by Lisa Lace
"So we're just giving up?"
"I'm not giving up," Gallia said. "I'm accepting what cannot be changed. I don't want to die." She spoke with a vulnerability she had never shown before, and I knew it was hopeless.
But if we could not save the Fortuna, we could at least save the women.
"What if we told the Surtu?" I asked. "They might be able to get most of the women off the space station by then."
Gallia had been horrified by the news of the code, but my suggestion sickened her. "Is that how you want people to remember you?" she hissed. "As a traitor? If you tell the Surtu, you prevent the destruction of three ships. You give up Earth's advantage. My teacher trained me to be a warrior, Terra. We came to the Fortuna knowing we may have to sacrifice our life for the protection of Earth. I did not envision my death like this, but it is still an honorable one."
I wanted to reason with her, but at that moment, Jidden stormed into the lounge, silencing the crowd for the second time that day. This time, he went straight to me. "I need you," he commanded, and he grabbed my arm, pulling me away from Gallia.
His hold on me was not as gentle as it usually was. It would normally have frightened me, but I had bigger things to worry about right now. "Where are we going?" I demanded. He did not answer.
I found out soon enough. He took me to my quarters, using a key card to override the punch code.
"You can't just lock me in here," I said, assuming that was what he intended to do, but then he pushed me against the wall and began kissing me. He was forceful and unrelenting.
"Jidden, stop," I urged, during a break in the kissing, and I tried to push him away. "Don't do this."
He refused to let go. Instead, he turned me around so that he pressed my head against the wall, and he unzipped the back of my jumpsuit.
"Please, stop," I begged, but I knew it was useless. Jidden wasn't going to wait for my permission. He was going to take me.
I could fight, but that might make it worse. So I relied on my intellect, the way I always had. "No Surtu man is allowed to touch a woman unless they are light bonded," I reminded him, nearly shouting.
"That didn't stop us before," he proclaimed.
"I should have known you were no better than Kalij," I said with as much menace as I could muster. "You're worse. You disobey commands. You break the rules. No wonder you didn't get your promotion."
I shouldn't have said it. I risked igniting his anger. He was already in control. His anger would not benefit me.
But the risk paid off. He stepped back, letting me go. "I'm not a heathen," he expressed, conflicted.
Seeing an opportunity, I moved away from him and sat on the bed. If I couldn't escape him, my bed was a good place to defend myself. Within the timepiece on my bed stand was a long screw I could use as a weapon, if necessary.
Jidden didn't follow me. He had a look of disgust on his face as he realized what he'd almost done. "I'm sorry," he said. He backed up to give me some space. "I just – I don't know what I was thinking. I saw the flowers you left for the dead soldier, and I knew I had to have you. But on my terms."
"That's no excuse," I snapped, also feeling conflicted. I wanted him to leave. His actions were unjustifiable. It hurt me. I had trusted him. But anger was not what I wanted to carry with me if these truly were my last hours alive. If anything, this was a time for forgiveness. All of our souls should be at peace.
"Promise me you'll never do that again," I demanded. After sunrise, he would never have a chance to, but I still needed to hear him say it.
"I promise on my mother's grave," he said. "There is no greater promise to the Surtu. What I did was unforgivable."
The room filled with silence. I looked out at the stars. I couldn't see the Earth from my quarters, and I was glad for it. The Earth had betrayed us, but Gallia was right – we still had an obligation to protect it. So in silence I would remain.
I made a decision.
"Claim me," I said to Jidden, standing up to confront him. My emotions were running high. I was irrational, and I didn't care. I took control of the situation. Whatever happened next, it would be on my terms.
I stepped out of my jumpsuit, revealing my undergarments. They were nothing special, but I saw the way Jidden's cock responded to my exposed flesh. "Make me yours."
"Are you sure?" he asked, struggling to keep his distance. "I don't think you're–"
"I'm done thinking," I announced. I wanted this. I wanted him. Hours from death, there was no reason to deny it any longer. Jidden was cold and arrogant, but he had an inner depth. That depth was genuine.
