by Calista Skye
He looked at her again, taking her in, and for once he didn't look her up and down. He just appraised her, as one warrior would take the measure of another.
Then he stood aside and motioned for her to enter his shuttle. “We leave now. There is a good chance we will never return.”
She took two steps into the alien craft, feeling her legs stiff and cold. She had a strong feeling of standing beside herself, just observing.
Ator'aq sat down at the controls, and the door slid shut with a tight thud.
Tears rose unbidden to Olivia's eyes and her hand went to her mouth in shock at her own act. She gasped when it hit her with full power: She had left Space Force.
20
The swords clanged together and a shower of brilliantly green sparks flew. Olivia pirouetted fast, twisting to attack the opponent from the other side. He was heavier and larger, and had trouble following her quick movements. For a moment she held back her stroke, afraid she'd actually connect and kill him. But he had tricked her – he was slower than her, but not that slow. He exploited the opening and thrust the tip of his sword at her chest, halting when it touched the fabric of her teeshirt, showing her that she was dead. She stiffened and lowered her sword in defeat.
The warrior laughed mightily. “Kindness gets you nowhere, young woman! Never hold back! If you kill one of us in training, he deserved to go. Now let's take a short break. Your moves are fast, almost like an Ethereal. And I'm no longer young.”
“You may be old,” Olivia said, easily falling into the benign Braxian banter. “But you fight like a fox.”
Again the warrior laughed and cuffed her shoulder, pushing her off balance. “A fox! I hope that's not a word that means something unwholesome in your language.”
“A fox is an animal that's known for its wiliness,” Olivia said. “It likes to trick its hunters.”
“Ah, a Braxian animal!” The warrior chuckled. “We value those who win by trickery as well as by direct fighting. But everything must still be honorable.”
They each got a bottle of water. Olivia had been on board the Braxian ship for three days since her defection from Space Force. She had spent almost every waking hour practicing sword fighting and listening to the Braxians talk about the Ethereals. Now that she was on their ship, and had left her own kind behind, they treated her like one of their own and spoke much more freely in her presence. She now knew everything they knew about the Ethereals and how to beat them.
Ator'aq sometimes participated in her training, and already it was clear to see that he was the best sword fighter among the Braxians. They were all extremely skilled, but Ator'aq seemed to feel the sword as an extension of himself. He did things that sometimes seemed impossible.
“All a matter of training,” he had explained. “Because of my mother's suggestion, I received a lot of instruction in fencing growing up. It was my preferred sport, because it reminded me of the old kings. I suppose it was lucky that the Ethereals turned out to be vulnerable to the sword, of all things. I was never much of a marksman.”
Olivia had seen less of Ator'aq than she wanted. She felt safe around him. He was so certain of himself and of success. He had also showed understanding for her difficult choice, and he used every opportunity to reassure her about her choice being the right one.
The spaceship was speeding away from Earth, heading straight for the Ethereals. Ator'aq felt that any attack should take place as soon as possible, while the enemy was at least a little tired after the attack on the Space Force base. But there was still time for Olivia to train with the sword and have some hope about being able to fight alongside the other warriors.
She still didn't know for sure why Ator'aq had wanted her to join him, but she could guess. When he looked at her, it was with affection. And maybe even more.
The spaceship itself was huge on the outside, but seemed much more cramped inside. A lot of it was taken up by the engines and other technology, but it was clear that it was a half-finished ship that had been completed in a hurry and without thought to following the original design. Some parts were wonderfully elegant and had a real alien feel, while other parts were pragmatic and had no design elements at all. It was pretty nice, even so, and Olivia had a large state room to herself.
She had seen Boniar, the alien AI that the warriors believed could see the future. It looked like a jumble of cables and silver boxes and glass and displays, but the AI itself was just a dull, gray cylinder in the middle of it. It was hard to communicate with it, because of the strange logic of the aliens who had built it, but it could be done. The trick was to ask the right question, Ator'aq said, and in the right language.
Umi'on finished his water and hefted his sword. “One more bout, Olivia. Then my old bones must have a longer rest.”
Olivia peered at her own sword. Ator'aq had given it to her in front of all the Braxians. It had belonged to a warrior who had given his life in the fight against the Ethereals.
“Normally we would have thrown it into a star, to honor its owner,” Ator'aq had said. “But you're the first addition to our ranks since the beginning, and you need a good weapon. This is it. Use it well, treat it with respect.”
It was an elaborate design, with jagged protrusions and arcs. It lay well in her hand, but only when she was wearing her exoskeleton that gave her a lot of extra strength. Without that, she had trouble controlling it.
What she had told no one yet was that she kept feeling the sword twitch in her hand, as if it had a mind of its own. She also had a strange sensation that it was helping her with some of the moves, as if it wanted to move faster than she was able to swing it.
They went back onto the floor, getting ready for their last fight of the day. “Umi'on, what are these swords made of?”
“They're iron, mainly. Because that's the only thing that the Ethereals seem to be sensitive to. And there are some other substances in there. They were made for us by an alien species we helped rid of the Ethereals some years ago. Before then, we had swords we had made ourselves. These are essentially the same ones, but those aliens improved them so much we have no idea what they did. They're better balanced, smoother to use and they seem never to break or need sharpening. If you see notches on a blade, it was there before the sword was reforged and the owner wanted to keep it as a memento of a special fight.”
