Retired- Chapter Three – Praetorian Guard

“Grace, I have decided to take the position with the Praetorian Guard.”

“I knew you would.”

“I feel like I am betraying you by taking it.”

Grace rolled over in my arms and looked into my eyes. “Drake, I knew this day would come. You are not the marrying kind. You are already married to your career.”

“You have been more than a friend. You have been a piece of my life. If I could take you with me I would…”

Grace placed her finger on my lips. “Don’t say it, Drake. You will break my heart. Just give me tonight, then we will part as friends.”

I pulled her to me and kissed her with all the passion in my soul. Her naked body was pressed to mine and I could feel her respond. We had been together for five years and the fire was still as bright as that first time.

Her hands began to caress my chest. The touch of her body on mine always excited me. She started to slide down my body but I stopped her. Tonight it was all about her. I kissed my way down her delightful body. When I arrived at her garden, I began slowly. I kissed and suckled on the skin of her upper thighs. Slowly making circles around the center of her delight. Each circle was smaller than the last as I zeroed in on my target.

Her hands twisted into my hair as she whimpered her passion. I could feel her rising higher and higher, as I worked her body into a supercharged state. She knew what was coming but she was helpless to stop me. On my fourth or fifth time around her body started to quiver like the string on a violin. I continued until she was as tight as a bowstring and vibrating like a tuning fork.

I sucked her clit into my mouth and flicked it with my tongue. Her legs slammed shut on my head to the point of pain. I pushed two fingers into her flower and her back arched high. Her scream of release was music to my ears. Her flavor was like the sweetest honey. I continued to push her through her climax until she was begging me to stop. “Please, Drake, I am so tight you are making me cramp.”

I released her clit and she fell to the bed like a collapsed building. I ran my tongue along her slit and tasted the wonderful flow of her body. When she started to relax, I flicked her clit with my tongue. Her back arched and she screamed again. She pulled on my hair trying to get me off of the object of my desire.

Once again I let her go. Then I lifted her legs upward and plunged my tongue into her rear entrance. Her legs quivered in my grasp with every flick of my tongue.

She finally managed to get her legs out of my grasp and lay them out wide. This cut off my access to her rear so I sucked her clit into my mouth again. She screamed out and yanked my hair so hard I had to follow her guidance up her body.

I smiled as I lay on top of her. I was in the perfect position. One hard thrust and I would be buried inside her body. I thrust into her. Her moan was a thing of beauty. It told me how much she enjoyed what she had felt. I began to drive into her with passion. Her legs wrapped around my waist as she started to pull me into her harder.

When her orgasm made her legs fall away, I rolled us over, putting her on top. She smiled down at me and began to control the pace. She slowly built up speed and power as she rode me like I was the last man in the galaxy.

Our orgasm came together as we both moaned out our pleasure.

In the afterglow of our sex, I lay spooned up against her. Her head was on my arm and I could feel the wet splatters on my skin. She must have thought I was asleep. I let her have her secret. I let her tears fall without comment.

It was three weeks later when my shuttle landed on earth. This was the imperial home world. I was in my dress blacks even though I hated how people had to react to my medals. I was here to report as the newest recruit for the Praetorian Guard. The commanding officer had requested I wear my dress blacks.

I immediately headed to the post command office. I watched the normal soldiers on the post as they snapped to attention and saluted. I returned each salute crisply. When I entered the air-conditioned office, the soldier behind the reception desk snapped to attention.

“Soldier, we are inside a building. Saluting is not required for casual contact.”

“Sir, yes, sir. Military regulation requires salute to a IMoH recipient at all times. You are displaying four of them.”

I returned his salute. This is why I hated my dress blacks. “I am here to see the post commander.”

“She is expecting you, sir. Her office is at the end of the hall.”

“Thank you, lieutenant.” I headed down the hall returning salutes as I passed offices.

When I knocked on the post commander’s door I heard a female voice call out. “Enter at your own risk!”

I chuckled and opened the door. I stepped three paces into the office and saluted. “Colonel Daemon reporting for duty.”

The grey haired woman behind the desk was already saluting when I arrived. “General Daemon, you are in the wrong uniform. Here pin these on.” She tossed me a small velvet box with star pins in it. “You are being given command of the Silver group. The emperor gave orders to promote you on arrival. Your primary is the Princess Astalynn Rythan Melcoir.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” I said as I changed my rank insignia.

“I am Grand Marshal Pralla Waynscott. Welcome to the Praetorian Guard.”

“Ma’am, I request permission to ditch my dress blacks before reporting to my unit.”

