Integration

by A. C. Ellas

  “You know I am capable of getting my own coffee,” Lee said dryly.

  Yeri shrugged a shoulder. “It makes me happy to help you even if you don’t need it.” He added cream to his own mug, stirred then sipped. He swished the hot beverage over his tongue then swallowed. “It’s okay. Not great but not horrible either.”

  “A coffee connoisseur?”

  Yeri turned to face the admiral. “Yes, sir. With my senses, it’s ridiculously easy to judge the quality of the coffee.”

  “Particularly given how much of it he’s drunk over the years,” Lee added. “He and my father used to hit up every coffee shop they could find while on tour to sample the brews.”

  Admiral Nbuntu chuckled. “Welcome to Hevetich, Commander Nathizo, Doctor Tavlakis. Let’s take care of the formalities first. Your orders, please.”

  Yeri handed over the data cube that had been given to him with his insignia. Lee, likewise, handed his cube over. Yeri refrained from commenting on how oddly anachronistic it was to have orders physically etched into a crystalline matrix because, silly though it seemed on the surface, there really was a reason. Transmissions via radio waves were limited to the speed of light. The crystals were cheap, durable, and traveled just as fast as the person carrying them. He did wonder what would happen, however, if someone were to misplace their orders.

  Admiral Nbuntu dropped both crystalline cubes into the reader, glanced at the screens, and nodded. “Excellent, everything’s in order. Doctor Tavlakis, you have been assigned working spaces in the medical hub. We already have a dozen people who wish to learn Rovani medicine. Anything you need to set up your program will be taken care of.” Nbuntu offered Lee a new data cube. “This contains all the information you’ll need to get started.”

  “Thank you, Admiral.” Lee accepted the cube, pocketed it, and waited with an expectant air.

  Nbuntu turned his attention to Yeri. The admiral’s excitement and happiness were plain to Yeri’s nose though it didn’t show on the man’s face. “I am very pleased to welcome you to my command, Commander. Without any fear of contradiction, I think it’s safe to say that I’m the luckiest admiral in the Corps. Your strategic ability is legendary.”

  Such claims always left him feeling confused. He wasn’t the legend everyone pretended he was. He hadn’t done anything all that special. Most of what he’d planned and executed during the war had been, well, obvious. He’d learned not to bring this up. Instead of protesting, he inclined his head. “I hope I can live up to your expectations, sir.”

  The admiral laughed at that. That wasn’t the reaction Yeri had expected, so he allowed an eyebrow to quirk in inquiry.

  Still smiling, Nbuntu said, “Very diplomatically phrased, Commander. I don’t think I’ve ever been told that I’m full of shit quite so nicely before.” He shook his head. “So, where is the legend wrong?”

  Yeri spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. “There are so many myths, so many variants, so many theories, many of which contradict each other, that it’s impossible to untangle the truth. Some of what I’m believed to have done, I actually did but not necessarily for the reasons ascribed. I have spent hours upon hours being debriefed by the Corps already.”

  “I know, I read the transcripts.” Nbuntu grinned at him. He smelled like a kid in a candy shop now. “You might not believe me, but you really are a genius. What you thought was obvious, the only sensible thing to do, as you put it so succinctly, was anything but obvious to most people.”

  Lee coughed a laugh. “I told you so.”

  “Very well, sir.” He hated it when humans got like this, especially his human. If there was one thing Lee absolutely delighted in, it was telling him I told you so.

  Nbuntu chuckled again then cleared his throat. “I understand that you want shipboard duty. I have a ship in mind, but he’s not in dock right now. Once he returns, which could be anytime in the next six months, I’ll set up a meeting with his captain. In the meantime, I’ve assigned you to work with my strategic team.” Nbuntu held out a new cube to him. “Here’s what you’ll need to get started.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Yeri accepted the cube and rolled it between his fingers.

  “That’s quite an ETA range,” Lee commented.

  “Relativistic effects from jumps can add up in unexpected ways. It presents us with a unique challenge in determining when to declare a vessel overdue. If we could come up with a reliable FTL communications system, one that didn’t depend on the vagaries of subspace insertions, we’d have fewer headaches.”

