by Sarah Hawke
Morningstar let out a heavy sigh. “Let me guess: there’s a Convectorate assault fleet two systems away, and we’re all going to die.”
“Not quite. But the computer analysis suggests they’re ahead of schedule. All their defensive systems will be online within three or four days at most.”
Cobalt swore under her breath. “How is that possible? Our Spider android said it would take them weeks to finish construction without reinforcements.”
“Selorah said it could take them weeks,” I corrected, “but she also warned that Ferron isn’t above working his technicians to death if he thinks it will help.”
“Three days,” Morningstar rasped. “You’ve got to be kidding me....”
“Assuming Shandris and Grinner are able to find the supplies we need, Selorah should be able to complete repairs to the Vantrax in time,” Raxyl said. “And I’ve no doubt that Master Mosaad will have taught Kaveri everything she needs to know by then as well.”
“I’m not worried about Kaveri or that big ugly boat,” Morningstar said, glancing over to the enormous, three-hundred meter long bulk of the Krosian destroyer we had stolen from the Red Ring last week. “The problem is the squad. We’re still not ready.”
“We will be,” I told him. “The two of you already know what you’re doing, and Squeaker isn’t far behind. With Raxyl and I, that just leaves one open cockpit to fill.”
“Hammer isn’t ready, not that I’d trust the two of you in the same room together, anyway,” Cobalt said. “Grinner and Sandbox are a little better off but not much. He still pukes when he gets into the Valkyrie, and she can’t fire the cannons without passing out.”
“At least one of them will come through, I’m sure of it,” I insisted. “And the ones that don’t will crew the Vantrax and give us cover.”
Morningstar grunted and shook his head at me. “I thought you were supposed to be the skeptic here.”
“That was before he found out he was the Chosen One,” Cobalt sneered. “Now he’s Captain Serious all the time.”
I sighed and pinched my nose. “Look, all I’m saying is that a lot of things have changed in the past few weeks. We have the firepower and the training, plus the Vecs have no idea we’re coming for them. That has to count for something.”
Morningstar squinted at me for a minute then glanced back at Cobalt. “You know, I think I liked the old version of him better.”
“Me too.”
I rolled my eyes, but thankfully Blackstar jumped in before I got too annoyed with them.
“Time crunch or not, you all need a break,” he said. “Get something to eat and try to catch a few hours of sleep. I want everyone back in the air by morning.”
“This shitball of a planet has a three year rotation cycle,” Cobalt reminded him. “We won’t be seeing the sun for a long time.”
“You know what I mean,” Blackstar grunted. “Now get moving.”
The two other whelps grunted sourly as they stumbled off towards the makeshift galley in one of the prefabricated shelters. I waited until they were out of earshot before I voiced my other concerns.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling us everything in Nova’s scouting report?” I asked.
Blackstar glanced between Raxyl and I. “She spotted more active fighter drones than we anticipated—a lot more than we anticipated, actually. And since we vaped their reinforcements, that can only mean one thing.”
I grimaced. “One of the shipyard’s factories is already up and running. They must have diverted all their resources to getting it online.”
“That is the most likely explanation,” Raxyl agreed. “It also suggests that Admiral Ferron is expecting us to attack.”
“Not really surprising, considering we slipped through his grip at Varsus,” I said. “And he’s obviously smart enough to realize we’re the reason his reinforcements never showed up.”
Raxyl’s scales rippled orange with concern. “Then perhaps we should attack sooner rather than later, even if means we leave one of the Valkyries empty.”
“I was going to suggest that to Master Mosaad once he and Kaveri are finished with whatever they’re doing,” Blackstar said. “No matter how you slice it, we’ve officially run out of time.”
I glanced back at my Valkyrie and bit down on my lower lip. I could still hear the old voice in the back of my head screaming at me to run as far away from this insanity as I could. Even with the Vantrax—even with Raxyl’s training—the odds that we could destroy a Convectorate shipyard were slim…and the odds that all of us would survive were practically nonexistent. This whole plan was objectively crazy.
