“Flight.”
“You will see soon enough. For now, feed yourself well and prepare for the day ahead. Your lessons are just beginning.”
He left again without saying anything else, but I couldn’t help but feel like this was his way of reaching out to me and offering whatever comfort he could. After slurping down two food packets I returned to the lab where P’tah was waiting for me.
“You survived, that’s good,” she said. She seemed to be legitimately surprised.
“Barely,” I said.
“I was afraid she would find a way around the rules and kill you just to make the Commander angry,” she said, checking my bio-data for the last day.
“I thought I would die, but the Commander gave me something to help me heal and I slept well last night so I’m almost as good as new.”
“He did? And have you had any negative side effects?” P’tah jumped out of her seat and examined my closely, taking another blood sample and adding several reflex time tests to the list of examinations for us today.
“What was in it?”
“Nanites.”
“Nanite? Little robots?”
“To help keep you healthy. I don’t know how you will react to Troitek pathogens. The Nanites are designed to restore your body’s cells to this state regardless of the type of damage,” she said, grinning wolfishly.
“So, I’ll be healthy forever.”
“Not only healthy but young and healthy,” she said. “And also strong,” she whispered.
We ran through her tests and then, like the day before I was escorted out of the lab by Oda and two guards. Like the day before the lesson was grueling and painful but highly informative. After administering her final beating for the day, she turned her back to me and instructed her underlings to carry “the human” back to the Commander’s quarters.
“Diem,” I corrected her.
She stopped short and turned around to face me, her body tense and her eyes glowed with rage.
“What did you say to me?”
“My name, Chief Officer, is Diem,” I told her. “I wanted to thank you for proving my worth to the Commander and helping me to earn my name.”
The last thing I saw was a flash of light as an overwhelming force struck my head and I lost consciousness.
When I regained my senses, I was naked, and Rakesh was lowering my body into the tub of blue goop.
“You did well, Diem,” he said. His face was unreadable, but his eyes were alive with some emotion that I still couldn’t fathom.
“You are pleased, Commander,” I mumbled.
“You have made me proud,” he said, stooping down by the side of the tub. Out of exhaustion I laid my head against his chest and let the water relax my strained muscles. Instead of standing and leaving he stayed in place, letting me rest against his shoulder as he gently washed my fresh bruises and tired limbs. When he was done he lifted me out of the tub and wrapped me in a soft cloth.
“I will grant you another reward, Diem. What would you like?”
In my haze, I couldn’t think of anything that I wanted except for one.
“Hold me, please.”
Rakesh didn’t say another word. He put me down gently, disrobing before picking me up again. He carried me over to a corner of the room and reclined on the furniture there. It seemed to be made to fit his body perfectly. I wasn’t sure why he took his clothes off but I was grateful for it. His skin was strangely soothing. He was the only being who touched me with any care or affection, and I was in desperate need of both.
“Sleep, Diem. I will watch over you until you wake,” he said.
I turned into his embrace, resting my head against his chest and listening to the syncopated rhythm of his heartbeat. He began to purr gently, rubbing his face along the top of my head and licking the inside of my wrist. He was marking me again, letting Oda and anybody else know that I was still his. He had not forgotten or abandoned me, and he would only tolerate so much abuse. I was beginning to understand him better.
“Thank you for favoring me,” I said in his language. It was the first message between us that didn’t need a translator to deliver. I was pleased with myself for delivering it. And with that thought in my head, I fell asleep.
When I woke, Rakesh’s breathing was ragged once again. His embrace felt tight and his purring was loud and unyielding.
“Are you okay? Rakesh,” I looked him in the face and saw his pupils had blown once again. Desire rode him hard and he was struggling to contain it.
“I –”
“Your body is longing,” I said, shifting my bottom away from his thick cock. The cloth he’d wrapped me in fell around my waist as I shifted to sit in his lap. He dipped his head and licked the delicate skin of my breasts. The rough texture of his tongue teased my nipples and sparked my own need. Heat began to build between my thighs and I cradled his large head against my chest as he used his tongue to lap at the hardened tips.
I felt his organ jump as I let a moan escape my lips. I positioned myself so that his hard erection teased my slick lips. He growled and grabbed my hip, pulling me down onto his distended member. Almost immediately I felt a hard pinch on my inner thigh and then the pain fell away as wildfire surged through my veins. It burned away any thoughts other than to satisfy my desire. Our bodies moved together, locked in some kind of dance that neither of us could escape until it reached its conclusion.
He bit down in response, drawing blood again. I stayed still as the taste of my blood coated the inside of his mouth. I nearly screamed with delight as my body stretched and adjusted to accommodate his. I looked down and saw a red needle jammed into my inner thigh. It seemed insignificant, though I was sure that it had come from Rakesh’s body. Even the sight of being impaled by a stinger of some sort didn’t detract from the pleasure I felt. I felt like a junkie, too high to care that he’d just broken all of the bones in his hand. I rocked my hips back and forth, taking him deeper into my folds each time. Each time I moaned as he filled me and stretched me.