  “It’s an interesting puzzle,” Yeri murmured. He’d been reading the current research on the issue on the journey here. “Quantum separation only works to a certain distance before the connection snaps, recoils, and creates two new quarks at each end of the split pair. Augmentation improves on that but only extends the range to a light minute. Several projects are looking into improving the augmentation of the quarks involved to prevent that recoil.”

  Lee blinked at him. “Oh.” His human offered a half smile. “Are you planning to add to that work?”

  “Not right now.” Yeri winked at him. “Perhaps later, assuming I’m granted an opportunity to become bored.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lee followed Yeri into the quarters they’d share while here on the station. They were officially Lee’s since Yeri was listed as a transient officer pending assignment and Lee was permanent medical staff. The assigned berth was surprisingly spacious. They had a study, a bedroom, and a private bathroom. The bedroom contained a double-width bed.

  Yeri paused beside it then turned and flashed Lee a grin. The invitation was as obvious as the desire flaring in Yeri’s eyes. Lee dropped his duffels, strode forward, and pulled Yeri into his arms. The Rovani put up no resistance. Instead, Yeri pressed against him, his hands sliding up under Lee’s uniform jacket.

  “I love that you’re free, but I hate that you’re required to wear clothes.” Lee gave voice to his favorite complaint.

  “It is a silly rule,” Yeri agreed. He stretched himself against Lee’s body then pulled back and started to undress. “Silly clothes. Silly humans.”

  “Agreed.” Lee assisted in stripping Yeri. Once he had the Rovani in a delightfully nude state, he pulled the densely furred figure back into his arms. “There, that’s better.” He ran his fingers up through Yeri’s fur, loving the tactile sensation of the silky stuff brushing against his fingers. Yeri was the only creature he’d ever desired. He’d broken his virginity with the Rovani many, many years ago and had never been with anyone else until Angel had come along. She had been different, special to both of them, but she was also gone, claimed by the Guild. Once more, it was just the two of them, and Lee was content with that.

  He turned his head a little, inviting Yeri’s instincts to kick in. Sure enough, Yeri first nuzzled then licked behind his ear, tasting his skin and scent-locking himself. He held his friend through the first spate of tremors as the biochemical cascade turned him from a sentient being to a needy mass of carnal desire. As the human, he was the dominant partner in the pairing, at least during sex. He guided Yeri onto the bed, pinning the muscular body beneath him as he sought out the Rovani’s musk glands with his mouth. He enjoyed the flavor of Yeri’s musk almost as much as he enjoyed the jolts of shared pleasure that flashed through them with each swipe of his tongue across the sensitive flesh.

  Yeri wasn’t completely gone like he was during rut, the scent-lock was just a pale shadow of that insanity. Yeri was coherent enough to start undressing him, and with a soft chuckle, Lee cooperated. Once Lee was naked, Yeri’s hands commenced exploring his body. Lee’s response to that was to lay down on his belly beside Yeri. “Take me, stud.”

  Yeri knew what he wanted. He didn’t hesitate. He shifted on the bed, straddling Lee. His talented hands kneaded Lee’s back while his thick, curved cock gently pressed against Lee’s rear opening. Yeri abruptly moved off him. Lee turned his head to protest
and blinked in surprise at the sight of Yeri’s cock so close to his face. It wasn’t a bad surprise, just unexpected. “Lube,” Yeri said shortly.

  That was one thing Yeri always insisted on, he refused to cause Lee pain for even the best of reasons. The problem was, Lee wasn’t sure where the lube had been packed, and he didn’t want to take the time to find it. Lee lifted his head and slurped the cock into his mouth. Yeri gasped. His original intent had just been to lubricate Yeri with his saliva, but the pleasure that Yeri shared with him caused him to change his mind. He pressed Yeri against the bed and swallowed the Rovani’s pole down to the base.

