Between Worlds Two by J.L. Williams

Author:J.L. Williams [Williams, J.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-06-23T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

“Rashta, huh?” Tisi sighed over the comms. “I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised she knows what that is.”

Jason listened intently as the woman seemed to mull it over.

“Tell her she’s got until the end of the inspection and not a second longer. We’re a military vessel not a dating service.”

He waited for an explanation as to exactly what Rashta was to follow his CO’s statement, but none was forthcoming. Apparently Tisi had been waiting for some kind of acknowledgement too, because her voice came down the line again.

“You reading me, private?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jason jolted. “I was just wondering as to exactly what ‘Rashta’ entailed?”

Because for all he knew, it was the shipboard equivalent of a conjugal visit. And of all the weapons he’d expected to use on his first real military operation, he’d rated the chances of using the one in his pants as pretty damn low.

He hadn’t ruled it out entirely though. He was still in Imperial space after all.

“Right. Human,” Tisi murmured, and he could well imagine her ruefully running a hand through her hair. “It’s an old Imperial naval tradition from when we still had a wet navy. Nothing too exciting. It was… well, to put it simply, a hostage exchange. When two ships met on the open sea, for a parley or trade, they’d swap stewards for a bit – assuming both ships had one and that said stewards were male.” His captain paused. “Given how things were back then, it was pretty safe to assume that the steward and captain were… involved, so it was a pretty decent way to ensure good behavior on the part of both party’s while they did business.”

Jason frowned.

“With respect ma’am, that sounds skeevy as hell,” he said, glancing to where Alanis was waiting patiently, a relaxed smile on her face.

“I don’t know what skeevy means, but I can guess. And you’re right, it was and is skeevy.”

Jason’s frown deepened. “So am I expected to…”

“Empress, no!” Tisi was quick to interrupt. “If the cave-scum was asking for that, I’d tell her to blow it out of her glowing ass.”

Jason paused. “Do their asses actually glow?”

“No.” The woman down the line chuckled. “Last I heard, they’ve got the same plumbing as anyone else. Not that I’ve ever had cause to check.”

Despite himself, Jason smiled, before his mind switched back to the job at hand. “So what am I expected to do here?”

“Just talk to her and keep her company,” Tisi said. “Nowadays, it basically just means that she’s asking for entertainment as payment for being delayed.”

“You can’t refuse?”

The woman sighed again. “Theoretically I could, but it would be considered rude – even if she is bending the rules by having the person she requested for Rashta be part of the boarding party. Stupid tradition or not, it is still a tradition – and you know how the navy feels about tradition.” He didn’t actually, but he let Tisi continue regardless. “If I refused, she’d no doubt complain to the governess, who’d complain to the admiral, who’d complain to me.

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