by C. R Corbin
"What did you find when you went to check things out? I asked.
"Oh their defenses are shoddy. Always have been due to the secrecy of this place I guess. There's a small electric field around the base but we could get that disabled from the inside with our "allies". Even if we can't there's still some potential for striking some sensitive areas of the base to shut down the generators, cause small explosions, that sort of thing." he replied as he clicked a few buttons on his gauntlet.
"Found him." he said and showed me the screen so that I could copy down the information. I typed it into the communicator and quickly found the line. I listened in at first to make sure he wasn't in some meeting and to our luck he wasn't. I looked at Fherin with bated breath and gave him one last nod before pressing the contact button.
CHAPTER TEN
Fherin
"Helor!" I said.
"F-Fherin?" he called out.
"Yeah it's me. Helor I’m alive.....Helor are you there?" I asked.
"Yeah I hear you ...Holy ...I can't believe you're still here brother. I thought the bomb had wiped you out for sure." said Helor.
"Well it didn't. I've come to make the bastard pay for attempting to harm me and my mate." I said, I could hear Helor gasp.
"Mate? What are you talking about?" he asked.
"Helor. Are you in a safe spot right now? Is it private enough?" I asked.
"Yeah we're in a good spot ...What the hell happened?" he asked me.
"I survived the explosion and the woman that I was supposed to capture...she's my mate. We got here on a human ship after human reinforcements arrived. She freed me and took me here, all I need to do now is to make him pay." I said with a grimace.
"Ugh. I wanted to make the bastard pay myself but we all kept our heads down. There's not enough of us you see? Only about a third of the group has any real qualm with how things are being run." said Helor.
"So what if I evened the odds a bit? Together we can take him down, call the Kanosian government and inform them of the various violations. We can take over. He doesn't even know I’m alive." I said.
"So what exactly is your plan?" asked Helor.
"Collect everyone that you can find that still supports me and I’ll tell you then. For now I need to think Helor..." I muttered.
"Well call me back when you can . I'll be putting together everyone that I can. Good luck." he said calmly and the feed cut off. I looked over at Natalie and smiled.
"That didn't sound too reassuring to me." Natalie said.
"You think so? I think the odds are pretty good." I said and she sighed.
Yeah the odds of us getting killed sure ...Wait. I got it." said Natalie.
"What is it?" I asked her.
"A plan to draw them out. You get Helor to present Denos with a recording of us that had been sent to one of the men inside. Tell the troops in support of you to hang back or man the ships while Denos sends all the men that are loyal to him out. Since our men are inside or in the ships we can set traps down for the troops fanning out and we'll be relatively safe in the air. Due to Denos’s suspicions he will likely agree to keep your forces inside to prevent them from helping you but that will backfire dramatically. After that happens, get someone to close the gates and change the passcode so the majority of the forces are stuck outside. From there we can bombard them with the ship while Helor and his men take care of the remainders inside." she suggested and my smile widened.
"Sometimes I’m glad I have a genius for a mate you know that?" I asked her.
"That impressive? Didn't think it was that great myself." she said with a proud smile, obviously flaunting her skill..
"No, it really is." I reassured her and stroked her cheek.
All that was left to do now was to wait.
#
Natalie
So the cold gets replaced by the heat. At least it's not that bad at night." I said as I laid there on the grass with him. We glanced upwards at the stars and he held his hand in mine.
"Every day after this will be the same, the two of us, enjoying each other's company and watching the stars. I promise." he said and I nodded.
"Once I had thought it was a mistake for humanity to expand, to reach out amongst the stars and extend their grasp. I thought it to be wasteful and costly but I can't blame them now that I have found you. You bring more joy into my life than I could ever think possible." I said while brushing his cheek with the back of my hand.
We laid there for a while, wordlessly enjoying one another's company while the stars shine above us. This world had gravity that was slightly lower than Earth's. In spite of this it was quite big, I suppose there were less heavy elements in the mantle. There were two moons here and they each shone in front of us, their distant silver glimmer raining down on the purple forest below. The white star here had finally dipped below the horizon and left us in this darkness.
"I hope my dad's okay. I didn't want to give him a panic attack but I guess I didn't have a choice at the end of it all did I?" I asked aloud.
"He'll be fine. Seemed like a tough old bastard." Fherin grunted.
"I'm telling him you said that if we make it out of this. Whether he likes it or not he's going to have to get used to having a Kanosian son-in law ...which reminds me. How does mating work completely?" I asked.
"You mean...the entire process?" Fherin inquired.
"Yeah."
"Well first they meet and instantly the bond is established. Soon after emotional bonding and sexual activity begins."
"Okay."
"After that the male, at least traditionally, crafts and amulet to give to the woman to symbolize their bond."
"So like a wedding ring."
"Sure. I have no idea what that is but sure. After that...children and that's it. We're supposed to be together forever."
"Children huh? A life together? Doesn't sound so bad with me. First we have some warlord ass to kick though." I stated and he nodded while resting his head against my shoulder.
