A New Reason To Fight: An Intergalactic Romance

by T. J. Brandow

  “And I blew him, too,” Diana chuckled.

  “That wasn’t quite what I meant, but okay,” she said. “Good thing today is a relatively easy day. It won’t require a whole lot of concentration or use of the lower extremities. Which is a really good thing since you’re looking a little bit bow-legged.”

  “Wow, you guys sure have a pretty good English teacher on your world, if you know all of the slang terms for things so well,” Diana commented dryly.

  “Yes, the Royal English Tutor actually is a human,” Alara shrugged as the two of them headed for the door. “The king had her specially selected and brought to our world. He also ended up making her his plaything as well.”

  “But not his queen?”

  “We don’t marry the same way humans do on our world,” Alara explained. “To be a man’s plaything basically is to be his wife. But on the plus side, if the two of you grow apart, you don’t have to go through a divorce, you just say you don’t want to play anymore and move on.”

  “So, you’re saying that Meko and I are—married?”

  “Pretty much, yes,” she nodded as they entered the lift.

  Diana was stunned. It was one thing to agree to a night of wild sex, but quite another to become a man’s wife without even knowing about it. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that. But at least she wasn’t his sex slave, like she’d originally thought she would be. She still had free will, and he had told her he wanted them to be happy together. It was just a bit strange, that was all. It would take some getting used to.

  “You seem troubled, Diana,” said Alara as they rode on the transport to their final destination. “What are you thinking about?”

  She sighed deeply. “It’s just that Meko doesn’t believe that sex and love are part of the same thing. Sure, the sex was great, and I’m not complaining about that. But a marriage? That’s not just about sex. For me, and the people on my world, that’s mostly about love. And commitment, too. Don’t forget about that.”

  Alara smirked. “So you don’t love Meko, and he doesn’t love you, so you think you should not be ‘married’ to each other, right?”

  “Well, yeah,” she shrugged.

  “Life is not always that straightforward, you know,” Alara told her. “First, why do you believe that you don’t love him? You don’t hate him, do you?”

  “No, even though I should since he did kidnap me, right?”

  “Wrong,” she scoffed. “Meko kidnapped you because he was attracted to you. And he’s from another world. And he never intended to return to your world. There was no time to get you to fall in love, right? So, he brought you along with the hope—maybe even the expectation—that someday you would love him. Understand?”

  Diana blushed. “I thought he just wanted sex.”

  “You said yourself, love and sex are the same thing,” she pointed out. “And in a woman’s mind, that’s usually the case. Don’t you think that a man knows that?”

  “But the expectation of love isn’t the same as actually having it,” Diana sighed. “And also, expecting me to love him isn’t the same as being willing to love me.”

  “You could really give yourself a headache if you think about it too hard,” she chuckled. “Better to just accept things and let love grow in its own time. Great sex and good companionship are much more important in the overall scheme of things than whether or not you label it as love.”

  Diana sighed again. “I suppose you’re right about that. And after all, I’ve only known him a very short time. And it’s not like I’m going anywhere, so we’ve got plenty of time.”

  “Exactly,” Alara said with a smile. “So no more worries. Let’s just enjoy ourselves, okay?”

  “Good idea,” Diana agreed.

  FOURTEEN

  The next few days progressed much like those that had gone before, with fulfilling work during the day, and even more fulfilling sexual encounters when she returned to the cabin during the sleep cycle. Diana couldn’t decide if what she was beginning to feel toward Meko was love, or just affection, but she enjoyed learning more about him with each encounter they shared, and not just the sexual ones.

  Meko had a quick, dry wit, and sometimes he was just a little sadistic, but not in a way that caused any lasting harm. If anything, Diana was slightly more sadistic herself, so she could hardly find fault with him for his naughty ways. In fact, she could envision quite clearly the two of them pulling a joke on one or more of his officers someday.

  “You seem to be in high spirits this evening, kitar, said Meko when they’d finished their meal. “I wonder what could be going on inside that overactive mind of yours.”

  “Oh, nothing important,” she smirked. “I was just realizing I’m starting to enjoy being here. Which I suppose you’re going to rub in, most likely, but I might as well admit it. You were right, I was miserable back on Earth. I don’t know what Andara will be like, but if it’s as wonderful as it’s been here, you will have my eternal gratitude for the rescue.”

  “I’m certain not everything about my world will be to your liking,” said Meko with a little cringe. “There would have to be something you will have to get used to, don’t you think?”

  “Sure, I mean, the animals are weird, and so are the plants,” she had to agree. “I think that the way your people go about forming relationships is a whole lot different than my own, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t adapt. Because I know that even on Earth different people do things differently. Just because I learned one way, doesn’t mean another doesn’t work too.”

  “What’s got you so ready to accept that new world, and the new people in it?” he asked curiously.

  “Alara, for the most part,” she explained. “She’s been telling me all about the place. She’s explained the different peoples of your world, and specifically told me about some of the customs and expectations among the people of your kingdom. She was so descriptive, I almost feel like I’ve been there already.”

