The Commander's Warrior Mate

by A. R. Kayne

  “A wide range of practices are considered normal. Despite appearances, he is not penetrating her skin or causing her pain.”

  “Does everyone make those noises?”

  “The types of sounds vary. So do their volumes. Some humans are more-or-less silent and some are very vocal. I will present a variety in the videos.”

  After the fourth video, the shock of seeing people have sex had mostly worn off. Jess was clearer on the mechanisms involved, but she still couldn’t imagine doing it herself. It looked like a very awkward, embarrassing activity, and in some cases there was an unnerving power dynamic involved.

  “You’re sure this is how humans mate? I guess it’s better than having your skin pierced by barbs, but it still seems awfully strange.”

  “Yes. There are variations, but you’ve now seen the fundamentals. I have one more video to show you today. I’m told that it’s a little different from the others. Perhaps you can explain it to me afterward.”

  The next couple didn’t simply appear on screen unclothed and start humping each other. Instead, they were in a room very similar to the common room Jess shared with Pryce, a relaxation space with a table, a pillow-strewn sofa, and a rug so plush and thick its pile would envelop one’s feet.

  It soon became apparent that a pursuit was in progress. A petite redhead circled the room, keeping the sofa between herself and her hulking blond counterpart at all times. She trailed her fingers over a table and fiddled with knick-knacks while she pretended to ignore him. He grinned, made a ‘come here’ gesture, and crooned remarks in a language Jess couldn’t understand. His partner cast a look back at him over her shoulder, shyly shook her head, and continued to evade him, squirting away when he drew near.

  He paused and watched her with hooded eyes, a predator studying its prey. He unfastened his shirt. It fell to the floor, revealing a lean, well-defined torso dusted with golden hair. The redhead froze and stared at him, visibly alarmed. He smiled wickedly and murmured in tones that had a curiously seductive quality. He toyed with the fastening of his pants. The woman’s eyes tracked down, took in the prominent bulge between his legs, and widened. She squeaked, stumbled backward, and dashed toward the door.

  The race was on! The blond giant growled and vaulted over the sofa. In seconds he had the woman down on the thick rug, her wrists pinned above her head. She squealed, wiggled, and made the most halfhearted escape attempt Jess had ever seen. He responded by rocking his pelvis against hers and murmuring something that brought a half-shocked, half-delighted expression to the redhead’s face.

  Jess didn’t have to understand the language to know he’d said something filthy. She realized that, for the first time since beginning to watch the sex films, she wanted to see the words demonstrated. Just what had put that look on the woman’s face?

  “Nireeaa zaraii,” he grunted. He drove his free hand in the woman’s hair, forced her face up to his, and crushed his mouth against hers.

  Evidently it was a good kiss, not that Jess knew how to evaluate such things. Jess could tell the exact instant the woman decided to quit resisting, even in play, and go along with it. She melted against her partner, pressing the length of her body against his. He released her wrists and tore her clothing away. In seconds they were clinging together, kissing and caressing, as they pulled free of their remaining clothes. He crawled down her body, stroking and gently nipping, until his face was buried in the rust-colored curls between her legs.

  She gasped and arched as he began to tongue her. Her hands flailed, clutching at air, until she found his head. “Meseday,” she begged. “Baii,” he replied in a husky voice. It was the first word Jess had recognized in the whole video. Yes. Yes, he would do whatever it was the woman had asked for. He continued loving her with his mouth until she arched, convulsed, and gave a low moan.

  Orgasm. Jess had learned the word that day. Watching the couple, she felt tension deep between her legs. She’d seen orgasms in the other videos. She’d experienced them herself, although her efforts had been furtive while her grandmother was alive and nonexistent when Ro lived with her. With this couple, for the first time, she knew she was seeing something real and precious rather than a matter of pure mechanics. What would be like to share such pleasure with another person?

  On screen, the man crawled back up the woman’s body and mounted her. They smiled at each other then kissed deeply, almost melding together. He began to gently ease inside his partner’s body, rocking his thick cock in a bit at a time. She clutched and squeezed and smoothed her hands across his back. As they moved, their faces held expressions of delight and they crooned words that might have been about love or praise or encouragement. They were fully attuned to each other.

  They were beautiful.

  Jess was struck by the rightness of it. Yes, the man was physically dominant, but it was clear he wasn’t a threat to his partner, nor was she afraid of him. Their play of dominance and pursuit was just that – play. It was something they both enjoyed, simply one way they expressed their feelings for each other.

  Then she understood. This video wasn’t about how. It wasn’t about the mechanics of placing mouths or fingers or sex organs in certain locations. She’d already seen every act the couple had performed in the other videos.

  It was about why. The man and woman were physically and emotionally bare to each other, expressing emotion on a level Jess had never imagined. Their mating was something they cherished and celebrated, not feared.

  She stared at the screen, deep in thought, for a long time after the video finished.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Jess

  Jess pretended to not see Pryce when he entered their common room. She didn’t think she could look him in the eyes, not after the videos the computer had made her watch that shift. It was the third straight day of such instruction, interrupted only by a few lessons on consent, ethics, reproduction, and childbirth.

