by Ciara Lake
“I’m sorry I didn’t realize. I got bored. I got carried away. I’m not used to being on a spaceship. Please override as the computer requests.”
“I thought you didn’t need my help?” Val hugged her tighter. Zalora rolled her eyes at him.
“Just do it. Now you’re here, you can override it for me.”
“I can?” He cocked his head, looking at her.
“Yes.” She stared into his bright eyes.
“Okay, I guess I will. Computer authorize water consumption override Val Braeden command code VB65874.” The water poured down on them both. Val still in his full uniform with boots stood under the flow. “I guess you do need help in the shower. I offered to help you this morning. You told me you could handle it.” He slapped her bottom.
“Don’t.” She giggled.
“Don’t what?” He grinned. Val turned her with her back to the water. He helped rinse her hair. The water fell in a steady stream, washing all the soap away, soaking him. After they’d removed the soap from her, he turned the water off. A bit roughly, he pushed her against the metal wall of the shower, kissing her hard. “Come here, you water-greedy girl. I have to punish you now. It is a minor violation to overuse your water consumption allowance.” He pressed himself against her. After he kissed her more, he scooped her up in his arms, stepping out of the shower.
“What are you doing?”
“Punishing you, as a captain should.” He placed her in front of the vanity, parting her legs. He ran his hand over her pussy as he smiled in the mirror. He looked as if he had a wicked plan. Releasing his penis from his uniform, he pressed his fully erect cock into her.
“This is punishment?” She pushed back, encouraging his penalty.
“Yes.” He ran his hands over her breasts. She watched him in the mirror. He was erotic. While still fully dressed in his uniform and boots, he fucked her. Soaking wet from head to toe, his uniform clung to him. His expression was concentrated as he plowed deep into her pussy. She grabbed the side of the sink, holding on while he took her. Power combined with skill, he had his way with her. She fully surrendered, bracing herself as he moved within her. She wanted to fall to the floor as a quivering heap of desire, but she stood taking his punishment.
“Val.” She collapsed, leaning down, resting her head on the vanity. “Val, it feels…I like this punishment.” She could feel his release. He stilled, and then pulled from her.
“I’ve got to go back to my meeting. I came only to help you.” He winked in the mirror at her. “I think I’ve helped you now. I certainly came.” Quickly, he disrobed, going to the closet. He removed a clean uniform.
“I’m sorry to bother you with my emergency.” She turned, leaning against the counter.
“It was worth it. I love saving you. Especially from simple things, like soapiness.” He looked around at her as he dressed. “Did you get your nightgown I left?”
“Yes, where did it come from? It’s lovely. I love the color, too.”
“I have my resources. I’m glad you like it. I’m going to like looking at you in it when we have more time.” He walked over to where she still leaned against the vanity watching him. He sweetly pecked her on her cheek. His lips were warm, welcoming. “I’m sorry I have to leave again.” He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth, kissing it. His eyes were wild, bright amber, with elongated pupils. His intense look made her hot all over, and she shivered. “Darling, are you cold?”
“No.” She smiled as a hot flash hit her.
“I hate to fuck you then run off. Guess you deserve it as your punishment.” He smirked. “But we’re in the middle of getting things prepared for our adventure.” He frowned. “I enjoyed this break. I always enjoy every moment with you.” He kissed her again. “I’ll make sure you’re awoken to get ready to go in plenty of time. Plus you’ll be briefed along with our medteam. I may not see you before we meet at the platform to leave.”
“Really? Aren’t you going to rest before we go?” She rubbed his arms then pulled him closer to her.
“No, I have too much to do. I can go a long time without sleep, if necessary. I may take a nap in my office.” He looked past her in the mirror, ran his hand through his hair as if fixing it.
“Why? Am I a distraction?” She put her hands on her hips.
“Yes.” He looked down at her. “Very much so.”
“I see.” She frowned.
“I love the distraction you are. But we only have six more hours before we leave. Get your rest. The senior medtor will exam you before we leave to make sure our baby is doing well. Tantia will fetch you for your appointment.”
“Okay.” Zalora nodded.
