by Starr, Maia
“I am releasing,” he groaned.
I felt his juices once again spout through me. I hoped that it wouldn’t be the last time.
Chapter Thirteen
Commander Manha Ayre
I was happy that the human was opening up to me. She had initiated having sex with me again. I was worried that this could be the last time that I had her. I did not know what Evex would want with her. Would he let me keep her? Would she want to be with me, or would she want to return home immediately? These questions went through my mind as I took my seat at the dash. It was time to pull the ship out of hyperspeed. The time of finding out where my mission would end was coming soon. I looked over at Karina sitting next to me. She stared outside; she seemed nervous. In truth, I was too, for the first time in a long time. I was an Ition soldier; I didn't get nervous even in the face of death. But not knowing whether I would be able to stay with Karina was making me very anxious. I did not like not having control over my own destiny with her. It was a new feeling. I had been living my life giving control to others as a soldier and commander; now I wanted the opposite.
The planet came into view. I made my way entering the atmosphere.
“That is it? That is beautiful. I wasn't expecting something so green and blue. It reminds me of home,” Karina said.
“So I have heard,” I said taking the ship down toward the landing port.
Underneath us were lines of ships, all kinds of sizes and styles from transport ships to battleships. Soldiers were lined up participating in drills. It was an awesome sight from the air because the base was massive. I could see her looking down with wide eyes. There was amazement and terror in them. I was still her enemy; the Ition were still her enemy. I didn't have any reason to tell her any different. No one knew what the plans were for this base other than to be against the Yinta Clan, but as far as Evex’s plans against other galaxies, I did not know. He was the only one that knew how to deal with the cold war with Earth.
I landed the ship and turned it off. I looked at Karina. She took a deep breath. I unbuckled my belt and stood up and went to the ramp. She followed me. We said nothing. I walked her down the ramp; Evex Ein was coming toward us. He looked formidable in his gray uniform, I knew that Karina would be scared of him.
I braced myself for what he would say; I hoped that he did not want to send her home immediately and at least would give it some time.
“So this is the human I have heard so much about. I have heard that you have been on a detour,” he said to me.
“Yes, I guess you could call it that. This is the human female Karina Nolin. I could not make it to Earth in the ship we are in. I came here to get a better ship, and she insisted on seeing Imuna. I think you should listen to her. She has a plan that could help stop the tensions with the humans” I said.
Karina simply nodded her head at Evex.
“I have many questions for you, Karina,” he said to her.
“This one can be trusted. I assure you, sir. This one is strong, smart,” I said.
“Karina! I can’t believe it is true!” a shout rang across.
We all turned to see Imuna running toward us. Karina turned and let out a shout and ran toward her. The two women hugged each other. I felt good knowing that I had followed through on my promise to her. I had promised that I would take her to the human and that was exactly what I did. But I thought that she did not know Imuna.
“It seems that the two are acquainted,” I said to him.
“Yes, I think we can say that is true.”
“Did Manha hurt you? He better not have; I will hurt him! Come on, let's get you cleaned up,” Imuna said loudly, taking her away. “Karina, I have not seen you since we were in grade school.”
“I did not think you remembered me, Imuna,” Karina said.
I watched them walk away. Karina looked over her shoulder at me with a smile. She was happy. I wanted to be happy for her, but I couldn't until I knew for sure what was going to happen. Once they were out of range, Evex and I began to walk together.
“What are your plans for this human? It seems that Imuna has already decided for you,” I said to him.
“Yes, she does do that, doesn't she? I have no plans other than I did not want her to be taken to Leader Xeonov and start a war with the humans, and to make sure she gets safely back to Earth. I think it is possible that my wife will want to keep her here.”
“As would I,” I said.
He stopped walking. He looked at me. His eyebrows furrowed in disappointment.
“Don't tell me that you have fallen for the woman? You are my most trusted commander. You are ruthless; it is why I sent you on this mission. Why do you want to keep her here?”
“With all due respect, Leader, I am in love with her. I think that she feels the same for me. I am not sure. I want to keep her.”
He took a deep breath and continued walking. “We shall see. I am afraid that is out of my hands. We have to make sure her capture by the Yinta Clan has not started tensions with Earth. But maybe there is a way around it.”
I looked at him in shock. This ruthless commander had grown soft. It was because of his human female, and now I knew why. They tended to have that effect on the Ition. I could see it in his face. Yes, he could command armies, but his wife commanded his heart. It would be up to Karina and Imuna what would be done with her. I could only hope that she wanted to stay at my side. But knew that I would have to respect her wishes as well as the wishes of Imuna. All I could do was wait.
Chapter Fourteen
Karina Nolin
I was in complete shock that this planet was so stunning. I was expecting a cold, barren place I like the salt flats. It would have to be for an evil army of Ition to live in and call their base. But it was not that way at all. It was lush and green and reminded me of home. But the vast base that spread out before me terrified me. The army was massive. There were so many ships that I couldn't even count; they went on and on as far as the eye could see. This was obviously an army meant for one thing: invading and conquering. It terrified me.
