Haven 4 AVOW - Sandra R Neeley Page 0,71
not my place to question General Lo'San on his decision to take his female off Command Warship 1.”
“My thoughts exactly. General Lo'San is not a male to question,” Vennie answered.
~~~
The simulator was a large room dedicated to whatever pastime any warrior requested. The home worlds of most of those aboard Command Warship 1 had been programmed in and could be accessed at will. If one was not aware they were in a simulator, they would actually believe they were on their home world. The simulator could provide the appearance, sounds, smells, and feel of any world it had been programmed to simulate. One only had to choose the program they wanted, and allow it a few minutes to revise the structure of the simulated world, then enter it. It could provide unbelievable structures, bodies of water, fields, skies of any color, and the sounds to accompany each.
Lo'San often went there just to be surrounded by the feel of his home world, but today, he actually had someone to play the game he’d entered into the simulator’s data base long ago. He’d stopped playing it alone — it wasn’t much of a challenge without someone to play against. Today, though, Lo'San was not holding back. He’d already raced to the top of the cliffs after climbing a rock wall to reach the Ru’geel’s nesting area, and was now on his way back. He’d only climbed halfway down the rock wall that simulated the cliffs of Eschina. He turned and dropped the rest of the way to the ground, then ran wading through an expanse of water before eventually charging up the gentle rise of the hill deemed neutral territory and planting his sword in the highest rise there.
“Again!” Lau'San shouted, laughing good-naturedly as he followed Lo'San up the hill only a few moments later. “You win again!”
“I was taught by the best!” Lo'San said, laughing and smiling himself.
“The Cruestaci are a very adept people,” Lau'San said, nodding for affirmation.
“I meant you, Father. You taught me long before I ever trained with the Cruestaci. I would never have achieved all I have had you not prepared me in my youth for greater things than even I ever imagined,” Lo'San said.
Lau'San nodded and hugged his son. “I am so pleased with your life choices, Lo'San. No matter our customs, I cannot help but be proud of the path you’ve forged. It is something I’d have never had the strength to do. But you, you have never faltered. You saw another way, a better way for yourself, and you never stopped.”
“Thank you, Father. That means more to me than you will ever know.”
“Now,” Lau'San said, patting Lo'San on the shoulder. “Another game? We’ve been playing all day, and I have yet to win one!”
“And you won’t win one!” Lo'San shouted, as he took off at a full run for the cliff they’d just climbed down.
Chapter 19
Ko'San stepped off the transport after it docked on the United Consortium Defense Satellite Station. He glanced around and made his way toward an older male who stepped toward him just slightly and beckoned for his attention. The male was dressed in a deep purple colored uniform with a loose white robe flowing from his shoulders. The robe indicated that this was an ambassador, not a military male. Which made Ko'San relax a bit. He felt surely Lo'San would have had more interaction with the military class than the diplomatic class.
“General Lo'San! Welcome,” the male called out. “I am Ambassador Karel. How may I be of service?” he asked, his gaze obviously lingering on Synclare in Ko’San’s arms. “Have your men freed yet more females?”
“Not exactly. This is, or was, my female. She has made the decision to return to her home planet, and I’ve given my word to comply with her wishes. She often becomes distraught over travel, so she’s been sedated for the trip. I want secure quarters for her to rest in, and request that she be returned to her planet — Earth — on the first available transport.”
“Of course, we can arrange that, General, but I wonder why you didn’t make arrangements with Consul Kol Ra’ Don Tol to have her returned directly to Earth. He is of your crew originally, is he not?”
“I cannot be away from Command Warship 1 for the length of time it would take to return her to Earth, and it is not safe to have her sedated for that length of time. I am instead entrusting her to you