by Candace Sams
Because of his attentiveness and the knowledge that death only comes once, she simply wasn’t afraid anymore. She’d still find a way to deprive the Condorians of her body while killing a few in the process. As she’d once told her lover, there was always a weapon somewhere. A broken bottle, a chair, a bit of cord used to tie bed curtains, or any heavy object like a statue.
She watched as Sol finished dressing. The clothing Aigean chose for him was as skimpy as hers. His outfit consisted of nothing more than brown leather pants, matching tall boots, and his ever-present gold armband. In an attempt to exploit D’uhr’s lust, his chest would remain bare.
She touched the armband he’d given her knowing he’d never remove it. He saw her gesture and touched his own armband. They, like the lives of their wearers, would be forfeited to the enemy.
Sol’s quiet conversation with both Aigean and the gentle servant, Gentis, came to an end. The other servants and cleaning staff that’d serviced their quarters were dismissed. There was no longer any need to guard the bulkhead computer where the authentication codes were stored. D’uhr would acquire those from the bridge soon enough. He wouldn’t have the modifications to those codes, but that wouldn’t matter. He’d know what they’d done. From here on, they were playing a game to see how long they could stay alive. They were going to pit a father against a son and see what trouble they could cause for as long as possible.
There were only four in the quarters now. Gentis, Aigean, Soldar, and Lyra stared at one another.
Soldar took a deep, cleansing breath then let it out slowly. “We’re at an end, my friends. I’d like to think a few hundred people on Taurean Seti-Seven will live to fight another day. Maybe one of their progeny will turn out to be a great leader who will vanquish the Condorians back to their home world forever.”
Lyra smiled at that bit of wishful thinking.
“Well … we can hope,” he smilingly continued. “I state the obvious when I say there’s no possibility of getting Lyra back on the bridge. But we made a difference, if only a small one. We knew our ends would come. We always have. Whatever happens tonight and tomorrow, we can’t control. What we can do is die with dignity. We can show more honor than any Condorian will ever possess. In that way, we defeat them. They’ll remember what we did. It will leave a bitter taste in their mouths forever.”
“Well spoken,” Aigean whispered. “My servants will spread the word to others within the ship. We’re all prepared, as we have been for a very long time. I regret the enemy will now have the codes to contact allied headquarters. It couldn’t be helped.”
“Don’t forget that the sequencing changes will make them ineffectual,” Soldar reminded her. “If D’uhr tried to use them to set up an ambush, he’d still need the fuel. They didn’t get it off Taurean Seti-Seven. General Shafter will be thankful for the time we bought.” He stopped and seemed to consider his words before speaking again. “Look to the stars, ladies. Tonight or by tomorrow, we’ll be among them. We’ll sail into infinity and dance in their light.
• • •
They walked through the passageways in silence and strode purposely toward the entertainment center of the vessel.
Aigean finally broke their somber contemplation.
“If it means anything, fewer Condorians will be viewing your performance tonight,” she said. “Their affliction has grown worse and spread quickly. Many of them have fallen too ill to move.”
“This is so,” Gentis confirmed, then lowered her voice. “This illness may provide the hidden allied fighters a way to at least die with honor. They have been told of the situation aboard the Venus. Many can barely move but they will still try to fight if they’re discovered.”
“And they’re now in one place,” Aigean added. “With the passageways empty it seemed prudent to move the few we had hidden in servant areas to Myranda’s quarters. It was the largest space the Condorians previously searched. They found the rust and peeling paint much less comfortable than the lounges and first class accommodation. They haven’t been back to that part of the ship since they arrived.”
Soldar considered this news. Those injured survivors were the one element D’uhr and none of his minions knew about. It was their presence he’d spoken about earlier, when he’d mentioned the one advantage they had. Now, their willingness to go into a new battle, if they had to be propped up to do it, was one more tribute to allied courage and loyalty.
“If we can take a few of these bastards with us, we will,” he stated, “but wait until the situation is right. If it comes to a fight, those injured survivors will be engaging the enemy without weapons. Even if the armory isn’t well-guarded now, the Condorians will have it heavily locked. It’d take more time than we’ll have to break into it.”
“There’s other news concerning this strange affliction,” Aigean continued. “The Condorians have been leaving their pilfered drugs where they lost consciousness. The cooks even found unlabeled bottles of pills in the galley where the guards eat. I don’t know what these pills are, but Myranda may.”
All conversation stopped when a very pale, coughing group of five Condorians rounded the corner. They were leaning on several lovely, almost nude prostitutes.
When the women walked by Soldar’s group and covertly nodded, any doubts as to the crews’ solidarity were abolished.
“Those Condorians are being taken to some space where the last of our sleeping potion will be used on them,” Aigean revealed when the sick officers were out of earshot. “When so many became ill overnight, my sex givers no longer felt obliged to give their bodies to the parasites. They can’t be beaten now for withholding their charms.”
“How much of that potion do you have?” Soldar asked.
