Iron Gray Sea: Destroyermen by Taylor Anderson Read Free Book Online Page B

like the Empire very much, and you really need to make a good impression on her.”
    “You think I should ride a . . . flying machine?” Forester asked, eyes widening. His aide, Lieutenant Bachman, began to form a protest, but Forester gently silenced him.
    “Yes, Your Excellency. I do.”
    “Well. Indeed . . .” Forester considered. “Tell me, Captain Reddy: has an Imperial citizen ever ridden one of your flying machines?”
    “Not to my knowledge, Your Excellency. I believe you’d be the first.”
    “Splendid. In that case, I simply must, I suppose.”
    With the meeting adjourned, the wardroom quickly emptied. It was hot in the compartment, even with the portholes open, and the wind direction prevented much air from coming in. The smell of sweat was so all pervasive, no one noticed it anymore. The musty-smelling ’Cats shed all the time, however, and Spanky rocketed up the companionway at the end of the short passage in the middle of a sneezing fit. Even Juan left, herding ahead of him a pair of mess attendants laden with trays of cups. All that remained were Matt and Sandra, smiling comfortably at one another across the wardroom table.
    “We’re alone,” Sandra murmured.
    “Scandalous,” Matt replied with a grin. “I left standing orders that we’re never to be left unsupervised, for the slightest instant.”
    “I guess the whole gang’s on report now,” Sandra said, standing, and walking slowly around the table toward him.
    “Trust me,” Matt warned, mock serious, “they’ll be severely punished.”
    Sandra slid onto the chair beside him and gave him an only mildly inflammatory kiss as his arms went around her.
    “We better get back to work,” he mumbled. “This is exactly why I said we should split up from now on. Can’t have us carrying on like a couple of teenagers all the time.”
    Sandra giggled. “Hey, buster, this is my office!” The wardroom served as a surgery in battle.
    “Then quick: throw me out, woman! Before the crew gets the wrong idea!”
    Sandra giggled again, and Matt smiled. He knew she thought she sounded ridiculous when she did that, but he loved the sound. Finally, she sighed.
    “Gets wise, you mean. Of course, in spite of us trying to fool them, they knew about us before we did.” She snuggled against him. “I feel like a teenager,” she admitted. “I guess you’re right, though,” she added wistfully. “Once we’re married, we’ll see even less of each other than we do now. Even if your silly regulations didn’t prevent mates from serving aboard the same ship, I don’t think that shoebox you call a stateroom would be big enough for both of us.” She kissed him again. “And after we are married, nothing will ever keep us apart again.”
    “When we’re not apart,” Matt added glumly. She knew what he meant.
    “I think you’ll have plenty to look forward to,” she whispered wickedly. “The sailor home from the sea will always be a happy man.”
    He chuckled, but then looked at her. “I’m happy now. Only . . .”
    “Only what?”
    “Well . . . are you absolutely sure you want to go through with it? I mean, it’ll be tough sometimes. Maybe . . . Maybe we should wait until the war’s over, you know.”
    Sandra’s face grew stormy. “Now, you listen to me, Matthew Reddy! You may be king of the sea, but as soon as you asked me to marry you, and even said when , that put me in charge of the whole operation, see?” She smiled, but her eyes were moist. “If you wanted it different, a chance to weasel out later, you shouldn’t have asked me right in front of the Governor-Emperor, half our allies, and all the crew!”
    “I don’t want to weasel out!” he protested.
    “You’d better not. Not only would it make me sore—it might wreck the Alliance! The Governor-Emperor wanted to marry us in New Britain, in the cathedral, with more bells and whistles than any wedding I ever heard of! Even Adar was a little put out that we