by Eden Ember
“Quick,” Kezon said as he hurried Blaire along. Her short legs struggled to keep up with his long strides. If he didn’t think she would object, he would have scooped her up into his arms and ran to the ship. However, that would also appear very suspicious. Finally, the Tracker came into view as they ducked around the other spacecraft in the shadowed silence of the hangar.
The Gamma Tracker barely had the extra space to take the cyborg. Uza secured it within the confines of the back hatch and disabled it as it sat hunkered over, secured with chains.
“Commander, you need to know that they have a tracking device on it,” Uza told him.
“Yes, and I assume you disabled it as well?” Kezon double checked the cyborg’s bindings.
“It’s disabled, but the tracking device also sends out an alert to the facility should one go missing or become incapacitated,” Uza replied.
“Better lock down and take flight now, then,” Kezon said as he secured the hatch door and checked on the crew. “Ready to launch.” Uza started the engine and guided the ship out of the hangar. A great sigh of relief filled the Tracker once they left Arthexei’s atmosphere and headed toward the stealth Gamma Revolution. Once docked, they quickly took the cyborg to the holding cell and disarmed it completely. It sat perched in the center of the room with just enough power to keep it upright but still. The blackened face and dark eyes peered out unfocused, its Terud looking arms and hulking Aulius body hunched over. When fully charged and alert, its eyes glowed a dull red.
“Interesting,” Blaire said as she had her first look at the cyborg. Her hands moved along the back of the neck and she smiled when she found the ports that operated its AI brain. “As suspected.”
“Yes, well, we have it now. It will not awaken until we charge it fully now that we have drained most of its power. I’ll leave Woonz to guard over it just in case,” Kezon said as he nodded to his crew member.
“I feel better,” Blaire said as she smiled wearily at Kezon. They’d had an adventurous and very tiring day on Arthexei. Weary, she bit them goodbye and made her way to her quarters to rest.
“Commander, if I may be so bold, have you claimed the Terran female as your mate?” Uza asked after Kezon dismissed everyone else from the laboratory.
"Is it that obvious?" Kezon asked. He chuckled as his hand patted his chest. He no longer wanted to hide the fact that he had claimed Blaire and he needed everyone to know.
"I am happy for you, H-jo. Not all Hjott males find their mates. May you find extreme and lasting happiness with her," Uza said as he bowed.
Kezon merely smiled and nodded as they parted ways. He did a once over on the ship after leaving the lab, making sure everything was as it should be. The thought that Blaire might change her mind after the mission was still very much on his mind. If he could safely delay the mission to get her to promise to never leave him, he would. She had said many things while they were in great peril together. But once the danger had passed he wasn't sure that she would continue to feel the same. Terrans didn’t claim mates, and they just as easily tossed someone they had mated with before to the side to move on to the another. It wasn't how Hjotts lived their lives as they mated for life. Still though, the happiness he felt overshadowed the worry that Blaire might leave him eventually as he walked to his quarters. He was not so surprised to find that Blaire waited within, her tiny cot now in his living space.
Kezon closed the door just as Blaire emerged from the washroom with only a towel wrapped around her body. Her eyes fell upon him and a smile stretched across her face. She placed her hand on her chest.
"Oh, you scared me. I guess I thought I had a few minutes to dress before you got back," she said.
Kezon shook his head as he came straight for her. His eyes danced over her body as he took hold of her shoulders and led her back to his bed. The bed, though bigger than the cot she had brought in, wasn't as large as some beds he had seen on Earth during his short stay there.
"Oh, your bed is so soft," Blaire observed as she smiled up at him.
Kezon came down on top of her and helped her to relax back onto the stack of pillows behind her. He couldn't wait another moment. He wanted to sample her. He wanted to be with her. His lips came down and kissed her, tasting her mouth and her soft velvet tongue as she opened to him for a moment.
She pushed back, gently. "What about the cyborg?" she asked.
"Taken care of. We’ll deal with it in the morning," Kezon replied.