“Very little. Only enough to immobilize a few dozen.”
Soldar realized these small acts of rebellion were playing out all over the ship. This strange malady was giving the crew a means to fight back. But there were still Condorians not so afflicted. And they could obtain weapons from the armory — assuming they hadn’t disobeyed D’uhr and hidden them in their quarters.
The injured survivors, Aigean’s employees, and the small group with him were all making their last stands simultaneously. He had no intention of ordering a halt. Fornax may find the message Lyra sent at any moment. That discovery would lead the enemy to the authentication codes in their quarters. He could only pray someone put a dent in the enemy before they all died. Everyone who wasn’t Condorian must take what action they deemed appropriate. This might be their last opportunity.
Finally, they reached the closed stage, with its long white curtains. Soldar took Lyra’s hand and opened his mouth to speak. She quickly stood on her toes and covered his lips with her fingertips.
“I was the one who suggested this, remember?” she told him.
“Still … I’d wish for a quieter place to spend our last moments.” He moved closer to her. “No matter what happens, remember your promise to find me in the next life.”
“I will,” she whispered.
Aigean issued her last words.
“I will not tell you how to perform this night. I’m not the mistress of this ship any longer, but will assume the position of one more soul dying with you.” She placed a hand on Soldar’s cheek. “My remaining time belongs to my crew. I have one employee who will part the curtains before he joins the rest of us. When the music starts this time, you will be alone and your performance will signal my people to cease their duties. No further commands given by the enemy aboard my vessel will be honored. I’ll make sure that single command is circulated. At long last … my people are free. May the Creator of all things go with you!”
With those words spoken, she looped her arm through Gentis’ and the two women strode away.
Soldar faced Lyra again.
The expression in her blue-green eyes was inscrutable.
He knew the curtains would be parted when they were ready, so he took time to absorb her smell, warmth, and strength.
No more words could be spoken. With the deepest regret of having found a woman to love, only to order her to her death, he turned away and began to undress. As before, what they’d worn was more for the benefit of anyone still walking in the passageways. Their attire was removed now just to save time on stage. What difference did it make now how or when it came off?
Lyra removed her garb and he watched each graceful move she made, savoring everything he could before this final show.
His conscience was heavy. There were so many things he’d needed to say to his family and never would. He regretted never telling his younger brother that he loved him. Men on Craetoria weren’t so open with their feelings when they’d left to go to war, hence his father’s admonition to look after his younger sibling. He fancied there’d be a change in attitudes for those who got to see home again, for as long as homes existed.
And then there was the lie he’d told about the confrontation in D’uhr’s quarters.
There wasn’t enough time.
Words came by the hundreds. They flooded his mind along with images of home, but he couldn’t give them the voice they deserved. So he remained silent and prayed his touch would speak on his behalf.
• • •
Lyra finally turned to him. They were both nude.
She watched a myriad of emotions pass over his face. It was clear he felt as she did. They were confused and torn. The battle was done and they were being asked to play out this charade before the enemy. It was more of a diversion, to give the crew time to find their respective positions to make a stand. It’d give Aigean’s people a chance to entrench themselves somewhere. And maybe this show would give the wounded, including Soldar’s brother, time to gather for one last confrontation.
I should tell him his brother is here. I should tell him.
Once those words were uttered he’d hate her for not saying something sooner. She’d be dishonoring her promise to Cordis, and crushing the experience of having her love one last time.
Cordis was with brethren. Soldar was with her and she selfishly wanted these last few moments, even if it was playing a sex duo for those Condorians still well enough to watch.
She moved into his embrace, stretched upward, and looped her arms around his neck. Then she began to kiss him slowly and deeply, and with as much passion as she could.
She wasn’t aware when the curtains opened. Only a feeling of cold eyes staring told her they were being watched. That chill filtered around her body like a death shroud, but Soldar was there. His presence pushed the iciness away.
Their tongues entwined and his soft caresses enflamed her. Perhaps the desperate situation fueled his desire. Or maybe her newly acknowledged love, and her newfound assertiveness because of it, drove his need to new heights.
For whatever reason, their ardor was generating enough heat and passion assuring their love would follow them into the next life. She felt it as if it was a living entity.
He ran his hands over her body. She knew he was trying to memorize every line, curve, and detail. She followed his example. His soft moans were the sweetest sound she’d ever heard. And in a life quickly coming to an end, the deep sounds were manna from heaven.
His cock was hard and pressed against the inside of her thighs. He was urging her to lie on the nearby bed. There was no audience, no enemy now. It was just them and the growing heat.
She didn’t resist as he pressed against her, moving her backward as he stepped forward. When the backs of her thighs touched the bed, he lowered her down into its softness. But then he backed away and slowly circled her the way a predator might before finally taking its prey.
He gazed down at her, his chest visibly rising and falling as he dragged air into his lungs. His eyes began to glow with that ethereal light indicating desire. And with sudden speed and a display of great strength, his slid his hands around her waist, lifted her entire body high above his head, and nudged her thighs apart with his face.
