by Cynthia Sax
Was one of those beings his Nola? Had they left her behind them?
“I’m fully committed to this assignment, Sup…Barrel.” She sensuously rolled the r’s in his name, the erotic sound making his cock twitch. “I’m an Expert. That’s all I am, all I will ever be.”
She was more than an Expert. She was everything to him.
Barrel gazed at her. He suspected she was concealing facts but he was satisfied she had no male. “Why are you interested in this role?”
“I wish to relay my knowledge to attendees, allowing them to contribute fully to the Humanoid Alliance cause,” she recited.
That’s what they all say, Zip observed.
Barrel didn’t want to hear the standard answers. “Your last three roles were terminated due to inappropriate behavior. Tell us about that.”
She pursed her full lips. “It was behavior that was…umm…inappropriate.”
He smothered a grin. His female was terrible at evasion. “We can uncover the reason on our own but we’d prefer to hear the explanation directly from you.”
“Of course, you do.” His Nola sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I’ll start with the first role.” She paused. “I hugged an attendee.”
The offspring like hugs, Zip shared.
Barrel liked hugs also. The humans don’t like them. To avoid suspicion, they had decided to act like humans, like members of the Humanoid Alliance. We can’t express our approval.
“I understand there should be no physical contact between an Expert and an attendee.” This admission of guilt would have sounded more sincere if she hadn’t rolled her eyes. “But the attendee’s mother had died the previous planet rotation and he was devastated. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed his face against my body and he was crying so hard his little form was shaking.”
Her voice cracked. She turned her head and gazed at the far wall panel, tears glistening in her eyes.
She cared for that attendee. Zip reached the same conclusion Barrel had.
His female had a big heart. She might grow to love Ka-Na, might grow to love him.
“And what happened in the second role?” Barrel’s voice was gruff.
“Umm…”
She made that sound when she avoided giving him a direct answer.
“We will uncover the truth,” he reminded her.
“Fine.” Her eyes flashed. “I told an attendee she could be a Commander if she set her heart on that goal.”
I’ve never seen a female Commander in the Humanoid Alliance. Zip observed.
That must be the issue. The humans didn’t appreciate the strength of their females. “Why was your third role terminated?”
“Stars.” Her head tipped back. “Don’t you already have enough reasons to disqualify me?”
Zip laughed through the transmission line.
Barrel struggled to remain stern. “Why was it terminated?”
“You won’t let that go until I’ll tell you, will you?” She sucked air through her teeth, making a rude noise. “I assigned attendees the task of discussing a significant battle. That battle was to be chosen from the approved list, as per the Academy’s requirements.” She held up her right index finger. “The next planet rotation, an Erinomean attendee arrived, prepared to discuss a battle not on the list. Normally, he was quiet and shy. I had heard barely five words from him all quarter. With this task, he was animated and excited.”
His Nola smiled and Barrel blinked, his processors temporarily overloaded with sensory input. His female’s beauty knew no bounds.
“I realized it was wrong but I couldn’t say ‘no.’” There was no regret in her voice. “He talked for many moments, showing us images, sharing stories he’d obtained from warriors, the insights they’d gleamed. Some of it was a little too graphic.” She grimaced. “But it was well researched.”
What was wrong with that? “That was unacceptable?”
“Well…” She worried her bottom lip with her teeth.
Barrel wanted to claim that mouth, repair the damage with his nanocybotics. He’d slide her onto his lap, positioning her lush ass over his hard cock, and cup her full breasts.
Her nipples were tight, their shape visible through the damp fabric of her flight suit. His voice aroused her as her voice aroused him.
Was her pussy wet? Was her feminine musk scenting the air around her?
“Well?” He verbally nudged his female, wishing to hear her husky tones again.
“The Erinomeans fought the Humanoid Alliance in that battle.” She paused. “And the Humanoid Alliance lost.”
Barrel barely suppressed his laughter.
Zip didn’t hold back, his mirth filling the transmission line. I like this female, he finally spluttered.
She’s mine. Barrel verbally claimed her. No other warrior would touch her. I’m leaving immediately to retrieve her. You’ll have sole responsibility for training the offspring while I’m gone. He’d miss them. I’ll leave you footage to play for Ka-Na.
He’d miss her even more. Communicating with Ka-Na while he traveled was too risky. The Humanoid Alliance could possibly trace the messages to Earth Minor.
Before you leave to retrieve your female, you require permission from the cyborg council. Zip reminded him.
Gain that permission for me. Rage, their friend, had waited to retrieve his female and she’d almost died. It will take me many planet rotations to reach Vulpeculae 5.
Too many planet rotations for Barrel’s comfort.
Barrel--
She’s my female, Zip, and she’s alone, unprotected. Her knowledge of battles comes from a viewscreen. She has a warrior’s spirit but no skills. He saw the innocence in her eyes, the softness of her hands, the way she sat with her back to the door, not even processing the possibility of attack. I’m retrieving her with or without the council’s permission.
