Copyright: This story is copyrighted to the author Ó 1999 by T.Novan. Do not use any part of this story without my written permission. I may be contacted at TNOVAN@aol.com

Sex: This story contains scenes of two women making love. <smile> If this offends you, please don’t read my story. There are plenty of other wonderful stories out there.

Violence: There are scene of violence in this piece. If that offends please move on.

Comments: As always welcomed at TNOVAN@aol.com

LOG TWENTY

Ford stood on the command deck, watching the Devereux come into view. She glanced to Marra who stood tall and proud next to her. A smile crossed her lips as she simply held out her hand to her wife. "Shall we go back aboard our own ship, my dear?"

"As you wish Ford." She agreed, laying her hand in Ford’s palm.

The Garron stopped, looking to her other compatriot. "Sarron Richards, once the troops are aboard and this ship is totally secured report to me on the Devereux right away."

"Yes Garron Ford."

"And ah," She gave him a little wink. "Well done."

"Thank you Garron Ford." The young man smoothed the front of his jumpsuit with a great deal of pride as Lord and Lady Kurrathian left the command deck.

****

Ford took a seat behind the desk in her office aboard the Devereux. She looked up to Marra with a grin. "You know what you need to do?"

"Yes love, and I’ll go see to all of it now."

"Good. You know marrying you was the second best thing I’ve ever done."

"Second best?" Marra crossed her arms, tapping her foot. "What was the first best?"

"That was the wedding night." Ford smirked. "But I had to marry you first. Now give me a kiss then get to it."

"Oh yes Lord Kurrathian." Marra teased sarcastically, before placing a kiss to Ford’s lips.

"Now go on." Ford turned her around, giving Marra’s backside a little slap. "I have a lot of work to do."

Marra winked before leaving the office. "Don’t work to hard. Save some of your strength for me. You’re going to need it." She waved her fingers at Ford, before the door slid shut she heard a little groan.

****

"Come on now Neyta. Don’t be so difficult." Marra grumbled at the serpentine as she tried to get the halter on her.

The beast tossed her head to keep it from being enclosed in the harness. * No. *

"Neyta please? Look at Phoenix. He has his harness on and is ready to go." She gestured to the male who was tethered outside the stall.

* That’s because he is an idiot. *

Marra chuckled. It would seem that serpentines felt the same angst and mood swings that other females did when they were pregnant. "Neyta, we have to be ready when Ford is. Now, I have everything else done. Moving you and Phoenix is the last thing I need to do."

* No halter. I’ll follow you. I’m uncomfortable enough without being in a halter. *

"All right you win. No halter. Come on." The blonde opened the gate. The beast picked herself up, moving slowly in behind Marra. The woman turned around giving her serpentine a loving rub across the nose. "I’m sorry you are uncomfortable."

* Carrying multiple young effects our kind faster. *

"Multiple young? Neyta there’s more than one baby?"

* There are three. *

"Three! That’s wonderful."

* I wish it was Marra, but with multiple young only one usually lives. The strongest of my young will survive. The others will die. I can only care for one. I must let two of my babies die. *

"No Neyta. Ford and I won’t let that happen. We’ll find a way to save the other two."

* Young serpentines need their mother. I don’t know if they can be saved Marra. *

"We’ll find a way. I promise."

The beast gave her mistress a loving nuzzle.

****

Ford looked up from the information pad when the door to her office slid open. Sarron Richards stepped in. He moved forward, stopping at attention in front of her desk.

"At rest Sarron."

The young man shifted his position, but remained respectful to his commander. She stood, smoothing her uniform and moving to a window. "You broke all kinds of regulations by taking that shuttle and taking Marra off ship during combat."

"Yes Garron Ford. I know."

"You both could have been killed." She kept her back to him, watching his reflection in the window. She was pleased that he maintained his stance.

"Yes, Garron Ford, I know. I’m sorry, but Lady Kurrathian…"

"Lady Kurrathian doesn’t command my ship or my troops." She growled, still watching him in the window.

"No, Garron Ford."

"You took a huge chance."

"Yes, Garron Ford."

"You will be fined two weeks pay, put on report and you will present yourself to my personal transport to take your place as the new commander of my personal guard. You new duties now included getting my transport ready for departure immediately. I’ll be traveling back to command on it. We’ll be flying my diplomatic banner."

Sarron Richards smiled, never taking his eyes off the wall in front of him. "Yes, Garron Ford."

"Once I step foot on the transport, you will be in command. I will merely be Lord Kurrathian." She concluded by turning around and giving him a final appraisal. "Do you have anything to say?"

He turned to face her, coming to attention again. "You will never, ‘merely be Lord Kurrathian’."

She smiled and shook her head. "You’re dismissed. Report to your new post."

"Yes, Garron Ford."

