by Trevor Wyatt
Rina
Okay, so whatever just happened with the ship is totally a cause for alarm. I mean, I know everything went back to normal almost immediately after, but that's not enough to make me shrug off the rest.
"Davan!" I say, hearing him exclaim something and I follow his eyes to the deck. I rush towards our data screens and we look to our readings. There's more data to interpret here than we could have imagined. One of my tech assists, Hima, comes to my side and we start pulling reports and testing strings of information against our model algorithms.
"Compatible," I report to Davan. "They seem to be...intelligent alien life, and they are sending several versions of a signal that is peaceful."
I look to the crew, and they are all out looking out to the deck now.
I can't help but look either.
There’s a sleek, gilded and shiny black metal ship. A sharp oval taking up much of the view screen before us.
Not human.
A transmission comes through and I know that it must be true.
Davan looks at me, his eyes following me as I accept the transmission. “Our analysis of your human language says that we can provide a rudimentary translation in our language.”
My eyes widen. The sound of the alien voice on the other end isn’t harsh, yet it isn’t smooth. The translation is almost terse. It sounds even dangerous.
We probably should be worried. I’m just too damn amazed right now. Can you fucking believe this?
Real fucking alien life.
“Accept video transmission?” The voice asks.
Davan steps next to my side. He presses accept on the video transmission request, his hand dropping to hold mine. I can barely breathe. Not just because I see the probably 7 or 8 feet tall big, blue, ripped dude that’s basically naked. Umm…advanced language, sure, but they don’t give a damn about covering up the wall of abs.
Still, Davan’s hand is on mine and I can’t believe today.
“Hello, Earth humans. We bear you no ill will. We praise your eventual acceptance of diplomacy over war. We wish to broker trade arrangements with you. Call a representative of your higher government and meet us tomorrow at a time of your choosing. Coordinates for our nearby station are being to sent now. Is good?” I am amazed at that slight little flub there. Their translators are amazing quality.
“Understood,” Davan says. His words garble into something almost Germanic sounding in its roughness. The vocal texture language makes sense for the way their translated English sounded.
The transmission disconnects.
The whole crew, we just all look at each other.
“Holy shit,” Mandy says, the first to break the silence.
“Yeah, holy shit,” Davan says, his fingers grasping mine tighter. “Crew, don’t contact anyone yet. We will contact an official, but don’t share this information with anyone else.”
Everyone speaks in the affirmative and shuffles toward the mess hall, talking.
Davan looks at me. He tucks a finger under my chin. “I don’t plan to forget this night. It could be our last…or the first of something.”
My lips part slightly and I look at Davan. Is this really happening? “Davan,” I say. “Are you…” my words trail off.
Davan finishes them. “Hitting on you most inappropriately? Yes, you’re far too professional to tell me you want me between your thighs instead of an imagined holo version of me with a smaller cock,” he says, actually waggling his eyebrows.
Wait!
Did you hear that?
Before I have a second to contemplate that further, his lips are on mine.
The smell of Davan’s masculine scent makes me weak as he pulls me into him. The touch of the form-fitting uniform against my chest is getting my nipples to get hard. His rippling muscles are so gorgeous even clothed. My heart skips a beat as Davan takes hold of my head and covers his mouth with mine. It takes a second for me to find my rhythm as our tongues start to dart and dance around each other's mouths entangle in a passionate tango. Wrapping my arms around his back I press my body into his until it feels like I am melting into him.
I let my mouth find and fondle Davan’s bottom lip, god his lips are soft I close my eyes and feel myself getting wet. Time seems to stand still for Davan and I, while we are here in each other's arms. We run our fingers up and down each other’s backs, touching and caressing every inch of covered skin.
Standing here together we slowly open our eyes gazing right at each other. We say nothing but the burning desire in our eyes say a million things at once. We get lost in each other’s eyes as it feels like the ship is spinning around us. Feeling Davan’s tongue exploring my throat deeper makes me let out a moan that makes my vocal cords vibrate. I can feel the imprint of Davan’s huge shaft pressing up against my thigh, sending a quiver through my body. I can’t help but feel this is a moment I could be lost in forever, nothing else matters right now.
As Davan sucks on my bottom lip I can hear the moan that escapes his throat, breaking the silence that surrounds us. My tongue clicks against Davan’s teeth as I keep searching his mouth, craving to explore and taste every inch of his soft, moist mouth.
Running his fingers through my hair before Davan fists it to dip me backward never breaking our intense lip lock. His body is swaying in tune with mine, as I am suspended in air nothing but Davan’s arm to keep me steady. Bringing us slowly back to standing up right after what felt like forever, I’m falling into Davan’s arms. He is so strong; my body relaxes and is at peace here in this embrace.
Davan holds me like he never wants to let me go. No matter what happens after this we will always have this time together. Nobody would ever believe that Davan and I could share something so intimate and laced with such passion like this kiss. This will remain between us, every time we see each other from this moment forward we will see the burning desire of our secret passion flicker in each other’s eyes.