“Permission denied. I want some of these soldiers to see what a real soldier looks like. Most of this post are ceremonial troops and they wouldn’t know combat if it killed them. The Praetorians are the only combat veterans here. You can dress down after inspecting your group.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, with a little disappointment in my voice.

She actually laughed. “If you didn’t want to wear them, you shouldn’t have earned them.”

“They weren’t my idea, ma’am.”

“I have read your file. You earned every one of them. Can we drop the ‘ma’am’ and ‘sir’ thing in private? My name is Pralla. Relax and take a seat.”

“Thank you,” I said, with a smile of relief. I sat down. “Call me Drake.”

“Thank you, Drake. We at the Praetorian Guard become more of a family. We are not allowed to marry so we are the only family most of us have. Off-duty, we ignore rank. We don’t even divide the officers and enlisted clubs. We ignore the anti-fraternization rules inside the unit. The emperor gives us this because our lives could become very lonely otherwise.”

“How are the living conditions?”

“We live in a luxury apartment building inside the compound. Under normal conditions, you are on duty eight hours and off sixteen. Under travel conditions, you are on duty twenty-four seven. We are planning on having a welcome party tonight in your honor. It is plainclothes in the club. Please join us and get to know us under free-time conditions.”

“It would be my honor, Pralla.”

“One other thing — when we are in the public eye, we are on duty. No non-professional behavior then.”

“Understood.”

“Go scare the shit out of your unit. Dismissed.”

I walked across the compound toward the building my unit used as a headquarters. The Praetorian Guard was divided into three sections. There was the Platinum unit, which was responsible for the emperor. It consisted of one company of soldiers. The Gold unit was responsible for the heir apparent. It also consisted of one company. The last was the Silver unit, which was responsible for all other members of the royal family. It consisted of four companies at this time. There were only two packages, the emperor’s wife and the prince’s wife, but it maintained two spare units. The spare units were used to rotate in and out and to pre-secure the areas for travel.

Each company had a support group on the base, which consisted of a full battalion of soldiers. Traditionally, these units were mostly ceremonial. They almost never encountered combat.

I was put in charge of the second silver company. I did not know how I had jumped from a field soldier to being in charge of the company. I knew this was going to cause friction. Some of these men and women had been in service for twenty years. This was my first day. I would be an outsider to them.

My arm was exhausted by the time I reached the building. I must have saluted a thousand times. I approached the wall around my new office and saw men standing inside.

“Attention! General on the deck!”, a voice shouted over the normal noise level. I walked through the gate to see five companies of men in full formation and dress uniforms.

I walked to the senior colonel in charge and saluted. As one man the entire formation returned my salute. “Colonel J’thob, I know the men are expecting an inspection. We would not want to disappoint them, would we?”

The colonel chuckled lightly. “Sir, your men are ready for review.”

I walked slowly along the lines of men and nit picked the hell out of uniforms. It was customary. Once the men were inspected, I resumed my position in front of the formation. “My name is Brigadier General Drake Daemon. I have clawed my way through the mud, blood, and bullets to get here today. My door is always open to the men and women under my command. If you have a problem with me in any way, you are to bring it to me. I do not accept muttered complaints. Come to me and voice your complaint like a soldier.

“I will be conducting interviews with the company over the next two weeks. I want to know the soldiers who will be standing at my side when we have to fight. You will notice I said ‘at my side’. I do not believe a soldier can be led from the rear. You are not horses — you are men and women. You deserve the simple respect of a leader who is willing to die beside you to get the job done.”

I paused to let my words soak in a bit. “Unit, dismissed!”

I was sitting in my office. It had taken me all of ten minutes to unpack my small box of personal effects. My door was open and the senior colonel walked in.

“Colonel Daggun J’thob, reporting, sir,” he said, with a crisp salute.

I stood and returned his salute. “Relax, Colonel. This is an informal interview. Take a seat and let’s talk.” Once he was seated, I started my questions. “How long have you been with the Praetorian Guard?”

“Twenty-five years, sir.”

“I assume you were a combat soldier prior to your being asked to join the PG?”

“Yes, sir, I spent sixteen years in combat service.”

“Very good. What is your feeling on the men under my command? How many of them would survive combat if they were thrust into it?”

“The PG is all composed of combat veterans. Most have survived multiple engagements. The support soldiers are all non-combat. They are all logistics and maintenance soldiers. I would give most of them a very limited chance of survival.”

“You and I are going to change that. I want every soldier under my command to retire alive. I hate writing condolence letters.”

“There will likely be a lot of grumbling over that, sir.”

“Drop the ‘sir’ and just talk to me.