourage you to delay having such a surgery done until you have taken some time, probably several years, to determine what you want to do with your life."

"Thank you for telling me and for your suggestion."

"Do you have any other questions or concerns I can address in a short period of time?"

"Um, not that I can think of."

"If you do think of something later, write it down and we'll talk about it when we have more time."

"Okay." As she feels his hands at her waist gently push her up, she stands up and turns towards him as he stands up. She briefly hesitates then asks, "Chet, thank you for all of your time and attention you're giving me, but do you really want to spend so much time with me?"

"Yes. You're a wonderful person who I've come to greatly appreciate and enjoy being with. Without intending to make you feel under any sort of obligation or coercion, I'm very grateful for the physical affection you're willing to share with me."

"Thank you. I might be inclined to argue with you about who receives the most benefit from the physical affection since I've felt like I literally ached to be touched for many years and was only able to touch the animals on the farm until you willingly hugged me. That's when I felt like I finally became alive."

His face has a brief surprised expression before he lifts a hand to softly caress her face as he says, "I know exactly what that feels like."

Almost as though they have one mind, they move closer and deeply kiss until they have to breathe. Then they each have similar expressions of surprise at how much positive emotion the other person seemed to pour into the kiss they just shared. Although she has even less interest in leaving now than she did before, she knows it will make more sense for her to make the move to leave his office. "I . . ." words seem to fail her so she quickly turns and walks away.

* * * * *

A couple of hours later, Roilee looks up through the bars of the jail cell at the approaching footsteps and sees his son, Junior, who asks, "Dad, what are you doing in there?"

"I made a big mistake and got caught."

"But you're the judge and can make the rules."

"Some rules are bigger than me."

Since he's not sure how to respond to that, Junior says, "I heard it was Chet who had you arrested."

"That's right."

"But he's just some has-been professor who couldn't keep his job and isn't man enough to attract a woman."

"That's not true . . ."

But his son doesn't even hear as he continues, "Well, you've gotten me out of lot of fixes, so I guess it's my turn to help you."

"Junior, please don't do anything."

"I'll be real careful and plan it out just like one of your operations and you'll be real proud of me. Hot damn, the ideas are already flowing. I'll get you out of here real soon."

Before Roilee can verbally respond, Junior is already walking away and Roilee can only drop his head into his hands then regret all of the steps he took which led to him being here.

Chapter 8

Chet has had a full calendar for the last few days, so he hasn't had any time to spend with Ilena other than to meet her for lunch in the cafeteria. Theoretically, he could meet her during an evening when he doesn't have a conflicting meeting except that she's still living in the Order's dormitory and is still under the curfew imposed on the sisters-in-training since new quarters are not yet available for her.

By juggling some meetings and working later than usual a couple of evenings, he's able to set aside most of this afternoon to visit with her. As he leaves his office and walks towards the farm where they agreed to meet, he can't believe how easily the stress of the job seems to just slide off of his shoulders and how peace and joy seem to quickly take its place as he considers spending time with her.

He's most of the way to the farm when he hears an angry roar, quickly looks up, and sees several hundred pounds of feline fury charging right at him. Without taking the time to think about an appropriate action, he drops to the ground, curls up into a tight ball, and doesn't hear the swish of the crossbow quarrel which splits the space his body just vacated. He doesn't know if time has slowed as a result of his fearful reaction or if there's some other explanation, but it seems like it takes an awfully long time for Regit to reach him and when he feels a touch on his shoulder, he jerks in reaction and tries to become even smaller.

It takes him a little longer to recognize that a hand is shaking his shoulder and an anxious voice is asking, "Sir, are you hurt?"

He partially uncurls, slowly opens his eyes, cautiously looks around, and says, "Oh, hello, Charles."

"I'm on duty, sir."

"Oh, sorry, Constable. I . . . I don't think I'm hurt. Where's Regit?"

"Who?"

"The native creature who looks like a huge tiger. She was charging right at me."

The Constable briefly chuckles then says, "Apparently, she's given Roilee Junior a quick onset of a 'disease' which results in acute diarrhea."

Chet slowly moves to straighten out and doesn't find any clear injuries then asks, "Why would Regit be doing that?"

"Junior fired a crossbow at you. Apparently, you fell to the ground just before it reached you, because I don't see a quarrel sticking out of you. Unless you have some sort of personalized deflector or dissolver field none of us know about."

He slightly returns the Constable's grin as he says, "That would make two of us who don't know anything about it." He accepts the Constable's assistance to stand up and starts to brush himself off when Ilena seems to fly into his arms. The Constable's grin grows before he turns away as he gives them a modicum of privacy as they deeply kiss.

When she has enough breath, she asks, "Are you okay?"

"I guess so. I thought for sure I was a goner when I saw Regit charging right at me."

"Regit would never hurt you."

"Tell that to my nerves." He gives her a brief kiss then turns and asks, "So, Constable, why would Junior want to shot me with a crossbow."

He turns back as he answers, "He blames you for having his father arrested and assumed that if he took care of you, he could get his father out of jail and back on his throne. Then he could go back to his old habits and have his dad fix any of the problems he caused. We didn't know what his plan was, but we've been keeping an eye on him since he told his dad he was going to do something. I'm sorry we weren't able to stop him, but until he aimed and fired at you, we couldn't be sure he wasn't shooting at a legitimate target."

"I understand, Constable, and am certainly not going to blame any of you. I really appreciate it that you were looking out for me. I'm not sure what I can do to express my gratitude."

"Considering how much you've supported and encouraged us, this was an opportunity for us to express our own appreciation for all you've done."

"Thank you, Constable. For the record, you are now official off duty. Thank you very much, Charles, I really appreciate it."

As they shake hands, he replies, "It was truly my pleasure, Chet."

After they briefly grin at each other, he says, "I guess I'll let you go back on duty now."

"Thank you, sir." He slightly turns, says, "A pleasant day to you, ma'am," and touches the bill of his hat before he turns and walks away.

Ilena briefly watches the Constable walk away then turns and asks, "Chet, who are you?"

"Your friend," and as he pulls her into his embrace and thoroughly kisses her, she forgets everything else except the comfort and enjoyment which seems to fill her up. When their breathing has settled, he suggests, "Well, I'd better go help with the paperwork and give my official statement."

He only takes a couple of steps before the Constable returns and says, "We've got you covered, sir. Enjoy your time off." He winks at Ilena who grins in response.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. I just need to find the crossbow quarrel as evidence. Now, go on, sir, before I accuse you of obstructing justice."

Chet laughs, exclaims, "I wouldn't want that on my record," then turns and walks towards the farm. A few steps later, he stumbles as something large pushes him in the back. He turns, sees Regit right there, and quickly hugs her as he says, "Thank you for warning me even if you did really frighten me." As she leans a little more firmly onto him, he receives the impression that she's expressing the idea, 'that's what friends are for,' and hopes she's referring to the warning part of his statement.

After they've arrived in the main barn and have greeted some of her other less than fully anthro-equivalent friends, Ilena guides him to a quiet corner where he can sit and more fully calm down following the excitement. Many minutes later as he's again trying to catch his breath, he's sure her hugs and kisses have greatly contributed to his relaxation as well as to a different kind of excitement.

"Oh, Chet, if that creep had succeeded, I don't know what I would have done with myself. More than ever do I want you to share physical affection with me and as much as you want. Just to see you laying on the ground there and not knowing if you were hurt, I could feel a part of me die."

"Shh, please try to forget about it. I'm safe and we're together and nothing else matters at the moment."

"I know, but it only reinforces my feelings that I want us to be together all the time."

"Ilena, as much as I want to be with you, I don't want you to make a permanent decision based on an emotional response to a stressful situation."

"How can you be calm and logical when someone just tried to kill you?"

"Because I need to consider what is best for your future before I can allow myself to only think about my emotional interests."

"Oh. Thank you. . . . Do you really want to be with me?"

"Only as long as you want me to be with you."

"Forever."

Before he can formulate a reasonable response or begin to verbally express it, he's joyfully responding to her thorough kiss.

Chapter 9

Again, minutes pass while they share physical affection with a long hug and many kisses. As her breathing settles, Ilena remembers and asks, "A few days ago when we were talking and we agreed that you could touch my arm from my fingertips to my shoulder, you only touched me up to my elbow. I'm not complaining about how you touched me because I've never felt anything so wonderful, but I have to wonder why you didn't touch me as far as we had agreed that you could."

"I wanted to leave some room so I didn't get carried away and accidentally touch you more than what we had agreed. Nor do I want to get so close to the limit that you might feel somewhat pressured to go further."

"Oh. Thank you." She thinks for a little while then asks, "What if we agree that you can touch me all of the way to making love to me according to the dictionary definition of coitus, how are you going to leave some room to not touch me too much?"

Chet briefly chuckles before he answers, "Then I guess I'll have to touch you to the full extent of our agreement."

"Are you teasing me?"

"Just slightly and not with any intention of hurting you. You're very precious to me and I don't want to see you hurt, especially by me."

"Thank you. I really do trust you even though I don't fully understand you and that seems to make me want to question you."

"I guess that makes two of us because I don't understand why such a wonderful, lovely, and smart young woman like yourself wants to spend time with an boring old man."

"Chet, I know you're older than me, but I don't think you're old. Even though I was planning on taking my vows, I was still aware of the attitudes of the males in my classes and the others I had to deal with in the community. The few who I thought might be trustworthy enough to have a conversation with were either already in a relationship or, I don't know, I didn't think they were trustworthy enough to be alone with. Maybe I can't give you a logical or even a reasonable explanation, but I've always felt like you were comfortable to be with and that it would be safe for me to be alone with you. And as I spend more time with you, especially since I talked you into hugging me, I have become more fully convinced that I can completely trust you."

"Thank you. That only encourages me to want to be more careful with how I treat you so I don't come close to violating your trust."

"I don't want you to be so careful that you refuse to touch me."

He softly smiles as he gently caresses her face then says, "I'm too selfish to be that careful, at least unless you decide you no longer want to be touched by me."

"I can't imagine ever wanting that," and she kisses him as though to confirm her statement. When she can, she says, "I know you want me to think about the situation longer and to really be positive I know what I'm requesting and am willing to deal with any of the related risks, but if I can convince you that I really do want you to make love to me as we discussed, what happens next?"

"That depends."

Although she initially feels some frustration with his answer, she really does believe he cares about her, but she still asks, "Is everything conditional with you?"

Somehow he has both a serious expression as well as a slight smile as he answers, "I learned a long time ago that very little in life is cut and dried or black and white, regardless of how much I wish things were."

"I suppose you're right about that. So, what would the next thing depend on?"

"The first thing which comes to mind is whether you want sexual intercourse to be a one-time event or whether you want it to occur more than once as an element of an ongoing relationship."

"Based on how you've treated me since we met and how I felt when you touched me a few days ago, I would really like our sharing of physical affection to be a part of an ongoing relationship. At the same time, I don't want to put you under an obligation to marry me or something similar nor do I know how such a relationship might affect your job or any other element of your life."

"Thank you for thinking about those factors. You'll also want to consider how an ongoing relationship may affect what you do with your life and what your future goals are. . . . Once you've made your decision about whether you do want to make love according to the dictionary definition and you're able to answer the question as to why you want me or anyone else to make love to you at all, there is one other thing to consider which may affect what comes next. That is, will you have an idea or even a time table as to how quickly you want to make love?"

"Um, I think I understand what you mean by your question, but I guess I don't understand why you would ask it."

"Did you enjoy how I touched your forearm a few days ago?"

"It was incredibly wonderful."

"Would you want to have any touching we might potentially do in the future jump from that to go directly to sexual intercourse? I'm not asking you to answer that now, but I would like you to consider it."

Something about what he asked or how he asked it sparks an idea in her mind and as the idea blossoms, her eyes open wide. "Do you mean . . .," she struggles to control her growing excitement in order to ask, "do you mean you would be willing to touch me all over like you did with my forearm?"

"Not all at once because it would take too long."

"Then I'm not sure I understand what you're thinking."

"Well, after you consider all the factors we've discussed and if you decide you want to share physical affection in an ongoing relationship, what I had considered is that I would be inclined to touch you as I did with your forearm. When we have time to privately be together, I could touch just a little more of you in a similar manner and slowly touch more of you. In that way, we could find out how you like to be touched and experiment with different ways to touch you as we share physical affection. If you are still interested and are enjoying the progression of touching, then making love might be more of a natural next step which could be followed by other ways to make love along with sharing physical affection in ways you have already found enjoyable."

As she listens to him explain his idea, her eyes seem to grow larger then she proclaims, "Yes!!" and kisses him as thoroughly as she can. It seems as though a lot of time has passed before she takes enough of a break between kisses to gain sufficient breath in order to request, "Will you touch me?"

Rather than point out that he is touching her as they maintain their embrace, he asks, "May I touch your other arm in a manner similar to how I touched you a few days ago?"

"Please!" and she enforces her request with a thorough kiss. She doesn't know whether to concentrate on paying attention to how he touches her or to concentrate on how she kisses him so she ends up doing some of both and finds that it seems to enhance how much comfort and enjoyment she experiences.

* * * * *

In the meantime, Junior is escorted to the detention center after he was allowed to clean himself up and put on new clothes. Roilee looks up in surprise to see his son and doesn't understand why he's smiling when the Constable removes the handcuffs which are on Junior's wrists. A moment later, the Constable gently pushes him into the cell with his father, makes sure the door is secure, says, "I hope you two don't mind bunking together," and walks away.

Before Roilee can ask, Junior says, "I did it, Dad. I took care of our problem. We should be out of here in a little while."

"What did you do?"

"I shot Chet with a crossbow."

While his eyes open wide and his face drains of color, Roilee asks, "You did what?"

"I shot Chet. I planned it out real well and waited until he was going out to the farm so nobody was around to see it. After I hit him and he fell down, I was starting to reload the crossbow when that big tiger thing that hangs around the farm charged at me. It wasn't long after it knocked me down that a couple of constables were there and chased it off. They helped me up and I saw one of the other constables go over to Chet to check him, but he wasn't moving. The constables escorted me back and let me go home to change clothes before they brought me here."

"Why did you need to change clothes?"

Junior is slightly embarrassed to admit, "When that big tiger thing was charging at me and I couldn't reload the crossbow fast enough, well, I kind of crapped my pants. But that's a small price to pay for being able to eliminate your accuser. Without someone to testify against you, you'll be out of here soon and since no one saw what I did, there's no reason for them to hold me. Aren't you proud of me, Dad?"

Roilee just shakes his head then says, "Junior, I'm glad you were willing to help my situation, but you don't have a very good understanding of the law. There was more than one person who heard what I said so there will still be accusers and your fingerprints are probably all over the crossbow and quarrel."

He grins before he responds, "No they aren't. I was smart and wore gloves. We'll be out of here soon."

Roilee leans back on his bunk in defeat and doesn't even respond.

* * * * *

A couple of hours later, Junior sits up as he hears approaching footsteps and is fully expecting to be released, or at least served dinner. He stares as though he sees a ghost when Chet steps in front of the door and says, "Well, the dynamic duo are back together again. I'm sure you're sorry to realize that the rumors of my demise were rather premature."

Junior blurts out, "But I shot you."

"Ah, thank you for that confession. Maybe we'll see you again in court, assuming the judges don't decide the existing evidence is already overwhelming." He turns and walks away.

"Dad, what did he mean by that?"

Roilee sighs then says, "If the panel of judges who are assigned to the case believe the evidence is overwhelmingly clear that a crime has been committed, they can proceed right to sentencing the perpetrator and avoid a lengthy trial where the lawyers try to out-argue each other. Since you freely admitted that you shot Chet, that's very clear evidence."

"But aren't there extra circumstances?"

"I think you mean extenuating circumstances and with a clear spontaneous confession, it's rather hard to make such a claim. Did you use the scope on the crossbow?"

"Of course. I wanted to make sure I hit what I was aiming for. What do you think I am, stupid or something?"

Roilee doesn't answer the question. Instead he says, "The scope has a feature which records what the crossbow is aimed and fired at. If that recording shows the crossbow was directed at Chet, it will be irrefutable evidence that you consciously and premeditatedly attempted to murder him."

"Oh."

Chapter 10

A few days later, Ilena hesitates then steps into the medical clinic and tries to pretend like she's confident in what she's doing while she's sure she's going to be highly embarrassed to have anyone else understand the direction of her thoughts and plans. She steps over to the receptionist and manages to say in a mostly steady voice, "I would like to make an appointment with the female doctor."

"Okay. Please fill out this brief form so we can pull your medical records and after you turn it in to me, your name will be called a few minutes later to meet with one of the nurses to update your medical records and to briefly discuss what you need to see the doctor for."

"Thank you." She quickly completes the form and turns it in and doesn't have to wait long before her name is called.

After she's seated in a small office to provide some privacy, the nurse asks, "So, Ilena, what would you like to see the doctor about?"

"Um, . . . I . . . ," she gathers her courage and in a rush of words says, "I would like to have my hymen removed and be tested for all sexually transmitted diseases." She drops her head and feels her body slump as though she's expecting to be laughed at or condemned.

The nurse says, "Good for you."

Since she's so surprised at that response, she looks up and stares before she asks, "Could you please repeat that?"

"I said, 'good for you.' Not many women are willing to consider those things or to take care of them before they get involved in sexual activities. At least I'm assuming you aren't involved yet."

She just shakes her head then realizes she doesn't want to be misunderstood so she quietly says, "No, I'm not involved."

"I'm glad you're thinking ahead. Once you've been tested, I would strongly encourage you to insist that any prospective intimate partner you may consider is also tested."

"He . . . he said he already had an appointment to have his tests redone."

"You already have someone in mind and have already talked to them about it?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I just realized you're the one who is spending time with Chet."

She opens her eyes wide in near shock and can't seem to get a word out.

"Ilena, please don't feel embarrassed. In a small community like this, it's hard to keep secrets. Not only that, but almost everybody thinks Chet is a decent guy, maybe not exciting, but decent. So, is there any time which would be better for you to see the doctor?"

It takes her a little while to adjust to the change in the subject and answer, "I would be inclined to say any time the doctor is available, but if the appointment is sometime later than mid-morning then I won't have to miss a class."

"We can work with that. If you don't mind, I can take a blood sample now so we can run the tests. That way, the doctor will have the results available to discuss them with you when she removes your hymen."

"That would be fine."

A couple of minutes later, the blood sample is taken and labeled and her appointment is set up. The nurse says, "You're all set to go. Although it's not required, it is suggested that you have someone with you after the surgery to help you get around."

"Thank you for letting me know. I also want to thank you for your courtesy and your understanding."

"It was my pleasure." The nurse briefly pauses then directly looks at Ilena and says, "I don't want to put you on the spot, but I'm very curious. Except that I don't know which question to ask. I guess I wonder whether you tried to get Chet's attention or why you were interested in getting his attention instead of somebody else."

"Well, since it's not a secret that I'm spending some time with Chet, I suppose the reason shouldn't be a secret so people won't make wrong assumptions. I didn't plan on trying to get his attention. I was in a couple of his classes on campus and when I had to directly speak with him regarding an assignment or a research project, he was always gentle, courteous, and was careful to explain things until he was sure I understood. It wasn't long after that before I began to feel safe and comfortable when I was with him.

"When I was no longer taking his classes, I found myself going to him for advice about some of my other classes and he remained gentle and courteous. Then I started to ask him for advice about other things and since I felt like I could really trust him, it just seemed like it was right to spend more time with him and it just kind of grew from there. Does that make sense?"

"I think it makes very good sense. I've seen and had my own share of problems with relationships because I and most other people tend to gravitate to what seems to be exciting instead of being a friend to someone and have that friendship grow into something more. I hope you can continue to think things through and make reasonable decisions because it should reduce the number of problems you have to put up with through the rest of your life."

"Thank you for your encouragement and not thinking I'm crazy or something."

"Well, if your only symptom of craziness is to spend time with an older guy, then you're less crazy than most of the rest of us." They share a smile before Ilena steps out of the door.

* * * * *

After they meet for lunch, Ilena goes with Chet to his office to speak more privately for a little while since he's unable to take the afternoon off. She gladly sits on his upper legs and cuddles with him while she tells him about the conversation she had with the nurse.

When she's done and they've settled their breathing after a number of kisses, he says, "It would be more appropriate for you to have a female with you to help you after your hymen is removed, but if nobody is available, then I would be more than willing to be with you and help you as much as I'm able."

"Thank you. I greatly appreciate it. Although I don't have any close female friends, I had considered asking Mother Superior if she can recommend someone who might be willing to help me."

"That's a good idea. I can also check with a couple of the ladies I work with to see if they would be willing to help."

"Would they be willing to be supportive of you if there's the possibility you might become intimately involved with a younger woman?"

He briefly chuckles then says, "They might actually feel grateful to you for distracting me so I don't pay as much attention to how well they do their jobs."

With some concern in her voice, she asks, "Do you really need to pay attention to how they do their jobs?"

"Of course not. They're highly professional and competent women, but that's some of the teasing which is often done in an office setting. On second thought, maybe I won't recommend one of them because they might want to tell you all kinds of nasty rumors about me in order to convince you that I'm not good enough for someone as wonderful as you. I already know I'm not good enough for you, but there's no reason to have to try to deny nasty rumors."

"Chet, I can't claim to know a whole lot about you, but I do know you're more than good enough for me and there's nobody else who I would rather be with," and she thoroughly kisses him as though to add evidence to her words. With a hint of humor in her voice, she asks, "So, how much truth would be in those nasty rumors?"

"I don't know because I haven't heard them yet."

She initially starts to frown then slightly grins before she suggests, "Maybe I've have to start a couple of rumors about you."

He thoroughly kisses her which surprises her.

When she has enough breath, she asks, "Did you kiss me to encourage me to start rumors about you?"

"Of course not. I was trying to distract you so you wouldn't remember the idea, but apparently I failed."

"Distract me again," and he's more than happy to comply with her request.

It's not much later before he reluctantly admits, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to chase you off because I have a meeting in a few minutes and I need the time to find my brain cells which you blew out of my head with your wonderful kisses."

It takes her a couple of moments to understand what he actually said and what it means then she grins at him, stands up, guides him to stand up into her arms for a tight hug and a deep kiss. When she has enough breath, she explains, "I thought I would blow a few more brain cells out of your head in the hopes that they'll clump together and be easier to find."

He's eyebrows lift in surprise and then he starts to laugh. She joins his laughter then steps back and with a saucy smile and twitch of her hips, she walks to the door, blows him a kiss, and steps out.

He shakes his head in disbelief at how thoroughly she affects him. Or is it disbelief at the idea that she willingly spends time with him and then, on top of that, wants him to touch her.

A couple of minutes later, Karina steps into his office and suggests, "Boss, you'd better get that silly grin off of your face before your teleconference."

"Do you have any bad news to distract me?"

"If an assassination attempt wasn't bad enough for you, I certainly can't come up with anything worse." When she sees him start to frown, she just laughs and steps back out of the door.

Chapter 11

Ilena had spoken with Mother Superior about having someone go with her when she had her hymen removed and one of the sisters who had some medical training volunteered since she was interested in expanding her knowledge. A couple of Chet's co-workers had also volunteered, but since Ilena is still living in the dormitory, they agreed it would probably be somewhat awkward for them to help. Although Chet wants to visit Ilena, he doesn't want to break the rules so he's quite surprised when Mother Superior invites him to speak with her then escorts him to Ilena's room.

When the door is opened, the sister who is staying with Ilena looks up in surprise then her eyes widen when she sees Chet and quickly looks at Mother Superior who slightly nods her head. With a quickly stifled grin, she steps out of the room with Mother Superior and closes the door. Neither Chet nor Ilena seem to notice anything else except each other and he quickly closes the distance between them and kneels down beside her bed.

He gently holds her nearer hand and softly asks, "How are you doing?"

"Quite well. I'm probably doing good enough to get up and do some light work, but Sister Thena seems to be even more cautious than what the doctor recommended."

"I know I'm not in a position to give any advice, but I would probably be inclined to error on the side of caution rather than to take any risk in having you hurt before you had a chance to recover."

"Thank you for your concern. Now, are you going to just talk or are you going to kiss me?"

"I wouldn't want to do anything which might hurt you or delay your recovery."

"Chet, while I'm quite sure you're not a medical doctor, I also know you're well aware that my surgery was a long ways away from my lips."

Since he can't argue with that logic, he leans over and gently kisses her then struggles to match the intensity of her kiss which she reinforces with her arms around his neck. When they're both panting for breath, he gently removes her arms, waits a little longer, and says, "I also didn't want to do anything which might offend the sister or Mother Superior."

"That may be a valid reason, even though I have a feeling they wouldn't be offended."

"Maybe so, but I wouldn't want to run that risk and have them not let me visit you again."

"That reminds me, I tried to check with the Housing Authority and they couldn't explain why I hadn't been assigned new quarters and then I forgot to ask Mother Superior. Do you think you can check with her to see if she knows what's going on?"

"I think I can manage that assignment." He returns her grin, very briefly kisses her, gently squeezes her hand, stands up, and takes a step towards the door when it opens. He steps to the side to allow Sister Thena to step in and is surprised to see her wink at him. He quickly recovers then says, "Thank you, Sister Thena and Mother Superior for allowing me to briefly visit with Ilena."

Mother Superior responds, "You're very welcome. If you'll come with me, I can escort you as far as my office."

"Of course."

He quietly walks with her to her office where she closes the door then asks, "Would you join me in having a cup of tea?"

"With pleasure."

Once the tea is prepared, she hands him a cup then surprises him when she sits in the chair near him instead of stepping around to behind her desk. She takes a sip of tea then says, "First of all, I'm deeply saddened at how Roilee interpreted my request that housing quarters be assigned to Ilena and even more so at how it affected you personally."

"Thank you. I greatly appreciate it."

She takes another sip of tea then seems to hesitate before she says, "Since Ilena has not taken her vows to become a sister, I have no legal authority to tell her what she should or shouldn't do. However, there is an agreement that the young ladies will obey the rules of the Order while they live here. I know you're aware of these things and although I have no right to ask, I have watched over Ilena for many years so I feel as though I am justified in asking you, what are your intentions towards her?"

"Thank you for being concerned enough about her to ask. I intend to treat her as gently and as compassionately as I'm able to. I also intend to support and encourage her to continue her education and to find an occupation in which she can excel and experience pride in her accomplishments."

"None of that surprises me. Maybe I need to reword my question. Do you intend to marry Ilena?"

Chet hesitates before he answers, "Without intending to offend you, no, at this point in my life, I do not intend to marry Ilena. First of all, I have no interest in fathering a child and have had the preventative surgery done, so that purpose of marriage is not applicable. Secondly, I also don't want to force her to make a permanent decision when she hasn't had a chance to think about how she might want to live the rest of her life or to have an opportunity to discover what her talents and capabilities are. I suppose a third reason would be that since my job takes up so much of my time, I wouldn't want her to feel obligated to stay with me and feel neglected especially if she meets someone who would be in a better situation in order to take care of her in a loving manner."

"Thank you for being willing to answer me. Although I believe the Deity teaches that marital relations are to be limited to the marriage relationship, I'm also well aware that marriage has become mostly a secular 'institution' and that most people go into the relationship for selfish reasons, and, as a result, very few marriages reflect what I believe the Deity intended it to be."

"I agree with you and have seen many of those same problems."

Mother Superior nods her head in acknowledgement. She pauses to take another sip of tea before she explains, "When Ilena very briefly told me about her offer to you and your initial response, I quietly put a hold on the application to assign quarters to her until I heard more from her about what was happening between the two of you or until I had a chance to speak with you. She hasn't really said anything about what might have happened or been discussed, but it's quite clear to me that the misunderstanding between you two has been resolved and that she's very much looking forward to being in some type of an ongoing relationship with you."

"Thank you for letting me know why she wasn't assigned quarters."

When he doesn't say anything further, she sighs then says, "I guess I'm going to have to be blunt. Are you going to share your quarters with her?"

"As much as I selfishly want to spend time with her, I think it would be in her best interest if she was assigned her own quarters in order to encourage her to work towards what she wants her future life to be."

"And if she decides that she wants her future to be with you?"

This time, he's the one who sighs and hesitates before he answers, "Then I guess we'll have to discuss the situation more fully at that time."

Mother Superior looks at him for a little while then remarks, "I can't say I'm surprised at any of your answers and while I greatly appreciate your restraint towards Ilena, I guess I don't understand how you can be so hesitant to respond to a pretty young woman who virtually throws herself at you."

"The simple answer is that I don't believe I'm a good enough person for her to be interested in me or for her to spend time with me."

"In a way, I'm surprised you would say something like that, yet, at the same time, it doesn't surprise me that you feel that way. . . . Chet, thank you very much for being willing to speak with me and for sharing your thoughts and feelings. Although I would encourage you to limit any marital, or should I clarify and say sexual, activities to a marriage relationship, at the same time, I feel as though I'm a biological mother and that I can trust you with my precious daughter Ilena."

"I greatly appreciate that and hope I can remain worthy of your trust."

"I'll go ahead and re-activate the application to assign quarters to Ilena."

"Thank you, Mother Superior, and thank you very much for your time and your understanding." He stands up, bows towards her, and leaves.

She sits there a little longer then quietly tells the room, "Chet, it is you who deserves the thanks."

Chapter 12

A few days later, Ilena revisits the medical clinic and is given a clean bill of health. The doctor does encourage her to slowly expand her level of physical activity so she doesn't run the risk of over-exerting herself. What Ilena feels like she has to work at containing is her excitement at seeing Chet and telling him the good news, especially since at their last private time together he had expanded his caresses to include her arms all of the way to her shoulders. After he had slipped his fingers under the cuff of her short sleeves to touch more of her skin, she had quickly pushed her sleeves up to her shoulders to make it easier for him while she had enjoyed every caress.

When it's close to lunch time, she goes to the cafeteria, but he's not there so she goes to his office and finds that the meeting he's in is running long. One of his female co-workers who introduces herself as Karina, gently asks how Ilena is doing and as she hesitantly answers, she's surprised that Karina appears to be sincerely interested. They lightly converse for a few minutes, then at some signal which Ilena didn't notice, Karina raises her hand to interrupt the conversation, picks up her communicator, and says, "Your lunch appointment is here."

Ilena is unable to hear the other side of the brief conversation, but Karina winks at her and barely sets her communicator down before Chet steps out of his office and clearly smiles when he sees her. He pauses to say, "Thanks, Karina," and doesn't notice her smile in return. Ilena is disappointed he doesn't immediately hug her, but after a slight hesitation, he takes her hand and she tightens her grip in response as they walk hand in hand to the cafeteria.

He nods his head to an occasional acquaintance, or at least she assumes that's who they are, while she notices them and other people look at the two of them with brief expressions of surprise or barely hidden smiles. Shortly before they step into the cafeteria, Chet notices the Constable is just coming out so he asks, "Are the 'dynamic duo' causing you any problems?"

"No, sir. Now whether that's because they're contemplating their fate or their navels, my telepathic abilities don't seem to be able to distinguish the difference." They share a grin before they go their separate ways.

After they get their food and sit down at a vacant table, Ilena asks, "Who are the 'dynamic duo'?"

"Roilee and his son."

She quickly covers her mouth to not burst out into laughter while her eyes express her amusement. Partway through their meal, she tells him, "I saw the doctor this morning and she said I can resume my normal activities although she would prefer that I take a few days to slowly build up to my full physical activities."

"Good for you. I assume that means there were no complications with the surgery."

"Apparently not because she didn't mention any."

"I'm glad for you."

"Aren't you also glad for yourself?"

He looks at her with a puzzled expression then asks, "What do you mean?"

"That's one more impediment removed which was interfering with my ability to renew my offer to you."

His eyes widen before he says, "Oh. . . . I don't mean to sound like I'm dissuading you, even though that's what I'm doing in a way, but I do want you to very carefully consider all of the factors because I really don't want to accidentally hurt you or for either of us to feel as though I'm taking advantage of you."

"Chet, I suspect that even if I could get a court order which required you to accept my offer, you would probably still feel like you were somehow taking advantage of me."

Again, his eyes briefly widen then he somewhat chuckles with a tone of embarrassment and says, "You're probably right about that." Then he can't stop himself from returning her warm smile before they mostly divert their attention to the rest of their meal.

As they leave the cafeteria, Chet pulls out his communicator and responds, "This is Chet." He briefly listens then says, "Thanks, Karina," turns to Ilena, and reports, "The application to assign you new quarters has been completed. Do you want to go find out where your new home will be?"

She proclaims, "Sure," with a wide grin. A moment later she tells him, "When the application for my new quarters appeared to be lost or something, I was wondering if you had made something happen in case I could convince you to accept my offer and you were planning to ask me to share your quarters."

He looks at her in surprise then says, "I don't mean to disappoint you, but the thought never crossed my mind. It is interesting that Mother Superior had a similar thought to yours."

"Really?"

He simply nods his head.

"Oh." A couple of moments later, she asks, "I'm curious, how did Karina know the application had been completed?"

"Our office received a copy to add to our files. I think the official approval was probably sent to Mother Superior's office to be passed on to you."

"Okay. . . . Is it normal that your office receives a copy?"

"Very normal. A copy of almost all official documentation is forwarded to our office for us to file in a secure location as a precaution if there's a fire or some other kind of problem."

"I guess that makes sense."

They soon reach the Housing Authority office and he opens the door for her, bows her in, and says, "I'll let you lead from here."

She quickly looks at him with a concerned expression, but he warmly smiles at her, slightly turns her, and gently pushes her in the correct direction. Since she's aware he's walking with her, she gathers her courage and steps up to the counter. A moment or so later, a person gets up from a nearby desk and steps over to the counter and says, "Hello, Ilena. Are you here to see where you've been assigned quarters?"

She briefly stares then says, "Yes, but how do you know who I am?"

The lady winks as she answers, "It's common knowledge that only one young lady has been seen in Chet's company, so when I saw him, I knew you must be Ilena. Hello, Chet."

"Good afternoon, Yulia. I guess I'm going to have to work on my ability to keep a secret."

Yulia laughs before she responds, "I'm sure you have many secrets, but there's no way you can keep your interest in the young lady a secret."

"I suppose you're right. I guess it is somewhat out of sync with my normal character."

She laughs again then suggests, "I'm almost surprised somebody hasn't insisted that you have your DNA tested to be sure you are really you. Anyway, let me go over the agreement with Ilena and then you can show her to your new quarters."

"That's fine, I should check in with Karina to be sure no crisis has developed while I've been away from the office."

A few minutes later, Yulia tells Ilena, "That covers it from our side. You're all set to move in at your convenience. If you have any questions or concerns or simply want to gossip about the old man, stop on by and see me."

"Thank you, Yulia, for explaining everything to me. I really appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure and I was glad to meet you. I'll let Chet guide you to your new quarters."

"Where are they?" He briefly looks at the paper Ilena has, opens his eyes wide, turns to Yulia, and asks, "What is this, some sort of a conspiracy?"

Yulia grins before she answers, "That was what was available."

"This one as well as probably a dozen others."

She smiles wider, says, "Enjoy," and deliberately turns her back on them as she walks back to her desk.

He starts to walk towards the door and Ilena quickly catches up to him before she asks, "Chet, is something wrong with my new quarters?"

"No, I wouldn't say wrong, just somewhat . . . inappropriate." As he reaches the door, he turns back and sees Yulia smile and wave at him. He shakes his head then opens the door for Ilena and they start to walk away from the Housing Authority office.

"How are they inappropriate?"

He briefly sighs then says, "They're next door to mine."

Her eyes widen in surprise and she's not sure whether to grin or be concerned. She hesitates then asks, "How is that inappropriate?"

He stops walking, turns towards her, gently lays a hand on her cheek and answers, "Ilena, you're very special and precious to me, but I'm trying to give you sufficient space and time so you can freely figure out who you are and what you want to do with the rest of your life. I don't want you to feel any kind of coercion or obligation or pressure to spend time with me either from myself or from others," as he glances towards the Housing Authority office.

She quickly steps closer and he briefly hesitates to return her hug as she tells him, "Oh, Chet, thank you very much for being so concerned about me."

He quietly suggests, "We probably ought to take this conversation to a more private location."

She quickly looks around and sees a few people either pointing or smiling at them. A moment later, she releases her hug while he does the same. Since she feels slightly embarrassed at the attention, she agrees, "I think you're right," then she boldly takes his hand in hers and almost doesn't care who sees them walk hand in hand.

They soon arrive at the applicable building and when they near the door to her new quarters, she looks at him with a slightly hesitant expression, but he waves her forward and she follows the instructions to personalize the door lock. As the door opens, she gives him a quick grin then steps in and is surprised he doesn't follow. She asks, "Aren't you coming?"

"I have no intention of invading your quarters or anybody else's without their explicit invitation."

She almost chastises him for being so formal then realizes he's expressing his respect for her as a person. A moment later she requests, "Chet, please join me in my new quarters so you can answer any questions I might have."

"I would be happy to be of assistance to you."

As quickly as she can, she closes the door, steps into his arms, tightly hugs him, and thoroughly kisses him. While she's greatly enjoying another kiss, her eyes briefly pop open in surprise before she tries to press herself tighter to him as she feels his hands caress her back through her shirt for the first time.

She feels like she never wants this moment to end, but before they can renew the kiss after their current required breathing break, he mutters, "LIF!" and releases the hug.

"What's the matter? Or maybe I should ask what do you mean by 'LIF'?"

"LIF stands for 'Life Isn't Fair', and I said it because I can't spend my time with you due to another stupid meeting I have to attend in a little while. I'm sorry I can't give you the time and attention I would like to give you, as long as it doesn't infringe on your time."

"Chet, I think I understand that our relationship is totally outside of what you had believed your normal life was like, but until you can begin to accept it, I'm going to keep telling you that I want to spend all of my time with you."

He can't seem to stop his eyebrows from rising in surprise before he says, "Thank you for the reminder. In that case, since you no longer have to worry about curfew after you move in here, may I suggest that we meet for dinner and I can help you carry any of your things here which you are not able to move beforehand? Then I can try to answer any of your questions which you may have about your new quarters."