  He brought his hands up, one to play with Yeri’s balls, the other to thrust into Yeri’s wet hole. He sucked and bobbed his head in time to the rhythm Yeri set for them. He thrust his fingers up into Yeri demandingly, igniting wave after wave of glorious sensation. Yeri moaned and bucked under his ministrations, his legs flung open as wide as they could go while his hands caressed everything they could reach of Lee. Yeri’s cum tasted similar to his musk, and Lee rolled it on his tongue before spitting it into his free hand. He didn’t allow Yeri to cool, his other hand continued its urgent thrusting despite the climax they’d just enjoyed. He used the goo in his hand to coat Yeri’s resurgent erection. “There, now you’re lubed.”

  He withdrew his hand from Yeri and laid on his belly once more. Yeri groaned in protest at his departure but quickly mounted him again. This time, there was no hesitation, and it was Lee’s turn to gasp as Yeri’s massive cock impaled him. He made a conscious effort to relax as the assault continued, ramming further inside him with each powerful thrust. He savored the sensation of his body yielding to the hard, hot shaft.

  He closed his eyes and imagined that he was a defeated gladiator, being put to the use of his conqueror. Yeri had done this to hundreds of opponents during his tenure on the sands, it was customary, and the audience enjoyed watching it nearly as much as they enjoyed the fight that preceded it. Yeri himself had only been defeated once. Lee wondered what it had felt like to be taken by a Broch with their long, long tools. He rocked back into Yeri’s pumps, cooperating with his taking and enjoying every millimeter of Yeri’s width and length as it slid in and out of him over his prostate.

  Yeri draped over him like a fuzzy winter blanket—warm, soft, and comforting. Yeri’s mouth and tongue, working the space behind his ear, tingled his spine pleasantly. He didn’t want it to end, he loved feeling Yeri like this, but the tension was quickly building to the breaking point. All at once, the ecstasy crashed through them, jolts of pleasure triggered from flesh to brain in a glorious cascade made no less intense by his understanding of exactly what was happening. The double feedback loop he shared with Yeri ensured the pleasure was all he could want and almost more than he could bear. They relaxed together in the aftermath, wrapped in each other’s arms and minds. Yeri was purring.

  His assigned area of the medical hub was surprisingly spacious. Lee had a large office, three conference rooms, a half-dozen examination pods, plus a medium-sized laboratory. He had spent the last several weeks working on setting things up for his first batch of students and was almost ready for them. All that remained was devising the class schedule. He was working on that when his office door opened. He looked up and felt his jaw sag.

  “Ya’sas, Lee,” Angel greeted him in Greek.

  Nobody had seen Angel or the other psions since their decision to seek refuge in stasis—the modern-day Psion Guild had claimed their pods before they could be awoken. Yeri had supposedly made a deal with the Guild, but they hadn’t heard from the Guild after that one meeting. Lee had never held out much hope for seeing their friends again, and he’d lost what little hope he’d gained after that meeting as time moved on and their friends hadn’t been given back.

  “Angel,” he breathed, shooting to his feet. “Does Yeri know you’re here?”

  “Not yet. I was told to report to you.” She grinned and embraced him. She felt good in his arms. He’d missed her more than he’d wanted to admit.

  “You’ll have to go surprise him,” Lee told her. “If he sees me first, he’ll know immediately.”

  “Right,” she agreed. “He’d smell me on you.” She stepped back, tugged at the hem of her jacket then offered a data cube. “I’m one of your students.”

  His heart did a funny little leap at that. He accepted the cube and dropped it in a reader. Not only did it display her assignment as a student of Rovani medicine under his direction, but it also logged the orders into the system, making everything official. “Great! I’m still getting everything set up. Yeri is down at fourth fleet headquarters. He’s on Admiral Nbuntu’s staff for now.”

  “He wants to be on a ship, doesn’t he?”

  “Yes. But with his history, finding a captain who’ll take him might not happen.” Lee shook his head. “He still doesn’t see what all the fuss is about. He’s so damn smart and, yet, so damn blind to his own talents sometimes.”

  “Trained to downplay them, to not think about it,” Angel suggested. He knew she was right, but it was still hard. He’d worked and worked to defeat the conditioning imposed by the Lineage practices.

  He sighed softly. “I know.”

  Angel leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “If you don’t need me, I think I’ll go find him.”

  “No, please, do go find him. He’ll be overjoyed to see you.” Lee grinned, wishing he could be there. Then, he wanted to face-palm himself. “Wait. I have a better idea.”

