Page 154 of Pets in Space 10
“The refinery and controller fabrication will be co-located here at the base. Serengeti has a millennium of experience in both the logistics and security of vistrite production.”
Feeling a bit foolish, she nodded. “Then the site is suitable for its planned purpose.”
“We hope that the Prime site will also be suitable,” Lochan said. “The armada was pressed for time when it was selected. As it was, the drops were nowhere near as efficient as your protocols.”
“The visuals of the site were taken from a flyer?”
“Low-altitude survey.” Lochan’s eyes narrowed. “Is there a problem?”
Lynx replied, “It appears that the platform components and construction equipment were dropped randomly and spread over almost a mile.”
Bran nodded. “We were in a hurry to get the armada back to Fortuna for repairs. The DOP-Cs and flyers unloaded where they landed. We kept the formation as tight as we could and counted on the containers to thwart any curious fauna.”
Adele understood, but it was far from ideal. “Even if nothing is damaged, sorting everything will take some time. For sixty containers we planned ten to twelve bells, but with the distance?” She made a questioning gesture. “At least twice that. We may need two nights on Prime.”
Lochan’s lips thinned. “Can we leave tomorrow?”
Startled, Adele echoed, “Tomorrow? Our protocols have Third Day and Fourth Day for the excursion to Prime. It allows two days to break ground here and confirm the site.”
Lochan frowned. “I thought you were not required for the excavation.”
“No. Yes.” She pushed a stray lock from her forehead, holding her temper.
She knew if she gave in to one protocol change, they would attempt others.
“If there are no problems, I am not needed. But we will not know that until Second Day. And now that we know the Prime visit is likely to extend into Fifth Day, it is more important than ever that all be well with the Vortex.”
“Very well, but if we find aught amiss on Prime, you are our only launch platform experts. A second excursion might be necessary.”
“The Vortex installation is our primary duty. Once that is assured, if I need to extend my time in the Thirteenth System to address issues on Prime, I will.”
***
Adele eyed the translucent, pale-blue water tipped with white foam as it lapped at the shore, much paler than the deep turquoise of the depths. Soft, warm pale-gray sand darkened to slate where it met the waves, cooled by the mild surf. A gentle breeze tickled her sun-warmed shoulders.
Her limited luggage did not include swimwear, but the briefs and camisole would suffice . . . if she could work up the courage to enter the water. Even the scent was odd. Instead of the sharp mineral tang of Fortuna’s waters, it had a pungent salty air.
“Can you swim?” Lochan’s husky baritone brought on a sensual shiver as he came up beside her. Now that she had resolved her protocol issues with the Nightingale command crew, matters had relaxed into camaraderie.
It seemed that a few bells at the seaside was regular liberty for the Nightingale crew.
All four Nightingale officers had come prepared to enjoy the water, stripping to briefs as soon as they reached the bay.
It also explained Adriana’s presence. She, along with Bran and the dog, wasted no time reaching the shore and were playing an erratic version of tag in the shallows.
Adele gave Lochan a side glance, admiring the solid planes and lines of his torso with the lightning bolt mark of the Fourth Warrior centered on his chest.
Lochan’s voice held a hint of humor. “The salt content makes floating easy.”
What says he? Adele forced her eyes and attention from his strong physique to his face. Swimming. He is asking about swimming. “I can swim. I grew up in Fort Rimon. The bay and ocean were my playground.”
“Then why do you hesitate?” He gestured to the swimmers a few yards away. “You can see that it is not deep.”
“It is so strange. The color. The scent.”
“Is this your first blue world?”
Most of the habitable planets in the Thirteen Systems were blue or green and showed evidence of the ancients’ terraforming skills. Fortuna was a rare outlier with its purple oceans and lavender sky. “I visited Artesia for the Five Warriors Festival in my twentieth year.”
“You are devoted to Mulan?”
It was customary for adults to visit the original home of their deity at least once in their twenties. “My mother’s family originated in the First System and have long followed the Third Warrior.”
“Did you find the blue planet troubling?”
“Not like this.” She gestured around. “Towers broke up the skyline, so it was not so endless, and the lake was gray. Less . . . strange somehow.”
