War Against the White Knights by Tim C. Taylor

Author:Tim C. Taylor
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Space Fleet, Space Opera, Galactic Empire, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction, Space Marine, Military
Publisher: Human Legion Publications
Published: 2016-03-24T00:00:00+00:00

— CHAPTER 27 —

Finfth wrapped his arms around Indiya and rested his palms over the back of her hands, ensuring full skin contact to allow maximum bandwidth for communication between the nano-constructs built into each of their augmented bodies. She trusted Finfth completely, but it still took a strong effort of will to allow herself to relax in his embrace. She eased against him as her chief staff officer, Arbentyne-Daex, wrapped the two augments in the sleeping pouch and secured its outer edge to the overhead in Indiya’s quarters.

It was an unusual way to conduct a command conference, but Indiya was not the same as Arun, and she was in charge for now. This conference was to be virtual, the senior officers at their posts on their ships, connected to the secure data network via AI assistants. Indiya and Finfth didn’t need artificial assistants, they could build their own.

She smiled at Daex to let the Kurlei know she was mentally calm as her flag staff officer secured herself nearby in a similar, though smaller, zero-g sleeping pouch.

Indiya immediately smiled at her foolishness. Arbentyne-Daex was present because the Kurlei’s natural empathy allowed her to monitor Indiya’s state of mind, and from that the quality of her decision making. You never needed to smile at a Kurlei for them to know whether you were calm.

Finfth was here to fulfil the same function, although he had other reasons to contribute as one of the most talented human engineers. She was glad of his physical presence now, the loose embrace of his arms, like a brother’s.

She sighed and thought again of Arun in his recovery pod. For a reason she couldn’t pin down, ever since he’d been injured she had been reminded of that briefest of moments when they first met, and the two of them had danced around each other as possible lovers. The memory of the young Arun’s tender caresses upon her skin was stored in full fidelity, and now released by Finfth’s fraternal touch.

To see a fellow human being was rare these days, she thought sourly, let alone to touch one. She was more used to the company of the amphibious Littoranes, with their four stubby limbs and long tails. Am I deliberately cutting myself off from human contact?

“No,” chorused Finfth and Daex.

Indiya’s mouth made an ‘o’ of shock at this invasion of her private thoughts. Then she laughed – that was precisely what she had ordered them to do.

“You have subsumed yourself into your role,” said Daex. “That is not the same thing. Humans are no longer – forgive me, the human language here is treacherous… We who are not children of Earth look up to you, Admiral, and note the company you keep. We see that the Human Legion fights for the freedom of all the under-trodden peoples of the empire, whatever their homeworld. We are all human.”

Pride swelled Indiya’s heart. It was a truly strange thing. The word ‘human’ was simple enough to be portable across many languages and the vocal organs of many species.

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