"I would be most happy to accept your offer . . . on one condition?"

His eyes widen in surprise.

"That you caress my back while we hug and kiss like you did a little while ago."

His expression soon turns into a grin as he assures her, "It would be my great pleasure and joy to meet your condition." He kisses her deeply but keeps it brief before he turns and hurries out the door.

Chapter 13

Ilena and Chet meet at the cafeteria for dinner and she assures him that she has already moved her few belongings. After they're settled at a table, she quietly asks, "Why were we getting so many surprised looks from the staff? I know some of them have seen us together at lunch."

"I usually cook my own dinner in my quarters as a way to reduce how often somebody requests me to do something for them after I've already left the office. I guess the reason I haven't been bothered during lunch when you've been with me is because they think you're asking me for some sort of favor and were able to catch me before anybody else did. I doubt if it will take long before they realize we're spending time together because we want to and then they'll start to interrupt us.

"LIF! I just realized that people may start to ask you to ask me to do a favor for them. I'll have to think of some appropriate responses for you to use. I certainly didn't want to drag you into this kind of situation."

She hesitates to asks, "Are you a really important person such that people would ask you for favors?"

"No. But it seems as though people think that since I work for the government, I ought to know how to get things done faster or can be bribed to overlook some rule they don't want to obey."

"Oh. Do people really do that?"

"More often than most people realize. Of course, even those who ask for favors think they're the only one who figured out a way to get around an issue so they assume it shouldn't be a problem for me to help just them. They don't seem to think that if I help them I would be obligated to help the hundred other people who have already asked for the same or a similar favor."

"I wouldn't want to have to deal with that. Oops, I just realized that you think people might bug me for just that reason."

"I'm afraid so. Maybe I'll have to hire Regit as your personal bodyguard. That ought to greatly reduce how often people bug you."

She grins then tries to frown as she says, "Except I'm not sure what kind of currency she would find acceptable."

He briefly stares at her then chuckles and replies, "That could present a problem."

They finish their meal, turn in their eating utensils, and walk hand in hand to their adjacent quarters. Ilena unlocks her door, starts to push it open, then steps back with a fearful expression on her face.

He quickly and quietly asks, "What's the matter?"

"Somebody is or has been in my quarters."

Even as he pulls her further away from her door, he asks, "Why do you think that?"

"I left a light on in the front room so I wouldn't stumble over something, but there's no light on in there now."

He guides her to stay behind him and takes a few more steps away from her door while he takes out his communicator and sends a written message. A couple of minutes later, the Constable and a couple of his deputies, walk down the hall towards them and she's surprised that instead of speaking to each other, they send written messages back and forth.

She's further surprised when Chet turns his communicator towards her and she reads, "infrared scope from outside confirms warm body in bedroom of specified quarters, probably sitting on bed". As she looks at him with fear in her eyes, he gently touches her face and softly smiles.

A few more written messages are sent back and forth to make plans then with hand signals, the Constable leads one of his deputies into the quarters and turns the lights on while the other stays by the door as a backup. The Constable briefly pauses to listen to a status report from his outside deputies then slowly proceeds towards the bedroom. When he's a few feet from the bedroom door, he stops walking and motions his deputy to the side.

A moment later, a man steps into the doorway and starts to lean on the frame then stares and says, "You're not a young lady."

"That's an astute observation. The real question is, who are you and what are you doing uninvited in quarters which are not assigned to you?"

"I was invited here to welcome a young lady to her new quarters and to show her a good time."

"And who invited you?"

"That's none of your business."

"I think it is since the young lady who is assigned to these quarters did not invite you."

"Maybe she forgot."

"Chet, can you step in with the young lady?" When they do, the Constable asks, "Young lady, did you invite this man to be in your quarters?"

She quickly answers, "No way, especially since I have no idea who he is."

The man rakes her body with his eyes then says, "Now I really want to show her a good time."

Chet asks, "And how would you define showing her a good time?"

"Let her step into the bedroom with me and I can demonstrate. I can do a much better job of it then you can, old man. And I'm in a good enough mood that you can even watch and learn how to do it right."

The deputy who had remained by the door, steps in and asks, "Captain Stilson, what are you doing here?"

"How do you know my name?"

"I served with Lieutenant Julius."

"Then you know how to follow orders and I order you to escort these other 'gentlemen' out of here so I can accomplish my mission which she will make quite pleasant."

The Constable can't believe what his ears hear so he asks, "What is your mission and who ordered you to accomplish it?"

The Captain grins as he says, "You'll never know."

Even as he pulls the trigger on his stun gun, the Constable assures him, "Oh, we'll find out."

The Captain barely has time to show a surprised expression before he collapses.

Ilena asks, "What was that all about?"

Chet answers, "I don't know, but we'll find out. Constable, I would like to thank you and your deputies for your very quick response and for taking care of him."

"Not only is it my duty, but in this case, it's my pleasure."

"Why do you say that?"

"I've heard some nasty rumors about this Captain Stilson and he always seems to find a way to avoid paying for his crimes. I suspect he has a benefactor fairly high up in the military who puts the pressure on the victims to drop the charges."

"If you can find out who he's taking his orders from, maybe I can go through some other channels and see if there's a way to put the squeeze on the benefactor."

"I would be delighted to." He looks up and sees that his other two deputies have arrived who had provided backup on the outside of the building where they had the infrared scope and says, "Okay, guys, lets drag this sorry excuse out of here. Ilena, I'm sorry this happened to you and I hope the rest of your stay in your new quarters will be much less stressful."

"Thank you, Constable. I can't tell you how glad I am that you came so quickly and were able to take care of him."

"It was my pleasure. Oh, by the way, there's no law which says your native four legged friend can't spend time with you as long as she doesn't infringe on anyone else's safety or freedom."

She briefly stares at him with wide eyes then says, "Thank you very much for letting me know. I'm sure she can understand and accept those limitations."

He grins and responds, "Good. We'll get out of your hair and hope you have a pleasant evening."

Chet addresses the group as they head towards the door, "Gentlemen, again, thank you very much." Each of them either nods or smiles in return and they close the door as they step out. Chet guides her to the door to lock it then snugly wraps his arms around her.

Chapter 14

Ilena can feel herself on the verge of tears at having her privacy violated, but as Chet's hug continues, she feels like the stress of the situation begins to dissolve and the comfort and care she feels from him seems to infuse her until she almost wants to melt. Sooner than he wants, he can feel his knees complain about being in one position for an extended period of time so he partially releases the hug and guides her to the kitchen where a little searching through the cupboards produces the items which are needed to make some tea.

While the tea brews, they reluctantly separate to use the bathroom and fix their tea then she's surprised he leads her to the small sofa in her quarters. He sets their tea cups on the side table, guides her to sit perpendicular to him on his upper legs, and she almost immediately tries to press her right side tighter to him as his arms go around her. In a little while, he hands her a tea cup and they slowly and carefully drink their tea which helps her to relax further.

After he sets their empty tea cups aside, his right hand begins to slowly caress her left arm from her fingers to over her shoulder and up to the top of her head. A little later, his left hand starts to caress her through her shirt all over her back above her waist. Soon, she feels like she just wants to melt into him. She has no idea how long his caresses go on before he occasionally kisses her hair and forehead where his lips can reach.

It seems like whenever a thought tries to develop in her mind, it evaporates as though nothing is important enough to disturb the ongoing comfort and peace she feels. At the same time, a small part of her seems to be sub-consciously aware that his caresses continue to be apparently random and follow no identifiable pattern even as they seem to go on and on. Some indefinable amount of time later, the thought does make it to her conscious awareness that she could joyfully fall asleep right here.

Maybe she did fall asleep because the next thing she's aware of is that he's kissing her face and lips and has to use his right hand to lift her head. She really wants to respond to him and can almost feel an intense desire to throw herself at him, but her feeling of relaxation is so thorough, she can barely make her lips and tongue move properly in order to return his kiss.

As she's trying to catch her breath, he hesitates to say, "I'm going to have to interrupt my enjoyment of having you so close then ask if I can use your restroom."

"I thought I was the one who was enjoying you holding me. Yes, you can use the restroom and you don't need to ask for my permission."

"Thank you."

She feels so relaxed and comfortable in his arms that it's a struggle for her to be even semi-cooperative as he guides her off of his upper legs to sit on the other seat. He's soon back and she hesitates to ask, "Chet, I don't mean to embarrass either of us, but I'm going to need your help to make it to the bathroom."

He eyes widen in surprise then he remembers how clumsily she moved off of his upper legs. Still, he hesitates some before he gently grips her hands to help her up, but she apparently has no strength so he almost picks her up and holds her snugly to him and knows she's not faking it.

In the bathroom, he hesitates again, but when she almost sobs out, "Please, hurry," he does his best to act and even mentally approach the situation with as much clinical detachment as he can muster while he pushes her pants down along with her panty, and helps her to sit on the toilet. He's about to step up and away when he feels her start to tilt so he quickly kneels down beside her and holds her steady while her bladder empties. A moment later, a different kind of liquid seeps from her eyes and she begins to sob.

He guesses it's a few minutes later before she seems to have calmed down and weakly gets some toilet paper then he needs to help her tilt to the side while she clumsily wipes herself off. She grips his arms as though to pull herself up, but she doesn't have enough strength to do it so he helps her stand up and puts her clothing back in place while he partially helps her remain standing. After she washes and dries her hands, he helps her back to the small sofa and lays her down then makes them each another cup of tea.

Although she needs his help, she insists that she wants to sit on his upper legs like she did before and he finds that it makes it easier for him to help her drink her tea. A little later she says, "Chet, if I had the proper attitude to be a sister, I should have been petrified that you helped me in the bathroom. Yet, all I can feel is great gratitude for how you helped me and didn't take advantage of me." Her kiss isn't very intense, but she makes it last as long as she can.

When she has enough breath, she continues her thought, "I don't mean to put you on the spot or to ask you an unanswerable question, but I don't fully understand the social stigma about us as humans using a bathroom when it's a natural bodily function. The animals don't have any issues with releasing their waste products when they need to, yet I felt quite embarrassed that you were there when I had to. . . . But, at the same time, I felt greatly embarrassed that I was so helpless and couldn't even take care of my basic needs. . . . Now I'm not sure which factor was the most embarrassing."

"I think I can understand your feelings. . . . I feel rather embarrassed that I caused you to be in such a condition to need my help in such a way. Yet, I also appreciate it that you trusted me to help you when you needed it."

"How did you cause it?"

"If I hadn't have encouraged you to feel so relaxed . . ."

She puts her hand over his mouth to stop his words and assures him, "Chet, considering how I felt after I realized how that guy violated not only my privacy but intended to violate me as a person as well as my body, . . . if you weren't here to calm me down, I would have gone mad or suicidal or vengeful or something. You did the absolutely best thing you could have done for me in that situation by helping me to relax and to feel safe and comforted and loved. I don't know how I can ever thank you enough for that gift you freely gave to me," and she kisses him as though to reinforce her words.

When their breathing has settled, he just snugly holds her and gently caresses her no further than he's done before. Time doesn't seem to exist as they soak in each other's presence, but time did move along because sooner than they would have guessed, they need to use the bathroom again. This time, she's able to manage on her own, but she still requests that he walk with her to the door then she does need his assistance to make it make back to the small sofa. While another cup of tea brews for each of them, he finds something for them to snack on to hopefully give her some energy.

After their tea and snack is done and they've rested for awhile afterwards, he debates with himself and hesitates longer before his says, "Ilena, I don't want to put you on the spot or to feel any sort of obligation, but . . . do you think you'll be okay staying here tonight?"

She considers the question for a little while before she answers, "I want to say 'yes' and I want to say 'no'. . . . The reason I want to say 'yes' is that I'm an adult and believe I can prove that to myself by staying here and learning to put the unpleasant experience behind me and be a stronger person for being able to do so. At the same time, I want to say 'no', because I greatly want to fall asleep in your safe and comfortable arms but I don't want to take advantage of your generosity nor do I want you to feel as though you're taking advantage of my vulnerability. . . . Does that make any sense?"

"Yes. If I had been in your shoes, I'm sure I would have very similar feelings." He briefly pauses then continues, "I really do want to do whatever I can to comfort you and to help you feel safe, but I also want to encourage you to stand on your own two feet and be a strong and independent woman. I'm really not sure how I can do both without unintentionally tilting my efforts in one direction or the other. I would also be concerned that if I did hold you until you feel asleep, you might feel abandoned if I was already gone when you woke up."

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that. I suppose I would initially feel that way even as I'm aware that you have your job to do and I can't expect you to stop your life just to treat me like a spoiled child. . . . That reminds me even though it's totally off the subject, but do I still have my job on the farm since I'm no longer a part of the Order?"

"I'm quite sure the answer is 'yes', but let me see if I can touch base with Mother Superior's office to clarify some details."

"If I had thought about it earlier, I suppose I could have asked her myself."

"That's true, but she might not have been able to clearly answer until she checked with our office about some of those details."

"Is it really so complicated?"

"Not too complicated, but when it affects the allocation of budgetary funds, people can become real anxious."

"Oh."

"Please don't worry about it. Once things are settled, I don't have any problem with explaining it to you, but I don't want you to think 'what about this' and 'what about that' and have every 'what about' sound worse than the one before."

She briefly thinks about what he said then chuckles and admits, "Yeah, I probably would do something like that. . . . Chet, as much as I want to be in your arms and hide from the world, I think it would be best for me if I try to stay here on my own. If I do feel like something is beyond my ability to deal with it or if I'm concerned about my safety, how do I contact anyone?"

"Your quarters has a built-in communication device." He helps her up and is glad to notice that she appears to have recovered some of her strength while he leads her towards the kitchen. "Here it is and the emergency numbers are right here."

"Um, if it's not an emergency," she turns and hugs him, "or if I just need to hear your voice, how do I reach you?"

"Since I don't want to be accused of defacing this official government document," she returns his grin while he pulls a generic business card out of his pocket and adds the number to his quarters as well as his personal communicator number to his office number which is already printed on the card, "here are the numbers where you can reach me. I've also included Karina's number in case I'm stuck in a meeting. I make it a habit to not answer my phone during a meeting as an attempt to show respect to the person or people I'm meeting with. Karina knows that so if someone calls her and really needs to get in touch with me right away, she's welcome to interrupt my meeting."

"Thank you for letting me know. I'll try not to make it sound worse than it is if I call her."

"Ilena, in your case, I would prefer that you error on the side of feeling like you're bugging me than have you be afraid of contacting me and find yourself in a worse situation."

"I think I understand what you mean." She tightly hugs him as she asks, "How can I ever thank you for all of your time, patience, care, and comfort you've given me over the years and especially during the last few weeks?"

"Without intending to argue with you, I can never thank you enough for being willing to spend time with a lonely boring old man and, on top of that, to share your physical affection with me."

She almost interrupts his last words as she thoroughly kisses him. When their breathing is closer to normal, she tells him, "I don't want to send you away, but it might be best if you go before I want to really express my gratitude to you."

His eyes open wide in surprise, then he tightly hugs her, whispers in her ear, "You're so precious to me," pushes himself back, turns, and quickly walks away.

She almost calls out to him, then walks to the door and seems to automatically lock it before she leans on it and wishes she could telepathically call him back into her arms. Eventually, she calms down and reminds herself that she really is trying to act like an adult so she gets herself ready for bed. Her new pillow is a poor substitute for him as she tightly hugs it then she tries to concentrate on her memory of his words which encourage her and his hug which so wonderfully comforts her.

Chapter 15

This morning, Ilena feels some pride in herself at spending the night in a strange place when all of her remembered life was spent in the Order's dormitory. Although she was assigned to help in the kitchen in the past, she's never had to prepare a meal for herself and would like to have a little training before she attempts it on her own. With that thought in mind, she gets dressed and goes to the cafeteria. She's initially disappointed that Chet isn't there then guesses he's already at work.

After breakfast, she stops by his office, but before she can even ask if he's available, Karina quickly gets up from her desk, gently holds her arms, and asks, "Are you okay after what happened last night?"

Since she's surprised at the sincere question, it takes her a moment to respond, "Yes. When it was all done, Chet stayed with me for awhile and helped me to calm down."

"That's good. I know he was concerned about you, but he didn't want to wake you up if you decided to sleep in. If that had happened to me, I would probably still be in bed with the covers tightly pulled over my head."

"Well, between Chet being there and the Constable quickly arriving, nothing really happened to me other than having to listen to that person make inappropriate comments."

"I'm so glad. I know he wants to see you, but he's currently in a teleconference which probably shouldn't be interrupted," she winks then continues, "unless you want to claim it's an emergency."

Ilena grins before she responds, "I think I'll save the emergency for something a little more serious."

Karina returns her grin as she agrees, "That's probably wise. Now remember, if I or any of the other staff can help you with something, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you. . . . I don't mean to sound insensitive, but why are you so interested in my welfare and in helping me. I hope Chet didn't make it an order or something."

"Of course not. He would never do something like that. It's that, . . . well, he's a good boss, but he's been lonely for so long that it's kind of depressing and it affects the attitude in the office. I certainly don't mean to sound like I'm blaming him. We all have our days where we're somewhat out of sorts, but he hasn't had much joy in life for a long time, . . . until you started to pay attention to him. It was slow at first, but you really have made a big difference in his life and we appreciate it, not just for the office atmosphere, but especially for his benefit. And don't think I'm intending to put any pressure on you, but I do want you to understand the positive affect you have on him."

"Oh, thank you. I guess I didn't recognize that since I'm more aware of the very positive affect he has on me."

"That's good. If you each think the other is more helpful to you than you are to them, then you're both more likely to work harder to help the other person and you'll both benefit from the effort."

"I hadn't thought about it from that perspective, but it does make sense."

"Of course, none of us can perfectly apply the idea, but if we don't have a goal to aim for, we'll never get anywhere. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spend all of your time gossiping."

"That's okay, because I'm not sure what my status is."

"That reminds me, we're coordinating with Mother Superior's office to work out some details to clarify what your status and job situation is. Along those lines," she turns and picks up a small box from her desk and hands it to her as she explains, "This is a personal communicator which has been assigned to you. There are some basic instructions inside, but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to stop by and ask. You can also check with the Communications Office and they can provide you with a self-study course which goes into more detail."

"Oh. Thank you. I guess I never thought about having a personal communicator before. I'm just used to using the standard ones in the dormitory and on the farm. I'm not sure why I would need a personal communicator."

Karina winks and suggests, "How about to make a lunch appointment with Chet?"

Her eyes briefly widen in surprise then she grins and hugs Karina as she says, "You've just convinced me. Thank you so much."

"It was my pleasure. Now go on before I decide to have you help me with my work."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And don't 'ma'am' me or I'll box your ears."

Ilena returns her grin as she responds, "Thanks, Karina."

"That's better," and gently pushes her towards the door.

Since she's not sure what to do with herself since her next set of classes won't start for a few days, she returns to her quarters to see if she can learn to use her personal communicator. She carefully studies the instructions and when she thinks she understands, she hesitates then calls Karina and explains that she doesn't want to interrupt her but that she's practicing using her phone. Karina responds with a warm, "Good for you. Bye."

A few minutes later, she's surprised to hear a noise from her personal communicator. She looks at it and sees an icon flashing. After she quickly looks at the instructions, she touches the icon and a written message appears, "I'm so glad you're doing okay and that you're learning how to use your personal communicator. I only have a couple of minutes between meetings, but if you're free, I would like to meet you for lunch at the cafeteria. Hopefully, I can be there by 1215, but if I'm going to be late, I'll let you know. Take care, Chet."

She feels a warm glow and looks forward to seeing him, then she slightly frowns at his almost formal message. A little later, she realizes that even when they're alone, he's careful about how he verbally expresses his affection towards her, but when he hugs and kisses her, she feels like she halfway melts as she remembers how his arms and lips feel. She shakes her head in an attempt to distract her from those thoughts. Since there's plenty of time before lunch, she decides to visit her friends at the farm.

* * * * *

Ilena is waiting outside of the cafeteria before the agreed to time then stands up and smiles as she sees Chet approach. He quickly returns her smile and keeps their hug brief before he guides her inside. After they start to eat, he cautiously asks, "How are you doing?"

"I'm good. Your long hug and gentle kisses last night really helped me to feel safe, loved, and relaxed to where I almost forget about the situation. Karina was very kind and encouraging this morning and then I spent some time with Regit and my other friends at the farm. It almost seems like the situation last night was an unpleasant scene from a movie I watched."

"That's good, very good."

When they're almost done eating, she says, "Chet, I don't want you to feel obligated or anything, but if you could visit me this evening and give me another dose of your magic cure, I would greatly appreciate it."

He briefly looks at her with a puzzled expression, but when her lips form the shape of a kiss, his eyes widen in surprise before he grins and says, "I wouldn't call it a magic cure, but I would greatly enjoy selfishly receiving your shared affection."

Before she can respond, he frowns, pulls out his personal communicator and says, "This is Chet. . . . Give me a few minutes to finish eating and I'll be over. . . . Thanks, Constable."

She hesitates then asks, "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know. He didn't say that anything was wrong, but he did want to discuss something with me. From his tone of voice, I suspect he's learned something which may become a problem. I'll just have to go see. I'm sorry to put a damper on our pleasant time together."

"Please don't feel sorry. I suspect you have an important job and I'm glad you take it seriously. I think I would have a hard time being able to respect you if you just goofed off because I know I wouldn't appreciate it if someone didn't take their job seriously if they had to take care of my friends on the farm."

"Thank you and I appreciate your thought process. If we expect those who we have to deal with to take their jobs seriously when we need their help, then we should be just as serious about our jobs when they need our help. Thank you, young lady, that's a better approach than trying to convince people to do their job with pride simply because they ought to. Now you've given me another reason to spend time with you." His wink suggests that he prefers the reason she gave him for inviting him to visit.

They're soon done eating and after they step out of the cafeteria, they briefly hug as he whispers in her ear, "I hope to see you this evening," gives her a quick kiss on the cheek, and walks towards the detention facility. As she watches him walk away, she wishes he wasn't so proper about how he treats her in public, but then she realizes he's more concerned about treating her with respect than just taking advantage of her. And if he didn't treat her the way he does, she would probably not feel as safe with him.

Chapter 16

Chet steps into the detention center and one of the deputies tells him, "The Chief is in his office."

"Thank you." He steps over, knocks on the open door, notices that the Constable is listening to his communicator, then steps in and closes the door when the Constable waves him in.

After he puts his communicator down, he tells Chet, "Thank you for coming over, sir. I suspect we're going to have some trouble with the military regarding Captain Stilson and I would like to have a second opinion."

"What happened?"

"Rather than try to relate it, let me play the recorded conversation. I contacted the military and asked them to put me in touch with the Captain's superior officer and was directed to a Major. After I briefly explained who I was, I said," he pushes a button to playback the recorded conversation:

"I would like to inform you that I have Captain Stilson in custody."

"What did he do now?"

"He was found to have broken into a young woman's quarters and threatened her with rape. Although he didn't use the specific term, what he did say made it clear that was his intent and it has already been confirmed by a panel of judges."

"Damn. Well, find out how much the parents of the young woman will accept in order to drop the charges."

"That's not possible because the young woman is a member of a religious order."

"Oh. That's bad. . . . That's really bad. That idiot! Why did he have to do something like that?"

"He claimed he was on a mission but was unwilling to voluntarily say who ordered him on the mission. Did you order him to break into a young woman's quarters and threaten her with rape?"

"I did no such thing. However, if I don't get him back, I'm going to be in big trouble. . . . Constable, in an effort to save us both some trouble, I suggest you release Captain Stilson and then we'll do whatever we can to sooth the ruffled feathers of the religious order's leaders."

"Major, are you suggesting that I release someone who was caught in the act of committing a crime?"

"I'm recommending that you do so in order to avoid more trouble."

"That sounds like a threat."

"Constable, I didn't intend it that way, but any time somebody has attempted to prosecute Captain Stilson, they've regretted it."

"Is his daddy the admiral of the fleet or something?"

"I really don't know. All I know is that he seems to be untouchable and I've been trying to get him transferred out of my unit so I don't have to keep dealing with his indiscretions, but I haven't been successful."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'm not sorry to say that you've encouraged me to prosecute Captain Stilson to the full extent of the law and if there are negative repercussions, then I will do all I can to hold the military, as a whole, responsible for how it allows one of it's so-called 'officers and gentlemen' to disobey the law they are sworn to uphold."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Constable. I admire your courage, but you've been warned. Good-bye."

After a brief pause, the Constable asks, "Well, sir, what do you think of that?"

Chet shakes his head before he responds, "If that's the kind of attitudes our military encourages because it doesn't stop them, I have to wonder how much longer our civilization will last before the military leaders decide to start carving out their own kingdoms."

"I hadn't thought that far out, but from what the Major said, I would expect an attempt by the military to forcibly remove Captain Stilson from custody. I doubt if the Major would order something like that, but as soon as he reports the situation, somebody's going to make that decision."

"I have to agree with you. If we were to remove the Captain to another location, is there some way for them to track or locate him?"

"I've heard that some of the senior officers have some sort of a device installed to find them. I don't know if it has worked its way down to Captains or if Stilson is maybe a 'special' case. I didn't think to ask him when I was questioning him although there is the possibility that it was installed without his knowledge. We didn't find anything when we examined him but we might not be able to detect it electronically until it's activated."

"I'm not intending to insult you or to question your process, but just to confirm, were you able to record the conversation with the Captain when we found him in Ilena's quarters?"

The Constable grins and answers, "Both audio and visual."

"Excellent. Why don't you have one of your deputies coordinate with the local communications office to put together a 'breaking news' story which includes the Captain as well as the response from the Major and we'll get it out to the planetary media and send a burst transmission out to the powers that be. It won't get there and be acted on before a probable assault is made to free the Captain, but it might embarrass the military enough to find out who is covering up the Captain's crimes."

"That sounds like fun. I'll check with the nearby communities to see if I can borrow a deputy or two to help defend the detention center."

"Um, I would prefer not to put anybody else in danger. However, if we move the Captain away from the community, then a deputy can 'welcome' the assault team and say he or she has no idea where the Captain is. At the same time, we can record the entire event for another 'breaking news' story. I'll go ahead and contact the main communications center in the capital to see if they have the equipment to monitor the military's communication channels and to let us know if they hear anything."

"That's a good idea. Would you care to make a guess as to when they might schedule a 'jail break'?"

"I can't imagine they would try something before this evening when they think they might increase the surprise factor under the cover of darkness as well as reduce the potential number of witnesses. Of course, that assumes they have standing orders to free the Captain or that the one who is calling the shots is currently on the planet. If they have to request orders from off planet, that could take a few days."

Chet briefly pauses then continues, "I was trying to remember who the commanding officer is for the military detachment which is on the planet, but they recently rotated units. Let me try to contact the unit and see if I can nip this in the bud, but let's move forward with our other plans in case I don't have any success. . . . Constable, I really appreciate your help and enthusiasm in dealing with this situation."

"Without intending to diminish your appreciation, sir, but not only is it my duty, it offends my sense of honor that military officers can think they are above the law and not be held responsible for the crimes they commit. Not only that, but this is my community and I take it personally when somebody tries to hurt the people in this community, especially a child or a young woman."

"I feel much the same way, but that doesn't stop me from recognizing what you're doing and being grateful for it. Thank you, Constable and if you can pass on my gratitude to your team, I would appreciate it."

"I'll be happy to. Well, wish us luck and hopefully we'll get this situation resolved in the near future."

"I fully agree. If you need me or some authorization, don't hesitate to call."

"Will do, sir."

They share a grin and a salute before Chet steps out of the office to start contacting people.

Chapter 17

By the end of the afternoon when he and the Constable compare notes, Chet is a little concerned that he's been unable to contact the on-planet commanding officer. That convinces him they need to release the 'breaking news' story to the media before the typical evening newscast. The Constable assures him that everything else is either done or on schedule and encourages him to relax for the evening.

With the Constable's words fresh on his mind, Chet meets Ilena at the cafeteria for dinner before they go to her quarters where he answers her questions and asks if she needs anything else in the way of supplies to help her get settled and feel comfortable in her quarters. When her questions have been answered and they've made a list of supplies, they make some tea and sit at the table while they talk about whatever crosses their minds, except for anything related to yesterday evening's event.

She sets her empty tea cup down and says, "There is one thing I thought of that would make me feel more comfortable in my quarters."

He asks, "What's that?" as he reaches for the list. His eyebrows rise in surprise when she pulls the list out of his hand and puts it aside.

"That you hug and kiss me."

His eyes briefly open wider in surprise before he starts to grin and responds, "It shall be my great pleasure to assist you in that manner."

She has to smile at his somewhat formal response then reluctantly waits long enough for them to take care of their empty tea cups and make quick bathroom trips before they move to her small sofa. As she sits on his upper legs perpendicular to him, she already feels herself start to relax. Soon, her feeling of comfort begins to grow even though he simply and snugly hugs her right side to his chest.

In a little while, his right hand begins to move to caress her left forearm then he gently pulls her right forearm away from his body to fully caress it. Slowly, his caresses expand to include all of her left arm except where he might also accidentally touch her torso then he does the same to her right arm. While he continues to caress her arms in various ways such that she can detect no clear pattern to his movements, his left hand begins to caress her shirt covered back from her waist to the top of her head and from side to side.

Since the sensations of his touch blend into an ongoing feeling of comfort, she guesses that he's slowly caressed every square inch of her back with his left hand at least four or five times before his right hand extends its caresses up onto her shoulder and to her head. A little later, his right hand slightly moves her head so his lips can begin to kiss her face with occasional soft kisses to her lips. She's never experienced anything so . . . delicate and she isn't sure how to respond other than to enjoy it and try to return his kisses just as softly.

She's not sure what is making her become more aware of her surroundings then she wonders how come she isn't simply melted. Eventually, her bladder gets through to her conscious mind, but she's sure she hasn't been enjoying his gentle caresses long enough for her bladder to be a problem. That seems to assure her that more time has passed than she's aware of and her bladder promises distinct unpleasantness if it's not take care of soon.

Reluctantly, they get up to take turns in the bathroom and realize they could use another drink. As they sip their tea, they make an effort to calmly talk and she wonders how he can almost passively sit there while she has to struggle in order to not react to the sparks which seem to zip between them. After they rinse out their empty cups, they return to the small sofa and are soon settled.

She doesn't want to seem too pushy and request that he kiss her more thoroughly, so she waits a little while and just before she's about to speak, he asks, "May I touch your lower legs?"

Although the question is totally unexpected, she quickly recovers and assures him, "Based on how I've responded to all of your previous touches, I encourage you to touch all of me."

He pauses with his own surprise then says, "Not yet, lovely lady. Well, since you want me to touch all of you then I think I can safely assume that includes your lower legs."

"Chet, you don't have to assume. When I say I want you to touch all of me, that's what I mean. I'm beginning to wonder if you have selective hearing or something."

"I probably do in some areas, but, in this case, your request that I touch all of you is so far outside of my realm of experience that it's too wonderful for me to fathom or to understand. Although I have no intention of sounding like I disbelieve you, I am a little concerned that you don't understand what might be involved when you request that I touch all of you."

"Maybe I don't fully understand all of it, but I do fully understand that I completely trust you and know you will never do anything to intentionally harm me." She watches his eyes open in surprise before she asks, "Now, are we going to talk all evening or are you going to touch me? Or are you waiting for your arms to grow so you can touch my lower legs?"

He grins in response and while he holds her snugly to him with his left arm, his right hand reaches over and, with her active cooperation, he guides her feet closer so she's sitting in a somewhat cross-legged position. A moment later, he asks, "Is that a comfortable position for you?"

"It will be more comfortable when you start to touch me."

"Young lady, I'm beginning to think you have a one track mind."

"Considering how much I enjoy how you touch me, why would I want another track in my mind to distract me?"

He shakes his head in apparent disbelief even as she thinks he's trying to hide his grin of delight. His right hand begins to caress her left arm for a little while before his left hand returns to caressing her back all over. Then his right hand reaches out and begins to caress her legs all over from her feet to her knees. He has to pay more attention to how he caresses her lower legs so he doesn't unintentionally pull up her loose pants legs and directly caress her skin, at least not now.

When his right hand moves back up to caress her left arm and her face, he can relax his attention some and redirect it to start kissing her a little more intently. Apparently, she was just waiting for him to lead the way because she seems to eagerly respond to his kisses. Unintentionally, that makes it more difficult for him to turn his attention away in order to caress her lower legs some more.

Soon, it seems like his caresses and kisses blend together to produce an ongoing feeling of contentment, comfort, and enjoyment inside of her until she's not sure she can describe how he's touching her at any given moment. Eventually, she seems to be slightly more aware then realizes his caresses have become less extensive and his kisses less intense while she feels so relaxed and safe and everything wonderful that she's almost surprised she hasn't dissolved into . . . she's not sure how to describe it. She's not as weakly relaxed as she was yesterday evening, but this relaxation feels more . . . complete, or full, or something without being debilitating as a reaction to stress.

Again, she's greatly surprised at how much time has passed since she needs to use the bathroom. She remembers how a few of her female college classmates would tease her and her follow sisters in training about what they would be missing out on after they took their vows which included celibacy. And some of them were not shy about the details they would describe. Yet, she doesn't remember ever hearing one of them describe that their male friend would spend so much time to gently touch them.

They take another break for a cup of tea and neither of them can seem to think of something to talk about while they both have to make the effort to sip their tea instead of gulp it down. When they return to her small sofa, she can feel herself relax more as well as feel anticipation begin to build inside of her before he even gets his arms around her. She notices him begin to stretch out his right hand and she quickly pulls her feet up closer to sit cross-legged while his hand seems to hang in mid-air as though it's surprised at her move.

A moment or so later, his right hand lowers and begins to caress her all over her lower legs through her loose pants. Shortly after that, his left hand starts to caress her back. An unknown amount of time later, his right hand moves up to caress her left arm. A moment or so later, her right hand lifts to turn his head and even though he's surprised at her move, he quickly responds to her thorough kiss.

Soon, they seem to be lost in a world of kisses and caresses. When his right hand is caressing around her head and left shoulder, she lifts her left hand to caress his right arm. The first time it happens, he breaks the kiss to turn and briefly stare at what she's doing. As he seems to accept that she's willing to touch him in a manner similar to how he's touching her, he turns his head back to her and she gladly responds to the increased fervor of his kisses.

She isn't sure what happened or even when it happened, but she eventually becomes aware that he's been guiding the kisses to become less intense while his caresses slow down and become softer. At first, she's not sure whether to be disappointed or not. As she feels herself sink into a feeling of comfort and security and love which almost seems intense, she knows she could happily fall asleep right here in his arms.

His words, "I suppose I ought to quit taking advantage of your willingness to let me touch you and leave so you have the time to have a good night's sleep," have a definite tone of reluctance to them as though he's saying what he thinks he ought to say rather than what he wants to say. A couple of moments later, she wonders if he had somehow heard her thoughts.

It takes her a little longer to verbally respond, "One of these days, I'm going to convince you that I really do want you so much that you'll gladly stay and hug me all night long so I really do have a good night's sleep."

Although her eyes are closed while she's snuggled in his embrace, she can 'see' his eyes open wide in surprise then he pauses a little longer before he seems to agree without making a promise, "One of these days."

Several more minutes pass before either of them move and after they stand up, they're almost immediately in each other's arms as though their separation during the time it took them to stand up was too much for them to endure. He relaxes his embrace just enough for them to turn their heads and as their lips find each other's, the intensity of his kiss almost blows her away. She doesn't know what the proper term might be, but she knows he wants her, he really wants her, yet he won't take advantage of her and that awareness makes her weak-kneed and she almost trembles with the indefinable feeling she feels growing inside of her.

Apparently, he's aware of her condition so he breaks the kiss and while they both pant for breath, he partially guides and partially lifts her to lay down on her small sofa. With unbelievable tenderness in consideration of the feelings which are surging within them and between them, he gently places a hand on her cheek, says, "I have to leave," turns, swiftly walks to the door, briefly turns back to look at her, steps out, and the door locks behind him.

Chapter 18

Chet steps into his own quarters and washes his face in cold water in an attempt to calm down. He can't believe the intensity of the feelings which surge through him towards her that Ilena seems to inspire. He's never experienced anything like this before and while it's wonderful, it's also very frightening for him to think he might lose control and unintentionally hurt her.

When he thinks he has a handle on his emotions and can function in a logical and reasonable manner, he contacts the Constable who assures him that everything is ready and that he's encouraged his deputies to rest and relax as much as possible since there's no clear information that something is going to happen or when it will happen. Chet then calls a co-worker who is keeping an eye on the military base which is adjacent to the planetary capital and they report there's a little unusual activity, but not enough to indicate what it is. After he thanks them, he fixes a cup of tea with a little brandy in it, settles down in his chair, picks up a book, and attempts to relax.

He knows he should just go to bed and let the Constable and others handle the situation if it develops, but something about it disturbs him, especially since it was directed towards Ilena which he suspects was a back door approach to hurt him. He knows he's not a very personable or friendly individual, but he can't think of anyone who would dislike him enough to want to hurt Ilena. Of course, it could be somebody he doesn't even know who didn't like one of his decisions. Since he knows such speculation will only result in frustration and no knowledge, he does his best to set those thoughts aside in order to briefly escape reality in the pages of his book.

Chet is starting to doze off when his communicator alerts him and he quickly answers. His co-worker tells him, "A mission in about to be launched. It's being listed as a training exercise, but the assigned squad is being issued live ammunition which is not normal for a 'training exercise'. The flight plan is straight to your station with an ETA of two hours. They could arrive sooner than that if they want to burn fuel, but I suspect they'll keep it to a typical training exercise speed to reduce unwanted attention."

"Thank you so much for keeping an eye on them and for letting me know. I'll pass the word on to the Constable."

"Ah, shucks, boss, I'm just doing my job."

"That may be true to a degree, but I still appreciate it."

"You're welcome. To change the subject some, when are you going to bring Ilena for a visit?"

"You're a busybody." He only hears laughter in response. "To be honest, I hadn't really thought about it. I also don't want to put pressure on her in case I'm letting my interest influence what I perceive is her interest."

