by Ivy Barrett
“Let the fun begin.” Ashton released his safety restraints and activated the transporter.
A shimmering energy field converged in the middle of the cabin. Four separate figures formed within the field. The shapes fluctuated then silhouettes solidified.
They materialized in a seated position, confusion contorting their features. Hayford caught himself before he fell to the floor. Renata Boehme wasn’t quite so agile. She landed with a startled gasp, looking around with a mixture of anger and awe.
The other two “guests” managed to land on their feet, weapons drawn.
“Freeze!” Korbin ordered. “Hands up!” He glanced from Admiral Tiptonn to Meredith, determination forcing away all emotion. None of their intel indicated Meredith would be at the briefing this morning. So why the hell was she here?
“Now,” Palmer prompted when they didn’t immediately comply.
“What is the meaning of this?” Hayford demanded.
“They have the transporter.” Glaring all the while, Admiral Tiptonn surrendered his pulse pistol. Korbin disarmed Meredith as well and patted them both down.
Gesturing with her handgun, Corry urged Renata into an empty seat, leaving Hayford and the admiral to argue with Korbin.
“Are you being coerced or are you participating in this madness?” Hayford’s startled gaze moved between Ashton and Korbin.
Ashton stepped closer to his father and commitment deepened his tone as he said, “The rebels have my full support. This has gone on long enough.”
Korbin secured the admiral to one chair while Palmer bound Meredith to another.
Danette stood before her father, her eyes bright with conviction. “You need to listen to them. What they did may have been unconventional, but their cause is legitimate.”
He turned his face away, refusing to reply.
Hayford took a seat across from the admiral and Korbin reached for his wrist. “That won’t be necessary.” He glanced at Ashton then fastened his safety restraints.
* * * * *
Hope bubbled inside Korbin as they loaded the schooner and left Chiron for Wirtanen. It was too soon to think they’d reached these stubborn bureaucrats, yet their thoughtfulness was encouraging.
Corry’s descriptions of the crowded dormitories and the backbreaking labor expected of the inhabitants of Chiron hadn’t impressed the council members. It was only as they approached one of the harvest houses and came face-to-face with the ragged workers that their attitudes subtly changed.
Intimidated by the unexpected visitors, most of the harvesters were reluctant to complain. One mouthy woman had no such qualms. Her son had died the previous winter when the overseer ignored the boy’s claims of illness. One story led to another, and soon the granary echoed with the workers’ discontent.
Corry couldn’t have planned it better if she’d organized the visit months in advance. The only disadvantage to their lengthy stay was arriving on Wirtanen after dark. The outpost was dangerous during the day. At night, Shanty Town’s twisted warren harbored cutthroats and thieves.
“It’s probably best if we transport down,” Corry mused. “Scavengers run rampant at night.” They hovered above one of the most crime-ridden areas of the city.
“Why do you know so much about Wirtanen? I thought you lived on Borrelly.” The premier’s sharp gaze assessed Corry.
“She’s been attempting to do your job for the past five years,” Korbin sneered. “Father established the runs. Corry took them over after he was murdered.”
“What runs? What do you bring here?” Despite Korbin’s provocation, Hayford’s gaze never shifted from Corry’s face.
“Let’s transport down and you can see for yourself.”
“I’ll monitor your position.” Korbin turned back to the control panel. “Signal at the first sign of trouble and I’ll transport you back.”
“Is it really that dangerous?” Renata asked.
“It can be,” Corry replied.
“Then I alone will accompany you.” The admiral made it sound dramatic.
Corry chuckled. “That sort of defeats the purpose for bringing you here.”
The admiral glanced at Korbin. “Sounds like we’ll need our weapons and all nonessential personnel should remain on board.”
“Who do you consider nonessential?” Corry asked, and the admiral glared at her. “Everyone on the executive council is transporting down. I’m not sure why Meredith was included in the briefing, but I don’t want her to feel left out.”
“You think I don’t know what’s down there?” she snapped. “I was married to the grand crusader. I probably know more about this than you.”
“And still you’ve done nothing?” Danette grabbed Corry’s arm as she lunged toward Meredith.
“Except arrest me.” Korbin pivoted to face the others as he added the jibe.
“Why don’t you and Korbin accompany the four of us to the surface?” A cunning gleam ignited in the admiral’s eyes. “There’s no reason to endanger the others.”
“I don’t think so.” Corry opened the munitions compartment and tucked a pistol in the back of her pants. “Korbin stays on board with Danette and Palmer.” She handed a weapon to the younger VinDerley. “Ashton comes with us.”
The admiral shrugged. “Whatever you say.”
Chapter Ten
“I can babysit the comlink just as well as you can,” Palmer said with a conspirator’s wink. “We have to bring them back on board, so it’s not like they’re going to catch you in the act.”
Korbin looked at Palmer, unable to accept that the privileged frat boy had just suggested he take Danette to the aft cabin and fuck her.
“If you keep eyeing each other Admiral Tipton is likely to kick your ass,” Palmer went on. “And the only way you’re going to be able to stop eyeing each other is if you get back there and scratch the itch. It’s not like everyone onboard doesn’t know you’re lovers already.”
