Skylar's Guardians

by Breanna Hayse

  “I have no idea,” Troy grinned, playfully punching Tralec’s shoulder and ignoring the protest. “But it does sound interesting. We will ask Skylar.”

  Tralec grumbled while rubbing his shoulder and deactivated the suspension gas that flooded into Skylar’s cubicle. He waited patiently for her to open her eyes and smiled as she yawned sleepily.

  “How are you feeling, darling?”

  “Hmm? Achy, but rested. When are we leaving?” she answered, sitting up and carefully stretching her sore limbs.

  “We are already past your moon. We wanted to give you the chance to see your galaxy before we entered the dimensional shift.”

  “Really? You would really let me look?” Skylar sounded excited.

  “Yes. It was Troy’s idea. He is in the control room waiting for us.”

  Tralec smiled down as the girl clutched his hand, staring into the abyss of space. Her mouth hung open, her eyes unblinking as she tried to take in the infinite beauty of her surroundings.

  Troy placed a hand around the back of Tralec’s neck and leaned against him affectionately. He looked out of the portal with a sigh. “Do you remember when we saw space for the first time?”

  “Yes,” Tralec said quietly. He stroked Skylar’s hair and smiled down at her as he told the story. “We were in our third level program. Troy had just received permission to pilot. As a reward, the flight-mentor took us for our first interplanetary flight and allowed Troy control of the ship.”

  “Tralec got so sick,” Troy informed Skylar, who listened halfheartedly as she stood spellbound before the vision in front of her. “I thought he was going to glow green. I am proud to say he did not. It would have been very embarrassing.”

  “I hated space-flight from that moment on. If it were not for you, brother, I would not attend planetary research operations.”

  “You don’t like this? But it is beautiful,” Skylar whispered.

  “This is the pleasant part. You will sleep through the dimensional shift and the landing.”

  “I’m not scared. Please let me…”

  “No,” Troy intervened. “I agree with Tralec. Your body is not designed for the strain of the shift. You will stay in suspension until we land.”

  “That’s not fair!” Skylar stomped her little foot.

  “We have both warned you that if you are strong enough to argue with us, then you are strong enough for a spanking.” Troy wagged his finger.

  “One of these days I am going to bite that finger right off of you. Stop putting it in my face,” Skylar scowled.

  “You already know your little teeth don’t hurt me, remember?” He tweaked her nose. “You need to trust me on this. And up here, I’m the boss-man.”

  “Pft,” Skylar huffed.

  “That is a new sound. Is there some kind of medication she can take for that?” Troy teased, ruffling her hair affectionately.

  “You think you are so funny, don’t you?” she glowered.

  “Not yet, but I am learning. Trust me,” Troy kissed her nose, “Tralec is as displeased with the humor as you are. He has yet to appreciate the phrases I am learning.”

  “Because they are ridiculous,” Tralec grumbled. “You are a warrior and are designed for protection, not for whatever this nonsense is.”

  “I am also a Calipian,” Troy reminded him, “and am intrigued by new experiences. Being able to laugh freely is a new experience.”

  “Is it not enough that you tease and insult my appearance on occasion? That is, in itself, rebellion to our societal mores,” Tralec scolded.

  “Nope. I am finding it to be more enjoyable to annoy you this way.”

  “Is this my fault?” Skylar asked, looking back and forth between them. “Humans can get into some ugly fights and lose relationships because of careless words. Maybe your society has a point with restraining itself emotionally.”

  “That is what I told him. Lack of emotional control will lead to the breakdown of our civilization,” Tralec stated firmly.

  “Only if we are foolish enough to allow it. Think of what we have missed, Tralec. Have we resigned ourselves to be nothing better than a biodrone?”

  Tralec did not answer as he wrapped his long arms around Skylar’s body and inhaled her scent. “You smell good,” he murmured.

  Troy laughed, throwing his arms into the air. “And that is how Tralec wins an argument. He changes the subject… Is anybody hungry? I am going to grab a canister.”