"Come on, boss, you need to relax more and just go with the flow. Or as they used to say, 'let it all hang out'."

"That might gross her out."

"I don't know about that. From the rumors I've been hearing, she really likes you."

"And who's been talking to you?"

"Nobody. But a lot of people up there are talking to each other about you two."

"And you've got your fingers in all of the pies and your ears to the wires."

"Of course. That's a part of my job and it's also why you pay me those big bucks."

"That reminds me, maybe I ought to order a can of that special oil for your next lube job."

"Oh, you do know how to bribe a guy. . . . Sorry to interrupt our pleasant conversation, but the 'training exercise' just lifted off and is headed your way."

"Thank you. I'd better make sure the welcoming committee is ready for our 'guests'."

"Boss?"

"Yes?"

"Keep your head down and let the Constable handle it."

"I'll try."

"Be like Avis, whatever that was, and trying harder."

"I'll talk to you later," and he disconnects the call. After he takes the last swallow of his tea, Chet calls the Constable and fills him in on the new status. He sets an alarm and tries to relax enough to take a nap.

* * * * *

It's a little less than two hours later when the alarm rings and wakes Chet from his sleep. While a cup of tea brews, he turns his computer on and accesses the security monitors at the detention center. He's just finished fixing his tea when the audio sensors register the sound of an approaching older style rotating wing vertical landing air vehicle. Apparently, the vehicle lands outside of the visual range of the standard optical monitors, but the infrared monitors show a squad of soldiers quickly get out of the vehicle. They spread out as they rush towards the front of the building while they zigzag and try to stay as low as possible as though they expect incoming fire to erupt at any moment.

They're soon lined up along the front of the detention building on either side of the front door. The Sergeant in charge orders, "Blow the door."

One of the soldiers slips up to the door and as he begins to place an explosive over the lock, the door moves. His eyes widen in surprise then he deliberately moves the door a little further and quietly exclaims, "It's not locked."

The Sergeant asks in surprise, "It's not?"

"No."

He chuckles then says, "The country bumpkins aren't expecting us. This will make it easier. Let's invite ourselves in."

The Sergeant leads the way in and only sees someone at the reception desk. Before he can say anything, the deputy at the desk looks up and says, "Good morning, gentlemen. The Chief is currently out of his office, but is expected to return at 0800 or if you would like to make an appointment, I can set you up because I'm sure the Chief would be more than happy to meet with you."

Since this is a totally unexpected development, it takes the Sergeant a moment or two to respond, "Shut up! Now, where is Captain Stilson?"

"He's not here."

"What do you mean, he's not here. We were informed that he's in custody here."

"Oh, he's in custody, but not here."

The Sergeant struggles to control his rising anger and asks, "Then where is he?"

"I haven't got a clue. They didn't tell me where they were taking him."

Somehow he knows the deputy is telling the truth, then says, "Maybe so, but we'll still check this place out."

"Be my guest. The detention cells are through that door," as he points.

With an almost growl, the Sergeant says, "We know the layout of the building," and sends half of his squad to check out the detention cells while the others maintain a watch on the doors.

They soon return and report, "Sarge, the Captain's not here."

"Great. Well, let's see if that transponder thing works. I hope they don't decide to put one of those things in me."

One of the soldiers slowly moves a device with an antenna in a slow arc then makes some adjustments and reports, "The Captain's transponder is approximately two miles in that direction. According to the charts, it's mostly forest with no clearings identified which are large enough for the air vehicle."

"Great. Well, let me tell the pilot we have a delay, but may need a quick lift once we locate the Captain."

As they walk out the door, the deputy calls out, "Have a nice day."

The Sergeant growls, "Yeah, right. At this rate, this snafu is going to turn into a real fubar. Alright, troops, let's prove why they call us the 'inFOOTry'."

As soon as the soldiers are out the door, the deputy calls the Constable, says, "They're on their way," and returns to the puzzle he was working on.

Chapter 19

When the soldiers are out of range of the detention center's video and audio recorders, Chet gets up from his desk to make a bathroom trip and to brew a cup of tea. He knows the Constable will monitor the progress of the soldiers and he feels somewhat sorry for them to put forth so much effort and at the risk of being labeled criminals simply because their superiors have acted without honor and integrity.

As he returns to his computer, he's curious as to what kind of surprise the Constable has planned since there wasn't time to discuss it especially since they couldn't predict all of the details of how the 'training mission' was going to proceed. He accesses the remote monitors the Constable and his deputies set up earlier with the help of the communications team at the location where they are keeping the Captain under guard after they moved him from the detention center.

A few minutes later, the audio sensors pick up the sounds of people moving through the forest. As carefully as the soldiers move to reduce the noise they make, the thick undergrowth makes it impossible for them to move silently in the dark unless they want to take hours to move the remaining few hundred yards. They slow down as they get closer to the Captain's transponder then spread out in an arc to approach the position from several angles since they assume the Captain is being guarded. Slowly, they advance until they're almost at the edge of a small clearing.

The ambient light is just bright enough to show only a large dark shape near the center of the clearing. They scan the clearing with night vision scopes and can see that the shape is a rock and there are no visible humans, neither the Captain nor any guards. As quietly as he can, the Sergeant asks, "Where's the Captain?"

"According to the transponder signal, the Captain is on that rock. Either somebody removed his transponder or they somehow figured out how to duplicate the signal or the Captain was transformed into a rock."

"There's no need to come up with ridiculous ideas like that. Pass the word to the others to carefully scan the clearing and the adjacent forest to identify any human life signs. If we can't detect any, we'll go check out the transponder to see which of your other guesses is right."

A few minutes later, the soldiers are gathered at the rock and have to use a flashlight to clearly see that the Captain's transponder is sitting on a piece of paper which has writing on it. After the transponder is placed in a plastic bag to be checked in a laboratory, the Sergeant picks up the paper and reads it with his flashlight. When they see him frown, one of the soldiers asks, "Sarge, what does it says?"

He hesitates then reads it, "To the soldiers who are looking for Captain Stilson. You are hereby informed that you are under arrest for attempting to remove a criminal from lawful incarceration. If you voluntarily lay down your weapons, walk due north, and submit to the local authorities, it will have a positive effect on your sentencing on the basis that you were following orders, even if they are illegal orders. If you do not lay down your weapons in the next few minutes, then you will be changed as an accessory after the fact with Captain Stilson's crimes which includes attempted rape. If you attempt to escape using your weapons, the consequences will be on your own heads."

The clearing is silent for several heartbeats, then the Sergeant hears something familiar, turns, and asks, "Jensen, what in the hell are you doing?"

"I'm giving myself up. I'm not going to take the rap for the Captain's crimes. If he had tried to rape my girlfriend, I would have killed the bastard."

"But we don't know that the Captain is actually guilty."

"Come on, Sarge, you know the Captain's reputation as well as any of us. Not only that, but if he's not guilty, then why are we sneaking around trying to 'rescue' him. If he is truly innocent, that will be revealed in a legal court."

"Maybe the Captain does have a reputation, but the Colonel always gets him loose. If you leave, don't be surprised when you're facing a court-martial."

"I'd rather face a court-martial then an automatic death sentence."

One of the other soldiers asks, "What do you mean by that?"

"Didn't you listen to the orientation which was given to you about being stationed on this planet? If a person is proven guilty, there are several crimes which require the guilty person to be put to death and attempted rape is one of them."

"Holy shit!" He starts to take off his weapons.

The Sergeant orders, "Stop, you idiots. Do you really think the military is going to allow some little village to murder its troops when they're unarmed without some serious consequences. I'm sure we're just the first attempt to rescue Captain Stilson. It wouldn't surprise me if the officers are already making plans to wipe the village off of the planet if they don't release Captain Stilson. . . . Jensen, where are you going?"

"If that's what the military is planning to do in order to avoid someone having to take responsibility for their actions, then it has no honor or integrity and I want no part of it." He walks off.

After he looks around at the others, the Sergeant asks, "What about you guys?"

"Um, what are you going to do, Sarge?"

"I'm going to contact the pilot to pick us up." He turns his radio on then quickly turns the volume down to blunt the burst of static which erupts from the speaker. "Damn. They must be jamming the signal. In that case, since they want us to go north, I'm going south and see if I can circle around to the air vehicle. If it's not there, I'll contact the base for other transportation." He starts to walk off and two of the soldiers briefly hesitate before they start to follow.

"GGGRRROOOAAARRR!!!!"

They quickly return to the rock as one of them asks, "Wh . . . what was that?"

"I . . . I don't know, but it came from the south."

A moment later, the three soldiers who had indecisively stayed at the rock, waste no time as they drop their weapons and run north.

The Sergeant watches them go then growls, "I ought to just shoot them." He turns back to face the south, "Come on, you guys, we have enough fire power to blow up a dinosaur."

One of the remaining soldiers says, "I don't remember anyone saying they have dinosaurs here like they did at our last posting."

"They don't. But if we could take care of the dinosaurs there, there's nothing here that can stop us." The Sergeant and his two remaining solders spread out a little to provide more angles of attack and begin to walk south.

Moments later, the Sergeant catches movement out of his peripheral vision, turns, and sees one of his soldiers stumble and fall. He quickly moves closer then turns back with the intent to call his other soldier over to help when he sees him collapse. He cautiously stands up with his rifle ready and looks all around but can't find a target. A moment later, he feels a sting and is barely able to proclaim, "Ah, shit!" before he loses consciousness.

As Chet stands up to stretch then turns his computer off, he can't stop himself from chuckling over how the Constable managed to capture the soldiers without any injuries. Since he knows the Constable and his deputies will be busy with transporting the soldiers and booking them into the detention center and doesn't want to interrupt them, he sends a written message to them and congratulates them on a job well done.

He takes a few moments to consider the Sergeant's comment that it is the unit's Colonel who has been getting Captain Stilson off of the hook which is consistent with some other information he's received. Since he's been up most of the night and knows he isn't going to be thinking clearly, he gets ready for bed and lets his sub-conscious mind consider who to contact in an attempt to make the Colonel take responsibility for his crimes.

Chapter 20

Ilena was tempted last night to just stay on the small sofa and sleep there after Chet had left, but it's not as comfortable as her new bed so she had managed to get ready for bed and barely had to remember his hugs and kisses before she fell deeply asleep. As she wakes up this morning, she makes no effort to stop her smile and is tempted to dance through her morning routine. Not that she knows how to dance, but that's how she feels.

She goes to the cafeteria for breakfast and finds it's buzzing with the news that the Constable and his deputies captured some soldiers during the night who were attempting to remove Captain Stilson from the detention center and had even captured the air vehicle which had brought the soldiers. She suspects there's more to the story because the military couldn't have defended some of the planets in the past if they were as ineffective as people are making it sound.

After she finishes her breakfast, she goes over to Chet's office and is surprised he's not there and has even taken the morning off. Karina assures her that Chet is fine but had stayed up late to watch how the Constable and his deputies had taken care of the soldiers and decided to get some sleep so he can function properly. With a wink, Karina suggests that Chet will probably like to see her for lunch if something doesn't interfere.

She grins in response then goes over to the college to make an appointment with the dean to review her transcript and to determine what other classes she may need to take in order to be awarded a degree. Once that is taken care of, she walks over to the farm and spends some extra time with Regit and her other friends.

* * * * *

Ilena is waiting in front of the cafeteria and is looking in the direction of Chet's office to watch for him when she feels a tap on her shoulder and a voice says, "Hello, lovely lady, may I invite you to lunch or were you waiting for someone?"

She turns before the question is half asked, practically throws herself into Chet's arms to hug him, barely restrains herself from thoroughly kissing him, and answers, "You." They half release the hug and with arms around each other, they step into the cafeteria, get their food, and settle down at a table before she asks, "Since you weren't coming from your office, where were you?"

"I was over at the detention center to congratulate the Constable and his deputies on how well they kept Captain Stilson in custody and captured the soldiers which were sent to help him escape. And they did it without anybody being injured, well, other than their pride."

"A lot of people were talking about that this morning at breakfast, but I have to wonder how accurate the rumors are."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, I don't mean to insult anybody, but it sounded like the soldiers were bumbling idiots. I can't imagine they were that inefficient if they're responsible for the defense of our colonies and established worlds."

Chet briefly chuckles before he says, "No, they're not that inefficient, but the Constable received advance warning so he had time to prepare. Not only that, but the Constable and a couple of his deputies used to be in the military so they had some knowledge of how the soldiers would most likely operate and were able to plan around that."

"Oh, that makes more sense."

"Plus, they had a little help."

When he doesn't say more, she hesitates then asks, "What kind of help?"

"The soldiers were following illegal orders and if they continued, they would be charged as accessories to the Captain's crimes. Once they were made fully aware of those facts, one of the soldiers quickly gave himself up and some of the other soldiers were hesitant to continue. Apparently, Regit added her own voice to the argument which quickly convinced the hesitant soldiers to give up."

"Regit? How could she use her voice to convince them?"

"She was standing in the direction in which the soldiers were starting to move and she roared."

Ilena briefly stares at him then chuckles before she says, "Yes, I can imagine that would be rather convincing."

"Since more than half of the soldiers had given up, it was less of a problem for the Constable and his deputies to capture the last of the soldiers."

"Thank you for explaining. Is that why you took the morning off to sleep in because you were up late to be with the Constable?"

"No, I didn't want to get in the way of his work. But I did watch the operation because the communications team helped the Constable set up security monitors to record what happened."

"Really?"

He nods his head then answers, "Yes. The Constable wanted to provide clear evidence which could be used in court."

"I'm glad I haven't done anything wrong to get the Constable after me."

"Then let's hope he doesn't think you're distracting me too much from doing my job."

Her eyes widen in almost shock then she notices that he's trying to hide his grin. Soon, her own grin shines forth. A moment later, she suggests, "If I asked the Constable, he might tell me that I'm not distracting you enough."

Chet's eyes quickly widen in surprise before he returns her smile and says, "Now that I think about it a little more, he probably would do that."

They have to make the effort to finish their meal instead of just look at each other. As they walk back towards his office, she asks, "How much time do I have to distract you before somebody needs to talk to you?"

"I don't know since I haven't been to my office yet to look over my calendar."

They don't make it to his office before Karina says with a smile, "You've got fifteen minutes to spare before you need to get ready for your next meeting," while she points a thumb towards his office door.

He briefly stares at her while she and Ilena share grins. Ilena gently pushes on him before he shakes his head and steps into his office and he barely gets the door closed before she thoroughly kisses him. As he quickly responds, he almost moans at the passion of her kiss and the desire which seems to surge into him. It seems like no time has passed before there's a discrete knock on the door and they force themselves to each take a small step back while they pant for breath.

When his breathing has mostly settled, he quietly says, "Thank you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you sharing your affection with me. I also want to thank you for not wearing makeup."

She was about to respond when his last sentence stops her. Since she's puzzled by that, she asks, "Why are you glad I don't wear makeup?"

"Because then I don't have to worry about washing off lipstick before I have my next meeting."

She returns his smile but before she can say more, he's gently guiding her to the door. She quickly asks, "Can we meet for dinner?"

He briefly hesitates then says, "If you want and if nothing comes up to interfere."

"I very much want, especially if you're willing to share your dessert of affection with me afterwards." She gives him a quick kiss and is out the door. He hears her say, "Thanks, Karina," and doesn't hear Karina's response of, "It was my pleasure," while he's trying to figure out what Ilena could possibly mean. Or, maybe, he's having a hard time trying to believe she could really mean what she said.

Chapter 21

Ilena is on her way to the cafeteria when she receives a written message on her personal communicator. It takes her a couple of moments to remember how to access it then is surprised to see it's from Karina. She reads, "Chet says he's running late and encourages you to go on to dinner. I suggest you come here and we'll encourage him to go to dinner." After she reads it a second time, she's still puzzled by Karina's message and decides it will be easier to walk over and ask her rather than to take the time to puzzle out how to respond with her own written message.

Soon, she's sitting in the chair which Karina waved her into and says, "I'm not sure I understand your message. I certainly don't want to interrupt him, nor do I want to interfere with him being able to do his job, especially if it will get him into trouble."

"You don't need to worry about that. Besides, he sometimes needs to be reminded there's more to life than working all of the time. Not only that, but his current teleconference is with somebody who is rather long winded and is just starting his day and doesn't seem to pay attention to the fact that it's the end of our day. Since you're here, now I can politely interrupt and let Chet know that his next appointment is here."

She sends a written message and soon chuckles, types, then reports, "He just responded, 'next appointment?' and I sent back, 'you forgot your calendar already?' He won't have an answer to that because he does sometimes forget what's on his calendar which is one of the reasons why I'm here." It's not much more than a minute later, when Karina grins and says, "He's all yours."

"Thanks, Karina."

When Ilena steps into the office, Chet looks at her in surprise and tries to smile even as he speaks up, "Karina?"

She steps into his office and innocently asks, "Yes, boss?"

"I thought you said I have another appointment."

"You do. With the young lady here. Or would you prefer to keep listening to the 'wind machine'?"

He slightly smiles at that description then responds, "Okay, you've made your point." He watches Karina step out of his office before he turns and says, "I'm sorry, Ilena, I didn't want to make you feel as though you aren't important. It's just that . . . well . . . ." He can't seem to find the right words to finish his sentence.

"Chet, I understand. I don't want to interfere with you doing your job which I know you take seriously, but I do want to encourage you to find some enjoyment in life and I hope I can be a part of that."

He quickly steps around his desk and snugly hugs her as he tells her, "Young lady, I've never had so much enjoyment in my life before you started to pay attention to me. I guess it's taking me a little while for that understanding to become more real to me in order to distract me from my habit of living in the rut of only doing my duty. Thank you for being patient with me."

"I'll gladly be patient with you because when I do succeed in distracting you, you make my life much more enjoyable than what I previously experienced."

It's hard to say who initiates the kiss, but they keep in relatively brief. He guides her out the door and when they notice that Karina is gone, he suggests, "Well, I guess her invitation to you to be my next appointment was somewhat selfish on her part."

"Why do you say that?"

"Since you're here, she decided she could go home and doesn't have to 'babysit' me any longer."

Ilena's eyes briefly widen in surprise before she quickly clamps a hand over her mouth to stop herself from bursting out in laughter. A few moments later, she feels a little more in control of her humor and takes his hand to walk towards the cafeteria. As they walk, he feels like he can't resist looking at her then has to work harder to not look at her because he feels like he could drown in her eyes which seem to glow with amusement and make her appear even more beautiful.

They quietly eat and each time she notices him glance towards her, she smiles at him, but she's puzzled when he looks at her a lot less than he did at lunch earlier today. She quietly asks, "Is something the matter?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"Well, you seem to be unwilling to look at me as much as you usually do. Did I do something wrong?"

"Of course not. . . . It's that, . . . well, can we have a little more privacy before I try to answer?"

"Of course."

They finish their meal and walk hand in hand to her quarters where they brew some tea and use the bathroom. With cups of tea in front of them, they sit side by side at the table. A few moments later, he takes her nearer hand in his, hesitates, then tries to explain, "When you tried to contain your laughter after I said something about Karina not having to 'babysit' me, it seemed like your eyes glowed with joy. When I saw that, it was like . . . well, . . . it made you look even more alive and beautiful and wonderful to me and I . . . I just don't know how to deal with it."

Now it's her turn to hesitate before she responds, "Oh. . . . I . . . I never thought of myself as being beautiful, but my heart sings with joy to hear you say you feel that way about me."

He eyes widen with surprise before he turns to look at her and as she smiles at him, he's sure his heart simply melts. Then he doesn't know whether she moved or he moved, but as they gently kiss, he has an excuse to close his eyes to her external beauty. He soon realizes that the beauty of her inner person seems to shine even more brightly through her kiss until he's not sure he'll survive the experience, or want to.

Reluctantly, they break the kiss in order to breathe and he quickly turns his head to take some deep breaths then he has to use both of his hands to hold the tea cup steady while he takes slow sips. Apparently, he doesn't notice that she seems to be having a similar reaction. A little later, she says, "Chet, if that kiss was an expression of how you feel about me, . . . I can't express how special and wonderful that makes me feel."

He tries to cover his surprise by taking another sip of tea. It takes him a little longer to respond, "Th . . . that's how I felt about your kiss. . . . I'm sorry, I've tried to find the words to express how much you mean to me. I don't want you to feel burdened or offended, but it feels like you've brought me to life and filled me with joy. You're so wonderful, so beautiful, so caring, so full of life, so . . . I don't know how to express myself or deal with it."

She pushes his cup away from his hands, turns his head and he only catches a glimpse of her glistening eyes and warm smile before he responds to her kiss and feels like she fills him with love and joy and peace and acceptance.

Eventually, they need to breathe and without a word and almost as though they're a single being, they move to her small sofa where she settles on his upper legs as his arms go around her. He begins to caress her as he's done before and the gentle comforting care she feels flowing from his hands seems to fill her up until she's ready to dissolve and become one being with him.

While they seem to be lost in the moment, time, unfortunately, continues to march on then reality intrudes in the form of full bladders. They reluctantly separate and when they return to sit at the table and finish their room temperature tea, neither is inclined to say a word which might break the spell they seem to be under. At the same time, neither of them is sure what they're feeling or what's happening between them.

Chapter 22

A few moments later, Chet and Ilena seem to have the same thought as they get up from the table and walk to the small sofa where she sits on his upper legs again while he hugs her then he gently begins to kiss and caress her. She thought she was ready to melt before, but now she isn't sure she can even begin to describe how wonderful she feels. Some unknown amount of time later, she becomes aware that his lips have left hers and they're nuzzling one of her ears. Then she hears his soft whisper, "May I touch more of you?"

It takes her a little while for enough conscious thought to be able to cohere within her mind in order for her to form a reply, "You can touch all of me." She can feel his surprised reaction so she reminds him, "I've told you before that I want you to touch all of me and I haven't changed my mind. Let me be even more clear, I give you permission to touch all of me. If, for some reason, I don't want you to touch me in a certain way, then it's my responsibility to let you know. Until then, my permission stands."

He pauses as though he's trying to absorb that idea, then he quietly says, "Thank you, my lady, thank you very much," before he kisses her across her cheek to her lips where his gentle kisses resume. A little later, she notices that his kisses seem to be just a little more intense and she happily responds. Shortly after that, she feels his right hand begin to caress her legs through her loose pants above her knee.

It seems to be hard for her to try to pay some attention to his caresses when she just wants to be absorbed in his ongoing kisses, but as his slow soft caresses go on, she eventually becomes aware that his hand stays on the front or outside of her legs and goes no higher than about the middle of her thigh. While she was hoping he would touch more of her, the extent of his caresses which includes where he's touched her before in combination with his ongoing kisses, fills her with peace and comfort. She hopes it won't be considered a heretical thought, but she briefly wonders if the Faith's heaven could be this wonderful. Later, she guesses that heaven could possibly be a little better because it shouldn't involve having to interrupt such a beautiful experience in order to deal with a full bladder.

After their bladders are temporarily dealt with and they have fresh cups of tea in front of them as they sit at the table, she tells him, "Chet, how you were just touching me and kissing me was so wonderful, I can't express myself other than to say, I wish I could spend the rest of my life in your arms in order to continue to experience that."

It takes him a few moments to get over his surprise at that statement before he can respond, "Thank you. I've very glad you enjoyed it and it was truly my honor and joy and pleasure to be able to touch you in a way you enjoyed."

"It also added to my conviction that I want you to touch all of me."

"Thank you again. It's my hope that as you allow me to touch you more, you'll continue to enjoy it so your enjoyment of being touched gently grows."

"This is what you mean by 'sharing physical affection,' isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Then that means we're already making love, because I can very much feel your love for me." She notices that his mood seems to have gone quiet or pensive or something. She hesitates a little longer before she asks, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No. It's just that I . . . well, . . . I have a hard time using the word 'love' because it's been so abused and over used, I'm not sure anybody really knows what it means. I very much care about you and cherish you and how you've accepted me and I want to do all I can in order to support you to be the best person you can be and to help you fulfill what you believe is your purpose in life."

She turns his head, but before he can ask why her cheeks are wet with tears, she thoroughly kisses him. When she can, she tells him, "Then you love me more than I realized," and she kisses him again. Too soon, they're forced to breathe and as they try to catch their breath, he scoots his chair back, guides her to sit on his upper legs, gently wipes her tears away, then gladly responds to her next kiss.

As the kisses go on, he begins to caress her and somehow touches her no further than he has before even as they seem to mutually, though only slightly, intensify the kisses. His smooth caresses of her lower thighs briefly falters when he feels her hand caress his arm then move up to caress his face. During their next breathing break, he feels stunned to watch her scoot a little ways backwards on his upper legs so her arm which had been snugly pressed to his chest can reach around his side and start to caress his back.

While his lips respond to her next initiated kiss, he mind can't seem to grasp or accept the idea that she's willing to touch him, yet he can't deny that she's doing so. And he's been thinking it's unbelievable that she wants him to touch her, in any way. Now he has to struggle with himself in order to contain the depth of his gratitude towards her so he doesn't overwhelm her.

When they need to breathe again, he reaches over and hands her tea cup to her and takes his own in an attempt to push his awakening desire down. Before their tea is finished, he reluctantly suggests, "I suppose I ought to go so you can get your rest."

"To tell you the truth, I've never felt so relaxed and restful as I do when I'm in your arms."

He briefly bites his lip before he says, "Thank you. However, that doesn't give your body the sleep it needs."

"I suppose. . . . But it would if you hug me until I fall asleep."

He lifts his head towards the ceiling and takes a few deep breaths. With almost exaggerated gentleness, he tells her, "Not yet, my lovely lady. I want to try to expand our sharing of physical affection at a gentle pace so you can enjoy it without you ever coming close to feeling like you're being pressured. You may feel like the touching is expanding slower than you want, but that's better than you feeling like things are out of control or that you have no choice in the matter."

"I think I understand and I can't express how much your concern for my well-being means to me. . . . Why do you care so much about me?"

"You're a wonderful person and deserve to be treated gently and with a lot of care. . . . And . . . well, to be honest, I'm selfish."

Her eyes widen in surprise before she responds, "Now that I don't understand."

He briefly hesitates before he explains, "When you started to pay attention to me and accepted me as a person instead of as somebody who could do something for you, I could hardly believe it. But when you first sincerely hugged me, I felt like it was the best day of my life. Since then you've encouraged me to touch you and you willingly kiss me and those are such wonderful experiences, I'll do almost anything I can in order to keep those experiences going. I'm sorry my motivation for doing what I can to care about, support, and encourage you is partially as a result of selfish interests, but I do want to be honest with you."

"Thank you for explaining. I guess I was surprised when you said you were selfish, but I really do understand that because although I may have initiated that first hug, I already knew I could trust you and then when I felt you hug me, I couldn't believe how wonderful it was and I selfishly wanted many more. And as you kiss me and touch me more, I've become even more selfish about wanting your attention."

Although he seems to be initially surprised at what she says, his expression turns into a slight grin as he responds, "Well, I suppose as long as we each understand how selfish each of us are, we can selfishly enjoy how much the other person wants to selfishly be with us." He initiates a gentle kiss and after she briefly considers what he said, she selfishly deepens the kiss and he quickly selfishly responds.

When their breathing has settled, she suggests, "You might want to escape before I really want to express how selfish I am for your willingness to share physical affection with me."

Without a word, he gently lifts her up from off of his upper legs and as soon as he stands up, they're tightly hugging as though they can't bear to be apart. It's hard to say who initiates the move, but it feels as though each of them has to push themselves back. A moment later, he briefly lays a hand on her cheek then swiftly turns and walks out the door.

She wraps her arms around herself as though she's trying to contain his hug a little longer. Even though she's not sure she can describe all of her feelings, she knows she wants him and whether anybody else would understand or agree, she believes it's right and good for her to want him. And that somewhat confuses her considering all she was taught while she was in training to become a sister. A few moments later, she sighs then gets ready for bed and as she remembers how his hugs and kisses feel to her, she falls asleep.

Chapter 23

The next morning, Ilena goes to the cafeteria for breakfast and recognizes that Chet is walking some distance in front of her so she starts to walk faster, but before she's close enough to speak up and get his attention, she sees him pull out his communicator and briefly talk before he turns and walks in another direction. She feels a flash of disappointment then reminds herself that she can't monopolize his time even though she suspects he would be willing to let her. While she doesn't want to put that idea to the test, she takes encouragement from the thought as she steps in to have breakfast.

Chet opens the door to the detention center and after he gives a quick salute to the deputy on duty, he steps over to the Constable's office who waves him in then says, "I suppose I should have informed the military that we have their missing soldiers, but by the time we were able to get them processed and interviewed while taking turns getting some sleep, it was getting rather late."

"I totally understand and if they think an operation can go like clockwork, they're in the wrong business."

The Constable grins then says, "That's true. Another factor which eases my initial guilt is that they were told to lay low for a day or so after they 'rescued' the captain in the hopes that it might be less obvious the military was directly involved."

"If they thought they could hide that, they must really think we don't know anything about technology or have eyes in our head."

"It's amazing how some people from hi-tech worlds think the other worlds are still living in the dark ages. Anyway, are you ready to listen in?"

"Whenever you're ready." They share a grin.

The Constable calls the military base and asks to be connected to the lieutenant who is the direct superior to the squad which was captured. After the Constable describes his position and confirms the lieutenant's relationship to the squad, he asks, "Did you give the order for your squad to come to our station?"

"No, sir. I was told they were to be temporarily assigned to a special duty, but I was not given any other information."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Do you happen to know who gave them their orders?"

"I'm sorry, but I do not know."

"Thank you for your time and I won't bother you further."

"Excuse me, Constable, but since they're assigned to my platoon, can you tell me how you know their names and that I am their superior officer?"

"They were captured and are in custody after they attempted to remove Captain Stilson from lawful incarceration."

"Oh." Chet and the Constable can almost hear the unspoken expletive. "Well, let me pass the word up to my superiors."

"Lieutenant, if you find out who ordered your soldiers on this mission, can you please let me know?"

"Technically, I shouldn't, but I don't appreciate it when someone goes behind my back and gives a probable illegal order to my soldiers which puts them in danger. Were any of them injured?"

"No, sir. The sergeant and a couple of the other soldiers took a little extra convincing, but they were not injured, at least to anything more than their pride."

"Thank you for letting me know and I appreciate whatever restraint you had to exercise in order to capture them without harm. I'll see what I can learn from this end and if I think it will be helpful and doesn't violate military security or my own orders, I'll let you know what I find out."

"Thank you, Lieutenant and I appreciate you taking your time to talk to me. Hopefully, we'll talk again soon. Good-bye."

Chet waits a moment for the Constable to turn off his recorder before he says, "That went better than I initially expected."

"From our 'interviews' with the soldiers, I already knew the Lieutenant wasn't involved, but it was nice to get confirmation as well as appropriate to inform him."

"I agree. Now that the military is officially aware of the status of their squad, I'd better check with my co-workers in the capital and ask them to keep an eye on any special movements in case they decide to have a similar response to the last one."

"If they do, I would be concerned they may escalate it to where we might not be able to contain it."

"I would be concerned about that also. Well, if I can think of something to even the odds a little, I'll let you know so you can tell me if I'm blowing smoke or how you can make it better."

"If they keep playing these kind of games, I'm the one who is going to have steam coming out of my ears."

They share a grin and a salute before Chet steps out of the door and goes to the cafeteria for a late breakfast. While he's eating, it occurs to him that a follow-up story to the breaking news story they released to the news media regarding Captain Stilson might be useful to encourage the military to communicate instead of attempting another armed 'rescue' attempt. As he leaves the cafeteria, he contacts Karina and finds out that they still haven't received a response from the military unit's command office despite several attempts to contact it.

He shakes his head in disbelief then walks over to the communications office and with the recordings the Constable had made of the soldiers' responses, the communications office works on putting together a follow-up story. Once that process is begun, Chet walks over to his office and briefly wonders how many people he's going to have to calm down because he wasn't in his office at the normal time.

* * * * *

During a brief pause between meetings and teleconferences, Chet again wishes he had been more adamant about not taking this job so he could have remained a quiet professor. Since he knows he can't change the past, he sends a brief written message to Karina and asks her to pick up a sandwich from the cafeteria for him because he isn't going to be able to get away long enough. After another teleconference, he recognizes her knock on his door and speaks up, "Come in."

He looks up and barely notices Karina wave at him because Ilena walks in with a food tray, steps around his desk to stand beside him, and sets the tray on his desk in front of him. He's barely recovered from his surprise and is about to greet her when she leans over and thoroughly kisses him. In spite of this additional surprise, he quickly responds, and sooner then they want they have to break the kiss in order to breathe.

She feels his chair move so she takes a step backwards to give him room to stand up which he quickly does. He reaches for her and before she can turn more fully towards him, he pulls her right side to him, gently turns her head with his right hand and renews the kiss. A moment later, his left hand begins to caress her back then his right hand slides down her left arm and begins to caress her upper abdomen through her shirt. Her kiss briefly falters at this new development, but she swiftly recovers and increases the intensity of her kiss in order to hopefully encourage him.

Again, they have to take some time to catch their breath and as they do, he gently turns her, pulls her back snugly to his chest, and uses both of his hands to caress her from side to side across her upper abdomen. Even as she feels like she just wants to melt in his embrace, she's very tempted to encourage his hands to move higher or lower along her body, or maybe even both at the same time! A moment or so later, she decides to revel in this level of shared affection for now and to save more intense touching for later so she can more fully appreciate each way in which he touches her.

His lips begin to play with one of her ears which surprises her, but it only seems to enhance the wonderful feelings she's experiencing in his arms. A couple of moments later, he whispers, "Thank you for bringing me some lunch, but I especially want to thank you for sharing the dessert of your kisses with me."

That description surprises her so she partially turns her head and asks, "Dessert?"

"Considering how sweet your kisses are, yes," and before she can even think of a verbal response, much less express it, he turns her more fully towards him and kisses her. While a part of her mind briefly contemplates his answer then is thrilled by what he means, the rest of her is already happily responding to his kiss and wishes it could go on forever.

A discreet knock on the door seems to coincide with their need to breathe. They reluctantly release each other, then he lifts his hands, gently holds her head, looks into her eyes, and says, "I wish I could tell you how much you mean to me." One of his thumbs slides over to rest on her lips.

She makes a guess that he's concerned any verbal response she makes might . . . . She's not sure how to finish that thought so she simply nods her head. A couple of moments later, he slightly smiles at her, gently turns her, and softly pushes her towards the door. She briefly hesitates then walks to the door and just before she steps out, she turns and blows him a kiss with such an inviting smile that he has to grip the edge of the desk in order to stop himself from following her.

He takes a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down then sits back down in his chair and eats his lunch without tasting a thing while he thinks about Ilena and the seemingly miraculous nature of him being in a relationship with her.

Chapter 24

By the time the last of his meetings and communications have been completed for the day, Chet feels worn out, especially since they've still had no success in getting through to the military unit's command office. He regrets that the military has a habit of rotating units between planets because his office had a very positive relationship with the unit which had previously been stationed on the planet. And their inability to communicate with the current unit encourages him to give the okay for the communications team to release the prepared follow-up story to the news media.

Although he used to typically fix his own dinner, he doesn't feel like he's interested in cooking tonight or even warming up leftovers so he walks over to the cafeteria and tries not to hope he might meet Ilena there. He's just about to reach for a tray when his communicator activities. While he tries to keep his moan of despair from being verbally expressed, he steps back out of the line and reluctantly opens up his communicator and tries not to guess who has an emergency this time.

He stares at the written message, shakes his head as though he can't believe what he read, then carefully reads it again. A moment later, he looks up and scans the dining area and quickly sees Ilena who is standing up and waving at him. He waves back and can't believe how his mood seems to almost immediately improve. As he turns back to the line, he's surprised somebody waves him in ahead of them and after he thanks them, he soon has a meal on his tray.

Somehow, he manages to keep his pace to a walk as he goes to the table where Ilena is standing and after he sets his tray down, he gladly accepts her hug and doesn't want to release her until he hears some nearby applause. He quickly looks up and as he notices the applause and smiles are directly towards him and Ilena, he immediately feels embarrassed, releases her, and tries to courteously bow towards them before he sits down.

Ilena grins as she says, "You're a popular man, Chet."

"I think it's more like they now have something to gossip and tease me about. I'm sorry, have you had a chance to get something to eat?"

"I've already eaten, but I thought I would stick around to see if you were going to come so I could monopolize a little of your time."

"I'm sorry I don't make more time for you."

"Chet, please don't feel sorry. Yes, I would like more of your time, but you have responsibilities you have to live up to. I respect that and appreciate it that you take your responsibilities seriously. Not only does that make me more fully treasure the time you are able to give me, but I'm also aware that you willingly spend more of your time with me than anyone else and that makes me feel very special."

"You are special. I just wish I knew how to express to you how special you are."

"Thank you. I greatly appreciate it, but I'm going to ask you to quit praising me for awhile. Or at least until you have a chance to eat your meal. Actually, I'd rather be somewhere alone with you when you try to express how special you think I am so I have an opportunity to try to express to you how special you are to me." She's not surprised to see him look at her in surprise so she waits a few moments then suggests, "Eat."

He just looks at her a little longer, briefly shakes his head, and begins to eat. Although he tries to limit his glances towards her in an effort to not be distracted by her, each time he does look at her, she sweetly smiles and his thoughts seem to derail and he's not sure how he's able to turn his head in order to continue eating. Somehow, he remembers to turn in his tray to be washed and as they leave the cafeteria, their hands seem to automatically join as they walk towards their quarters.

The evening air seems to partially clear his mind so by the time they arrive at her quarters, he encourages her to make some tea while he turns on her entertainment monitor after he makes a bathroom trip. While the tea brews, she asks for some basic instructions in using the entertainment monitor since she had never used one during the years she had lived in the Order's dormitory. Once she thinks she understands how to operate it, she asks, "Is there a reason you turned it on?"

"Our communications team submitted a story about the soldiers who came to release Captain Stilson and I was wondering how the news media is going to present it."

"Oh."

