by Megan Derr
Karmikel sighed, but otherwise said nothing. Cyan winced to hear himself called 'Alexander' after so many years of being free of the name, but he had known that was how it would all end. Whatever he'd hoped, he'd known that in the end, he couldn't avoid it forever. "I liked being Rehab," he said anyway.
"Too bad," Arkadii snapped, then rounded on Pyotr. "You are being removed from your position."
Surprise flashed across Pyotr's normally guarded face, but in the next moment, he regained control of his expressions. "No—"
"It is not debatable," Arkadii said coldly, and Cyan could not remember ever seeing him so angry, least of all with the nephew on whom he had always doted. "Do you want to delve into why right now? You overstepped your bounds and you know it. I can go into detail." Pyotr said nothing. "You have one term to select and train a replacement," Arkadii said. "In the meantime, you are going to be appointed High Chancellor."
"I don't—"
Arkadii cut him off with a look. "I'm not interested in what you want or think, Pyotr. The IG is going to be in fits over the arrest of Cohen and the warrant out for Alexander. The Star Assembly will want reassurance that we are righting what has clearly gone very wrong. Appointing you will appease most and terrify the rest into keeping their mouths shut, and the rest of the Lower Chancellors will not dare cross me by voting against it. We will speak further in your quarters."
"Yes, Your Lordship," Pyotr said stiffly, then turned and left the room.
Turning back to the rest of the room, Arkadii said, "Gentlemen, I am sorry we must meet—and reunite—this way. I am sorry, too, that I must be so brief. Thank you for all that you have done, especially as I know most of you wanted no part of this debacle. I certainly did not. Suffice to say that while serving in the IA is your punishment, you will also be amply rewarded. Good day to you."
He left, and Cyan finally stood up, stretching out his sore muscles.
"So…what about us?" Sean asked into the silence. "He never said anything about Mendel and me. What are we supposed to do?"
Cyan laughed. "Slip away. He is giving you a chance to escape. We've seen no one else on this ship. The only other person who really knows you're here is Sigma, and he'll never tell."
Karmikel removed a small box from his pouch and tossed it to Mendel. Staring at it in shock, Mendel slowly looked up at Karmikel. "This is the master key for the Brilliant."
"Take it and go away," Karmikel said sourly. "You've been a pain long enough.'
"But—I can't take your ship—"
"Shut up and go away," Karmikel snapped. "You can bet for all this hassle, I'll be demanding a better ship."
Mendel opened his mouth, then closed it again, and finally nodded. "Thank you. I hope we see you all again."
Cyan embraced Sean tightly, then shook Mendel's hand. "Take care of each other. Maybe we can visit sometime?"
Sean smiled. "We've been invited to be assistants and experiments by a certain scientist of notorious origins." His smile faded. "Of course, first we need to slip to Mars…"
Hugging him again, Cyan said, "Give my love to your mother. I'm glad you're all right. I really thought I'd punch you when I saw you again, but I never got the chance, and now the moment's gone."
"I'm sure you'll think of another reason," Sean said with a crooked grin. "See you around, Lord Alexander."
"Fuck you," Cyan replied, and gave him a shove. "Go."
They went, and Cyan sighed as the door closed behind them. "So what do we do now?"
"The Scythe has agreed to return us to Zero," Karmikel said. "We'll have to go there to get you three officially set up as IA Agents."
Lark and Einn made faces. Cyan laughed. "At least you're not going to Rehab." The looks they gave him then were even more tragic, and Cyan laughed harder. "It can't be that bad!"
Karmikel looked at him as if he were an idiot. "If, after all that we've been through, you believe that, you're dumber than a Kreskan trying to stay pure in the Red Dragon district of Bangkok. You're Internal Affairs—it's always that bad."
Cyan shook his head, then looked at Einn and smiled. "There are perks." To his amusement, Lark and Karmikel rolled their eyes together, looking equally disgusted.
"I'm going to go beat my head against a wall," Karmikel groused. "I also need to start work on acquiring a new ship."
Lark's gaze followed him out, then slowly returned to the other two. "I'm glad you guys are safe."
"We're glad you're alright," Cyan said. "I'm sorry you were taken hostage."
