Sister Katherine Page 12

  She folded her legs tight to her chest, her arms hugging herself. “I suppose I should try to eat. May I put my gown on?”

  Miv hated the thought of her lovely body enclosed in that terrible swath of cloth she’d worn yesterday, but he could understand how it might put her at more ease around him. Especially since his cocks were becoming lively once more. Seeing her naked and enjoying her scent was making him an aroused Nobek.

  He nodded and asked, “Would you like me to dress as well?”

  Katherine looked at him without answering right away, her lips parting a little to let her tongue wet them. She seemed to catch herself and turned pink once more. She looked away. “I suppose that would be best, if you would.”

  Miv kept a pleased grin from taking over his face. It was good to know she at least liked to look at him. He rose, located her gown, and handed it to her. He paused long enough to contact the ship’s kitchen and gave them their breakfast order before putting on a non-armored formsuit. He was sure he wouldn’t be going back down to the colony for at least the next few hours, if ever.

  While he dressed, Katherine wandered the small cabin, studying the vids suspended on the walls. She hesitated at a couple that showed him fighting in the circle. Miv felt a rush of pride as she studied the stills. One showed him in action, taking a swing at his opponent. The next was with his arms raised in victory as the ceremonial title crown was placed upon his sweaty, bloodied head. His moment of glory.

  Sounding genuinely interested, Katherine asked, “Is this a sport? It looks similar to our boxing, except without gloves.”

  Miv came around the sleeping mat to join her. “Yes. Full-contact hand-to-hand combat. That was the punch that made me junior champion of the Empire.”

  Katherine looked up at him, her eyes wide as she smiled. “A champion? How exciting.”

  “I hope to go back to it once I’m done with my military service. I try to train every day for my return to the fighting circle.”

  “Is that why you have so many scars? Why your nose is a bit off?”

  Miv tried not to swell with pride and succeeded for the most part. “All of them, except for half a dozen, were earned in my matches. I hope to collect a great many more marks of honor.”

  “Why did you stop? Was it because you joined the military? Is service compulsory?”

  “It became so when the war started.” Miv debated whether or not he should tell her all of it. Simdow and Vadef had been able to look past his conviction, but the Nobek wasn’t sure how an Earther female would feel about being the mate to a felon. Still, it would be a poor start to their clanship if he didn’t share the whole truth.

  “Actually, my service in the fleet is part of my sentence for the crime I committed.”

  Katherine’s expression turned wary. “You’re a criminal? What did you do?”

  Miv met her eyes. He knew he must not waver, not in front of her. She might be innocent, but she was no fool. Any sign of irresoluteness would be seen as a sign of dishonor.

  Quietly but firmly he admitted, “I killed the man who hurt my sister.”

  Katherine stared at him. He waited in silence as she digested the information, letting her turn it over in her head. As the long seconds spun out, Miv wondered if she would fear him more than ever. The thought sickened him.

  At last Katherine asked, “How did he hurt her?”

  Miv’s hands wanted to tighten into fists. Eight years later, the thought of what had happened still possessed the power to enrage him. He made himself stay calm, taking even breaths. “He forced himself on her. He stalked her and when he saw his opportunity, he grabbed her and sexually assaulted her.”

  Katherine’s eyes widened. “You came upon him doing this to her?”

  Miv shook his head, still not faltering from her gaze. “I hunted him down. I found out who he was and went to his friends. Then I beat his friends until I was either convinced they didn’t know his whereabouts or they told me what I wanted to know. I finally caught up to him, hiding in an abandoned mine on the outskirts of town. I beat him to death and then gave myself up to the authorities.”

  She watched him carefully. “You were given military service as a sentence?”

  “After I served four years in a prison. The court was lenient because the man had hurt my sister in such a profound way. He had done an unspeakable thing to her that would have earned him a death sentence anyway.”

  “What happened to her?”

  Miv started to calm. “Her physical injuries, though terrible, were not life-threatening, thank the Mother of All. She has undergone counseling for the emotional trauma and is doing very well. She is happily clanned now to good men who keep her safe.”

