Cutlass Sharpened (17 page)

“
But?” she rolled her hand
to make him continue.

“
Renee smells the best by
far. She is not frail like all the other women. She is tall and
solid… I find I like that in a woman.” He admitted to the
archeologist who found herself unable to completely hide a smile.
“Her fragrance heats my very blood… but she is…”

“
Stubborn, emasculating,
brusque, hard headed, opinionated, a royal bitch?”

Oliver threw his head back
and laughed richly. “Yes, all those descriptions. And strong,
powerful, breathtaking, lively and many other good things… I want a
woman just like her, but who won’t bite my head off like a Beast or
strike me with a kinetic blast when I’d
never
hurt her. I just want her to be
mine.”

“
Tough luck, kid. They broke
the mold with her. Besides, you can’t think women are docile. All
of us can be and are a bitch. The key is finding her trigger and
covering it with as many pillows as you can find. Just don’t
smother her or she’ll go off with a vengeance.” Stephanie caressed
a few strands of her pale hair while crossing her legs. “Which
brings me to my next point. You and she were both wrong.
She
attack in
misunderstanding of your intent to save her and
you
would not let her apologize. I’ll
tell you right now you need her to keep you healthy and stay on her
good side. You’ve
yet
to see the bad. She’s the only fully trained medic on the
whole ship too. Her priority is to everyone to keep safe and
healthy. That includes you. I don’t care how fast you learn. You
have no medical experience. Honorably, as a man, you customarily
must speak first when both sides are at fault for a falling out. So
I want you, when you are ready, to make up. Don’t wait too long or
it’ll only be more difficult. And I’ll give you a friendly warning
about my niece. Do not grab her. She has issues being grasped by
anyone.”

“
Why? If I know. Maybe I can
help?”

Stephanie shook her head
gently, keeping direct eye contact. “It’s not my story to tell. And
don’t ask. If you can break through the fortified walls to her
heart
she
will tell
you. Not before.” Got up and said “Good night, Oliver. I hope
tomorrow we can finish working together.”

“
Can we do it out on the
deck? I don’t like very cramped spaces as I’m sure you
understand.”

“
I would enjoy working out
on the deck. Shall we meet at let’s say nine hundred?”

“
It’s a date. Thank you,
Stephanie. Good night.”

Renee hurried back inside the med bay with a
racing heart. She felt like a little girl nearly getting caught
sneaking cookies to bed. She barely avoided being found
eavesdropping as her door hissed shut and a second later Oliver’s
opened. She sighed in relief more for her aunt’s help and
intervention than being found. Still, she had another shower in
mind and slipped out her suit.

Oliver crawled into bed, sucking his clothes
into the vambrace to sleep naked. That felt right, but he kept
enough out to keep ice on his shoulder.

Chapter 5

Softly came a sound like a wind chime and the
crashing of the ocean which pulled Oliver from a sound sleep. The
sudden alarm in a completely silent room all night long was just
the gentle prod needed to rouse at seven hundred hours. Two hours
before the appointed meeting with Stephanie and see with his own
eyes the nebula she was so excited about.

He went to rub crust from his eyes with his
left hand and found it to be a bad idea as it protested. “Lights
on.” And they flared, bathing the room so he could see clearly
while sitting up. The water tight cloth he manipulated had long
since turned ice to water so he physically pulled the filled
bladder down his arm and grimaced seeing deep purple bruises
beneath his pale skin. Oliver slid the container down and off his
arm till it hang from his always attached vambrace, which he didn’t
mind. It already proved invaluable in getting him the foundation
needed to get here. It could have been bulky and he would gladly
have bared it. Being comfortable and maneuverable made it not a
burden a at all.

Sliding out of bed was no problem as the
bathroom was priority number one. More than one bladder had to be
evacuated. Melted ice and urine for clarification. Inside it the
personal one held priority and like before, it was wonderful
letting pressure flow out. After, Oliver held the container of
water dangling from his wrist and held it over the sink. A mere
thought opened a hole and every drop vanished down the drain. Then
the remaining part of his malleable armor sucked back up in the
vambrace to hide.

