Ethan: Cyborg of Honor

by T. J. Quinn

“When we agreed to settle our colony here we were quite desperate. The Dreshanian rules didn’t look that bad, and from the beginning, we set distance from the slavery and the way they treat the Atheans,” he explained. “Unfortunately, with them around us all the time, and being the only armed force in the planet, there isn’t much we can do about it either.”

  “Are you the only one that feels this way amongst the colonizers?” Ethan asked, curious.

  “No, there are several of us. As far as I know, only a few colonies condone the Dreshanians acts. What’s more, they buy slaves from them.”

  “Haven’t you considered joining forces against them?” Ethan asked.

  “It’s impossible plotting a thing like that without them finding out. We’re under surveillance all the time,” Dreisax explained. “And the truth is we have no idea if the Atheans want to be saved. They don’t show any kind of resistance.”

  “I was told they were threatened with being wiped out from the face of the planet.”

  “I’m sure the Dreshanians threatened them with that, but this planet is too wild and too dangerous for them to even try that. There are too many places where they could hide, but they don’t. Do you know how their hunting game is?”

  “No, I don’t know the details.”

  “There are ten Athean tribes spread across the planet. A week before the game, they chose one woman from each tribe and send her to the meeting point, a few miles off from their main colony. The women are given a day of heads start before they go after them. They usually capture three to five women.”

  “What happens to the ones that managed to escape them?” Ethan asked puzzled.

  “They don’t escape unless you consider death a way of escape. The woods are too dangerous for armed men, what do you think happens to inexperienced women?” Dreisax shook his head. “The point is, the Atheans deliver their women to this absurd game. They don’t hide, they don’t fight back.”

  “I see your point. It’s as if they’ve grown used to living this way.”

  “No one wants to risk their lives here to fight for some people not willing to fight for themselves.”

  “You’re right, of course. But it still feels unfair,” Ethan pointed out, oozing his frustration. “Have you considered the possibility they might force you to deliver your women to them as well? They might get tired of the Atheans’ females.”

  “Of course we have. In fact, we’ve been told some of the poorer colonies have been forced to do so, when they can’t meet the fees the Dreshanians charge from us,” Dreisax confessed, with a somber tone. “But so far, they haven’t shown any interest whatsoever for our females. I guess our features don’t match their tastes.”

  “Despite that, this might escalate, you have to know that.”

  “We do, and we are starting to join forces to prevent that.”

  “I’m sure your life here would be a lot easier if the Dreshanians were sent away,” Ethan suggested.

  Dreisax nodded. “Yes, of course, but fighting them is not so easy,” he let out a deep sigh. “I hope I’m not making you reconsider telling your client about this planet.”

  “Actually, I believe it would be a good place for my client, but he’ll have the last say on that,” Ethan admitted with a scowl.

  Dreisax nodded. “I wouldn’t mind having a neighbor like you,” he said, with a smile.

  They returned to the palace and Ethan was able to see some of Vlyse’s guards watching them approach the building.

  “See what I mean?” Dreisax asked pointing at the guards with his head in a discreet way. “They are always looking for conspiracies or possible mutinies,” he added, laughing.

  “They don’t want anyone doing to them what they’ve done to the Atheans,” Ethan pointed out.

  “True.”

  Ethan returned to his room and was pleased to see Neela was still sound asleep. In two days, she had come to mean a lot to him, and that was starting to worry him. What the hell was he going to do when he had to leave? Could he just abandon her? Was there any other alternative?

  He slid under the covers after taking off his clothes and pulled her into his arms, eager to feel her warm body against his.

  She didn’t wake up, but she instinctively cuddled up against him with a soft moan and that pleased him more than he could describe.

  The following morning, they woke up early with a knock on the door. Vlyse was ready to take them to the next colony, and he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

  Neela flew out of bed, determined to shower before they left and though Ethan would have liked to spend the few minutes they had, doing something a bit more interesting, he respected her need to feel fresh and clean. Especially, when she was still oozing the results of last night’s action.

  They were invited to have a snack before they left and though Vlyse wasn’t very pleased with the idea, he finally agreed.

  Dreisax took a seat next to Ethan during the meal. “I heard you’ll be visiting my good friend Krug.”

  Ethan smiled. “You’re better informed than me,” he assured him.

  “Would you take him a message? As you can imagine, communications can be a bit tricky in these parts,” he asked, in a very soft tone that only Ethan sophisticated earing system was able to capture.

  “Of course, I would be pleased to help you.”

  “They are Mitauris, a fascinating people with the special gift of shapeshifting. I’m sure you’ll like Krug,” he said, slipping a piece of some sort of paper underneath the table right into Ethan’s hand. “Electronic communications can be hacked,” he explained, with a scowl.

  Ethan nodded and immediately put away the paper Dreisax had given him.

  They left a few minutes later and soon they were on their way to the next colony.

  The distance between both colonies wasn’t that far. Ethan was able to see a few other territories not far off, and he wondered if all the colonies were close together.

  “Are all the colonies gathered in this area?” he asked Vlyse, as they approached the colony they were visiting next.

