Cassandra's Challenge (7 page)

“What are you doing?” Finishing with her pants
she steps away from his hands.

“Getting dressed, you need to go.” Looking for
her shirt William pulls on his pants.

“It’s in the other room. Cassandra,” Following
her out of his private chambers, he watches as she goes directly to
the pile of discarded clothes and hesitate.

Knowing she’s trying to figure out how to get
her shirt on without dropping the blanket, he removes the problem
by pulling the blanket away. Lifting her onto his desk, he moves
between her legs pulling her against him, skin to skin.

“We’re back where we started.” He mummers,
nuzzling her neck.

“William.” Her desire is instantaneous wrapping
herself around him she pulls him in. As he works his way up her
neck, she groans letting her head fall back. Pulling her head
forward he scorches her mouth.

“Cassandra,” Breaking off the kiss he rests his
forehead against hers. Heavy eyes meet his barely controlled ones.
“I need leave for a while.”

She immediately loosens her grip trying to
regain control of herself, “Of course you do. I’ll just finish
getting dressed…” He cuts her off.

“Stay.”

“What?”

“Victoria is gone for the night. Stay with me.
Let me hold you while you sleep.”

“How did you know Victoria is gone?”

“I’m the Admiral.” Cassandra stares at him.
“Stay, when I get back we’ll eat. This shouldn’t take that
long.”

“That’s a crock of shit.”

“Excuse me
!” William’s stunned no one has
the nerve to talk to him like that.

“You get a call from your second in command,
telling you they’ve decoded transmissions from the Regulians that
they think
you
need to hear, and really except me to believe
that you won’t give it as much time as it needs? Do I look
stupid?”

He gives her a considering look. “I believe you
are a very intelligent and astute woman. Please stay. I want to
know you’ll be here when I’m done. I want to come home to you.” He
says it out loud, knowing she doesn’t understand the commitment he
is making to her.

“William, I need to be in my quarters. It’s
Victoria’s first night away, I don’t know how it’s going to go. If
Leander calls I need to be able to answer.” Her eyes plead for
understanding.

Stepping back he helps her off his desk. “Is
that what it will take for you to stay, for Victoria to be able to
contact you if she needs too?”

“Yes.” Watching, he walks around the desk moving
to his communications consul, suddenly she realizes she’s still
naked from the waist up. Picking up her shirt she turns it
right-side out to pull it on.

“Communications, this is Admiral Zafar.” She
watches him with questioning eyes.

“Yes Admiral.”

“I want to reroute all transmissions from G43 to
my secondary line with the selected ring attached. It is to ring in
both locations and is to take effect immediately. Is this
understood?” He sees Cassandra’s eyes widen.

”Yes Admiral”

“I want a test call initiated. One minute.”
Disconnecting he waits. The consul lights up with a different tone,
answering, “That’ll be all.” Walking around his desk he rests his
hands on her shoulders. “Will that do?” She looks at him in
amazement.

“Why would you do this?”

“I will do whatever it takes for you to be
here.” Lifting a hand he gently caresses her healed cheek.
“Cassandra, I need you here tonight.”

“I want to be here.” Wrapping her arms around
his still bare waist she tilts her head up. “You’ve got 15 minutes
Admiral.”

Putting an arm around her, he walks with her
back into his private quarters, leading her to his library. “These
are books that I’ve treasured all my life. Read any of them you
want.” She stares first at the books then him, her eyes shining as
if he’d just given her the universe.

“Really?”

“Really, now I need to get dressed.” He leaves
her staring at the books. In the bathroom he splashes water on his
face and gives himself a serious look in the mirror. Books, he
should have realized how important they would be to her, such a
small thing.

Drying his face he goes to his closet for a
fresh shirt. Cassandra is already curled up in a chair, engrossed
in a book. His jacket lying next to her, the blanket folded on the
couch. The small acts touch him deeply. Pulling on the shirt he
walks over for his jacket, Cassandra looks up.

“What did you decide on?” He asks pulling on his
jacket.