****

Marra continued to stroke Neyta’s head as it rested in her lap. She would take a break occasionally to toss Phoenix another piece of fruit, which he devoured without hesitation. She wanted to make sure that both of them would be happy in the stall aboard the transport before she left them.

"He’s got quite an appetite." Marra chuckled, watching the beast lick it’s lips before offering a satisfied little burp.

Neyta only snorted, rolling on her side. Marra looked her beast over, making sure she still looked healthy. It was during this cursory examination that she noticed something moving under the beast’s wing.

"Neyta, let me see." She pushed the wing back to see further movement in the beast’s belly. "Is that the babies?"

* Yes. They are being very combative in there tonight. I think they are all males. *

"May I?" The blonde’s hand hovered over Neyta’s stomach.

* Of course you may. *

Marra placed her hand gently on the stomach of the serpentine. She smiled, feeling the young moving about inside. "That’s amazing."

"What’s amazing?"

Ford’s deep voice took her by surprise. She turned quickly to find her standing, leaning against the stall.

"Come in here and feel this." The blonde ordered.

Ford chuckled, entering the stall then dropping down next to Marra. "I figured I’d find you here." She placed a soft kiss to Marra’s temple. "So what’s so amazing?"

"This." Marra took Ford’s hand and placed it on Neyta’s stomach.

Ford nodded. "This is very interesting, I’ve never felt a serpentine move around in the birthsac before."

"Oh come on Ford! This is wonderful. This is new life."

"Un-huh." The tall woman offered dryly then settled down next to her wife. "Well, I’m glad you are enjoying yourself my love. We’ll be departing for command in about an hour."

"Is it best to leave the Devereux right now? In light of everything that happened?"

"I have a very capable command staff Marra. Besides they’ll be four days behind us."

"Why the rush to get us there?"

"I want to find out who sent Dror to stop me."

"You think it was someone from your own command?"

"I’m sure of it."

"What makes you think that?"

Ford moved across the stall to Phoenix, stretching out, she laid her head on his leg. He sniffed her then put his head back down with a huff. She looked at him, her brows knitting together. "Don’t you huff at me. If you can do it, I can do it."

Marra cocked her head, watching them.

* He knows that you and Ford have mated. * Neyta offered. * Your scent lingers on her skin. *

The blonde just shook her head. "Ford, how do you know someone from your own command gave the order?"

"I found the residue of a transmission from Chancellor Trella to Dror in his ship’s communication logs."

"So, Chancellor Trella is trying to have you captured and murdered?"

"I don’t know that it was Trella. Could have been someone trying to set her up too. Someone who knows that we have a history." She shifted to her side, resting her head in her palm. "Someone who wants us both out of the way. Remember that Trella leads the first house. I lead the second. We are the two most powerful people in the empire."

"How many houses are there?"

"Last time I was home, there were five."

"Or it could be someone from the rival empire altogether."

Ford smiled at Marra’s insight into the situation. "Very true."

"So why doesn’t Capri give us the answers?"

"Oh my love she already has." Ford sat up, moving to the blonde, drawing her into her arms. "She gave me you."

"That’s very romantic of you, but I think in this case I think I’d really like the name of the person who ordered you killed."

"Capri guides, Marra. She’s doesn’t give answers. It’s up to us to find those."

****

Ford removed the long coat from the closet. She looked it over, inspecting it very carefully. She placed it on the bed then moved to the dresser, retrieving a black box. She opened the box, taking out several medal and decorations.

Marra watched from the doorway as Ford placed the citations on the coat. She shook her head, moving in to look at it once it was done. She stopped behind Ford, wrapping her arms around her waist. "It’s very impressive."

"Thank you."

"What are they for?"

Ford shrugged. "Valor. Courage. Being wounded in battle. Lots of things."

"You know you never seem to be very proud of the things you have accomplished while in the service."

"That’s not entirely true. I’m just not proud of the lives that have been taken over a petty argument. I’ve won medals for killing people. I’m not proud of that."

Marra rubbed Ford’s back, trying to soothe her. "I can understand that."

The tall woman turned around, embracing Marra. "However, I do have other things to be proud of."

"Such as?" The blonde teased, batting her eyelashes.

"My beautiful me wife for one. Who distracts me from the things that don’t matter and makes me so very umm…"

Marra could tell that Ford was searching for another Earth word. "Horny?" She offered with a giggle. She took Ford’s coat from the bed and re-hung it in the closet

"And where did you learn that word?" Ford put her hands on her hips, a brow quirked as lips twisted into a smirk.

"Are you going to deny it?" Marra returned, placing her hands firmly on Ford’s shoulders.

"No. I just wanted to know where you got that word from?"

"An old dictionary, I found in the other room."

"Do you read all the time?"

Marra gave Ford a gentle push, causing her to tumble back to the bed. Then blonde licked her lips, smiling an evil little smile, when she straddled Ford’s hips. "Not any more."

TBC…