* * *
“Why must you leave now?” Ardon whined. “Tomorrow’s the Council. Mother said you could come if you wished. Why must you depart on that…that old ore freighter the…the…MoonDust? Dangerous it is, what with all those hot fuel rods for the outer reaches. Besides, the SueTondie is making straight for the Trizentine when it leaves in a few days. The captain told me so himself. You will be home to Exothepobole in no time at all.”
Tashi was polite, but firm. “Now we’ve already talked this out. Mother was polite, but she knows I’m needed back home, and soon. The Stasis are becoming bolder by the day. The collier, MoonDust, is a substantial little ship, comfortable and quite safe. It runs a tight schedule to Eneweah City, on TilgathPilneser, to drop off the last of its hot fuel rods before being off to Desiah with the spent ones. I’ll arrive on TilgathPilneser, just in time to catch the imperial starliner, Sunflower, before leaving on its monthly run for Exothepobole.”
She fussed with the collar on Ardon’s robe. “I will be home in no time. Besides, the SueTondie is a Wildcatter rig. I trust the captain to his word no more than a fickle breeze. Well he may promise something, but just how easy he may forget it. Remember, until recently, our main means of transport was by that independent lot.”
She tipped her head back and called out in a sailor’s voice, mimicking the Wildcatters. “Today, tomorrow, what’s the difference? As long as there is rum in the barrels, food in the hold, and fuel for the engines, what’s the hurry? Tomorrow...there is always tomorrow.”
Tashi laughed, then gently cradling Ardon’s face in her hands cooed, “It not going to be easy convincing the population of Sustrepho the need to abandon their homes they have held dear for so long a time, yet that is what Mihai’s council has requested I attempt to do. Already the colonies of the Trizentine are too lightly garrisoned. Should war come, the little support the Navy provides us currently may vanish, leaving us on our own.”
Ardon whimpered. “Only a day or two more... That’s all, a day or two. There’s so much more of the city for us to see.”
Tashi shushed him, kindly chiding, “Tell me the truth. You want me to warm your bed for a little longer, don’t you? Haven’t got enough of me?”
Embarrassed, Ardon stammered with a reply.
Tashi grinned, pressing her body against his. “Enough. Enough... What is done is done. But…” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her lips nearly touching his. “We have tonight. Do you want to waste it arguing about something you can’t change, or do you want to explore other worlds with me?”
Ardon could not argue with such a proposal, at least not one coming from this woman who drove him mad with passion. Oh, how he hated and loved her at the same moment! After glancing about to see if anyone was noticing, he took Tashi’s hand, the two scurrying off to some secluded place for one last night of indulgent delights.