Xander by Vivienne Savage

Author:Vivienne Savage [Savage, Vivienne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Payne & Taylor Publishing
Published: 2018-05-30T16:00:00+00:00

Their date ended with an affectionate kiss that Xander willingly initiated. Before leaving the area, he bought a mug of Ethan’s favorite Earl Grey, made to his preferences.

A quick trip to the bio-farm for a treat to sweeten the pot. Ethan had a weakness for the gene-spliced chapples grown in the bio-farm. The juicy fruits had a delicious cherry-flavored center within their crisp apple flesh.

Una won’t care if I take just one… Technically, they were supposed to visit her for a Harvest Badge, but Xander only planned to pluck one. I’ll have Jem let her know in the morning. Sure, Una wouldn’t recognize a single missing apple from her beloved tree, but it was the polite thing to do.

“Oh shit! Rank coming!”

Several shadowed figures darted off and a group of over a half dozen men and women quickly scattered down the different paths. Xander raised a brow and proceeded forward and down the darkened path leading to the rear of the bio-farm’s starboard side. There, Una, the farm’s Chief Botanist, kept a 500-gallon tank filled to the brim with organic trash. The evening’s dinner leftovers from all three mess halls and the civilian deck glistened wetly. The lid was off and a pair of legs angled out of the steamy slop pile. A hand clutched at the rim beside a long rubber oxygen line passed along the floor for air exchange.

Xander scanned to the left to follow the hose. A young man in evening dress attire, perhaps hoping to go unseen, crouched beside the source of the oxygen line. His fingers were on a bold yellow sign announcing their unfortunate captive’s plight. Busted, he leapt up and snapped to attention.

“Sir!”

“Name and rank.”

“Corporal Danyl Speirs, sir.”

Xander sighed and set the lidded mug of tea on the nearby bench. “Who’s in the compost?”

“Etherington, sir,” the young man admitted.

“Assault of an officer is a dischargeable offense, but you’re the only one who didn’t flee when I approached. Why’s that?”

“I’m not prone to cowardice, sir. I’m willin’ to face disciplinary measures for my part. I know what I did was wrong.”

Etherington remained in the compost muck during their discussion. Under normal circumstances, Xander would have hauled the officer out first before resuming the conversation, but something bothered him about Etherington’s predicament.

“How’d you catch him?” Xander asked the young man.

The freckle-faced kid rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well…”

“It’s okay, you can tell me.”

“With his pants around his ankles, sir.”

Holding back his snicker became an exercise in control. “What? I need details, Speirs. Start from the beginning.”

“I won’t name names.”

Xander raised one brow. Years of practice with his subordinates gave him the edge required to keep a strict poker face. “It’s admirable that you’re protecting your mates. Tell me why you did it. I want the honest truth from you and only that. Don’t sugarcoat it and don’t feed me a load of bullshit you believe I want to hear.”

“To be frank, sir, we all got tired of his demeaning attitude.

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