The Last Hero by Nathaniel Danes Read Free Book Online

“Sorry.”
    “I know. I’ve started to make my peace with it. It is what it is. Right?” Madison turned around, revealing two full glasses of red wine.
    “That’s what they say.”
    She approached Trent, handing him a glass and raising hers.
    “To a short but happy marriage. May we both find love again.”   
    They touched the glasses together. The clink when they met reminded him of their wedding, of the promises they’d made that day, of what he was losing.
    Madison downed her wine in one gulp.
    “Easy there sailor. This isn’t a race.”
    She flashed him a mischievous grin.
    Trent stepped behind Madison to grab the bottle. He was about to turn around to refill her empty glass when a soft, barely audible thud reached his nano enhanced ears.
    He turned to find Madison standing completely naked, the robe a half circle of white cloth pooled around her feet.
    Her piercing eyes radiated lust.
    “Ummm...ma, Madison, what are you doing?” Trent struggled to say through his suddenly dry mouth.
    She didn’t say a word. Her body’s seductive movements, and the look in her hungry eyes said more than any words could. 
    She pressed her exposed body against his and reached around his neck to bring their lips together. Trent lost himself in the moment when she pushed on his head to walk his mouth down to take one of her waiting nipples, causing her to tip her head back and exhale with pleasure. 
    He effortlessly lifted her off her feet and she wrapped her legs around him. A few hurried strides later, they collapsed on top of the bed, paying no attention to the ad-hoc work station.
    They spent the night making love. During which Madison was more than pleasantly taken by surprise at the benefits of a nano-assisted erection.
    He wished the night could have lasted forever. At last, the rising sun peeking through the hotel window announced the new day.
    The day Trent would leave for war.  
    ***
    The legionnaires said their good-byes in an aircraft hangar out of view of the assembled world media. The depressing scene of tearful farewells between parents, spouses, and children would not have made for good PR.
    Trent stood between Anna and Madison, holding each of their hands. With each passing second, Anna’s little fingers gripped harder, as if she could keep her father from leaving through sheer will. By now, Madison and Anna’s red and swollen eyes were largely cried out.
    General Fairbanks stepped around the corner and stood in the large hanger door. In a booming voice, he declared, “It’s time.”
    The unit formed ranks.
    Trent knelt down where Anna could throw her arms around his neck. She pulled against him tight and started crying again. Tears rolled down his face as he whispered, “I love you more than you can understand. I’m sorry.”
    Her cries downed out his soft words.                            
    After a minute, Trent summoned all of his strength to break free of her hold. Standing, he shared a look with Madison. She wrapped him in a loving, warm hug.  
    This time she did the whispering, “Remember what I told you. Make them pay.”
    He pulled away, nodding as he placed his hand on Anna’s sobbing head.
    “I’ll see you both again someday. I promise.” The words bound him to a promise he wasn’t sure he could keep.
    Trent took his place at the head of the phalanx and led his unit out into the unknown.
    On the way out of the hanger, he caught a brief look of the Kitright Ambassador, mingling with the human political elite. From the moment he saw one as a child when they first arrived, he thought they looked like common house cats on hind legs. Their tan colored fur, amber eyes, and tail left little else for a terrestrial comparison.
    For a fraction of a second, they locked eyes. Trent felt a cold shiver run up his spine.

Chapter 7: The Voyage
     
    T he orbital shuttle performed a slow flyover of the Commerce . It was an aptly named cargo ship designed to facilitate