by Vi Voxley
It amused Naima that for Brions, war and love were just two sides of one coin. There were subtle differences to the color palette of the crystals, but she wasn’t sure if anyone other than the general’s gesha could really tell them apart, having seen both.
In the midst of the light, Braen's deep blue eyes shone like stars.
"Your mouth is amazing," he breathed, the deep voice laden with unrestrained lust. "So hot and tight. Go on, take it all in, Naima –"
She had to resist stopping just to enjoy the moment. She wanted more. The general was already losing his precious self-control, but Naima wanted him in shambles for her.
Naima knew that Braen was letting it all happen because he loved what she was doing. She didn't delude herself into thinking that she was in command for once. Truth be told, she didn't want to be either. Authority came so easily for Braen and as much as it had initially bothered Naima, she wanted to give in to him more than anything else.
She could, however, salvage a victory from it.
"Just like that," the general growled, pushing himself into her mouth deeper.
Naima gagged, but didn't stop teasing the cock with her tongue for a second. The general pushed himself off the wall, standing straighter and holding her head in place now. Naima braced herself, knowing what was coming.
It was sweeter than anything. To have a man like that let his self-control slip was an aphrodisiac like no other.
With slow, aimed thrusts, Braen begun to fuck her mouth, hitting the back of her throat a couple of times. Naima tried hard not to struggle against his grip. The general clearly understood her limits in the throes of his passion. He didn't choke her, but his cock disappeared into her mouth as deeply as it was able.
Naima could taste precum on her tongue and Braen groaned, his cock growing even harder. She dragged her nails over his thighs, moaning while she touched herself, slipping two fingers into her pussy and working herself open for her gerion.
They were both too far gone to wait and enjoy a long, drawn-out foreplay. Naima whimpered in delight when Braen pulled her up to stand seconds after she'd felt he was close to coming, the general's large cock making her lips hurt with effort.
He pulled her into his lap, lifting her into the air without a second's warning. Naima only had a moment to grab a hold before Braen lowered her onto his cock and set a furious, wild pace that she couldn't hope to match. Holding her in his arms, the general moved so fast she could only scream and fall to pieces from the pleasure of it.
The thick cock inside her was tearing her in two in the most maddening way, punishing and healing her with pleasure in the same motion.
“Braen!”
Naima cried out her gerion's name time and time again, spreading her legs as wide for him as she could. The general pounded into her, going balls deep into her pussy with each thrust, sending them both to a higher level of pleasure. His face was rapturous, teeth bared in a feral smile- -
She was bouncing on his cock, Braen's cock hitting the spot within her so hard and fast she was already seeing stars. Close to blacking out from the rush, she screamed for him.
"Braen! Yes, don't stop – I'm going to... I –"
The general clearly didn't need a warning. He pulled her closer to him, capturing her lips and kissing her through her shrill cry of climaxing. Naima rutted against his chiseled body, her pussy clenching down on his cock in spasms and trembles. Braen followed her with barely a pause, catching the waves of her orgasm as he cummed too, biting her neck as a claim.
Naima was shaking from head to toe, unable to feel any of her limbs. Braen still had his strength. When he finally lowered her to the floor after a long moment of pause, she almost fell, but the general caught her. They sank to the ground together, warm water raining down on them as Braen kissed her, strongly and forcefully.
"If these are your fantasies, I approve wholeheartedly," he said, the dark sexy look in his eyes making Naima think of another round already, as soon as her body started functioning again.
It seemed that unlike Terran men, the general had no need to really recuperate. Not with her, anyway.
"I have more," she replied instead. "This is just a beginning. For everything."
To that, Braen had no protest. He caught her lips in another deep kiss and they didn't resume bathing for a while yet. Naima was too happy to enjoy anything other than the moment, the here and now, with Braen.
With everything that was going on, simplicity had its charms and what was easier than to love and make love to the man of her dreams?
You know, until the immortal monster aiming to gobble up the stars came back to haunt them, anyway.
29
Naima
Tucked away deeply in her newfound bliss, Naima had done her best to keep the worrying future out of her mind. That all came to a crashing halt when the Benevolent was about to enter the Darnetta system.
Even her newfound happiness wasn't enough to erase the problem that lay ahead of them. The Darnetta system, as unremarkable as it generally was, was home to a species that was, for lack of another term… difficult.
Uthers.
If there was ever a species that was devoted to not getting along with anyone, it was definitely those guys. Even Naima knew that and she'd barely had any dealings with the species. Mostly they dwelt in their own domain and didn't cross their borders for anything else but diplomatic relations, which were few and… complicated.
In short, they didn't particularly like anyone and no one really liked them.
Unlike several other species in the galaxy with the same general approach to life and strangers – vehement dislike for the latter, and general disinterest towards the former - , the Uthers were still standing and members of the Galactic Union.