“I told the medtor you were sleeping a lot. He confirmed it’s to be expected at this stage in pregnancy as well as the result of our new mating. So rest some more. ” He kissed her lips, changed his boots, then he was gone. She stared at the doorway he’d left through.
“You sure do move fast, in many ways.” She grinned and turned to look in the mirror. Her hair was a wild mess of curls, but she had a new glow.
Chapter 9
Approximately twenty soldiers, including Val and Kade, waited near a loaddisk in the launching bay on the platform. The medteam was behind her as she walked toward where everyone congregated. Val nodded as she approached. His expression was blank. His posture was stiff, militaristic, and reminiscent of the day she saw him step out of the cloud of dust on Tallusia. She carried her jacket over her arm. It helped hide her trembling. As soon as they came to a stop, Val addressed them all. His disposition was entirely business.
“Good, this looks like everyone.” He glanced over the group. “We’ll be arriving at Terrian in one hour. Upon arrival, we’ll take four soldiers, the medteam, along with Zalora to the designated meeting place. It’s about a one click walk to rendezvous with Tomron. Terrian’s a frozen wasteland, so all of you have been issued appropriate uniforms. The rest of our crew will wait at the ship, standing in readiness. We will be in constant communication with Black Beast. Four spacedisks are accompanying us, but they are not landing on the planet. They’ll remain ready, in formation above. ” He turned to face Zalora. “Zalora, my mate, is present to provide insight regarding the Realmist emotions. She will be able to tell us the level of deceit we will encounter. We already know Tomron’s determined to deceive us. Zalora’s a skilled Tallusian empath. King Zambali, her father, recommended for her to accompany us. He believes her skills are invaluable.” Val turned to look at the center of the crowd. He would not look directly at her. “We know this is a game or perhaps a trap set by Tomron. This is a risky mission. I have every intention to return unharmed. As you know, Tomron and the Realmist are insane, bloodthirsty with blind hatred toward us. Despite all, we’re going to do what we can to rescue our family members and our people.” He nodded toward Kade. “Not to mention the Tallusian prisoners they hold. If any one of you wish to opt out of this mission, please do so now. I will not penalize you for your decision.” He paused as his gaze passed over everyone. Again, he would not look directly at her. No one stepped forward or commented. “Especially the medteam, you’re not combat soldiers.” He closely observed them for any signs of wanting to back down. Still no one stepped forward. “Very well. Let’s go.” He turned. Kade fell into step behind him, followed by the others. The four spacedisks’ pilots went to their ships.
Time flew, as the space did outside. Zalora could hear Kade talk with his copilot. She knew Terrian was right outside their viewer. From where Zalora sat behind Kade, who piloted their ship, she could see out the front viewer. They were approaching a huge bright white planet. It was so bright she needed shades to look at it for too long. Terrian was much larger than Tallusia, at least six times as big. “Come in, spacedisks, this is Commander Kade Braeden. We’ve arrived at our destination. Remain in alert formation status. LDK4967 is preparing to land at designated location.”
“This is Pilot Rosling, copy that.” Kade broke away from the other s
hips. The bright planet grew even bigger in their viewer as they moved toward it. Then all she could see was white. Kade flew the ship into the atmosphere. After some bumps and slight resistance, they were into the atmosphere of the planet. The world was even whiter, blinding. Snow and ice covered everything. It had a frightening beauty. It looked bleak and lifeless in its iciness.
“This is a cold, hostile place. Does anything live here?” Zalora leaned forward in her seat. Her belt strained with her movement.
“Some indigenous animals. There’s an abandoned base here.” The copilot looked back at her.
“Is the abandoned base where we’re meeting Tomron’s people?” She looked at Val. He sat across the aisle from her. He’d watched her during the journey as if examining her. She’d felt uncomfortable at times by his pensive stare. His expression had remained impassive. His attitude was definitely aloof. It almost hurt her feelings. Others around him seemed apprehensive of his mood, everyone except Kade. Kade seemed to ignore Val’s moodiness. In fact, the rest of the team left both seats next to Val vacant, finding chairs away from him. His long legs stretched out in front of him, he looked relaxed, but his face and eyes showed it all.