“That was only the season. In the warm months the lake is sapphire.”
“You are from Artesia?”
“Socraide Prime, but I have visited all the First System worlds.”
She should have realized. He was a Matahorn warrior. Only warriors were given a tattoo denoting their deity. And only the most highly valued members of Matahorn had places on the Nightingale. “Did you study at Mulan’s Temple?”
The great university was considered the finest in the Thirteen Systems.
“No, Socraide’s Citadel.”
The premier military academy. Had she not been so angered by the change in the cargo protocols, she would have had enough sense to realize how highly placed he was.
Suddenly he chuckled. “Are you that interested, or simply seeking to delay entering the water?”
She was captivated by him, but it would be unwise to display her fascination. Taking a breath, she sprinted through the shallow surf, finding the water surprisingly comfortable and refreshing rather than cold. Reaching hip depth, she flung herself into a shallow dive.
The water was not as buoyant as Rimon’s Bay, but far more than a freshwater pool. Turning on her back, she stared up at the cerulean sky streaked with thin white clouds.
There was a splash beside her and Lochan surfaced. Shaking his head, he shed the water from his face. His shoulders and chest were eye-level, indicating he was standing. “What think you?”
She dropped her legs, finding her toes could touch bottom, leaving her head and shoulders above the water. “It tastes salty. Odd, but not unpleasant.”
He chuckled. “That is what I said when I first swam in Rimon’s Bay. Odd, but not unpleasant.”
***
Lochan found Adele even more appealing when she was relaxed and smiling.
He had also discovered that his imagination had not done her justice.
Stripped of her lumpy coveralls and clad in naught but a serviceable blue camisole and briefs, she was enough to take his breath away.
Beautifully proportioned, she had lush breasts above a taut midsection that yielded to beautifully curved hips and long, toned legs.
He was glad of the obscuring water as his body reacted to the fantasy of kissing every inch of those legs and discovering the weight and texture of those breasts.
Her bright gaze met his. “You must have found Fort Rimon a backwater compared to Pinnacle City.”
The capital city of the First System was awe-inspiring. In his younger days, Lochan and reveled in its extensive amenities and amusements. He was glad he could respond honestly, and said, “Pinnacle City is marvelous, but I found Fort Rimon delightful.”
Lifting her feet, she floated on her back, squinting against the sun. Slight movements of her hands kept her in place. “Is that a diplomatic way of saying quaint?”
“Not at all. I love the roll of the hills around the bay, and the fact that the sky is always visible. In the center of Pinnacle City, sunlight only reaches the transitways when the sun is at its zenith.” He wondered if the peaking of her nipples was the water or his presence.
He hoped it was the latter. “I also developed a taste for some the local delicacies. Especially the artichokes.”
She licked her lips with a little hum. “Those are good.”
Returning to her feet, she said. “How well do you swim?”
“Well enough.”
Her smile turned mischievous. “Race you to the rocks.”
She dove past him with a deliberate splash that left him sputtering before he gave chase. He did enjoy the chase.
***
Adele toweled her wet hair, salt removed by a shower.
The time spent by the bay had been pleasant, the Nightingale officers and geologists an affable group and far better integrated than she would have expected.
Adriana and Lochan were from the upper levels of First System society, Raleigh and Bran free-traders, and the geologists were commoners drawn from the vistrite worlds of the Third and Sixth Systems. All were enamored of little Blue.
Apparently, the terriers roamed wild at the apex of the crevasse and Blue had decided to adopt Adriana.
At some point, Adele hoped to explore the length of the crevasse, but even in the collapsible open carts used for surveys, it would require four or five bells for a round trip.
A half day she would not have until the Vortex was operational.
Mayhap not even then if there were problems with the Zero-Grav or the Prime location.
A little thrill ran through her in anticipation of spending two days and nights with Lochan.
She had not felt such a strong pull to a man since she founded SkyHigh.
From his behavior at the seaside, he felt it, too.
A rap on the doorframe was followed by Robyn poking her head into the small private sleeping area. “Are you ready for an evening meal? I am famished.”