Marcus Of Duros Ch 05

Authors Note:

Sorry it took me so long to get this next part out everyone. I will try to be more timely in the future. As always, comments, critique, and suggestions are welcome.

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As the knock on the door echoed into the kitchen Marcus heard Chloe's voice cut off abruptly.

Her nervous mutterings about a variety of mundane tasks she wanted to finish had sounded completely foreign to him. He thought he had even heard her say a few minutes ago that she wanted to water the plants before everyone arrived. Why their guests should be concerned for the status of their house plants was beyond him, but clearly it made sense to her somehow.

Chloe poked her head out of the kitchen as their guests knocked on the door again. "Aren't you going to get the door Marcus?" Chloe asked, the skin around her eyes taut, as if she were trying to conceal her nervousness.

"I thought I would let them sweat for a minute or two." Marcus answered, his eyes glinting with barely concealed mirth.

"Well don't do that, it's just rude!" Chloe exclaimed, calling his bluff and heading towards the door to answer it herself.

"All right, all right, I'm coming," Marcus answered, "but you know, if you opened the door without me and said that Commander Crassus had moved to an apartment down the hall, they might get rather confused. Could be fun to watch."

"We couldn't do that to them Marcus." Chloe responded her nervousness abating slightly and giving way to amusement. "They are expecting good company, and all you want to do it trick them. What kind of compassionate commander are you?" She finished, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Marcus began to make his witty retort, but she cut him off.

"Don't answer that. Answer the more important question: How do I look?" She said spinning around to twirl her long skirt.

"Lovely, as usual." Marcus answered with a wink.

Turning to the foyer he took her hand in his and walked to the door. The knock rang out again, and unable to contain himself Marcus looked through the peephole. Outside he saw his Captains with their wives on their arms. The women seemed unconcerned by the lack of response from the apartment, but he saw his men shooting each other curious glances.

Marcus turned to look at Chloe who was watching him expectantly, waiting for him to answer the door. Still looking at her, he called out in his sternest voice. "Who is it?!"

Chloe's eyes narrowed with suspicion. By her expression he could clearly see she was wondering what he was planning to say next.

From behind the door he heard Jarrod's voice. "Uhhhhh, Captains Jarrod, Phillips, Anastasi and Kriger. Commander Crassus, Sir."

Still looking at Chloe, Marcus decided to take his joke to the next level.

"Clearance code?" He called out in the same tone.

Chloe's eyes shot open as her hand clapped over her mouth, her eyes betraying her laughter despite her covered mouth. Quickly looking through the peephole he saw Jarrod's confusion as he stuttered and looked at the other captains. The wives smiled at each other, their amusement contrasting starkly with their husbands confusion. Apparently his little joke was transparent to them, but had worked perfectly on their husbands.

Before Jarrod could attempt to answer he briskly opened the door; the men's confusion still plastered to their faces.

"I would have accepted 'open sesame,' or 'we brought expensive wine.'" Marcus said, laughing openly at their confusion.

"Marcus was that a joke?" Jarrod asked from the front of the group.

"Yes Jarrod, I obviously do not require some sort of password from you, and I'm very well aware of who you are." Marcus replied, still smiling, tapping the peephole significantly.

"I don't think you've ever played a practical joke on us before Sir. Not that I can remember." Jarrod answered bemusedly.

"Well," Marcus answered casually, "this past week has been one of firsts to be sure."

Smiling at them he reached out and shook each of his Captain's hands and invited them in. Leading them into the foyer he stopped next to Chloe, who had been concealed by the door.

"Gentlemen allow me to present my wife Chloe. Chloe, this is Captain Jarrod. Captain Philips, and his wife Sophia. Captain Anastasi, his wife Valentina, and finally Captain Krieger, and Dorthea."

Each of captains shook her hand respectfully, their wives embracing Chloe and kissing her cheek. Marcus only barely had time to glimpse Chloe's face, flushed from the warm greetings, before Sophia, Valentina, and Dorthea caught hold of her hands and whisked her away to the kitchen.

"Sophia, I had no idea the Commander was such a trickster." Valentina said, laughing as the crossed through the living room.