Holding me at arm's length by shoulders Davan breaks our lip lock, our breathing is ragged and we desperately try to catch our breath. It takes a moment for the tingling to subside in my mouth, feeling the cool air brush across my skin that was covered by his arms sends a chill through my body. Davan runs his tongue across his lips, and I know he’s tasting our kiss.
“Why don’t you come back to the Captain’s quarters and let me show you what you’ve been missing?” Davan asks. But the way he throws me over his shoulder, uh, he already knows that if I could talk right now I’d be saying yes.
And that’s when the ship shakes.
And the entire world goes black.
Phantom
The Earth-Sonali War was one of the most destructive conflicts in the galaxy...
Over 9 billion dead - on both sides...
Now, hear the stories of the survivors...
It was a simple contraband run past from The Outer Colonies
We should have never used known shipping channels.
All of a sudden, we're stopped by the Terran Armada.
Our corvette...it's no match for an Armada cruiser.
So we stop. They board us. They find the cargo.
And now, we're facing long sentences on a prison colony.
Except...they give us a way out.
They tell us they'll set us free if we carry out a mission.
Sounds good, right?
Well, they tell us what it is once we agree.
And it makes us think we'd be safer in jail.
Jeremy
I am in the hidden compartment of my small corvette looking over some of the contraband ale I am smuggling along the border when I hear the deafening wail and see the blinding flashes of the sirens. I can feel my heart jug up to the base of my throat as I hurry up and out of the small room and bolt the secret entrance. I dash into the elevator and ride it up to the bridge.
“What the heck is going on,” I scream as I take my position at the captain’s chair. The lights are flashing more rapidly and more intensely in the bridge than anywhere else in the
ship. The small view screen, which is pretty much our window into the cold, hard space beyond the polycarbonate plating of our hull, shows nothing but deep space.
“Long range scanners just detected a Union ship headed our way,” says my navigator. He’s a muscular, dark skinned man with a nose piercing and the kind of face you don’t want to meet in some dark alley world.
“What the hell?” I say. “How long before they get to us?”
This time it is the weapon’s officer and my number one, Alex, who answers. He has a shocked look on his face and he hangs his shoulders in that defeated way I am all too familiar with. “Not long, Jeremy.”
I have warned Garret several times not to use my first name so casually, especially when we are in front of the crew. I am ticked by his continued insistence on disobeying my instructions, but I don’t have time to deal with that now. My heart is pounding away, because I know we are doomed.
Jeremy
I have two options. I can attempt to run or I can attempt to stand my ground and be boarded. I trust my cargo is hidden well enough and there is nothing onboard and in open view to give the impression that I am carrying any contraband. However, I am not sure why the ship is headed toward us. It could be that they have prior information about our run. Maybe, they were tipped off before now by the same people to whom we plan selling the cargo. In my line of work, I know well not to trust anyone, especially those who buy from us. If I attempt to run, there is a likely chance that we will be caught. My ship isn’t exactly the fastest ship in the galaxy, nor is it the kind to outrun a Union Cruiser that is specifically built for speed.
“What do you want to do boss,” my navigator, Garret Summers, says. Even though he speaks in a measured tone, I can see it in his eyes that he is terrified beyond measure.
I glance at Garret. “Where’s the nearest asteroid field?”
Garret hunches over his workstation and performs the calculation. He looks up at me with a hopeful smile and says, “About zero point zero one light years ahead. We can be there in about fifteen minutes, but we have to engage the FTL now.”
“If we make it to the asteroid field, we can easily navigate our way through to the other side,” says Alex. “I doubt the Union Cruiser would pursue us any further. They certainly wouldn’t be entering the field with us.”
It is in situations like this that a true captain proves his worth. If I try to run and I am caught, there will be hell to pay.
“Unnamed corvette with hull number XZY876TY,” came a female and authoritative voice over their intercom. “This is Union Starship Phantom. You are currently in Union territory. Stand down and prepare to be boarded. I repeat. Stand down and prepare to be boarded.”
I tap the button on the captain’s chair that connects me to Bob in engineering. “Bob, hold on to something. We are about to engage the FTL.”
“Roger that,” comes the reply.
I turn to my navigator. “Get us to the asteroid field!”
He doesn’t speak. He only smiles and returns his attention to his station. The ship begins to vibrate and a sharp, high pitched whine erupts into existence. A split second later, the space around the ship begins to fold in on itself as we jumped into FTL speed. Our faster than light travel doesn’t last so long and we drop out with the screams of the warning system.
I realize we are nowhere near the asteroid field, and I can still see the cruiser. It is within range now.
“What the hell!” I yell at Garret.
Garret’s hands were frantic all over the controls. He glances at me, his eyes revealing to me just how screwed we are. “They have a tractor beam lock on us.”
“Evasive maneuvers, then!” I say that like it’s going to change anything.
Garret replies, “They’ve locked on us, sir! We can’t go anywhere.”
I tap the button to engineering. “Bob. We need an emergency jump into FTL.”
Bob’s voice comes across the intercom, flat as usual. “That’s not going to be happening, Jeremy. The drives are down. I’ll need at least an hour to fix them.”