For all intents and purposes, it was thought the Uthers were happy to be included. It was very difficult to tell with people who were constantly in a bad mood, but they took their membership seriously. They participated when called upon and didn't cause much trouble.
That was, as long as there was someone around who could trace the trouble back to them. They were more than capable of stirring up their fair share of problems if they felt like another species was encroaching on their solitude, or just being a nuisance. Which, funnily enough, was exactly what the Brions appeared to think of them.
Naima was well aware that Brions had wiped several less conformable species out of existence.
Neither she nor Braen wanted to deal with Uthers, but they had no choice. The Fearless had grown too strong already and was bound to become even more powerful if they delayed further. It left going through Uther territories as the only option.
Space was treacherous around those parts and even the Benevolent had to slow down to go through asteroid fields that made up most of the section.
"So how is this going to play out?" Naima asked, watching Braen dress and don his armor as they were approaching the Uther border world, Nebulos. "I know Brions have politicians, but I haven't seen any aboard."
"There are none here," the general allowed with a smirk. "They don't have the best reputation on Briolina right now after the attempt to rise to power a while ago. I can honestly say I detest all of them, except maybe Elena."
Some of her instant jealousy must have shown on her face, because Braen snorted.
"She is not an old lover or anything of the sort. Simply a warrior who chose a path of politics. After the death of her gerion I've heard she doesn't look for male company much. I understand why. Her bond was a broken one. You might have even heard of it on Terra."
I never knew I was this jealous!
"I remember now," Naima said, pulling her green tunic over her head. "I've heard of her. Wasn't she a former general?"
"She is," Braen confirmed, "which is why I like her the best. In turn, she's the only one who can freely speak to my brother generals. I'm entirely certain Faren would make any other politician stupid enough to step on his ship a head shorter."
Naima s
huddered, thinking of the rumors surrounding the most infamous Brion general and his legendary valor squares, rumored to have made him emotionless.
Perhaps we can have dinner with him and Aria some time… after we’ve dealt with the universe ending and all that.
Though she wasn’t entirely certain if she had the moxie yet to sit at a table with the feared and revered man. Not that rumors about her own gerion were much better, that was.
"You see what I mean," she continued then. "You are not exactly a species known for your negotiating skills. Perhaps I should speak and you should be there for moral support? You know, flash your spear, make angry faces, let them know we mean business."
Braen seemed amused by her suggestion. Still, he shook his head.
"That won't work," he said. "Uthers don't respond to offers and requests. They don't respond to violence either."
"What do they want, then?"
"Nothing."
Naima cocked a brow at him, but Braen didn't let that affect him.
"I'm not dismissing your question, I'm answering," he said. "They don't want anything, that's why it's so difficult to deal with them. No bribes, no gifts, no promises move them. The only thing they'll listen to is a command by the Galactic Union, but that is out of the question now. It would take too much time and we had not anticipated on this course originally to have it taken care of earlier.
“Uthers are so distrusting that we would basically have to have half the council aboard for them to believe us. No distant communications or a holocall would convince them."
"Okay," Naima said, taken aback by the diversity of species in the Union, even if they were a pain in the ass for them now.
She’d always been more interested in the minerals than the politics. Perhaps that had been unfortunate, considering the circumstances.
"Let me repeat my question then. How is this going to play out?"
"Some of my brother generals have had dealings with the Uthers before," Braen shrugged. "Unfortunately for all of us, Uthers stand in the way of a prosperous section that is often needed, even if their own corner of space is wholly uninteresting."
"How have they solved the issue then?"
"By force," Braen said honestly. "Our flagships are nigh indestructible, as you've said. Almost nothing can stand in our way if we really want to go through. I would rather it didn't come to that, as my Elders have been promoting peace, but I will remind them of the possibility."
"You're going to threaten them," Naima said.
"I am a Brion," the general replied. "Our mission comes first. If they leave me no choice, they are responsible for their own actions if they get in my way."
"I think killing people to stop the Fearless from killing people kind of defeats the purpose of our mission," Naima said seriously.
The general turned to her, looking marvelous in his shining armor, the great battle spear strapped to his back. He pulled her closer, kissing her deeply like that was an argument. Naima hated the fact that it worked, a little at least. For a long endless moment, she forgot about everything but Braen's lips against hers and his arms around her body.
She didn't pull back before the need for air demanded it and by then she'd forgotten half her arguments.
"I sincerely hope that negotiation tactic only comes into play with me," she said, grinning.
Braen answered with a smirk.
"I assure you, it does. Shall we go?"
Naima sighed, knowing there was no escape from the inevitable. As they headed for the dropship prepared for them to descend to the surface of the Uther planet they’d approached, she hoped it would be a more pleasant ride than the last one she'd taken.
Only now that they knew of her pregnancy, the Brion healers were able to give her medicine to counter the effects of her condition. Motion sickness, at least, was a problem long solved.
A repaired and restored Alona joined them, along with a unit of Brion guards. Naima knew Braen would never have taken an escort with him when meeting with potential enemies on his own. Brions tended to think having back-up was weakness. The warriors were for her safety, ready to form a living shield around her if needed.