He gingerly reached up and pulled the towel from her body as she smiled, her eyes lighting up her face. Blaire’s body, creamy white and curvy, invited him to touch her and to feel her; to explore everything about her. Kezon came down to her neck, smelling her scent and the slight fragrance of the soap from the shower. He moved down her body and to her breasts, the twinned hills on her chest which glistened with the dew from the shower. His mouth came forward and tasted a nipple, causing her to moan as she brought a hand to his hair. The Hjott’s six-fingered hands explored her body, caressing through her soft warm valley below. He kissed ever downward, to the small of her belly and on down while Blaire widened her legs. Kazon inhaled the aroma of her raw essence and growled as he pushed between her thighs. His great tongue jutted forth and lapped between her slit as it glistened with pleasure. She moaned softly as his tongue swirled through, moving upward until he reached the little member atop her valley. It swelled delightfully under the pressure of his tongue. Blare bore down on his head, keeping him there as he reached up, his hands grasping the mounds on her chest. Kezon squeezed and teased her taut little nipples. His tongue continued rolling over her clit, her body arching in pleasure as she nearly lost control. It took very little time for him to overcome any resistance to his efforts. Kezon continued to swirl his tongue over her wet valley until Blaire lost control, finally arching her back as she moaned. Her hands laced through his hair and held him tightly as she cried out. Kezon kept his tongue on her swollen clit until the Terran female finally pushed his head away.
"Enough. I don't think I can take anymore," Blaire squealed as she looked at him wild-eyed.
Kezon growled as he crawled back and stood at the edge of the bed. Pulling her around, he took his swollen vibrating cock and pierced through her soft hole, understanding his need to move slowly with his mate. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, so he stood to his feet to maintain his control. Blaire moaned under him as his cock vibrated faster, her body quaking and her tunnel squeezing around him until his seed pulsed from the tip, his groans louder than hers. Kezon didn’t care who heard the two of them together. He pumped into her until he had emptied himself. After crawling onto the bed to collect his breath, he was ready to go again. They made love all night while trying different positions.
“You’re amazing,” Blaire said at one point as she crawled on top of him. “No human man has this much stamina.”
Kezon smiled as they continued until it was time for them to emerge from his quarters. Their time of rest had come and gone. There was much work now to be done.
Chapter 20
Blaire
Blaire prepared the laboratory for the cyborg the following morning. Uza brought in a chair with which to restrain the cyborg once he put it back online. She looked at the chair apprehensively, knowing that these things could have tremendous strength and be a danger to the entire crew. She wanted to run a scan of the body to make certain there weren't any EMP charges or anything else that could damage her equipment or the ship.
Kezon stopped by before bringing the cyborg to her. "You have everything prepared for this, right?" he asked.
Blaire bent over the computer while putting the finishing touches on the AI virus with samples of biological matter that they had taken from the cyborg. The scientist looked up, feeling harried by her mate. "I hope so," she replied as she glanced back down at the screen.
Kezon walked around to where she was sitting and bent down to look into her eyes. It amazed her how he could tell when she had worry
and fear within her. Blaire smiled as she became comfortable in his presence. They had connected on such a deep level that she couldn't imagine life without him by her side. "We've got this handled. You don't have to worry, Blaire. This thing won't hurt us," Kezon promised.
She turned to face him fully. "You don't know what it's capable of, Kezon. It was disabled so that we could bring it back here. It just stands to reason that they are creating an army that likely will be able to withstand a lot of what the Hjotts have in store for it. These Teruds and Aulius beings are pretty sharp," she told him. The Hjott commander understood as he rose up and nodded his head. He walked out of the laboratory for a moment.
Kezon and Uza soon escorted the cyborg into the lab. After seating it in the chair and securing it with metal bindings, Blaire asked them to turn it on long enough to run a test.
Kezon stood by as Uza ran a small device along the back of its head. The cyborg instantly awoke and violently thrashed about while trying to escape from the chair. Its dull red eyes searched the room as it squirmed and its hands struggled to free itself from the metal bindings on the chair.
