towardUNEDITED
Moments after those two were carried out, the two Yollins came in through the door. Kiel nodded to Steve and Felix and pointed his finger back towards the door, “Someone came in here for a ‘friendly’ match?”
“Yeah, I can’t believe that is the third one,” Felix agreed and waited for a subtle green light on his desk to turn on. “You guys are good.”
Kiel’s lips clicked together, “I wonder who could be whispering the rumor that you get to spar with Gabrielle if you use that code phrase?”
“Or has been adding the picture of her on the back channels?” Kael-ven wondered aloud as the two Yollins passed through the security station. Steve and Felix both stared at each other before grabbing their tablets and started looking to see what the Yollin Captain was talking about.
Five minutes later, Felix looked down the hallway towards the sparring rooms, “Son of a bitch…”
—
Bethany Anne entered a few minutes after Kiel and Kael-ven, “Sorry for being late.”
Kiel looked at her feet, where a smaller, black version of Ashur was trotting beside the Queen, “Just curious,” the military commander asked as he pointed at her feet, “has Ashur been replaced?”
“What?” She looked down, “No, this is Matrix, one of Ashur and Bellatrix’s children. Say hi, these two have the implants and can understand.”
Matrix’s little bark greeting the two Yollins.
“How does he have such ability to understand but is so … small?” The large Captain asked.
“He isn’t that young, and he is a little small for his age, but dogs mature relatively quickly. I’m being told that Matrix is ahead of his siblings in some areas.”
Matrix barked again, “Yes, not your size, unfortunately,” Bethany Anne agreed.
“And Ashur is where?” Kiel asked.
“Keeping his treacherous ass out of my sight while I cool down.” Bethany Anne replied, “this little addition to my menagerie isn’t my partner, he works with TOM.”
That remark caused both Yollins to stop and blink for a few minutes before they turned to each other and then back to Bethany Anne, “You have a Kurtherian talking to an Earthling dog?” Kiel asked.
“Oh please,” TOM’s voice came out of the speakers, “Not all Kurtherians are evil war mongers.”
“True,” Kael-ven agreed slowly, looking at Bethany Anne and then the speaker, “But I’m not aware of any Kurtherians except those from the Seven who have slipped out of their genetic programming and killed another being.”
There was a moment of silence before TOM replied through the speaker system, “I blame my connection to Bethany Anne for that.”
Kiel’s mandibles started chittering in laughter, “He has a point. There have been no Kurtherians who have had to undergo such a stressful existence inside of…”
“Are you begging for another ass-kicking, Kiel?” Bethany Anne asked the taller Yollin. He grinned as well as he could and put up his hands while he shook his head in the negative.
“Damn,” Kael-ven muttered, “Here I was hoping you would take her ire so the two of us would have a regular sparring match.”
Bethany Anne smiled, “I’m sorry, is the Yollin Revolutionary feeling a little put out?”
“He should,” Kiel muttered, “Since working out with you, he has become more formidable in our matches.”
“Oh?” Bethany Anne asked, “How so?”
“He beats me about forty percent of the time, now,” Kiel answered, “I blame his improved abilities from working out with you.”
“So, why aren’t you using your association to work out with the Bitches?” She asked Kiel.
This time, it was Kael-ven who chittered his laughter, “Because they treated him like you do me, and it took him half a day in the Pod-Doc to recuperate.”
Bethany Anne shrugged, “Pain is an excellent teacher.”
“Yes,” Kiel agreed, “It taught me not to spar with Eric when he was upset about Gabrielle.”
“Well, there is that,” she agreed, “human males are very protective of their females. Even females who can take care of themselves. I imagine someone slighted her and Eric did something. Then, she was upset with him for being a typical guy, and they got into a fight. He comes here, where friendly matches aren’t allowed, and there you go.”
“Yes, there I went,” Kiel agreed pointing behind him. “Straight into the Pod-Doc nursing both my wounds and my ego.”
This time, both Yollins watched as Bethany Anne’s eyes displayed extreme humor, but her lips were compressed tightly together…finally, she lost it and started laughing, covering her mouth as she looked between the two Yollins.
“At least the mouth now is in sync with the eyes,” Kael-ven commented, “otherwise, I was confused.”
“Word,” Kiel agreed as his Captain turned to look at him. Kiel shrugged, “I blame William.”
“Ok,” Bethany Anne finally got her humor back under control, “as funny as this shit was, and it was funny, I need to learn how to fight a four-legged Yollin, Kael-ven and you are my only option.”
“Lucky me,” he agreed. “Come, search the universe for other races, meet them and get your ass kicked all afternoon.” He turned to speak to Kiel, “Somehow, the Caste Leader I spoke with failed to mention that little bit of information when I signed up.”
Kiel shrugged, “You should have been with me for my recruitment meeting, a complete fabrication.” Kiel’s voice was an octave or two higher, “Superior exoskeleton, best in the galaxy.” His voice returned to normal, “What a big bowl of Bistek-barook shit.”
“When did you two become Abbot and Costello?” she asked.
“No idea what or who you are speaking about,” Kael-ven replied, “but I assume a certain fatality about one’s future brings about whatever it is,” he waved with his right arm, “you speak about.”
Matrix barked, and Bethany Anne looked down at the puppy, “You might be right Matrix. They just might be trying to delay the inevitable.”
The two Yollins glared at the German Shepherd, “Traitorous canine, thy name is mud. You just wait until you are old enough to spar with her, you will understand, and I hope I’m here to see it.”
This time, it was a questioning ‘yip’ Matrix barked out, and Kiel laughed without mirth, “See? Now you understand. Life is funny now, but after this ass-kicking, you will know your future, and I will enjoy the thought of how my blood and pain will bring you fear.”
Bethany Anne rolled her eyes, “Wow, who knew a Yollin could be such a Drama Queen?”
The two Yollins turned and walked over to the side of the work-out room to grab weapons, “At least I’m now Royalty,” Kiel quipped.
>>> FROM MICHAEL – WOW, I need to be finished like in 7 days… No Rest for the Wicked!
The first book out on Audible should be uploaded within 48 hours…Provided ACX can get my account fixed 🙁
Otherwise, everything is pretty on track!
See Ya! (got to sleep, then write, then eat, then write, then sleep.)