"Neither did I apparently." Chloe responded, looking over her shoulder and glaring teasingly back at Marcus, still surrounded by his captains.

Once the women entered the kitchen their voices became less intelligible, and he could not longer make out what they were discussing. Marcus had expected that the women would be excited to meet Chloe, and as such the fact that they had rushed away with her as soon as they had been introduced did not surprise him. Inviting his officer's into the living room, they took their usual seats.

This was not the first time he had had his captains over for dinner. As a matter of fact he enjoyed having his friends over for dinner quite often. When they were not on a campaign he would invite them over at least once a week. As such they each had their favorite spots in the large living room.

The living room was quite spacious, and was furnished with several couches as well as a couple of easy chairs. A large overstuffed armchair near his bookshelf was Marcus's favorite spot. Jarrod for his part took the other easy chair situated near the passageway that led to the kitchen. He always contended that it was the most comfortable, but Marcus suspected that he did not wish to take an entire couch to himself, unmarried as he was. Krieger always took one of the couches. He preferred the long couch nearest to the foyer that allowed him to remove his shoes and stretch out lengthwise. Anastasi preferred the second couch in the room; the loveseat that faced the kitchen with a small ottoman to support his feet, his shoes similarly removed. Taking up the last piece of furniture, Phillips sat comfortably on the final couch that faced Krieger's and the passageway to the foyer.

As each man sat down a they let out a contented sigh. They said not a word to each other, but merely enjoyed the pleasant comfort of their favorite spots. Soon; however, conversation started, predictably hinging on Chloe.

"So," Anastasi said finally, "She's only here a couple days and already you're thawing out from a hard-ass into a practical joker."

Anastasi was smiling, letting Marcus know that he was only teasing, but he knew that his words mirrored what the rest were thinking.

"Yes, it would seem so." Marcus answered, blushing slightly at his previous behavior.

"Well it's about time, wouldn't you say fellows?" Anastasi guffawed.

Captain Anastasi was one of the most jovial men in Marcus's battalion. His ancestors had made the long journey south from Little Italy in the now abandoned city of New York. Proud of their heritage his forefathers had always married Italian women, and as such his family was not subject to the blending of ethnicity that was now commonplace in Durosian society. His family's case was rare, as the Lords of Duros had always encouraged a melting pot mentality, hoping to cut down on issues of racism, xenophobia, and genetic disorders that had caused difficulty in society before the war.

Following their example, Anastasi himself had selected the most Italian woman he could find in the forum. His wife, Valentina was uncommonly beautiful. So much so that it was surprising really that she had not been married to someone at the behest of the Lords themselves.

Valentina's skin was a delicate olive tone, complementing her dark hair and brown eyes. Her figure was soft and curvy, with a chest that was slightly too large for Marcus's taste, but evidently suited Anastasi's perfectly. The two made an excellent couple, as well as being best of friends they were clearly deeply in love with each other. Certainly they were not afraid to be affectionate in public, often to the embarrassment of Krieger, who was a polar opposite of Anastasi.

Captain Krieger for his part was extremely reserved. His tall lanky form and his usual dispassionate expression made him appear ill-humored. Marcus knew, however, that behind his dark exterior hid an extremely intelligent mind.

Krieger was perhaps the smartest man Marcus had ever met. He was a brilliant tactician, often foreseeing changes in the enemy formation that Marcus himself could not have predicted. Despite this, his greatest downfall was his introversion. He never spoke more than was necessary, made few friends, and often was perceived as a cold, uncaring man.

Unable to deny his military brilliance however, the Lords of Duros had promoted him to captain, but had "suggested" that he leave the actual captaining to his lieutenants and spend most of his time at headquarters devising strategy. This suited Krieger just fine; content as he was to expend his energy using his brain rather than his brawn, as he had never been a successful soldier. He wore only wore two silver cords over his shoulder, indicating a kill count of 20. A small number, comparatively speaking, for a captain.

Krieger's relationship with his wife was the real puzzle. Shortly after Marcus took command of the battalion he had announced that he was getting married. This came as quite a shock to the men, who had never seen Krieger have any sort of interest in women, or any human being regardless of gender for that matter. Why he chose the woman he did was a mystery to many as well, although it made perfect sense to those who really knew Krieger.