"Claim me," I repeated, and I reached forward to grab his cock, massaging it with my hand.
Unable to resist, Jidden moved in closer to me and kissed my shoulder, his lips like petals against my bare skin. "I claim you," he murmured as he let the strap from my bra fall. "How can I not? You're beautiful." He moved his kisses to my neck, sending a pulse down my body. "And you're intelligent. And kind. I claim you."
The pulse that ran down my body settled at my core, which was wet with pleasure. "And I claim you," I said in return.
To show Jidden how much I wanted him, I massaged him harder, pleased when I heard him moan. With hunger in his eyes that matched my own, he undid my bra and flung it away. Then he knelt down and pulled off my panties, which were complete soaked.
Remaining on his knees, he kissed my thigh, slowly making his way to my center. Before his tongue touched my soft folds, he picked me up in his arms and placed me back on the bed.
"I'll never hurt you again, nor will I ever let another man touch you. I'll protect you," he vowed.
Spreading my legs apart, he cupped his arms around my thighs, pulling me in close so that he could taste me. His warm, moist tongue circled around my flesh and caused me to ache with ecstasy.
He pulled me in even closer, licking my clit, drinking me in. A fire engulfed my body, and I was eager to explode.
Knowing I was ready to come, he removed his uniform, exposing his hard, thick cock, and he plunged his cock inside me, filling me up. It was almost more than my body could handle. I moaned loudly and folded my legs around him as he continued to drive into me, his need to come as desperate as my own.
I couldn't hold back. I released myself, riding the tidal wave of bliss, drenching his cock with my affection. Jidden continued to thrust, his cock growing harder until he also came, jerking deep inside me. We rode the wave together, our souls meeting as our bodies released themselves.
Exhausted and sticky with joy, Jidden collapsed beside me, and I held him, enjoying the way he stayed inside me, refusing to disconnect. Lying in my arms, he fell asleep, his head nestled against my breast.
I could not sleep. As I caressed his hair, I gazed at the stars. My stomach tightened as the first rays of sunlight began to pour into the room, illuminating our flesh.
It was time. Time to become the fallen.
I wrapped my arms tighter around Jidden, finding solace next to him. I was glad that of all the people on the Fortuna, I was with him.
When I heard the explosion, I knew our lives were over.
Part 3: War
TERRA
An explosion erupted across the Fortuna.
I closed my eyes, waiting for the fire to consume me and the lover I held in my arms as the sunlight shined on us.
Vesta was a goddess of fire. She protected the home and the hearth. Were we not dead, she would have made a great namesake for daughters born during this war. Though she ruled fire, she refused to take a lover. She was wise. Her passion would have burnt too strong, destroying all around her, the same way the Fortuna was being destroyed now.
Soon, we would be nothing but ash.
Jidden woke and jumped out of bed when he heard the explosion. He was confused and his muscles tight like a lion ready to pounce – a dark haired lion with flecks of light circling around his elfin blue eyes.
My alien Surtu lover.
Perhaps he was no alien. Perhap
s he was a god. A flawed, self-absorbed god here to mate with mortal women, like me.
"Terra," he called, pulling on his black uniform. "We should go."
"Why?" I asked as I lay naked on the bed, embracing the warmth that poured in through the ceiling of my sleeping quarters. It had been so long since I'd felt the sun. Day and night on the space station were not like how it was on Earth. "You've claimed me," I sang, "so come and take what's yours."
I tempted him, but he resisted, throwing my white jumpsuit at me instead. "I don't know what dream you're living in, but it's time to wake up. There was an explosion."
"I know," I said, rolling over in the sheets. "We're dead. The Earth blew us up – one space station for three Surtu ships."
Jidden froze. "What are you talking about?"
"My sister warriors and I – we are the fallen. Instead of saving us, the Earth decided to blow us up, killing the Surtu with us. Well, some of you. So now we are dead." I giggled as if it were a joke. I think I was becoming hysterical.