"I've suffered worse than good food and a comfortable bed on a classy ship," Lark said. "Right now, I'm going back to that comfortable bed. Try to stay out of trouble for a few hours." He clapped them both on the shoulder, then departed, leaving Einn and Cyan alone.
Einn tugged him close, wrapping his long arms around Cyan. "As pirates, we accept that at some point, we're going to do time in Rehab. It's just a fact of life that pirates either die or get arrested. I have to admit, never thought my Rehab time would look this good."
Cyan laughed. "That's an awful line."
"Yours are never any better," Einn replied, just before Cyan kissed him.
Chapter Twenty-One
Custom Class StarShip Z-28922942, the Brilliant
Sean helped Mendel get the Brilliant away from the Shangri La, the work familiar and distracting. He did not breathe properly until they were well out of sight, and no one tried to come after them.
It was stupid: he had technically been a fugitive for the past term. He should not feel like more of a fugitive just because they were running away. But he supposed he was more of one, really. Whatever his flaws, Pyotr had helped them, protected them, supported them. Now Pyotr was no longer there, and Mendel was no longer tied to the IA.
They were on their own, and the Brilliant their only protection until they could reach Bikendi, and even Bikendi was not the same as having the Auth Commander at their backs. "I can't believe the Grand Chancellor just let us go," Mendel said, breaking into Sean's thoughts. "We should be dead, or at the very least on our way to Rehab. He just…let us go."
Sean smiled faintly. "I think you don't get to be Grand Chancellor of the Infinitum Government by being stupid. If he let us go, he has reasons, and I'm going to believe he knows it's despicable to want us dead just because I'm a mutant."
"You have a remarkably positive outlook," Mendel said, returning the smile.
"I'm still breathing, despite that whole mutant thing and our crazy adventures of the past term. We're as free as we could ever hope to be, on our way to Mars to retrieve my mother, and I have you. I've got all the reason in the world to have a positive outlook. There is also the fact that we have nothing to do between here and Mars."
"Nothing to do, hmm?" Mendel said, and wrapped his fingers around Sean's wrist, tugging him close. Sean splayed his hands across Mendel's chest. "I'm sure we could think of something."
Sean snickered. "No doubt you've got experiments to run." He leaned up and dragged his tongue across Mendel's lips, then took a proper kiss, slow and deep, leaving Sean breathless when they finally drew apart.
"Indeed," Mendel replied. He dragged Sean's arms up around his neck, then slid his hands back down Sean's arms, along his back, to finally twine around his waist. "The first experiment on my list is to determine just how loud and long you scream when you come."
The words made Sean jerk in surprise, then he laughed. "Now I have to ask what kind of lab equipment is required for that sort of experimentation."
"I'm not dignifying that awful line with an answer," Mendel said, rolling his eyes, and he kept Sean from providing his own answer by kissing him hard and grabbing his ass, grinding their bodies together. Sean moaned in approval and clung tightly, fingers twisted in Mendel's hair and a shiver running down his spine as Mendel nipped at his lips. He wasn't actually much for screaming; a lifelong habit of not attracting attention bled into all aspects of his life, but he half-thought Mendel might be able to make him do it.<
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Finally tearing away, he said, "We really shouldn't fuck on the bridge. Karmikel will sense it and cause the ship to self-destruct."
Mendel snorted in amusement, nibbling at his jaw. "Stop talking about other men." He pushed Sean playfully away, and ordered, "Lead the way."
Sean was tempted to just step close again, disregard his own words and push Mendel to the floor. But the floor was hardly comfortable, and there was a perfectly good bed a short distance away, so he made himself turn around and lead the way from the bridge and to the Captain's quarters.
In all the time they'd spent on the ship, he had never once seen Karmikel use the Captain's Quarters. Actually, Sean wasn't entirely certain he'd ever seen Karmikel leave the bridge, unless they had to go down planet. They really would have to repay Karmikel for parting with the ship he loved so dearly. Sean felt a momentary pang, reminded that being fugitives meant he would seldom, if ever, see his friends again.