  Meko chuckled. “Yes, Alara is very good at spinning her words,” he had to agree. “But she also tends to enjoy fairy tales, too. You need to make sure you don’t put too much expectation into everything she says, okay? I don’t want you to become angry with me if you find out her words and our reality don’t jibe.”

  “Don’t worry so much, Meko,” Diana told him. “When I first got here, it was me who worried like this. Why are you suddenly doing it instead?”

  He blushed, then sighed softly. “I just don’t want you to become angry with me,” he admitted. “Things are going so well, and in my experience when things go too well, something always happens to bring it down. And I just don’t want us to come down from this thing between us. I like it too much.”

  “I feel that way, too,” she said, smiling. “I never expected to warm up to you like this.”

  Meko grinned. “I knew I’d warm up to you, though,” he teased. “You made me pretty warm the first time we met.”

  “Meko!” she gasped, covering her blushing face with her hands.

  He didn’t let her hide, of course. He laughed and tugged her hands away again, saying, “Looks like I have a habit of warming you up, too.”

  “Stop it,” she grumbled. “Here I am opening up to you, and all you want to do is tease me!”

  “Kitar, you should take the fact I’m teasing you as a good sign,” he told her then. “It’s not something I do often. It can only mean that I am pleased with you as well.”

  “Then I don’t have to worry about you dumping me out with the rest of the space waste or anything?” she chuckled. “Mine the honor.”

  “What kind of a monster would do that?” he asked, his face going from mirth to disgust in an instant.

  “According to the governments of Earth, you would,” she replied. “Your people, anyway. You’d be amazed what a bad reputation you have.”

  “Thankfully, I have no desire to live up to it,” Meko replied. “Now, how about if we celebrate our newfound comradery using much more plea
surable means?”

  Diana grinned, pouncing into Meko’s arms. He did not hesitate to carry her into the other room.

  *****

  “Commander? You’re needed on the bridge,” came Breela’s voice a couple of hours later as Meko and Diana laid side by side on the bed, naked and sated. His brow rose as he looked over at her, and Meko sat up with alarm.

  “What is it, Breela?” he wanted to know.

  “I’d rather tell you when you get here, sir,” she replied.

  Meko could tell by the sound of her voice that it was something serious, so he didn’t argue with her. “I’ll be there soon,” he told her, already beginning to grab his clothes off the floor. He looked at Diana’s worried expression, and his own softened for a moment.

  “Don’t worry, kitar,” he told her. “No matter what’s going on, I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you. All right?”

  “Yeah,” she said woodenly. “I’ll be fine. Just get going, mister.”

  Smiling briefly, Meko bent and kissed her before he headed for the door. “Just in case,” he called over his shoulder. “And if it is your father, he’d better not try to take you from me. I won’t let him, you know.”

  “Don’t be dumb,” she called after him. “My father would never come all the way out here. And even if he did, you wouldn’t have to argue with him because I’d tell him myself that I refuse to go.”

  Meko felt his face quirk up into a brilliant smile as he exited the double doors and headed for the bridge. He literally had to force his face into a more serious expression before he entered the command center of his ship to discover what kind of trouble they had now.

  “Report, Lieutenant?” he asked as he took his seat.

  “Sir, long-distance radar has discovered another ship coming out of the Milky Way galaxy at a speed only slightly slower than our own.”

  “So it couldn’t be another Andarian vessel?” he inquired.

  “Not unless it’s been disabled somehow,” she replied. “It seems to be traveling at the standard speed of a Sinkat vessel, sir. And we know that there was a Sinkat vessel in the system at the same time we were there. It can’t be a coincidence.”

  “I don’t think they’re likely to violate the arms treaty,” Meko said. “What are you worried about?”

  “Long-range scans have also picked up a Sinkat vessel ahead of us as well,” she explained. “My instincts tell me there must be something more to this than meets the eye.”

  “They’re not in communication range of one another yet,” Meko pointed out. “It has to be a coincidence. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not a threat. Keep your eyes open, okay?”

  “Yes, sir,” she agreed with a salute.

  FIFTEEN

  “Sir, I still say it’s dangerous to have twenty humans on board,” Gaal Natir complained as they neared the galactic checkpoint. “If these people discover the hidden area at the bottom of our ship, there could be so huge repercussions.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Natir,” Sim scoffed with an oily smile. “I have ensured that the hold cannot be found. The only human I haven’t bothered to hide from their prying eyes is Michael King, who I am mercifully taking on a rescue mission to retrieve his daughter. Besides, even if I am found out, I have diplomatic immunity. No planet has the right to prosecute me. Which pretty much makes me invincible.”

  “Yes, but that’s no safeguard for me,” the officer pointed out worriedly.

  “They won’t be found,” Sim insisted. “Rest easy, Captain. And if they are, you can claim complete deniability. There’s no need to be concerned.”

  “What do you want those humans for anyway?” he asked curiously.

