CHAPTER 6

Nick

Maneuvers were called off and we were all called back to the Capital when we got the news of the Regency Manor being invaded.

This was a damn nasty piece of work from the Soorns.The press was calling them "mantis vipers"—as good a name as any for mutant creatures that were just plain vicious, deadly bastards.They had a combined hemotoxic and neurotoxic venom that both attacked the blood cells and interfered with the morphing ability of a lycanthrope.Lon and I saw scans of them.They made us break out in fur, ear points, and fangs; we were only sorry we weren't there to help with the filthy things.A whole nest of them appeared to have come up onto the Manor from the underground springs and entered the plumbing and ventilation systems.A couple of them got into the Prime Regent's office and his private quarters.Luckily he wasn't in his office and a couple of Guards got into the Prime Regent's quarters and made short work of the one that turned up there.

What had the Capital buzzing the most was that one of the bastards slithered into Princess Tara's bedchamber, where she had company—and who her company was.When Lon and I found out about that, it really pricked up our ears, considering the way the Princess had seen us off before we left.Emphasis on the word "prick."

All in all, the mantis vipers got into a number of different rooms and offices in the Manor, and some people had been hurt.That Upper Secretary Melanie Lovett, who was close friends with Tara, wasn't injured, but the Regency medical staff had to sedate her after the bastards were all done away with.Our people took some hits dealing with those damn things.Six of them were in the Guard Infirmary.Four were in the Morgue.

We unanimously agreed that the Soorns were going to pay, and pay heavily, for that.

As soon as the news reached us out on the countryside in the hills and fields beyond Leto, those of us out on maneuvers packed up our gear and jumped back into our hover car transports, headed back for the Capital.Lon and I were in the lead car by ourselves, with me at the controls, skimming over the grasslands with a dozen larger vehicles behind us.As much as everyone was talking about the attack on Tara, it was even more on our minds.

"It would be the Tynan pup in Tara's chambers, wouldn't it?" Lon said.

Smirking a bit, I replied, "He was in a lot more than her ‘chambers'."

Lon snickered in response."Tynan hasn't been here a week, and here he is, a hero—twice," said Lon."The rate he's going, he'll be giving the rest of us our marching orders next week."

"Assuming he's not marching himself back into Tara's bed," I said.

At that, Lon rolled his eyes."Damn.I was looking forward to getting there myself, and getting more of what Tynan got."

"We still might," I said, frowning, not from anger, but from pondering.

Lon wondered aloud, "What do you think the Prime Regent makes of all this?Tynan was in the right place at the right time, but I mean, everyone knows what the pup was doing there."

"What can the Prime Regent make of it?This is the open secret of the Regency Manor.Everyone knows what goes on with Tara and what went on with all the Regency kids before her, who were of age.And everyone including the Prime Regent always looks the other way.How is it going to look if he doesn't look the other way now, especially after what Tynan did?No, the Prime Regent will cite Tynan for his bravery—again—and talk around or simply not mention where the pup obviously had his dick.Which is where we just had ours."

Making a sound that was part a sigh and part a snort, Lon said, "Yeah."His mind was obviously where mine was, back in that shower with her, screwing her half senseless.

We were quiet for a little while.Then Lon, wearing a grin that said how impressed he was, said, "Tynan, right out of the Academy and only here a few days—fucking Tara."

"How about that?" I said, smiling crookedly with one corner of my mouth, as impressed as he was."Moves fast, doesn't he?"

"I'll say."I glanced at the control panels in front of me, not really seeing them, but imagining Kris Tynan in bed with Tara.Kris Tynan on top of Tara, humping her, his hard cock going in and out of her very wet pussy.Kris Tynan coming inside Tara.I grunted, halfway sounding as if I were doing to the Princess what I saw Tynan doing to her.

"What?" Lon asked.

Snapping back to attention, I said, "When we get back, I know the first place we're going."

Lon chuckled."So do I."

*****

The Canis Guard Infirmary did not get used a lot because of our ability to heal our wounds by morphing from one body to the other.But it was there for when it was needed, and after the attack of the mantis vipers, the place was needed now.

When Lon and I walked in, we found a couple of doctors near the entrance, sitting at a computer, going over some charts.We asked about the patient of interest and how he was doing; they told us he was recovering well, and directed us around the corner to where the beds were.Going there, we found two rows of beds, all of them occupied, three on either side of the room.All the Guards in the Infirmary had visitors; some of the visitors were other Guards.

One visitor, we knew.She was sitting on a chair at the bedside of the one we were looking for—and holding the hand of the patient's one arm that was not slipped into a dermal therapeutic sleeve the way guys on Earth long ago used to slip their cocks into sleeves of latex to keep from knocking up the women they were fucking.He was propped up on his pillow; they were whispering things to each other.She looked up from him to us, and he looked over at us, both of them surprised.

"Nick!Lon!" Tara called.

"Sub-Commander Travis!Lieutenant Black!" Kris said."I heard everyone was recalled from maneuvers after…"

"Yes," I said, "after you had some uninvited guests at the manor."I did not add, …where you were a very invited guest in Tara's bed.