"Terra, wake up. We're not dead. We're very much alive." He began to pace, his temper rising. "Did Earth think they could destroy us so easily? We prepared for this. Our scanners must have picked up whatever the hell Earth launched our way. That explosion must be our weapons stopping yours."
I blinked. The sunlight suddenly felt harsh. It lost its warmth as I crashed down from my fear-induced high. We were alive. "I thought..."
"I know what you thought," he said. There was nothing comforting about the way he spoke. His anger blazed. "You knew about this?"
"Yes," I admitted, feeling sick.
Following Jidden's lead, I dressed, the skintight jumpsuit suffocating me. I was glad to be alive, but I wasn't prepared to face it. Hours earlier, I had told Jidden to claim me, thinking we were about to die. Now what?
"Don't you realize what this means?" he yelled, interrupting all thoughts I had of what happened earlier. "Captain Fore won't let this go unanswered. The war has begun."
The war. If I wasn't wide awake before, I was now, my daze completely gone, like a fog lifting from a naive, trusting sea.
"Why are you so upset?" I demanded, matching his anger as my heart shattered. I realized how many people would die in the war – a war I failed to prevent. "That's what you came here for, isn't it? You started this. You should be elated."
I went to the door to leave, but Jidden stopped me. Standing close to him, I could see anger wasn't all he was feeling. I had hurt him as well. "You were willing to let everyone onboard die?"
Yes, I was. Or I had been. Not only had I been willing to sacrifice myself unnecessarily, but I was going to let Jidden die as well. And worse, I was ready to sacrifice the women of the Fortuna, women I was supposed to protect, even if my title as Commander was false.
After Gallia told me what Earth was planning to do, I should have warned Jidden so that we could evacuate the space station. But once again, I'd failed. My allegiances shifted, resting solely with my sisters. We were warriors, not pawns. We would die to protect our families at home, but that didn't mean we had to do so on the whims of our so-called leaders on Earth.
We were worth more than three Surtu ships.
I didn't tell Jidden this. I refused to tell him any of it. We were at war. Our positions on the opposite ends of the chessboard felt greater than ever.
My lover was my enemy.
"I was protecting Earth," I defended bitterly.
He softened, feeling me pull away. "You shouldn't have," he said, brushing a piece of my messy brown hair away from my face. "Earth does not hold value. It does not have you. You can't let yourself die, Terra. I won't allow it."
My defiance weakened. "We are at war, and I am Commander of this space station. You may not be able to control what happens to me."
As the reality of our situation sank in, Jidden took me into his arms and held me tight. "I promised to protect you," he said. "That promise remains."
To seal his words, he kissed me, and I kissed him back, feeling renewed. I thought my life was over. Perhaps it soon would be, but for now, a new power ran through my veins. The source of that power was deep within me, pulled forward by Jidden's touch. Soon, our clothes were on the floor once more.
"That didn't take long," I remarked as Jidden guided me towards my desk in the corner of the room where the light was brightest. He pulled out the desk chair and sat on it, his cock fully erect, ready to pleasure me.
"Make yourself come. Let me watch," he implored, refusing to let go of my hand.
With a sly smile, I indulged him, using my free hand to rub a finger against myself tenderly, remembering how he'd grabbed my thighs and lowered his head between them. His tongue had felt so good licking my clit, drinking me in like a cowboy thirsty for water.
Reliving the sensation, I moaned out loud and rubbed myself harder, growing wet with anticipation. His hand tightened around mine, sending a shiver down my spine. I wanted to feel his cock slide into my wetness. Aching for more than just my touch, I straddled him on the chair and threw both my arms around his shoulders. I teased him, cruelly circling myself over the tip of his cock, enjoying the way it massaged my inner flesh.
He had no objections. He teased me back, sucking on my breast, taking it completely into his mouth as my nipple hardened with joy, matching the pulse inside me. My entire body was on edge, burning with an electricity that reminded me how alive I was.