"Turn it off," Kezon blurted.
Blaire stood back, her hand over her pounding heart as she witnessed how violently the thing had reacted. It was every bit as large as Kezon and probably more powerful because of the modifications made to the biological muscle material with tech hardware. Blaire continued working on it with Kezon overseeing what was happening. The cyborg twitched once in a while as if it still had power running through it.
"We don't know the full extent of how these things operate. It could have a fail-safe switch that would allow it to reboot," Blaire said as she quickly ran a test. After a few moments, the cyborg quieted down and sat there with its eyes darkened.
"You've been working hard all morning, Blaire. It's time for a break. Let's have lunch and then we'll come back and work on it some more," Kezon recommended.
Blaire followed Kezon out of the lab. She glanced over her shoulder one last time to see the large cyborg sitting silently on the chair.
They sat down in the dining hall for their lunch. A feeling of apprehension would not leave her as Blaire picked at her food.
"Stop worrying so much. I will be in there with you," Kezon said as he watched her fidget uneasily. The Terran scientist nodded her head and tried to enjoy her meal. However, the thought of the cyborg in her lab continued to pick at her.
As they finished their lunch, Kezon received a summons to the bridge. He shook his head.
"Go, I'll be alright. I’ll meet you and start back up again later," Blaire said.
She watched Kezon disappear towards the bridge. The lab was in the opposite direction and she thought about heading to Kezon’s room to wait there for him, but realized that she had a lot of work to do in the lab. Time was wasting, and she needed to be working there anyway.
The door quickly opened, and Blaire stopped cold in the center of the doorway as she stared at the chair where the cyborg had been shackled. The chair was empty as her eyes quickly searched around. Surely one of the crew had just come in and taken it back to the holding cell. Satisfied that the cyborg wasn't lurking in the shadows of the lab, Blaire turned around to head to the bridge to see Kezon.
The door opened again and she exited the lab. Before she could take another step, a hand came out and grabbed her arm, pulling her roughly toward a dark figure. Looking to the side, Blaire saw a set of red eyes glowing at her as his hand came over her face, nose and mouth. Something smelled funny, and suddenly the young scientist became very sleepy. She tried to struggle, but soon lost consciousness.
When Blaire came to her senses later, she felt dizzy and ill. She realized that she was riding in a seat in the Gamma Tracker and the cyborg was piloting it. Looking around quickly, she noticed that they were alone on the ship. Her eyes widened as she watched the cyborg at the controls, its hands moving quickly. Looking out the great window, Blaire noticed that they were heading back to Arthexei.
"Please, please don't go back there," she begged.
It turned to her and opened its mouth. She didn’t recognize the dialect in the speech of the half-artificial being. The implant behind her ear did not recognize the language well enough to translate and Blaire could barely understand a few words. It was pointless to communicate with the thing because it did not understand her nor did she understand it. It spoke to her in a droning voice, sounding more robotic than biological.
The small ship reached the outer atmosphere of Arthexei and Blaire wondered how long she had been unconscious. Fear gripped her as the small ship began to travel through the atmosphere of Arthexei. They soon headed toward an encampment of the rebels once the Tracker leveled out in flight. In minutes they had landed quietly in a field next to the encampment near several other ships. Blaire only hoped that the Gamma Tracker had a tracking beacon inside so that Kezon would be able to find her.
The cyborg unbuckled her from her seat and then moved to the back of the tiny craft. She spoke again, hoping that somehow it would understand her.
“Please, just leave me here on the ship. You can go free.”
Again, it behaved as if it didn't understand a word that she spoke as it moved to the back and opened the hatch. She only hoped that it also could not understand what they were talking about earlier when it was onboard the Gamma Revolution. It could have collected enough intel to alert the enemy to what she was doing there, and that could endanger the mission or even her life.
To Blaire’s horror, the Aulius guards marched toward the Tracker as the cyborg spoke to them. She assumed it explained what had happened. Their eyes looked toward her as she froze in the chair. The Terran woman only wished that her implant could understand their words a little better.
