A SPARTAN'S WAR

EARTH

CRANAE ISLAND

Androcles leaned back on the couch in the main room of his villa, the mass of data pads and reports spread out in front of him on the knee high table. He wore his white pants with crimson trim and an unbuttoned shirt that left his arms bare. He lifted the mug of his mother's coffee to his lips and sipped. His face twisted up as the cold coffee hit his taste buds and he swore under his breath at letting the coffee get cold. Disgusted with himself he set the coffee back on the table and was about to get up and retrieve more when her sugar plume and spice scent filtered to him and he turned.

Sadi smiled from the patio doors and walked into the main room holding the large mug and wearing only her usual thin robe. Seeing her dressed as she was made Andro stop and realize that it was nearly two in the morning and all but the Durcunusaan guards had long since gone to bed.

"I was beginning to think that my scent no longer made you turn your head my love?" Sadi spoke as she moved up to the side of the couch and looked at him.

Andro smiled. "You know that would never be true KertaGai." He stated holding out his hand for her.

Sadi moved seductively and stepped in front of him, lifting her long leg over his knees and settling into his lap. She was completely naked under the robe as she always was, but it remained tied at her waist and she offered the mug to him. "It went cold over an hour ago Andro." She stated. "Even I could smell that. You need to take a break."

Andro took the mug with his right hand while dropping his left to her hip. Sadi adjusted herself slightly and became comfortable as she stared at him. He took a long sip of the coffee and took a deep breath. "There is… there is so much to do." He said. "Deployment reports. Logistics. Fleet Readiness Reports." He shook his head. "I feel overwhelmed Sadi." He looked at her. "Do you think my father felt this way during the Evolli War?"

Sadi shook her head. "No. Your father knows he has men and women who are trained to do these things better than he can and he lets them. He concentrates on his strengths and he lets others do their jobs and complement his weaknesses."

Andro chuckled softly. "You don't pull any punches do you KertaGai?"

Sadi reached out and traced his jaw with her finger. "You are trying to do too much Andro my love. Everyone knows it but you. You are a tactical and strategic mastermind. That is your strength and that is what you need to concentrate on. Let those who are more skilled than you in other areas do their jobs. They will not let you down."

"Did they put you up to this?" Andro asked.

Sadi shrugged. "Jomann mentioned it but I have seen it for several days now. I wasn't going to say anything until Jomann came to me." Sadi reached out with her hands and placed them on either side on his face leaning forward to put her cheek against his where she inhaled deeply of his lavender and minty scent. She fought back the rush of sexual energy his scent always caused within her and she rubbed her cheek against his reveling in the sensations he could invoke from her. "I know you Androcles Leonidas." She whispered softly pulling her head back until she was staring into his azure eyes. "You do not need to impress anyone with what you know or can do. They know you are not your father Andro, and they believe in you regardless of that."

"I'm… I'm frightened KertaGai." He said softly. "I'm frightened of what I have had to start. This war with the Kavalians for what they have done. I'm frightened of what I… what I am supposed to be and I am frightened of the future."

Sadi nodded. "I know my love." She whispered to him. "I know. You have never shied from the unknown Andro. You have always faced your fears. What is different now?"

"I never had you." He said instantly. "I never had you, or Carisia or Lu'ria or Ne'Veha. Or Caliria." He looked down. "I don't… I don't want to lose any of you. And knowing that what I do could bring harm to any of you… it twists me inside."

"What makes you think you could possibly lose any of us?" Sadi asked him. "That anything you do could hurt us?" She gripped his face tighter. "You listen to me Androcles. There is nothing living or dead that could make us love you or trust you any less than we do. Part of what we all love is the part of you that mourns every time you give an order that costs lives. You don't think we see when your eyes are far away and you are thinking of those who were lost. You can not change who you are my love. You are a Leonidas. A leader. And no great leader in the history of any species became what they were without having to give orders that they regretted or that shamed them. You think of the greater good Andro. You always have. And so has your father. That is why people look at you differently. They see these great leaders of men… but they also see men who are normal. It is what inspires them to greatness."

Andro stared at her jungle green eyes and reached up to stroke her cheek. "Did you ever doubt what you felt for me KertaGai?" He asked softly.

Sadi met his gaze. "Every day." She answered him. "Right up until I saw you once more on that flight line. You were so… so handsome. You smelled delicious… and then I knew that I was truly meant to be with you. With Carisia. All of us. Each of us have felt this Saradasaar. And so has she."

Andro shook his head. "I don't want to talk about that now." He said.

Sadi smiled and rubbed her nose against his. "You will accept it Andro. Just as your other wives and mates have already accepted it. Just has your father has accepted it. But I will not speak of it again right now. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. I don't think it will be as easy as I believe."