“They're only swords, right? Dead objects?”
The warrior laughed again. “Yes, of course! Why, did you think they were really alive? Oh no, young lady. The sword only seems to be alive when Lord Ator'aq wields it.”
Olivia just smiled and crouched with her sword ready. Umi'on did the same. Then he lunged. Her sword caught his blade with a loud clang as their last session of the day started.
21
Another half hour went by, and Umi'on was breathing hard. Olivia didn't feel too tired and would have liked to keep going. She'd had to hold herself back for the fear of actually harming her old instructor. She enjoyed herself greatly. The sword allowed her - no, forced her - to forget everything else.
“I fear that's all I can give for now, lady,” the man said and leaned one hand on the wall. “You are wearing me out.”
“You are a resilient old fighter, aren't you?” Olivia said, satisfied with her effort. “Tough as old tree roots.” It was remarkable how easily the earthy banter came to her.
“Perhaps once,” the warrior said and held out his blade. Olivia did the same and cut her forearm on Umions sword, and he did the same on hers. It had been hard to bring herself to do it the first time, but the little sting and burn of the blade had become normal now after training. The cuts healed very quickly, leaving only a white scar. And to her astonishment, it felt natural. She sensed somehow that the sword appreciated it. It was all in her imagination, she knew. But still. She didn't mind the little cut.
A drop of dark blood ran down her forearm.
Ator'aq sauntered into the training hall. Umi'on sheathed his sword and dried his sweat on a towel.
<
br /> “She's progressing fast, Lord. I'm no longer adequate resistance for her. She has a way with the blade.”
Ator'aq slapped the much older warrior on his back. “You have trained her well, old friend. Save your mighty sword for the Ethereals now.”
Umi'on saluted Olivia jokingly and bowed to his king, then left.
Olivia held her sword still, hesitating to sheath it. It felt good in her hand.
Ator'aq took off his shirt and his muscles glistened in the subdued light in the hall. He moved like a predator, certain of himself and his place in the world: The top.
He stood in the middle of the floor, his hands on his hips. “I see you still have your sword in your hand. I remember it from my own days in training. You'd prefer not to let it go, not even into its scabbard. Tell me, do you sleep with it in your bed at night? The naked blade beside your naked body?”
Olivia felt her face blush. How could he have known? “Yes.”
“So do I. You and I are the only ones who do. Does that surprise you?”
“I don't know. Yes.”
He looked at her appraisingly, and she unconsciously pushed her chest out as always when he did.
“You have acquired considerable skill in a short time. Your space marine training helps, of course, as does your exoskeleton. But there's more.”
He drew his own sword in a move so fast and smooth it just seemed to suddenly appear in his hand.
He stood there, looking intently at the blade. “Have you studied it, Olivia? The surface? See anything strange?”
“It changes. It's never the same.”
“That's right. The fine patterns in the metal are always in flux. The swirls are always changing. But not on every sword. Only mine. And now yours. Watch out!”
The huge alien warrior suddenly raised his sword and lashed out with a vicious slash across Olivia's chest. But before she could even consciously react, her sword had blocked his stroke with a resounding clang and the shower of green sparks lit up the whole room.
“I thought so,” the king of the Braxians said, keeping his sword raised and pressed into Olivia's, looking into her eyes from inches away. “It makes you act without thinking. It helps you. That's rare. Only I have the same affinity to mine.”
He pulled away and slashed again, and again she blocked him effortlessly.
His eyes glittered. “Yes. The blade loves you.”
He left an opening, and the temptation to attack him was overwhelming. Olivia dived and sent the back edge of her sword right at his lower rib, not holding it back at all. If he didn't parry, her sword would penetrate him.
He hooted in joy as his sword blocked her stroke, and then he counterattacked with a devious spin and thrust right at her face. But again she blocked, then immediately attacked him back. They exchanged blows at a speed that made Olivia's head spin, but still she held up. She felt in her gut that if the king had wanted to win, he could have. But not easily. If he was holding back, it was only the tiniest amount.
Their swords clanged and the hall reverberated with their grunts and exclamations. Olivia didn't notice any time passing, she was just completely focused on the swords and Ator'aq's moves. The sword danced in her hand, followed her commands and sometimes made a little flourish of its own, making Ator'aq cheer in appreciation. He kept leaving her little openings, but she soon learned not to be tempted – they were always traps. No, the opportunities she found herself worked better. Even a seemingly impossible strike could come close to connecting, because everything was always moving, and what seemed like a blocked avenue one second could be a fine chance the next.
She blocked and attacked and parried and counterattacked, her mind filled with pure and immediate sensations. Her fingers were getting tired, she could feel it, but she also felt that she could keep this going forever. An elatedness engulfed her, a pure happiness at the mastering of the sword.
And then a bright spark shot through her mind: This was how she would fight the Ethereals! This was how she would beat the enemy! This was how she would get Tessa back and avenge the destruction of the Moon colony and the loss of Ator'aq's family! Those fucking fairies, taking her baby sister, making her feel guilty for it...
