Free Fusion (Crimson Romance) by Candace Sams Page B

“You are safe, Craetorian. All is well but I had to make sure. As I stated, there was no mention of bringing a woman with you.”
    “I’m sorry to disappoint, but the four men who originally landed with me are dead. A Condorian trench torpedo hit our transport. I was the only one thrown free. This woman is an allied fighter I hooked up with in the badlands. We’ll have to suffice.”
    “How the hell do we know we can trust you?” Lyra asked.
    Aigean moved in front of her and boldly looked her over. “What is your name, girl?”
    “I’m Lyra Markham … Master Sergeant with Earth Force. First Defense Platoon, Tenth Earth Regiment. I got cut off from the last battle near the Plageian Escarpment. The Colonel and I met when he saved my life.”
    “
Colonel
?” Aigean blurted.
    Soldar nodded. “That is my correct rank. Again … it was
my
unit that was supposed to have served as your new entertainment, Ms. Florn. To keep the mission intact, the sergeant and I have agreed to present ourselves as an erotic duo. This was an alternate plan we hoped you could explain.”
    Aigean looked them over more carefully. “Am I to understand the
two
of you are basically strangers, and you’ve agreed to jointly display your sexual prowess … while Condorians watch? Or am I misinterpreting the situation?”
    “That’s correct,” Soldar told her. “As it happens, Lyra is somewhat familiar with hacking into computer systems and
might
be able to use your communications console to intercept messages coming from your ship’s private rooms. I realize that your com room is compromised, but our cover might give us access. We’d need your assistance with that.”
    “All this poses a monumental change in plans,” Aigean mused, as she began to pace back and forth in front of them. As she walked she pushed up the sleeves of her long gown. “I have been promising my …
clients
… something unusual. Something that will amaze them,” she stated bitterly. “If I don’t give them what they want soon … my employees’ lives may be forfeit.”
    “How did you get away from your vessel without being noticed or monitored?” Lyra asked suspiciously. “Why isn’t there a contingent of Condorian war guards with you?”
    Aigean stopped pacing and stood in front of them. “Everyone who isn’t an employee or on guard duty has been imbibing drugs and alcohol for weeks. The enemy wants more and more. And because of their addictions, they stay virtually out of touch with reality. All they know is that I’ve left with but one employee and one surface transport craft with only enough fuel to traverse a short distance. This hardly poses any concern for them. Besides, they think I’m here to pick up a new male toy for the Condorian admiral … a contemptuous lout who has been quite demanding concerning his needs. I received permission to pick you up from a small convoy of entertainers headed toward another Condorian pleasure haven somewhere in this sector. That is the story concerning your arrival in this area. Fortunately, there seems to be a mutual agreement between Condorian hierarchies to maintain living standards, and keeping quiet about who else in this sector is doing the same.” She clasped her hands in front of her. “Condorian officers don’t ask when it comes to the transport of spoils of war. The admiral aboard my ship seems to be particularly feared. He gets his choice of booty first.”
    Lyra’s eyes narrowed. “That explains how you got here without guards. It also offers a good cover for how we happen to be on the planet. But it doesn’t explain how you manage to keep supplies coming?”
    Soldar knew his new partner wasn’t convinced of Aigean’s claims to help allies. He’d already had a conversation with Lyra concerning how the Condorian elite would make sure their needs were met even before their underlings, but he said nothing. Lyra’s interrogation gave him a chance to watch Aigean carefully.
    Aigean glared back