Then, I came face-to-face with Evex Ein. It also surprised me. I was expecting a disgusting-looking Ition, but that was not the case. In fact, it was the opposite. He was extremely attractive. I could not believe how attractive he was. He was a bit taller than Manha and had all of the same gorgeous features. He had that commanding confidence and arrogance that was frustratingly attractive. I thought that he would immediately do something to hurt me. I stood there trying not to tremble. But then I heard a familiar voice. I turned to see Imuna running toward me. I was so relieved that tears began to fall down my cheeks. I ran toward her and gave her a big hug. I looked her over. She did not seem hurt. She wasn't in chains. In fact, she seemed happy and was joking around. I was so confused. This was not the state that I expected to find a missing human in. I was even more surprised that she remembered me from grade school. We weren’t friends after the age of thirteen, but she was kind to me now. I was shocked.
I turned to Manha as she led me away of her own free will. I smiled at him. It was a smile that said thank you for keeping your promise. The entire time I didn't trust him, but he was telling the truth. It felt good. Because now I didn't feel so guilty about caring so deeply for him. At least I knew there was some good and some truth in this Ition alien.
I walked away with Imuna. She was rambling on in my ear, not giving me a moment to speak as we headed toward a giant tower.
“Imuna, what the hell? What happened to you? Everyone at home is worried. Where have you been? Why have you not contacted Earth?”
She grabbed my hand and led me faster towards the tower. “I have so much to tell you, friend. But I am afraid to tell you because I think you will judge me. Let us go inside my home and I will tell you everything,” she said.
I looked ahead at the large tower.
“That is your home?”
“Yes, it is our home. Mine and Evex’s.”
“I don't understand. I
t is rumored that you are his wife? How can that be true? What has he done to you? Are you hurt? Are you a prisoner here?”
Just come with me inside, and I will tell you everything that you wish to know.
A few minutes later we were in the top room of the tower. I could not believe the surroundings. The apartment was very large. Imuna was running a warm bath for me. I was excited to step into it and wash the adventure off of me. I was very dirty from my crash landing adventure.
“Start talking,” I said as I took off my boots and began to take off my clothes. She started to tell me everything about her adventure. She started from when she left our home planet until she ended up at this base. I sunk into the hot water, listening. I couldn't believe it. Not only was it close to my tale, but it was also very close to what I had experienced.
“So you mean to tell me that you want to be here? You are in love with Evex Ein?”
“I am, Karina. I know how crazy it sounds. But I am deeply in love with him. He is not as bad as we have heard. Though he was when I first met him, but something changed. It is still very new between us. But don't you see? I think my love could help us all. I could get him to fight the Yinta Clan and keep the Yinta Clan away from the Earth system. If the Alva and the Yinta Clan are fighting each other, then they won't have time to invade and conquer Earth. I am still working it all out. I don't know the details. I don't know how this is going to work. But you do see that I am here of my own free will. There was a reason for this to happen. I am supposed to be here. I just know that I am. I hope that you will understand that. And not judge me for falling in love with a ruthless Ition soldier,” she said.
I was quiet as I thought about everything she said. I couldn't blame her. You couldn't blame anyone for falling in love; there was no controlling it. I now knew that for a fact. Maybe she did have something to this, keeping the enemy close, so close that you steered their path toward a greater good instead of towards darkness. I could see that she was already having an effect on Evex Ein by the way he greeted me. I think if it had been before he had met her, he would tie me up and be exactly like General Mez was to me. But he didn't do that. In fact, the entire thing was strangely light-hearted.
I looked at her. She was practically glowing.
“I do understand. I understand because I care deeply for Commander Ayre. It happened to me the way it happened to you. I hate myself for falling for an Ition soldier. He is a damn Ition, Imuna! I am not supposed to care for him. But he risked his life so much for me.”
She laughed at me. “You too. Good. Now you know how it feels. Now you know what I have been dealing with. I am glad that you have found love. And does he feel the same for you?”
“He does. I know he does. But what could I possibly do with that?”
“I know an option. You could stay here. I am here. You could stay here and be with Commander Ayre. You could help me. Don't you see we are more effective here at saving the Earth system than we are on our own home planet?”
“You speak wise words, my friend, but I don’t really understand how it’s possible,” I said.
“If we can show the humans that we live with these Itions as husbands, maybe it will change things. It could stop this cold war. Just think about it, Karina. You don't have to answer now. For now, relax, take a bath. I'm going to go fetch water and food. We have a lot to talk about. I want to know everything about home.”
“I wish there was some way that you could communicate with home to let them know that you are fine and that I am fine too.”
“That is a good idea. I will figure out a way. For now, rest,” she said and walked out.