But despite all that, I knew I couldn’t leave. My friends were committed to seeing this through, and for the first time in my life the idea of “doing the right thing” didn’t instantly fill me with disgust. Whenever I closed my eyes, I remembered what I had seen at Talasea all those years ago…and what it had taken away from me.
I am going to kill the bastard who took your mother away from us.
Raxyl’s words echoed through my head. It was difficult to believe it had only been a week since he had told me the truth about his relationship with my mother. The wounds hadn’t scarred over just yet—I still became furious whenever I thought about it too long—but most of the time when I looked at him now I felt pity rather than rage. I wouldn’t quite say I had forgiven him, but I did at least understand why he had tried to keep the truth from me so long.
“We’ve had all the time we need,” I said after a moment. “A few more days of training won’t change anything. We should attack the moment the Vantrax is ready.”
Blackstar nodded, and a weary smile tugged at his lips. “I have to admit, this isn’t how I expected any of this to turn out.”
“What, you never dreamed about making a suicidal attack run on a Convectorate station as a kid?” I replied dryly.
“That’s not what I meant. We’ve spent a long time preparing for this. All of us are eager to finally take the battle to the enemy.” He paused and grunted. “But if you’d come to me two months ago and told me that I’d be flying alongside the Dominion Emperor, I never would have—”
“I am not the emperor,” I interrupted. “The sooner everyone gets that into their heads, the better.”
The other man eyed me for a long moment, and I had trouble reading his expression. On average, he and the other Seraph Squadron pilots were only a few years older than the rest of us, but it sometimes felt like they were battle-hardened veterans of a dozen wars. Blackstar in particular had the stalwart composure of a professional soldier.
“Sorry, I just…” I sighed. “Nothing about me has changed. I’m just a regular pilot like everyone else.”
“I can’t even imagine how strange all of this must feel to you,” Blackstar said. “And I really can’t believe we’ve had an actual Wing of the Seraph with us all this time.”
I turned to Raxyl. “I know exactly how you feel.”
The Kali’s scales rippled red. “I was in retirement,” he said mildly. “Now I am not.”
Blackstar snorted. “Well, the point is that we have a far better chance of success than we ever did before, and most of that is thanks to the two of you.”
“I wouldn’t sing our praises just yet,” I warned. “There’s still a good chance we get vaped five seconds after we arrive at Nelphari.”
“If the Seraph ever really existed, she’ll be watching over us,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Anyway, try and get some rest while you can. Who knows if we’ll even get another break?”
I grinned. “The way things usually work around here, I wouldn’t count on it.”
***
When Shandris still hadn’t returned from her supply run by the time I finished eating, I knew I should have taken my own advice and snagged some sleep in my quarters on the Gazack. But because I was effectively still a randy teenager whose libido far outpaced his fatigue, I decided to wander into the Vantrax and check on Selora
h’s progress instead.
The bulky Krosian ship had been in pretty good shape when we had stolen her from the Red Ring, and after a week of tinkering she was looking even better. The shield projectors were working, the weapons were calibrated, and the engine damage we had suffered during our escape had been repaired. Half the crew quarters were unfinished—a byproduct of us stealing the ship while the Ring was in the process of converting it into a pleasure yacht—but we didn’t actually need the living space anyway. In all likelihood, this beautiful beast wouldn’t survive the battle anyway.
Just like the rest of us.
I tried in vain to bury my unhelpful fatalism as I rode the lift down to engineering. Selorah was in there alone like usual, and she flit between different consoles and open power junctions with the speed and focus of a worker bee. I stood in the shadows for a moment and watched her, half because I found her skills mesmerizing and half because I couldn’t stop staring at her shapely bare legs. I was genuinely starting to dread the day when we finally bought her some real clothes…
“Now that is some impressive work.”
