by Trent Evans
“This isn’t the first time this has happened, and sadly, it’s unlikely to be the last. But that doesn’t absolve you in the least for paying for what you’ve done. The Directive is there for a reason, Lieutenant. It’s not a guideline. And you have no right to deviate from it.” Kosha shifted his gaze to the Captain, the sharp glint in his eyes softening somewhat. “You’ve commanded well, Captain Maerata. A more exemplary field officer, I’ve never encountered. I’m less surprised that our head strong lieutenant has overstepped his bounds than I am learning he’s done it while a member of one of your teams.”
“Yes, sir,” the Captain murmured.
“It’s done though, and all I’m left with is deciding what in space to do with the two of you.” Kosha fixed Lukanos with a look that made his blood run cold. “Admirals made of sterner stuff than I have been known to flush insubordinate soldiers straight out of an airlock.”
Kosha stared at him for what seemed an eternity, Lukanos’ heart beating like a drum in his chest, his mouth suddenly dry. Termination was something he’d never seriously considered, though technically, for violations of the Directive, Command held the literal power of life and death.
Finally, Kosha sighed, spinning on his heel with a shake of his head. He walked slowly toward Alisse, her face paling as she looked up at him.
“She seems to know when to stay silent, at least. Some of their species can’t seem to ever stop talking.” Kosha’s gaze coursed over her bound form. Was there a faint interest there? “Might as well get her up and out of those restraints.”
Relieved to be freed from standing at attention, Lukanos rushed to the task, freeing her and pulling her to her feet to stand before the Admiral. Lukanos clasped his hands down upon her delicate shoulders, loving the play of smooth, trembling muscles under his fingers. He stroked the line of her collar bone with a thumb as she peered up at Kosha.
“A well-formed specimen, if nothing else,” the Admiral murmured, before clicking on his interpreter unit to ensure Alisse understood what was about to be said. He returned his attention to Lukanos.
“Lieutenant, you’ve got two choices.” Kosha nodded toward Alisse. “You can keep your little toy here and retire immediately from Survey Team service. Your file will be placed in administrative review—and you can be sure said review will recommend you be cashiered. You’ll be lucky to get out of it with half of your post-discharge stipend, so if you choose that option, I hope you’ve invested your savings well. You’ll need it.”
“Yes, sir. I... thought that might happen.”
Lukanos had invested every credit of his pay since day one. Maybe deep down, he’d always known he’d try this eventually, but somehow he knew he’d need that nest egg. Fortunately, he’d done well, and in concert with the value of his modest inherited land holdings, his savings ensured he could live quite comfortably for the rest of his life—even if the Administrative Review decided to dock his entire post-discharge pay.
“Alternatively, we try to clean up this total wreck of a situation.” Kosha began to pace again. “You take her back to Terra—supervised by Captain Maerata, of course. Your position will be placed in Administrative Review, and because I do think you are a generally capable soldier, I may be able to see to it that you’re subject to mere demotion—and prompt reassignment. Oh, and she would have to have her mind wiped.”
“Oh my God, no!” Alisse struggled against Lukanos’ grip, and he squeezed her harder, murmuring to her to try to calm down, that things were as they should be. Thankfully, she went quiet, though he could feel the tension in her muscles coming off of her in veritable waves.
“She’ll need to be trained out of that, if you keep her,” Kosha said with a mild look of distaste.
“I assure you, she would be, sir.” Lukanos’ cock was already stirring at the appealing prospect of taking her over his knee and testing some of the many implements he’d collected over many cycles. She’d learn—and quickly—that obedience and compliance were much preferable to scorching hot buttocks. Corporal punishment was not only commonly used with taken humans—he’d reread those accounts more times than he cared to admit—but it was expected. The same way one might an owner to discipline a misbehaving pet. Moreover, unique to the human females, a few of them actually seemed to grow to respond to it, even become aroused by discipline. The phenomena was well-documented, though admittedly quite rare. There was some argument over whether this was an induced response, or if this was part of some innate variation in some human females. Regardless, he found it fascinating.