Unable, or unwilling, to argue with Palmer’s logic, Korbin took Danette by the hand and rushed her to the back of the schooner. Danette was laughing by the time he got the privacy panel secured.
“Please tell me this isn’t some sort of trick.” His voice sounded rough and needful.
“It’s no trick,” Danette assured. “Even if Palmer wanted to hurt you—which I don’t believe he does. He would never intentionally hurt me.”
He pressed her against the nearest wall and caged her there with his arms. “Why are you so certain?”
“Because he’s had a crush on me for years. He’s probably out there right now imagining himself in your place.” Danette unfastened his pants and deftly freed his cock. “Palmer might want me, but I want you. Only you. I want to touch you and taste you. I want to cry out your name while you thrust deep inside me.” She closed her fingers around his shaft and stroked him from base to tip until a drop of moisture formed on the very end.
“Offer me your mouth.”
She sank to her knees and locked her hands behind her head, looking up into his eyes. He wanted her naked, needed to see her breasts. But they had no idea how long the others would be gone. She extended her tongue and he leaned in, allowing her to lick the drop of pre-come off the tip of his cock.
“More,” she whispered. The word combined with the desire burning in her eyes just about buckled his knees. He pushed into the waiting warmth. So soft, so giving, she swirled her tongue around him and sucked on the head of his cock until tingles raced up and down his spine.
Bracing himself against the wall, he moved in her mouth, feeling only the snug heat of her lips and the velvet caress of her tongue. She tilted her head, taking him into her throat. He groaned and staggered back a step.
“You’re…too damn good at that.”
She stayed on her knees, hands locked behind her head, waiting, needing to be commanded.
You’re not her Master. You shouldn’t be doing this.
“Stand up,” he said in a gruff, urgent tone. She stood and he
unfastened her pants, pulling them down around her ankles. He worked one of her legs free, shoe and all, leaving her pants bunched around her other leg. Pushing her against the wall, he knelt in front of her. “Put your leg on my shoulder and press your pussy against my mouth. I want to fuck you with my tongue.”
With a little whimper, she did as she was told, raising her leg and tilting her hips until her sex was perfectly aligned with his seeking tongue. He stabbed into her and felt her core ripple around him. Her cream coated his lips and tongue. He pulled back and thrust in again.
She trembled, her thigh flexing against the side of his face. A slave would ask permission to come, but she wasn’t his slave.
“Please?”
The question in her tone was undeniable. She still needed the security of their roles. “Yes.” He pulled back just long enough to whisper the word then he found her clit and drew on the swollen nub until release shuddered through her.
He lifted her against the wall and impaled her with his erect length, keeping her leg draped over his arm. Her inner muscles squeezed and caressed him with their hot embrace. She was spread wide as he drove hard into her, stretched to the point of pain.
“Look at me.” He slowed his pace and gazed into her eyes. “Who’s inside you? Say my name.”
“Mas—”
“No! Say my name.”
“Korbin. My love. The only man I want inside me.”
“Kiss me. Let your tongue fill my mouth as I fill your pussy.”
She shivered, the thought obviously exciting her. Framing his face with her hands, she angled her head and sealed her mouth over his. She matched the thrust of her tongue to the steady rhythm of his cock, taking him as he took her.
He cupped her bottom and drove up into her wet core. She caressed his cheeks and stroked his tongue with hers. Sensations swirled around them, building in intensity. He moved faster. She cried out as an orgasm tore through her abdomen, making her core pulse with distinct spasms. Driving his full length into her, he released his seed in long, hot spurts.
They clung to each other for a long time, kissing and caressing, savoring the stolen moment of passion. Not knowing when—or if—they would ever touch again.
* * * * *
Corry signaled that they were ready to return about an hour and a half later. Korbin activated the transporter and Danette watched in awe as the others materialized in the middle of the shuttle’s main cabin. It really was a miraculous device.
Meredith looked pale, her eyes suspiciously bright. Even the ever-composed admiral seemed a bit shaken. No one said a word as they took their seats and fastened the safety restraints.
Renata sat directly across from Danette, her face ashen, her hands trembling. “I didn’t know,” she whispered. “We’d been told life was harder in the outer settlements, but we didn’t realize… How could we know?”
“It’s your job to know,” Corry reminded her.
The admiral shook his head, as if to dispel the images. “We must declare Wirtanen an official disaster area. We must mobilize troops with provisions and medical supplies.”
“Our action needs to unfold on two levels,” Hayford interjected. “Short-term relief and long-term change. We must meet the immediate needs of these people, but we must also look to the future. There must be a better system of accountability.”
“Wirtanen has a director. All the outposts do.” Renata regained some of her composure. “How could this have been allowed to go on? Someone close to the scene should have been screaming the heavens down.”
Corry pressed her lips together and clutched her armrests. Danette understood her anger and admired her restraint. Corry’s father had done everything in his power to “scream the heavens down”. They hadn’t listened. They hadn’t wanted to know. Still, the council was problem solving, so Corry kept her resentment to herself. Any outburst now would be counterproductive. Danette wasn’t sure she could have mustered the same level of control.