He was distracted from the serious thoughts when Mendel grabbed him from behind and pushed him down onto the bed. Sean rolled over, staring up at Mendel, and the expression on Mendel's face went straight to his cock. "I should have known you'd be this take charge in bed," he said, sitting up to remove his boots.
"Focused," Mendel replied. "I believe you once punched me for being too focused."
Sean grinned, throwing his boots aside and starting on his jacket. "I am more than happy to have that focus on me."
"So am I," Mendel murmured, tossing aside the last of his own clothes and helping Sean with the rest of his, although helping turned into hindering when he insisted on caressing or kissing every part of Sean's body as it was revealed.
Mendel's green scales gleamed in the light that had turned on automatically when they entered the room, a stunning contrast to his smooth, tan skin. Naked at last, Sean pulled Mendel down on top of him, sucking up a mark on his throat and whimpering as Mendel's hands moved along his skin. He took a hungry kiss, jerking as their cocks rubbed together, leaving damp marks on his stomach.
Breaking the kiss, Mendel mouthed his way down Sean's body, biting his shoulder, licking his nipples, teasing with his fingers before following them with sharp little nips as he steadily worked his way lower. He hovered a moment, teasing, waiting until Sean yanked at his hair, before finally flicking his tongue over the head of Sean's cock. When Sean yanked at his hear again and swore at him, Mendel sucked him down properly, working tongue and throat. Sean fisted his hand in Mendel's hair more tightly than ever, thrusting into his hot mouth, panting and swearing and begging—
—and bellowing in outrage when Mendel abruptly pulled off his cock and reared up, then off the bed. "You son of a bitch!"
Mendel snickered at him and picked up his pants, rifling through them a moment before he came up with a small tube that made Sean forgive him a teensy bit. "I didn't know you were carrying lube around."
"Focused," Mendel repeated. "Also patient, upon occasion. I figured my chance would come." He pushed Sean's legs apart and settled between them, wasting no time in gently pushing in one slick finger. Sean moved into it, groaning his approval. Mendel kissed him, adding a second finger, and sucking up a mark on Sean's chest when he added a third a short time later.
Sean groaned again as the fingers withdrew, and Mendel's cock pushed inside him, slowly at first, and then all the way with a last, hard thrust. He gripped Mendel's back, nails biting, and said, "A little more focus, please."
Mendel laughed and, grabbing Sean's hips, obediently began to focus, thrusting hard and deep. Sean gasped and pleaded, holding so tightly to Mendel his nails left marks that would turn into bruises. He shouted as Mendel grabbed his cock and jerked Sean off in time with his thrusts.
He thought he may have very well shouted as he came, but wasn't entirely certain, more interested in committing to memory the way Mendel sounded when he came. Mendel collapsed on top of him, and Sean grunted at the weight, but did not shove him off quite yet.
After a few minutes, Mendel said, "While promising, I feel the first experiment was inconclusive. Many repeats may be required."
"Now who's coming up with stupid lines?" Sean replied, rolling his eyes. He shoved Mendel, then draped himself across Mendel's chest, leaning down to kiss him. "I think I need a nap, but then I'm all for it."
Planet 1311819 (Mars), Settlement 2.1 (Canadia)
Sean breathed a sigh of relief as the main console chimed to warn him that someone was approaching the ship. His in-lens flashed as he transmitted an order to trigger the out-cameras, and he beamed when he saw an old Rehab buddy standing with his mother just outside the ship. "Open main," he ordered, and left the bridge.
As the main door slid open, he pressed the button to extend the gangway, then strode down it and embraced his mother tightly. "Mama, I'm so sorry."
She cried into his shoulder, thinner and frailer than when he'd last seen her, but still able to hold him tightly. "Oh, Sean, Sean, Sean…" He kissed her cheek and hugged her again, then drew away and extended a hand to the man who had brought her.
"Thanks, Helm. I owe you big time for risking this for me."
"Fuck it," Helm said staunchly. "No one gets between a man and his mom. You take care, Sean. Tell Cyan we all said hey, too." He gave Sean a brief embrace and clapped him on the back. "Go." Then he turned and walked away, and Sean helped his mother slowly onto the Brilliant.