During the journey, there had been very little conversation. Tensions were high among all the passengers. Under these circumstances, Zalora did not need to be able to read the Xihirian’s emotions to feel them just the same. With expertise, Kade sat their ship down. Beeps and other noises sounded until the ship came to a complete rest.
“Captain, the ship’s secured. We can debark.” Kade turned in his seat, looking to Val. He had a cocky grin on his face. Acknowledging Kade, Val stood and gave directions to the soldiers as well as their medteam. They moved to the bottom rear of the ship to the exit. The ones who would remain on board waited back from the doors. Zalora finished fully dressing in her hooded jacket, face mask, and gloves. They unlocked the ship’s passenger doors. They slightly opened, and frigid air poured into the ship. Her protective clothing seemed to keep her comfortable.
I hate the cold. Why couldn’t they have picked a hot planet? The crew closed the door again for Val to finish his instructions.
“Zalora, I’ll be carrying you.” He pointed at her. “You can’t move fast enough. We won’t run due to the ice, but we’ll make the best time we can. Tomron has dictated that we cannot shift to walk there. We must maintain our humanoid forms.” He looked at the others. “If something happens to me, another will carry Zalora.” The soldiers nodded. Zalora decided it was worthless to argue. She knew she couldn’t keep up with a group of powerful Xihirians. Val turned his back to her and got down on one knee. He moved his head, directing her to get on. With experience, she hopped on his back. Their coats made it more difficult, but she was able to get a good hold.
“Perhaps this isn’t so bad. We’ll be warmer,” she whispered in his ear. He did not reply.
When they exited the ship, the cold air attacked her lungs. She coughed. “Cover your mouth and nose with your mask.” His tone was gruff. They began to walk away from the ship. The snow and ice crunched beneath their feet. They made good time. She buried her face in his jacket for more protection. The Xihirians could move fast even in this environment. The world was extremely bitter cold with a wind, which pushed against them. Their thermal uniforms, gloves, and masks were miraculous as they did provide excellent protection. The ground was mostly snow, very little ice. However, the snow was deep. It came up to their midcalves. The depth made it necessary to walk instead of run. The travel was hard and took a lot of energy. However, Val did not falter.
After walking for what seemed at least a click, they entered a mountainous area. This area was icier making it a slick, hard surface. As they took each step, they broke through the ice-covered snow, making their steps more difficult, slowing them even more. Their pace reduced to half. A couple soldiers lagged behind. They looked exhausted, and some bent over as if regrouping their strength. Zalora marveled at how Val managed. He continued at a strong pace without hesitation even with her on his back. He was amazingly strong. Kade did not falter either. He carried a large bag, about her size, on his back.
Val, along with Kade, stayed in front of the others, maintaining their rigorous pace. They were most definitely the alpha prime Wolftons of the group. There was a clear passageway between the rugged mountains. The mountains were purple in areas, which weren’t covered in snow. The sky was ice blue and clear. The face masks had shaded lenses to see through. Still it was nearly too bright. The team continued on their path. Kade took the lead, passing Val. It seemed Val’s punching through the crunchy surface with her on his back finally had proven more of a challenge. The path ended in front of a tremendous, purple, snow-covered mountain with an enormous metal door. The door was at least five stories high. As soon as the group stopped in front of the door, it opened. It released from the top, lowering into the ground.
“They’re watching us.” Kade looked to Val. When the door finally finished and was completely within the ground, Val stepped closer to the entrance.
“They’ve been watching since we landed.” The hallway inside was illuminated with lights lining the rocky walls. The walls were jagged, yet smooth in places, as if a less advanced cutting device had made this channel. Val stepped inside first, and the others followed. Without warning, the door began to close behind them. Zalora squeezed Val’s waist with her legs.
“There’re a lot of them. At least thirty, I can feel them. They’re waiting at the end of this tunnel. I feel the Tallusian prisoners. They’re terrified. From what I can feel, Tomron’s men are nervously waiting for us. They’re fearful of us, a general uneasiness among Tomron’s men.”