  Katherine’s expression turned wondering. “She was not punished? Not accused of inviting her attacker’s attentions?”

  Horror engulfed Miv. “Ancestors, no! Why would anyone punish – oh. That is the practice of your government.” His stomach lurched, and he was glad he hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. He’d be ill right now if he had.

  He stared at Katherine grimly. “I was told about that happening on Earth, but I thought the intelligence must be faulty. Surely no one would blame a woman for being hurt so. It is true then? They really blame the woman as much as the man when she is raped?”

  Katherine nodded. “I’m afraid so. I don’t agree with it myself.”

  “Of course you would not. No one with sense would!”

  By the ancestors, he thought he might choke on his revulsion. Had anyone dared to assign the blame of his sister’s rape on her, Miv would have killed them as well. Yet this was exactly the kind of situation the women of Katherine’s world were faced with. He stared at the nun, thinking how things would have been for her had she suffered the outrage Ensab had. Instead of cared for by a virtual army of loved ones and medical and psychiatric personnel, she would have suffered even more, made to take the blame of her attacker’s crime.

  He growled, “As if the horror of such an attack isn’t bad enough! I can’t even comprehend—” Miv broke off to stare at Katherine in confused anger.

  As shocked as he was about the situation on Earth, Katherine seemed equally so about his attitude. Her voice soft with disbelief, she said, “It really is unthinkable to you, isn’t it?”

  Miv couldn’t stand it. To know Katherine had been unprotected in the face of such madness was more than he could bear. He stepped forward and gathered her in his arms, holding her close to shelter her against his body. Katherine stiffened for only an instant before relaxing in his grip. She stood unmoving against him, but there was no resistance. No sense of alarm.

  That she allowed him the liberty to reassure himself of her safety calmed Miv. The tension that had built in his muscles ebbed. He had her now. She was not on Earth. She was with him, and she would remain safe.

  He whispered, “You must know I would not allow such a thing to happen to you. My life will end before any man would hurt you that way or accuse you of inviting such.”

  Unable to help himself, Miv grasped Katherine’s chin and tilted her head back. He kissed her with fierce passion, consumed with the need to show her how much she was to him. For a moment, his warrior heart forgot she might take his near-violent need to reassure as an attack.

  Increasing his momentary amnesia, Katherine responded. Her soft lips moved against his for an instant, and her body softened in his arms. Then she jerked back, gasping in surprise.

  Miv’s senses returned and he stepped back, letting her go. What had he done?

  They stared at each other in shock for a moment. Katherine seemed to try to speak, but all she got out was, “Oh. Oh.”

  Miv could have punched himself for his rashness and stupidity. As misery filled his heart, he asked with desperation, “Are you all right? I didn’t mean to frighten you. I only wanted to – to–”

  Before he could make things worse with a stumbling apology, the room’s com connection went off. “Simdow to Miv.”

  The Nobek s
wallowed to steady his voice. “Miv here, my Dramok.”

  “I have set up a vid link between the younglings and the ship. Katherine may speak to them, but only for a few minutes.”

  At last Katherine’s startled stare wavered from Miv’s face. Feeling as if he’d been rescued from a pack of murdering Tragooms, the Nobek went to the computer to put the vid through.

  “I have the frequency,” he reported to Simdow.

  Katherine appeared at his side, her eyes shining with gratitude at the small box where the Dramok’s voice emitted from. “Thank you, Simdow.”

  “My pleasure, Katherine. Simdow out.”

  Miv tapped into the frequency and turned towards the room where the connection would be beamed. A group of young girls suddenly appeared in place of the sleeping mat. As soon as they did so, they excitedly called out Katherine’s name in bright voices.

  Katherine squealed like a child herself. Her arms opened up to them, and Miv had the idea she had almost forgotten this was a vid transmission. She’d appeared ready to run forward and embrace the younglings.