"Not to worry, lovely lady. It should only take just a few minutes and then I can forget about anyone but you while my sub-conscious mind can think about it."

"Aren't you able to totally forget about your job?"

"I'm afraid not. Actually, you probably don't totally forget about your job because I'm sure your sub-conscious mind is often thinking about how you can do it better."

"I guess you're right about that. That reminds me, have you had a chance to clarify my status with Mother Superior?"

"Not completely yet. Try not to worry about it because both Mother Superior and I want to support and encourage you as much as possible. It's just that this Captain Stilson issue has been interfering and taking up time which would be better spent doing more important things."

"Thank you for explaining."

He smiles and is about to take her in his arms and kiss her when he notices that the news broadcast is beginning so he turns on the audio portion to listen. A few minutes later, he turns off the entertainment monitor and says, "That went well. Now let's hope the leaders in the military saw it and aren't inclined to do something which might embarrass them further."

"Do you think the Sergeant really meant it that they would destroy the community if Captain Stilson wasn't returned to them?"

"I can't truthfully answer that. There are some people in the military who talk as though they would be inclined to go to that extreme, but whether they really would or not, I don't know. . . . Shall we get our tea and sit at the table and think of something more pleasant to talk about?"

She takes a brief moment to adjust to the change in subject, then smiles and says, "Of course."

He hesitates before he follows her while he wonders if he'll ever be able to calmly accept her inviting smiles which she directs towards him. If he can learn to accept them then maybe they won't captivate him so thoroughly. Even as he considers that thought, he's quite sure he will never understand why she wants to spend time with him. Yet he's unable to ascertain any way in which he's coercing her or any reason for her to lie about her interest in being with him.

Chapter 25

Somehow, Ilena and Chet manage to find enough things to talk about which gives them a chance to slowly drink their tea. In spite of that, it seems as though her simple presence as she sits next to him partially diminishes his ability to think logically. She takes another sip of tea and wonders what is making her feel warmer than usual. She doesn't think it's the tea, but she also doesn't want to consider that her desire for him to touch her might result in a physical response. Then she wonders if he'll increase how much of her he touches since he already increased his level of touching her earlier today.

While they both make an effort to appear nonchalant, neither of them can eliminate their internal anticipation of what they hope comes next as they finish their tea then take their cups to the kitchen to rinse them out. It's hard to say who makes the first move, but they're soon in each other's arms and after a long welcoming hug, they deeply kiss then walk over to the small sofa while they catch their breath. She quickly settles on his upper legs and cuddles up to him and almost sighs in relief at 'finally' being in his arms.

He gladly and snugly hugs her for awhile then slowly begins to caress her and follows the general pattern of how he expands how much he touches her. She doesn't know how long he takes to arrive at this level, but by the time he's caressing her upper abdomen like he first did earlier today, she wishes they could stay like this forever.

Although she feels a little guilty that she's not touching him as much or as thoroughly as he's touching her, she also knows he wouldn't want her to feel guilty which would distract her from fully enjoying how he touches her. Not only that, but their physical positions don't allow her to touch him so much while she still tries to caress him as much as she can, even if it's to just caress one of his arms. A few moments later, she almost chuckles as she realizes that for her to make the effort to caress his arm in order to share the physical affection, it's also a way for her to express her encouragement for him to keep touching her and to touch her more.

Unfortunately, bladders intrude on their enjoyment, but after those are taken care of, they enjoy their next cup of tea while they're cuddled on the small sofa. Again, he caresses her and follows the same pattern of how he increases how much of her he caresses, but how he touches her at each level is different in addition to the gentle kisses he initiates. The last time he caressed her upper abdomen through her shirt, his right hand started at her waist and slowly moved across her from one side of her to the other then moved just slightly higher up her body to go in the opposite direction. This time, he starts his caresses at her left side near where he was caressing her arm and moves from her waist almost up to where the bottom of her bra is under her shirt before his hand moves a little closer to her middle and reverses its direction.

Again, their bladders intrude and even though she just experienced it, she finds it hard to believe he would spend so much time to gently kiss and caress her without touching her any further than he has and without making any attempt to take her clothes off like she's heard other women complain about. As quickly as they can take care of their needs, they're back on the small sofa and after he caresses her everywhere he's caressed her before while he builds up to it, his right hand reaches out to guide her to sit partially cross-legged so he can reach her lower legs.

While she feels like she's floating in the comfort and care of his caresses and kisses, it takes her a little while to recognize that her body is feeling something a little different then it takes her longer to think she understands. When they break the kiss to breathe, she opens her eyes and sees that his right hand is caressing her skin just above her ankles and that his hand is slipping up under her loose pants legs in order to do it. Her eyes open wider as she sees his hand move just a little higher under her pants legs, then she breathes out, "Yes!" and turns to kiss him more intensely.

His caresses briefly falter in surprise at her clear response, but they soon smooth out and as she continues the kisses around the breathing breaks which are barely long enough, she reaches out one of her hands to caress his arm which she hopes will encourage him to keep touching her and to touch her more. As her enjoyment of his caresses and kisses seems to fill her up, it's hard for her to pay close attention to exactly how he touches her, but she's sure he's caressed her skin around her lower legs from her feet to her knees and up and down her lower legs all the way around, several times. And he's been mixing those caress in with all of his other caresses to her arms, upper abdomen, and face.

Some time later, she becomes aware that the extent of his caresses are slowly diminishing then he's simply holding her while she feels like she's so relaxed and comfortable she could easily fall asleep in his arms. She doesn't want to think about anything else other than making the effort to tell him, "Thank you so very much."

"It was truly my pleasure to touch you. Thank you very much for allowing me to touch you."

"Now that was truly my pleasure. I've never felt or experienced anything so wonderful."

"I'm glad." Before he can say more, his communicator activates and he exclaims, "LIF!!" even as he reaches for it then says, "This is Chet." He listens then says, "The idiots!! What is with this Stilson guy that they go to such extreme measures? . . . If you can do that, I would greatly appreciate it, but I had better let the Constable know we might have to form a welcoming committee in case they catch on. . . . Thank you very much for keeping an eye on them and letting me know." He briefly chuckles, "I'll take that under advisement. I'll talk to you later. Bye."

She briefly hesitates then asks, "What's going on?"

"The military is sending up another group to 'rescue' Captain Stilson. My co-worker has an idea which might re-direct them, but if it doesn't work, we'll have to be ready for them. I'm terribly sorry about all of this."

"Please don't feel sorry. You and the Constable protected me from him in the first place and now you're working to keep him in custody so he can't hurt other young women. Yes, it's unbelievable that somebody doesn't want him to have to accept the consequences of his actions, but that's not your fault."

"Thank you for understanding. You're a very special lady, Ilena, and I can't express how much I appreciate you being willing to spend time with me." He thoroughly kisses her and when they need to breathe, they get up and he gently touches her face then softly smiles at her before he turns and quickly walks out the door before he's tempted to tell duty and responsibility to take a hike, permanently.

Chapter 26

It's been well over two hours after they left the base when the Lieutenant who is leading his platoon on this rescue mission gets on the intercom and asks, "Pilot, aren't we there yet?"

"We should have been there awhile ago based on the distance, but according to the navigational computer, we're still on course and there's no indication we're facing a strong enough headwind to slow us down. It's a good thing they've got a full service aviation facility, otherwise we won't have enough fuel to get back to base."

"Okay. Well, keep me informed."

"Of course, sir."

Less than a half hour later, the pilot signals for the Lieutenant to get on the intercom.

"Yes?"

"We have a landing zone in sight, but it doesn't look like it's the right place. I think we're going to need to get down and see if we can acquire some fuel and figure out what's wrong with the navigational computer."

"Okay. Once we get down, I'll go with you in case we need to convince whoever is there that we need fuel."

"That's a good idea."

As the four rotating wing vertical landing air vehicles which are carrying the lieutenant's platoon settle down on the small poorly lit parking area and the adjacent grass, they see only a couple of buildings nearby which don't appear to have any lights on inside. As the pilot of the lead air vehicle and the Lieutenant walk towards the buildings, they see someone come around the side of one of the buildings, so they move in that direction.

Before they get close enough to speak, the person hollers, "What's with all the racket? Don't you know it's the middle of the night?" As they get closer, they see that the person is a man who appears to have just gotten out of bed.

The pilot asks, "What is this place?"

"Research Station Number 16. What, did your nav comp send you astray?"

"Apparently so. I have somebody working on it right now. What I need to ask is do you have any fuel here?"

"Fuel? Here? For those egg-beaters you came in? You've got to be joking. The only fuel we have here is for the electrical generators and that would give your egg-beaters a bad case of indigestion." He chuckles at his own joke. "So, where were you boys headed anyway? We've never seen the military out in this neck of the woods, especially in the middle of the night."

Rather than name the community, the pilot tries to keep his answer more generic, "We were going to the college."

"Your nav comp must have really ate something wrong for dinner because you're a couple of hundred miles off course." He looks at them a little more closely then says, "I haven't heard that the college is offering night classes, especially to fully armed troops. . . . Say, you wouldn't be trying to break that Captain Stilson out of jail, now would you?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"We may be out in the boondocks here, but we still get the news and I can't think of any other reason why armed troops would be wandering around in the middle of the night, especially going to someplace where the criminal is cooling his heels while he waits for justice to catch up to him."

The Lieutenant tries to control his anger as he says, "There's no evidence that Captain Stilson committed a crime."

"What rock have you been hiding under? The news clearly showed that he was in a young woman's quarters without being invited and he actually stated that he wanted her alone in her bedroom. If that isn't an admission of his interest in wanting to rape her, I don't know what it could be. And she's even a member of a religious order. How low can your officers get? Now take your egg-beaters away and leave us alone." He turns around and walks away.

The pilot quickly grabs the Lieutenant's arm and quietly tells him, "Don't make bad matters worse."

The Lieutenant turns and asks, "Are you defending him?"

"He's a civilian and has the legal right to say whatever he wants to say as long as it doesn't infringe on the safety of anyone else."

"But for him to believe the news media's slander, . . . that's outrageous."

"Lieutenant, the news media didn't slander anyone. Unlike in the past and on other planets, the news media here has to verify their facts before they report them otherwise they will lose their contract."

He takes a few moments for him to absorb that before he asks, "So, the Captain really is guilty."

"I'm afraid so."

"Then what the hell are we doing out here trying to 'rescue' him?"

"That's a very good question. While you think about that, I'm going to try to contact the base and see if they can send us some fuel so we can get back."

* * * * *

He makes the effort to become more aware and groggily answers his communicator, "This is Chet."

His co-worker asks, "Hey, boss, were you asleep or something?"

"I guess I must have dozed off or something. What's up?"

"My effort to misdirect the so-called 'rescue' mission apparently worked because I just heard they ended up at Research Station 16 without enough fuel to get back."

"That's great. I really appreciate whatever you had to do to keep them away from here. I'll let the Constable know that he and his team can relax, at least for a few hours while the military tries to come up with a different idea."

"Have you been able to figure out what that Colonel's problem is?"

"If it's really the same person, I remember he didn't particular like me when we were in a couple of the same leadership courses, but I can't remember anything specific which would encourage any reasonable person to hold a grudge this long and not make any effort to communicate."

"Maybe he's not reasonable."

"I'm beginning to wonder about that considering the number of times he helped Captain Stilson get out of trouble. It makes me wonder what kind of influence the Captain has over him, but the Constable wasn't able to get the Captain to divulge anything along those lines during the 'interview' even while he seemed to delight in describing some of the things he was able to get away with."

"With him and the Colonel as examples, I would be concerned about the military's ability to provide the planets with protection from any possible enemies."

Chet nods his head as he verbally responds, "I know what you mean. Well, I appreciate all of your help with this issue, Ass, and if you hear anything more, please let me know."

"You know I will. Come on, boss, that's what I'm here for. If the news isn't urgent, maybe I'll hold off on telling you so you can get some sleep."

"You're all heart."

He briefly chuckles then says, "That's not what my 'doctor' says. Maybe if you feel grateful enough, you'll order another can of special oil."

"And how many have you already ordered and stashed away?"

"I'll have to plead the fifth to that question."

Since he doesn't understand that answer, Chet asks, "What's that mean?"

"It's a provision from an old historical document which a person was able to invoke in order to avoid incriminating themselves."

"Interesting. Well, keep up the good work and when the powers that be finally get around to firing me from this job, I'll recommend that you get a promotion."

"Boss, I know you meant that as a compliment, but I might be inclined to view it as a threat."

They share a laugh and disconnect the communication. Rather than disturb the Constable who may be taking the time to rest, Chet sends a written message to the deputy on duty to let him know that the 'rescue' mission ended up somewhere else, leaves a message for Karina that he may be late arriving in the office, and goes to bed.

Chapter 27

After a brief status meeting with the Constable, Chet makes it to his office about the middle of the morning and does his best to be polite to Mykul, the local news media representative, who is waiting for him. He has nothing against Mykul himself or against the news media in general, but he doesn't like to be quoted or singled out as though he has all of the answers.

"Chet, do you have a couple of minutes?"

"I suppose I can squeeze you in. What's up?"

"I heard there was another attempt to 'rescue' Captain Stilson, but nobody showed up. Do you know anything about that?"

"I heard that a platoon was headed in this direction but they somehow ended up at Research Station 16. How that could have happened, I haven't got a clue."

"Somebody at the research station called the main office and complained that four older style rotating wing vertical landing air vehicles loaded with armed soldiers woke him up in the middle of the night when they landed there. When he suggested their navigational computer led them astray, one of the pilots said he had somebody checking it then requested some fuel. Apparently, they don't have any appropriate fuel there and the soldiers are still there as of about an hour ago while they wait for the base to send them some fuel."

"It sounds like you know more about it than I do."

"What would you have done if they had showed up here?"

"I can't answer that without revealing plans which may need to be used in the future. About all I can say is that I'm trying to support the Constable and his team as they develop plans to handle a variety of possible scenarios they may face as they attempt to maintain security at the detention center until the necessary judicial committee can review the evidence and determine a sentence. One of the difficulties we're facing is that we have been unable to successfully communicate with the military unit's command structure in order to request a military judge to participate in the review. Although it's not required, we are trying to be courteous as well as are willing to provide an opportunity for any other evidence to be presented."

"Do you think the military will try another 'rescue' attempt?"

"You'll have to ask them that question. Since we're not able to read their minds, we have to stay alert in case they do try another attempt."

"I understand. Thank you for your time and your willingness to answer my questions."

"You're welcome."

"By the way, how are you and Ilena getting along?"

He quickly mutes his anger to a stern response, "Mykul, that's a totally inappropriate question."

"I'm sorry, Chet. I wasn't asking it to report on it, but as a neighbor."

"I'm sorry I reacted, but I would like to keep my personal life separate from my work."

"I totally understand. I'm not trying to invade your privacy or hers. I've seen her around the community from time to time often with the big 'pet' of hers if you could call it that, but the couple of times I've seen her since I've heard she's been spending time with you, she seems to be happier. You also seem to be happier, at least when you can mentally step away from this Stilson thing, and I was curious about how you feel."

"You might as well ask any older man how they would feel to have an intelligent and pretty young lady pay attention to them. Apparently, she feels like she can trust me enough for her to spend time with me and I'm not so much of a fool that I would intentionally do something to jeopardize that."

"Yeah, I wouldn't either."

"Besides, if I was to treat her inappropriately, her 'pet', as you refer to it, might want to take matters into its own paws."

"That would definitely be a motivating factor. Well, thank you for your time and I hope my personal questions weren't too intrusive to where you might encourage her 'pet' to be upset with me."

"I'll keep that thought in mind."

Mykul's eyebrows rise in surprise then with an expression of concern, he quickly leaves.

Chet shakes his head at how some people think they have a right to invade another person's privacy. He briefly wonders if he can talk Regit into spending more time with Ilena as a bodyguard, then realizes he wouldn't want to intrude on Regit's privacy or her freedom to that degree.

* * * * *

As he looks over his calendar and the work piled up, Chet wonders if he can escape long enough to go to the cafeteria for a quick lunch as a brief escape to think about something other than the job. With a sigh, he decides he probably doesn't have the time then hears a shriek from the outer office. He quickly stands up and starts towards the door then stops as he sees Ilena walk in followed by Regit.

"What happened?"

Ilena seems to slightly blush with embarrassment then briefly hesitates to say, "Somebody was startled to see Regit with me."

Regit walks right up to him and bumps into him then seems to purr as he scratches her behind her ears. "I'm happy to see you, you too, Regit, but is there a reason you're here?"

She steps closer as she tells him, "You need to take a break from your work at least long enough to eat. I wouldn't appreciate it if you burned yourself out and didn't have any time and energy for me." She gladly accepts a one-armed hug from him and briefly kisses him while he continues to pet and scratch Regit.

"You're right even if I feel a little guilty about putting off my work."

"Well, if you don't provide your mind and body with the right fuel, you won't do your job as well or as efficiently."

"Yes, 'boss'."

She grins then briefly kisses him again just before he stumbles forward because Regit has slipped around behind him and pushed on him.

"Okay, Regit, I'm moving." They step out of his office and he asks, "Karina, is everything okay?"

"I think so. Ilena's friend is certainly a surprise. I've seen it a few times, but not close enough to realize how big it is."

"I understand. Karina, this is Regit. Regit, this is Karina." As Regit steps closer, Karina makes a valiant effort to not lean back. Chet suggests, "If you slowly move your hand towards her, she likes to be scratched behind her ears," as he demonstrates.

Karina hesitates then scratches Regina's other ear and is surprised to hear a deep purr. "She likes it."

A couple of moments later, Regit steps back then pushes against Chet who says, "Karina, I guess I'm being kidnapped to go to lunch so I'll see you a little later."

She briefly chuckles then says, "I'll refrain from telling the Constable about your predicament."

"He would probably just laugh."

"Yeah, he probably would. Ilena, make sure he eats a good lunch and it was nice to meet you, Regit." Regit seems to briefly look at her with a pleased expression then bumps into Chet again as though she's herding him out the door.

A couple of moments later, the rest of the office staff gather around Karina's desk as one of them asks, "What in the world was that?"

"She's one of the native animals of this planet and has taken a liking to Ilena. I don't know what the biologists have decided to call her species or much of anything about them."

"Wh . . . what was it like to . . . touch her?"

"She reminded me of a domesticated feline one of my childhood friends had except that Regit is a whole lot bigger."

"And that much more scary."

Chapter 28

As they walk towards the cafeteria, Chet tells Ilena, "I didn't expect to see Regit with you."

"I was over at the farm earlier and when I left, I was surprised to see her come with me. I'm certainly not going to stop her from going where she wants and I can't very well ask her what her plans are, so I guess I just get to enjoy her company."

"That's probably the best approach." As he glances around, he notices that people are giving them a wider than usual berth. "I don't know if you'll be able to answer the question or not, but will we need to give her something to eat?"

"I don't know. I think she's eaten recently enough so she's probably not hungry. The kitchen staff usually sends over their scrap meat and bones to the farm so maybe we can ask if they have something handy we can give her."

As they step into line, a few nearby people glance back and recognize either Chet or Ilena and briefly smile or nod their head, but when they notice Regit, their eyes widen and they look like they're ready to step out of the line. Chet encourages them to stay in line then glances back and notices there's quite a gap in the line behind them. As they start to pick up their food, one of the kitchen staff is replacing almost empty food containers with full ones and Chet asks, "Can you check with one of the cooks to see if they have some scrap meat or bones for our friend."

The young man looks and his eyes open wide and it takes him a couple of moments to get over his surprise before he asks, "Regit?"

Ilena pauses then says, "I'm surprised you know her."

"I've often been assigned to take some of the scraps over to the farm and although she's been pointed out to me, I've never been so close."

"Thank you for explaining. Although we can't communicate very clearly, she apparently decided to joins us for lunch."

He almost chuckles then says, "I think that would be the logical conclusion. Sure, let me see if the cooks have something and I'll bring it over to your table."

"Thank you, sir, that would be appreciated."

Chet and Ilena find a table which is a little separated from the others and have just started to eat when the young man brings a tray with some meat and bones, hesitates, then sets in on the floor in front of Regit. He stands back up and makes an effort to stand still as Regis steps closer then lightly bumps him with her head.

Chet suggests, "I think she's telling you thank you."

He almost breathes a sigh of relief as he says, "Oh. Right. You're welcome, Regit."

"If you move your hand slowly, she might like you to scratch the top of her head."

"Really?" He slowly moves his hand then lightly scratches her head and when she appears to enjoy it, he relaxes and says, "Cool. . . . Well, I'd better get back to work. Thanks, guys."

Chet briefly chuckles then tells Ilena, "At the rate she's making friends, I'm wondering if she's interested in a career as a politician." He eyes widen in near shock when she lightly growls at him before she settles down and almost daintily eats her meal. When he's mostly recovered, he remarks, "I guess she understands a lot more than I imagined."

Ilena nods her heads as she responds, "I always did think she understood more than most people give her credit. Of course, some of that may have been from some of my childhood imaginations when I played with her when I was younger. In either case, there's no way to be sure how much she can understand since we don't have a common language in order to communicate. I also don't recall hearing about any humans who have been confirmed as being telepathic in order to test if that's how she understands."

When they're almost done with their meal, he says, "I'll guess I'll have to be more careful about how I tease her and try to remember that she probably understands more than I can imagine because I don't want to offend her." He looks at Regit in surprise when she lightly bumps his arm.

Ilena almost giggles before she says, "I think she's telling you that you're forgiven."

He briefly looks at Ilena in surprise then turns back, says, "Thank you, Regit," lightly hugs her neck, and scratches her head while she seems to close her eyes and responds with an apparent rumbling purr of contentment.

As they walk away from the cafeteria, he says, "Thank you, ladies, for encouraging me to go to lunch. Not only did I need a break, but you made it a much more pleasant experience. I would like to spend more time with you, but I do have a lot of work stacked up."

Ilena assures him, "We understand," then steps into his arms for a tight hug before she gives him a brief kiss. A couple of moments after they step apart, Regit starts to nudge Ilena until she laughs and says, "Okay. You don't have to be pushy." He watches in amazement as Ilena stretches a leg over Regit's back, leans forward to wrap her arms around her neck, and almost before she's settled, Regit races off while Ilena's laughter trails behind. As he recovers from his surprise, he looks around and notices that other people are still staring after them.

Chapter 29

As he hears footsteps approach, Captain Stilson stands up then says, "Come on, Constable, let me out of here."

"Why?"

"Because the longer you keep me here, the more upset the Colonel is going to be."

"Oh. Do you think he might have this placed bombed?"

"He just might."

"In that case, you'll just end up being a smear in the rubble and that will save the judicial system from having to spend a bullet on you."

"They wouldn't dare put a bullet in me."

"Then maybe we'll just find another way to do away with a criminal like you."

"I'm not a criminal."

"Yes, you are. You attempted to rape a young woman and that makes you a criminal according to the law. I didn't come here to argue with you, but you might actually consider yourself lucky we arrested you before one of the young lady's other friends found out what you did. Or what it might do if we released you."

He briefly laughs then says, "What can her friends do that you can't."

"About an hour ago, one of the security cameras recorded her leaving the cafeteria with a couple of her friends. I thought you might like to see what one of her friends looks like so watch the monitor."

The Captain barely notices Chet as he stares at Regit who is walking beside Ilena while he turns pale and slowly backs up to sit on his bunk and doesn't say a word as the Constable leaves and lets the edited recording play a couple of more times.

* * * * *

About an hour later, Chet's communicator activates and he answers, "This is Chet."

"Hey, boss, are you awake this time?"

"Yes, Ass, I'm awake and have been for a few hours."

"That's good. I didn't want to make an assumption so I thought I would ask. I guess I still don't understand how you guys can get by on two hours of sleep one night and need ten hours the next night. Anyway, I don't know if you caught the noon news broadcast, but they reported on the rescue mission which was 'lost' last night and did a good job of stating the known facts.

"Then they asked the question of why the military was going to such an effort to release Captain Stilson when he was caught in the act of committing a crime and replayed a part of the original 'breaking story' your local communications team put together. Apparently, somebody in the military saw the broadcast and contacted the news media office and insisted that they cease and desist in making any further broadcasts about Captain Stilson. The military representative even said that if the news media didn't comply, they would shut the media office down."

"You're kidding!"

"Not at all. I have a copy of the recording the news media made of the 'conversation'."

"I'm sorry, Ass, I didn't mean to sound like I don't believe you, but I just can't understand what is going on over at that base. This whole situation has gone beyond anything believable."

"I understand, boss, and I had a similar reaction. Obviously, the news media wants to broadcast that conversation and I think they ought to. On that basis, I suggested they do their evening broadcast from a remote location and have requested that the local police provide some additional security for the news media office as well as to install some more security monitors in the area."

"That's a good idea. Have you had any success in getting through to the command structure at the base?"

"Negatory."

"We haven't either. I'm more than half tempted to stage an assault on the base except there would be too many casualties among those who aren't making these criminal decisions."

"I understand and would be right there with you."

Chet thinks for a few moments then asks, "Can you put together a report of what has occurred regarding the Captain Stilson situation as well as our numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact the military? Also include the information we've uncovered about his past activities and how he's avoided the consequences of his actions."

"I've been compiling it as we've dealt with this and only need to add the conversation the news media recorded."

"Thank you. I really appreciate you staying on top of this. I know, you're just doing your job."

"And would you have said anything different?"

"Probably not. Anyway, when you get the report ready, send a burst transmission off to the next higher military headquarters with a copy to the supreme commander. This mess has got to be stopped and I have no interest in racking up a body count to make it happen."

"I totally agree."

"Thank you again for all of your help and if you can think of something I haven't thought of which might help this situation, please let me know."

"Of course. Instead of worrying about it, try to remind yourself that you've done everything humanly possible to resolve this situation. And if that doesn't work, let Ilena distract you with some of the more pleasant aspects of life. And, no, I haven't been snooping, but when she's walking with you in view of a standard security camera and you've got a smile on your face like I don't think I've ever seen before, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know she can positively distract you."

Chet briefly sighs then says, "I suppose you're right about that. If it didn't take your rocket scientist mind to figure that out, then I'd better give up on the idea that I'm fooling anyone else."

He laughs before he responds, "Boss, I don't want to insult you, but you're probably only fooling yourself if you think you're fooling anyone else."

"I thought that was probably the case even if I didn't want to admit it. Well, let me fill in the Constable that the military has another target in mind and maybe they'll forget about us for a day or two."

"Now you are going to tempt me to start calling you a dreamer." Ass laughs before he disconnects the call.

Chet shakes his head and wishes he could deal with one issue at a time. While the situation with Ilena is much more pleasant to consider, it's also more confusing since he can't seem to understand why she wants to spend time with him. With an effort, he turns his attention from the pleasant to the disturbing and contacts the Constable to fill him in on the latest news.

Chapter 30

Chet is about ready to call it a day and hopes he's not too late to get dinner at the cafeteria when he hears a knock on his open door, looks up, smiles, and says, "Hello, Ilena. . . . Regit isn't with you?"

"No. She walked part of the way here with me then decided to go back to the farm. I know we can't verbally communicate, but I have the impression that she plans to come visit with me on a random basis." She thoroughly kisses him, then tugs on him and says, "I know you haven't had dinner yet, because I waited for you then decided to come and find you."

"I'm sorry, but I certainly didn't intend for you to wait around for me. I was trying to catch up on some work and was just getting ready to leave when you wonderfully graced me with your presence."

"Then it's time for you to share your wonderful presence with the people in the cafeteria before I claim you all to myself." Since he's quite surprised she could make such a statement about him, he's a little slow in responding to her next kiss. Rather than upset her by rejecting her opinion, he remains quiet while he thinks that if she sees anything wonderful about him, it must be her wonderfulness which is somehow reflected off of him.

They make it to the cafeteria not long before the staff begins to clean up after dinner so they don't linger over their meal before they walk hand in hand to her quarters. After they step in, she starts to make some tea while they make bathroom trips then she asks, "I don't me to offend you, but is there a reason we haven't gone to your quarters to spend the evening?"

"I hadn't really thought about it before, but now that you ask, I assumed you would be more comfortable in your own quarters. Not only that, but if I'm here, I'll be less likely to think of some work which needs to be done and I won't be as easily found if someone comes looking for me."

"Oh, that makes sense." She steps closer, tightly hugs him, thoroughly kisses him, and says, "Another factor is that considering how you can make me feel so relaxed and comfortable, I wouldn't want to leave and would more easily invite myself to spend the night. Apparently, you have more . . . strength or conviction or whatever the right word would be to get up and leave when you feel it's appropriate."

"I . . . I hope that doesn't offend you."

"Of course it doesn't. Well, sometimes I do feel a little disappointed, but, more than that, I appreciate your strength of character that you don't give in to what I think you would prefer to do while you take your time to slowly expand how much affection you share with me. That just adds to my conviction that I can trust you and that you truly care about me and want to give me what you believe would most benefit me instead of taking advantage of me for your own benefit."

"Thank you. I appreciate your willingness to tell me how you feel. If you should ever feel like I'm somehow taking advantage of you, please speak up and let me know."

His eyes start to widen as her smile takes on a decidedly sensuous tilt before she asks, "But what if I decide that I do want you to take advantage of me?" He can't even begin to think of an appropriate response before he belatedly returns her kiss.

When he thinks he can put together a coherent sentence, he says, "I think the tea is probably brewed."

"It probably is," but she doesn't release her hug. She pauses a little longer before she asks, "Chet, is what I say to you so disturbing?"

He briefly hesitates before he answers, "I wouldn't call it 'disturbing' is the sense of being bad or something, but it is quite . . . astounding. I've never had anyone tell me anything similar so for a lovely intelligent young woman like you to tell me such things, it's . . . well, it's so far out of my range of experience or even my imagination, . . . I don't know how to accept it or respond to it."

"I think I can somewhat understand that. In a way, I'm rather surprised at myself because since I was preparing to be a sister, I knew I had to behave appropriately and to think in ways which would be conducive to that behavior."

"Without intending to insult you, that has also added to my . . . confusion, I guess you could call it."

"Yes, I imagine it would." She releases her hug, smiles at him, and they fix their tea then carry their cups to the table. She briefly pauses then tries to explain, "Since I grew up in the Order's dormitory, I guess I naturally assumed I would become a sister just like all of the other girls who lived there. I don't recall ever considering there might be anything else for me to become as an adult. Yet, at the same time, I could feel deep inside of me that I wasn't happy about some of the restrictions.

"When I was first assigned to work a rotation at the farm as a little girl, I was surprised I felt happier so I requested that I be assigned to work at the farm as much as I could. It took me several years to realize that my happiness was because I had the freedom to touch the animals and to make a connection to them. When I was older and took some of your classes, I quickly felt as though I could trust you more than anyone else I knew without understanding why I felt that way.

"Because I felt like I could trust you, I finally got up the nerve to ask you to hug me and I didn't want it to end. It seemed like I immediately realized that for me to have the freedom to touch another person and to have a physical connection with them was what I needed and wanted in my life. Yet it was inconsistent with my plans to become a sister. Although I was initially disappointed when Mother Superior recommended that I not become a sister, it didn't take me long to feel a sense of freedom, like I was given a new life and I quickly knew that I want my new life to be with you." She barely notices his eyes widen in surprise as she guides their heads together to kiss him.

"I . . . I don't know what to say other than thank you."

"I hope I don't make it sound like you have no choice in the matter."

He briefly considers that before he responds, "No, I don't feel like that. . . . I guess my initial feeling is that I feel greatly honored you feel like that towards me. I suppose my next feeling is one of concern that I'm not good enough for you or that I might disappoint or fail you in some way."

"I know you're not a perfect man and I'm well aware that I'm far from being a perfect woman. Maybe we're both a couple of misfits, but it feels like we fit together. I understand it's probably wishful thinking on my part, but, I don't know, somehow it just seems like you're the best person for me and I hope I can be half as good for you."

He just looks down at the table for a seemingly long time before he softly says, "I'm sure it's wishful thinking on my part, but . . . I've had a similar feeling. . . . And that scares me because I don't want to hurt you or to have you feel as though I'm neglecting you or that you would feel in second place in my life because of my responsibilities. I also feel as though there must be somebody out there who will be much better suited to meet your needs and wants."

She tries to force herself to consider that, but her conviction doesn't allow her to be silent for long before it encourages her to tell him, "I suppose that's a theoretical possibility, but where are they and how long would I have to take to find them? Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I need to touch someone I trust and to have them touch me and I simply can't wait to find someone who might theoretically be better for me than you because you are so much the right person for me. Maybe your responsibilities are more time consuming than mine, but that just means the time you can share with me will be all the sweeter."

She guides his head towards hers and kisses him as thoroughly as she knows how. When they're forced to breathe, she pushes his chair away from the table, lifts one of her legs over both of his, and she watches his eyes open wide as she sits down on his legs a little above his knees. A few moments later, she smiles as she nods her head, lifts her hands to hold his head, and leans forward to kiss him some more. Soon, she feels his hands begin to caress her arms before they expand their touch to include her back and sides.

Chapter 31

Whether she was so lost in her enjoyment of his kisses and caresses or it just seemed like a natural progression, Ilena eventually becomes aware that her body has moved or been moved up Chet's legs and is now tightly pressed to his body and her hands are caressing his back. When they have to breathe, their heads move to be cheek to cheek as though it's the most natural thing to do. A little later, she feels something other than his hot breath on her neck and tries to concentrate then realizes that he's using his lips to kiss and . . . she doesn't know what other word to use to describe what he's doing to her ear and neck.

As she tries to pay closer attention to what he's doing, she quickly realizes that she likes it. While her enjoyment of how he's touching her seems to grow, she tries to not let it distract her from figuring out how he's touching her. Although she doubts that she's doing it right, she tries to imitate his touch then feels him stiffen in surprise. Before she can ask if she's doing it wrong, his lips seem to touch her more excitedly which encourages her to continue and even experiment with how her lips touch him.

Without being aware of where his kisses might be going, she follows his lead and kisses him along his jaw then their lips meet and mesh. Suddenly, it feels like a spark has been ignited between them and she tries to press herself tighter to him while she tries to kiss him deeper and is somehow aware that his arms have tightened around her as though he's trying to pull her into his body. Too soon, they have to breathe and their heads again move to be cheek to cheek. She feels like she has to somehow express herself, but can barely gasp out, "Oh, . . . Chet!"

Eventually, their attempt to catch their breath becomes less of an effort which allows the message from their bladders to get through to their conscious minds. After they take care of that necessity, they get another cup of tea and take it to the small sofa where she sits on his upper legs and cuddles up to him in between taking sips of tea. Without a verbal discussion, they seem to mutually agree to not talk about what happened between them a few minutes ago as though they both want it to resume while they're concerned about where it might lead them.

They finish their tea, set the cups aside, and after he just snugly holds her for awhile, he begins to gently caress her like he's done before and slowly expands his caresses until he's touching her as much as he has previously. Rather than expand his caresses to a new level of touching, she's a little surprised to realize that his level of caresses are slowly diminishing until he's just snugly holding her again. Her 'disappointment', if she could even call it that, seems to be more of a mental idea because what she really feels is totally comforted, completely content, and very relaxed.

A few minutes of seemingly perfect peace pass then he again begins to caress her like he did earlier, but, somehow, he adds some variations to how he caresses her which makes it seem like a new and wonderful experience without him touching her more than he has previously. As before, he slowly reduces how much he touches her and as his caresses cease while he hugs her snugly, she feels like she's ready to sink into a sleep of pure contentment, except that her full bladder isn't cooperating. After they take care of that issue, they fix another cup of tea for each of them and sit at the table to drink it while they try to think of something to talk about, but they mostly just enjoy each other's quiet presence.

Apparently, that quiet enjoyment reminds them of another kind of enjoyment and without taking the time to take their empty cups to the kitchen, they quickly move to cuddle on the small sofa where he begins to caress then to gently kiss her. His caresses and kisses have slowly expanded and are now touching her as much as he has previously when she thinks something is a little different. She mentally struggles to partially set her enjoyment aside in order to pay closer attention to his caresses then her eyes widen as she realizes that his caresses are starting to touch her along the backs of her legs from her knees to about the middle of her thighs through her pants.

Even as she gladly responds to his ongoing kisses, she tries to pay attention to the nerves in her legs and as she realizes that he really is touching her along the backs of her upper legs, though only to the middle of her thighs, she tries to increase the intensity of her kiss, but that only causes her to run her out of breath sooner so she caresses his arm to encourage him. As he continues to caress her all over her legs through her pants from the middle of her thighs on down, except for the insides of her thighs, she really enjoys how he varies the way he touches her so that none of his caresses seem to be repetitious.

In the midst of all the comfort and enjoyment she feels as his caresses continue, it seems to her as though his caresses on the backs of her legs which reach as far as the middle of her thighs are a little more, does she dare to think it, . . . exciting. And if this level of touching feels exciting to her, she had better not let herself think about how she might feel if he touches her more. Apparently, she's so lost in her enjoyment and thoughts that it takes her awhile to realize he's slowly diminishing how much he's touching her and as her brief feelings of excitement slip away, it seems as though her feeling of contentment is even fuller.

She doesn't know how long she simply snuggles in his encircling arms before she can attempt to express herself, "Thank you, Chet. That was so wonderful, I really wish I could fall asleep in your arms."

There's a brief pause before he responds, "It's truly my pleasure and honor that you allow me to touch you and it makes me very happy that you enjoy it."

She tries to think of a way to express to him how thoroughly happy and contented and comfortable she feels in his arms, but no words come to mind so she tries to press herself more tightly to him. Moments later, as she feels his arms gently pull her even closer, her joy is so thorough she almost weeps at the beauty of it. Eventually, he has to slightly loosen the hug because his arms feel like they're about to tremble from holding her so tightly. At the same time, his emotions are feeling so overwhelmed by the idea that she wants him to be with her and wants him to touch her that he's almost numb.

Unfortunately, the unpleasantness of reality in the form of full bladders intrudes on them and they reluctantly separate. While she doesn't want to consider anything but returning to his embrace, he notices the time and she thinks she can hear a regretful tone to his voice as he says, "Well, I suppose I ought to leave so you have a chance to have a good night's rest."