Andro leaned forward and set the mug on the table. He then took her face in his hands and stared at her deeply. [I love them all KertaGai. I do. But you command my soul and no one else. You always will.]

Sadi smiled brilliantly. [I know that Saradasaar.] She said. [I have known that since the day you made me your mate.]

Andro buried his face in the valley between her firm breasts and inhaled of her sweet scent deeply as her arms wrapped around his head. [Pen enyla forn KertaGai.] He whispered.

[For pen enyla forn Androcles Leonidas. With every waking breath I take my love.] She answered with a smile. "Let us contact Caliria Andro." She said pulling his head back and looking at him.

"I do not want to pressure her." Andro said.

"Nor do I… but ignoring her completely is too painful and we need to make sure she knows we love her as well." Sadi said.

Andro blinked several times and finally nodded his head. "Yes we do." He rose to his feet making Sadi cry out in surprise when his arms kept her suspended in the air. She wrapped her legs around his waist and laughed as he made his way towards the QCR COM relay.

AUSTROVA

CALIRIA'S APARTMENT

What had she been thinking?

After all she had been through, all she had found, how could she have let this happen like this? Caliria sat in the chair in her room, the thin sheet wrapped around her lithe body, the tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared at the bed. Franklin Adams' form was still there under the sheet and Caliria felt ashamed and guilty for what she had allowed to happen. She didn't trust Franklin Adams when he contacted her. She didn't trust him when he left her that message to meet him. She didn't trust him even after meeting him and hearing what he had to tell her. That his father had found out about them and he had been left with no choice but to go home and try and smooth things over right after their last night together. So very convenient that she had been taken not two days later by the OSG and sold into slavery.

He had been so convincing though when she met him. He even showed her proof of his travel arrangements. He told her he tried for weeks to discover where she had been taken because he was going to come after her himself. He was so very sweet and kind to her, he seemed so happy that she was back and safe. Not once in the days since she had returned had he asked about her work. That should have set her alarm bells to ringing right away for he had pestered her constantly before she had been kidnapped. Even Paga believed he was lying to her after what she had told her. Paga had become such a wonderful friend in so short a time. The Lycavorian Durcunusaan had done exactly as she had promised she would. She was a friend to Caliria in every sense of the word, not trying to steer her in any sort of direction and not even mentioning Androcles once since they had returned.

Androcles.

The tears came harder now as she thought of the most handsome man she had ever met in her entire three hundred plus years of life. He was perfection in every sense of the word; a superb specimen of a man with a physique that shamed every man she had ever been with. A man with the largest manhood she had ever seen, let alone had inside her. Their hours together had washed away every memory of any man she had ever been with. All the pain and shame she had endured, he had sucked right out of her with his passion and love for her. Those exquisite sensations she had felt within his arms had made her cry out for more over and over. And then there was Sadi and the others. Never had she so desired another woman as she desired Sadi and Carisia and Lu'ria and Ne'Veha. Lu'ria's ebony skin and Carisia's smooth petite figure had driven her mad with delight while Sadi's and Ne'Veha's sweet taste left her craving more of them. Those hours with them had been so very perfect. As if she had always belonged with them, belonged to them and they to her.

Caliria cursed herself for not remaining with them. She began to miss them the moment the ship left orbit. And she had no one to blame but herself. Her entire life she had heard nothing but negative things about Lycavorians from her father and so many of her friends and elders. They were savages and beneath the Vanari people. They were uneducated and violent and out of control. Caliria saw the way those Lycavorians from the Protectorate were treated and even though her father shunned her she agreed with it. She agreed with it to try and make him proud of her somehow. To have him accept her because she thought like him about them. It was so simple a thing really, something she had done to try and have her father love her. It did not work as she had hoped but so many years of acting like she had made it difficult to just dismiss it. She had seen Androcles and the others fighting as they rescued her. They showed no mercy or regret for their actions. They fought savagely and took no prisoners, just as her father had always said they would.

Yet they were fighting like that to rescue her. Andro had come to save her. Something no Vanari man would have ever thought of.