  Skylar did not require much convincing to return to the cubicle after several hours had passed. To Tralec’s disgust, she drank a good portion of the canister offered by Troy, proclaiming it to be ‘pleasant’ and its flavor resembling a ‘rich vanilla.’ With a full belly, the excitement of the launch, and the exhaustion from dealing with her multiple injuries, Skylar was caught nodding off on Tralec’s lap. He carried her to the bunk and leaned across to kiss her forehead, which was incidentally the only area on her poor face not painted with a bruise.

  “I wonder what you will look like once these heal and you add some weight on this little, frail body,” he said in a faint whisper, running his hand over her swollen cheek. “I bet you are stunning and even more beautiful than the stars.”

  Skylar murmured, rubbing her face into the cup of his hand before flipping to her side. He tucked a stuffed teddy bear under her arms, grinning as she instinctively nestled it to her body. It would be a surprise for her when she awoke. The manuals always referred to these soft stuffed toys, and he wanted to be certain that she would have one of her own. Patting her cheek, he lowered the dome of the cubicle and activated the restorative gas to allow her to gain more strength before they readied to shift.

  “Night, Daddy,” Skylar purred, inhaling the gas deeply. “Thank you for caring about me.”

  “We will always care about you, princess. Sleep well.” Tralec smiled as he walked to the hatch and dimmed the cabin’s lights.

  * * *

  “Hold onto your wallets, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride,” Troy proclaimed, directing the ship toward the shifting zone.

  “What is a wallet? Those human images that Skylar introduced to you are for entertainment only, not so that you use them as speech patterns. Really, you need to… oh, hell…” Tralec groaned as the cruiser caught the current and began to spin wildly.

  “Look! No hands!” Troy laughed, exhilarated by the tremendous surge of power around the vessel and the dizzying speed of the stars flashing by their line of sight.

  “Damn it, Troy. Will you please resist repeating these ridiculous phrases? What has gotten into you?” Tralec snapped, gritting his teeth.

  “I told you that I am trying to experience the human’s need for laughter. Besides, I’m not the only one who learned some new things from our little human. I meant to mention it before. Nice language, Tralec,” Troy teased. “Just watch it in front of our girl.”

  “Skylar was right. You are an ass,” Tralec hissed. “How much longer?”

  “Hang in there. We have a short way to go,” Troy snickered. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

  “The child is fortunate to be in suspension and not have to deal with this.”

  “That is a matter of opinion. I suspect she would enjoy it. She is very similar to me in that manner.”

  “She is intelligent, sensitive, and rational. She is much more similar to me, Troy.”

  The two men glared at each other before breaking out in loud laughter, shocking Tralec with its power. Troy was correct; it did feel good to release some control.

  “We sound like the human parental figures in her manuals,” Tralec exhaled with relief as the ship jolted and returned to a normal speed and leveled its position. “I am confused, however. Did we read about that comparative behavior or watch it? I cannot remember.”

  “I don’t recall either. Perhaps we are just starting to assimilate this information. There are many things I am learning from just being around her in this short time. It is as though she has brought something to lif
e within me,” Troy commented. “As much as you protest this laughter, you must agree that it is pleasant and uplifting.”

  “My protests are based solely on societal needs. Loss of emotional control leads to unrest. Unrest leads to fighting, and fighting to war. Our planet has been free of true violence for hundreds of years because we have been able to produce new generations that are not driven by these emotional needs.”

  “Why can’t it be possible to have emotions and sensibility at the same time? I don’t understand.”

  “The emotional nature of a sentient being is influenced by its surroundings. The more stimulus, the greater the response. If the wrong emotion is stimulated, then problems occur. You are a student of behavior, Troy. The ability to anticipate a reaction has allowed you to keep our researchers safe from beings who believe us to be threats. The only difference between our research studies and now is that we are in full, direct connection with a creature who breeds these emotions.”