The cyborg council had threatened warriors with death if they retrieved females without permission. Barrel would risk that fate for his Nola, to keep her safe.
I’ll gain the council’s permission for you, Zip vowed. Don’t allow any other beings to see you.
This isn’t my first stealth mission. Barrel had assisted in the freeing of other cyborgs. Taking one small human female from an unsecured planet would be simple.
“Do you want to continue with this?” His Nola made a circle between her and the viewscreen. “Or are you ending this charade?”
“This isn’t a charade.” And Barrel never wanted to end their conversation. “Relate your knowledge of human female biology.”
He asked questions and listened to his Nola as she answered, enthralled by the defiance in her eyes, her intelligence, her sarcastic sense of humor, honored that this female was his, his to safeguard.
She was kind. His little human couldn’t hide that, her every action taking into account the often unstated wishes of the offspring she taught. She would treat Ka-Na and the others under his protection with caring.
Their reserved duration came to an end too quickly for his liking. “If I have additional questions, should I send them to your private viewscreen?”
He would have additional questions. He planned to communicate with her every planet rotation while he was en route.
“Yes, of course.” Nola nodded. Her curls rearranged over her shoulders, as vibrant and alive as she was. “I have it with me always.” She hugged the device to her bosom. “I mean…not when I’m with academy attendees. I’d never do that. They have my full attention. Always.”
When she was with him, she would have his full attention. Always. “We’re extremely interested in you as a candidate.” Barrel was much more than interested. He was eager to retrieve her. “Don’t accept another role until you communicate with me.”
“I won’t.” His Nola smiled and he gazed at her with wonder. This female was his. “Thank you for this opportunity, Barrel.”
“Thank you, my fe--”
The transmission ended. Her image disappeared from the main views
creen.
“Aargh.” Barrel tapped on the controls, tempted to reserve the next duration.
“Be thankful she’s gone.” Zip grinned. “The humans don’t call Experts their females.”
“Humans are illogical,” Barrel grumbled. “They don’t value their females.”
On Earth Minor, no being would dare criticize his female. She’d be protected, could devote herself to the transfer of knowledge, a task that lit up her face while she merely talked about it, making the gold sparks dance in her eyes.
They’d educate the offspring together, working side by side every planet rotation. With her assistance, he’d devise a program to offset Ka-Na’s malfunctions.
In private, they’d undertake other joyful tasks. Barrel reviewed the ship’s supplies in preparation for the long voyage ahead of him, his circuits humming with excitement. His Nola would breed with him, would eventually grow to love him.
They’d be partners in all ways.
Chapter Two
Forty-one planet rotations had passed and Nola still didn’t have a role. She now sat in a chamber of the one Academy she vowed she’d never consider.
Her choices were becoming more and more limited. There were six Academies on Vulpeculae 5. Two employed male Experts only. Three had terminated her roles. This was the final Academy.
Nola had searched for roles off planet and had been considered for a couple of them. Those Superiors finally decided upon local Experts. Only the role with the sexy-voiced yet aggravatingly indecisive Barrel remained open.
He was extremely interested in her and she was interested in much more than the position he offered. They communicated every planet rotation. She dreamed of him every rest cycle, waking with an ache in her soul and a slickness between her thighs.
Barrel was so…dominant, sure of himself, intelligent. He knew what he wanted.
She wanted him to want her and she’d bent the truth to ensure he considered her. She had to. If he realized she hadn’t left the planet since she had four solar cycles, since the day her parents had dropped her off at the Academy and never returned, he would disqualify her.
She’d been nowhere, hadn’t lived anywhere except Academy compounds, had never experienced non-academic life. In ten planet rotations, that might change. Her previous Academy would expel her from their grounds.
If Barrel didn’t choose her as his Expert, she’d have to accept the role offered by Superior Colescott.
She gazed at the slimy, smirking male seated before her and her top lip curled.
“Didn’t I say you’d eventually crawl back to me on your hands and knees, begging me for a role?” Her nemesis leaned forward, ogling her breasts. “And here you are.”
He waved his pale hands at their surroundings. There were dents in the wall panels, cracks in the floor tiles. The Academy was situated in a credit-light district. Most of the attendees would receive basic information and then join the Humanoid Alliance warrior forces.
That irritated her. Children should have choices, should be able to craft their own destinies, be whoever they wanted to be.
But at least these children would eventually be free of Superior Colescott. If she took the role, she would never escape him. She’d be his slave forever.
The male had approached her after she completed her training, touching her inappropriately, making crude comments. She had already accepted another role and had the luxury of ignoring him.
That was no longer the case. “Here I am.” She forced a smile.
“You’re not on your hands and knees.” He lifted one hairy eyebrow.
Nola narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn’t getting on her hands and knees.
“I can wait.” His expression was smug. “Once the new quarter starts, you’ll spend the end of every shift in that position. Naked. Your mouth open wide.” He licked his lips, his jowls wobbling with the movement. “You’ll wish to express your gratitude to me for giving you the role.”
He expected sex in exchange for the role. She struggled to conceal her disgust. “I’m a highly trained Expert, Superior Colescott.”