"It isn't the amount of time available, but how well I can remember how you touch and kiss me which will improve how well I sleep. . . . Oh, Chet, . . ." she bites her lip and struggles to not say what she really feels like or how much she wants to insist that he hug her to sleep.

Whether he senses her struggle or is having his own struggle, he knows he had better leave, so he gently places a hand on her cheek, softly says, "Sleep well, my precious lady," turns, steps out the door, and makes sure it locks behind him. As though it was his presence which kept her upright, a moment or so after he leaves, her limbs become flaccid and she seems to dissolve onto the floor. Part of her wants to rage at life which seems to keep them apart while another part of her wants to weep at how wonderful he makes her feel. She doesn't know how long it takes her to become barely functional, but a little later as she hugs her pillow in bed, her imagination or something makes her feel as though he is there and hugs to sleep.

Chapter 32

Since he hasn't heard anything, Chet makes a call in the morning and hears Ass ask, "Hey, boss, what's up?"

"I thought I would check in with you and find out what's going on at the base. I was surprised we didn't get another 'rescue' attempt yesterday evening."

"You almost did, but when the selected mission commander was informed what the actual mission was, she refused to accept it on the basis that it was an illegal order."

"Good for her."

"I agree. That set off a fire storm of accusations, orders, counter orders, and communications while commanders were making an effort to document and justify their positions in preparation for the expected court-martial trials. There's been so much digital traffic flowing around in there, I felt like I have a headache trying to make sense of it. The Colonel has retained enough support that he's been able to avoid a coup, at least so far, but he's quickly running out of field commanders who are capable of leading a 'rescue' attempt. I suspect they quickly ran out of room in their detention center because they're confining officers to quarters which doesn't stop them from communicating with others or even sending burst transmissions from their lower level communications teams. Considering the messages we've sent as well as all of these new transmissions, if we don't see somebody from the supreme commander's office show up in the next few days, I will be greatly surprised."

"Me, too. Ass, is there any indication they'll somehow get their act together and attempt another 'rescue'?"

"There's no doubt in my mind they will make another attempt. It's just a matter of time before they find someone who will be willing to lead such a mission, especially since the Colonel has offered an immediate promotion. He'll also probably crucify the poor schmuck if he doesn't succeed, but there are plenty of officers who are so sure of themselves that failure isn't even considered a possibility regardless of how many soldiers are lost in the process."

"You're right about that. Was there any reaction on the base regarding the news media's broadcasts?"

"That was like another bucket of fuel thrown on the confusion over there. Apparently, even some of the senior staff members who are supportive of another 'rescue' attempt are reminding the Colonel that the news media is not subject to his orders and can say whatever they want until he can prove in a court of law that they are making slanderous statements."

"Let's hope they can convince him of that."

"I agree. Have you been thinking of any recommendations about how to respond if the military does try to do something to the news media?"

Chet hesitates, then reluctantly says, "Yes."

"I know this isn't easy for you, boss, but we have to consider all of the ways in which egotists and idiots inappropriately react to situations they don't like and then consider what might be an appropriate response."

"I know. I guess I can't really relate to those kind of people in order to think like they do in order to try to plan ahead for what they might do."

"I'm glad you can't relate to them or you wouldn't be a decent boss. I guess you're considering the old saying that it takes a thief to catch a thief."

"Yeah."

"Considering some of the digital traffic I've been seeing and some of the reports we've received about how the Colonel has gotten Captain Stilson out of trouble before, I suspect that instead of being a logical and methodical thief who cases out a joint and considers all of the angles of approach and escape, the Colonel is more like a schoolyard bully who didn't get his way."

"If he is who I think he is, instead of somebody else with the same name, then that would be an appropriate assessment. I don't know how he could have stayed in the military and gotten as far as he has and that's not a positive reflection on the military's leadership."

"I agree."

"Well, I didn't want to take up so much of your time, but I appreciate you keeping an eye on things there. Yes, I know, you're just doing your job."

Ass chuckles then says, "Did you expect me to say something else?"

"Not really, but I still want to make it clear that I appreciate all you do."

"Thanks, boss. Well, if I hear anything significant, I'll let you know."

"Thank you." As he disconnects the call and puts his communicator away, Chet can't imagine trying to do his job if he didn't have the high quality expertise of those he works with. A couple of moments later, he contacts the Constable and fills him in on the latest status from the military base.

* * * * *

As the current teleconference is winding down, Chet considers whether he can take enough of a break to have lunch. After he says, "Good-bye," to the other attendees and ends the teleconference, he starts to guesstimate how long the rest of the work sitting in front of him will take. A few moments later, he recognizes Karina's knock and speaks up, "Come in." He's about to ask, "What's up?" when he lifts his head and sees Ilena in the open door.

With a cheerful voice, she asks, "Hey, boss, are you free for lunch?" When she notices him wince, she quickly becomes more serious and asks, "Did I say something wrong?"

"Well, not really, but I would much prefer to be your friend rather than be your boss. Otherwise, I would feel guilty about either treating you better than your co-workers or taking advantage of you."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think about that. It just seems like everybody calls you 'boss' and that makes me wonder if it's your name. You know, since it seems like everybody calls you 'boss' or 'sir', you must be a really important person."

"No. I'm just another guy who has a job and tries to do it well."

"I still think you're not telling me the whole truth."

"Well, I certainly don't mean to lie to you or to hide the truth and I can assure you that my job is neither illegal nor immoral by any normal definition, but, at the same time, I don't want my job to have any influence on how you and I relate to each other. You and I have found that we like each other and that we accept each other for who we are as individuals. As far as I'm concerned, that's all that matters."

As she steps closer, she says, "I think you're right about that." He barely has time to stand up from his chair before she hugs and kisses him. Somehow, they manage to not let their sharing of affection either go longer or escalate before they slightly separate, clasp hands, and walk to the cafeteria. After they get their food, they notice the Constable wave them over to a table and as they sit down, he winks as he informs Chet that he's off duty. They have a nice conversation even though the men seem to let her do most of the talking as Charles asks her about how she developed a friendship with Regit and what her educational and career plans are.

Chapter 33

As they walk back to Chet's office, Ilena remarks, "I don't think I've ever met somebody who can separate their personal life from the job as thoroughly as Charles does. It's almost as though he's two different people."

"He is very good at that and it's helped him to deal with some tough situations which he had no control over. I won't reveal any details, but he is a positive example for some of us who have more difficulty in keeping our personal life separated from our so-called professional life."

"You mean it's like you don't want to tell me about what your job really is because you don't want it to have an effect on our relationship?"

"That's right. I know my job partially interferes with our relationship simply because of the time it takes to accomplish my responsibilities. And that makes me feel even stronger about not letting my job interfere to a larger degree."

"I think I understand. I suspect that when I do find out what your job really is, I'll probably be greatly surprised."

"Probably, but I hope that as we become more comfortable with each other and more confident in our relationship, when you do find out what my job is, it won't matter to you because you accept me as a person rather than as a job title."

"If I ever think your job title is more important than who you are as a person and especially how you treat me as a person, then there's something wrong with me and I had better do what I can to fix it."

"Thank you. Although I wouldn't be inclined to claim there's something wrong with you, that is the essence of the concept I'm trying to express."

"That makes more sense. In a way it's like how Regit treats people. She doesn't care about job titles or external appearances or anything like that. If a person treats her with respect and in a friendly manner, then that's how she responds to them."

"That's a good way to look at it."

As they step in the outer office, Ilena asks, "Karina, how much time does Chet have available for an ad hoc meeting?"

Her initial surprised expression quickly turns into a grin before she answers, "A little less than a half of an hour so he has some time to catch his breath before his next teleconference."

"Thanks, Karina," and she returns her grin as she pushes Chet into his office and closes the door.

He briefly frowns at their obvious conspiracy, but as he responds to Ilena's thorough kiss, he has to admit that he's never been the object of a conspiracy which was such an enjoyable experience. As they try to catch their breath, he guides her to one of the chairs in front of his desk where she quickly settles on his upper legs and snuggles closer as his arms go around her. Moments later, they renew their kiss.

Considering the limited time they have available to be together now, she decides that rather than wait for her breathing to settle enough for her to request that he caress her, she starts to caress his arm and intensifies her kiss. Whether he was going to or she encouraged him, in either case, she's thrilled to feel him start to caress her. He apparently takes the limited time into consideration because instead of slowly caressing her and slowly expanding how much of her he caresses, he's soon caressing her everywhere he has before except for leaning over to caress her lower legs.

Since she's used to him slowly caressing her which leads her to comfort and contentment, the quicker expansion of his caresses seem to encourage a feeling of excitement in her which doesn't displace the comfort she feels whenever she's in his arms, but seems to add to it or enhance it. A little later, her eyes widen in surprise as she feels his caressing right hand move up the outside of her pants covered left leg past the middle of her thigh. Then his hand keeps going higher and higher, over the outside of her hip and past her waist to caress her upper abdomen.

After he caresses her upper abdomen for awhile, his hand moves over her waist, down the outside of her left hip, and down the outside of her left leg to resume caressing the fronts and outsides of both of her legs no higher than the middle of her thighs. A couple of more times his caressing hand slides up and down the outside of her left leg as it goes from her leg to her upper abdomen and back down again. They're very tempted to ignore the discrete knock on the door, but their sense of duty and responsibility won't cooperate.

He helps her to stand up then follows her lead as she pulls on his hands and guides him back into her arms. A moment later, she tells him, "Since you could have easily touched me a lot more, but you didn't, you've further convinced me that I can trust you and that I want you to touch all of me." She kisses him deeply but keeps it brief before she turns and hurries out the door.

* * * * *

As time approaches the end of the afternoon, Chet can't seem to stop himself from hoping Ilena will be free this evening and that no emergency will crop up. A moment or two later, his communicator activates and he mutters, "Famous last words," before he answers, "This is Chet."

"Hey, boss. The military seems to have reduced the confusion on the base somewhat and are preparing another 'rescue' mission."

"Oh, great."

"Yeah. Actually, it might be a little easier to dissuade them because instead of using their rotating wing vertical landing air vehicles, they're loading up a couple of troop transports."

"What are they doing, sending two companies of soldiers?"

Ass answers, "Just one company, but they're taking their own ground transportation since they don't know if there will be any vehicles at the landing zone for them to commandeer. That also means the soldiers aren't paratroopers so they'll have to land."

"I understand your idea. So, if we can prevent them from landing, they can't carry out their mission."

"And that might be more easily accomplished than trying to round up a company once they're on the ground."

"Very true. Can you provide me with the specifications on the minimum distance they need in order to make an emergency landing? Oh, and do they need a paved surface or can the transports land on an unimproved surface?"

"Give me a few minutes to round up that data and I'll send you a written message. I've also found out they plan to arrive there at about dusk. Apparently, they want to be able to navigate manually rather than run the risk of having their navigational computer misdirect them. Gee, I wonder why they're concerned about that?"

Chet chuckles before he responds, "I haven't got a clue. Thank you so much for letting me know about the new mission. I'll go ahead and coordinate with the Constable and the landing zone manager and see if we can set out a 'not welcome' mat for our unwanted visitors."

"Sounds like fun. Maybe I'll have to tap into their medical records and see if we're giving that Colonel indigestion yet."

"If he is who I think he is, he's more likely to have high blood pressure from going on a rant rather than be upset or worried."

"Good point. By the way, with all of the confusion over there, I've been able to establish a number of contacts on the base which we can make use of if they continue to refuse our communications or try to escalate the situation."

"That's good. I hope it won't come to that, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Again, I appreciate you staying on top of the situation and keeping me informed."

"I've been happy to help and it gives me some insight into the mind of an arrogant egotist. You guys are so multi-faceted and complex, it almost makes me seem simple in comparison."

"Believe me, Ass, we would be a lot better off if we were more simple."

"Boss, may I make a suggestion?"

"Of course."

"After you let the Constable and others know what's happening, step back, let them do their jobs, and ask Ilena to distract you."

Chet hesitates some before he responds, "I'm not inclined to impose on her or to intentionally use her as a means to reduce my stress."

"Apparently I still have some learning to do in order to communicate properly. Or is it that you're too sensitive about the subject? Boss, for you to gently ask Ilena to spend time with you is not imposing on her or using her against her will. Just spend some time with her and I'm sure that in the process you'll be distracted without her ever feeling like you're forcing her to do something she doesn't want to do."

He sighs then says, "I'm sorry I jumped on you and you're probably right about that. I guess I don't understand how I can be in this situation and don't know how to appropriately respond."

"I'm sure you'll figure out the right thing to do. Until then, pass the word on to your 'co-conspirators' and then try to relax."

"Yes, 'boss'."

Ass laughs and disconnects the call.

Chapter 34

Chet shakes his head, quickly finishes a couple of things then leaves the office and walks towards the detention center. He's partway there when something large cuts right in front of him and he stops as quickly as he can. It takes him a few moments before he recognizes that it's Ilena riding on Regit and by then she's already in his arms for a tight hug and a brief kiss.

"This is an unexpected surprise," as one of his hands moves from her back to scratch Regit's head after she bumped him.

"I hope it's also a welcome surprise."

"Very welcome, except that I need to go talk to the Constable."

"What's up?"

"The military is sending another mission to 'rescue' Captain Stilson and I need to let the Constable know as well as figure out how we're going to deal with them. I would recommend that you go ahead and get dinner because I don't know how long it will take for us to consider the options and make appropriate plans."

"Oh. . . . Can I come with you?"

He briefly pauses before he answers, "As much as I want to be with you, I don't want to bore you or cause you to miss dinner. I'm also not sure you would appreciate what we may have to discuss."

"I . . . I think I understand. . . . In that case, we'll go with you and wait for you and if that means I miss dinner in order to be with you as soon as I can, that's okay with me."

He shakes his head in disbelief, gently lays a hand on her face, and says, "Thank you. I greatly appreciate your willingness to be with me especially since I know I don't deserve to be with you." A moment later, he briefly kisses her then takes her hand and they walk to the detention center.

The Constable is just stepping out of his office when he sees Chet walking towards him and asks, "Are they sending another 'rescue' mission?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Hello, Ilena. How's your friend?"

"We're doing fine although we're not happy that the military is making things difficult for you guys."

"That's life, as they say. Well, sir, what are they planning this time?" Chet follows the Constable back into his office and after he provides him with a brief synopsis, they contact the landing zone manager and discuss their options.

It's less than an hour later when they step out of the Constable's office and see that a couple of the deputies are talking to Ilena and petting Regit. They immediately step back, but the Constable tells them, "Carry on. You might as well relax while you can in case we have some action this evening." He turns to the deputy at the duty desk and requests, "Put out a notice for the whole team to be here in two hours. The military is sending another mission. Hopefully, we can keep them from landing, but if we can't, then things may get rather intense." He turns towards Ilena and his whole countenance seems to change as he says, "Would you care to grace us with your presence for a late dinner?"

She quickly recovers from her surprise, slightly curtsies, and answers, "It would be my pleasure, kind sir." The deputies have grins as she tells them, "Thank you for your company."

"It was our pleasure, ma'am. And anytime you want to bring Regit for a visit, she's more than welcome also."

As they walk towards the cafeteria, the Constable asks, "So, the military still isn't communicating?"

Chet answers, "Not at all. I don't know how many times we've called, sent written messages, both digital and hardcopy, and even sent over couriers. I don't know what else we can do to get in touch with them in a reasonable manner."

"I know I don't need to remind you and I know it isn't right, but, unfortunately, when the other person is being stubbornly unreasonable, sometimes you have to drop down to their level of 'civilized' behavior just to get their attention."

"Too often that's true."

Ilena is surprised to see the cafeteria doors open at their approach even though it's a few minutes after the posted dinner hour.

Chet notices her surprised expression and explains, "I called over a little while ago and they agreed to hold the dinner hour a little longer for us." Even as she again wonders who he is, she keeps her question to herself then returns his gentle smile.

They have a mostly quiet meal and when they done, the Constable tells him, "Sir, you've done your part in helping us to consider the options and to make appropriate plans. Now it's our job to implement the plans so I'm going to encourage you to relax and forget about the situation. If something comes up, we know how to get in touch with you."

Chet hesitates then says, "I know and I can't tell you how much I appreciate all you and your deputies have done and how well you've accomplished your duties. I guess I feel somewhat responsible for your welfare and don't want any of you to get hurt as a result of my decisions."

"We greatly appreciate that, but those are our roles and we voluntarily accepted our jobs in full awareness of both the risks and the responsibilities. Now, before we talk it to death," he turns and says, "Ilena, he's all yours."

"Thank you, Charles. I will do all I can to take advantage of his time."

The Constable laughs then waves as he returns to the detention center.

Ilena tugs on his hand as she tells him, "Come, my humble friend who has power over Constables and cafeterias."

He looks at her in surprise then willingly walks with her, especially after Regit bumps him to encourage him to move. When they near the building entrance, Regit steps in front of them and after they pet and scratch her for a little while, she turns and trots off towards the farm.

Soon, they step into her quarters and she barely gets the door closed and locked before they're in each other's arms. A moment later, their lips seem to lock onto each other as though it's been days instead of a few hours since their last kiss. When they have to breathe, they move to the small sofa and this time he sits on the other side so when she settles on his upper legs, her left side is snugly pressed to his chest. That enables his left hand to more fully caress her right side than he could previously while he caresses her no further than he had before even as his right hand caresses her back.

In the midst of the ongoing kisses and caresses, she feels her comfort and contentment grow. Although she can't be sure, she thinks his concentration is being more directed towards her which not only makes her feel very special, but makes her happy she can distract him from his worries even if her involvement is a little more indirect. Too soon, a bladder break is required then they return to the small sofa where she does her best to kiss his worries away.

In the midst of her ongoing enjoyment, she feels something a little different and tries to pay a little more attention to the nerves in her right leg. Then she realizes that his caresses have gone above the middle of her thigh along the front of her pants covered leg and keeps going all of the way up her leg, across the front of her hip, and up to her upper abdomen. He caresses her there for awhile then reverses his moves and as his hand goes down the front of her hip to caress the front and outside of her leg, she intensifies her kiss in an attempt to encourage him non-verbally.

Reluctantly, they take a breathing break then he gently places a finger over her lips until he has enough breath to say, "I hope that by increasing the level twice in one day of expanding how much of you I touch isn't going too fast for you."

"I think it's wonderful and definitely not too fast. Chet, considering what I've heard from some of the other girls who were in relationships, they were already having sex in less than half of the time you've spent touching me. Not only that, but with both of your expansions in how you've touched me today, you could have easily touched me much more intimately and done it much faster than I could have formed a response. Yet you didn't. Like I said earlier, that only encourages me to trust you more and to look forward with excitement to how you will touch more of me."

He doesn't have a chance to verbally respond before he's lips are encouraged by her lips to thoroughly kiss her. As they share physical affection for the rest of the evening, Chet occasionally has a fleeting thought about what is happening with the military's current mission, but the advice of both Ass and the Constable ring in his ears. Previously, such advice often fell on his 'deaf' ears so he suspects that his sub-conscious mind is using Ilena's ongoing luscious kisses and touchable body tightly pressed to him to enhance the power of the advice. Either that or her presence is just so wonderful that duty and responsibility can't compete.

Chapter 35

The pilot of the leading military troop transport announces over the internal communications system, "We're about ten minutes out from our destination so prepare for landing."

Shortly after the pilot of the second military troop transport makes a similar announcement, a voice is heard over the internal communication systems in both air vehicles, "To the military troop transports which are approaching the landing zone at College Station, you are not authorized to land here. I repeat, you are not authorized to land here. Return to your base."

After a moment of stunned silence, the lead pilot makes sure his radio is set to the incoming frequency and says, "We have been ordered to land there and you are not in our chain of command to give us counter orders."

"This is not a military landing zone and we are completely within our rights to refuse landing rights to any and all air vehicles who have not received prior permission. We know that your mission's order is to remove a criminal from lawful incarceration which means you are obeying an illegal order."

While the pilot tries to think of a response, the newly promoted Major who is commanding the mission steps into the cockpit and asks, "How do they know that?"

The pilot stays off of the radio as he answers, "How should I know? How do you want me to respond?"

"Let me." The Major makes sure his radio is properly set and sternly states, "This is a duly authorized military mission and we are going to land at the landing zone and complete our mission, so I suggest you back off, quit making impotent threats, and stay out of our way."

"If you attempt to land, your air vehicle will be severely damaged which will cause many of your soldiers to be injured. We will also be completely within our rights to defend ourselves from your unprovoked and illegal attack. Let me repeat, you are not authorized to land here, so return to your base. By the way, this conversation is being recorded and will be provided to both the news media as well as to your supreme commander."

The Major makes sure his radio is not transmitting before he says, "Arrogant local yokels. They have no authority to tell us not to land. Continue with your approach."

The pilot briefly hesitates then says, "But what if they've booby trapped the landing zone?"

"They wouldn't run the risk of messing up their landing zone. . . . I suppose to be on the safe side, you might do a slow fly by with your landing lights on."

A few minutes later, the pilot exclaims, "Damn, where is the landing zone? It should be right in front of us and I don't see a single light."

"What about your landing lights?"

"They aren't strong enough to pick out an obstacle far enough ahead to stop or maneuver in time. Maybe we can at least try to find the landing zone." He turns on the landing lights then has to slightly weave the troop transport in order to find the landing zone. A moment later, his eyes open wide then he exclaims, "Holy shit! There's no way we can land there."

"But we have to complete our mission."

"Major, don't you see those obstacles? If we hit one of those at even our slowest landing speed, it will destroy this air vehicle and probably kill most of us. I didn't think you were on a suicide mission."

"I'm not, but isn't there some way you can maneuver around them or land somewhere else nearby?"

"There's no way any pilot could maneuver this troop transport between those obstacles and this is the only landing zone in like a hundred miles and there are no surface roads between there and here. This mission is a bust. There's no way I'm going to wreak this air vehicle or commit suicide for you, this mission, or for the Colonel. If you want to put me up for a court-martial, be my guest, but I'm taking this air vehicle back to the base. Unless you want to try to land it by yourself."

The Major hesitates, sighs, then says, "I wouldn't know how. Well, there goes my promotion and I suppose I'll be court-martialled too."

The pilot adds power to the engines, climbs up to cruising altitude, and heads back to the base while he explains the situation to the pilot of the second air vehicle.

* * * * *

After he reluctantly leaves Ilena half asleep on the small sofa and with her lingering kiss still tingling on his lips, Chet steps into his quarters and washes his face with cold water in an attempt to calm down and to reorient his thoughts towards more practical concerns. A couple of minutes later, he contacts the deputy on duty to find out what happened to the military mission.

The deputy reports, "We successfully deflected them and have been following their radar track back to their base. If you're available now, I'll let the Constable know because he wanted to fill you in on the details."

"I'm available. Did he want me to come over to his office?"

"Either that or he can call you, whichever is most convenient for you."

"Well, since I'm in my quarters, I guess it would be easier for me if the Constable has time to call me."

"I'll let him know."

"Thank you, deputy and thank you to you and your team mates for all you've been doing to handle this ongoing situation."

"It's been our pleasure, sir, and we'll talk to you later."

"Good night." Chet has just started to make a cup of tea when the Constable calls and before he's finished describing what happened, Chet is chuckling. "Well done, Constable, very well done. You and your team have done a fantastic job throughout this whole situation and I can't express how much I appreciate it."

"While we appreciate your gratitude and could claim we're simply doing our duty to uphold the law, it's also been our pleasure to tweak the noses of military officers who think they are so high and mighty and have forgotten about honor and integrity. I know you didn't cause it, but we're half tempted to thank you for giving us an opportunity to demonstrate to ourselves, as well as to others, what we can do in a situation where it looks like the other guy has all of the advantages."

"I understand what you're saying. Well, hopefully, this will help convince the military they can't just walk all over either the law or us. Then maybe you and your team can enjoy a well-earned rest. And if you can think of anything I can do to help you guys or to more fully express my gratitude, please don't hesitate to speak up."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. You probably ought to get your rest also because if they don't try another 'rescue' attempt up here, they may find a way to cause other problems you have to deal with."

"You're probably right about that. Well, take care and if I hear anything else about the situation which might impact us here, I'll let you know."

"Thank you, again. Good night."

Chet disconnects the call and fixes his tea before he takes some time to prepare a written message to Ass about what happened to the latest 'rescue' attempt and thanks him for acquiring the military radio frequencies. He attaches a copy of the recorded conversation which the Constable has already forwarded to the news media and asks that a copy be sent in the next batch transmission to the higher military authorities.

Once that's taken care of, he tries to relax as he finishes his tea. He knows it won't do him any good to worry, but that doesn't stop him from being greater concerned about how the military is going to escalate the situation. As he shakes his head at how stupidly the military has reacted, he finishes his tea, rinses out his cup, and gets ready for bed. Rather than try to guess what the military might try next, he tries to concentrate his thoughts on remembering Ilena's hugs and kisses.

Chapter 36

Chet is happily walking hand in hand with Ilena away from the cafeteria where they enjoyed breakfast when his communicator activates. He frowns at the interruption then answers, "This is Chet."

"Boss, I just found out that the military is putting together a team to take over the news media station. Apparently, the military didn't appreciate the broadcast this morning about last night's 'rescue' attempt."

"LIF!! What is with those guys? . . . Okay. This has gone on too long. Is there a way we can stop the assault team?"

"I've contacted the news media and suggested they evacuate the station and have also contacted the local police. I don't know yet what size the assault team is going to be or how they'll be equipped as to whether the local police can prevent them from leaving the base."

"I guess we'll have to do it then. Ass, implement Plan D."

"Are you sure, boss? That's rather drastic."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Not at all. I think it's the right choice. I just want to make sure you're comfortable with the choice."

"No, I'm not comfortable with the choice, but being nice isn't working. I'm afraid this is one of those situations where we have to use a bigger hammer than they have in order to get their attention so they'll take us seriously."

"I fully agree and am happily implementing Plan D even as we speak. As soon as I find out what kind of reaction they're going to have, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Ass. I really appreciate you staying on top of this. LIF!! I just can't imagine why they would let this situation go on for so long. I'm sorry, I don't mean to rant at you."

"That's quite okay, boss. I would prefer to have you express your frustration with me rather than have you upset that pretty little lady who is standing next to you."

"Thanks, Ass, at least for letting me get things off of my chest. I hope you aren't letting something else slide while you're spying on me."

"Of course not. I just happen to be very good at multi-tasking."

"That's true. Okay, I guess we'll talk to you later." As he puts his communicator away, he notices that Ilena is looking at him, but he's not sure how to interrupt her expression. When she doesn't say anything, he asks, "What's the matter?"

"Who are you?"

He briefly frowns then slightly smiles as he gently lays a hand on her cheek and answers, "Your friend. At least I'm hope I'm still your friend because that's all that matters between us."

She shakes her head then steps closer to hug him before she verbally responds "You're right, that is all that matters between us, but at the same time, I'm concerned about you and the apparent decisions you have to make. I don't know how to respond to you or help you or . . . I don't know. . . . It seems like the more I get to know you, the bigger you become and I almost feel like I'm becoming smaller and will soon be insignificant."

"Never, Ilena, you will never be insignificant to me. You're the most important person in my life. At the same time, I want to protect you, not only from others, but also from myself." He partially releases the hug and with one arm still around her, he guides her to walk with him before he continues, "While I have to be aware of and frequently deal with the less pleasant aspects of life and of human behavior, I cherish your apparent innocence.

"Please don't misinterpret what I'm saying. You're a smart young lady and you do know that life isn't always easy and that people aren't always nice, but there's some quality about you which still seems to shine forth with a warm, gentle, joyous, . . . I still can't think of a better word than 'innocence'. It's such a wonderful contrast to what I frequently have to deal with that I don't want to do or say anything which might negatively impact that wonderful quality you have."

"Oh. I thought I was just naive."

"I wouldn't call it that. You probably are somewhat naive about some aspects of life. There are aspects of life which I know I'm naive about. I know you understood what Captain Stilson's attitude was in how he looked at you and spoke to you," he gently tightens his half hug as he feels her shudder, "but you didn't let that twist or ruin who you are on the inside. Once you felt safely away from him, it's like you brushed his dirty attitude off of your shoulders as though it was a piece of lint and didn't let it affect the beauty and purity of who you are inside. I know I'm just being selfish, but I treasure that quality you have and want to stay close to you so I can see and feel it and maybe even absorb a little of it."

"Thank you, Chet. Although I'm not sure I can understand all that you mean, I'm glad you want to stay close to me." They walk a little further then she tries to keep her grin on the inside while she attempts to frown as she asks, "Is that the only reason you want to stay close to me?"

He stops walking and looks at her in surprise before he says, "Of course not," and deeply kisses her but keeps it brief before he turns them to resume walking as he explains, "I just don't think it's wise for me to express how much I want to stay close to you while we're in a public setting."

They soon arrive at his office where Karina smiles and winks at them then receives a scowl from Chet and a grin from Ilena in return. They step in and almost before the 'click' of the closing door fades into silence, they're in each other's arms and deeply kiss. Several more kisses are shared before they have to take a longer breathing break.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be taking advantage of you or neglecting my work."

"Chet, I can assure you that you're not taking advantage of me. I can't express how much I treasure our times together. I suppose I'm the one who is taking advantage of you and distracting you from doing your work."

"Believe me, your willingness to share your physical affection with me is so precious to me, . . . I can't begin to express what it means to me," so he attempts to express himself with his thorough kiss which she immediately responds to with equal fervor. When he's caught his breath following several more kisses, he tells her, "I'm sorry, I need to back off before I get carried away."

He takes a half of a step back, turns, sits on a chair in front of his desk, and guides her to sit on his upper legs while she wonders if he really is backing off or getting ready to be carried away. He begins to gently caress her then says, "I suspect you have some questions about the conversation I had after we left the cafeteria. I doubt if I can answer all of your questions, but I'll try to answer as many as I think are appropriate."

His statement totally takes her by surprise so it's a few moments before she can get her thoughts together in order to say, "You called the other person, 'Ass'. I thought that was considered a rather derogatory term to call someone."

"It has been used as such, more so in the past than currently since most people no longer know anything about the animal which is known as an 'ass'. In this case, he has a rather long name and since part of his title is 'Assistant', we agreed that it could be shortened to 'Ass' for the sake of efficiency."

"That makes sense, but does he know about how the term was used in the past?"

"Very much so, but he's more inclined to consider the positive qualities which the ass had."

"Not too many people would take that approach."

"That's true."

"Um, what did you mean about him spying on you?"

"When he was talking to me, he accessed the community security monitors and saw us together."

"Oh. . . . I didn't realize that people actually watch them."

"They normally don't. About the only time the recordings of the security monitors are viewed is when there is a reported crime and then the recordings are used to see if there is any clear evidence. Ass has some very special capabilities and is highly curious about our relationship. Let me assure you that he will not do anything to harm or embarrass you although he wouldn't hesitate to tease me."

"Okay. . . . I guess I'll have to trust the two of you about that."

He briefly kisses her.

"Um, do I dare ask what you meant when you said to implement plan D?"

"You can ask, but in this case, I'm not going to answer yet because that will either generate a lot more questions or require a lot more explanation which I don't want to burden you with or to potentially compromise your safety."

"What do you mean by compromise my safety?"

"If some people had the idea that I freely spoke with you, they wouldn't hesitate to harm you to try to learn what you might know. Although there's nothing secret about having a plan D or any other letter of the alphabet, the details of what plan D involves would be considered a government secret."

"Oh, okay, I can accept that. Thank you for at least telling me that much."

"You're welcome."

She hesitates a little then says, "I want to monopolize your time, but I also don't want to interfere with your work, so let me ask, do you have time now to touch me to the next level?"

"As much as I want to say, 'yes', I have to be honest and say, 'no'. I really should get some work done, but more than that, the next planned level is a little different and I would prefer to have some extra time available in case you have some concerns about it."

"I appreciate how much you care about me and I don't want to push you, but you do have my permission to touch all of me."

"Thank you for the reminder. I suspect that you won't have any issue with the next level, but I would still prefer to error on the side of caution rather than run the risk of hurting or upsetting you."

"You're too good to me," and she thoroughly kisses him. "I suppose I ought to let you get some work done while I dream about what the next level might be."

"Maybe you shouldn't dream about it because then you'll expect something more wonderful than I can give you and I don't want to disappoint you."

"Based on my past experience, I won't be disappointed as long as you touch me." She thoroughly kisses him again and snuggles close while her breathing settles. Reluctantly, she gets up, gives him a quick kiss, and walks out the door.

Chapter 37

Chet is still sitting there a couple of minutes later when Karina pops her head in the door and remarks, "Boss, I really like how that lovely young lady is affecting you, but I don't think your next teleconference will appreciate your dazed look."

He shakes his head as though to get his thoughts functioning before he responds, "You're probably right. Do you want to change jobs?"

"You couldn't pay me enough to take that job."

"That's what I should have said."

"For what it's worth, I think you're about the best person for that job even though I know you don't like a lot of things about it."

"Thank you for the thought. Now I have to wonder if there is anything I do like about the job."

"Working with us."

"Well, you're right about that, but I'm sure there must be some other job I can do which would still allow me to work with you and the team."

"I'll have to do some investigating into that possibility. In the meantime, you have a teleconference in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Karina."

"You're welcome, boss."

* * * * *

It's about the middle of the morning when Chet answers his activated communicator, "This is Chet."

"Hey, boss. Just thought I would update you and let you know that the fat has really hit the fire. They are absolutely livid over there on the base, but they still haven't made a single attempt to communicate."

"What is wrong with those people?"

Ass answers, "That's a good question. Anyway, after we quarantined the base and shut off all utilities and access and had that communicated through the news media, we've had whole units of the civil defense organization volunteer to patrol the base perimeter. Frankly, it makes me wonder why the military assigns units to planets."

"I hope the volunteers are being careful, because the last thing I want is for people to be hurt and that's why I didn't want to call up the civil defense units."

"We all understand that. There have been a few minor injuries due to people being a little clumsy or over excited. Thankfully, at least so far, the military hasn't gotten to the point of shooting at civilians."

"That's good to know. Have they been trying to break out of the base?"

"Oh, yeah. Each time they try to blow a hole in the fence or a gate, we hit them with a sleeping agent which their gas masks are ineffective against or we dart those who are setting the explosives with a sedative. Then to make sure they understand that we mean business, each time they try to break out, we destroy one of their unmanned vehicles and announce that it's because they attempted to break out. With each announcement and on every broadcast in between, we are making it clear that the base is quarantined due to them following illegal orders and attempting to disrupt the legitimate news media as well as trying to help a criminal escape from lawful incarceration."

"Good for you. Is there any indication that anybody is listening?"

"From what I've been able to find out, a lot of the lower ranks are listening and an increasing number of them are refusing to obey orders to break out of the base. I don't know what kind of hold that Colonel has over the higher ranks because fewer of them have been positively responding although it appears that some of them are beginning to question the situation."

"Good. I guess all we can do is to continue to enforce the quarantine and hope that enough of the officers can get through to that Colonel and encourage him to act in a reasonable manner."

"I suspect it will be more like force him to act reasonably."

"You're probably right about that. Is there anything I can do to help you or the situation?"

"Thanks for the offer, boss, but you set up the plan and gave us the support and authorization and now it's up to us to implement the plan. I suppose if the Colonel ever gets off of his high horse, you might want to come down for a face to face, but until that happens, we've got it covered."

"Thanks, Ass, I really appreciate all that you and your teams are doing. I feel like I should be doing more. Not only that, but my suspicion is growing that the Colonel is going to blame me for the situation even though I have no idea what his justification might be and that makes me feel guilty for involving others in our dispute."

"So, you think the Colonel is the person you know?"

"I can't be positive, but it seems highly unlikely that two people who happen to have the same name would behave in such a similar manner."

"That's a good point. Well, I'm sure you have other work you ought to be doing. If I find out anything more of significance, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Ass. You're a good man."

"How dare you insult me!" They both laugh and disconnect the call.

* * * * *

Even as Ilena walks over to Chet's office, she isn't sure whether she mostly feels selfish that she wants to spend time with him or mostly feels concerned about him and whatever he has to do in order to deal with the Captain Stilson situation. In either case, she decides she needs to encourage him to take a break for lunch. As she steps in the outer office, she sees Karina step out of Chet's office and announce with a grin, "He's all yours."

"Thank you, Karina." A moment later, she knocks on his open door and asks, "Are you going to take a break for lunch?"

"Oh, hello, Ilena. Yes. Give me a couple of minutes to finish up." It's more like a few minutes before he says, "There, that takes care of that. Shall we go have lunch before someone else finds something for me to do?"

"Gladly."

As they walk hand in hand to the cafeteria, he asks, "Do you have any specific plans for this afternoon?"

"Nothing more specific than going over to the farm to visit with Regit then help out with the chores. Why, do you have some time?"

"Apparently, I've been a good enough boy that my babysitter said I can have a couple of hours to play."

Since she's puzzled by that statement, she asks, "Your babysitter?"

"Karina."

She briefly looks at him in surprise then clamps a hand over her mouth in an attempt to not start laughing. When she's gained some control, she suggests, "I think there's a more serious explanation than that."

His shrugs his shoulders then says, "A few of my upcoming teleconferences decided to cancel their meetings. I suppose I should be upset because it will probably make the rescheduled teleconferences run longer, but when I realized that it gave me an opportunity to spend some time with you, I wasn't going to object. That's assuming you have some free time and are willing to spend it with me."

She stops them, pulls his head to hers, and deeply kisses him although she keeps it brief before she assures him, "Any time you can make some free time, I'll gladly monopolize your time."

It takes him a couple of moments to get over his surprise at the speed and intensity of her reaction and another moment or so to formulate his own response, "Thank you. I greatly appreciate your answer. Although I suspected you might say something like that, I still want to ask and let you decide rather than for me to take you or your time for granted."

"Oh, Chet, you're so good to me."

"I don't mean to disagree with you, but I'm simply trying to treat you with respect and courtesy."

"I know that's how you feel, but I've heard about a lot of other guys who treat their girlfriend as if they own her."