After I took a long bath, Imuna gave me a beautiful gown to wear. I had to admit that it felt good to put light ballet flats on my feet and to put on feminine cloth. I was able to brush my clean red hair, and she pulled it up into a bun. I felt good. I felt relieved that she was taken care of, even though I didn't understand the details just yet. I just needed to know that she was safe. We were going to figure everything out later. For now, she had given me a small apartment one floor below hers. It was incredible, with a great view of this lush planet. I couldn't believe everything that I had been through, just to find my friend only to find out that she wasn't in danger at all. But she was on to something big, bigger than all of us. Suddenly there was a bell at the door.
I opened the door; Commander Ayre stood there. “You look beautiful, Karina.”
“Thank you.”
“Completely gorgeous,” he said putting his hand over his heart.
“Please, come in,” I said seeing that he had also changed out of his Yinta Clan uniform and wore different clothing and was freshly showered.
“I came to check on you. I know you had time to speak with your friend. Did you find the answers you were looking for?” he as he stepped in.
“I have, sort of. The main thing is that I'm glad to see that she is happy and safe. The rest of it is going to take me awhile to understand.”
“And what about us? What are you thinking? I know it is early to ask, that what you would want to go home and really, it is needed to prevent tensions. But do you want to go?”
“Is that what you would want me to do?” I asked him, trying to gauge what he was after.
“No. I want you to stay here, Karina. I want you to stay here and be with me. I have already told Evex Ein how I feel about you.”
“What are you saying?”
“I am asking you to be with me. Be my lover, be my partner. I have fallen in love with you, Karina. Can you not see that? I don't know the details, as you said, of how this could work out. I only know that I do not want you to leave. I want you here at my side. Is it what you want? Do you care for me at all?”
“I do, Manha. I care for you deeply. I like this plan of yours. I want to stay. I think it is good that I stay. I need you. I don't want to leave your side. But what about the humans on Earth? How could I stay without causing war?”
He smiled and stepped to me quickly. He took my hands in his large blue hands and kissed the palms. He was happy. I was happy. I couldn't believe that I had said what I did, but it was truly how I felt.
“I don’t know. We will figure it out, but I am happy to hear it, Karina. I want to be with you. I want nothing more than for you to want the same. I won't expect you to promise me anything. But for now, let's be together. I know that it is completely opposite of what you expected from an Ition, but it is what it is. I am willing to accept it if you are. You have changed me. I feel different. But most of all, I love you.”
“I love you too. I love you deeply.”
I got up on my tiptoes and kissed him. I put my hands behind his neck and hung on to him. We kissed with passion and longing. It felt good. I felt relief.
Chapter Fifteen
Karina Nolin
One thing that I knew for certain was that I wanted to be with Commander Ayre. It was the only thing that I truly wanted. Everything else I was not so sure, but Imuna assured me that what we were doing was right. She assured me that what we were doing would help the Earth system, but I knew it was too early to tell.
It was possible that at any moment the Yinta Clan could invade the base that we were living at. Evex Ein was now the enemy of the Yinta Clan, including General Mez and the Leader Xeonov. They were very powerful, but so was he. I had seen his army.
I think both Imuna and I knew that we were walking the fine edge of a sword with these two Ition. But we were willing to take the risk, not just for the Earth system, but because we were both in love with them. It was wrong, but we couldn't help ourselves.
I didn't want to admit that I really did enjoy living on this planet in the Ionia system. It was a very beautiful planet with large trees, oceans, and a beautiful blue sky. It was happily situated in harmony with nature. I was surprised by this. Again, it was not what I had thought the Ition would do, but I had been wrong about a lot of things about the Ition.
Imuna had managed to convince Evex to
allow us to send a message. It was a coded message that let those waiting for us at home know that we were alright and that we were on our own missions to stop the cold war. We said that they should not look for us, and of course, we sent our love. It must have been a very confusing message for them to receive, but it was all that we could do at the moment. There was a lot of work to be done. Imuna and I spent a lot of time alone talking about how it could be possible that if this Alva Clan fought against the Yinta Clan that we would be able to save the Earth system.
“Do you really see yourself living here forever? Or with Evex Ein forever?” I asked her as we sat together the next day after I arrived. She looked at me. She walked over to a jug of water and took a long drink.
“I really believe that I want to. But I don't doubt that things could change. But for now, I love him,” she said.
“It is like you took the words right out of my mouth. I feel the same way about Manha. But I find it hard to deal with. We were never exposed to anything like this before. It is not normal to be in a loving partnership where you feel so blindly devoted but know that at any moment it could change. How do you do it?”
“Just day by day. But now it is easier now that you are here. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have you to confide in. We can do this together; I know that we can, Karina.”
“I believe you. I know that we are here for a reason. I do love him. I do,” I said.
“Then let us continue to prepare because we do not know what the future is going to bring to us.”
Chapter Sixteen
General Manha Ayre
We all stood on the massive platform. I wasn't expecting this honor, but I was glad to receive it.