She parted her legs and he tilted his head backward. Their movements put her clit over his mouth.
He tongued her clit as she placed the palms of her hands on his shoulders. She closed her eyes and spread her legs further. The feel of the warm, repetitive teasing was delicious. The throbbing of her clit caused her to squirm and cry out.
Just as she thought she could stand no more, he lowered her to the bed again then rolled her onto her stomach. As before, he circled her but pulled at his cock and his testicles as he did so. She stretched out one hand to touch him but he quickly moved to the end of the bed, where her feet rested. Then he grabbed her ankles.
This time, he lifted her straight up until he made a wide vee of her legs. He tongued her clit again, as she was literally hanging upside down and facing him. The acrobatic pose put her face right in front of his cock and red-glowing, bullish testicles.
As he held her aloft, she anchored herself to his body by grabbing his hips. She sucked his cock and balls with greedy lust.
Some animal was loose in both of them and she didn’t care.
With his face down and his lips teasing her clit, she used her tongue as a licking weapon and tasted every inch of his genitalia.
The resulting moan he issued made her crazy with desire. She wanted him and meant to take all she could. There was no sense of time. She experienced no dizziness. Maybe her need to touch, caress, and slide her tongue over his cock, and the feeling of his licking her, overran any discomfort. It was as if she could stay that way forever.
His thighs were hard and the muscle bulged as he held her aloft. The smell of his skin was clean and fresh. He opened his legs wider and he circled his hips slowly as she licked.
She almost knew to the moment when he was about to ejaculate. His balls glowed fiery red just as her body responded to his sliding tongue. Her pelvis began to jerk automatically and he quickly lowered her back to the bed.
He was on top of her in seconds. She spread her thighs wide and waited for his bronzed, warm flesh to come closer before wrapping her legs around his back. With the speed of a feral cat, he thrust deeply and pulled her into his embrace.
She plunged her hands into his hair and planted soft kisses across his shoulder. With barely enough air in her lungs, she whispered one more time, so he would know and never forget.
“I love you. I’ll always love you.”
She repeated the oath over and over. He kicked his feet. The action pressed him further into her body.
Like a warm spring rain, she felt his seed flow into her body. It was hot and thick. He shuddered and she held him as her own orgasm tore from the back of her vagina and raced forward like a wave meeting a shore.
He held her to him as if he’d never be torn free. She heard him dragging air into his lungs. A fine sheen of sweat covered them both. Still, his scent was so enticing. It was as if she’d run through a storm and ended her race by lying next to a god. His scent was a blend of spice, wood, and clean air. She nuzzled her face against his chest and breathed him in. He lifted one hand and smoothed her own tresses back, kissing her forehead and temple sweetly and almost reverently.
“Never forget us. Never,” he whispered into her ear as he kissed it and ran his tongue down her neck to her chest.
The air around them grew warmer. Whiteness surrounded them.
“The curtain is closed,” she told him as she ran her hands over his biceps and gripped them hard.
His response was to press his lips to hers and to end the encounter where they began. With a deep, earth-shattering kiss.
When he broke it to gaze down at her, she saw the eyes of a man who could never be defeated. The love reflected there was so pure and enduring no one could ever come between them. His long hair fell against his cheeks
and their ends teased her nipples. She lifted one hand and gently closed her fingers around a long, soft section of his golden mane.
They may have only known each other for a few days, but some people spent a lifetime together without feeling this profound, abiding love.
“We haven’t got much time, Lyra. I want to lie here with you like this until it ends. But this is where those foul sons-of-bitches get their last look. They’ve had their show. They’ll get no more!”
She hugged him hard. He wrapped his hands around her back and slid them along her spine as if he could blend their bodies together and make one being of them.
Only then did she turn her head to hear the applause outside the curtains. The moment was lost. She wanted to weep for having shown so many savages something that should have been a secret between her and her mate.
When they heard movement nearby, she pulled herself free and grabbed for her clothing.
Once she was dressed, Soldar put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the tip of her nose. The silvery afterglow in his eyes was mesmerizing. There was simply no time left to enjoy the wonders of his Craetorian body.
She’d soon be cold, alone in a grave without him.
But training came to her aid. It lent her the strength to tamp down emotions threatening to choke off air. The sadness was too much. Everything she loved was dead or about to die.
He dropped his hands from her shoulders and slightly lifted his chin. That posturing was sweetly familiar. He was about to say something she wouldn’t like.
“Turn around and don’t look at me,” he softly commanded.
She hesitated. Soldar’s expression was a mixture of sadness and tortured rage. The order was given in a voice that was half-growled, half-broken. It was as if he was in horrific agony.
When Lyra turned her back to him, he stretched his arms around her, put one hand on her chin and the other at the base of her skull. “Forgive me, my heart. Please … please … forgive me. I love you.”