The ride down was smooth and quick to Naima's troubled mind, still trying to figure a way out of the mess they found themselves in.
Braen seemed to believe the situation only had one possible outcome. Naima loved the man, but for all his tactical thinking, the general didn't consider all options. It was in Brion nature to immediately discount all choices that involved retreating.
She, on the other hand, found herself to be a peacemaker, but not only that. Reminding herself that she might have solved the riddle of how to kill a creature that never truly died, Naima hoped there was a way for her to stop the possible bloodshed to come. Considering how impatient Braen was to move forward, it would take some quick actions to keep him from killing a bunch of Uthers to get his point across.
She had no particular love for Uthers, but an open conflict would have been bad for everyone. Brions were trying to mend the wounds of their bloody past. Uthers were bound to suffer great losses at the hands of the galaxy's best fighters.
As for the battle itself, from a cold and critical standpoint, killing took time. The precious commodity they didn't have, the root of all their problems.
The ship landed as gracefully as it had flown and Naima was none the wiser of what the solution to this yet encountered problem could or should be. Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto Nebulos' surface.
Oh.
Her first impression of the Uthers was ruined by the fact that she mistook them for statues. Standing so perfectly still, the hosts didn't move a muscle. Naima understood her mistake only when one of them blinked, signaling that the odd, armored figures before her were, in fact, alive.
No vids or images did the Uthers justice. They were short and stocky, with dark blue skin and very sharp teeth that made their voices hiss. The most noticeable part of them were the armors.
They were gigantic, monumental constructs that were built around the Uthers as they grew. From the moment of their birth, they were enclosed in the armors that were gradually built stronger and more intricate as they aged.
The welcoming party had to be ancient, considering the sheer mass of their armors.
And they don't look very welcoming.
By her side, Braen didn't say anything while their small delegation deployed from the dropship.
Alona came last and the Uthers hissed as one. Their mouth with the sharp teeth opened and closed like they were so shocked they were unable to think of anything to say, reverting to base noises. Finally one of them dredged forward with a lumping walk, the armor creaking and clattering as it walked.
Naima could swear it was glaring, but then again that might have been how the little guy always looked. Like a wrecking ball with a bad attitude and a questionable paint job.
Not the most stealthy people, these, Naima thought, remembering at the same time that Braen had warned her not to take the Uthers for slow, lumbering idiots.
They could move if they needed to, all they required was a bit of momentum and it was almost impossible to stop them.
And they were far from stupid.
"I am Stomech," the Uther rumbled in a broken, wheezing voice. "I will speak for our people. We know you, General Braen. We know Brions. You cross our borders. You come here uninvited. We are not surprised.
“But then! You bring this creature here! What business do you have with the Chali?"
Stomech pointed at Alona, looking at the android like it was a plague walking on earth. Naima sensed a chance and tried to signal Braen, but the general had already noticed.
"You say you know Brions," he replied. "Then I shouldn't have to say I have no business with the Chali. Right now, the traders are trying to destroy the galaxy for their own greed. This android has betrayed them."
The Uther pulled back, a suspicious look in its eyes.
"How can you be sure?" he asked, only
his eyes peeking over the edge of the armor, the rest hidden by the huge collar of the metallic case it called both a body and a home. "Maybe it's a spy."
"Don't take me for a fool," Braen replied tersely. "Now answer me. What business do you have with the traders? Our feud with them is long known. You have barely had contact with them."
Stomech snarled, the armor shaking with rage.
"The Chali are no friends to us," he howled then. "They come through here, attacking without warning. Even Brions give a warning. The android army wipes over us, thieving as it goes. They did not stop. If they come back, we will not let them pass again."
There was such vicious glee in the Uther's voice when he said that. Naima smelled her chance.
"They won't be coming back," she said quickly. "The prize they were after, it turned against them. The Chali are prisoners now, serving the Fearless."
The news gladdened the Uthers visibly. Even his posse seemed to perk up, though you couldn’t tell from the expressions they wore.
"Good," Stomech said. "If it is true, it is good."
Carefully, trying to push the right buttons, Naima went on.
"Would you permit us to pass?" she asked. "We need to get through. The Fearless is a threat to all. If it's not stopped, it will come for you first and I promise you, it will be a thousand times worse than the Chali.
“It will bring the Chali back, stronger than before. If you let us through without trying to stop us, none of them will ever get to Nebulos."
The Uthers considered, speaking in hushed voices. Naima dared to be hopeful. It seemed the Chali were experts at many things, including making enemies everywhere they went. Standing guard over her, Alona hadn't seemed surprised in the slightest.
"You can pass," Stomech said finally, returning to them after having a quick word with his companions. "We do not like this, but we like the Chali less."
"Thank you," Naima said, predicting the words – and diplomacy – didn't come so easily to Braen.