Kosha continued. “Now, if you’re wiped, human, it’s not a full wipe. We’re not a cruel species, unlike your own. You’d lose perhaps a week of long-term memory, and retain zero recall of anything that’s happened here. Perhaps a mild headache for a day or two, and life would go on as it had before. You would never see any of us again, nor have any memory of ever having encountered our kind in the first place.”
“Please, what... who are you?” Her voice was strong, though it did betray a slight tremble. Admirable strength, indeed. “Your kind?”
Kosha looked from Maerata then back to Lukanos. “You’ve not told her yet? Smart of you, but she should know.” He flicked his gaze back down to Alisse. “We are called the Yaanfahr, and the two you encountered are surveyors we send to worlds that need to be watched until they’re ready for the next steps in their evolution.”
“N-next steps? What—?”
“It is a complicated tale, but there is a larger community of civilizations in our galaxy, and the men like the lieutenant and his captain are sent out to promising civilizations not yet ready to join that community. It has been this way for millions of your Terran years. Sadly, most civilizations eventually destroy themselves—and Terra shows troubling signs that it may follow a similar course, with your species’ mystifying tendency to fight and kill over simple parcels of land, or even worse, their particular interpretation of a deity. Most troubling indeed.”
“Oh my... oh my God,” Alisse hissed, sagging in Lukanos’ grip. “This... is this real? This can’t be real.”
“I assure you, human, this is quite real. I understand it’s difficult for a barbaric species to understand, but Terra is an inconsequential world, though a beautiful one. Your species is a mere speck in the Grand Diaspora, the community of civilizations peopling our galaxy. The sooner you accept this, the sooner you will reach a new state of enlightenment, as much as you’re capable of perceiving, that is.”
“I’m a... scientist. I can accept this. It’s... it’s just a shock, that’s all.” Her voice cracked on the last word, and she quickly cleared her throat. “Uh, sir.”
Yes, there might be more to the gorgeous Alisse Southwick than even Lukanos suspected. His cock was at full mast now, and he was careful to hold her far enough away to prevent it from jutting against her. There would be time enough for that at home.
“So which is it, Lieutenant?” The Admiral scowled. “Be quick before I change my mind.”
“I’m ready to accept the consequences, Admiral. I want her. I choose to keep her.”
The Admiral grunted. “Just one more thing then, my over eager Lieutenant. She must be fully informed of what remaining with us would actually mean for her—and for you. We are not barbarians here, and if she does not agree with what will be done with her, then she must be taken back to Terra—regardless of your wishes.” His intent gaze moved from Lukanos down to Alisse. “So, the decision to stay... must be hers.”
*****
Alisse was fairly certain her jaw had actually hit the deck at the Admiral’s pronouncement. Could he be serious about that?
Why are you already equivocating?
It was because she was already considering staying. After Phillip, she had nobody left, really. Both her parents were long dead, and she had no siblings. What friends she had were all through her job, and really more acquaintances than anything else. No, an absent Alisse was highly unlikely to be missed by much of anyone.
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br /> If she stayed, she’d be able to learn more about the universe than all of humankind that came before her. It was a scientist’s dream. That they were aliens was obvious now. They were on some sort of transport ship. If this was a hoax it was the hoax of the century—and who would have any reason to want to fool her in this way?
No, this was real. And everything humans had ever known would have to be reevaluated.
But there was one more thing, of more concern to her than any other consideration—and that was what was to become of her if she agreed to stay. It was clear she’d be some sort of second class citizen at best, maybe even a captive of sorts. Could she go along with that in exchange for the chance to learn so much?
You’d be learning about more than the stars, idiot. Stop kidding yourself. You’ve seen the way they look at you—the way Lukanos looks at you. You heard his words. You would be his. Are you prepared to explore that too?