“I decided I’d just start at the bottom, work my
way up.” She tells him sheepishly.

Putting an arm on either side of her, he leans
in to kiss her goodbye. “Sounds like a good plan. I’ll see you in a
little while. Make yourself at home.” Turning he fastens his jacket
on his way through his ready room. Entering the corridor he’s in
full Admiral mode.

Back in his quarters Cassandra lowers her book.
What the hell is she doing? She looks around his private chambers.
How did she get here?

To agitated to sit she walks into William’s
ready room and stops. She hadn’t gotten a clear look at it
earlier…they’d been a little busy. He has an oversized desk, even
for him, facing the hatch letting all who enter know who’s in
charge. It seems to be made of wood. Moving to run her fingers over
the top she finds it has a very smooth silky feel. On the corners
there is a variety of boxes and what she considers photos. Looking
closer she smiles, discovering they are of William’s sons at
different stages in their lives. There are several chairs in front
of the desk but a large space in between, a space for those not
offered a chair. She’s sure many a man has trembled in that spot.
Tables in the far corners hold charts, reports and
correspondence.

While the walls in her and Victoria’s quarters
were the drab color of the rest of the ship William’s has the
warmth of paneling. On those walls he’s displayed several pieces of
framed artwork. Scenes she’s never seen before. The one catching
her eye seems to be of a sunset but it has three suns of differing
colors, all setting at the same time. She’ll have to ask.

Turning back around Cassandra looks at the room.
It’s a reflection of the man she knows as the Admiral, oversized,
strong, confident, intimidating and sometimes formidable, but
there’s a warmth too.

Reentering his private chambers she realizes
there is another door. Opening it she discovers a storage room
containing unused furniture. Closing the door she continues on
seeing a kitchen area with what looks to be a cold unit under the
counter. Opening it she finds several bottles of what look to be
wine. The couch William had held her on is against his office wall
with his library housed in the corner, two oversized chairs are in
front of it. Well oversized for her. There is a built in closet, a
private bathroom and of course the bed.

Staring at the bed she judges that it’s easily 8
foot long and 7 foot wide and right now looks well used. Blushing
at what she’d done in that bed she walks over touching the spot
where they’d ‘mated’ as William called it. She can’t believe the
passion this man brings out in her. She’s never had her body
control her like that, has never been unable to control herself, of
being unaware of what she is revealing to another person. Getting
up she puts the bed back in order. Finishing she hears the ready
room’s hatch open and close. He
had
finished quickly.

“You’re a big girl Cassandra, you can handle
this.” She whispers to herself as she walks to the door separating
the rooms.

In Communication’s the Admiral is reading the
transcription Quinn called him on. “This has been rechecked?”

“Yes.”

“Imperial light still shining. Believed being
protected. Will continue search, if unable to obtain, will destroy.
Agreement will then be honored.” The Admiral rereads it aloud.

“It makes no sense Will.” Quinn is one of the
few who can address the Admiral by his given name.

“They’re searching for something. That’s what
Earth was about. Something they desperately want but couldn’t find
before we got there. Something they don’t want us to have.” William
stands. “Imperial light, Regulus is ruled by a military council,
there’s nothing ‘Imperial’ there, being protected, protected by who
and where.”

“We’d need to know what it is before we can
answer that.” Quinn replies.

“Wouldn’t that be helpful, but it’s pretty clear
they don’t have it. It was either taken from Earth before it was
destroyed or was never there in the first place. How did we get
this transmission?”

“The Sentinel recorded after the attack a couple
weeks ago. They sent it to us for translation at 1200 today.”

“What the
fuck
was the delay!”

“I don’t know Admiral.” Quinn addresses him
formally, he knows the Admiral well.

“Find out! Find out NOW! Two
fucking
weeks Quinn, they had this for two fucking weeks! Get me Captain
Procne on the Sentinel NOW!” The communications officer cowers
behind the Admiral as he contacts the Sentinel. The Admiral’s wrath
is legendary he doesn’t want it directed at him.

“Admiral, I have Captain Procne on the comm.