  “Not all of them. But we do try to keep them in groups. It’s easier to protect them this way, in case of problems.”

  Ethan snorted in silence and replaced the verb protect by control in the other man’s sentence.

  “Of course.”

  “The groups are scattered around the continents in the areas controlled by us and we keep two to three empty colonies in each group.”

  “Will you show me one of the empty ones?” Ethan asked, interested.

  “Yes, certainly. I’ll show you one in this group. It will be our last visit.”

  “Perfect, thank you.”

  “It’s a pleasure.”

  They arrived at the colony only a few minutes after they had left the Cetians colony. The nMitauri colony looked very different from the Cetian. They had the same building pattern, the palace on the middle with the rest of the houses around it, but that was it.

  The houses here were quite similar to the ones Ethan had seen in his files on Greece, before the wars. White walls, small windows and colorful wooden frames, doors, and blinds made it a very distinctive city.

  Unlike the Cetian city, this one had no fields nor barns. Instead, they had what looked like factories. A welcoming committee waited for them at the docking bay, and Vlyse introduced him to Krug and his emissaries.

  The Mitauris were an interesting race, no doubt. They were humanoid, though they had some animalistic features. Their faces looked more like a snout, and their eyes were similar to those of a feline, that revealed their shapeshifting abilities. They were clearly strong and powerful, and they would be worthy enemies. No wonder the Dreshanians didn’t want any army other than theirs.

  They wouldn’t stand a chance against these people.

  “It’s a pleasure knowing you, Citizen Ethan,” Krug said after the introductions.

  “I don’t recall seeing you at the meeting in Ilea,” Ethan said, shaking the hand the o
ther man had stretched out for him.

  “I wasn’t able to go, nor send an emissary, due to a problem in one of the factories, but I’m glad Vlyse brought you here. It’s always a pleasure meeting new people,” Krug explained, as he guided Ethan to one of the vehicles waiting for them.

  The women had already been taken to the palace in a bigger vehicle like they had the day before.

  Krug made sure no Dreshanian joined them in the vehicle, and soon they were on their way to the palace.

  “I believe you have something for me,” Krug said when the vehicle hovered away.

  Smiling, Ethan handed him the note Dreisax had given him. “It must be quite stressing living like this, always watching over your shoulder,” he pointed out, in an understanding tone.

  “It is. But when we decided to stay here, we knew it would be like this. Of course, after a while, it becomes annoying at best,” Krug agreed.

  “I’m sure of it. Why haven’t you tried to find another place?”

  He shook his head. “When we got here, we weren’t more than five hundred people. After almost one hundred years, we’re almost ten thousand. It’s too difficult to move that many people,” he explained. “Besides, this planet is perfect for us. The atmosphere is exactly as we need it and its soil is fertile like very few others we’ve seen.”

  “It should be paradise.”

  “Yes, it should, but the Dreshanians make sure you know it’s their paradise, not yours,” he stated.

  The conversation was interrupted by their arrival at the palace.

  Krug immediately directed them to get into smaller vehicles and took them on a guided tour around the city.

  “I can see you don’t have fields of crops nor cattle here,” Ethan pointed out to Krug.

  “We do have some, for our own consumption, but our main job is to process the products the other colonies grow,” he explained, and he took them to the factories.

  They had all sorts of factories including food, clothing, furniture, and electronic devices.

  “Are you the only colony with factories?” Ethan asked, curious.

  “No, not at all. In each group, there’s at least three like us.”

  “Who chooses what everyone does?”

  Krug looked around looking for any of the Dreshanians. “They like to think they do, but it’s actually decided by a council with members of all the colonies, based on the abilities of each people.”

  “So, you have an underground organization.” Ethan wasn’t that surprised. It explained why things seemed to work so well on the planet.

  “Yes, and we have members of almost every colony established on the planet.”

  “But not all.”

  “Unfortunately, no. We have to be careful who we introduce into our group, so we usually take our time examining the newcomers until we’re sure we can trust them,” Krug told him, always attentive to the Dreshanians at the place. “We don’t include those who become way too friendly with our hosts or those that condone their actions against the Atheans.”

  Vlyse walked towards them, and they quickly changed the subject.

  The tour was quite interesting, and by the time they returned to the palace they were all hungry and tired.

  “A meal will be served in an hour. Feel free to go to the rooms assigned to you, meanwhile,” Krug announced and they all followed his suggestion.

  Chapter Twelve

  Neela was in the room waiting for him.

  “I wasn’t expecting to see you so early,” Ethan said as he crossed the room to take her in his arms.

  “Well, it seems the Mitauris don’t have that many spare rooms, so we were invited to go to our men’s rooms. The guards didn’t even bother telling us where to go,” she explained, with a smile.

  The day had been quite boring, locked up inside these walls, but now that he was there, that was all quickly forgotten. She knew she was making a huge mistake in allowing Ethan to become so important to her. Even though she tried not to, she didn’t seem to be able to hold back her feelings for him.

  He leaned towards her and brushed his lips on hers, in a teasing caress.