“You’re a highly trained Expert with a rebellious streak.” He winked at her. “You must obey the rules with the attendees. That’s non-negotiable. But, within the privacy of my working chambers, you can be as naughty as you like.”
“I’ll obey the rules everywhere.” Her tone was prim.
“You don’t have to play the good female with me, Nola.” The older male ran one of his fingers along the collar of her flight suit, moving toward her cleavage.
Flinching, she pulled away from him, putting her body beyond his reach.
“I know you’re willing to do anything for this role.”
“You don’t know anything about me, sir.” She sat stiffly on the chair, her knees pressed together, her back straight.
“I know quite a few things about you.” His light green eyes hardened. “I’ve been watching you for solar cycles; waiting for this moment, for you to lose your roles at those more uptight Academies, to have to come to me, beg me for assistance. You are desperate, aren’t you?”
She wanted to slap his face.
But she couldn’t because she was running out of options.
“No Expert applies for a role at my Academy if she has another choice.” Superior Colescott sounded almost proud of his Academy’s vile reputation. “Do you know what happens to beings who don’t find productive roles within the Humanoid Alliance?”
She didn’t answer, refusing to acknowledge his thinly veiled threats.
“Any unutilized beings are sent to the front lines. They serve as living shields for our warriors, their forms riddled with projectiles.” The male’s smile contained pure malice.
Nola wouldn’t survive long at the front lines. She had no battle training, no experience with the outside world at all. The mere sight of blood made her queasy.
“I wouldn’t want that fate for you.” Superior Colescott’s gaze returned to her breasts. “Or for your sexy body.”
“I have another choice.” She grabbed her pack and scrambled to her feet, unable to tolerate the male’s leering for one more moment.
Barrel’s Academy was that other choice.
There would be something wrong with his role also. If it was a normal position, other less rebellious Experts would be interested in it.
The terms of the role could be the problem. The Expert had to commit to an unknown Academy with an unknown Superior for an entire lifespan. She could never leave the planet the Academy was situated on.
That situation appealed to Nola. She couldn’t lose her role, even if she broke their rules. She might be stuck with them but they were stuck with her too.
Nola would be the master of her own chamber, could relay her knowledge however she wished, could hug any attendee needing caring.
She could refuse the Superior’s sexual advances, if that was what she desired. No Superior had ever tempted her in the past.
But no male had ever aroused her with his mere voice as Barrel had.
Superior Colescott, in contrast, repulsed her. His gaze was fixed on her breasts. His hands were out of sight, concealed by the horizontal support.
Was he touching himself? Her stomach churned.
“You mentioned a transport credit?” The sun had set and the district was dangerous after dark.
“If you want a transport credit…” He pushed his chair away from the horizontal support. Yes, he had been touching himself. He was semi-hard. “You’ll have to earn it. Get on your hands and knees.”
Nola stepped back, disgusted. She’d rather take her chances outside than agree to that. “I’m leaving.” She hurried toward the doors.
“You’ll be back, Nola.” Superior Colescott laughed. “And I’ll be waiting.”
She wouldn’t be back. Barrel would choose her.
He had to.
Nola navigated the dimly illuminated corridors. Every third light was burnt out.
She stepped outside
, breathed deeply. The air was scented with foul odors, chemicals, urine, feces. The domiciles appeared uninhabited, the doors damaged, the walls no longer straight. The structures were enveloped in darkness.
Danger could be lurking in those shadows.
Nola shivered and walked quickly in the direction of her domicile, having no credits left to pay for transport. The pathway under her booted feet was uneven.
The tiny hairs on the back of her neck lifted. Although she couldn’t see any beings, her gut said she was being watched.
She passed three domiciles.
A large figure stepped onto the pathway. “Where are you going, pretty female?”
The pock-faced male loomed over her, his eyes bright yellow from Mox-X usage, his hands jittery. A huge knife was tucked in the waistband of his ass covering.
Fear skittered down her spine. “I don’t want any trouble. Let me pass.”
The male didn’t move. “We don’t see many fine females like you around here. Do we, males?”
“No, sir.” Another male appeared.
“Not this fine.” A third male revealed himself.
They were big and ugly and ill-kempt, made Superior Colescott seem attractive by comparison. She wouldn’t survive long in their company.
“I said, let me pass.” She boomed, using her Expert voice.
The leader reared back.
Relief swept over Nola. It worked
The male shook his head, as though trying to clear it. “And what will you do if I don’t?”
She didn’t know what she’d do. The Academy compounds she’d been restricted to had been safe, devoid of any physical threats.
Her current situation was outside her experience.
“Nothing.” He snorted. “That’s what you’ll do. A fine female like you doesn’t have the physical strength to do anything.”
“I don’t need the physical strength. I have my intelligence.” She’d studied battle strategy. A weapon would compensate for her lack of muscle. She clutched her pack.
“You can’t be too intelligent. You’re here, ain’t ya?” The leader lunged forward, grasping her breasts, squeezing them hard.