I rode him faster and harder, chasing my own release until we both detonated together, wrapped in each other’s arms. I felt the stinger fall away from my body but was too exhausted to care. Whatever it was, it hadn’t killed me, and that was another win for me.
EIGHT
“You had another wild fluctuation before you fell asleep,” P’tah observed.
I ignore her comment and focus on the bun-like food that she offered me when I arrived. It’s green and a little too mushy to be called bread, but it tasted pretty good and beat a packet full of goo.
“I hope my nanites hold up, Oda will not be happy once she gets a whiff of you,” she said.
“Why would she care?”
“The Commander never explained to you his conflict with Oda?”
I shook my head.
“Of course not. Why would he?” I swallowed the last bite.
“What do you know about Troitek breeding?” She put her tablet down and took a seat next to me.
“Other than the fact that you don’t do it the old-fashioned way, nothing at all.”
“Ah, you mean coitus. No, we do not engage in that kind of behavior,” she said with disgust.
“You should try it some time. You don’t know what you’re missing. Your Commander certainly doesn’t seem to mind it,” I said, trying to get her to blush.
P’tah’s eyes grew wide with shock.
“You...you did such a thing? Are you okay? Did you suffer any injury?”
She grabbed my hands, pushing my sleeves up my arms and running her hands all over my body, looking for injuries.
“I’m fine. Why?”
“Did he-” she looked around as if she was afraid we would be overheard. “Did he force you into doing such a thing?”
“No, I volunteered.”
She cocked her head and looked at me sympathetically.
“You didn’t have to do such a thing just to please him. I am sorry that you felt that you had to e
ndure that.”
“What are you talking about? I WANTED to do that. It’s pleasurable.”
“Oh, poor human. That’s just the neurotoxin.”
“The what?”
“During conjugal relations, men of our species sting their partners with a specialized protein based hair that dissolves into the bloodstream and causes a sense of euphoria.”
“Oh, that thing. I got hit by one of those last night. I was wondering where I’d picked it up from.”
“Oh,” she jumped up and pulled up a file on her tablet, taking notes at a furious pace. “I’m surprised you survived. That neurotoxin is quite potent.”
“But why do the males need it?”
“This may shock you, but females of my species do not enjoy sexual relations. The idea of being penetrated by another living being is repugnant. It goes against our core values as a society of guardians and warriors,” she said.
“So the neurotoxin is there to make sure she doesn’t run away while he finishes his business,” I said, feeling as much pity for her as she obviously felt for me.
“Yes, you could say that. It’s an evolutionary hold-over. But we have eliminated all of those unpleasantries form our breeding process. Now, we females donate our ovum and wombs and freely choose the sires of our young according to clan, class, biology, and personal preference.”
“Like a sperm donor?”
“Not exactly. Both parents are responsible for the upbringing of the young, but we’ve removed the messiness of sex, freeing the females of our species to pursue personal excellence.”
“Oh, sounds very clinical,” I said.
“Thank you,” she said proudly.
I rolled my eyes.
“What about love?”
“Love?”
“Attachment, romance, that kind of thing,” I asked.
“If two Troitek find each other fascinating in that way they may cohabitate. Gender is no determining factor. They may even raise young together and share a single domicile,” she explained.
“Sounds pretty progressive, but I think I still like the idea of falling in love, throwing some DNA into the old baby maker and seeing what you get,” I said, patting my lower belly.
P’tah shook her head and frowned again.
“So what does any of this have to do with Oda?”
“Rakesh was chosen by Oda to be the sire of her young. He refused, insulting her and her family in the process. For one such as him, being asked to sire the young of one such as she is a huge honor. For him to spurn her like that…” P’tah shook her head and looked away again.
“So, if she knew that he was getting all primitive with the human?”
“You have to understand, it’s disgusting to us. Most Troitek consider humans a lesser evolved species. It would be the same as catching your life partner in bed with a domesticated animal. And then to know that he refused to offer his DNA to sire her young,” she shook her head again, swallowing her disgust. “She would kill you just to erase the shame.”
I tried hard not to feel offended. I was hardly a domesticated animal but it was clear that even P’tah, with all of her scientific objectivity, was having a hard time processing the idea of the Commander in bed with a human.
“Will you keep this a secret?”
“I would never speak of something like this to any other being.”
“What about your records?”
She looked down at the tablet in her hand. I couldn’t read her language yet, but it was pretty obvious that she had been taking notes of everything that happened to me. And, her notes would be part of an official record, perhaps the basis of future research by others. I didn’t want others to think of Rakesh as some sort of intergalactic goat-fucker.
“I can’t obliterate the official record like that.”
“Please! Others would use that record to harm him. Don’t you think Rakesh is a good Commander?”
“He is brash and does things without examining the consequences deeply. That has always been his problem. That’s why he rejected Oda when any other male in his position would have gladly donated his DNA. And that is why he is doing unseemly things with you. He brought it on himself.”