  “Yes, but why can’t we choose not to react to the stimulus? Can’t we simply be aware of it and make the decision not to proceed in a negative or harmful direction? Control the reaction to the emotion instead of allowing the emotion to be in control.”

  “Of course, but history tells us that the possibility of an emotional being making the correct choice in a tense moment is unlikely. I reiterate. You are a warrior. You have seen what is required to protect me when we visit places that are driven by instinct rather than logic. We must not allow our society to regress. Emotions are not contagious, but they can be learned.”

  “Are you certain they are not contagious? I see you smile when Skylar laughs in that painful, high-pitched tone. It hurts your ears, yet you respond back with laughter. I also know that intelligent people have the ability to distinguish right from wrong. We can choose to be emotional and also choose to not hurt others. Tell me… How do these new sensations feel to you?” Troy asked with curiosity.

  “It is difficult to describe. It is as though these genetically repressed feelings are suddenly wakening out of a hibernation. They are very… odd and can be uncomfortable. I need some time to consider what is occurring within us. The council will require an explanation to any changes they might observe,” Tralec responded, taking a deep draught from a canister. He shuddered. “Nasty stuff. I cannot believe you encouraged Skylar to like it.”

  “Just drink and stop complaining. The shift is completed. Do you feel more comfortable now?” Troy asked, setting the coordinates to Calipi.

  “Much. I am going to release Skylar and allow her body to awaken itself. Do you wish to go rest for a while? I know that the launch and shift take much energy from you both physically and mentally,” Tralec asked as he stood on rubbery legs.

  Troy nodded and yawned as he stood. “Yes. And you? I am not comfortable with her being unsupervised on my ship, and I don’t trust her not to get into mischief.”

  “Nor do I. She seems to have the capacity for an excessive amount of trouble due to her curiosity. Do not be concerned, though. I will not leave her without attendance. I will wait to rest until you are finished restoring.”

  Tralec returned to the cubicle, which housed Skylar’s still form. He shut the unit down and pulled her into his arms, teddy bear and all, and pressed his lips along the top of her head as he rocked her gently.

  “I have so many questions,” he said, thinking aloud. “Your people have retained what mine have lost. You call it humor, joy, and love. I want to be able to experience the fullest extent of those things. But I am also afraid of the consequences and what they could do to my people. Troy is trained in evaluating behavioral patterns in civilizations. Could he be correct? Is it possible to control the outcome?”

  Tralec sighed, continuing to rock the sleeping body in his arms. He took her on the bridge and sat down, curling her legs against her body and holding her rolled in a partial ball. He stroked her ankle soothingly, pleased to see that much of the swelling was finally decreasing and the tissue around the area of injury was turning a sickly yellow and green hue, indicating that the injury was healing. He closed his eyes, enjoying her warmth, unaware that he had drifted into a relaxed slumber.

  Chapter Eight

  Skylar unfurled herself from Tralec’s lap, suppressing a yawn as she sat up and stretched. Tralec was sound asleep, his handsome face caught somewhere between a frown and a smile, leaving her with the thought that he was dreaming about conflict. Probably regarding her! Protecting her various injuries from being jarred, she slipped from his hold, smiling as her arms remained wrapped around the soft stuffed bear.

  “No one has ever given me a stuffed animal before,” she whispered aloud, holding it close. “I guess a girl is never too old for such a thing, huh?”

  She helped herself to a canister and sat in Troy’s chair to watch the stars twinkle by. They looked different—more vibrant and alive than before. Perhaps because they had slid into a different dimension? Skylar did not attempt to figure the logistics of what that meant. All she knew was that she was far, far away from the place she had called home.

  Home. The term took on a different context lately. It was not a place, but a feeling. Sanctuary, protection, safety, belonging… there were so many expressions to encompass the meaning of that word. The old implications meant little to her now, for ‘home’ had swiftly come to mean Tralec and Troy. She tiptoed stealthily into Troy’s cabin, where he lay sleeping under the dome, his cubicle activated for restoration. Her eye caught sight of the entrance to the cleansing room, and she wandered inside. She quickly stripped, stepped into the stall, and placed her hands on the plate on the wall as she had seen Troy do. A happy sigh escaped as she immersed herself under the glorious fountain of hot solution, eager to soothe her throbbing muscles and bruises.