A stirring deep in her belly seemed to provide a confirmation of her answer, even if she didn’t have the strength yet to speak the words. She glanced up at Lukanos, who still gazed at the hulking Admiral. The man had shown nothing but kindness to her, his muscled, masculine frame seemingly as capable of gentleness as it was aggression. What did it mean that she’d like to see both? To experience both?
This isn’t one of your smut books, this is real, not a fantasy.
And now she had the chance to live out that fantasy—if she had the courage, that is.
“I’ll—I’ll stay. If it gives me the chance to learn, and experience. I’ll stay.”
Her heart was galloping now, a rushing sound growing louder and louder in her ears. She knew the import of uttering those words. What if there was no going back?
The Admiral’s lips tightened. “You are a lessor being, and you must be fully informed of the consequences of your decision. You will not be one of us—you will be the possession of the Lieutenant. Maybe you will be a pet? Or a slave? Or even just a, what’s the word, a toy? For his amusement. It will be entirely up to him. Do you still wish to stay?”
“Yes,” the word fell from her lips, almost of its own accord, Lukanos making a surprised—and approving—sound behind her. His hands stroked her shoulders, leaving gooseflesh in their wake. The stirring in her belly came on stronger then and she bit her lip, even as a frantic voice way down inside was sounding the alarm. Desperately trying to talk reason into her.
Her stone hard nipples, and the rising heat between her thighs seemed to provide the answers to such an entreaty.
What’s happening to you?
The Admiral stared at her for a long moment, the intensity of his gaze making her look away, unable to bear it.
“Then it is done,” he said. “Lieutenant, she’s yours. Let’s see what my probably misguided indulgence has won you.”
Uh oh.
“Sir?” Lukanos pulled her in close in a seemingly automatic protective gesture.
“Go on, stand out”—the Admiral quirked an eyebrow—“what do you call it?”
“She’s called Alisse, Sir.”
“Well then, Alisse, come closer.”
Lukanos let her go, his huge hand at the small of her back as he murmured to her. “It’s all right. He’s just looking.”
Feeling as if she were going to the gallows, she took two small steps, finding herself gawking up at the stern Admiral.
“Lower your eyes, human. Shoulders back, stand up straight. You’ll learn that, I suppose.”
“Among other things,” she heard Lukanos say behind her, the men chuckling.
She obeyed, feeling the heat bloom at her cheeks. It was a surreal experience standing in nothing but her threadbare robe on the deck of an alien vessel, being looked over like some prize at an auction.
Count yourself lucky that that’s not exactly what this is.
Of course, that was a lie too; there’d been more than a few auction scenes in her favorite novels, and they never failed to fill her with a dark, twisted arousal, which shamed as much as it excited.
“Rather big breasts on this one,” the Admiral rumbled above her. “I see why she caught your attention, Lieutenant. Turn around.”
Alisse closed her eyes against the embarrassment, knowing how little the sheet garment hid from view.
“Well, a backside seemingly made for those hands, I think. Eh, Lieutenant?”
“Yes, sir,” Lukanos said, his voice growing thick.
The Admiral squatted down, his voice drawing close. “I suspect you’re going to become well-acquainted with those hands, should you go through with this, human.”
She shuddered, biting down a retort, wishing she could cover her hard nipples—and knowing instinctively that such a thing would get her in trouble.
Relief flooded through her when the Admiral stood once more. She chanced a look at him, unsure whether she was still supposed to keep her eyes down.
“I will refer your file for Administrative Review, Lieutenant. As I said, you will almost certainly be cashiered... if the knowledge of her abduction were to be entered into the official record.”
“Could you, sir?” Lukanos’ voice held a curious note of hope.
The Admiral fixed his glare upon the lieutenant. “I’ll make this offer one time. You keep a low profile—a very low profile—with your new toy here, and I’ll see to it that this doesn’t make it onto the official record.”
“Thank you, sir!” Lukanos was beaming, his eyes a bright blue she’d never seen on him before. Did their color change with their emotions?
“Don’t thank me,” the Admiral said, heading for the door. “Thank your Captain. He’s the one who talked me into it.”