"I've heard similar stories and in reference to many other types of situations, but I just can't seem to understand why or how a person can treat another person that way."

"And that attitude of yours only makes me feel safer to spend time with you and makes you more special to me."

He's not sure how to respond to that with something other than, "Oh," as he opens the door to the cafeteria and bows her in.

They quietly converse during their meal then she asks, "Everybody seems to be talking about the news from the capital. Do you know what they're talking about?"

"I've either been in meetings or working all morning so I haven't had a chance to catch one of the news broadcasts. Maybe I'll have to find some time this afternoon to catch up on what's happening. Of course, we could shorten our time together so you have some time to check out a news broadcast yourself."

She briefly stares at him then declares, "No way. My time with you is too precious to waste with watching a news broadcast which will probably be out of date by the time they broadcast it."

He slightly smiles as he responds, "I agree."

"Which part of my statement do you agree with?"

"Actually both, but especially about our time together being precious."

Chapter 38

They're soon done with their meal and as they leave the cafeteria, Ilena suggests, "To increase the limited amount of time we have together now, maybe we should spent it in your quarters or mine instead of taking the time to walk to the farm and possibly be interrupted."

Chet's grin grows before he responds, "I think I'm about ready to call you a mind reader."

She returns his grin then has to struggle to not start their private time out in the open or to race him to their quarters. Since she knows his quarters has basically the same amount of room and furniture which hers does and she doesn't want him to be distracted by work he needs to do, she leads the way to her quarters and they barely get the door closed and locked before they tightly hug and thoroughly kiss. Eventually, they have to breathe then make quick bathroom trips in order to delay a later interruption.

As he sits on the small sofa and she settles on his upper legs, it seems like their urgency to hug and kiss each other has been temporarily resolved, so he's able to begin to gently caress her and softly kiss her while she snuggles as close to him as she can and almost sighs as she feels comfort and contentment begin to blossom within her. Soon, he's caressing her everywhere he has before including the bare skin of her lower legs under her loose pants legs. And like before, he varies his caresses so she's not able to predict how he's going to caress her next which makes every caress seem new and wonderful.

The next time his hand caresses all of the way up the front and outside of her leg, his hand briefly pauses before it moves a little further then she gasps in surprise. Before he can ask what's wrong, she proclaims, "Oh! Yes! Please!"

He still hesitates a little longer before his hand which had slipped under the bottom hem of her loose shirt begins to gently caress the bare skin of her side before it slowly expands to include her upper abdomen. A little later, his other hand slips under her shirt's bottom hem and begins to caress the bare skin of her back. While she had previously thought some of his other caresses bordered on being exciting, his new caresses are wonderfully over that border, yet his hands stay above her waist and below her bra.

She feels like she wants to squirm her body in response to the wonderful feelings which are filling her up, but doesn't want him to misinterpret her expression of enjoyment, so she lifts one of her hands to caress his arm which is caressing her upper abdomen. Her other hand lifts higher to his head and turns it then she almost breathes into his mouth as she tells him, "Oh, Chet!!" and kisses him as thoroughly as she can.

She doesn't know how much time has passed before she recognizes that his caresses are slowly diminishing until he's just snugly holding her while her body still seems to tingle from where he touched her bare skin. While she wishes this moment can last forever, she also doesn't want him to think she's taking him for granted so she softly says, "Thank you so much for how you touched my skin. It was incredibly wonderful and it makes me want to ask you to touch even more of me."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. It is truly my honor and pleasure to be able to touch you. In regards to touching you more, I'm going to suggest that it be delayed until a later opportunity so you have time to think about how you're being touched and how much more you really do want to be touched. I wouldn't want you to be so caught up in the current feelings that you ignore any concerns your logical mind might have."

"Even while I think I understand what you mean and appreciate how it's an expression of how much you care about me, I suspect that my logical mind will be in full agreement with my feelings which want you to touch me more."

"I would hope they would be in agreement, but I also want to give you the time to make sure they do agree. . . . Without putting you on the spot or turning our time together now into a serious discussion, when you have some time, I would like you to think about who you want to be and where you want to go with your life and how that might affect where you want our relationship to go."

"Well, I have been trying to think about that some, but I don't think I have enough information to make any kind of decision. At the same time, I strongly feel like I want you to be a part of my life for as long as we can be together. I know that can raise a whole lot of issues and maybe it's not logical or reasonable, but it's what I feel."

"Thank you for being willing to express yourself."

She hesitates then asks, "Without intending to push you, how do you feel about us?"

He deeply sighs before he answers, "My feeling is that I want you to be a part of my life for a long time to come. But I'm trying to not let that influence me while I concentrate on encouraging you to find your goal and meaning in life. You have your whole future ahead of you and I would hate myself if I distracted you from that in order to satisfy my selfish desires. And before I say more, I need to take care of an annoying bladder which cares about nothing except itself." He gently guides her to sit on the other end of the small sofa and hurries to the bathroom.

While a part of her mind considers what he said, another part of her recognizes her own needs and as he steps out of the bathroom, she requests, "Can you please make some tea?" before she steps into the bathroom. When she steps into the kitchen, she recognizes his expression of compassion and concern, and without being able to explain it to herself, much less to him, she steps close to him, turns her back to him, and leans onto his chest. A moment later, his arms lift and gently hug her across her upper abdomen.

She doesn't understand why, but it seems to her like this is right where she belongs. A little later, she pulls his arms slightly away just enough to lift the bottom of her shirt and as she guides his hands to her bare skin, she feels like she simply wants to melt. Moments later, he begins to kiss her ear and the side of her neck while his hands caress her bare skin and she seems to automatically reach back to grip the sides of his pants to keep herself from limply sliding down to the floor.

Soon, his caressing hands hold still and his voice seems to sound quite reluctant as he says, "I think our tea is brewed."

"Can't we stay here forever?"

"I really wish we could, but, unfortunately, that's not practical."

"I know. But I've never felt so wonderful and I don't want it to stop."

"I know what you mean."

Reluctantly, she releases her grip on his pants, turns around, looks into his eyes, and asks, "You really want to hold me forever?"

He briefly considers saying a number of different things, but keeps it simple, "Yes."

"Thank you," and she kisses him as long as she can.

Eventually, they step apart to fix their tea then take it to the table where they sit thigh to thigh and think about what the other person has said in the last few minutes while they sip their tea. He lifts his cup to take the last swallow of tea when his communicator activates. As he sets the cup back down on the table he seems to deflate before his pulls the communicator out and answers, "This is Chet."

"Boss, I'm sorry to disturb you on your break, but it looks like we're going to have a situation develop in the next few minutes which I'm sure you'll want to observe."

"Okay, give me a couple of minutes."

"I'll send a written message with the address for the applicable security monitors."

"Thank you, Ass, for keeping me informed."

"Again, I want to say I'm sorry for disturbing your break."

"It's not your fault. Things happen when they happen."

"Too true. I'll talk to your later. Bye."

"Good bye." He disconnects the call.

"Chet, what's the matter?"

"I don't know. He said it looked like a situation is going to develop in the next few minutes and that I ought to be aware of it. I'm sorry, Ilena, I really didn't want to interrupt out limited time together."

"As you told him, it's not your fault."

"You're probably right. Well, I'd better go see what's going on." He stands up.

She quickly stands up, pulls him into her arms, and tells him, "Not without a good kiss to encourage you and to let you know I want you."

He can only respond non-verbally then he gently lays a hand on her cheek before he turns and walks to the door while he's still panting for breath.

Chapter 39

Rather than take the time to walk to his office, Chet steps into his quarters, briefly waits for his computer to boot up, then types in the address Ass sent him. Less than a minute later, his eyes open wide to see a stretched luxury vehicle pull up to the military side of the main gate. There appears to be a brief conversation between the driver and the guard at the gate who appears to helplessly shrug his shoulders. A moment later, somebody from the front passenger seat gets out, steps to the rear door, opens it, and salutes. Somebody gets out of the rear of the vehicle, sloppily returns the salute, and angrily strides to confront the guard who quickly stands at attention and salutes.

A directional microphone is apparently pointed at the scene because Chet hears, "Guard, didn't you recognize my vehicle?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then why in hell didn't you open the gate?"

"I can't, sir."

"What do you mean you can't? Don't you have some button or lever you activate to open the gate?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, then, use it, damn it!"

"It doesn't work, sir."

"Have you called maintenance to fix it?"

"Maintenance was unable to fix it, sir."

"And did they tell you why they couldn't fix it?"

"The gate isn't under our control, sir."

"Are you trying to tell me that a military gate to a military base is not under control by the military?"

"That's right, sir."

"Then in your 'infinite wisdom' can you tell me, . . . WHO IN THE BLOODY HELL CONTROLS THE GATE?"

"They do, sir," as he points through the gate towards several people who are standing across the street in a uniform the Colonel doesn't recognize when he briefly looks towards them.

He turns back to the guard and asks, "How come they control the gate instead of you?"

The guard looks at him in surprise then asks, "Haven't you heard, sir. The base has been quarantined."

The Colonel rolls his eyes as though he's trying to communicate with an imbecile then explains, "That's a bunch of political claptrap spouted by second class citizens who are too stupid to recognize and respect their superiors." Since he realizes he won't make any progress with the guard, the Colonel turns, takes a few steps closer to the gate, and speaks up, "You over there. Open this gate."

One of the men saunters over then says, "What did you say?"

"When you address me, you will say, 'sir' since I am your superior officer. Now, OPEN THIS GATE."

"First of all, you're not my superior officer and secondly, I will not open this gate. The base is under quarantine and will remain so until the poor excuse for a leader over there learns how to communicate, quits trying to break a criminal out of jail, and leaves the legally contracted news media alone. And you can pass that on to your superior officer."

"I AM THE SUPERIOR OFFICER!!"

The man looks at him in surprise then looks closer and says, "Well, I'll be damned. I never thought I would have the opportunity to meet a poor excuse for a leader face to face. I'm sorry I'm not interested in getting your autograph."

The Colonel stares at him while his face turns crimson with fury before he turns and stomps back to his vehicle.

Chet watches that last interchange with wide eyes then laughs out loud. He's still chuckling a few minutes later when his communicator activates and he answers, "This is Chet."

Ass asks, "Hey, boss, did you catch it?"

"Yes. That civil defense volunteer deserves a medal or some sort of recognition. He really put that bozo in his place."

"So, is that Colonel the person you thought he was."

"Yes. Isn't he a piece of work? I have no idea how he made it so far. And that makes me wonder about the condition of the military's leadership."

"I have to agree with you there. Hold on a second. . . . The Colonel has just issued orders to have the main gate blown up. I'm contacting the civil defense unit and the police so they can be prepared. I'll also keep the security monitors going so we can observe and record it as further evidence."

"Thanks, Ass."

"Oh, boss?"

"Yes?"

"I was just handed a note that a soldier on the base has requested special permission to be allowed to leave the base with his wife who is due to deliver their first child very soon. He doesn't want that to happen on the base where there's no electricity."

"I can understand that. . . . Yes. Let's give the young man and his wife permission to leave the base on foot and unarmed and let's have an ambulance greet them at the front gate to take them to the hospital. Do you think they can make it there before a demolition team can?"

"I doubt it."

"Then let's direct them to one of the other gates."

"I'm on it, boss."

"Oh, and can you have the local communications team work up a news report about what happened at the front gate in order to pass it on to the news media to include in their evening broadcast."

"Gladly."

"Thank you again. I'm going to sign off for now and will keep an eye on the monitor and will contact you if we need to make some kind of response to them blowing up the front gate."

"Okay. I'll await your call with bated breath."

"Ass, have you taken to using part of your multi-tasking abilities to read romance novels?"

He just laughs as he disconnects the call.

Chet shakes his head then makes a trip to the bathroom before he fixes a cup of tea while he glances at the computer occasionally to make sure nothing is happening yet. He's just taken his first sip of tea when he remembers and gets out his communicator to make a call. After he hears the greeting, he says, "Karina, this is Chet. Ass called and said there was a situation brewing at the base and I didn't think there would be enough time to make it back to the office before it started so I'm in my quarters."

"Thanks for letting me know. By the way, you have a scheduled teleconference in about a half of an hour. Do you think you'll make it back by then?"

"I'll try. If I'm not going to make it there in time, I'll let you know and handle the teleconference from here."

"Sounds good, boss. Talk to you later."

"Thanks, Karina."

Chapter 40

A few minutes later, Chet sees an armored vehicle approach the main gate of the base from the other side and can feel himself tense up. Suddenly, the screen splits into two halves and one half shows the gate while the other half shows the civil defense volunteers and police officers across the street from the gate as they look at each somewhat nervously. A couple of them prepare to fire some sort of projectile towards the gate which Chet assumes contains the sleeping gas Ass previously mentioned. The rest of the volunteers and officers, move a little closer to their protective barricade.

The doors to the vehicle open and several soldiers step out and move towards the gate with their arms spread out as though their intentions are peaceful. They stop about halfway to the gate then the apparent leader calls out, "Before you put us to sleep, we want you to know that we were ordered to blow up the main gate, but we received no orders or even a suggestion about how to do that. Then I remember a story I heard when I was a kid about some canine creature who tried to blow up the house of a swine and he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house over. Do you think that's how we're supposed to blow up the gate?"

The volunteers and officers look at each other as though to ask, "Is this guy nuts?"

A couple of moments later, the lieutenant who is the leader of this shift of volunteers waves the others to stay and walks across the street. When he gets close enough to recognize the rank of the demolition squad leader, he responds, "Hey, Sarge, that's a real possibility. Then I remembered that my niece had a birthday party recently and she and her little friends about wore us out because they wanted us to blow up so many balloons."

"Hey, I like that idea, except that we don't have any balloons. I guess we'll have to try it the canine way." The sergeant leads his team forward and they huff and they puff, but they can't blow the gate down, especially since they're laughing so hard it's difficult to take a breath.

When they calm down some, the Sergeant looks closer at the volunteer, but before he can come to attention and salute, the Lieutenant, tells him and his team, "At ease, relax. I appreciate someone with a sense of humor."

"Thank you, sir. I don't mean to complain and I understand why the base is quarantined, but is there some way us regular troops can get out of here? The shitters are overflowing, we're quickly running out of drinking water, the food is going bad since the freezers and refrigerators aren't working, and the big mucky mucks have confiscated the generators for their own use. We're not the ones who made the decisions, but we're the ones who are suffering the consequences."

"I understand and sympathize. I'm not in a position to make any guarantees, but let me pass the request up the ladder and I'm sure they'll figure out some way to help you guys without compromising the quarantine.

"I don't know how they could do that, but we appreciate your understanding at least."

"I'm sure the boss authorized the quarantine only as a last ditch effort to get your colonel to communicate and to quit sending missions to get that criminal out of jail. Excuse me a moment." He listens to the earpiece of his radio then grins and says, "I just found out that they've already let one of the soldiers and his pregnant wife off of the base through one of the other gates and even had an ambulance meet them to take them to the hospital."

"Really? That's great."

"If you can tough it out a little longer, I think the boss will figure out some way to help you guys without letting the pressure off of your officers. Since that's just my opinion right now, don't tell anybody that. However, you can quietly pass the word through the enlisted ranks about the soldier and his pregnant wife as an idea of hope."

"Are you sure you won't get in trouble if we talk about that?"

"Not at all. When I was told about them, I was encouraged to tell you to pass the word."

"Thanks, Lieutenant. I wish half of our officers were as decent as you."

"Hey, I'm just a regular guy who happens to be a so-called weekend warrior and I was just 'following orders'."

"Then I guess I have to thank your leaders for giving you orders which are worth following. Attention!" His squad quickly comes to attention and salutes the Lieutenant who sharply returns the salute.

"Sergeant?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good luck to you and your team."

"Thank you, sir." They execute an about face, return to their vehicle, and drive off.

* * * * *

Chet struggles to contain his emotions since he feels even more anger at the Colonel and his cohorts while he also feels very guilty about the suffering the regular troops have to endure because of his decision. When he thinks he can speak reasonably, he calls Karina and requests that she cancel the rest of his meetings for the day, because something came up which needs to be dealt with immediately. She quickly agrees.

He takes the time to make another cup of tea while he thinks about what can be done to minimize the impact on those who are not the decision makers. A few minutes later, he gets out his communicator, makes a call, and hears, "Hi, boss. Have you thought of a solution?"

"A question first, Ass. Is there a way to provide utilities to part of the base?"

"I'm afraid not. The utilities enter at a single point and then are distributed. Now if we were to invade the base, capture the utility distribution point, and segregate a part of the base, then we could turn on the utilities to the part we controlled. However, I don't think we have enough people to do something like that."

"Even if we did have the people, I wouldn't want to put them at risk of getting into a shooting contest with the military and have injuries on both sides to the people who are not causing the problem."

"I agree with that. I suppose we could proclaim some sort of general amnesty."

"Except that we don't know exactly who is supporting the Colonel. Or do we?"

"I've been able to identify some of them, but I doubt if it's all of them."

"I understand. . . . If that demolition squad is any indication of the mood among the enlisted ranks, we may have a flood of people who want to leave the base. Let's start to prepare the emergency shelters to accommodate refugees. Get a couple of the lawyers to come up with a statement for the soldiers to sign which states that they believe the Colonel's orders are illegal and that they agree crimes committed in a civilian environment are to be tried in civilian courts. Oh, and include a statement that they will not take up arms against the duly appointed civilian government on this planet, but will support it and take any disagreements through the documented legal process.

"If you think all of that can be accomplished soon enough, make an announcement through the news media and any other avenues available that as of 0800 tomorrow morning, or whatever time you think is appropriate, any soldier who asks permission to leave the base and is willing to sign the statement, will be allowed to leave the base through the main gate, on foot, unarmed, and without carrying any military owned equipment. If we can't get the Colonel to act reasonably, then maybe our appeals to the supreme commander's office will bear fruit and we can let the soldiers' lives return to normalcy."

"Boss, I like the way you think and I'm getting the ball rolling right away."

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"You've done your part with finding a solution, now it's my part to work the details. I understand that you don't like how some of the soldiers have had to suffer for the decisions of their superiors, but that you came up with an idea to ease their suffering while keeping the pressure on the officers who are acting illegally, I'm sure that will be viewed in a very positive manner."

"Thanks, Ass, I couldn't do it with you."

"Well, I couldn't do it without you to point me in the right direction and to think outside of the box."

"I guess we do make a good team."

"We're the best."

"I won't go that far."

"Boss, I think you were forced to eat too many slices of humble pie when you were younger and it's seriously damaged your egotism."

"I suppose that could be or I was designed this way in order to balance out people like the Colonel."

Ass just laughs as he disconnects the call.

A couple of minutes after he finishes his tea, Chet walks over to his office and tells Karina, "Well, I guess it didn't take me all afternoon to get the ball rolling to take care of the immediate problem. Is there anyone who is making a bigger fuss to contact me or who can be rescheduled on short notice?"

"Give me a couple of minutes and I'll have a list for you."

"Thanks, Karina." He steps into his office and starts to go through his inbox then uses the list Karina gives him to accomplish whatever he can for the rest of the afternoon.

Chapter 41

Ilena isn't sure what to believe from the rumors she's hearing. Some people are laughing about something which happened on the base while other people are angrily saying the base ought to be blown off the face of the planet. She steps into the office where Karina tells her, "Hi, Ilena. Maybe you'll have better luck than I've had at getting him to take a break."

"What's going on?"

"There were a couple of issues at the base he needed to deal with and now he's trying to catch up on all the work he didn't have time to do earlier."

"Oh, then maybe I shouldn't bother him."

"In normal circumstances, I would probably agree, but he seems to be taking personal responsibility for everything which has happened after Captain Stilson showed up. He needs to get away and think of more positive things so he doesn't lose his perspective and start making emotionally based decisions instead of reasonable decisions. I don't want you to feel like it's your responsibility to distract him, but you'll have more success than the rest of us."

"Thank you for explaining. Well, I guess I can try."

Karina quickly responds, "Thanks, Ilena."

She steps over and knocks on his open door. Chet glances up, slightly smiles, says, "Come on in, Ilena," and looks back down at the paper he's reviewing. She patiently waits as he writes something on the paper then he picks up another paper, reads it, and writes something on that.

When he pulls another paper in front of him, she softly says, "Chet."

"Yes, Ilena?" But he doesn't even look up as he reads the paper and writes on it.

A little more forcibly, she says, "Chet?"

"Huh?"

She waits a little longer then almost barks out, "Chet!"

He has a startled expression as he looks up and asks, "What?"

"You need to take a break. It's time for dinner."

He quickly looks at a time indicator and says, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was so late. I'm glad you're here. Can you please read this for me?"

She doesn't take the paper he holds out to her. Instead, she tells him, "It's time for you to take a break. The work can wait until tomorrow."

He sets the paper back on his desk and looks at her in surprise before he says, "I'm sorry, Ilena. Actually, this one can't wait until tomorrow. I was going to approve it as it is, but I would very much like to have an objective set of eyes review it to make sure there are no spelling or grammar errors which would make us look incompetent. Will you please read it?" He again holds it out.

She hesitates then asks, "Do you have a red pen?"

He looks at her in surprise then slightly grins as he hands over a red pen.

A couple of minutes later, she hands the paper and pen back as she says, "I only found one little thing which probably isn't of any real significance."

"Thank you." He quickly scans the paper then nods his head, "That does make it a little clearer. I appreciate your help. Let me make the change to my electronic copy and send it out." Less than a minute later, he leans back then says, "Well, I suppose it won't hurt the rest of this work to put it off until tomorrow. Did you say something about dinner?"

"Yes. We'll need to leave quite soon in order to make it to the cafeteria in time without hurrying. I'm sorry I don't know how to cook otherwise I could offer to fix you dinner."

He looks at her in surprise then says, "I just remembered that you said you used to help in the Order's kitchen, but even if you were doing the cooking there, it would have been more like being a cook in the cafeteria."

"That's right. And since the assumption was that we are all going to remain in the Order, there was no need to teach us how to prepare individual meals."

He stands up and leads her out the door. As they walk hand in hand he suggests, "If you're interested in learning how to cook, I think the college has some cooking classes although you'll probably want to make sure they're oriented to a beginner instead of towards somebody who wants to be a professional or a gourmet."

"Really? I hadn't even thought about checking there." They quietly walk the rest of the way to the cafeteria and sit down to eat before she asks, "Chet, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've been hearing all kinds of rumors and then there was the statement you requested that I read. I really don't want to be making guesses or wondering which of several conflicting rumors might be closer to the truth."

"Have you watched any of the news media broadcasts over the last couple of days?"

"No. I don't know when they normally have news reports other than in the evening and then I'm more interested in spending the time with you."

He returns her grin and assures her, "Being with you is how I prefer to spend my time. If you're interested in finding out what's going on, after we leave here, I can show you how to review the last few news broadcasts and then try to answer any questions you might have."

"I would prefer that you hug and kiss me, but I suppose I should act somewhat responsibly and be aware of what's going on in the world."

They soon finish their meal and walk to her quarters where they take turns in the bathroom while cups of tea brew. Once their tea is fixed, he shows her how to use the entertainment monitor to review the most recent news broadcasts. When they watch the news broadcast which was first transmitted just a few minutes ago, her eyes open wide as she hears the news person read the statement Chet had asked her to read only about a half of an hour ago.

"Wow. I guess I have been out of touch. Now that statement makes a lot more sense. . . . But, why were you reviewing that statement?"

He shrugs his shoulders before he answers, "I guess somebody decided I could help make sure it was written in understandable language instead of sounding like a committee of lawyers wrote it."

"Oh. . . . I still suspect you're somebody more important than you want to reveal to me." She quickly places a finger over his lips as she says, "I know, you're just my friend."

He grins, kisses her finger then gently pulls her hand a little ways away to say, "Who I am as a person is somebody who wants to be your friend. What I have to do as a job isn't who I am as a person. Although I don't always succeed at making that distinction or at keeping my job from affecting my personal life or who I am inside, I am trying to keep them separate."

"I think I understand."

"Good." He guides her to the small sofa where he sits then he guides her to sit on his upper legs and continues, "Then please understand this, until you tell me otherwise, I consider you to be the center of my personal life," and if his words weren't convincing enough, his thorough kiss seems to 'seal the deal'.

As the kisses go on with her full cooperation, he begins to caress her and slowly expands how much of her he caresses, but he doesn't go further than he's gone before. While she revels in the wonderful feelings she experiences as he caresses the bare skin of her back and upper abdomen under her loose shirt, she's not sure what she might feel if he caressed more of her. Very gradually, he reduces the extent of his caresses and when he's 'simply' just holding her, she's surprised that enough time has passed for her bladder to become a nuisance.

They take a break to visit the bathroom and as they drink another cup of tea, he asks her about the classes she has started to take. When she goes to the sink to rinse out her cup, he steps up behind her and although she's surprised, she takes the cup he hands her and as she starts to rinse it, he slips his hands under her shirt to caress her bare abdomen. She almost drops the cup at the wonderful feelings which seem to surge into her, but she somehow manages to rinse the cup and turn the water off then leans back on him to enjoy every nerve tingling move of his hands.

A few moments later, he gently pulls her away from the sink and dries her hands to her surprise before he leads her back to the small sofa where he resumes his kisses and slowly expands his caresses. While she feels half melted with the comfortable and contented feelings which are flowing through her, it takes her a little while to realize that his caresses are a little different. Since she doesn't want to spoil the ambience of the moment by opening her eyes, she tries to pay more attention to which of her nerves seem to be joyously responded to his touch.

A little later, her eyes pop open in surprise and although she doesn't want to deny what her nerves are feeling, her eyes confirm her feelings as they watch his hand slowly caress up the insides! of her legs up to about the middle of her thighs through her pants. She closes her eyes to concentrate on what her nerves are telling her and she almost shivers at the excited feelings which begin to blossom within her. Eventually, the extent of his caresses begin to diminish until he's snugly holding her and she wishes they could be like this forever.

Unfortunately, time has marched on and she reluctantly lets him get up and then he seems to even more reluctantly release his long tight hug of her before he softly kisses her then turns and walks out the door.

Chapter 42

Ilena slowly wakes up in the morning and doesn't want to open her eyes which might dispel how wonderful she remembers feeling while she was in his arms last night. She deeply sighs at knowing she needs to get up and function and after she's dressed and steps out of her quarters, she knocks on the door to his quarters. When there's no answer, she assumes he's already left. She hurries to the cafeteria in the hope that she might catch him there, but he's not there so she gets her own breakfast and guesses he's already gone to his office. Since she has some time before her first class, she goes over to his office where Karina asks her, "Were you able to get him to take a break?"

"Yes. We went to the cafeteria, had dinner, then went to my quarters where he showed me how to use the entertainment monitor to access the recent news broadcasts."

"Without intending to intrude on your privacy, did he stay longer than that?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"Why are you asking?"

"He was in the office early, I don't know how early, and I wanted to make sure he hasn't been here all night."

Ilena's eyes open wide in surprise before she asks, "He would really work all night long?"

"Sometimes in the past he would which is why I make more of a point to make sure he takes at least a break for a meal and hopefully longer."

"In that case, if you think he's pushing himself, let me know and I'll gladly help you chase him out of here. And if we can't get through to him, I'm sure Regit will help."

Karina grins then says, "If Regit can't get through to him then I'll call the emergency medics and claim he's gone brain dead." They share a laugh.

"Well, I have a class in a little while. If he happens to emerge from his cave, can you let him know I stopped by?"

"Of course." With a wink, she asks, "Shall I give him a specific message?"

"Um, probably not. He might feel embarrassed if you were to tell him how I feel."

Karina's eyes briefly pop open in surprise before she smiles. A moment or so later, she says, "Thank you, Ilena, for being willing to spend time with him. I think you're the best 'thing' that's ever happened to him."

"That's how I feel about him."

"I thought that was the case. You probably ought to head towards your class before I am tempted to ask you to greatly expand on your statement."

"Thank you for encouraging me to spend time with him. . . . I suppose I'd better leave it at that."

Karina grins then winks as she says, "Enjoy your day."

"You, too." Just before she steps out of the door, Ilena turns and waves.

* * * * *

Even as he does his work, Chet has half of his computer screen showing the main gate of the military base while he watches for developments. About an hour before the 0800 time when the gate is scheduled to be opened to allow soldiers to request permission to leave the base, a line forms and seems to quickly grow. There are additional civil defense volunteers and police officers outside the gate and they are not hiding their presence nor their weapons in case somebody tries to take advantage of the gate being opened.

Late last night, he had asked Ass how he was going to inform the soldiers of the opportunity as well as how they would be able to request permission to leave if they didn't have a personal communicator in order to bypass the inoperative hardwired standard communicators. Ass explained that he was having permission requests printed with the statement Chet had approved and was going to have them air dropped on the base where the soldiers had their living quarters.

Just at 0800, one of the civil defense officers opens a small gate between the two vehicle gates which Chet apparently hadn't noticed before. He's glad to note there's not a rush for the gate as the soldiers present their signed requests for permission to leave the base along with their signed statements and show their identification to the civil defense volunteers. Once they quickly confirm that everything is in order, the volunteers direct the soldiers to a bus to be taken to an emergency shelter where they will be provided with food and drink and an opportunity to shower. Since things seem to be moving smoothly, the officer in charge of the main gate sets up a second line to process the soldiers' requests.

Less than a half hour later, Chet receives a written message from Ass to access a different communications channel. A moment later, he appears to be looking through a telephoto lens and sees a stretched luxury vehicle moving quickly towards the main gate. Apparently, there's a directional microphone attached to the camera because he soon hears the roar of the engine then the squeal of tires as the vehicle comes to quick halt.

Chet is surprised the person inside the vehicle doesn't immediately jump out but waits for the rear door of the vehicle to be opened. Actually, there are several officers who step out and form an honor guard around the Colonel. They march to the gate and one of the officers demands, "Open the gate!"

A few of the volunteers and police officers glance towards the officers then clearly ignore them even as their demands become more strident. Since he's unable to stand still for this apparent insolence, one of the officers tries to push into the line, but the soldiers stand their ground. When he recognizes that he isn't getting anywhere, he starts to draw his handgun but it doesn't have a chance to leave his holster before he goes limp with a small dart in his neck. Although they're surprised, a couple of the soldiers partially catch the officer and more gently lay him on the ground a few feet from the line.

Bare moments later, a couple of the other officers start to draw their handguns and almost immediately go limp and fall to the ground. The remaining officers and the Colonel are wide eyed at this development and make no moves towards their handguns. The Colonel appears to consider his options then turns to the line of soldiers and bellows, "RETURN TO YOUR POSTS!"

"NO, SIR!!"

He involuntarily takes a step backwards at the immediate and loud response from so many of the soldiers. He quickly recovers then yells, "ARE YOU DISOBEYING A DIRECT ORDER?"

"YES, SIR!!"

His eyes open wide in shock that they would admit to it. It takes him longer to recover before he loudly says, "Well, at least there are no officers here."

"I beg your pardon?" He's unable to ascertain who said that, especially without the honorific.

A couple of moments later, a diminutive woman who is holding a small child takes a couple of steps away from the line and the Colonel asks, "Who are you?"

In a gentle and courteous voice, she answers, "Captain Samantha Mayfair, the commanding office of Beta Company."

"Well, tell you troops to return to their posts."

"No, sir." He just stares at her. She explains, "I will not have my family or the soldiers I am responsible for have to live without basic utilities, especially when my so-called leaders have acted irresponsibly and have given illegal orders which caused this situation."

"What illegal order do you think I or any of my senior officers have given?"

"You have sent so-called 'rescue' missions to forcibly release Captain Stilson from legal incarceration after he committed a heinous crime."

"But Captain Stilson is royal."

"The only thing royal about him is that he's a royal pain in the butt. Captain Stilson doesn't have a single redeeming quality and certainly no honor or integrity."

While he struggles to contain his anger, the Colonel proclaims, "I am the highest ranking individual on this planet which makes it impossible for me to give an illegal order since there is no law higher than me."

"That is incorrect, sir. The highest ranking individual on this planet is the duly appointed planetary administrator and I'm sure he would acknowledge that he is subject to the law just like any other citizen."

"I've had the so-called planetary administrator investigated and according to his pedigree, he's a farmer's son. To put that in military terms, his only value is to be cannon fodder."

Captain Mayfair just stares at the Colonel in disbelief. She quickly recovers then booms out in a voice which would make a drill sergeant proud, "The colonel thinks Beta Company's only value is to be cannon fodder because your parents are farmers."

The roar of anger from the nearby soldiers is like a hard fist which slams into the colonel and causes him to stumble backwards. Then his eyes widen in fear as he sees a large group of soldiers start to move towards him but they're stopped by Captain Mayfair's uplifted arm. Without waiting to see what happens next, the Colonel turns and dashes back to his vehicle which quickly backs up, turns, speeds away, and leaves his senior officers staring after the vehicle in disbelief.

Less than a minute later, the nearby soldiers hoist Captain Mayfair to their shoulders and chant with victory, "Sammie, Sammie, Sammie."

Chapter 43

About a half of an hour later, Chet sees a written message from Ass to access a different communications channel. Apparently, the Colonel has calmed down some or has recovered from his fear because there's the sound of approaching footsteps and Chet watches the Colonel turn towards the sound then demand, "Where have you been?"

One of the officers answers, "You left us standing at the gate and we had to walk quite a distance before we could commandeer transportation."

"That doesn't matter, you're here now. Lieutenant Colonel, start to prepare court-martial proceedings against all of those deserters out there." He briefly looks around the assembled officers, points, and says, "Major, take whatever troops are remaining and use half of them to rescue Captain Stilson and use the other half to capture the planetary administrator. We'll see how he likes to be a hostage." Again, he looks and points before he orders, "Major, hack into the planetary administrator's office and get the utilities turned back on."

Major Harrison tries not to react to the fact that the Colonel still doesn't know his name or is unable or unwilling to read his name tag before he says, "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not able to do that."

"Why not?"

"Because I haven't done any direct programming in years."

"Well, then, get your soldiers to do it."

"They're all gone and even if any of them were still here, I seriously doubt they would follow that order."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you seriously insulted them."

"How did I do that?"

"You called them cannon fodder."

"What do you mean?"

"All of our programmers and technical support people are a part of Beta Company and they were recruited from one of the farming worlds."

"What do farmers know about computers?"

"A lot more than you or I do." He turns and walks away.

"Where are you going?"

"To join my soldiers who have demonstrated they are smarter than I am as well as have more integrity."

Chet mutes the sound so he doesn't have to listen to the Colonel's ranting since he knows it's all being recorded.

* * * * *

A few minutes later, Chet returns to the other communication channels to see how things are progressing along the line and at the main gate. Something catches his eyes and it takes him a little while to find that he can zoom in on what the camera is showing. He quickly sends a written message to Ass to pass on to the volunteers who are manning the main gate.

Soon, a civil defense captain steps up to the vehicle gate and speaks up, "I would like some single soldiers to delay their exit in order to perform a humanitarian mission."

A senior sergeant steps closer and hesitantly asks, "What do you have in mind, sir?"

"Two things. The planetary administrator himself is keeping an eye on this situation and noticed some small children further back in the line. First, he would like any families with small children to be brought to the front of the line so they can be processed and get out of the heat. Secondly, some barrels of water are on their way here and we need somebody to procure a cart of some sort so we can pass through the water barrels to take it to those who are further down the line."

The senior sergeant briefly stares then asks in confirmation, "The big man himself noticed the children?"

"That's right."

"The Colonel would have never done something like that. Captain, you've got yourself a team of volunteers."

"Great. I'll let you organize things on your side of the gate. If you can let us know who will be in charge of distributing the water, I'll let them know when the water gets here."

Chet doesn't know whether to smile at their enthusiasm or frown at being called 'the big man' and being given credit. If the other people who are involved in the situation weren't already so busy, he's sure somebody else would have noticed and probably even thought of the solution earlier.

He tries to concentrate on getting some more work done and when he again pays attention to communications channel, he sees that the soldiers are using a small bus to bring the families with small children to the front of the line. A few moments later, he notices they're using a cargo vehicle to drop off barrels of water along the line and it appears like many more soldiers have volunteered to help.

His communicator activates and he answers, "This is Chet."

Ass proclaims, "That was a great idea, boss. I'm sorry I didn't think about it earlier."

"You've been very busy and in spite of your ability to multi-task, you can't think of everything. It looks like most of the soldiers assigned to the base are going to be asking to leave. Are we going to be able to provide food, shelter, and water for all of them?"

"As long as we don't have some other kind of emergency develop in the near future, we can deal with using up most of our emergency supplies now and then re-stock them over time. What will help is that people in the community are starting to volunteer to open up their homes especially to families with young children and the Mother Superiors of the various chapters of the Order have volunteered to shelter single women or unattached women with children."

"That's great. If you can, keep track of who has soldiers stay with them and we'll see if we can't figure out some incentive to thank them for volunteering."

"We can do that. I'm also keeping track of all of the hours the civil defense volunteers are putting in as well as the overtime for the police officers and any direct expenditures. When this situation is settled, I plan on presenting the military with a bill for what their rogue commander is costing us. I'm not going to hold my breath that they'll pay anything, but I'm sure the news media and maybe even some of the politicians will be highly interested in the financial impact which can result from a lack of honor and integrity in the senior staff of a military unit."

"I won't hold my breath either, but it might open some eyes and maybe encourage the military to get their act together. I'm sure you're very busy so I'll let you get back to it and thank you for keeping me informed."

"It's my pleasure, boss." They disconnect the call.

Chapter 44

Chet is barely aware of a sound but when it repeats a few moments later, he recognizes it as a knock on his door. He speaks up, "Come in," looks up, smiles, and says, "Hello, Ilena."

"Hello, Chet, it's time for you to take a break for some lunch."

Even as his eyebrows rise in surprise at recognizing that her statement is not a request, he glances at the clock and sees that it's almost past time for lunch. As he briefly wonders where the time has gone, he turns back and says, "Yes, 'boss'."

She immediately blushes in embarrassment then says, "I'm sorry, Chet, I didn't mean it to sound like that."