"Kris was very brave," said Tara, still holding Kris's hand."He protected me and took on that creature all by himself.And killed it.It was horrible."She looked over at Kris, and he looked back at her, and it was as if they had little hearts floating in the air between them.Tara's eyes said adoringly, My hero.

"And he took a little wallop from the mantis viper's venomous leg while he was at it," Lon said, stepping around me for a better look at the patient.

Tilting his head as if to wave it off modestly, Kris said, "Well, the crawly bastard got the worst of it.I was just in the right place at the right time."

Lon and I traded a knowing look at that.He'd just unwittingly repeated the very words Lon used on our way back here.

"Mm-hmm," said Lon."Seems like you were in exactly the right place."And I could just about hear the words he wasn't saying.And we know exactly what you were doing there.

Kris mentioned, "Our ‘guest' in the holding center still isn't talking.Whatever the Soorn knows about the vipers or how they got into the underground springs, he's not saying.Just like he's not talking about who he's working with."

"Meaning they're probably lurking somewhere around the Capital now, planning their next move or waiting for their next move to be sprung," I said, rubbing my chin.

And Tara still had Kris's hand in hers."And we don't know what kind of mutated creatures they'll send at us next."She tensed her shoulders, suppressing a shudder.

"We won't let them get you," Kris said, looking more like a puppy dog at her than a trained wolf Guard.

She gave him a sweet-looking smile in return, and I swatted from my mind the image of her "come face" while she lay under him.

"Nothing is going to get you, Tara," I said confidently, not adding the words, except us, where this kid had you."I'm sure you know security is being tightened everywhere, and that includes the underground springs."

"I just hope while you're sealing out any more mutants, you haven't sealed in the Soorn spies," she said."If they're cornered, they might be that much more dangerous."

"Then they'll find out just how much more dangerous we are," I promised.

"So this single-pawed protection of the Princess ought to look pretty good on your record, after your earlier quick thinking with the spy," Lon brought up."After this, I wouldn't be surprised to see you get another claw on your uniform."

Kris rolled his eyes and curled his lips a bit."Eh.What I've really got myself is a write-up."

"Really?A formal reprimand?" Lon said, glancing over at me and my one raised eyebrow.

"Well, yeah," Kris replied, "considering where I was when I protected Tara."He looked over at her; they were both embarrassed in spite of everyone knowing."I mean, she invited me to dinner, and…and…"He trailed off, not needing to mention that "one thing led to another."There wasn't anyone in the Capital who didn't know exactly where things led.

I crossed my arms and stroked my chin again, thoughtfully."I wouldn't worry about that.You're not the first Guard to be caught in that kind of situation with a member of the Regency family.Our logs are full of write-ups like that.They're a formality.The higher-ups do it because they have to.Old-fashioned ideas about position and propriety that frankly should have died out before the first interstellar ships left the Solar System.Nothing will happen.The Prime Regent's citation for bravery in protecting his daughter, that's what will count.The rest of it will be just another story of a Guard and a Regency daughter."

"That's right," said Tara reassuringly, this time giving his hand a squeeze."No one will think anything about…you know."

Even though no one would think anything about Kris being in her bed, she was still being "a lady" about it.Some manners never change.

"What people will think about, especially within the Guard," I said, "is how you seem to have very sharp instincts.Your instincts caught a spy and saved Tara's life.People will be thinking about that.And talking about that."

"What do you think they'll say?" Kris wondered."It won't mean I'm getting a promotion, will it?I just got here; it's too soon to promote me."

"Maybe not a promotion," I replied."But people will have their eyes on you.In fact…I've got an idea already."I looked over at Lon, who looked at me as if he were trying to look into my head and see the wheels turning.

Together, Kris and Tara asked, "What idea?"

Eyeing them both, thinking I liked what I was thinking better every second, I simply said, "Never mind right now."And directly to Kris Tynan, I said, "You'd better rest up.Mind the doctors, get those toxins out of your system, and get your arm out of that thing.I'm going to talk to some people."

"About what?" Tara asked insistently."Who are you going to?What are you going to talk to them about?"

"Don't worry," I said.And to Kris I repeated, "Just get yourself better."

"Uh…yes, Sir," Kris replied, a little bewildered.

"Come on, Lon," I said, tapping him on the shoulder."Let's give the Sub-Lieutenant here a chance to rest."

Lon stepped after me and we started back the way we came.Tara and Kris watched us go.I looked at them over my shoulder and said to Kris,"Rest well.Lon and I will be in touch."

And we left the two of them to wonder just exactly what I had in mind for the young hero.

Once we were outside in the corridor leading to the entrance, Lon grabbed my arm and asked, "All right, what was that about?What is this idea you've got about him, Nick?"

Grinning and chuckling, I said, "Well, Tara really seems to like the pup, and he does seem to have good instincts.So he'll probably make a habit of sticking his dick where we'd like to have ours again.I want to keep an eye on him.So…," and I grinned a little more broadly, "I'm going to make a recommendation to Guard Command…"

I quickened my pace towards the sliding glass doors of the Infirmary, and a very curious Lon sped up with me.