Maerata slowly turned his head toward Lukanos, but said nothing, his lips a thin line, eyes hooded, unreadable.
“Captain, I—”
“Before I go, there’s one more thing you need to know, Lieutenant. She’ll need to be registered and inspected—no exceptions. And she will be your sole responsibility.”
“Yes, Admiral, of course.” Lukanos squeezed her shoulder, pulling her close once more.
“Do you intend to mate with her?” A vaguely distasteful look crossed the Admiral’s craggy, expressive features. “I know that’s... sometimes done.”
“Yes, sir.”
Alisse’s stomach dropped to the floor, even as her womb clenched tightly.
Oh... my God.
“Then you know she’ll have to go through the Induction eventually. Think about if you’re really ready for that. Just because she’s part of an inferior, barbaric species don’t think that absolves you from the Induction requirement. Eventually.”
She hadn’t a clue what they were referring to, but her mind was already running wild with it.
Alisse, you’re in way over your head here.
So why didn’t her body get with the program? Despite the almost certain prospect that she’d be used sexually by the hulking Lukanos, she could already feel a mortifying trickle of moisture threatening to drip down her inner thigh.
“I’ll ask you one last time, human.” A smile played at the Admiral’s lips, as if he finally had her where he wanted her. “Do you still wish to stay?”
No! It’s... too much.
“Yes...sir.”
The Admiral’s eyes flashed for an instant, then he flicked a glance at the Captain. “Maerata, you’re with me. We’ve got much else to discuss.”
Captain Maerata looked back over his shoulder at the two of them, before disappearing though the doorway, the Admiral at his side.
She was finally alone, with the man who would own her.
Chapter Five
It was a moment he’d thought about, dreamt about, for endless days on Terra. She was here—home—and she was his. All his.
Incredibly, she’d obeyed him when he’d led her into his bedroom, and pointed at the floor, uttering one word.
“Kneel.”
Now, sitting on his bed, looking down at his small, luscious human female, he
took a moment to simply look at her, take her in, appreciate the unique beauty—a unique beauty he could do anything he wanted with.
He’d laid out several items on the bed before bringing the wide-eyed Alisse into his inner sanctum. He’d not had a single female here since he and his mate had parted ways a cycle before he’d shipped off to Terra. How long had that been? Too long, certainly.
Now, with Alisse kneeling before him, her round breasts heaving as she breathed heavily, none of that old pain mattered anymore. She was here.
Her hair flowed down her back over her shoulders in a sable river, reaching to mid back, the weight and shine of it something he itched to hold in his hands. Soon enough.
The thin robe revealed considerable cleavage, showcasing the full, swollen breasts human females were renowned for. While Yaanfahr females certainly possessed breasts, they were not on permanent prominent display, societal mores long ago dictating such flaunting as detrimental to the collective good, a distraction from one’s duty—especially for the young soldiers like Lukanos.
Alisse’s form was soft, and lush, curvy where it needed to be, her figure proportional, not too slender, but not overblown either. The hips were broad and curved, her kneeling position emphasizing their mouthwatering prominence. His cock, swollen hard from the instant he’d brought her into his home, bulged against the confines of his clothing, the tip already wetting the fabric with his essence. He stroked it absently through the tight leggings as he looked upon her. She saw him do it, looking away quickly, a fetching blush staining her cheeks scarlet.
“I only require one thing of you, Alisse. That you do as you’re told. I know you will. I sensed it from the first time I laid eyes upon you.” He picked up the flexible leather paddle, and laid it across his thighs. Her eyes went wide once again when she saw it, but surprisingly she stayed silent, looking upon him, her blush deeper yet. Despite her fright, her erect nipples jutted against the sheer robe, betraying something perhaps more complicated than fear.
Based on a design he’d procured from Terra, the paddle was one he’d had specially made for the somewhat smaller dimensions of a human bottom, and he’d longed for the day when he’d get to test it out on anything other than his outsized palm.