As he stands up, he tells her, "It's okay, young lady. Sometimes I need a whack up alongside my head in order to be aware of something other than the work which is sitting in front of me." She's quickly in his open arms and they make an effort to keep their deep kiss brief. "Shall we go see if there's any food left for us stragglers?"

She returns his grin before she responds, "Yeah." As they walk hand in hand to the cafeteria, she asks, "When did you go to your office this morning?"

"I don't know. I think it was sometime after I woke up."

"Well, I hope you would be awake before you tried to walk to your office."

He briefly returns her smile before he says, "There have been times when I wasn't sure I was all of the way awake before I started to work, especially if I had been thinking or dreaming about a problem in my sleep and then started to work on it in my quarters."

"What am I going to do with you to encourage you to take some time off so you don't burn yourself out?"

"Ilena, let me assure you that you have been much more successful about encouraging me to take a break than either I or any of my co-workers have. I don't want you to either feel responsible for me or to feel guilty that you're not more fully succeeding, because you really are succeeding, not only in getting me away from the work, but in also giving me a reason to not even think about the work which I used to do even when I took a break to eat."

"Oh. Thank you for letting me know."

"Thank you for being you and wanting to spend time with me. I appreciate it more than I can express." They mutually discontinue the present conversation as they step into the cafeteria and get in line.

They start to eat then she says, "I heard that a lot of soldiers are leaving the base, but earlier I remember hearing that the base was under quarantine. Do you know what's happening there?"

He nods his head then explains, "The main government office near there thought of a way to allow the soldiers to ask for permission to leave the base if they agree with the government's stance regarding Captain Stilson and everything that's happened since then. The statement I asked you to review yesterday was related to that. The soldiers also have to sign an oath which is somewhat similar to the oath a new citizen signs."

"The soldiers are really doing that?"

"Oh, yes. The last information I remember seeing is that there was a long line of soldiers waiting and several hundred have already left the base."

"Where are they all going?"

"The capital has some emergency shelters they're using and some of the people who live there are volunteering to have soldiers stay with them."

"That's good. . . . Have there been any problems?"

"There were a couple of minor issues, but the team of civil defense volunteers, police officers, and deputies from other stations who are processing the soldiers off of the base were able to take care of the issues without any further problems."

"I'm glad. Do you think the situation will be over soon?"

"That I can't predict. I think it will be much sooner than if the base hadn't been quarantined, but until the base commander quits causing problems, the situation will drag on which won't be good for anyone."

"Do you have any idea why he's causing so many problems?"

"Not specifically, although I think part of is that the Constable didn't release Captain Stilson when it was demanded of him as has happened on other planets where they were previously stationed. Even if that wasn't a part of the problem, the Colonel who is in command of the unit on the base is a very arrogant and self-centered egotist who believes that whatever he does is right. Because of that, it was only a matter of time before a situation like this was going to develop and it was just our 'luck' that it happened here."

"I think I can understand that. I can't say that I like what is happening or how many people are being negatively impacted, but I have to greatly respect the integrity the Constable and his deputies have demonstrated in their efforts to obey and enforce the law."

"I totally agree with you and if you have a chance, I'm sure they would appreciate it if you were to tell them."

"Oh. Yeah, I think they probably would. Except that I'm not sure I'm brave enough to do it on my own. Will you go with me?"

Chet starts to chuckle then says, "If you can flat out tell me that it's time to take a break then you're brave enough to express your appreciation to the Constable. Normally, I wouldn't mind going with you, but I also don't want to give them the impression that I'm somehow forcing you to tell them. If you're not comfortable going on your own, ask Regit to go with you. She seems to enjoy the attention."

"That's a good idea. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Well, I suppose I ought to head back to the office and see how much more work has been dumped on my desk."

"Chet, I don't want to push you, but . . . can you spare a few minutes to hug and kiss me?"

"That's an offer I gladly want to accept, but I'd better check with 'boss' Karina to see if I can have a little time off for good behavior."

She returns his grin as they walk hand in hand back to his office where they don't even have to ask before Karina tells them they have a little over a quarter of an hour of free time. They quickly step into his office, close the door, and immediately hug and kiss each other. Too soon, they have to breathe then he slips his hands under her loose shirt to caress the bare skin of her back and she tries to press herself tighter to him. Again, they deeply kiss and he has to struggle to not touch her more.

Once her breathing has mostly settled, again, she tells him, "When you touch me like you're doing, I really want you to touch me more. I know you're trying to make a slow progression in expanding how much you touch me, and I greatly appreciate how much that expresses your care for me, but, at the same time, it feels like my body really wants to be touched more . . . intimately."

Although she's tightly pressed to him and can't see his face, she's sure his eyebrows rise in surprise. She briefly pauses before she continues, "I don't want to push you to touch me that much if you're not comfortable with doing so, but . . . I don't know what to do."

He hesitates then quietly suggests, "Have you tried to touch yourself?"

She leans back to look at him in surprise then blushes at the idea. It takes her a little while to answer, "No. Although I don't recall that anything specific was said, I received the impression that would be wrong."

"I totally understand. I'm going to assume that in whatever health class you took which might have covered the subject, very little was actually clearly stated."

"I think you're right about that."

"Well, think about it from this perspective, if you're expected to allow a husband to touch you intimately, why should it be wrong to touch yourself? And even before you might be inclined to be married, you touch yourself for hygiene purposes, so why not for pleasure purposes?"

"Oh, I never thought about it in that way, but it does make sense. Thank you, Chet." He doesn't have a chance to verbally respond before he's responding to her thorough kiss.

A louder than normal knock on his door interrupts their kiss and he takes a few deep breaths before he speaks up, "Yes?"

Karina pokes her head in the door and smiles at seeing them hugging while they're panting for breath. "Well, at least you still have your clothes on. Since that was the third time I knocked, I guess the young lady has been able to distract you," and she winks at Ilena.

"Sorry, Karina, but, yes, she was successful at distracting me."

"That's great and no 'sorry's, boss. You certainly aren't offending me and although you may be embarrassed if somebody else caught you, it's none of their business what you two do since you're both adults who aren't legally committed to anyone else."

"Thank you for understanding and thank you for reminding me of my responsibilities and not only reducing my embarrassment, but potentially reducing wild rumors from flying around about either one of us."

"You're welcome and take the time to catch your breath while I let your next meeting know that your previous meeting is running a little long." Before he can respond, she closes the door.

"I'm sorry, Ilena."

"Don't be sorry. I greatly appreciate it that you would prefer to spend your time with me rather than anyone else."

"There's no doubt about that."

She quickly kisses him then almost dashes to the door before she does do something to cause rumors to be spread about them.

Chapter 45

Chet rubs his eyes after another time wasting meeting and is glad the typical work day is almost over which will give him an excuse to take a break even if there is more work to do. Before he can bring up the next thing to work on, his communicator activities and he sees a written message which simply says, "Situation about to develop at the main gate."

He accesses the proper communications channel and soon sees the Colonel's stretched luxury vehicle speeding towards the gate. When it's obvious the gate isn't opening, the driver brings the vehicle to a screeching halt. Moments later, the vehicle's horn blares and several of the people who are manning the gate glare at the vehicle with annoyance then wave at it as though to shoo it away.

Apparently, patience is lost because it's not much longer before the Colonel gets out of the vehicle, storms to the gate and yells, "Open this gate!"

Somebody yells back, "No!"

"OPEN THIS GATE!!"

"I said, 'No!' This base is under quarantine and as long as the quarantine stands, this gate will remain closed."

"But I'm trying to go talk to the planetary administrator to get him to remove the illegal quarantine."

"Good for you, but until the quarantine is officially lifted, this gate remains closed."

Seething that he's not only disobeyed but also isn't treated with the respect which he believes is due to him, the Colonel turns and stomps over to the line of soldiers who are waiting to leave the base and pushes himself in front of a couple of privates who automatically step back at the sight of a high ranking officer. A couple of moments later, he steps through the gate but before he can take more than another step, somebody stops him with a hand on his chest and asks, "Where's your request for permission to leave the base?"

The Colonel stares at the person who dares to lay a hand on him then proclaims, "I'm not requesting permission, I'm demanding it. Now, remove your hand from my person and step aside."

The police officer is about to say something when he catches a signal. A moment later, he steps aside, bows the Colonel through, and says, "As you wish."

With a smug smile, the Colonel takes three steps then is stopped as both of his arms are grabbed, yanked behind his back, and handcuffs are snapped on his wrists. He's so surprised by that action he isn't able to respond before the civil defense lieutenant who is currently in charge of the gate looks at his name tag and says, "Colonel Martin, you are under arrest for violating the quarantine on this military base."

Finally, he partially recovers and tries to move but is firmly held then he yells, "Release me! You can't do this to me!"

"We can and we have. Take the criminal to the detention center."

"I'm not a criminal!!"

"Yes, you are because you broke the law in front of a bunch of witnesses."

"You can't do this to me, I'm royal!!"

"Really, then we'll see if we can't arrange to reserve a king sized cell for you."

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Haven't you heard the old saying, 'ask and it will be given to you, demand it and you will be denied'." As the Colonel is led away while he continues to struggle and alternates between making demands and offering bribes, the Lieutenant looks at the others who are manning the gate and asks, "Royal? Who ever heard of such a thing?"

A few minutes later, a police siren is heard approaching the main gate, then slides to a halt. Immediately, a door to the vehicle opens and the officer dashes over to the Lieutenant and requests, "Can you pass this on to the Colonel's driver or have somebody volunteer to take it to the base headquarters?"

The Lieutenant accepts it then asks in surprise, "It's not sealed?"

"It's not a secret, read it if you want."

He opens the folded over piece of paper and quickly reads it to himself then reads it out loud, "To the next highest ranking officer on the military base. Colonel Martin has been arrested for violating the quarantine of the military base. What are your intentions? Signed, the office of the Planetary Administrator." As he refolds the paper, he remarks, "Well, this will be interesting," then passes it through the gate for someone to give it to the Colonel's driver.

A couple of minutes later, the driver steps out of the vehicle and speaks up, "The Colonel ordered me to wait for him."

"Well, the Colonel has been arrested and isn't coming back. Now if you want to sit there and wait for him for the rest of your life, be my guest. If you don't want to do that, take that paper to your next highest ranking officer since they haven't been responding to any other types of communication."

The driver hesitates a little longer before he shrugs his shoulders, gets back in the vehicle, and leaves, presumably to go to the base headquarters.

Chapter 46

Chet is about to call Ass when his communicator activates and he answers, "This is Chet."

Ass asks, "How about that, boss? We got the egotist and can put him on ice."

"I'm surprised he actually let himself get captured. On second thought, he's so arrogant and self-centered, he can't even imagine somebody would consider arresting him, much less do it. And thank you for having that message sent. Hopefully, we'll get a response."

"I would prefer a positive response."

"True, but from their record so far, any kind of response could be considered positive."

"You have a point there."

"Well, I suppose I ought to get ready to fly on down. I'm sure he won't be cooperative, but he probably won't even listen if he has to deal with anybody of a 'lower rank'."

"I think you're right. Actually, I would suggest that you wait until tomorrow to come down. Maybe plan on being here about the middle of the afternoon. That might give 'his royal highness' some time to blow off some steam in a cell or maybe he'll even take some time to contemplate his navel."

"And I thought I was hopeful."

Ass chuckles then suggests, "It might also give the rest of the officers a chance to figure out how to respond if they haven't already been planning to take over after the Colonel was out of the way."

"I've been concerned about that possibility."

"Oh, by the way, some soldiers have requested that we allow them to infiltrate the base and capture any remaining officers who haven't requested permission to leave the base."

"I was wondering if someone was going to suggest that. I would be hesitant to encourage that because it could too easily develop into a fire fight and cause a number of injuries. Nor would I want the soldiers to be accused of mutiny if the supreme commander's office interprets the situation substantially differently than we do. I had considered the idea of sending in some of the civil defense volunteers, but, again, there is the potential for a violent reaction. Not only that, but we could possibly be held liable for violating the independence of the military base. As much as I don't like how the quarantine is negatively affecting the majority of the soldiers or our own resources, unless something changes, I think our most active response will need to be limited to maintaining the quarantine."

"Those are some good points which I hadn't considered. Let me explain our position and hopefully those who were asking will understand our concerns and not take matters into their own hands."

"We can hope. Thank you, Ass, I really appreciate all you're doing. Oh, it just dawned on me, are we going to need to shut down the process of releasing the soldiers after dusk?"

"I don't think so. I've requested that some flood lights be delivered to the main gate so we can continue the process and we've added some people to check the departing soldiers to speed up the process. We'll also increase patrols along the base perimeter with night vision goggles to reduce the chance that somebody will try to get off of the base without requesting permission."

"Good for you. If I can help with something, please don't hesitate to ask. If something else doesn't come up, I guess I'll plan on leaving here late in the morning and prepare myself for an unpleasant confrontation."

"I could offer to take your place, but that probably wouldn't go over very well."

"I'm sure it wouldn't. Not only that, but I would feel guilty about not living up to my responsibilities."

"Yes, you would. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Have a safe flight, boss."

"Again, thank you for everything you're doing to stay on top of this situation."

"You're welcome." A moment later, they disconnect the call.

Chet leans back in his chair, closes his eyes, and tries to relax. A little later, he starts to rubs his eyes with his hands, hears a knock on his door, and speaks up, "Come in."

"Chet, are you okay."

He moves his hands, opens his eyes, notices Ilena's concerned look, and slightly smiles as he answers, "Yes, I'm just tired."

She steps close and starts to gently caress his face and asks, "Was it a rough afternoon?"

"It wouldn't have been overly bad if we weren't also having to deal with the situation on the military base."

"Oh, yeah. Would some dinner help?"

"I doubt if that's going to help the situation at the base."

She looks at him in surprise then asks, "No, silly, will dinner help you?"

"I suppose it might help a little, but if I can have dinner with you, I think it will help a lot."

"That's what I meant. Must you always try to be precise?"

"I wouldn't want there to be a misunderstanding between us."

"Then understand this," and she thoroughly kisses him to his delight.

As he tries to catch his breath, he doesn't bother to say that the delivery of her message was very enjoyable even though he isn't clear about what the actual message is. Instead, he gently pushes her back a little so he has room to stand up then suggests, "Dinner?" as he takes her hand and walks with her to the cafeteria.

After dinner, they walk to her quarters and are soon settled on the small sofa while she almost sighs in contentment at being snuggled up to his chest and wrapped in his embrace. A little later, he begins to kiss and caress her and slowly expands how much of her he caresses until he's caressing her as far as he has previously done then slowly diminishes the extent of his caresses. Even as she experiences it, she still finds it hard to believe how long he willingly caresses her while she doesn't do much more than sit there and enjoy it.

Reluctantly, they take care of bothersome bladders then take a little time to re-hydrate with a cup of tea. When they return to the small sofa, he again slowly expands how much of her he caresses. However, his caresses have a different pattern to them this time so that even while he arrives at the same destination, it's like he took a different scenic route which makes it seem like it's a whole new and wonderful trip.

She's half expecting him to start to diminish how much of her he caresses when her nerves tell her that something is different. It takes her a little longer to realize that his right hand which has been caressing the skin of her lower legs under the loose legs of her pants, is moving up above her knee and is caressing the front and outside of her left thigh from her knee to about the middle of her thigh. As the feeling of something like excitement begins to grow in her, she isn't sure how to respond other than to more thoroughly kiss him and try to caress his caressing arm in an attempt to encourage him to keep touching her.

When she becomes aware that his caresses are diminishing, she feels a moment of disappointment that he only caressed one of her legs to the new amount, but her enjoyment of his continuing kisses and caresses quickly distract her. Some unknown amount of time later, she's thrilled as he guides her back to the small sofa for a third round of caresses and as he guides her to sit on his upper legs in the opposite direction, she has a flash of hope that her right leg is going to enjoy his caresses to their current full extent. Although it takes him many minutes to slowly expand his caresses, her hope is fulfilled as she feels him caress the skin of her right leg up to about the middle of her thigh along the front and outside of her leg.

Slowly, the extent of his caresses begins to diminish and it seems like it takes even longer before he's snugly holding her as though he's reluctant to stop touching her. Since she feels so content and comforted in his arms, she's not sure if she's in a wonderful daze or half asleep. She guesses it's been quite a few minutes before he very gently pushes her off of his upper legs and guides her to lay down on the small sofa.

He kneels next to her, softly caresses her face, and says, "Thank you very much for allowing me to touch you." His subsequent kiss is so tender she almost weeps. He caresses her a little longer then forces himself to get up. Before he turns and walks out the door, she's not sure how to describe the look in his eyes, but she's sure it means he would very much prefer to stay with her.

Chapter 47

Ilena has just stepped out of her quarters and closed the door when her communicator activates. Even as she wonders who would be contacting her at this time of the morning, she pulls it out and reads the written message, "Ilena, I hope I didn't bother you too early, but Chet has already been working for more than a couple of hours and needs to be convinced to take a break for breakfast. Can you help? Karina."

She takes her time to carefully respond, "Karina, thank you for letting me know. I'm on my way. Ilena." When she sees the pop up, "Message sent", she grins at her success then quickly walks to his office.

When she sees Ilena step into the outer office, Karina speaks up, "Boss, your next appointment is here."

His voice comes through the open door, "I didn't see an appointment on my calendar for now."

"I just added it."

His voice has a definite sarcastic tone as he responds, "Thanks." A moment later, when Ilena steps into his open door, his tone quickly turns positive as he changes his response to, "Thank you," as he stands up and gladly responds to Ilena's quick kiss. She barely has to tug on his hand before he follows her out of the door and walks with her to the cafeteria.

"How long have you already been working?"

"I don't know. I didn't look at the clock. When I woke up, I remembered I had a lot of work stacked up so I got ready, came over to the office, and started to work. Thank you for reminding me there's more to life than work."

"I'm more than happy to do that especially since you touch me so wonderfully when you're not working. Last night, I wasn't able to tell you how much I appreciate the way you touch me and how enjoyable and comforting it is. And as you expand how much of me you touch, it's also becoming exciting."

"I'm very glad you like it because it's certainly my honor, privilege, and pleasure to be able to touch you."

"Why is it that we seem to go back and forth on who receives the greatest benefit when you touch me?"

"I can't speak about that from your perspective, but I'm very aware that before I met you, nobody has ever been interested in having me touch them." He briefly pauses then says, "It's a much better situation if we each think we receive the greatest benefit instead of thinking the other person isn't doing their fair share in keeping the relationship going."

"That's a good point."

He opens the door to the cafeteria and bows her in.

When they're done eating breakfast, they walk hand in hand back to his office. On the way, Ilena asks, "Chet is there something I can do to encourage you to touch me and to touch me more?"

"Simply ask."

"I know, but . . . how can I make it more exciting for you like you're doing for me?"

"Ilena, for you to sincerely ask me to touch you and to sincerely thank me after I have touched you, I don't need anything more exciting in order to encourage me to touch you."

"I'm not doing this very well."

"If you have something specific in mind, just say it, otherwise I might assume you mean one thing when you mean something else."

"Oh, you mean like making love being defined as flirting?"

"That's right."

"Okay." She briefly pauses then says, "I'm aware that advertisements strongly suggest and most women seem to believe they need to dress in a . . . revealing manner in order to attract the attention of a man. Based on that, I guess I'm somewhat surprised that you seem to fully accept how I dress and have given me no indication that you want me to dress in some other manner. I mean, I'm still dressing as though I'm a sister in training. Shouldn't I be dressing more as a 'normal' person?"

He stops walking, gently holds her head with both hands and asks, "Are you comfortable with the clothes you wear and with how you wear them?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's all that matters."

"But . . . aren't you interested in seeing more of my body."

"Very much so, but I don't think you would feel comfortable if you were to show off your body to everybody in the community just so I could see more of it. If you want me to see more of your body, I would prefer to do that in private so I can feel special that you're willing to share the appearance of your body with only me."

She looks at him in surprise then says, "I hadn't thought about it from that perspective. I guess I see so many of the females who are about my age show off their bodies that I thought it was normal."

He leans closer, partially hugs her, briefly nibbles on her ear, and whispers, "Do you want to feel special or just average and normal?"

"Ohhh. You do make me feel special and we had better move before I want to express how special you do make me feel."

He releases the hug, smiles at her, takes her hand, and walks with her to his office. When he sees that Karina isn't there, he looks at her copy of his calendar which she keeps current and says, "It looks like I have some time before my next appointment. I have work I can do before then, but . . . would be willing to allow me to briefly express how special you are to me."

It seems as though the words are barely out of his mouth before she understands what he said, leads him into his office, closes the door, and thoroughly kisses him. After they've mostly caught their breath after an uncounted number of kisses, she asks, "Shall I take my clothes off so you can see my body?"

Although he's surprised at her question, he quickly answers, "Not yet."

"But you said you wanted to see me."

"Ilena, please, calm down. I do want to see all of your body, but I would prefer to do so a little at a time so you are totally comfortable with visually sharing your body with me. Remember, we're attempted to practice the first attitude which is sharing physical affection so there doesn't need to be any rush to get to any particular goal by any particular time. We can take the time to enjoy the touching, the seeing, the tasting," and he kisses her long while his hands slip under her loose shirt to caress the skin of her back.

As she gladly responds to his kiss then tries to press herself tighter to him, she doesn't understand how she can be feeling like she's ready to melt into contented relaxation and burst into flames, both at the same time. Eventually, they have to break the kiss in order to breathe and she tries to caress his shirt covered back, but keeps being distracted by how wonderful it feels for him to caress the skin of her back.

She manages to remind herself that they're in his office and there isn't the time nor the privacy for her to take her clothes off so she tries to think of a compromise. A couple of moments later, she asks, "Would you be willing to look at my body as far as you've touched my skin?"

"I would very much feel honored to be allowed to see you to that extent. However," he quickly looks at the clock, "I'll have to be careful to not get so lost in your beauty that I forget about the time."

She almost shivers in delight or excitement or something similar at his words, but when she moves her hands to the hem of her shirt, he gently stops her.

Since she doesn't understand why he stopped her, her emotions seem to start moving in several directions before he softly asks, "May I?"

She can only stare at him after his totally unexpected question then she recognizes that his hands are holding onto the bottom hem of her shirt at her hips. Even though she's not sure what he's requesting permission to do, she reminds herself that she totally trusts him so she clearly nods her head in agreement because she's not sure how to respond verbally.

His hands make a slight adjustment to hold onto her waist just above her hip bones then her eyes open wider in surprise as he kneels down in front of her. A few moments later, one of his hands slips under the front of her shirt and begins to caress her upper abdomen from side to side and her enjoyment of his familiar touch helps her to relax. A little later, her eyes start to open wider as she watches his other hand slowly lift up the bottom hem of her shirt. He continues to caress her and when most of her upper abdomen is revealed to his sight, his eyes seem to almost glow in delight at seeing this much of her for the first time and he murmurs, "Lovely, so very lovely."

She's not sure how to respond to the thrill which goes through her or how her body seems to tingle with what she guesses is excitement. She's tempted to wiggle her body, but isn't sure how that might be interpreted so she moves her hands to his head in order to caress him and hopes that conveys her desire for him to continue.

A part of her thinks this is almost too wonderful, then her eyes again open wider as she watches his head very slowly lean closer to her upper abdomen. He's already kissed her several times before she can understand what he's actually doing then she almost moans without understanding what her emotion is while her hands seem to automatically press his lips and head more snugly to her upper abdomen in order to encourage him to continue kissing her . . . forever.

It's much sooner than forever when his leans his head back, lowers her shirt hem, and grips her hips to help him stand up. He softly smiles at her, says, "Thank you so much for allowing me to see and touch your lovely body," and kisses her. Her response is slightly delayed since she doesn't understand what she's feeling other than it being something wonderful, but the familiarity of his thorough kiss captures her attention.

Unfortunately, the need to breathe becomes a necessity and as their breathing settles, he happens to glance at the clock and mutters, "LIF!"

She simply asks, "The time?"

"I'm afraid so."

She quickly places a finger over his lips before he can say more in order for her to tell him, "Thank you so much for taking time away from work for me and thank you so much for touching me. I thought it was wonderful for you to look at more of my body, but when you started to kiss me, it was . . . is there a word more wonderful than wonderful?"

"Yes, and that word is Ilena," and he can't resist kissing her some more.

When she has enough breath, she suggests, "As much as I love to hear the wonderful things you say about me, I'd better leave before I really want to express myself to you."

"Yeah." His quick hug is almost crushingly tight before he turns her and gently pushes her towards the door.

She opens the door, steps out, turns to look at him, and has to grip the doorframe to keep herself from being drawn back into the room by the desire for her she sees in his eyes. A moment later, Karina steps into the outer office and greets her which distracts her enough to step away from his office.

Chapter 48

It's late in the morning when Chet steps out of his office with his briefcase and overnight bag than exclaims, "LIF!"

Karina asks, "What's the matter boss?"

"I forgot to tell Ilena I was going to gone this afternoon and possibly overnight and I don't want her to think I'm ignoring her, but I also don't want to disturb her class by sending her a message. If she stops by here can you tell her I'm sorry I didn't tell her and that I'll miss her?"

"Of course. Does that mean you forgot about your job while you were with her?"

He blushes then says, "I'm afraid so."

"That's great, boss. It's about time you had someone get through to you and help you be more human."

"I know and I can't express how much she means to me."

"I'm sure you'll figure out something. For now, you probably ought to get going and have a safe flight."

"Thanks, Karina. I really appreciate all of your help."

* * * * *

It's less than an hour later when Ilena steps up to Karina's desk and asks, "Do I need to convince him to take a break to go to lunch?"

Karina looks up and smiles as she says, "Congratulations, young lady. You had him so distracted he forgot to tell you he was going to be gone this afternoon."

Her eyes open wide and she can feel her bottom lip begin to tremble as she asks, "He left . . . and didn't tell me?"

As Karina realizes she probably didn't bring up the subject in the best manner, she quickly guides Ilena into Chet's office and closes the door where she says, "I'm sorry, I went about this all wrong. He was really sorry he didn't tell you, but he didn't want to send you a message which might disturb your classes. He asked me to tell you he's sorry he forgot to tell you and that he'll miss you."

"He did?"

"He very clearly said that."

"Oh, thank you. . . . But why did you try to congratulate me?"

"I realize you don't fully know his history in order to put things into context, but since he was given this job, he's been driven to live up to the responsibility, even if it kills him. Sometimes, he's like a robot. You're the first person to get through to him and to help him see there's more to life than work. I understand it's not pleasant for you to find out he had to leave the station for a little while and didn't tell you, but the truth of the matter is that when he's with you, he forgot all about his work and only thought about you."

"Oh. Maybe I can somewhat understand that since when I'm in his arms, I forget all about my classes and don't even think about whether I have any homework to do."

"That's how it was for him and why he forget to tell you."

"Thank you for explaining. I'm sorry my initial reaction was negative."

"Ilena, you don't need to feel sorry because if our roles were reversed, I would have probably had an even more negative reaction."

"Do you know how long he's going to be gone?"

"He hopes to be back tonight, but I suspect it will be more like tomorrow. That's assuming something else doesn't come up."

"What's going on?"

"Have you been catching any of the news broadcasts?"

Ilena slightly blushes then says, "Not for the last couple of days. Other than my classes and work on the farm, I've been trying to spend as much time as I can with Chet."

"Good for you and good for him. Anyway, the Colonel who is the commander for the unit which is currently stationed on the planet and has been causing all of the problems, tried to get off of the base without asking permission and was arrested for violating the quarantine. Apparently, Chet had met the Colonel a number of years ago when they were in the same class so he went to help the people who plan on interviewing the Colonel."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"If you can find some time, you might want to check out the news broadcasts from the last few days which might give you an idea of what Chet and some of his co-workers have to deal with."

"Thank you, Karina, for helping me to calm down, for letting me know what Chet said, and for telling me what he's having to deal with."

"I'm more than happy to and I want to thank you for distracting him from time to time."

"I can honestly say it's truly me pleasure."

They share a grin and a quick hug before Ilena walks over to the cafeteria for lunch.

* * * * *

As the small fixed wing vertical landing air vehicle spirals down to land in its assigned slot on the planetary government building at the end of its programmed flight, Chet quits working on his computer and gathers his belongings. An attendant quickly arrives to service the vehicle in preparation for its next flight and after Chet thanks her, he walks towards the entrance, steps through the security checkpoint, gets on the elevator, and as he gets off at the appropriate level, he hears, "Welcome back, boss. How was your vacation?"

"Vacation?"

"I have to tease you about your interest in working remotely instead of out of your 'official' office. By the way, how is the lovely Ilena?"

"I hope she's okay because I forget to tell her I was going to be gone for a little while."

"Uh oh!"

"Yeah. . . . So, how is our unwanted guest acting?"

"I think I tripled my knowledge of curses and cuss words since he became a 'guest' while I listened to him rant and rave. He's been quieter since this morning, but I don't know if that's because he's beginning to accept the situation or if he's resting up before his next diatribe."

"I wouldn't bet on either direction. Have you heard anything from any of the other officers still on the base?"

"We've had a few of them request permission to leave the base and they had no problems with signing the statement and have freely given us some information about those who are still there. Officially, we received a communication from them in which they asked when the Colonel is going to be released. I sent back a message which simply said, 'Never.' They actually responded and said they are discussing their options and will let us know later this afternoon."

"Have you been able to find out if they have some sort of self-destruct mechanism installed on the base? Or if they're going to try to blow us off the face of the planet?"

"With the information which was voluntarily provided to us by some of the military technical staff, we've been able to listen in on their conversations and, at least so far, they haven't brought up those kind of options."

"That's good to know although I would be inclined to keep my ears open in case they get desperate enough."

"We've got it covered, boss."

"I'm sure you do which makes me wonder why I mentioned it."

"If you think of something, please speak up even if you're sure I'm already dealing with it because I'm not going to think of everything. Not only that, but I appreciate how you bring things up instead of just ordering me to do something. To tell you the truth, the more I learn about the Colonel's style of leadership, the more fully I appreciate your style."

"Thank you. If I ever do start to act like him, take me out and shoot me."

"I could never do that!"

"I know. I guess what I'm trying to express is how much I don't want to give other people a reason to feel about me like they feel about him."

"Now that I can understand."

"Well, I suppose we ought to get the first part of the Colonel's 'interview' taken care of. Do you have one of the rooms over at the detention center reserved?"

"You don't want to do it here? I thought you might want to impress on him the idea that he has to come to you."

"That has a certain appeal, but I would prefer to encourage him to realize he's a criminal and won't be allowed outside of a cage."

"Gotcha. I'll get in touch with the warden and he might have an idea or two which might help to make that realization even clearer."

"Thanks, Ass. I like the way you think."

"I'm learning from the best."

"Maybe you can pass on a few ideas in my direction."

"And maybe you should have brought Ilena with you so you don't have a chance to consider self-depreciating thoughts."

"Well then, let's go interview the Colonel so I can get some tips on how to be an egotist."

* * * * *

As the Colonel shuffles along the corridor with his wrists and ankles connected by heavy chains while accompanied by four guards, he remarks, "Well, at least they're giving me an honor guard."

One of the guards retorts, "Honor guard? No way. We're just waiting for you to make one wrong move so we can blow your ass away and save the government the expense of keeping you alive any longer. And keep moving," as he pokes him in the buttocks with his bayonet.

A couple of minutes later, the Colonel is directed into a small almost bare room and his chains are locked to bolts which are set into the floor and the table while he sits on a hard and unbalanced chair. The guards step out, the door slams shut with an echoing boom, and . . . he waits. He has no idea how long he waits, but as hard as he tries, he can no longer stop his bladder from emptying.

Again, he waits, then the door opens, a guard steps in, looks at him with disgust, steps back out, and before the Colonel realizes what's happening, the guard steps back in and sprays the lower half of his body with cold water. The Colonel takes a deep breath to express his outrage, but the guard quickly steps out and slams the door. Once again he can do nothing except wait. But this time he has to listen to the water drip off the chair and gurgle down the drain which reminds him of how long it's been since he's had anything to drink.

Chapter 49

The Colonel has no idea how much time has passed before the door finally opens and as he looks up, he almost groans in dismay at he sees Chet walk in with a smile and say, "Well, if it isn't 'Stinky' Martin after all."

"Don't call me that."

"You didn't seem to mind when you were called that at the leadership classes, but if you object, we'll refer to you by your current name, Criminal 143962."

He grimaces then stares longingly at the drink Chet sets on the table while a guard brings in a comfortable chair.

As Chet sits down he says, "Thank you, Corporal."

"It was my pleasure, sir." A moment later, a couple of other people step into the room then the door is quietly closed.

The Colonel struggles to regain some of his bluster as he says, "I demand that you release me, release my base, and release Captain Stilson."

"No. Now, before you incriminate yourself further, why did you send Captain Stilson to rape a young woman? . . . You might as well speak up because you're going to answer the question one way or another." Chet tilts his head and the Colonel looks at the person who is wearing a lab coat and his eyes open wide when the person presses on the syringe and a stream of liquid shoots out.

He swallows nervously then admits, "To embarrass you, compromise your position, and to hurt you."

"Why did you want to do that?"

"Because you hurt me."

"How did I hurt you?"

"Don't you remember?"

"What don't I remember?"

"You received a better grade than I did in those leadership classes."

"So. How did that hurt you?"

The Colonel briefly stares then almost yells, "I was denied entrance to the General Command College!"

"And you're blaming me for that?"

"Of course."

"It seems like you ought to blame yourself for not doing your assignments better. Or are you suggesting I should have done poorly on my assignments so you wouldn't be shown up?"

"Both you and the professor should have recognized my natural superiority and acted accordingly."

"And what is this natural superiority you have which I should have recognized? Or do you consider being arrogant, self-centered, and pompous as attributes of superiority?"

He feels like he's speaking to an idiot as he explains, "I'm royal."

"Oh. You mean you're like Captain Stilson who was described as being a royal pain in the butt without any redeeming qualities?"

The Colonel grits his teeth in an attempt to partially control his anger before he explains, "No, I'm royal as in descended from kings."

"And how did you get to be royal?"

"My father was royal and his father was royal and the lineage goes back for many generations."

"So, as you and Captain Stilson have gone around raping young women and spreading your royal seed throughout human space, have you been watching over all of those little royal people and helping them to understand the privileges they ought to enjoy from being royal?"

"No."

"Why not? You just said you are royal because your father was royal so that must mean there's some special quality in the father's sperm which bestows royalty. And now you're admitting that you're denying that status to all of those little royal people you're producing. Rather than dwell on that, let's consider your statement that your lineage goes back many generations. If your first royal ancestor didn't have a royal father, how did he become royal?"

Since he's surprised by that question, it takes him a moment to respond, "I don't know."

"He doesn't know," as Chet turns to glance at the others in the room and they sadly shake their heads. He turns back and says, "Well let me tell you how your first royal ancestor became royal. In every case in recorded history, the first king or tsar or khan or pharaoh or emperor to start a so-called royal line happened to be a more vicious bully than his neighbors and claimed a fancy title for himself. He had no 'natural superiority', he was just meaner or nastier and his so-called royal line only lasted until someone who was even more mean and nasty came along and killed him and his descendants."

"You're making that up."

"No I'm not. I would suggest that you take some time to read the history books, but you aren't going to have any time because you've been convicted of the crimes you are charged with."

The Colonel briefly stares at him then sneeringly says, "And what happened to this planet's claim to high justice when I haven't even had a trial?"

"What does a trial have to do with practicing justice?"

"Huh? All civilized planets have trials to determine a person's guilt or innocence. Or aren't you a civilized planet."

"We're quite civilized. We're also very aware that trials often subvert justice because one side's lawyer can out bullshit the other side's lawyer regardless of whether his client is guilty or not. For that reason, we only use trials when there is some question about the quality of the evidence or if there is the possibility of extenuating circumstances. In your case, the evidence is quite clear as well as recorded and witnessed that you are guilty."

"But what about justice?"

"I guess you don't understand what we mean by justice. First of all, justice demands that the documented laws are to be obeyed, practiced, and enforced and are applied equally to every person who is on the planet, period, no exceptions. Secondly, justice demands that the innocent are to be protected and that victims are to be protected from further abuse and are to be compensated by their abuser for what they have suffered.

"In third place, justice requires that the criminal will have the evidence against them objectively reviewed to ascertain whether it's sufficiently clear they are guilty. If it is clear, the criminal is convicted and sentenced based on predetermined criteria of what punishment is appropriate to the crime. The objective review is accomplished by a panel of experienced judges who remain anonymous in order to reduce the chance that they can be bribed, threatened, or otherwise convinced to subvert the accomplishment of justice. True justice is more concerned about the rights of the victim than about any theoretical right of the criminal who has rejected any claim to justice when they denied justice to their victim."

While he almost feels like he's grasping for straws, the Colonel asks, "What about the idea of 'innocent until proven guilty'?"

"That's what the objective review of the evidence is all about."

"But what about my being able to defend myself?"

"What kind of defense can you give when you freely admitted that you sent Captain Stilson to rape a young woman? That makes you just as guilty of the crime as if you had attempted to rape her yourself."

Since he's beginning to realize he's not going to argue his way out of this, he asks, "So, now you're going to lock me up in some prison for the next twenty years?"

Instead of answering, Chet asks his own question, "If your doctor found out you had cancer, what would you want your doctor to do for you?"

While he wonders what that question has to do with the current subject, he answers, "I would want him to get rid of it as fast as he could."

Chet nods his head, stands up, and says, "Criminals are a cancer on the body of society."

As Chet steps out the door, the Colonel realizes what he meant and tries to stand up as he shouts, "NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!!" He continues to shout as the other people step out of the room, somebody picks up the chair Chet was sitting in, and the door is slammed shut with a boom which is briefly louder than his shout. As he begins to realize that no one is listening to him, he falls back onto the chair and shakes his head in disbelief that they have the audacity to treat him like this.

Chapter 50

A few minutes later, Chet meets with a few people in the Warden's office at the detention center. The Chief Justice of the Court tells him, "Sir, I appreciate how well you explained our concept of justice to him. Not that it will do him any good."

"Thank you, sir, I'm glad I did something right." Chet shakes his head then says, "I just can't believe he blames me for his poor grades in those leadership classes and then has the audacity to come here and cause so many problems."