His wife Dorthea was a very small woman. Standing only one and a half meters tall she was easily dwarfed by Krieger's imposing two plus meters. Mirroring Krieger's slim build, Marcus estimated that Dorthea could only weigh about 100 pounds soaking wet. Her athletic body was none the less attractive, and what she lacked in height she made up for with personality.

Dorthea was the most bubbly woman Marcus had ever met. He had never seen her in a bad mood. Ever enthusiastic and full of ideas, she lit up the room with her presence. Her personality richly contrasted with Krieger's, and that was probably for the best Marcus reasoned. He could hardly imagine what it would be like if Krieger had married a woman exactly like him. A drag, Marcus concluded, chuckling silently to himself.

Phillips and Sophia's relationship was positively boring in comparison to Anastasi or Krieger's. They were fairly average people. Phillips was a kind, steadfast person, but he never really left a strong impression in a person's mind like Anastasi or Krieger would. Sophia was similar; pleasant to look at, and intelligent, but without any qualities of note. While unremarkable, their marriage seemed to work well and they were the rocks that bound the group together. Simply a pair of steady, dependable people.

There was one thing that made their relationship interesting to some. While Anastasi and Valentina had several children, five at Marcus's last count, Phillips and Sophia had never been able to have children. Finally after years of trying they had registered to adopt a child.

In Duros adoption was unusual. Deaths of men in the Legion were expected, but women were not allowed to participate in combat and as such they did not often die prematurely. In the event that a father died in combat, his wife would receive a pension and a home to live in and raise their children. Despite this, each year there were several children whose parents had both died, their father usually from fighting abroad, and their mother by accident or the infrequent disease.

John was one such child. Phillips and Sophia had adopted him several years ago when he was two years old. Initially the loss had been difficult for the young boy and there had been considerable friction between himself and his new parents. Eventually everything smoothed out, and now they were a very close family.

Tonight John was home with one of the other couples in the company. Typically if a family needed a babysitter they would ask another young couple they were friendly with, usually one without children, to watch their own for however long was necessary. Generally the young couple was thrilled to babysit. Even though it had been many years since the war, there was still a great deal of radiation in the soil, and as such some couples found it quite difficult to have children successfully.

Marcus did not envy the couple who was watching Anastasi and Valentina's children. Their youngest was just over a year old, and the oldest was seven, with three others in between. All of them were rambunctious and extraordinarily crafty for such young children. Marcus figured they got it from their father, although it could just have easily been from Valentina, he admitted to himself.

While Marcus had been lost in through, conversation had drifted lazily. The real topic of discussion would not come up for several minutes more. The reading of the orders, which Jarrod had retrieved for Marcus, was always done with both husbands and wives present. Despite the fact that their wives preferred not to hear about their discussions relating to battalion business, he felt that it was important for them to hear where their husbands would be traveling to.

Inside the kitchen conversation had been a great deal more animated. Chloe had found herself surrounded by the three other women, who asked her countless questions. Many pertained to herself, and what she had done at the forum. Other still were about what she and Marcus had done that day. A major topic of discussion was what they had purchased at the market, causing Chloe to blush as she remembered a small jar of massage oil that she had casually told Marcus was perfume. She was intending to use it on him at some point in the near future, perhaps for a relaxing evening activity.

"What is it?" Valentina asked. Breaking Chloe out of her pleasant contemplation.

"What is what?" She shot back, still blushing.

"What did you get him to buy?" She countered. "Come on, no secrets from us. Besides, I'm sure it's something good by the color of your face." She smiled as Chloe blushed even deeper.

The other women looked at her expectantly. Finally Chloe broke down.

"All right! I told him a jar of massage oil was perfumed lotion."

"Hah!" Valentina exclaimed. "That's not even really a lie. Besides, I'm sure he'll enjoy it."

Chloe blushed again as the other women chucked and began going through the cupboards taking out various glasses. Valentina took down three wine glasses, while Sophia retrieved a snifter and Dorthea picked out a tall drinking glass.