  Angel raised her eyebrows.

  “He’s hard to find,” Lee explained. “Nbuntu has him all over the place.” He tapped his console, calling up the network. “Yeri, can you come to my office, please?”

  “Is it urgent?” Even over the network, Yeri sounded exhausted. He was, as usual, working too hard.

  “Not really, just important.”

  “I’ll be up shortly.” Yeri closed the connection, clearly preoccupied with something else.

  “He’ll come here when he can break loose.”

  “Perfect. Now, how about I help you organize?” Angel sat down at another console. Lee shunted some of the work to her, explaining what he needed. Familiarity with one another helped, and she quickly got into it. Lee went back to devising his class schedule.

  He’d lost track of time by the time Yeri arrived. His Rovani padded into the room, stopped abruptly, and turned unerringly toward Angel. Lee could see the surprise etched into Yeri’s posture, it was as obvious to him as if Yeri’d held up a sign.

  “Angel.”

  “Yeri,” Angel replied, standing.

  Yeri swept her off her feet in a bear hug, literally spinning her about in his exuberance. Lee grinned at them.

  Angel was laughing. “Yeri, put me down before you hurt yourself.”

  “I would never,” Yeri snorted, but he did set her back on her feet. Then, he hugged her again, tightly. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too, kitty cat.” Angel reached up and ran a hand down the side of his face. “You look tired.”

  “There’s been a lot of work to do,” he replied obliquely.

  “You’re too permissive of Nbuntu’s demands on you,” Lee retorted. “You need to tell him to back off and let you rest sometimes.”

  “He’s my commanding officer.” Yeri shrugged a shoulder. “He has not taxed me beyond my endurance.”

  “Yet.”

  Angel shook her head. “Lee’s right. You’re not as young as you think you are, and you’re not on a planet here—you can’t draw extra energy like you’re used to doing.”

  Yeri made an exasperated noise. “Humans,” he muttered. He released Angel and eased into a seat. That alone told Lee that Yeri was far more exhausted than he was admitting, not if he willingly took to a chair.

  “Rovania,” Angel shot back. She tossed her head, causing her platinum braid to flip over her shoulder. “Someone has to take care of you since you obviously lack the sense to
take care of yourself.”

  Yeri blinked at her.

  Lee bit his lip to keep from laughing aloud and spoiling the effect, but Yeri’s glance told him his efforts at keeping his levity to himself were in vain.

  Yeri smiled ruefully. “You may have a point. What about the others?”

  Angel accepted the subject change gracefully. “Kyle and Mark are here. Mark’s been assigned to Dark Star as a supercargo. He’s just waiting for Loki’s ship to port. Kyle is with Evanitsa, she’s posted here, so he’s attached to the Guildhall. Erika, Jim, and Krysta are at the Rovanis Compound tasked with training the gatakia.”

  “Good. I’m glad Ashad kept his word.” Yeri closed his eyes for a moment.

  Lee noticed the slight crease to his forehead and immediately reached into the drawer where he kept the aspirin. Angel simply reached out and placed a hand on Yeri’s head. Lee could see the immediate relaxation in Yeri’s frame as she psionically cured his headache.

  “That’s a waste of power,” Yeri murmured, “but thank you.”

  “You’re worth it.” Angel slid into his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. “So, what’s this about you wanting shipboard duty?”

  Yeri’s arms came about her almost reflexively. “I want to see the stars, Angel. Up close. But also... if I can be accepted as an officer, with my history... it would pave the way for the young.”

  “You’ve already been accepted as an officer, Commander,” Angel said pointedly. “And I don’t think that just because you prove something can be done that it’ll automatically follow that others of your race can, too. You’re too unique for that to work.”

  Yeri was silent for several seconds. “That only leaves me with the personal reasons, Angel. I requested shipboard duty because I want it. Maybe I just crave action too much.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Why don’t you want me to go?”

  “Because Lee and I are staying here. Yeri, who will take care of you? Who will meet your needs?” She sat up and looked him in the eye. “I can feel how horny you are just sitting here, and I’m sure Lee’s been taking care of those needs for you. What will you do when you’re light years away from us?”