Knights of Desire [Flights of Fancy 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read Free Page B

Lieutenant Talbert. The sensors identified this small cluster of people, but it wasn't until they landed that anyone noticed the people were armed. Sort of.
    Shane saw no weapon more advanced than an axe. Two men stood closest to the landing site, and one held a long, nasty-looking sword while the other had only a small knife. Other men hid in the brush around the area, and most had swords, but a few had mace-like clubs or battle-axes.
    Talbert sighed. As senior diplomat for the mission, he was in nominal command of the landing craft, but Shane was in charge until she assured the safety of the crew. "It's your call, Sergeant."
    None of the weapons she could see or that the scans detected posed any threat to an armed and armored Marine. "I'll go out with a couple of men and see what the situation is. You and the rest stay here until I give the all clear." She turned to the pilot. "If things get crazy, you lift off and wait for me to call."
    The pilot nodded.
    Talbert frowned deeply. "You're not trained to talk to these people."
    "Neither are you, Lieutenant. This first-contact stuff is new for all of us, and every one is a whole new game."
    "You've got a point there." He paused, his brow knitted in thought. "Alright, just remember that the number-one cause of conflict is misunderstanding what the other person says. You'll be using the electronic translators, so there may be a good deal of that."
    "Don't worry. I won't shoot until they shoot at me first." Shane turned to the waiting Marines. "Degnan and Crosby come with me." She nodded to the crewman at the airlock controls. "Pass us through."
     
    * * * *
     
    Clemmons heard the other men moving slowly through the brush around where he and Landis stood watching the strange thing that had landed before them. The men did what they had to do despite their fear of the unknown and the terror the dragons rained on them daily. Their steadfastness spoke well of their training and bravery.
    Clemmons tried to think of something to say, but he had no idea what it might be. They could only watch and wait for now. They needed more information about this odd object, but suddenly, the time to wait had ended. A small puff of steam or dust came from the side of the object, and a series of lines in the shape of a door appeared in the smooth, mirror-like skin of the thing. A small ramp grew from the flank like a living limb to reach the ground.
    A small figure stepped through the door to stand at the top of the ramp, and the motion pulled his gaze from the extending ramp. It was the figure of a woman. Other than the large globes that marked her breasts, he had no way to tell it was a woman, because she wore a suit of solid black, so dark that it seemed to suck the light from the air and gave no reflection. The total absence of reflection from the suit contrasted starkly with the mirror-like surface of the object that brought her here. The suit covered her from her neck to her toes and ran down both arms to the tips of her fingers. A helmet that looked separate from the suit covered her head, and a dark visor hid her face.
    In her hands was a club or large stick, though Clemmons knew instantly it was a weapon, probably far more dangerous than a simple club. Her head swiveled around, looking in all directions, and, after a minute, she gave a funny motion with the fingers of her left hand.
    As if on command, two more figures darted from the door and ran down the ramp, taking up positions on either side. The door closed instantly, and the woman moved slowly toward the ground.
    The other figures kept the same vigil as the woman, but they were obviously men. Much larger than the woman, they were nonetheless under her command. And the military image was exactly right. These were soldiers, perhaps knights from some other, unknown kingdom.
    The object was a ship of some kind that sailed not on water but through the air. Like any ship, this one was only a tool, a piece of technology, though vastly superior