Onboard, he gave silent orders via in-lens for the ship to prepare for take-off, leaving Mendel to handle the details on the bridge. He led his mother to the mess and set her up at the table with a cup of fragrant tea. "Mama, I'm glad—" He swallowed roughly, taking in her pale skin, the way she looked so small. "It's good to see you," he said, unable to say that he was glad he hadn't been too late. "I love you, Mama."
She patted his hand and smiled at him, clearly happy despite the tears in her eyes. "I'm glad you're safe, Sean." Her eyes popped wide when she looked at something past him, and Sean smiled up at Mendel as he sat down on the bench beside him. "My, oh my. So this is why you're in hiding?"
"Yeah," Sean said softly. "Mendel, my mother. Mom, Mendel."
She extended her hand in greeting, and said, "My name is Alice. It's very nice to meet you after all this time. You don't look anything like those awful pictures they show on the feeds. Thank you for taking care of my son."
"You do remember the bit where he kidnapped me, right, Mom?"
"I also know what kind of fool trouble you can get yourself into," she said primly. "Anyway, I think we've all moved on from that kidnapping business. Where are we going, Sean?"
Sean rolled his eyes, but refilled her teacup, and said, "A friend of ours—well, mostly a friend of Mendel's—has invited us to stay with him. His name is Itzal Bikendi. He's a scientist like Mendel. He lives on the Moon of Telve."
Alice drew a sharp breath, eyes popping wide. "The bloodsucking planet? But they do not permit anyone to go there."
Mendel laughed. "They do whatever Bikendi wants because he improves their image. I promise, the Telve are not as bad as everyone says."
She nodded slowly, still looking nervous, and said, "So what happened, Sean? I thought I would never see you again, and now the feeds will talk about nothing else but the arrest of the High Chancellor and a warrant for Lower Chancellor Alexander, and how it's all tied up with experiments on Draconis. They say Draconis and their matches were kidnapped and tortured in labs! I thought—but you're safe."
"Yes, Mama, we're safe," Sean assured her, squeezing her hands. "We helped stop the kidnappings," he said, and told her all that he could about what had transpired over the past term. By the time he was finished, she looked exhausted. "Come on, Mama. I've got a bed made up for you." He led her to the Captain's Quarters, thoroughly cleaned and prepared for her, and got her settled in. She hugged him tightly again.
"I'm glad I got to see you again, baby," she whispered, holding him even more tightly.
He held her back just as fiercely, eyes stinging. "Me too, M
ama. We'll take care of you, I promise." She lay down, and he kissed her cheek, then turned out the light and left her to sleep.
Back on the bridge, Mendel swept him up and kissed him. Sean knew from the look on his face that Mendel hadn't liked what he'd seen of his mother's condition, but he didn't say anything, and Sean was grateful. "Your mom is sweet. I'm glad she didn't try to kill me."
Sean laughed. "My mother always wanted me to settle down. How that happens is completely irrelevant. Thank you. How far are we from Telve?"
Mendel kissed him again. "A few hours now. Bikendi already sent us the landing protocols and permission codes from the Telve council, unofficially of course. He's excited, though he'll never say it."
"Excited to have captives who can contribute to his experiments as both subjects and assistants?" Sean responded dryly. "What exactly are we going to be helping him with, anyway? I never really followed what you guys were discussing back in the lab." He grimaced, recalling the facility. Their time there had been measured in hours only, but it had been too many hours as far as he was concerned.
Sighing, Mendel settled in the captain's seat and stretched his legs out in front of him, staring at the feeds and data readings scrawling across the main screen, machinery humming and chirping all around them, and seeming to enhance how quiet it was otherwise. "The Draconis have been getting more and more attention, but it's mostly been confined to the upper reaches of the IG. Until this debacle with the Chancellors, it was not a mainstream problem. Many scientists have been researching the Draconis, some toward the goal of exterminating, some toward the goal of supporting. Bikendi has been privately commissioned, by whom he will not say, to research the Draconis bond and how it is evolving. That evolution is one of the strongest arguments the pro-Draconis could hope for. You and I are a prime example of it, though Bikendi says that while we might be the most impossible, we're not the most fascinating."