She fought furiously, letting the sword take more and more control, feeling it come alive in her hand, only distantly aware that she was sobbing and that tears were flowing down her cheeks. She hardly noticed that she had pushed Ator'aq back and almost into the wall with her ferocious onslaught.
Finally he slashed her sword away and dived in, embracing her hard to stop her from actually harming him in her blind rage. She struggled against him, briefly gone from this world, but his huge, dense body held her like a vise and his arms felt like thick steel wire around her. The echo of an incensed war cry still reverberated in the hall. She hadn't even known she was doing that.
“Easy now, girl,” he whispered into her ear, and the certainty in his voice filled her consciousness and calmed her down. “Easy. It's okay. I have you. We'll win. We'll destroy them. You and me. With our swords, side by side.”
She ceased her struggle, and he loosened his grip on her. Suddenly she was acutely aware of his body against hers. The smooth, rock hard muscles, the flat abdomen, the strong arms. The musky, dry scent from him overwhelmed her and made her dizzy and his blond hair tickled her face.
She embraced him with her sword still in her hand, pulling him closer. And without surprise or distaste she could feel another hardness poking into her stomach. He was turned on. And so was she.
She peered up at his gorgeous face. He looked even better without that cocky smirk on his face. For once, his eyes didn't feel like they pierced her. There was warmth in them now, and a little bit of worry. She had let herself get carried away with the fighting, and he wanted to see that she was okay.
“Oh, really?” she said, a little smile playing on her lips. “You think you have me? Better prove it.”
He smirked again, just a little, then easily pulled her top over her head and off, tossing it away. She reached down to the waistband of his pants, urgently untying the knot there, and the tight leather slid down his thick thighs. His manhood stood up out of the thin fabric of his shorts, and she grabbed it eagerly with her one hand that was not holding the sword. The smooth, hot hardness in her hands made her gasp, and it twitched when she stroked it.
He cupped one plump breast in his hand and squeezed gently, hefting it and seeming to marvel at the way it felt in his hand.
“You are a remarkable woman,” he said. “So strong, and yet so soft and supple...”
She just smiled up at him. The open, unguarded approval of this undisputed alpha male warmed her and pulled at some deep, primal urge inside her.
She leaned into him, his cock still in her hand, throbbing eagerly. Lust pooled at her core as he leaned down and kissed her, again just brushing her lips with his at first, then unable to control himself, wanting more and exploring her mouth with his tongue. The contact felt electric.
Ator'aq disengaged and she looked up at him, seeing no point in disguising her lust and need. She was sure her eyes were as glazed as his, and that her breath was just as ragged with anticipation and horniness.
The alien king lifted his sword and slid it lightly across his arm, drawing a drop of blood, then sheathed it and dropped it to the floor. But Olivia didn't want to let go of her weapon – it was as if it had fused with her.
“Keep it,” he said. “Hold on to it. It's right.”
Both his hands were now free, and he reached down and undid her pants. She slid them down along with the panties and stepped out of them, now completely naked for the alien king. He cupped her ass in his hands and moaned at the feel of them.
“Oh, woman... I can't control myself...”
“Then don't,” she urged, feeling her pussy ache with how turned on she was. “We both want this.”
His cock jerked at her words, reacting at her husky moan giving him permission. She leaned back with her butt, fee
ling his callused, impossibly strong hands holding her tight, then sat back on them.
He got the point and lifted her easily, placing her pussy right at the level of his waist. She guided the head of his manhood right, until it poked insistently at her entrance. She was sure she had to be dripping.
“Lower me onto you,” she whispered. She had waited long enough. He slid his shaft back and forth in her soaked slit, using her juices for lubrication. Then he lowered her an inch and his iron hardness split her nether lips apart in a way that sent a delicious spark of hotness from her clit and all through her lower body. He looked into her eyes and lowered her more, and she felt the 'pop' when he entered her for real and let her slide down his front until he was buried in her. She felt slight burn as his demanding cock invaded her to her core, and her womanly flesh had to yield to the powerful intrusion.
He paused at the bottom, and she couldn't help squeezing her muscles, gripping him tight, as if she didn't want the welcome intruder to leave. She saw his eyes widen at the sensation, and she heard his sharp intake of breath. “Olivia...”
He lifted her back up, smoothly and easily, and now her own eyes widened in wonder at his immense strength. Almost all her weight was on his hands, and still he lifted and lowered her as if she weighed nothing.
It made her feel small and dainty, for the first time since she had been a child. She felt her heart open then – this was her man, she just knew it. No one else would ever suffice. He was not one to give himself away easily. But he knew her and handled her perfectly.
She put one arm around his neck and clung to him while he increased the speed, lowering and lifting her faster, with her clit sliding lightly over his rock hard abdomen with every move. She knew that she would not be able to hold out long before the dam burst. The lust kept building up deep inside, with her senses a kaleidoscope of manly and female scents, erotic images, the feeling of this magnificent man deep inside her, the movement of his muscles, his deep ecstatic moans as he plunged into her sex again and again...