It was this inner struggle that caused her to be here. Andro said he wanted her to be with them because it what was she wanted. What she desired. And thinking the way she did insured that would never work. He told her it did not matter to them in the least that she was three hundred years older than him. And as she had discovered, the memories he had within him made him far older than she was. Androcles had told her to return home and come to terms with her feelings and discover what it was she wanted for her future. She had seen the pain in his eyes doing this caused him. It was not something a Lycavorian did to a woman he considered his mate and wife. And she knew that is what Androcles considered her. His wife and mate. She was so very confused given everything that was happening and she had betrayed that love. She felt a surge of anger through her that Franklin would take advantage of her as he had, but then she had allowed him to. Caliria had allowed him to coerce her back into bed with memories of the times they had shared before. She had thought she had been in love with Franklin before all of this had happened and Caliria had allowed herself to be wooed by him to try and discover that again. Cursing herself once more Caliria knew it had been no different than before. Franklin did not even remotely come close to Androcles in bed, in either skill, size or what he made her feel. All during the act of Franklin pleasuring himself with her, Caliria felt like she was somehow betraying Androcles and Sadi and the others, but she did nothing to stop it. She even had to force her Alkay to secrete for she felt nothing for Franklin anymore and this she quickly discovered during the act.

By the Prophets how she wanted to feel his powerful arms around her once more. To feel their lips on her skin.

The chirping of her COM array drew her attention and caused Franklin to stir on the bed. She wiped her tears from her eyes and quickly rose to her feet, crossing the room in front of the large bay window where the sun was beginning to rise in the sky. She stopped in front of her terminal and assuming the transmission was from her father because he always called at this time since they had returned in order to exchange information, she stabbed her finger down on the panel and activated the array.

"Father I am rather busy at the moment!" She snapped as Franklin began to sit up in the bed. "Perhaps you could…" Caliria looked up and her green eyes flew open in shock and horror as she saw the two people within the transmission. Sadi stood just in front of Andro in the transmission, both of them smiling brightly. "Sadi! Androcles!"

"Inamarno do not be angry with us!" Sadi spoke quickly. "We only want to let you know that we are thinking of you and…" Sadi's words died out and her jungle green eyes grew wider at what she saw, as did Andro's beautiful azure colored orbs.

Caliria saw those azure orbs flash through the spectrum of emotions in a fleeting instant and he moved closer to the transmission as he saw Franklin. With wide eyes Caliria tried to interpose her body in front of the monitor. "Androcles! Sadi! I can explain!" She stammered. "I can…"

"Caliria…" Franklin Adams spoke now as he came fully awake. "Who is it?"

Andro's eyes narrowed as Caliria could not block the entire view of Franklin getting out of the bed completely naked and then looking at what Caliria was wearing. Andro was not a stupid man by far and his azure orbs centered on her. "I… I see that you have… that you have made your decision Inamarno." His voice quivered with a combination of anger and savage pain.

"Androcles… it's not what it appears!" Caliria felt foolish for even saying something so stupid.

"It is not what it appears?" Andro snapped. "I see it did not take you long to make your decision Caliria Re Mydala. I would have thought I had earned the right to have you tell me to my face instead of discovering it this way."

"Androcles please… listen to me!" Caliria pleaded. "I…"

"You… you are my mate and my wife!" Andro snarled. "And this is what you are doing behind my back? Why would… why would you betray me so? Why would you… why would you hurt me like this? What have I done to deserve this Caliria?"

Andro watched as Franklin Adams came up behind Caliria still naked and slid his arms around her waist. "Good morning." He said in a husky voice as he intentionally leaned over and kissed her neck.

Caliria twisted away from his grasp. "Franklin stop!" She snapped at him.

"Arrgghhh!" Andro screamed within the transmission and turned to walk out of the room.

"Androcles wait!" Caliria called after his image. "Let me… let me explain!"

"How… how do you explain this Inamarno?" Sadi asked softly. Her green eyes were moist with tears.

"Sadi please… I…" Caliria gasped.

"Caliria who is this?" Franklin asked as he stepped around her and exposed himself proudly. "One of the friends you made while you were in the Union?"

Sadi's fangs burst forth now, her jungle green eyes changing as well as she glared at Franklin. "I am not talking to you stupid little man!" She snarled. "And you are not impressive in the least so cover that tiny thing you call your cock fool or I will cut it off if I ever see you in person."

Adams' face changed immediately and he stepped back out of the transmission.

"Sadi please!" Caliria pleaded as she pushed Franklin out of the transmission even more. "Sadi I can… I can explain this!"

"We thought your feelings for us ran deeper than they obviously do Inamarno." Sadi spoke harshly as she turned her eyes back on Caliria. "But to do this… without even telling us. To let Andro see you with another man before you told him your decision. That is a betrayal of the highest kind as his wife and mate."

Caliria let the anger at herself overrule her response and her own eyes narrowed. "I did not ask to be his mate!" She screamed. "I never agreed to that!"

Sadi's eyes were wide now. "Inamarno… how can you say that?" She gasped angrily. "You knew what… you knew how we felt for you! We do not… contrary to what your father may believe Caliria Re Mydala, we are not rutting beasts and we do not fuck everyone we see! When you came to us willing… you became our wife and mate that night! You knew that even with all the doubts in your mind! And now you have betrayed that without the simple common courtesy of telling us first!"