  She was forced to settle for clasping her hands in front of her chest. “My girls! How are you?”

  There was a chorus of ‘okay’. The smallest one stepped forward. It was fierce little Marci who’d braved Miv’s savage countenance to hit him the day before. She clutched a soft, furry stuffed creature with bright button eyes and a smile.

  There was no smile on the child’s face however. She glared at Miv. “Kalquorian man! You better not be making Sister Katherine sad! You be nice to her.”

  Another child who looked like an older version of the little spitfire whispered loudly. “Marci! Be quiet! Don’t make him mad!”

  Miv found himself enchanted by the tiny creature’s challenge. Her dark eyes sparked. Her jaw jutted out aggressively. She was a tiny Earther Nobek even if she was female, and he had the urge to sweep her up in his arms and hug her until she liked him.

  Since that was not an option, Miv went down on one knee and bowed his head in subservience. “Katherine’s comfort and happiness are my only goals, little sister warrior.”

  He peeked up at her. She continued to glare for a moment and then she relaxed. Marci seemed mollified to be recognized as a fellow warrior.

  Her tone as sweet as a singing dril’s on a summer’s day, she told him, “Okay, Mr. Kalquorian. Don’t let nobody else hurt her either.”

  Miv glanced up at Katherine, who stood at his side. He could tell she was biting her lips together. Her eyes danced with laughter to see Marci lording over the big, ferocious Nobek. He suppressed a grin of his own.

  He took a deep breath to erase any humor from his countenance. In a tone as grave as death he told Marci, “You have my promise on that, sister warrior. I would give my life to preserve hers.”

  Marci snapped a nod, one that would have suited the likes of Weapons Commander Lidon for its severity. She turned to Katherine and suddenly smiled, a mere darling child again. She held out the soft toy in her arms for his Matara’s inspection. “Look, Sister! They brought me Mr. Honey!”

  Katherine returned the smile, and Miv’s heart drummed. The Earther was beautiful when she did that.

  She told Marci, “I see that. Did you thank them?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Somebody—” she glared at the older version of herself who rolled her eyes “—said I didn’t need to thank no mean aliens, but I knew my manners.”

  Katherine nodded proudly. “Good girl.”

  Katherine spoke with the younglings, asking after their health. The responses were all positive, though they frequently cast uneasy glances at Miv, who remained kneeling at her side. He didn’t like that children stared at him with such fear. All except little Marci. Now that she had established her right to order him around, she gifted him with a shy smile from time to time, warming his heart.

  He glanced at the older nuns, who stood in the background. Most concentrated on watching the girls, though he saw fascinated looks aimed at him from time to time. Most seemed worried, but he detected plenty of curiosity as well.

  All but one. Seeing the elderly woman called Mother Superior and how she glared at him and Katherine set Miv’s teeth on edge. After a few moments, he refused to look at her any longer. Thinking hard thoughts about an elder who was also female was not acceptable. Her hateful, disapproving stare against Katherine was best ignored.

  Miv concentrated on the younglings, though he didn’t watch them overtly for fear they’d take it the wrong way. He smiled to himself, noting they were every bit as concerned for Katherine’s welfare as she was for theirs. Miv had little experience with children, but these girls seemed wonderful to him. Their faces were so open and fresh, not yet marred by too many disappointments. He wasn’t so very old himself, and they reminded him of his own childhood when life lay before him with nothing but potential for adventure and glory.

  How wonderful it must be to guide and guard younglings at the start of their lives, he thought. To be able to watch their gifts unfold and their paths unfurl. Miv could understand why Katherine was so dedicated to her charges.

  He was almost as disappointed as they were when the com’s beeping warned them the transmission was ending. During the flurry of tearful goodbyes, Marci fixed him with a pointed look.

  She told him, “You promised me, big brother warrior. You’re gonna keep Sister Katherine safe.”

  Miv nodded, his gaze as steady as hers. “A promise I will not break, my sister.”

  Katherine held back tears until the connection broke off. Even then she did not weep wildly, as he’d feared she might.