Slowly, I slid myself fully onto his cock, claiming him and becoming whole. As I grated my hips, feeling his shaft moving within me, we kissed, losing ourselves in our ecstasy. His hand found my breast, taking over where his mouth had been. Very lightly, he caressed my nipple, igniting my body further.
I bobbed harder on his cock, feeling it rise deep within me, filling every inch of me. Taking his hand from my breast, I stuck his finger in my mouth, sucking on it the way I wanted to suck on his cock. He moaned as he grew further within me, ready for release.
"Let me watch you come," he gasped. "I want to see your face."
Hearing him, I sucked harder on his finger and clenched myself around his manhood, feeling his full firmness within me. He pushed himself further, and I came, crying my pleasure out loud. He came as well, his finger in my mouth as he shook and released himself. He held me close with his other arm, so our bodies were pressed together, joined physically as well as emotionally.
Out of breath and soaked in sweat, he kissed my breast. He bruised it while we were fucking. "You are the beauty where there is war," he murmured. "And you are mine. I have claimed you."
I rested my head against him, almost too tired to speak, but a thought invaded my happiness, one I couldn't push aside. "We are not light bonded," I said, remembering what his Fleet Captain had ordered. No soldiers are to mate with the women unless they are light bonded.
"No," Jidden acknowledged, full of remorse. "We are not."
"What does that mean for you if your Captain finds out?"
He didn't answer.
"Jidden, tell me," I insisted, looking him straight in the eyes, searching for an answer. The flecks of light around his pupils dimmed.
"Death," he finally replied. "This is wartime, and a war that could save the Surtu from extinction. The punishment for disobeying the Captain's orders is death."
* * *
No one knew.
That was my first realization as I made my way through the embellished corridors of the Fortuna. No one knew how close we'd come to all of our demises. At least, not the women who gathered in the south lounge, impatient to fight back against the Surtu who occupied the station.
Warriors didn't adjust well to being under siege. The Surtu soldiers may not realize it, but the Fortuna had become a snake pit, and there was venom in the women's fangs.
I left the inner station and went to the temple in the gardens, ignoring the soldier who stood outside. For once, I was not going for appearances or to find someone. I did need a moment of quiet and inspiration. My head ached with doubts.<
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In the temple, the painting of the goddess Fortuna looked down on me from the blue ceiling, resembling the sky on Earth. I could feel her judgment.
I had failed.
My mission as the false Commander had been a simple one – collect as much information about the Surtu as I could. It was an intelligence mission and something that should be my specialty. But I had not realized that the Surtu knew about our plot to strike and that the envoy ship was as much a lie as the Fortuna advertising itself as a spiritual place. Nor did I have the courage to protect the women of the Fortuna when I knew of Earth's plan to blow up the space station.
And I was sleeping with the enemy. I was a traitor – not to Earth, but to my sisters around me.
Worse of all, I didn't care. I mean, I cared about betraying my sisters. But I didn't care that I shared a bed with Jidden. Nothing about our time together felt wrong. It felt like sunlight.
In Fortuna's hand above her, she held the crescent moon, the symbol of the space station. It was both divine and feminine. I wasn't supposed to honor the sun. I was supposed to honor the moon.
I jumped when I sensed another body near me.
"Here you are," Gallia proclaimed, joining me inside the temple. "I've been looking for you."
With her raven-black hair and stern green eyes, Gallia belonged here among the goddesses on the ceiling. She was one of them – strong and relentless, like a leader should be. Standing up to her was going to be difficult.
"We shouldn't have risked it," I said, looking up at Fortuna. "Earth was wrong to send the nuke, and we were wrong for not protecting the people who look up to us here. We should have told the Surtu to evacuate the station."
She didn't agree. I could see it in the way she carried herself. There was no remorse. "We live, so there's no point dwelling on the past. We have to figure out a way to get back to Earth and join the fight there. Out here, we're useless. Our training is going to waste. The last week has proven it. We have to return to Earth."