I tell him I'm going inside to sleep not long after and he nods. I give him one last glance before walking into the ship. He stands there amongst the fallen trees and the grass, his head turned skyward as he watches the stars glimmer. His armor shines in the light and the stars drip their light unto the flourishing earth. I can see a tinge of sadness, regret, fear, and happiness all run through his expression in nearly an instant. Not long after. I disappear into the ship, reassured by his confident pose that he would protect me no matter what.
The following day he tells Helor of my plan, Helor agrees wholeheartedly and sets the date of initiation as tomorrow. The next day is spent counting inventory and spying on the base. Fherin identifies several critical points to lay down traps in order to kill the troops that would fan out in search of him once the plan began. There were only so many plasma rounds on our craft so we had to think of ways to dispose of the remaining troops without use of the ship. There was always the risk of being shot down as well so we definitely wanted to avoid that. There would probably be some ships that would take off from the inside but with most of the force dedicated to finding us there would likely be a dramatically decreased presence of their ships in the sky.
Still, didn't hurt to take precautionary measures.
We lay down mines, spikes, anything that we could think of. Soon the day is over and we spend the last night laying down next to one another. We were just going to bed but he can't resist the temptation to take me and quickly indulges both of us with one last night of passion before the inevitable battle tomorrow.
"I love you." I said as he gets on top of me, our nude forms clashed as his tense muscles pressed against my curves while our discarded clothing accrues in a pile next to the bed.
"And I love you my mate." he said as he spread my legs and slipped into me.
I accept him into my heated wetness as he slipped all the way in and groaned. I feel his tip throbbing as he began to slide ba
ck and forth with his member throbbing as he did so. His tip runs along my walls several times and I arch my back as I feel him grabbing my hips while thrusting into me. He kisses my neck several times and pecks me on the lips for good measure while his hands alternate from groping my breasts to groping my backside. I feel him slipping deeper inside of me and I moaned gently while he dashed his fingers along my clit.
"Take me, make me yours." I moaned in pleasure.
His size throbs with immense vigor while he snarled into my ear. I moaned breathlessly into his ear while he filled me out with his immense size and I can only groan while glancing up at the stars. The warm night air of this planet runs along his muscular back and my chest as I run my fingers along every crevice of muscle that I could find.
"So close. So close." I moaned and he kissed me before letting it all out.
Our fluids mix and a heated mess falls onto the grass as he slipped out of me and sighed. He sits beside me and I get to my feet to capture him in one last embrace. Our completely nude bodies pressed together and I resist the urge to whimper, to cry, to worry.
"We're going to be fine." he said.
"I can tell you're worried too you know? It's okay to be a big baby for one night." I said.
"Someone has to keep it together." he replied.
"Who knew you could be so snarky?" I giggled.
We stay like that for quite a while before we split and go inside to wash up. We would be needing all of the good memories that we could get should things go south tomorrow. I could barely sleep but he holds me in my arms to help me get there and eventually we both find time to rest there on the cold metal floor of the ship with my body in his embrace.
#
Fherin
"I delivered the message. Looks like he's sending out the vast majority of our troops. I told your supporters to hide out until the rest of the unit clears the gates." he said.
"Good, make sure that once everyone gets out that the gates shut. It's imperative.” I calmly replied.
"Understood. See you on the battlefield." he said and hung up.
"Okay now switch to the security miss." I said to Natalie who promptly did so.
We listened in for a while before we heard the majority of the troops gathering in the yard for orders. They soon scattered outwards and from our communication lines I could tell that a number of them were getting caught in the traps that we had fashioned.
"Hey! Aren't you guys coming?" asked one of the soldiers over the line.
"Yeah." replied one of my supporters.
We waited a bit longer until there was confirmation that the gate closed and that the passcode would be changing. I looked above into the skies and saw the ships that my supporters were presumably flying. Natalie quickly readies the ship and we take off into the warm night sky before making our way towards the base.
I could see various Kanosian soldiers scattered amongst the forest with the lights on their armor shining ever so dimly. Natalie began to fire the rounds off and catches several of them while they comb through the forest in search of me. By my estimate there had to be about 40 left after all the traps were done with.
"Helor, go, go!" I shouted into the microphone.
We circle around the base and fire off several rounds while the ships in the sky with us follow our lead. One of them was an enemy, however, and fired onto us. That is quickly remedied by my allies.
"Oh shit!" cried Natalie as something struck our rear.
"What is it?" I asked her.
"Someone on the ground has an anti-aircraft gun. He took out one of our boosters....I have to land!" she said as the ship began to rocket downwards.
I glanced out the window and slipped my armor on. I hold her as she tries to steady the ship while we travel downwards. I glanced at the foliage below as she turns and we slam into the layers upon layers of brush.
The ship goes dark for but a moment, I turned the night vision on my armor on and looked around for her.
"Natalie!" I called out.