  She had discovered the power of this unique liquid accidentally after the boys had rescued her. Covered with grime and shivering with cold from the frigid streets of the Siberian city, she had begged for a shower. They had permitted it and watched her like a hawk as she proceeded to wash her painfully beaten-up body.

  The silky lotion-like liquid drenched her body and splattered against her skin, leaving every inch it touched fully refreshed and spotlessly clean. More than that, the chemical caused her flesh to tingle with desire as it increased the blood flow to her tissues. She had not shared the discovery that this solution had an aphrodisiac effect with the men at that time. She had felt the timing to be terrible since they were infuriated with her, nor did she desire an audience as she self-pleasured.

  Now, however, she was alone. She lifted her face to the downward flow and closed her eyes as the solution worked its way through her hair and over her skin like a massage from thousands of tiny fingers. The tingling covered the entire surface of her flesh, more pronounced along the pink tips of her breasts and the crevice between her legs. She increased the temperature slightly, turning her back so that the fluid could touch between her shoulder blades before pouring down the crease of her ass. She eyed a small lever opposite the enclosure and twisted it. Instantly, the unit began to fill up like a bathtub.

  “Now this is heaven,” she moaned, sitting on a shelf as the hot fluid quickly covered her body. As she manually turned the flow off, the unit self-engaged and surrounded her with strong pulses of bubbling solution. “I never thought I would see another bubble bath for as long as I lived. Especially one in a hot tub. Next to you, boys, I have found pure ecstasy.”

  The effects of the solution increased as she soaked, and Skylar found her legs spreading in response to the demanding jets that pummeled her with the hot liquid. She shifted her body on the bench so that her pussy faced one of the pumps and opened her legs to feel its power.

  Skylar threw her head back as her sensitive clit was kissed by the hot, pulsing flow and groaned as tingles trembled through her body. Her internal longing increased, aching with a need to be met in the most carnal of ways. She bore down, expanding her muscles to accept the pleasure offered by the bubbli
ng jets and began to rock her body around the flow, seeking to bring herself to the peak of delight.

  Her moans increased as she continued to grind her pelvis against the flow. She threw her head back, her mouth partially opened as she teetered on the edge of coming, her body screaming for more than the simple pleasure of clitoral stimulation.

  She wanted a man inside of her. A big, thick, long rod of manly flesh to bury itself between her legs and pump into her until she screamed out in release.

  “Fuck me,” she groaned, her mind visualizing the beautiful double cock that hungered for the secure warmth of her tight body. “Troy… Tralec… fuck me.”

  She felt the water level rise around her and jerked as a large hand ran down the length of her naked body. She looked up as Troy slid down to the bottom of the unit and knelt on the floor. He pulled her to him, wrapping her legs around his waist as he brought his mouth down upon hers. Skylar gasped, feeling his tool as it sought her pocket while his hands reached behind her and spread her bottom for his secondary organ to discover. The vestigial mouth clamped over her clit and began to suckle the nub with eager interest. The bubbling fluid surrounding them allowed first the primary shaft to slip deeply inside of her body while the secondary tool gently wriggled into her bottom. Once deeply seated, the two organs began to lengthen and swell, filling her until her nerves were fully activated. It was then that they began to move.

  The two shafts shifted inside of her as though they had minds of their own, working independently of one another as they twisted, pumped, explored and stretched, grazing against the very areas of awareness that forced her to walk a tightrope between holding back and letting go. Skylar gripped her arms around his thick neck, her panting lips covering his as she dug her heels into his back, urging him deeper. His body responded to her need, growing thicker… longer… and sliding vigorously in fevered need.

  “You are starting to flush,” Skylar whispered, her labored breathing increasing as she drew closer to her own precipice. “I want you to come inside of me. Fill me.”