Children of Steel Read Online Free PDF

things.
Security was the biggest group onboard, being about one hundred
strong. Actually nearly all of the ship's complement was combat
trained and belonged to security to some extent or other, or at
least the animen that is. I was a trained combat specialist myself
and would probably have ended up as either a troop with a combat
group or a security detail if I hadn’t earned the opportunity to
become a flyer.
    As Balizar was a senior officer, with a
lifemate who was also high ranking, he had fairly large size
quarters, and that was where the clan meeting would be held. I
showed up at the door at eighteen hundred sharp as I had been
told.
    I knocked and the door opened, and there
stood Sharazad, a slender, but still tough looking spotted leopard,
she was Balizar's mate.
    "Greetings Raj, please come in."
    I stepped into the room and looked around,
all ten of the leopards on board the ship where here and I noticed
that they were mostly wearing just shorts, though quite a few were
only in their fur, not much of a big deal when you’re covered in
fur already.
    “A bit overdressed, aren’t we?” Balizar who
was also spotted, and fairly well built chuckled, “Well I think we
can remedy that…” and damned if he didn’t trip me onto the pillow’s
strewn about the floor that some of the group were lounging on.
Other than two fold out couches there wasn’t much else in the way
of furniture in the room.
    I was mobbed as I hit the floor, mostly by
the younger clan members, though Banner and Herza helped too. It
didn’t take them long to relieve me of my uniform coveralls, I
didn’t really put up a fight, it was kind of fun I had to admit.
I’d missed the close physical and social contact of my siblings and
my own kind for a year now.
    “There, that’s better, now you look normal.”
Mist commented.
    “And much more relaxed,” Balizar commented.
“So, how do you like your first assignment so far?”
    “So far it seems pretty good,” I smiled
sitting up and finding myself a few cushions to get comfortable on.
“Do you do that to everyone new?”
    “Just the ones fresh out of the crèche,” He
chuckled. “You all tend to look so stiff and formal the first time
you show up.”
    I looked around at the rest of the group, I’d
met most of them already, first was Banner, he was about as big as
Balizar and spotted as well. He was thirty something and a platoon
leader in the security forces, which made him a lieutenant. Herza,
was a very well muscled and attractive black in her late twenties,
a squad leader and a sergeant in rank. The remaining three from
security were Lyle, a spotted male, and Sheen and Mist, both black
females. They were all about nineteen or twenty and fairly well
built as well, the girls both being rather attractive I had to
admit.
    The rest were: Franz and Kate, who were also
lifemates like Balizar and Sharazad, they were in their late
thirties. He was a scout, spotted and a little slender. She was a
biologist, black and about the same size as him. Then there was
Katrine, a member of the intel team and a very pretty and petite
black of about twenty two.
    I found myself checking out the single
females quite a bit, and noticed that Mist and Katrine were both
checking me out as well. Herza just smiled at me once and then went
back to chatting with Banner. Eventually we all settled down and
Balizar passed out glasses to everyone.
    “A toast to our latest addition! Welcome Raj,
and may your debts ever be dwindling!”
    “Hear! Hear!” the rest answered and we all
drank. I was surprised to find it was real champagne.
    “Being the head of security makes it easy to
get the good stuff,” Balizar said and winked at me.
    I found myself sitting with Mist and Katrine,
which I had to admit I enjoyed quite a bit. For the most part the
clan meeting consisted of just idle talk. Everyone talked a little
about what they were doing, and if they had something to vent about
they did. If they were having a serious