The Aulius guard grabbed her gruffly and hauled her off the Gamma Tracker and onto Arthexei ground once again. Blaire struggled as she tried to speak to them, but they didn't seem to understand her. They marched her long, pushing her with the tips of their weapons toward the facility. She trembled inside, closing her eyes and hoping for Kezon to find her. Would she ever see her beloved lover again?
They entered the rebel command center, their faces stone-cold as they looked hard at Blaire. She tried to hold herself together as a flight of steps took her to the lower level underground. They didn't kill her outright, which surprised her as they shoved her into a holding cell. The young scientist stumbled backward, to a bench made of stone and sank down, her big eyes looking up at her captors outside the cell. They kept their stern expressions as they locked the door behind her.
Blaire got up from the bench as they left and walked to the door to see if it was truly locked. It wouldn’t budge. She had nothing on her that could be helpful in an escape and she considered how many times she had made note of such a thing whenever she left the ship. How would Kezon be able to come get her if it meant that he had to land the Gamma Revolution? By now the enemy rebels knew about it and its approximate location and would surely attack it and kill every crew member on board, including Kezon. Though she wanted him to come to her rescue, Blaire also worried that for him to do so could mean his end. That was something she could not bear to think about.
Chapter 21
Kezon
Kezon left the meeting on the bridge and headed to the lab to finish working on the cyborg with Blaire. Rufio, the ship’s navigator, stopped him. His otherwise golden face was reddened.
“Commander, the Tracker has left the ship.”
“What? I didn’t order its departure,” Kezon said.
“I am aware of that, but it left suddenly,” Rufio replied.
“Blaire! Where is she?” Kezon demanded as he ran toward the lab. His skin crawled with urgency as he opened the door and entered to find that the chair where the cyborg had been was empty.
“Where is Blaire? Find her, now!” Kezon’s voice took on an urgency as he turned to Uza, who had been on the bridge with him.
“Commander, we’ve search
ed the ship, Blaire is no longer onboard,” Ahlan told Kezon as he came into the lab.
“Make absolute certain!” Kezon left the lab and rushed to his quarters. He hoped that she’d grown bored and settled there for a nap. Unfortunately, he had grown to know his Terran mate all too well. She would have felt driven to get back to work as soon as possible.
“The cyborg; do they know how to pilot a craft?” Kezon turned and looked frantically at Rufio.
“I believe they’ve trained them to do just about anything,” Rufio replied.
“No! Quickly, ready Escape Pod One for me to take to the planet surface. Uza, come with me.” Kezon and the other Hjott warrior moved quickly toward the ship docking bay. The ship had enough escape pods for every single crew member should they ever need them. Only the Gamma Tracker served as the common transport vessel back and forth to a planet surface, if the Revolution remained in orbit around the planet. Escape Pods One through Three had just enough room for every live person onboard to escape should something go wrong. Kezon stopped off at the radio control, following Rufio up the ladder.
Kezon sent out a hail to any surrounding ships, asking if they noticed the smaller Tracker flying nearby. Only one answered that they had seen it earlier and that the small ship had headed to Arthexei. The cyborg must have taken Blaire and gone back to the facility, which meant their mission was no longer secret to the enemy. Kezon would leave no rock unturned in his search for his new mate. His uxormea burned brightly as his heart behind it beat wildly. Blaire had not said what she planned to do while he was attending the meeting on the bridge. He had just assumed that she’d walk either to their suite or to the bridge to wait on him. The Terran scientist knew that Kezon didn’t want her working with the enemy cyborg without him being present.
“Is the pod ready?” Kezon barked. More than anything, he wanted to get to Arthexei to find Blaire and the Gamma Tracker. He knew that if he found the Tracker, he’d find Blaire as well. He only hoped that he’d find her alive and unharmed. Enough anger surged throughout his body that he could finish the mission alone singlehandedly if he found that Blaire had been injured or killed.