“But what about me. Once it gets out, and it will eventually. Secrets always come out. And once it does, Oda will kill me. Aren’t I worth saving?”
P’tah looked at me with affection.
“You are. You all are. If it were up to me I would only colonize your planet. Genocide is so wasteful. Your species is misguided but not incapable of evolving,” she said.
“Then help me. Erase the notes.”
“You don’t understand. I could be disciplined if I am caught. These are official documents. Tampering with them is a serious offense,” P’tah said, looking away from me again.
This time I couldn’t accept no for an answer. I grabbed her chin and turned her face towards me. She snapped her teeth, offended by my touch.
“If you believe all of that then you must help me save Earth and in order to do that I need to save Rakesh, and in order to do that we have to watch his back. We both know that Oda is out to hurt him. I need him to remain strong if there is any hope for any kind of survival for humanity or myself.”
I got on my knees and prostrated the way I’d been taught on the first day. It was the lowest position a Troitek could take and it was reserved for dishonored slaves. I’d always had too much pride to beg anybody for anything. I’d never wanted anything bad enough to lower myself to this level, but to protect Rakesh and possibly save my planet I was willing to do anything. Even beg, apparently.
“Get up, stupid human. You are shaming me,” she said quickly.
“Does that mean you’ll help me?” I looked up but didn’t move from my spot.
“Yes, yes, get up!”
I regained my feet and hugged P’tah, who blushed a deep berry color and nearly threw me away from her body.
By the time Oda and her guards came to collect me from the lab, I was already hatching a plan. Maybe I wasn’t as helpless as I thought I was. Maybe I could actually do some good. Maybe, just maybe, the Earth could be saved. I was especially attentive during the lesson. The more I understood about these people the better chances I stood of actually making a difference. It was still grueling and I still had to make my way through a constant volley of abuse, but I told myself that she wasn’t the only one like that. I would likely meet many more like her who would resent, hate or distrust me. I was too small and weak to be able to defend myself for any amount of time, so I would have to learn to endure.
When my lessons were over I was still sore and exhausted, but the despair that had sapped all of my energy was gone. I had something worth fighting for and I was determined to make an ally out of my captor, one way or another.
By the time I arrived, he was already there, waiting for me. He barely cast a glance in my direction as he issued orders to the two guards who brought me back. Siri said there was no direct translation for his words. They nodded solemnly and walked away, leaving us alone in the room.
“You are well,” he said.
“I am.”
“I am informed that you are proving to be smarter than expected.”
I used his language to thank him for the compliment.
“Your skills are improving,” he nodded. It wasn’t a compliment, just an acknowledgement of the fact. That was what passed as compliments on this ship.
“I need your help,” I said, deciding to get right to the point. I was too tired to beat around the bush.
“What is your request?”
“I have two. One is social and the other is political.”
He leaned forward, bringing his face to my eye level. It was, I learned from Oda, a sign of respect. A gesture only made between equals. He was listening to me, though he did not have to.
“I want to save my homeworld. I want to help them. Is there any way to call off the invasion?”
He sat back and thought about it for a whi
le.
“Perhaps we can convince them that a full-scale attack would be unwise. If the High Council were convinced that there was something worthwhile in humans, they might be content to simply annex it. It is a long shot, but we have annexed a number of planets in the empire.”
“Annexation, not extermination?”
“Do not be fooled. Annexation is not guaranteed. Even if we were to annex it instead of colonizing it, many of your people would die. “
“We are going to be exterminated anyway. Saving as many as I can is better than sitting here and doing nothing.”
“You are reckless, even asking this thing is enough to be get you punished,” he warned.
“I have to try.” I met his gaze, trying to maintain my resolve despite the fatigue.
He gave me a wry smile and nodded. He handed me a small bundle and then patted my head as he passed me and disappeared into the next room. I opened the bundle and found more clothing, this time in blue and green. I was too tired to examine them and simply put the bundle to the side. I noticed that such colors were rare here. Everything seemed to be some shade of red, yellow, orange or purple. I knew that there must be some meaning behind the change of clothing but my position kept me from asking. I was depending on this male to save my life and my planet; it was best not to pester him.
I made short work of washing and dressing. I was sure to eat before falling into the sleeping pod. It was the first time since arriving on this ship that I willingly went to sleep. I’d gotten so used to the oblivion brought on by exhaustion and injury, it was startling to wake up feeling refreshed and rested. My father used to say that a man can get used to anything if he has to. I decided to wear the new clothing from the night before, assuming that it would please Rakesh.
I took the time to examine the clothing more carefully. They were uniforms, like the ones the crew wore. They even had the same insignia on the shoulder.
“This is the uniform of an Alien Attachment. It makes you part of the crew.”
I spun around to face him.
“Does that mean I am free?” A flutter of hope beat at my chest.
“You can never be free, Diem. You are only safe as long as you are mine.”
A Pet For The Commander: The Complete Series Page 5