  “I’m delighted to find you here,” he assured her, kissing her again, this time, sliding his tongue between her lips and deepening the kiss until they were both breathless. “I only have one hour before the night meal, so we have to be quick,” he warned her when he finally released her lips.

  She chuckled. “What do you have in mind?”

  He pulled her tunic off her body, pleased to see she wasn’t wearing anything underneath it. His shaft responded to her beauty immediately, and he got rid of his own clothes.

  “Turn around, sweet elf and bend over the bed,” he asked, with a mischievous grin.

  She smiled back but did as told, spreading her legs as she had been taught during the weeks of training at the harem. There wasn’t much she didn’t know about sex, in theory.

  Her heart was thundering in her chest, and anticipation rushed through her whole body.

  With a loud grunt, he stood behind her, so close she could feel his hard shaft poking her buttocks.

  “Oh, you’re so perfect, do you know that, my little elf?” he murmured, as he leaned over her back and caressed her ass cheeks.

  She moaned pressing her hips against him, needing to feel him in her.

  He spread her legs a bit more and slid a finger down her slit, right to her clenching entrance. Without wasting any time, he slid two fingers inside her and went straight to her aching bud.

  A couple of rubs and she was squirming and crying for release. Pleased, he teased her a little longer before he allowed her to come. Watching her shudder underneath the powerful orgasm felt like nothing else. A surge of pleasure rushed through him, and his cock throbbed with need.

  He drew a trail of kisses down her back and all over her buttocks before he bent his knees and rested the tip of his cock in her entrance. “Are you ready for me, little elf?” he asked, his voice hoarser than ever.

  “Always,” she moaned, pushing her hips towards him, forcing him to enter her.

  Groaning, he rested his hands on her hips, and with a single thrust, he slid inside her, all the way in, lifting her feet from the ground. She grabbed the bed covers for support as he started to thrust in and out of her, making sure she reached her climax with him.

  The way her walls clenched around him felt so good, he wasn’t able to hold back for much longer. Breathing hard, he picked up his pace and just a few moments later he came with a wild explosion dragging her along with him. Powerful waves of pleasure crashed over them, and before she collapsed in his arms, he carried her to bed and laid down next to her, wrapping his arms around her.

  “Uhmmm, you’re amazing,” he whispered in her ear when he regained his breath.

  Neela chuckled and cuddled up against him. She felt so safe in his arms as if nothing could ever hurt her while she was there, and though she knew it was only an illusion, she wasn’t able to shake off the feeling.

  A few seconds later, he was jumping out of bed and carrying her to the bathroom. “We need a shower,” he said when she looked at him quizzically.

  “Do you have time for one?” she teased him, knowing what a shower with him meant.

  His smile grew wider. He knew why she was asking. “Just enough.”

  Once in the shower stall, he set the water streams and took her inside, pressing her back against the wall, while his lips captured hers in a fiery kiss. His desire for her only grew stronger. He didn’t seem to ever have enough of her.

  She wrapped her arms around his muscular neck and rubbed her body against him, as eager for him as he seemed to be for her. She had no means of comparison, but deep down, she knew what she felt with him she would never feel with anyone else.

  He slid his hard cock deep inside her once more and pushing her against the wall, he took her again and again until they came together, swirling in a turmoil of pleasure and bliss.

  Only after the waves subsid
ed, did they bathe one another.

  “Do you have any idea where you’ll eat?” he asked her as he put on a clean suit.

  He refused to put on the tunics now they were away from Ilea.

  “I guess they will send us some food here,” she said, shrugging. “They never forget about us,” she assured him.

  “I should take you with me,” he said, with a frown.

  “No, that would be a mistake. Vlyse would never accept that, and you would put your host in an impossible situation,” Neela replied in a solemn tone.

  “I know you’re right, but I still hate it,” he grumbled, cradling her face and kissing her gently.

  “It’s alright,” she assured him, kissing him back. “But you should leave now, or you’ll be late,” she warned him with a teasing grin.

  He finally left the room, and she picked up a clean tunic from the small bag she had brought on the journey.

  Neela was just finishing braiding her long hair when she heard a gentle knock on the door.

  Sure it was the food, she opened the door.

  It wasn’t the food. A female Mitauri was on the other side of the door, with a friendly smile on her face.

  “Greetings, my name is Sarya, I’m Krug’s younger sister. I was wondering if you and your friends would like to join me for the night meal.” she invited.

  Though allured by the idea, Neela frowned. “I’m not sure the guards would allow us to,” she explained.

  “Krug has told them about it, and they have agreed since we would be eating in my private chambers,” Sarya explained.

  “Then, I would be happy to.”

  “Would you help me invite the rest of your friends?”

  “Of course,” Neela accepted with a smile.

  Almost all of the women were more than pleased with the change in their routine, except Caisys. She rejected the invitation insultingly.

  “Come on, Caisys. The guards said yes. Why don’t you come with us? I’m sure you would enjoy it as much as the rest of us,” Neela said, trying to convince her.

  Caisys wasn’t her friend, and she was sure she would never see eye to eye, but it didn’t sound fair letting her stay in her room all alone.