  “The Andarian commander apparently has a soft spot that we can exploit, thanks to his recent visit to Earth,” Sim chuckled. “I’m quite sure that by now he and the young woman that he abducted have become a mated pair, and she isn’t going to like the idea of leaving her father and the other humans in our care. Now if only I could lay my hands on the girl, and bring her on board too, and tell her about our cargo, the Andarians will surely attack us at the very least to get her back, let alone the other prisoners she’ll tell him are on board. We can claim that the battle was begun by them, and that it was they, and not the good men and women of Sinkata, who started the war. And if we can manage to take their ship, we can even say all the humans were brought here by them.”

  “That’s a brilliant idea, sir,” he replied.

  “Of course it is,” he said. “I didn’t just endure four years living on Earth for nothing. Soon, we will be able to swoop down upon our enemy free and clear. It will be a glorious victory.”

  *****

  Michael had had enough of his imprisonment. When the Sinkat servant brought his food for the day he seized the tray that had contained his previous meal and used it to club the creature over his head, knocking him to the floor food and all.

  With the alien down for the count, he grabbed the locking card and the alien’s servant shirt, putting it on so he would be less conspicuous if anyone spotted him out in the hall. Then he cautiously stepped out the door and looked around.

  The number of people in the hallway was a surprise. They were all dressed in military clothes and seemed to be more interested in their destinations than their surroundings, so it would seem. He came across hat least a dozen just wandering from his room to the end of the hallway, but not one of them seemed to pay him any mind. He started to feel a bit more confident, realizing this, but that confidence soon became short-lived.

  At the far end of the hall, there was a large, clear door, so he could easily see what awaited anyone who attempted to step through. Unfortunately it wasn’t pretty. A very big, very burly guard stood on the other side, making it quite clear he wouldn’t be able to use that avenue of escape.

  He wasn’t sure what to do. Now that he’d clubbed the servant and left him in the room, he didn’t see how he could simply step inside again. Well, not unless he found some way to get rid of the unconscious alien and then act like nothing happened. But there didn’t seem to be any way to conveniently do that.

  All along the way he tried to spot a garbage receptacle or incineration unit, but the walls were completely smooth. If they were there, he certainly couldn’t find them. His only hope now would have to be to go back into his room and hope the guard had not revived.

  He stepped into his room again and switched back into his own clothes. He was lucky his hapless victim still had not come to. Putting his clothes onto him again managed to shake the man enough that he woke up at last.

  “What happened?” he wanted to know.

  Michael was examining his head with concern as he replied, “You slipped on the spare food tray when you came through the door. Sorry about that, I knocked it down and forget to pick it up before I fell asleep.”

  The groggy alien seemed to buy it, and he simply retrieved the tray and left Michael his food as usual. Then he walked out, locking him in again.

  Sighing heavily, all Michael could do was hope that the Sinkat would not find out that he’d been out roaming in the hallway. The guard hadn’t seen him, and the other people he’d passed in the hallway didn’t seem to notice him either. He supposed a servant went unnoticed even among species other than his own.

  *****

  “When we get to Andara, there’s a special place I want to take you,” said Meko enthusiastically as the two of them lounged on the beach. Diana had been delighted this cycle when, instead of going to work, Meko had brought her here. There wasn’t actually a large body of water, of course, since that would be impractical, but the mural painting of fluorescent green waves exactly matched the look of the ocean on his world.

  “You mean other than the real ocean?” she chuckled.

  “Yes, other than that,” he said, grinning at her. “It’s a very special place where playthings go together when they know they want to play for a very long time. We would have a little engraving of our names made o
n a little placket, and hang it on the playing tree. I mean, if that sounds like fun to you.”

  Diana’s heart thudded faster as she watched a slightly vulnerable look of uncertainty cross Meko’s face as he glanced up into her eyes. And she thought about what he was saying, and what Alara had been saying about how sometimes “playing” could be just like marriage. And she wondered if, in his own way, Meko was trying to admit he was falling in love. Because the truth was, even if it had been only three Earth weeks since this man had abducted her, she was already falling in love with him.

  “Yeah, I think it’s a great idea,” she told him. “I mean, I’m sure having fun in your sandbox. I don’t think I would even consider getting into another one, you know?”

  “Me neither,” he agreed as relief washed over him.

  The next thing she knew, Diana was underneath him, and she giggled as she wondered how she was supposed to get synthetic sand out of her underwear. But Meko remedied the problem when he removed them, tossing them somewhere off to the side. She’d be able to shake them out before she put them on again.

  Of course, that still didn’t quite reassure her since by that point she’d gotten the stuff in a few orifices that she doubted even the solar shower would manage to reach. It was a damned shame the water wasn’t real.

  When they returned to their room for sleep cycle, they took a solar shower together. Diana giggled and blushed as she and Meko tried to work the sand back out using the same method they’d used to get it inside there to begin with.

  “Meko, you’re just making it worse!” she protested, though not too much.

  “No, kitar, believe me,” he teased as he worked his fingers inside of her. “The wetter you get, the more likely the sand is to slip out again.”

  “I think you just want to play with me,” she accused with a mirthful chuckle.

  “Well, there is that, too,” he agreed.

  Diana had a feeling that after this, they weren’t going to get much sleep, either.