"Sadi please…" Caliria whined. "I… I need to…"

Sadi shook her head. "No. No more talking. You have made your decision very clear now. We have seen that." She reached up to the transmission on her end. "We wish you all the very best in your future Caliria Re Mydala."

"Sadi wait!" Caliria pleaded.

"Goodbye Inamarno! We will always love you… but we will never forgive you for this." Sadi stated just before she ended the transmission and the monitor went black.

"Sadi no!" Caliria screamed out trying to get her back.

Adams stepped forward. "Forget them Caliria." He spoke. "They are animals just like your father says. They…!"

"GET OUT!" Caliria roared as she whirled on him. "Get out of my home! Get out of my life! This is your fault!"

"Caliria… you…"

Caliria was crazed with anger now and she shoved him with all her strength. Franklin went teetering backwards and slammed into the wall painfully. He grunted and caught his balance.

"What the fuck!" He shouted. "What is your problem? After last night…"

Caliria stepped closer to him, balling her hands into fists. "Last night was a mistake!" She barked at him viciously. "I have no feelings for you Franklin! Last night was a mistake do you hear me! I love him! I love them! And I have lost them because of you!"

"I didn't force you to jump into the rack with me!" Adams protested. "I love you Caliria! You know that!"

"You lie!" Caliria screamed. "Get out! Get out now!"

Adams took a step towards her. "Caliria I…" He froze when he felt the cold metal of a weapon placed to his head.

"She told you to leave." Paga growled as she held the K12 to Adams' temple wearing only her sleeping shirt and having come from across the apartment at the sound of Caliria scream not for Androcles to leave. "I suggest you do what she asks."

"No!" Adams snapped. "I will not leave!"

Paga used her thumb to jack back the old fashioned hammer on the K12 and pressed the barrel harder to his temple. "You will leave Eridiani, or they will find what is left of the frontal lobe of your brain somewhere in the river that runs nearby. They will never find your body."

Adams looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Ah fuck this!" He snarled and reached for his clothes.

Paga watched as he pulled his pants on and then began walking for the exit as he pulled on his shirt. "I will call you later Caliria." He spoke.

Paga shook her head. "Not likely." She said.

"Just leave Franklin!" Caliria snapped. "Just leave!"

Adams grunted in disgust and stabbed his hand down on the door control panel, moving through even before it had fully opened. Paga lowered her weapon and turned to look at Caliria. "Princess?" She gasped.

Caliria looked at her as she staggered to the chair and flopped into it. "What… what have I done Paga?" Caliria asked with tear filled eyes.

Paga moved in front of her. "He saw him didn't he?" Paga asked.

Caliria looked at her. "I didn't check to see who was calling me first. I didn't check like I always do and the identifier didn't work! Paga… I let that pig have me last night and Andro saw him get out of my bed! He saw him! The look… the look on his face was…"

Paga took her hands. "Caliria… he considered you his mate." She said softly.

"He never… he never asked me Paga!" Caliria stammered lifting her eyes to look at her. "I…"

Paga shook her head. "When you give yourself to a Lycavorian in such a way. Physically as well as within Mindvoice… that is essentially saying yes Caliria. Yu swam within his thoughts yes?"

Caliria looked at her with wide tear filled eyes. "I… I didn't know that! I saw so much of who he is! I…" She gasped. "By the Prophets I didn't know that!"

Paga nodded her head. "Considering why you returned here I am not surprised." She said softly.

"Why… why didn't you stop me?" Caliria gasped. "Why did you let me do…?"

"You came home to discover what it is you want in your life Caliria Re Mydala." Paga said. "You came home to discover what you believed. It was not my place to interfere in that."

Caliria looked at her. "I've… I've lost them Paga! I've lost them! The only place I… the only place I found true love and peace was in their arms. His arms. I've lost that now!"

Paga squeezed her hands tightly. "What does your heart want Caliria Re Mydala?" She asked. "What does your heart want above all else?"

Caliria looked at her with tear filled eyes. "I… I don't… I don't know anymore." She sobbed.

Paga nodded and rose to her full height pulling Caliria with her. "Then let me help you." She said.

Caliria looked at her. "What? How?"

"Get dressed." Paga told her. "We have two people to talk to and I want to show you something."

"Paga… I…" Caliria began.

Paga looked at her and smiled warmly. "You are my friend Caliria Re Mydala. You love Androcles Leonidas! You love all of them or you would not be acting in this way. I am going to help you see that!"

"How?" Caliria asked.

Paga smiled. "By putting your trust in me."