I frown. I glance at my two man bridge crew, while keeping my hands on the button to engineering so Bob can hear our conversation. “What are our options?”
“Well, we’re not being dragged into the cruiser, so maybe they just want to talk,” Alex offers. He has his eyes on the view screen. I can now see the shadow of a huge space ship over us. My chest knots with dread. If they find what I carry in my cargo, I am probably going to get a life sentence at best and an execution at worst.
“Bob, start working on the FTL,” I say. “Get ready to jump on my command when it’s ready.”
“Aye, sir,” he replies.
“Also, tell Sibiu to make sure the hidden compartment remains hidden,” I say.
“Aye, captain.”
I heave a deep sigh, take a relaxed posture in my chair, and say to Alex. “Open a channel to the ship.”
Alex’s hands flies over his work station. He then gives me the sign to start speaking.
“Union Starship Phantom, this is Jeremy Black, Captain of The White Silk. We apologize for earlier. We encountered some problems with our FTL drive that caused it to malfunction. Please, can you state the reason for this arrest?”
I pause and wait for some response. The response comes one full minute later as our view screen fills up with the image of the huge and stunning bridge of the Phantom. It is not this view, however, that catches my attention. It is the view of the painfully attractive, suggestively dressed young lady that stands to address me.
She stands at attention like she’s military. She’s wearing a blue, tightly fitted jump suit that highlights her curvaceous form. Her brunette hair is tied back in a bun and her long neck terminates at a bulgy chest. I can’t help but wander down to her cleavage as a bit of it is revealed by the dipping neckline of her uniform.
In spite of my indulgence, the woman maintains a steely gaze. She says in a terminal and incredibly cold voice. “Prepare to be boarded.” Then the image vanishes and is replaced by the image of the starship against the backdrop of space.
Jeremy
I look from Alex to Garret. They are both scared. I jump out of my sit and scramble for the elevator. I take the elevator down to the cargo hold, where the cargo is being kept. Adjacent to the cargo hold is the entrance bay, through which the Union troops will board the ship. I meet Sibiu coming out of the small, secret hatch in the middle of the cargo hold. I curse our luck that we don’t have so much physical cargo in our cargo hold. It is going to make the secret hatch a lot easier to find, if the troops don’t already know what they are looking for.
I help the small man out and seal the secret hatch close. Then together we move some of the crates and boxes around in a seemingly random manner. If I concentrate them right above the secret hatch, this is probably where the troops will look first.
Even before we are finished I feel the ship vibrate as we are docked with the cruiser.
I glance at Sibiu. “Stay here and make like you’re taking stock. Act like everything is okay.”
I run through a small access way into the entrance bay. The sharp flash of escaping pressurized air fills my ears. The entrance bay is almost as large as the cargo hold, although it is more longitudinal to allow for vehicles driving in and out of the ship during pick up or drop down missions. It’s basically Spartan, a metal box of hull plating. There is a small panel of buttons by the hatch, which commands the hatch to slide up into its home. From there, a door can be opened to the cargo hold.
Alex and Garret are waiting for me in the entrance bay. I join them.
“What do you think they want?” asks Alex.
My reply is simple and sincere. “I’ll be damned if I knew.”
There’s a warning sound, which is followed by the main doors sliding up. I see their boots first, because the door slides up slowly. Then I see their neatly pressed khaki pants. Then I see their guns. Then I see their hardened face. There must have been a
hundred of them. The moment they could walk straight through without banging their heads against the rising door they flood the entrance bay, their guns pointed at us and yelling for us to show our hands.
Our hands rise into the air. A couple of soldiers peel off from the invading party to secure us in restraints. The rest spread through the ship and one manipulates the main control switch by the door and opens the blast door connecting the entrance bay and the cargo hold. About five soldiers hold positions in the entrance bay while another ten enter the cargo hold via the open blast doors.
A group of ten officers carry an assortment of scanning devices into our ship. Some of the devices were handheld. Some were hefted along the ground. Following them through is the lady commander.
“Search every square inch of this ship,” she orders the scientists with the scanners. “I want that ale found!”
When I hear her command, my heart chills with fear. The next thing is I am besieged with an overwhelming desire to run. But then I have nowhere to run. I am doomed. Following this realization are pictures of being confined to a dark cell on some prison world in some backwater star system of the Union.
I swallow hard and hold my head up high as I am approached by the commander. The lady looks at all three of us and then focuses on me.
“Captain Jeremy,” she addresses me formally.
“Yes,” I reply, trying to cover the distance between us for maybe a handshake. I am pulled back by the trooper that is holding me.
He mutters for me to stay put in a voice that could probably put the fear of god in living creature. I know I am screwed.
“Can you please tell me the reason for this invasion?” Bob screams and spits as he is pushed into the entrance bay. He falls flat before us. I try to help him, but the trooper holding me butts me in the back of my head with his weapons causing me to see stars for a brief moment. When I come to, I am still standing and so is Bob, in restraints to my side.
“I say stay put,” comes the deadly voice in my ears.