Staring back at him in the mirror was a man
who was unused to waking at a predetermined time, but wanted to be
a person others could rely upon and trust. Oliver noticed very
minor, but obvious changes from the last time he first looked at
himself. Rough bristly hair started growing more pronounced all
along his jaw, eyebrows and the dome of his head. His sculpted
chest, groin regions remained hairless. It wasn’t an issue because
he read most who received immortality also get an injection to
strip hair production in certain regions for less grooming
maintenance. He wiped a hand under his arm and found stubble there
so he must have only did minimal removal. But an enhanced olfactory
sense told him his pits were sour again and made way for the
shower.

Inside the warmth, he let
the overhead nozzle gently beat on the sore, swollen shoulder to
start thinking
So after clean up I’m going
over to do as Stephanie said and apologize. She’ll want to see my
shoulder and demand to do what Stone called her for yesterday… if I
do and we are alone I might not be able to resist like last time.
And I really do not want to be on the receiving end of another
kinetic blast. It hurt almost as bad as my shoulder. And I truly do
not wish to make matters worse for her. I like being near her. Much
more than the others I’ve met so far… in all I can remember. If
only there was a way to alleviate or take care so it doesn’t take
over and she winds up putting me out of my misery
permanently.

Wait a minute.
Oliver lifted his head as the mythical light
turned on inside his mind.
I can alleviate
my sexual needs. I known the information from yesterday’s
information gathering. I’ll do anything to help.
And he grabbed himself and imagined Renee’s head
on Stephanie’s naked body he learned about. Her overwhelming scent
and bright red hair soaked again in the shower with him was perfect
stimulus. His member jumped in reaction to thoughts of the
imagination and he began stroking in the hot shower, doing as
instructed from research.

A tightness in his lower belly seemed to coil
tighter and tighter, like a spring. Eyes closed to keep the erotic
image of burying inside the vibrant redhead built perfectly to take
a man of his size. The coil reached a threshold and Oliver felt his
balls squeeze tight as his male cream shot out and made him shudder
from crown to toe. It pulsed, pumping out it’s backed up load
before finding falling limp wasn’t possible.

Ten more shots emptied the bank.

By the stars!
He exclaimed in silent surprise. The saying
changed in the Age of Logic as a universal way of showing surprise
without speaking of a deity. Hell remained as it exclaimed
something bad though no one believed its origin in history.
So that is was climax is like. If I had known I
would have did it before eating… and research is correct. I do feel
much more relaxed and clearheaded.

He hit the dryer and stepped out feeling
immensely refreshed. At the sink again he rubbed his jaw to decide
“I don’t like beards.” Seeing plenty yesterday. He pulled out the
drawer by the sink and removed a laser barber’s cutter. A two and a
half centimeter red beam of light landed on his jaw right at the
level of his rounded ear and drug the line down. The laser was warm
on the skin, but would not burn flesh. Hair though was burned away
without a foul, burnt hair smell. The shave was so smooth the jaw
felt like silk bed sheets he slept in all night. Not one bur was
missed. Eyebrows and scalp were left alone. One final wipe along
his squared jaw made sure all was in order.

Deciding the time was right Oliver began
walking to the living room to retrieve the pure crystal device as
the hidden armor began creeping rapidly all over into a dark blue
casual pair of jeans and a shirt. The heavy boots didn’t change,
nor did the sheathe.

Oliver now understood why Hunters never wear
anything other than their armor and always keep their weapons in
arm’s reach. Yesterday’s ambush sealed the deal. Had he not taken
his sword out on deck, He wouldn’t have been able to save her. If
he was indeed a Hunter of old he’d abide by their devotion to
forever readiness. He grabbed the clean blade and holstered it,
feeling much more comfortable as it was protection.

Too bad no weapon discovered
can protect me from her.
He thought wryly,
stepping outside and marching across the spacious hall.

