Free Saturn Rukh by Robert L. Forward Page A

noticed that Sandra’s hatch was open and she was inside, reading a novel. His eye noticed a short line on her screen that ended in an exclamation point.
     
    “Colonel Montrose!”
     
    ~ * ~
     
    After getting his coffee, Rod activated the ship’s library program. Knowing that Jeeves would not tell him what books Sandra had asked for from the library, he had Jeeves search through all the novels for “Colonel Montrose!” It didn’t take long for Jeeves to find it. It was a trashy romance novel set in the Civil War period. Rod skipped through the boring beginnings and got to the bodice-ripping part....
     
    It was a frosty winter’s night in northern Virginia. Ruby Darlington entered her bedroom carrying a candle, closing the door behind her to block out the loud voices of the Yankee officers quartered in her mansion—enjoying the port from the cellars. The servants had a small fire going in her bedroom fireplace. Standing in the shadows beside the fireplace was a tall figure.
     
    “The woods are full of Yankees tonight, “ said the figure.
     
    “Colonel Montrose!”
     
    The tall figure in the gray uniform stepped into the firelight.
     
    “Excuse me for intruding, Miss Ruby. But I had to see you once again before I head south to take up my new command...”
     
    There was a commotion downstairs. Ruby cracked her bedroom door and listened.
     
    “A Confederate spy has been seen entering the premises. Search the house!“
     
    “I must go,“ said Montrose, putting on his hat and heading for the window.
     
    “Wait!” said Ruby with a restraining hand. “There is one place even a Yankee is gentleman enough not to search. “ She pointed to her curtained bed and he headed for it. Quickly stripping off her dress and undergarments, Ruby slipped into her nightgown and climbed through the bed curtains to await the arrival of the searcher.
     
    Rod started memorizing his lines.
     
    That evening after dinner Rod got Sandra aside.
     
    “The woods are full of Yankees tonight...” he started.
     
    Sandra’s eyes widened in surprise. At first, Rod thought that perhaps he had overstepped his bounds.
     
    “Excuse me for intruding, Miss Ruby…” He started to back away, but Sandra restrained him with a hand. Her face broke into a pleased smile and she patted her hair with both hands as she stepped into her role.
     
    “Colonel Montrose!” she answered. “You have no idea how long I have waited for someone like you.”
     
    ~ * ~
     
    A month later, Chastity watched in bewilderment from the galley as Rod went up the ladder to bed with Sandra once again. The two were always talking quietly together during the day, as though they were playing a game. It was not that Chastity was jealous—but she did feel left out. The sight of the two disappearing into Rod’s large-diameter habitat brought Chastity twinges of desire. She knew that all she had to do was climb the ladder to where Pete and Seichi were watching sports programs in their habitats and tap on their hatchdoors and those twinges would be soon satisfied, but she desired something new and different. Doc had his back to her, doing maintenance work on something in the life support section. Deliberately lowering her jumpsuit zipper, Chastity floated over behind him and slowly drew the long fingernails of her left hand down Dan’s back. When Dan first felt the fingernails, he twitched his back in annoyance, but as soon as he realized what was going on, he stopped work on the recalcitrant piece of equipment in front of him and arched his back into the caress like a tomcat. As the long scratch came to an end, he slowly turned around, to see two mounds of flesh trying to escape from their constriction. Chastity repeated her stroke on Dan’s back with her left hand as she pulled his chin up with her right hand and planted a warm slow kiss on his upturned face. As their lips finally parted, she murmured, “I understand the fingernail tips feel even better on a