“Admiral, this is Procne.”

“What the fuck are you doing over there Procne!
It takes you
two fucking weeks
to send over Regulian traffic
for translation!”

“Admiral, I can explain.”

“It’d better good!”

“Admiral, the transmission was recorded after
the battle but it wasn’t on any of the normal Regulian channels. As
you know we took a serious hit during the attack losing a
communications specialist.”

“Stop making fucking excuses!”

“Sir I’m not, but with that lose, all remaining
specialists made reviewing the Regulian channel tapes top priority.
This transmission was only found after they started reviewing
Carinian channels.”

“You’re telling me you found a Regulian
transmission, in Regulian, on a Carinian channel!”

“Yes sir at 1130 today.”

The Admiral looks at Quinn, “Were you able to
track the signal?”

“Sir using available data the source was the
Regulian battleship Cimex. We were unable track the
destination.”

“General area?”

“Deep in Carinian space sir.”

“Good work Captain, tell your Communications
well done.”

“Thank you sir!” It was high praise from the
Admiral. William turns to Quinn and in a low voice.

“We have a traitor.”

“So it would seem, but what do they need this
‘light’ for?” Quinn ignores a ringing line.

“We need to start monitoring
all
Carinian
traffic in this sector.”

“Agreed.”

“Commander.” The communications officer
interrupts.

The Admiral turns to him impatiently.

“Sir I have Senior Chief Falco on the secure
line requesting to speak with you. She says it urgent, sir.” The
Admiral takes the headset the officer holds out.

“What is it Falco.”

Cassandra enters the ready room expecting to see
William instead there is a 6’5” woman in military garb behind
William’s desk. She’s running her hands, in what can only be
describe as, lovingly up and down the chair.

“Can I help you?” She asks. The woman’s head
snaps up, she immediately removes her hands like a child with her
fingers in the cookie jar.

“What are you doing in here?” She demands.

Cassandra walks further into the room, “That’s
my question.”

“I’m Senior Chief Falco! I’m dropping off a
report for the Admiral. No one is allowed in his quarters when he’s
not here!” Falco stands tall trying to intimidate the smaller
woman.

“Then what are you doing here?” Cassandra
demands. She’ll be damned if this woman will make her feel like an
unwanted guest.

“You’re that refugee from Earth.” Falco sneers.
“I’m calling security.”

“Go ahead. Do that.” She sneers back, “But
before you do you’d better think about who was here first. You also
might want to consider calling the Admiral to report your
‘intruder’. He might have something to say about it. Oh, and I’d do
it on a secure line unless you want the entire ship to find out
you
entered the Admiral’s quarters without permission!”
Cassandra’s temper is starting to get the better of her. Here this
woman is, acting like she owned the place, like she has some prior
claim on William. She’d be
damned
if she’s giving up without
a fight.

The woman named Falco turns to the Admiral’s
communications consol.

“By the way, he’s in Communications.” Falco
shoots her a furious look, Cassandra just smiles in return.

“Vasa, this is Falco, is the Admiral there?” She
demands keeping her eyes on Cassandra, the first shadow of doubt
flickers through her eyes when she gets an affirmative. “I need to
speak to him on a secure line, its urgent.” She waits for the
Admiral with a sinking feeling.

“What is it Falco.”

“Admiral, I’m informing you that I’ve discovered
an intruder in your quarters.” Silence greets her comment.

“Would you repeat that
please
.”

“Admiral, I’m in your quarters and have
discovered an intruder.”

“Why are
you
there?” William asks in a
quiet voice, so full of fury that Quinn raises an eyebrow.

“Sir, I was dropping off a report.”

“Are you on a secure line?”

“Yes sir.” Falco starts to feel more confident
adding “I wanted to inform you before calling security sir.”

“Put me on intercom Falco.”

“Sir?”

“DO IT!”

“Yes sir!” Pushing a button she removes the
headset.

“Am I on intercom?”

“Yes.” Falco replies.

“Yes.” Cassandra stares down Falco.

“Now listen very carefully Falco. Are you
listening?