Selorah turned and arched an eyebrow at me. “To what are you referring?”
“Oh, you know, the, uh…the thing,” I stammered, pointing in the general direction of several open panels. “I’m just amazed how well it’s all coming along.”
She followed my gaze. “I have increased the efficiency of the plasma flow regulators by almost thirteen percent.”
I nodded. “Exactly! You do good work.”
“Yes, I do,” she said. “However, that conduit has nothing to do with the plasma flow. In fact, I have not performed any maintenance on it whatsoever.”
I pursed my lips. “I knew that. It’s the, um…”
“Tertiary hypedrive compensator.”
My eyes narrowed suspiciously as I sauntered up next to her. “That’s not a real thing, is it?”
“No.”
“So you’re just fucking with me.”
“Yes.”
I snickered. “You’re getting better at that.”
Her smile was faint but irresistible. “I always get better at everything. Allow me to demonstrate.”
Selorah stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed me. The moment our lips touched, she dropped her holopad and placed her arms around my waist. Her entire body seemed to melt into me; even Kaveri didn’t usually dissolve into a liquid this quickly. I wasn’t ashamed to admit how satisfying it felt to know that my faintest touch could curl a woman’s toes and leave her breathless.
This must be how Kaveri feels with men all the time.
“You see?” she asked, pulling away just far enough to speak. “The last time you visited me, ninety-three seconds passed before you reached this level of arousal.”
I snorted softly. The pants of my flight suit were barely containing my erection, and the awkward bulge was currently pressed right up against her stomach. “Let me guess,” I whispered. “You’ve already created some kind of system to evaluate exactly how excited I am, haven’t you?”
“Yes,” Selorah said as if it was the most obvious answer in the galaxy. “The task was not difficult. I merely assigned a numerical value to your pulse, pupil dilation, breathing—”
“I suppose I should come up with one to track yours, then, too,” I interrupted. “The trouble is, you’re a lot harder to read. I guess I’ll have to get creative.”
Grinning impishly, I took a firm hold of her thighs, hoisted her up onto the nearest console, and pushed up her blue skirt. She was actually wearing panties today—a rare occurrence of late—but I happily nudged aside the fabric and dragged my thumb across her slick, swollen slit. Her fingers clutched at the edges of the console, and the cutest little whimper escaped her lips.
“I’d say that’s a ten out of ten,” I teased, marveling at her wetness as I knelt in front of her. “Though maybe I should take a closer look…”
I gently flicked my tongue across her clit as I eased my thumb inside her. Selorah bit down on her lip to keep from crying out, and I smiled when her knuckles turned white from gripping the console so hard. The first time I had tasted her she had almost passed out; apparently her cybernetic implants were better at handling pain than pleasure. Though if Shandris had her way, we’d have a chance to test both of those thresholds soon…
My tongue danced across the length of Selorah’s quim until the first ripples of a climax shuddered through her. Her thighs reflexively clamped around the sides of my head, and for a few seconds I actually found it difficult to breathe. When her muscles finally relaxed, her purple eyelids kept fluttering like she was trapped in some kind of trance.
“Definitely ten out of ten,” I said, slowly standing back up and unfastening my belt. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
She nodded so quickly it looked like she was trembling. “Yes…I have been eagerly anticipating your visit for several hours.”
“Well, I’d hate to disappoint you.”
The instant my pants hit the floor, I pressed the tip of my manhood against her smoldering, still-sodden cunt. She reclined back, eagerly welcoming me inside, but just before I thrust into her I belatedly remembered that we weren’t exactly alone on the ship.
“What are the odds someone else stumbles in here in the next few minutes?” I asked.
Selorah’s green eyes didn’t leave my cock. “Twelve point two percent.”
“Eh,” I muttered. “Low enough.”
I slammed into her. Her yelp bounced off the walls and echoed down the adjacent corridors, but I was no longer paying attention. Her quim was as warm and tight as ever, and her ankles locked around my back and pulled me in close.