Renee looked over her shoulder as the door to
medical hissed open and saw the impressive giant enter with
confidence. Seeing him there had her sigh and his gaze upon her
didn’t waver. “I’ll be with you in a moment, Oliver.”

“
I’m in no rush.” He said as
he noticed they weren’t alone. A woman laid on a table extended
from the wall beside her desk, her shirt rolled up to expose a very
round belly swollen with a child.

Oliver looked to Renee and felt his heart
skip with a sudden lurch. Seeing her backside in near form fitted
pants bent over with her perfectly shaped ass sticking out was too
good to not look at. Her torso was covered in a long white shirt
with her fiery mane pulled back in a metal clip at the nape of her
neck. He stared at the smooth slope of her neck and what little of
the tattoo design that peeked over the collar. He could see only
one flower and several thorny green vines poking out and crept
slightly around the base of her milky neck.

Hovering overhead was the ball scanner that
can see through the body harmlessly and more accurately than mobile
scanners and antique ones from early twenty first century. It threw
off a rainbow of lights over the young looking woman’s belly.

“
That’s it, Vanessa. Your
baby girl is still healthy, but you need a little more calcium in
your diet. A little spinach will help. In about a month the newest
member of the crew will arrive.” Renee rubbed the woman’s belly
fondly before helping her stand up and cover the swell
again.

“
Same time next week?” The
woman asked, taking full notice of the mountain of muscle standing
patiently. “Whoa.”

“
Yes.” Renee raised her arm.
“Vanessa, this is Oliver. Oliver, Vanessa is our ship’s main chef
and singer.”

“
A pleasure.” He shook her
hand.

“
So gentle. I expected him
to be more forceful.”

“
Jessica taught me how much
to grip hands with women.” He admitted as she took her hand back to
rub her belly tenderly.

“
I hope to speak again,
Oliver. Many aboard are very eager to meet the man without a past,
but saved our girl’s life twice in less than a week.” She winked
and waddled out.

Renee wrinkled her nose. “Scuttlebutt aboard
this ship always warps what really happened. By tomorrow it’ll seem
there were a hundred Stingrays and you singlehandedly killed them
all.”

“
I read stories are
exaggerated and embellished to entertain.”

“
Ain’t that the truth.” She
snorted. “You still have a lot to learn.”

“
Speaking of…” He got right
down to it, becoming a direct personality. “Renee, I’m sorry for my
harsh words I left you with as well as knocking you down and not
offering to help you back to you feet.”

Emerald irises changed from mirth to a firm
softness. Her smooth voice also relaxed. “You’re not the only one
who needs to apologize. And you were right. I did cross a line. I’m
not excusing this, but I have impulsive judgmental issues. My Papa
says he too was born with a thin filter between mind and mouth.
Mine seems to be a few atoms thinner… and I’m sorry for striking
you with a kinetic blast. Can we start over from the
beginning?”

“
No, and I don’t want to.”
All that kept her anger from spiking is his smile. “I do not wish
to start anything over, but I would like to ask if our relationship
could be friends. I’d like to have you as my friend.”

Renee brightened considerably. “Of course
I’ll be your friend. Everyone needs at least one good friend. Now
that we got our shit cleared up, can I now take a look at that
shoulder?”

He rotated it without really thinking about
it and winced. He nodded.

“
Take off your shirt and sit
down on the table.” The shirt was willed away and Renee was struck
by a torso of knots, hills and valleys. She swallowed and turned
around before any warmth could color her fair cheeks. He sat down
and sat the tablet aside. Renee connected and dropped the scanner
to fly slowly around the left shoulder to see what he could not
without a holo-screen. Her chip got the information and her brain
processed it to the point she could see it in multiple details in
the moment. “Hmmm… you did properly set the ball and socket and
kept the inflammation down. Your muscles are bruised, but there are
no fractures, not that I’d expect with someone as dense as yours on
a below average Standard gravity. How did you set it so
well.”