  She wondered why the computer continued to inflict the recordings on her. Surely she knew enough about the basics by now and didn’t need to see people forcing their toes up to their earlobes! Although, she had to admit, a couple of the scenarios had looked interesting. They might have been even more interesting if the computer hadn’t constantly remarked on the action and her physical response to it. Sometimes having a companion who could measure her heart rate, temperature, and breathing patterns was a curse.

  One of the recordings featured a man who reminded her of Pryce. In fact, the resemblance was so close that they might have been brothers. Even the computer had noticed. It commented on his build and the way the dark pelt of hair on his chest tapered to form a path that led to his groin. The man had been very enthusiastic about his activities. He’d made sounds and facial expressions Jess found both alarming and enticing.

  Her brow wrinkled. There was something she could almost remember, something about Pryce. While she watched that video, she could almost feel the rasp of his hair against her bare legs and arms and the comfort of being clasped against a firm, fuzzy chest. He was almost naked, in a snug garment that just covered his hips and groin.

  Had that really happened or had she imagined it? It was possible that there were things she simply couldn’t remember. She’d been medicated for sleep terrors when she first came to the ship, at least until she’d insisted that it stop. She’d often felt murky and disoriented when she awoke.

  Jess kept her eyes trained on her touch screen and pretended to scribble a note on paper. Maybe if she ignored Pryce, he’d go away. She really didn’t think she could face him, not until the memory of those damned videos faded.

  It was not to be.

  “You’re using paper,” he said. “That’s unusual.”

  “Oh. Hello.” She smiled at him in what she hoped was a distracted fashion and tried to ignore the heat in her cheeks. “Yes. The computer made it for me. I was having trouble with my assignment. She told me that different people learn in different ways. She said I might find the concepts easier
to understand if I drew some figures or folded the paper to make models.”

  Pryce frowned. Jess realized that she’d slipped again and referred to the computer as ‘she’ rather than ‘it’. She hoped he’d let it go and not argue with her. Last time he’d hauled her to a room that held many of the computer’s processing units and growled “See that? It’s a machine, not a person.” He’d been visibly annoyed when she pointed out that organic people came in different shapes and types, so why couldn’t artificial people be the same way?

  She bit her bottom lip and continued to plow through her assignment, conscious of the fact that he was staring at her.

  “You look tired,” he finally said. “You haven’t left our quarters much lately.”

  “Mmm. No. I guess I haven’t.” Not in days, as a matter of fact. Chatting with the computer had helped, but she still didn’t feel comfortable roaming through the ship. First there’d been the disastrous date with Eiric, then the confrontation with her friends over the awful Ghul briefing. But, as with the matter of the computer being a person, she didn’t want to discuss any of it with Pryce.

  “Any particular reason?”

  She avoided his eyes. “I don’t know. I guess I just want to focus on learning. I’m very close to starting some new topics.”

  “Hmm.” He circled behind her and began to massage her shoulders. She dropped her stylus, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the rhythm of his movements.

  “Mmmm. Thank you. That feels really good.” It had been ages since Pryce had massaged her; he’d barely touched her since the fight weeks ago in his office.

  “You’ve been working too hard,” he said, his breath warm in her ear. “Your muscles are all knotted up. I’ll bet your shoulders are hurting, aren’t they?”

  They were, but she’d never admit that to him. “You saw where I came from. You know better than anyone why I have to work hard. I have years of catching up to do.”

  “Honey, you’ve made amazing progress. Your academic advisors and I have never seen anyone work as hard as you. It won’t hurt to take a break now and then. I want to show you something.”

  “What?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  She swiveled and peered up at him. “Is it nice?” In her experience, most surprises weren’t. They usually involved death.

  “There’s not much point to a surprise if it isn’t, is there?” He patted her back. “Why don’t you go freshen up and meet me out here in a few minutes?”

  She wrinkled her nose. Freshen up. He meant that she needed to bathe. “I’m sorry. I smell bad, don’t I? The computer reminded me to shower. I guess I got distracted and forgot.”

  He chuckled. “I’m guessing that you forgot more than once. Have you been working around the clock again?”

  “Maybe some.” Definitely. She’d had flashbacks and night terrors right after the incident with Eiric. While those were all but gone, she still felt anxious. It was simplest to deal with it by holing up in her room and working until she collapsed. There was something comfortingly pragmatic and unemotional about math problems.

  Jess rose with as much dignity as she could, hoping Pryce wouldn’t notice the stains on her shipsuit. She had a bad habit of spilling food on herself when she was working. She’d almost made it to her bedroom when he called her name. When she turned to face him, he wore a grin of unholy amusement.

  “You do know you’re allowed more than one article of clothing, don’t you? Have the computer recycle that rag you’re wearing and make you a new one.”

  She blinked, suddenly annoyed. Did no one on the ship appreciate conserving resources? Just because they could have new items each day, it didn’t mean they should.

  “Why? Pryce, that’s wasteful! This suit is still perfectly good. It just needs to be cleaned.”

  “No. It stinks and it’s full of holes. It’s become hazardous waste. You could contaminate the whole ship simply by walking through the corridor in that thing.” His lips were twitching. Obviously he was amused, but she was damned if she could see why.