I had learned a lot about Selorah’s desires over this past week, albeit in the most frantic, haphazard way possible. The base had been so hectic since our return that we really hadn’t had time to lie down and slowly explore every centimeter of one another’s bodies. Instead we’d had to settle for fucking on top of every piece of equipment on the ship. Honestly, in some ways I think I liked this outcome better…
“Fuck, here it comes!” I warned as I felt the inevitable explosion building inside me. I pounded into her again and again, faster with every second…
“Inside,” she begged, just like her doppelganger in the alternate future. “Please!”
I pushed her knees up so I could plunge even deeper…and then I completely lost control. I pumped everything I had into her, clenching my teeth with every spasm, and just like always I couldn’t believe just how right all of this felt. For a few perfect seconds, it was like my entire life came into focus…and I knew Selorah felt exactly the same way.
“Stars…” I breathed, slumping on top of her. Her thighs remained clamped around me like a vise, and even if a bunch of other pilots stumbled in here from the lift I doubt she would have let me go.
“You are satisfied?”
I grinned down at her. She always looked so adorable with strands of sweaty blonde hair plastered to her forehead. I wasn’t sure why, but there was something unbelievably hot about making a pristine woman messy.
I kissed her soft, sweet lips. “Always.”
Interlude
Talasea
Dominion Staging Ground
1083.6
“Three more ships arrived this afternoon, sir,” the trio of disembodied female voices said in near unison. “Seven more are expected by the end of the day.”
Wynn Mosaad smiled as he peered out the wall-spanning viewport. The full might of the 7th Fleet was now stationed in high orbit of the planet, and he couldn’t help but appreciate just how splendorous all the glittering ships looked up close. Their forces had been spread so thin these past few years he had almost forgotten what a real armada looked like.
And they’re all here to fight for the Dominion, not the spoiled child who calls himself emperor. They know the stakes, and they understand the risks. They’re willing to put their faith in the Blades of the Seraph one last time.
; “Make sure the newcomers know they’re invited to the gala later tonight,” Mosaad said. “This planet may not be much to look at anymore, but at least the banquet hall is still standing.”
“Of course, sir,” the trio of women said. “Do you require anything else?”
“Not at the moment, thank you,” he told them, activating the privacy mode toggle. Even after all these years, he still found the Synesthetes unnerving. Dominion ships this size couldn’t possibly function without at least one mind permanently bonded to the psionic matrix, and this one in particular had three. Theoretically, the Synesthetes weren’t all that different than a cluster of semi-sentient AI cores, but in practice…
Well, in practice he found them infinitely more disturbing. There was a reason he had joined the Blades rather than the Wings.
“I’ve updated the latest battle simulations to account for our new ships,” Lieutenant Doran said, his fingers dancing across the screen of his holopad. “With the additional heavy cruisers, we could conceivably attack Ivaldi and Garicron at the same time.”
“Ferron isn’t as easy to bait as the average Baalir,” Mosaad warned. “He won’t split up the sector fleet unless he has no other choice.”
“The Seers and the computers all agree. But that just means the Vecs will be forced to sacrifice one system or the other. Either way, we get a foothold.”
Mosaad nodded. The possibilities were endless. For the first time in what felt like an age, they had genuine tactical options here. All they had to do was win another battle or two and a dozen more noble families would fall in line…
The door hissed open behind them, and Mosaad felt more than heard the approach of the woman he had been waiting for. Her movements were so sleek and silent he sometimes wondered if she could float above the ground.
“That will be all for now, Lieutenant,” Mosaad said.
“Yes, sir,” Doran murmured. Despite the young man’s best efforts to control his body language, his lip twisted in disgust at the sight of the newcomer. Mosaad almost chastised him—sooner or later the crew was going to have to get used to the idea of working with aliens—but he decided that now wasn’t the time to undercut morale.