"Many people, but criminals in particular, don't want to take responsibility for their own actions or just can't fathom they caused a problem and if they even recognize there's a problem, they're sure someone else is to blame for it."

"I understand that logically and have seen and read of many examples, but, at the same time, I really don't understand that mindset."

"I know what you mean. Will you be heading back up to College Station this evening?"

"I don't know yet. I need to check with Ass to find out what's going on with the remaining officers on the military base and whether he's received any kind of response from the supreme commander's office."

"I understand, sir. If there's a need for my office to quickly review any evidence, please don't hesitate to contact me."

"Thank you, sir. I hope it won't come to that, but I'll keep it in mind."

"Before I forget, were you going to try to have a military judge review the evidence against the Colonel, the Captain, and the squad who tried to release the Captain from incarceration?"

Chet answers, "Only as a courtesy so the military can have some understanding that we obeyed and enforced our own laws and didn't inappropriately or arbitrarily charge a soldier with a crime. By the same token, I'm not sure how much longer I'm willing to delay the completion of their sentence in an attempt to be courteous to those who don't have the simple courtesy to respond to repeated communication attempts."

"I understand. I know you have questioned your suitability for the position you hold, but I don't know of anyone who I would prefer to have making the decisions, especially in regards to this situation. Because of that, let me assure you that you have my personal support as well as the support of my office."

"Thank you, Judge, but without the help and advice I've received from you, Ass, and many others, I'm sure I would be making this situation into an even bigger mess than it is."

"I think Ass is right, you should have brought your young lady friend with you." As Chet's eyes open wide in surprise, the Judge assures him, "There's no way you could have kept that a secret. Relax, sir, and enjoy the opportunity and if you need me, you have my number," and walks out the door.

As he looks around and sees heads nod, many of them with smiles, he says, "It sounds like I should have just got on one of the news media's broadcasts and announced it to the entire planet."

"I'm glad you didn't, boss, because the rumor mill is a much more interesting way to spread the word."

Chet groans then responds, "As well as less accurate."

* * * * *

A couple of hours later, Chet hesitates then activates his communicator and inputs a number.

"Hello, this is Ilena."

He briefly pauses then says, "Hello, Ilena."

"Chet! How are you?"

"Upset that I didn't tell you I was going to be away from the office. I'm sorry."

"Thank you. I wish I had known so I could have sent you off with a proper good-bye kiss."

"Except that would have made it even harder for me to go."

Her laughter is music to his ears. A moment later, she asks, "Are you going to be able to come home this evening."

"I'm afraid not. We found out just a little while ago that a high ranking officer from the military has just arrived in the system and will be on the planet tomorrow to presumably review the situation. I'm supposed to be a part of the team which meets with him or her and who knows how long that will take."

"I understand."

He hesitates again then asks, "Ilena, are you mad at me that I forgot to tell you I was going to be gone?"

"To be honest, I was upset at first, but when Karina explained the situation to me, I was kind of happy you forgot."

"Now I'm not sure if I want to hear how she might have explained it to you."

"She pointed out that when you were with me, you totally forgot about your job and anything related to it. That meant you gave me your total attention."

"Well, that's true. Is that all she said?"

"That's the essence of it and it makes me happy that you give me all of your attention when you're with me."

"I can't think of anyone I would rather give my attention to besides you, yet I also have to give my attention to the responsibilities of my job and I'm afraid I can't properly do both."

"Well, in that case, give the necessary attention to your job, and when you have time to give me your attention, I'll gladly take it as well as all of the affection you're willing to share with me."

"I can agree to that and I'm especially willing to share all of my affection with you as long as you're willing to receive it."

"Forever, Chet, simply forever."

"I . . . LIF! I'm sorry, Ilena, but duty calls."

"I understand. Hurry home."

"As soon as I can or maybe I'll just quit this job and be a quiet professor again. Good-bye."

Chapter 51

The orbital vehicle which carries the representative from the supreme commander's office arrives at the civilian landing zone which is adjacent to the military base late in the morning. She and her support staff are provided with ground transportation, but when she requests that they be driven to the base in order to find out what's going on, the civil defense major who is serving as her on-planet escort tells her, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but the base is under quarantine. If you go onto the base, you'll have to request permission to leave the base."

"Is it difficult to receive permission?"

"Not at all, but you'll have to sign this statement before you'll receive permission," and he hands her a copy of the statement.

Her eyebrows lift in surprise before she quickly reads it then responds, "Well, that's not as bad as I initially suspected, but I would be concerned about how my agreement to this might be viewed by my superiors as well as how it might appear to compromise the military's stance."

"I understand."

"Do you have a suggestion as to how I can meet with the base commander, uh . . . Colonel Martin without violating the quarantine?"

"Colonel Martin is not on the base since he was arrested yesterday and is currently in the local detention center."

"Arrested? Whatever for?"

"He violated the quarantine by leaving the base without permission and he ordered one of his captains to rape a young woman who was a member of a religious order."

"He did what!?!"

"It's true, ma'am. The planetary administrator's office has all of the evidence recorded."

"Oh, my. If that's true, then this is much worse than I was led to believe. . . . Okay, so who is the current commanding officer on the base?"

"We don't know since they have refused to communicate with us. A message was delivered to their headquarters to inform them that Colonel Martin had been arrested and asked what their intentions were. Somebody sent a message back that they were reviewing their options and would respond by yesterday evening. I'm assuming that once they heard you were in the system, they decided to sit tight."

"Dare I ask why the base was quarantined?"

"It's no secret although you may prefer to hear it from the planetary administrator's office which can provide you with the documented evidence of what led to the decision being made."

"Why don't you give me a brief synopsis so I won't be so shocked when I'm presented with the evidence?"

"Of course. Colonel Martin ordered Captain Stilson to rape a young woman to which he apparently agreed because he broke into the young woman's newly assigned quarters to wait for her. When she started to enter her quarters, she noticed that something was amiss and contacted the local constables who entered her quarters and confronted Captain Stilson who made it clear why he was there and they arrested him. After the Captain's superior was informed of his arrest, the Colonel ordered three separate attempts to remove Captain Stilson from legal incarceration. The news media reported the 'rescue' attempts which upset the Colonel. When it was discovered the Colonel had ordered the seizure of the news media office, the quarantine was put into effect."

"Was there any attempt on the part of the planetary government to communicate with the Colonel?"

"Multiple attempts were made in every form of available communication, but the communications were either ignored or no response was given."

She briefly struggles to not express her disbelief then asks, "How extensive is the quarantine?"

"Total. Nobody goes on or off the base without permission and all utilities were disconnected."

Now she can't avoid her expression of surprise as she asks, "All utilities?"

"Yes, ma'am. Since the Colonel's office wasn't responding to any communications or making any attempt to communicate on their own as well as continuing to attempt to 'rescue' Captain Stilson and threatening the news media, it was reluctantly decided that drastic measures were called for."

Although she thinks that if what the Major says is half true, she would have instituted drastic measures much sooner, she doesn't express her opinion. Instead she asks, "Do you know how this quarantine affects the soldiers, especially those with families?"

"Yes, ma'am. That was very much a concern as well as reason to allow soldiers off of the base if they requested permission and signed the statement I showed you."

"Do you know how many soldiers have requested permission to leave the base?"

"I don't know the actual number, but I believe it's close to ninety-nine percent of the soldiers who were assigned to the base."

This time she stares at the Major in near shock before she can ask, "Then who is left on the base?"

"As far as I know, only the senior officers and maybe some of their support staff."

She glances at her own support staff and notices that most of them are having trouble containing their own surprise.

A moment later, the Major offers, "Although the hardwired standard communicators were disabled along with the rest of the utilities, here is a list of the known personal communicator numbers of the officers who are believed to still be on the base."

She takes the list he hands her, briefly glances at it, hands it to one of her staff, and requests, "See if you can get through to someone on the base. In the meantime, Major, if you can direct us to somewhere we can get something to eat as well as someplace to discuss what you've told us, I would appreciate it."

"Of course. If you and your staff can get in the vehicles, I'll take you over to the public terminal where a conference room has been set aside for your use. We can provide you with some sandwiches, salads, and drinks if you would like or you can go to one of the restaurants in the terminal, although that will have to be at your own expense."

"I understand and sandwiches and salads will be adequate for us. Thank you, Major."

After he directs them to the room, he tells her, "The food will be here shortly and the planetary administration can be contacted at this number for you to set up a meeting with them at almost any time. If you need any further assistance from me, you can contact me at this number. I'll go ahead and step away so you don't feel as though I may be invading your privacy or interfering with your discussion."

"Thank you, Major, you've been very courteous and informative and I appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure, ma'am." He slightly bows to her and steps out of the room.

Chapter 52

It's early in the afternoon when the representative from the supreme commander's office is guided by the Major to a conference room in the planetary government's building to meet with the administrator and his staff. After formal introductions are provided, the administrator remarks, "As much as possible, I would like to keep our discussion as casual and courteous as possible. To encourage that, please address me as Chet instead of by my title."

While the representative and her staff are surprised at that, it appears as though all of Chet's staff seem to think it's a normal statement. It takes her a little while to respond, "And do you always conduct serious business in a casual manner?"

"As much as I can. Although I still haven't fully convinced my co-workers of that because they seem to insist on calling me 'boss' or 'sir'."

She slightly smiles at that, then says, "In that case, Chet, please call me Marlene." She's not surprised to hear gasps of surprise from her staff while his staff either smile or nod their heads. When she thinks the surprise has been accepted, she says, "The Major was kind enough to provide us with the current situation as well as some of the background and I've also briefly spoken with some of the officers who are still on the base but not in an official interview. I guess I would like to hear what you think started the situation."

"To give you a little background, we had very cordial relations with the unit commander and his staff who were previously assigned to this planet. A few weeks ago, they were rotated out and Colonel Martin's unit was rotated in. The first sign of trouble was when Colonel Martin did not follow the directive of General Order 10, made no other attempt to communicate with our office, and refused to accept any communication from us."

Her surprise borders on shock before she can ask, "He disobeyed General Order 10?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Do you have any idea why he would do such a thing?"

"Not until after he was arrested. Apparently, when he first arrived here or maybe when he was first ordered to rotate here, he recognized my name as somebody who had attended some of the same leadership courses and he blames me for getting a better grade in those courses which he claims prevented him from being admitted to the General Command College."

"You've got to be kidding."

"Not at all. We can play the recording for you of him admitting it."

"Maybe a little later. What happened next?"

"A young woman opened the door to her new quarters and found that the lights were off when she knew she had left them on because she hadn't even spent her first night there. The local Constable was contacted. He and several of his deputies arrived and after an infrared scan of the quarters was performed from the outside which identified that a person was inside, the Constable and one of his deputies entered the quarters and found Captain Stilson inside.

"The Captain claimed he was on a mission which involved sexual activities with the young woman who the quarters were assigned to. After the Constable confirmed that the young woman neither invited the Captain in nor wanted anything to do with him, the Captain more strongly expressed an interest in sexual activities with the young woman. The Captain was arrested and a panel of judges have reviewed the evidence and agreed that the Captain attempted to rape the young woman."

One of Marlene's staff says, "But if the Captain didn't actually rape the young woman, then no crime was committed."

"Are you suggesting that the Constable should have waited until the Captain had physically raped the young woman and damaged her for the rest of her life before he could have arrested the Captain for committing a crime?"

"Um, I wouldn't want that to happen, but . . ."

"Suppose you caught somebody who was in the act of shooting your supreme commander but, for whatever reason, he missed. Would you release that person and tell him better luck next time because he attempted to but didn't succeed in committing the intended physical crime?"

"Of course not."

"The same applies here. The real crime is not the physical action. The real crime is the attitude of the criminal who intentionally disregards or rejects the civil rights of the victim. Since we are unable to read the minds of potential criminals, we have to wait until their behavior demonstrates their attitude regardless of whether their intended physical action is successful or not. Just to assure you that I'm not making this up, I can provide you with the applicable reference in our planetary code of justice."

Marlene speaks up, "Since I have a legal background, I'm quite interested in how your code of justice has actually stated that concept. But for now, I would prefer to hear what happened next."

"The morning after the Captain was arrested, the Constable contacted his superior officer about the facts and that officer strongly suggested the Captain should be released." Chet then relates what happened to the following 'rescue' attempts and how those events led to the quarantine of the base and what happened after that. When he finishes, he passes over a digital address and explains, "This will provide you with access to the recordings which have been made regarding the events I've highlighted as well as the news media's broadcasts. If you want to review it all, it will take quite a few hours. If you have any questions or request clarification, please don't hesitate to contact my office."

"Thank you, Chet, you've been most helpful and informative."

"I can assure you that we just want to resolve this situation as peaceably and as quickly as we can. If you wish, the Major can guide you to a suite of rooms which has been reserved for you in a local lodging establishment. I'm afraid some of your staff will have to double up in their rooms since accommodations are quite limited due to the number of soldiers who have requested permission to leave the base."

"I can understand that and I think we can manage. How can I contact any of them to get another perspective on this situation?"

"The Major can provide you with a list of the officers and senior enlisted personnel who have provided their personal communicator numbers and are maintaining contact with the soldiers in their units. He can also guide you to the emergency shelters where a number of the single soldiers are staying."

"What about those soldiers with families?"

"I believe most of them are staying with some of our local residents who have voluntarily opened up their homes."

Marlene's eyes open wide in surprise as she exclaims, "Really? That was kind of them."

"We have a lot of good people here. Thank you for taking your time and listening. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"I can't say I like the reason, but I'm glad for the opportunity."

After they shake hands, Chet directs her to the Major who says, "If you will please come with me," and leads Marlene and her staff out of the room.

Chapter 53

After Marlene and her staff leave the conference room, Chet and his staff remain quiet while a technician scans the room then reports, "I don't know if the boss lady was aware of it or not, but some of her staff left some electronic snoopers behind which have been disabled and removed."

"Thank you for considering the possibility and for checking. Can you please prepare a report of your findings and add it to the digital address we provided to them which has the other evidence?"

"Gladly, boss. It will be interesting to see what kind of reaction she has."

"I think you're right about that. Okay. Does anybody have any comments or insights they're willing to share?"

"I thought that went better than what I might have expected. At least she didn't appear to assume that whatever a civilian said was wrong. By the way, that was a good example to use of somebody attempting to kill their supreme commander."

"Thank you, Judge."

A moment later, Ass reports, "Once I found out who the representative actually was as a person instead of as a title, I did some investigating and from the reports I've read, Ms. Marlene has a reputation of being fair in her assessments after she investigates a situation as thoroughly as possible. It wouldn't surprise me if she contacts the news media directly and requests copies of their broadcasts to make sure we didn't manufacture them. She'll probably also try to contact the previous unit commander as well as interview a number of the soldiers who requested permission to leave the base."

"Thank you for your research and for enlightening us. I assume that her investigation is going to take some time."

"It wouldn't surprise me if she takes several days. However, that's no reason for you to sit around here while you wait for her to come to the obvious conclusion. If she has further questions which either I or someone else can't answer, she can always contact you on your communicator or you can fly down for an afternoon. You could even bring Ilena along for a visit."

When they notice Chet's frown, Ass and several of the others either laugh or smile in response. A couple of moments later, he verbally responds, "Ladies, gentlemen, and other beings, while I have no direct objection to having you meet Ilena or for her to meet you, I'm trying my best to keep her insulated from my job and to keep disgruntled people from using her to get back at me like has already happened with Captain Stilson."

"We understand and we also don't want anyone to take advantage of her either. By the same token, she's a very special young lady to have gotten through the wall you built around yourself."

"I know and that's another reason I want to do all that I can to protect her."

Ass suggests, "Invite Regit along."

"I've considered that although I don't want to infringe on Regit's freedom."

Somebody asks, "Who is Regit?"

Chet answers with his own question, "Are you familiar with any of the native life forms?"

"I would probably recognize some of the larger and more unusual ones."

"Regit is a female of the species which looks similar to how the history books generally describe a saber toothed tiger. For several years, she has been staying near the farm which is near the college and has befriended Ilena."

There are several exclamations of surprise but somebody's, "What!?!" is more obvious.

Chet turns to Albert, the Chief Scientist, and looks at him in surprise then asks, "Is something the matter?"

"Why wasn't my office informed of this?"

"I have no idea. Are you suggesting this is something unusual?"

"Not suggesting, proclaiming. The closest I recall anyone getting to one of that species who was alive is through a telephoto lens. How close has this young lady gotten to . . . Regit?"

"I would say she's been about this close to Regit," as he holds his arms out wide then slowly brings his hands together until they are touching, "because she's ridden on Regit's back."

While most of them seem to stare at Chet in disbelief, a few moments later, Ass directs their attention to the monitor and shows what the security monitor recorded when Regit was walking with Chet and Ilena and then nudged Ilena who climbed on Regit's back and rode off to the farm.

Albert takes a few moments to get over his surprise then asks, "And you say this has been going on for several years and nobody thought it was unusual enough to report it?"

"I don't remember exactly, but I think it was about the time the college was being built and the farm was expanded when Regit first showed up. Since she caused no problems and was even credited with guiding some people back to the community who had become lost in the nearby forest, I guess most of us assumed she was a local resident who was checking out the new neighbors. I wonder if some of the other stations haven't reported anything because they assumed the species was just curious and didn't cause any problems."

"I suppose that's a possibility. Let me make some inquiries. So, do you have any other native species who visit your community?"

"One of the Floaters seems to spend time on the farm, but since we can't tell them apart, I don't know if it's the same one or if they take turns or something. I don't have much time to visit the farm so I don't know if there are any other visitors, but Ilena might know since she works there."

"Does your resident Floater do anything unusual?"

"Since I have no idea what their usual behavior is, I can't honestly answer that question. When I visit, it will float down and wrap itself around my arm and seems to enjoy being petted and also seems to like it when I give it a sugar cube."

"I think I'm going to have to send a team there to investigate your 'visitors' further."

"As long as the team understands we are the guests on this planet and that the natives are to be allowed their freedom and not be subjected to invasive studies."

"Come on, sir, they're only animals."

"Oh? And how have you arrived at that conclusion?"

"Have any of them tried to communicate with you?"

"Yes, although generally not in a verbal manner. You saw on the video that Regit nudged Ilena until she got on her back for a ride. For all we know, they could be anthro-equivalent telepaths and have to resort to crude physical methods to accomplish the most basic form of communication with us because we're too dumb to understand them."

"Well, I suppose that's a remote possibility. Are you aware of any other instances when you or they appeared to understand each other?"

"Yes. I think it was earlier in the day before the video you saw when Regit accompanied Ilena and seemed to be friendly with everyone she met. While we were eating lunch, I remarked on Regit's behavior and suggested to Ilena that maybe Regit was planning to have a career in politics. Regit immediately growled at me. After I apologized for my comment, she lightly bumped her head against my side as though she accepted my apology."

After a few moments of staring at Chet with wide eyes, Albert admits, "Maybe there is more to them than meets the eye since I don't recall that any Earth based animals have been claimed to understand the concept of politics. Let me see who might be available to spend some time there."

"Since I never thought about Regit's behavior as being so unusual that it should have been reported, I didn't think about checking with the science department at the college. They might be more appropriate to begin an initial study since they have a better understanding of the local environment."

"That's a good point, maybe they have been making some discrete observations but are waiting for more information before they report something. I'll check with them since I know you're busy."

"Thank you. I'm sorry we got off base with our discussion, but does anyone have anything else which needs to be brought up or considered?" When nobody answers, Chet tells them, "Thank you very much to each of you for taking your time to meet with us in our attempt to resolve the current situation. If you think of any suggestions or if something does occur to you, please let me know. Thank you again and I hope you have a good evening."

Chapter 54

After most of the others leave the conference room, Chet discusses a few other things with Ass then gets ready to return to his station rather than stay in the capital.

Once he's in the small vertical landing air vehicle which is assigned to him and it begins its programmed flight, Chet briefly hesitates then activates his communicator and inputs a number.

"Hello, this is Ilena."

"Hello, Ilena."

"Chet! How are you?"

"I'm doing okay. I just thought I would let you know that I'm on my way back. I'm quite sure I won't arrive before the cafeteria closes, so I would like to invite you to dinner in my quarters, if you're interested."

"I'll gladly be there."

"Thank you. Well, I'm going to try to get some work done before I get there, but I'll let you know when I arrive. I guess it will be a couple of hours."

"I'll be waiting for you."

"Thank you. Bye."

* * * * *

By the time Chet arrives at the College Station landing zone then transfers to a ground vehicle and parks it near his office, he's not sure he's going to have the energy to cook dinner for Ilena. As he walks towards his quarters, he knows he'll somehow make the effort. He just steps into the door to the building and is surprised when Ilena seems to immediately hug him. He belatedly drops his overnight bag and as his arms go around her, he almost feels like he could melt into her warm and sincere hug.

Before they begin to kiss, they realize they're still in a public setting so they release the hug, he picks up his overnight bag, and they walk to his quarters. After he drops his briefcase on his desk and his overnight bag on his bed, he makes a quick bathroom trip then goes to the kitchen to see what he has which will be easy to prepare. She insists on helping and carefully follows his directions while he does his best to answer her questions.

While they eat, he gives her a somewhat generic overview of what he did while he was in the capital then tells her a little about the scientist's interest in Regit and Silky's apparently unusual behavior. He guesses that if somebody is interested in learning more about Regit, they'll want to talk to her. He also tries to make it clear that she should contact him immediately if she feels as though either she or Regit is being inappropriately imposed upon.

She assures him she understands then helps him clean up after dinner before they go to her quarters and she gladly settles on his upper legs on her small sofa and tries to snuggle deeper into his embrace. He starts to gently caress her then she immediately responds when he begins to kiss her lips. His caresses slowly expand to as far as he's previously caressed her before it seems as though he just as slowly reduces his caresses until he's 'simply' snugly holding her.

Although she has no idea how long he caressed her on a chronological basis, she is surprised it was long enough for her bladder to become a nuisance. As she takes care of her needs in the bathroom, she wonders why she's surprised since he's wonderfully caressed her just as long on a number of other occasions. She prepares to make cups of tea while he goes to the bathroom after he started the tea kettle to warm up.

Even though they think they take their time to drink their tea, they soon return to the small sofa where his caresses and kisses resume. In the midst of his ongoing caresses, she gladly cooperates as he gently pulls her feet towards him then she's thrilled to feel his caressing right hand slip into her loose pants legs to caress the skin of her lower legs all over. Then his hand slips over her knee to caress her skin along the front and outside of her leg up to about the middle of her thigh before his hand moves to treat her other leg in a similar manner.

She has mentally prepared herself for him to begin to reduce his caresses when his hand moves to the skin on the back of her leg to caress her from her knee to about the middle of her thigh. Although she doesn't understand why this new touch of his should feel even more exciting than his other touches, she decides she would rather revel in the experience than try to analyze it. In a little while, his hand moves to caress the back of her other leg for awhile before he slowly begins to diminish how much he touches her.

Before the extent of his caresses have totally reduced to where he's 'just' holding her, he's starting to yawn. He tries to shake his head in order to wake up then tries to concentrate on touching her, but he finally realizes his body is running out of energy. Reluctantly, he apologizes for being tired, tries to thoroughly kiss her again, but yawns interrupt so he tells her good night and goes to his quarters where he barely gets ready for bed before he's asleep.

Chapter 55

Chet is tempted to work through lunch, but he can't resist Ilena's invitation. Nor can he resist the opportunity to hug and kiss her in his office after lunch and even manages to caress her skin on her back and upper abdomen under her loose shirt for a little while before his communicator activates. He pauses to briefly kiss her again and returns her smile as she steps out of the door before he answers, "This is Chet."

Ass responds, "I'm sorry, boss, am I interrupting something?"

"Not now."

"Does that mean Ilena was trying to distract you from your work?"

"Why would you suspect that?"

"You sounded more disturbed when you answered compared to when you're just finishing up another meeting or trying to do some other kind of work."

"And does your analysis of my tone of voice have any scientific validity?"

"Not yet, but I haven't completed my research yet."

Chet briefly chuckles then says, "So, what's up?"

"I just thought I would bring you up to date. Ms. Marlene and her team have apparently reviewed the recordings we provided and, as I suspected, she did contact the news media directly. The news media not only provided her with copies of the actual broadcasts, but they also provided her with some of their background information.

"In addition to that, she has some of her team interviewing the soldiers and officers who have requested permission to leave the base and those team members are apparently getting quite an earful. I've heard that when some of her team tried to suggest to the soldiers they were interviewing that it couldn't be as bad as they were describing, the soldiers asked why they were being interviewed if what they said wasn't being treated with respect. Some of the officers have threatened to resign their commissions and claim this situation has demonstrated there's a lack of honor and integrity in the command structure and that quite startled the interviewers who are well aware there aren't enough officers to fill all of the allocated slots."

"I wonder if that's why the Colonel and his cronies have been able to get away with what they've been doing over the years."

"If the command structure has been turning a blind eye to their activities just to keep officer slots filled, I think it just backfired on them because a lot of the officers who left the base have been sending messages out to their fellow officers who are assigned to other units."

"Interesting."

"Very. I'm quite curious about what the reactions and results will be on the larger scale, but on the smaller scale, I suspect Ms. Marlene will wrap up her investigation sooner than I had originally guessed simply because virtually all of the evidence appears to support one conclusion. Those officers who have remained on the base appear to be trying to justify their own actions rather than to support the Colonel."

"I wondered how loyal they were to the man or whether they were trying to ride his coat tails to a higher position."

"If you had asked them a couple of weeks ago, they probably would have said they were loyal to the man, but at least some of them have apparently been rather disturbed by his behavior over the last few days."

Chet suggests, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see what conclusions Marlene and her team arrive at and how their superiors respond to it."

"That's true. Well, I don't want to take up more of your time, but I did want you to know what's going on."

"Thank you, Ass. I really appreciate it that you're staying on top of the situation and keeping me informed."

"You're welcome. Besides, I know you have enough other work to keep you busy and you don't need to get bogged down in the details of this situation. Now, before we use up more time to verbally contribute to our mutual admiration society, take care, let Ilena distract you some more, and I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Good bye." He shakes his head as he puts his communicator away.

* * * * *

As Chet and Ilena walk to her quarters after they had a quiet dinner in the cafeteria, she asks, "Are you going to need to leave the office any time soon?"

"I just left it. Are you saying I need to go back?"

She looks at him in surprise then says, "I mean to go and do your work in the capital or at another station."

"I don't know. I guess that will depend on whether I need to be there when the investigators deliver their report or their recommendations."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Is there a reason you're asking the question?"

"Well, I thought if you knew ahead of time, I could ask you before I totally distracted you from thinking about your job."

"Thank you for explaining and I really want to thank you not only for your willingness to distract me from my job, but also for the very enjoyable way in which you accomplish it."

"Maybe you had better be careful with the compliments since I might not want to wait until we're behind closed doors before I thoroughly enjoy your responses to my distraction attempts."

They share understanding grins and without even thinking about it, they walk a little faster. When their breathing has settled after multiple kisses which began as soon as the door to her quarters was closed and locked, they reluctantly separate to use the bathroom then take the time to make and drink a cup of tea. Soon after that, they're settled on the small sofa where she snugly cuddles up to him for a little while then gladly responds to his gentle kisses and soft caresses.

Slowly, his caresses expand to touch her everywhere he has before through her clothes which seems to infuse her with a complete sense of contented comfort. Then a touch of excitement seems to be added to the mix of her emotions when he slips his hands under her loose shirt to caress her skin on her back and upper abdomen. An unknown amount of time later, the extent of his caresses begin to diminish until he's just hugging her and she almost wonders why their bodies haven't simply melted into each other.

Reluctantly, they make bathroom trips and when they return to the small sofa, his caresses expand at a slightly faster pace before he gently pulls her feet closer with her complete cooperation so he can caress the skin of her lower legs under her loose pants. After she thinks he's caressed every square inch of both of her lower legs several times in a variety of ways, his caressing hand goes over the knee of her left leg to caress the front of her leg up to about the middle of her thigh. Sometimes his caresses slowly move straight up and down from her knee to the middle of her thigh, or in a shallow zigzag, or in small circles, or in ways she's not sure how to describe.

Then he moves his caresses to her right leg to cover the same amount of skin but with a different order to his various caresses. Rather than going back to her left leg, he expands his caresses to the outside of her right leg and after he caresses that much of her in several ways he returns to her left leg to treat it equally. Since her enjoyment of how he's touching her seems to totally fill her up, she can only assume that her legs have been caressed equally when he expands his caresses to the back of her left leg.

She feels a little disappointment when his hand moves away from caressing her left leg then she realizes that his hand is moving to caress her right leg the same amount. Although she doesn't understand why, it seems as though his current caresses are a little more exciting than when he first caressed the backs of her legs. Then his caresses definitely become more exciting and it takes her a little while to realize that his caresses have moved to the skin along the inside of her right leg for the first time.

Suddenly, she doesn't know how to respond. She wants to pull his hand further up her leg. At the same time, she's tempted to touch herself but doesn't want to embarrass either of them. Since she doesn't know what else to do, she tries to memorize the feelings which are filling her up while she tries to caress his caressing arm and kiss him as thoroughly and as long as her breath allows.

Eventually, the extent of his caresses reduces some which allows her excitement to diminish a little and she's able to partially catch her breath. She's unable to fully catch her breath because his caressing right hand moves to her left leg and includes the inside of her thigh as he caresses her skin all over from her knee to about the middle of her thigh. Again, she doesn't know how to respond to the wonderful feelings which seem to flood her entire being.

She also doesn't know how long it takes before her excitement begins to dissipate as his caresses slowly begin to touch less of her until he's snugly holding her while he keeps his caresses almost to a minimum while his kisses become soft and tender. A little later, she weakly cooperates as he helps her to lay on the small sofa so he can make a bathroom visit.

Since she suspects he's getting ready to leave and that she can wait with using the bathroom, when he returns to the small sofa, his eyes widen in surprise to see that she's pulled her loose shirt up to reveal her upper abdomen. Before he can question her, she asks her own question, "Will you kiss me everywhere you've kissed me before?"

His eyes briefly widen further then he grins and almost seems to fall to the floor in order to kneel next to her. As he kisses her lips and face, his hands caress her bared upper abdomen then he moves enough and begins to kiss her upper abdomen while one of his hands caresses her face and his other hand caresses the fronts and outsides of her legs through her pants from her knees to her hips. Although it may not be quite as exciting as when he was caressing the skin of her inner legs, the attention he seems to devote to kissing every square inch of her upper abdomen has its own kind of special excitement.

When his kisses return to her lips, it seems like she responds somewhat clumsily even as she feels as though she wants to pour herself into him. She notices his grimace of pain as he gets off of his knees, but the wonderful feelings she's experiencing don't seem to leave any room in her mind to enable her to make a comment. His parting words of, "My wonderful lady," seems to tie a bow around the gift of complete pure contentment he has given to her.

Chapter 56

Chet finishes his breakfast in the cafeteria and as he pushes on the door to step out, he doesn't see that Ilena has just stepped in line to get her own breakfast. As much as she wants to call to him, she doesn't want to make a scene as well as assumes he's headed towards his office to work. After she finishes her own breakfast, she goes to his office and is surprised when Karina says, "He hasn't arrived yet."

"But I saw him leave the cafeteria just as I was getting in line to get my own breakfast."

She shrugs her shoulders as she says, "He must have needed to talk to somebody or somebody contacted him. As much as he claims I'm his babysitter," Ilena returns her grin, "he doesn't always tell me what he's doing unless he's concerned it will impact a previously scheduled appointment."

"I guess that makes sense."

"So, without putting you on the spot or asking you to reveal personal information, how is he treating you?"

Without realizing it, Ilena's face takes on a somewhat dreamy expression as she answers, "He's treating me wonderfully and makes me feel more wonderful than I could have ever imagined a person could feel. Of course, that only makes me want to spend more time with him. At the same time, I don't want to impose on him especially because he seems to feel guilty he doesn't spend more time with me while he also feels guilty about being distracted from his work. I don't know how he thinks he can manage to dedicate more of himself to both activities at the same time."

"I suggest you don't ask him that question or he'll decide that sleeping is a waste of time." They share an understanding smile.

"And if he could manage to go without sleeping, he would still decide there wasn't enough time to do everything he needed or wanted to do."

Karina briefly laughs before she agrees, "You've got that right." They chat a little longer then see Chet step in the door and he nods to some of the other staff until he sees Ilena and although his eyebrows lift in surprise, he quickly smiles and walks as directly towards her as he can.

He barely says, "Good morning, Karina," before he exclaims, "Hello, Ilena," and Karina winks at hearing how the tone of his voice changed. Without another word, he opens his office door, bows Ilena in, closes the door, and almost before he can get his arms open, she's hugging him, and it's difficult to say who actually initiates the thorough kiss they share. When he has enough breath, he asks, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"You."

Since he's surprised at that answer, he asks, "What do you mean?"

"I'm sure Mother Superior wouldn't appreciate it if she heard me, but last night you made me feel so wonderful that I wondered how heaven could feel any better. And I had to let you know how much I appreciate how much you care about me and how much I enjoy how you make me feel." She kisses him as though she's trying to confirm her words then she presses herself even tighter to him when she feels his hands slip under the bottom seam of her loose shirt to caress her back.

Again, they have to take a break to breathe and since she knows she shouldn't distract him from his work any longer, she tries to think of something other than kissing and hugging him. A moment or two later she says, "I was surprised you weren't here earlier since I saw you leave the cafeteria just as I was getting in line to get my own meal."

"Oh. I'm sorry I didn't see you. I went over to talk to the Constable because he's wondering how much longer he has to put up with his 'guests' since they don't appreciate the fine accommodations he's providing for them without even requesting they do something to earn them."

She chuckles at how he stated that then asks, "Were you able to answer him?"

"Only partially since we don't know what kind of decision the military representative is going to make which we may need to respond to. In regards to Roilee and Junior, since the review of the evidence by the judges has been completed, we can transport them to the capital at any time now in order to complete their sentences. The problem is that the Constable doesn't have enough deputies in order to maintain people on patrol and to keep the detention center secure and to transport prisoners to the capital all at the same time. Manpower was never a problem before, but then he's never had so many 'guests' all at once.

"What makes it worse is that he can't easily request deputies from some of the other stations because, along with here, most of them have also had their manpower reduced to a minimum in order to send deputies to the capital to assist the police and civil defense units there. Most of the soldiers aren't causing any problems, but when there are that many more people put on the streets of a community, problems are going to develop, especially when those people don't have anything to do to keep them busy."

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that."

"Yeah, it's been tough on everybody. Well, before I upset you with the problems of my job, I ought to send you off to your classes so you can be prepared to have solutions to any problems which may crop up in your job."

"Not without a thorough kiss," which she initiates and he quickly responds to. They warmly hug as their breathing mostly settles before he releases the hug, takes a partial step back, gently turns her, and pushes her towards the door. Just before she steps out, she blows him another kiss and waves.

About a minute later, Karina steps in the door and says, "Wake up, boss."

"Huh?"

"You were just standing there in a daze. Maybe I ought to send you over to the medical clinic to have your DNA tested to be sure you haven't switched places with the real Chet."

"Why would you say that?"

"I'm not sure the real Chet would even recognize a young woman."

"That's not true. He would always notice the women and not just the young ones, but he absolutely knew they would never notice him as an individual in a positive manner."

"And then Ilena steps into your life and you haven't got a clue as to how to respond."

"Well, I wouldn't quite go that far, but it's so unbelievable . . . that, . . . well, . . . I guess I don't know how to calmly accept it or how to balance it with my duties and responsibilities."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out and in the meantime, we can have fun teasing you." She grins at him then steps out the door.

He speaks up to make sure she hears his sarcastic response, "Thanks a bunch, Karina."

She just laughs in return.

* * * * *

Ilena shows up at his office and it doesn't take much effort on her part to convince Chet to take a break for lunch. As they walk back to his office after a quiet meal, he's somewhat surprised to realize he hasn't been bothered by other people during lunch like he used to be before Ilena started to spend time with him. And, so far, she hasn't said that anybody has talked to her about asking him for a favor.

Almost immediately after they step into his office and close the door, they're tightly hugging and thoroughly kissing. Soon after that, he begins to caress her back and sides both through her shirt and under her loose shirt which encourages her to press herself tighter to him. During another breathing break, she asks, "Will you touch me to a new level?"

Even as he continues to caress her, he briefly considers that then says, "Not now. The next expansion of how far I touch you is somewhat different and I would prefer to do that when we are more assured of privacy as well as when there is more time for you to recover in case you have a negative reaction."

She chuckles before she reminds him, "And the last time you told me that, I had to make the effort to restrain myself from having a very positive response. The more of me you touch, the more I want you to touch me that much and more."

He sighs then says, "I guess I'm somewhat of a slow learner. Not only that, but I'm more inclined to error on the side of caution than to run the risk of hurting or upsetting you."

"I appreciate how much you care about me and want to keep me safe and comfortable. But, right now, I would prefer that you error on the side of touching instead of talking," and she thoroughly kisses him. Even while his mind seems to be momentarily surprised, his lips gladly and immediately respond to her while his hands continue to caress her.

Too soon, they have to take a breathing break and they're only about a breath away from resuming the kisses when his office communicator activates. He mutters, "LIF!" gently steps away, and answers his communicator, "This is Chet. . . . Thank you, Karina." He disconnects the call then turns to her and says, "I'm sorry, Ilena, my next appointment arrived a little early and Karina didn't want to be obvious about knocking on the door."

"I understand. Will you be available for dinner tonight?"

"I'll make every effort to be." They briefly kiss before she walks to the door then pauses to try to put a neutral expression on her face before she steps out of the door.

About the writer:

After decades of doing office work from which he escaped to read books and occasionally write something in the evenings or on the weekends, this writer was finally able to retire and move back to the dry heat land of saguaros, Gila monsters, and bark scorpions (while they can be a low maintenance pet, they are not amenable to leash training).

If you liked this story, please tell your friends about it and leave a review. You can also contact this writer at geoff_schultz_01@yahoo.com.