  Miv rose to his feet and went to the receptacle that had delivered their breakfasts. He turned to Katherine with the trays to discover her smiling at him.

  She said, “You made a friend.”

  Miv settled on the sleeping mat’s edge. “She is a fierce one. I can see why they all have your heart.”

  Katherine sat next to him and accepted the morsel of sautéed vina meat he offered her. “Mother Superior did not speak to me. She believes me to be sinning. She probably fears I am a bad influence on the children. Perhaps I am.”

  That made Miv think about what he knew of Katherine’s religion. Sinning meant needing atonement, which reminded him of the marks on her back.

  He told her, “You probably wish to make things right in your way. However, you must not scourge yourself again until Dr. Degorsk has healed those troublesome cuts on your back.”

  Katherine licked her lips. Her gaze went distant and dark. It was as if she anticipated her punishment with more pleasure than resignation. Miv’s eyes narrowed as he watched her.

  Her tone soft, she said, “I suppose you’re right. Plus, I don’t have the means here to atone.”

  Miv fed her more vina. “With your and Simdow’s permission, I would be honored to use my experience and flogger to help you do as you feel is best according to your beliefs. As I mentioned before, you are disciplining yourself incorrectly.”

  Katherine’s dreaming look disappeared. She looked at him, chewing slowly. It was hard to tell with that huge swath of fabric covering her chest, but Miv thought she might be breathing a little faster.

  After swallowing the food, she said, “I – I think that would be acceptable. They say you are an expert when it comes to such punishment.”

  Miv’s heart thudded hard. He had the sudden vision of Katherine, naked and writhing beneath the tails of his flogger, her face enraptured instead of tormented.

  He gave her another mouthful of food and turned away to hide the evidence of his abrupt arousal.

  Chapter 8

  Weapons Commander Lidon peered intently at the vid Vadef had displayed. His handsome but feral face, more fierce than Miv’s, was drawn in a studious frown.

  They had been working for the last hour in Vadef’s small, nearly featureless office. Together they fought to crack the codes stored in the files of the Earther transport the spyship had captured just before invading the con
vent. Vadef’s program had been consistently sifting through the maze of coding faster than Lidon’s, prompting the Nobek officer to come around the desk and take a look at how he was managing it.

  Lidon asked the records officer, “You said this code-breaking program was inspired by Adraf spy conventions?”

  Vadef answered, “Actually, it’s based partly on that, along with our own protocols and the cipher-translation program you came up with a year ago.”

  He flushed as Lidon looked at him. The elder warrior’s expression was indecipherable. “You improved on my program?”

  Vadef’s gaze dropped from that of the battle-hardened Nobek. “Uh, well, I don’t know that I’d call it an improvement—”

  Lidon interrupted him. “I would. Good work, Records Officer.” He drew a file recorder from one of the many pouches on his utility belt and handed it to Vadef. “Make a copy for me, Vadef. I want to run those files from the Earther ship through this during my free time as well.”

  “Yes, Commander.” The Imdiko did as he was told, feeling a rush of pride at the demanding officer’s praise. Lidon was fair, but he was also one tough bastard. A compliment from him was worth twenty from his Dramok clanmate, Captain Tranis, who also didn’t hand out praise very often.

  As Vadef loaded his program onto the recorder, he felt the other man’s gaze on him. The Imdiko looked at the handsome, scary Nobek standing over him.

  Lidon seemed embroiled in some private debate as he stared down at Vadef. The records officer had never seen this man have a moment of indecision and couldn’t help but look back in surprise.

  A slight smile curled one side of Lidon’s lips. Vadef took courage from the moment of amusement and dared to say, “Sir?”

  Lidon drew a deep breath. “This is my first opportunity to speak privately with someone else who has taken on an Earther clanmate. If I may be personal, how is your Matara settling in?”

  For an instant, Vadef gaped. Lidon never invited intimate conversation with the rank-and-file crew, certainly not with someone as low-level as Vadef.