“That’s good. They’d better be scared.” Kade growled. The Xihirians stopped to look at Zalora as she recited information about their enemies. She knew they did not know what to expect from an empath, and their amazement was evident.
“I think I feel Tomron. He has an immense feeling of satisfaction, almost victory.”
“Fuck, that’s not good,” Kade whispered, as he looked down the tunnel. His eyes were fully shifted. Water traveled down the sides of the rock walls, and she could hear the dripping sound. It was much warmer inside, causing snow to melt off their boots. Water was dripping on their heads. Zalora as well as others removed their masks and hoods. Val removed his mask and hood with noted irritation. He let Zalora off his back and turned to look at her.
“They’re probably listening to all of us, too.”
“Yes, I’m sure of it.” Zalora nodded. “At least Tomron’s listening to us. His satisfaction is growing as he listens now.” They continued slowly walking down the passageway. A loud voice came over the speaker. It echoed loudly, bouncing off the stone walls.
“So you’ve brought me a Tallusian lie detector. How wonderful.” He chuckled. “I was looking for a good one. They can be very useful.” The look, which crossed Val’s face, could scare the meanest of monsters. But obviously, if Tomron could see them, Val’s expression did not faze him. “Make your way down the tunnel. You’re lagging. I haven’t got all day.” He laughed louder. “We’re waiting in the room at the end.” Tomron’s voice sounded too assured. “I’m proceeding as promised, no worries. Your family’s waiting,” he taunted. Val and Kade looked to Zalora.
“Yes, the prisoners are there, too. I can’t be sure about your family. I can’t feel the Xihirians to confirm. I feel Tomron’s odd glee. The other Realmist continue to be uneasy. They’re very afraid of you. Tomron’s happy about me being here. I don’t expect anything good.”
“Fuck,” Val uttered under his breath. He angrily ran his hand through his hair. His agitation made her hair stand up on the nape of her neck. Kade was exuding tremendous levels of hostility. Val lowered his head, shaking it. When he looked up, his face was altered to a state between human and animal. “I’m a fucking idiot,” he said softly to himself, but she heard him. Wild eyes surveyed her. He turned on his heel, leading the group down the tunnel. S
he could see he was angry with himself and her. As they continued down the tunnel, an unpleasant mustiness filled the air. Its stench grew stronger the deeper they walked into the mountain.
“Our communicators don’t work in here.” One of the soldiers held his communicator up. “We lost communication a few steps inside.” Val nodded. The tunnel turned at a sharp angle. When they turned, they encountered another much smaller door, similar to the one at the cave’s entrance. The door began to open in the same fashion. It opened to a very large room with typical warehouse metal walls.
“Come in, come in, my honored guests. Don’t be shy.” Tomron’s voice sounded louder. He chuckled a bit. The room was a metal box within the mountain. Zalora shaded her eyes with her hand. It was much brighter than the dim tunnel. Huge florescent lamps hung from the ceiling. Zalora squinted at the change in lighting. The mustiness was now mixed with the odor of dirty bodies. She coughed, nearly gagging.
“Come in, please come in, be comfortable,” Tomron instructed them. His manner was too friendly. Their group stepped fully inside the room, and the door closed behind them. At the end of the room, there were two large pens with heavy bars. In one cage, the Xihirians were held. Kara and Kristal stood at the front of their cage, and their bright amber eyes watched. Surprisingly, their expressions did not look happy to see their rescuers. The Xihirians looked worried. In the other cage, the Tallusians watched. Several smaller children had their hands on the bars with their faces pressed in between them. They looked dirty and thin. They stood there wide-eyed watching them enter. Their emotions were hopelessness mixed with fear, even regret. Zalora tried to push their strong emotions out of her head to concentrate on the enemy. Each group remained quiet watching
Val led his group inside the room. “Greetings, friends.” Tomron’s voice echoed in the room. Zalora spotted Tomron in a balcony above. He was waving them in. Val and the others looked up, too. Tomron had himself enclosed inside a glass case. It looked fully secured with a heavy door behind him. A loud speaker allowed him to speak to the group.