“I’ve received quarterly reports from all the outposts and though complications were noted, nothing like this was communicated,” Hayford said. “Either the individual directors are oblivious to what’s going on or they’re profiting in some way. I’ll launch a full-scale investigation into the directorial boards of each of these outposts.”
“Part of the problem is the directors have no ownership in their assignments,” Korbin said, speaking for the first time since the council’s return. “All of the outpost directors are citizens of Halley Prime. Most of them live on Halley Prime. What difference does a decision make when you’re not affected by it?”
“Only citizens of Halley Prime have the qualifications needed to be directors,” the premier objected.
Korbin shot him a challenging glance. “Did the formally educated, privileged director of Wirtanen keep his people from starving? If it weren’t for the rebel shipments, countless occupants would be dead.”
“What are you proposing?”
“Nothing will change on the outposts until the occupants have a say in the decisions governing them,” Korbin replied.
“We’re no more qualified to decide how the changes should take place than the outpost directors,” Corry pointed out. “Representatives from each outpost need to be chosen by the population, and the representatives should work with the executive council to devise a specific plan for each outpost.”
“That could take months.” Hayford shook his head.
“It could, but it won’t,” Corry insisted. “These people are desperate for change. They’ll welcome the opportunity to work with you and accept any help you give.”
“Isn’t it sad that it took a criminal act to open your eyes?” Danette’s tone was soft, more cajoling than provoking. “What are you going to do with these vicious rebels?”
“I have no intention of bring charges against them,” Hayford volunteered.
“Nor do I,” Renata added.
Admiral Tiptonn was the last to speak. “They only did what we forced them to do. I can’t fault their actions.”
* * * * *
“Tell me how your father managed to get the prototype working when our research scientists told me it couldn’t be done.”
They were an hour away from Halley Prime. After outlining a basic agenda for the following day, the conversation turned to lighter topics. Korbin glanced at the premier, debating what to tell him. “What do you know about our father’s murder?”
“Little more than you do,” Hayford said. “I suspected foul play was involved, but I couldn’t prove it. I have investigated the matter.”
Laughing and saying “bullshit” wouldn’t earn him any points with the premier, so he reined in his temper. “I can’t explain how the prototype works. The inventor is dead. Even Corry was only his assistant.”
“Did he keep a journal or some form of technical notes?” the premier asked Corry.
Hayford’s obvious interest in the prototype shouldn’t have surprised her, but suspicion narrowed her eyes and compressed her lips. “This outing wasn’t about the transportation device.”
“I understand that. We’ve committed to taking action on behalf of the outposts. I will see that their standard of living improves immediately. But the fact remains that you possess a technology in which the coalition is very interested.”
“How interested?” Korbin swiveled in his chair to face the premier.
“Are you asking for a monetary figure?”
“No sir.”
Korbin’s easy show of deference should have warned Hayford, but he charged on ahead, oblivious to the trap directly in his path. “Then what do you want?”
“Amnesty,” Korbin said evenly.
“Amnesty?” the premier echoed. “You will turn over the prototype and all of your father’s documentation if I offer you amnesty?”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that. I would require a written document absolving all the rebels of any wrongdoing.”
The premier gaped like a fish out
of water. “All the rebels? I can’t possibly—”
“Korbin is being a bit too vague.” Corry tried to rescue the negotiation before he pushed too hard. She’d always been the better diplomat. “The only charges for which we would expect an acquittal are those associated with the alleged kidnapping of Ashton, Danette and Palmer.”
“That would send a message to the coalition and beyond that we can be manipulated by terrorism. It would be an open invitation for more of the same. There has to be some form of reprisal for your rash actions.”
“But those repercussions don’t necessarily have to involve incarceration,” Corry suggested.
“Let me speak with the rest of the council and we’ll get back with you.”
Chapter Eleven
Korbin shook Larz’s hand and saw him to the door. Triple sweeps had assured Korbin every surveillance device in the apartment had been removed. He took a deep breath, reveling in the freedom. He had smashed the coalition’s microscope!
A person-to-person page drew his attention to the vidscreen. “Accept call.”
Corry’s smiling image appeared and Korbin returned her smile, feeling relaxed for the first time in weeks.
“They couldn’t wait to get rid of you, I see,” she said playfully. “I went to the detention center to say goodbye and you were already gone.”
“They remitted me into the custody of Warden Restien. I don’t have many fans on Halley Prime, but Borrelly can’t live without me.” His smile slipped a bit as he went on. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
“I haven’t decided if congratulations or condolences are more appropriate, but it’s official. I’m outpost liaison, which makes me one of them.”
He winked at her. “You would have been a citizen anyway as soon as Ashton marries you.”
She blushed to the roots of her hair, and Korbin laughed.
“He hasn’t even asked me yet.”
“He will. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
They were quiet for a time as her gaze searched his. “Have you spoken with Danette?”
“No, and I don’t expect to. What’s the point? I have nothing to offer—someone like her.”