"What are the glasses for?" Chloe asked curiously, as Valentina handed her a wine glass.

"We always bring the boys a little something to drink." Dorthea answered from across the kitchen. "Then we talk about the orders your husband got."

"Oh," Chloe answered, her voice more subdued, "I forgot all about the orders."

"Don't worry," Sophia answered, sensing Chloe's concern, "they don't usually ship out for a few weeks, so we still have some time with them." She said, smiling sympathetically at her. "Besides, when winter comes, there won't be any campaigning for six months, and you'll get so sick of him kicking around the apartment you'll wish it were still campaigning season."

The other women laughed, and while Chloe chuckled along with them, she didn't really believe that any of the women were truly happy to see their husbands leave in the spring.

"Why are you all getting different glasses?" She asked, diverting the conversation momentarily.

"Oh, well they each like different drinks." Valentina explained. "These are for Marcus," she said, handing the wine glass to her, "Joseph-"

"Who?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Anastasi's first name is Joseph, silly. People usually like to be called by their first name don't they? Well except for Jarrod. He prefers to go by his last name."

"Why?"

"His first name is Jorus, but he doesn't like it, so we just call him Jarrod."

"Oh, and the glasses?"

"Well Jarrod, your husband, and my husband all like the same wine, so that's easy enough."

"What about the others?" Chloe asked filling the glass Valentina had given her with a red wine the Italian woman had selected from the cubbord.

"Well Klaus is partial to vodka with juice." Dorthea answered from across the room, filling the tall glass with orange juice and adding a liberal dash of vodka.

"And Bernie likes whiskey." Sophia said from her side as she poured a small amount of whiskey into the glass.

"Bernie?" Chloe asked incredulously.

"Well, it's really Bernard, but he likes Bernie better, at least from me. He makes the other men call him Bernard though, so Bernie is really just my nickname for him."

Chloe smiled at the nickname, thinking that perhaps she would like to think of one for Marcus.

"Come on," Valentina said to Chloe, "I want to hear what the orders are."

Valentina led the way into the living room, carrying two glasses of wine. Leading the others she stopped just inside the living room where Jarrod was seated and handed him a glass of the wine. He smiled and thanked her politely as she patted his shoulder. Chloe suspected that Valentina thought Jarrod should have been married by now, even if she didn't say the words explicitly.

Continuing across the carpeted room to the loveseat where her husband lounged she handed him the glass and sat down next to him, nestling herself into his side under his outstretched arm. Taking several sips, Anastasi passed the glass to her, kissing her soundly on the lips before she could drink.

Dorthea had handed the glass of vodka with juice to Krieger and patted his leg. Moving his legs down from his reclined position he adopted one similar to Anastasi. After handing the drink to him she nestled herself into Krieger's side. The only difference between the two couples was that there was no overt intimacy with Krieger and Dorthea, just comfortable companionship.

Opposite from Krieger and Dorthea, Sophia had boldly plopped herself down on her husbands lap where he sat in the corner of his couch. Kissing his cheek, she handed him the snifter and reclined against his chest, holding his free hand with both of hers.

Taking her cue from the others, Chloe walked over to Marcus's armchair. He fit too snugly in the chair to sit at his side so she opted to use Sophia's strategy. Settling herself on top of his lap, she wiggled her ass into his groin suggestive. As she did she felt his cock start to swell.

"Happy to see me?" She whispered in his ear as she handed him the wine.

"Yes," he whispered back, "are the girls playing nice?

"Oh yes, I like them a lot, and by the way; you should settle down a bit, we'll take care of your little problem later." She winked, referring to his now semi-erect cock that pressed into her.

He glared back at her. "Thinking about that's not going to help, and you know it." He took a liberal swig of his wine to occupy himself.

"Please try to contain yourself Commander," she answered flirtatiously, smiling at him sweetly, "we have guests."

Marcus grunted into his wineglass.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that last remark." She whispered innocently into his ear.

"Brat." Marcus answered, enunciating.

"Hah." She chucked, kissing his cheek. "How about you read the orders? Something to distract yourself."