"I'm fine...I think..." she said while caressing her head. There was a gash on the side of her head and it looked like there was a piece of shrapnel stuck in her leg but other than that she was fine, for the most part.
"Ahhh." she hissed as she stared at the piece of metal protruding from her leg.
"Stay here." I said and grabbed my axe and a rifle that I had ready. Our supplies were scattered across the floor but I managed to get what I needed from them. The back hatch opens and I looked out into the darkness, in the distance I could see some troops approaching.
"It says here on the radar that there's about 10 of them enclosing on us fast." she called out and I nodded.
"Okay, alright ...here goes." I said.
I saw three of them running at me from the front so I aimed the gun at a nearby tree and fired at its trunk. I manage to make the tree fall just as soon as the men were crossing past it, It catches a couple of them but one of them manages to break through. I tossed the gun away, knowing that these rounds would likely be useless against Kanosian armor. I run towards him with my axe lifted and stared at the tip of his sword as it came rushing forward. I roll to the side to avoid it and swing at his legs, catching him once before jumping up and smacking his head with my claws. I glance around after I am finished with him and see about four troops rushing towards me with another three making a beeline for the main ship.
"Here goes." I grimaced and hoisted my axe up. The men encircle me and I manage to catch one of them on the head while he was coming in. I roll forward to avoid the swing of a sword and swung my axe at another one of the men that was approaching me from the side. I strike him on the abdomen but am forced to leave my axe behind as I rolled back to avoid the swords of the last two men.
"We got you cornered traitor." one of them spat.
"Who says I'm cornered?" I asked aloud and dropped the flash grenade down before shutting down my optical and sound signals and jumping back. It goes off in front of them and they are disorientated from the light once I turned my suit's lenses back on. I grab my axe from the corpse and strike both of the men down while they are distracted before setting my sights on the last three men.
"Stay away!" I heard her cry out as several rounds were fired. The magnum that she had was much more powerful than the rifle and could pierce the armor that the Kanosians were, thus she could likely hold them off for a time. I had to hurry though. She manages to kill two of them but the last one breaks through and is in the process of overpowering her. I run towards her but can't make it before she is held in a headlock by the man with his claws to her throat.
"I'll kill her. I will." he said in a grim voice and I scowled while glancing at Natalie who was reaching into her pocket for something.
"Alright just remain calm. You don't want to kill her. You could use her for so much more. Ransom for instance." I stated to stall him before she slaps this charge onto the Kanosian's armor, shocking him and shutting down the suit which releases her from his grasp. She kicks him into my grasp and I finish him off with the axe. With a final swing I split his helmet open and let his body fall unceremoniously to the floor. She gazes at me, her legs were still shaking and her hands were quivering.
"Are you alright?" I asked and she nodded.
"Yeah ...just need to get my bearings." she states while her hands shiver over her jumpsuit, dusting herself off before I capture her in an embrace. The blood from her leg and her head trickled down slowly and I hear her sigh.
"I'm sorry."
"No it's not your fault."
"I should have been able to protect you. I should have stayed inside here with you."
"If you did then they would have likely killed you too. It's nothing that you have done. It's not your fault."
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"Positive."
With that final comment we split from our embrace, unable to kiss due to our helmets but still knowingly comforting one ano
ther whilst in the embrace. She directs her attention towards the dashboard and begins to type in the codes to contact Helor to see if everything was going well on his part.
"Helor." I called into the radio.
"Fherin. You alright? They told me your ship crashed." he said.
"I'm fine. I'm sending you our coordinates now for a pick-up. How goes the battle at the base?" I asked him.
"Fine, Denos has been captured and awaits your arrival." he stated.
"Good.....I'll see you soon." I muttered into the receiver before hanging it up. I slip my helmet off and set it aside to breathe in the night air. I look to Natalie who was still shaking from the encounter and rest my hands on her helmet.
"It's alright." I stated and pulled her in for another hug, she doesn't resist as I tug her into my embrace and nested my face into the crook of her neck. Even through the rubber suit I think she could still feel me.
The night goes on with little fanfare and a ship soon arrives to deliver us to Helor. I keep my guard up just in case we've been deceived but it seems like that was not the case this time. As we land amongst the airfields of my old base I find that the weight of worry nestling in my heart is finally lifted, I have been absolved.
"Helor..." I state as I get off of the ship and he captures me in a hug, patting me roughly on the back several times as he did so.
We split and he can only laugh while patting me on the shoulder. I shoot him a smile back and beckon Natalie to come closer and she does.
"This is my mate. Natalie, this is Helor, the best friend a man could ask for." I state with a proud smile, Helor bows.
"So you've been keeping him in check have you? Good. I didn't think he'd make it alone." said Helor with a laugh, Natalie only smiled and nodded.
There was something else to be taken care of anyways.
"Now I’m assuming you want to see Denos, but we will have a long talk after we deal with him. Promise me that brother." said Helor and I nodded.