  “But it’s comfortable!” she wailed. “I’ve only been wearing it a week! It’s barely broken in!”

  “Jess.” His expression was stern. “You and I have discussed this before. In fact, we’ve discussed it many times. I thought we were past this. People on this ship bathe and change their clothes regularly. Don’t make me peel it off of you and feed it into the hopper myself.”

  She sensed from his tone that he’d do exactly that. She glared at him and backed into her bedroom. “You may be captain of this ship, but you aren’t captain of me. I swear I would have bathed and changed clothes before, but my mind was on other things. I’m not a child, Pryce.”

  His eyes swept over her, lingering on a hand-sized rip in the fabric just above her right breast. “Yeah. I know, honey. That suit you have on makes it abundantly clear.”

  The door to her room slid shut, and not a moment too soon.

  “That maniac wants me to get rid of a perfectly good shipsuit,” she grumbled. “Does he have any idea how precious something like this is? I would have loved to have had clothing even a third this nice when I was on Draco.”

  “Your efforts to conserve resources have been noted,” replied the computer. “You use fewer resources than any other human on the ship. After you place the garment in the chute, I will recover approximately 99.235% of its constituent materials. I can easily replace the remaining .765%. You need feel no guilt over recycling it.”

  Jess settled on the bed and nodded wearily. “Alright.” She knew when she was beaten. Losing the shipsuit was galling, but experience had taught her that it was best to follow the guidance of the computer. “What should I put on after I shower, though? That was my last shipsuit.”

  “I am making a suitable garment. Be sure to wash your hair thoroughly. It has developed a significant coating of oil.”

  Fifteen minutes later, with the aid of a mech, Jess was washed, dried, and made up. She inspected the dress she’d found her bed. Its bodice and narrow straps were made of intricate, heavy lace the same color as her skin. Glossy fabric extended from just below the bodice, forming a skirt.

  “Um. Thank you for making this. It’s very pretty. I’m just going somewhere with Pryce, though. Am I supposed to wear a dress?”

  “Yes. It’s based on a garment I found in the records of a museum. It was originally intended to be an undergarment, but this design will also function as a dress. I believe the commander will find it satisfactory.”

  Jess looked around nervously. Nothing had been left on the bed other than the dress. “Is there anything to wear underneath?”

  “No. That would spoil its lines. I engineered it to support your breasts. You can wear it without fear of containment issues.”

  “Alright.” Jess took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

  She tugged the garment over her head. When she peered in the mirror, the first thing she noticed was how closely the bodice clung to her chest. What there was of the bodice, anyhow …

  “I look naked,” she said flatly.

  “Yes. That is intentional. The wavelength of the color of the bodice matches the wavelength of the average color of the skin on your breasts to within twenty angstroms. However, the rest of the dress has a color gradient, with the hue becoming more saturated as it approaches your knees. You may notice that the wavelength of the color of the fabric nearest your knees matches the wavelength of the average color of your labia minora to within twenty angstroms.”

  Jess’s brow wrinkled. That was a lot to digest. “Labia.” She’d just learned that word. “You matched the color of the skirt to the color of my private parts?”

  “Yes.”

  Jess decided not to ask why. Sometimes it was best not to ask the computer too many questions; she had a feeling this was one of those times. Instead she exited her bedroom, head held high. Pryce was reclining on their sofa with his eyes closed.

  “I’m ready,” she murmured.

&
nbsp; His eyes popped open and slowly roamed down her body. “Wow.”

  She wrung her hands. “Do you like it? I really know nothing about clothing. I never know what’s appropriate. The computer had to help me.”

  He couldn’t seem to stop staring at her. “Mmmm. Yeah. Yeah, I like it. It’s, um, very appropriate.”

  Jess noticed that he didn’t ask about the fate of her well-worn shipsuit. She was grateful for that.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Pryce

  Pryce couldn’t stop smiling. Jess had worn a dress for him. After all the nights of drinking and trying not to pound holes in the wall while she was out with other men, it was finally his turn to be with her. It was almost a pity. He’d half hoped for an excuse to tear the ripped, stained shipsuit right off her body. He’d spent a good ten minutes dreaming about storming in her room and doing just that. Instead, she’d come out wearing a dress that spoke of innocence and sin, demure in its cut but in a color that matched her skin so closely that she might as well be naked.

  He gently took her arm, savoring the softness of her bare flesh. “Come with me, sweetheart.”

  After taking a circuitous route through the ship, they arrived at a bland-looking gray metal hatch. Pryce entered his access authorization and it whooshed open. When Jess saw the small room beyond, she gasped. Pryce smiled. The view was spectacular. One side of the room was filled by an observation port which overlooked the planet below.

  “What is this place?” Jess murmured. Her eyes were glued to the planet.

  “It’s a viewing area. It’s also a rudimentary control center. There are a handful of them around the ship, but you have to be high ranking to get access. We keep the bridge and the most important functions of the ship well inside the core, protected behind armor. For the crew of a starship, seeing things visually usually isn’t important. However, sometimes it is useful, so we have these viewing areas.”

  “So … that’s a planet?” She looked at it wistfully.