by KD Jones
“Is everything okay?” Heather asked from the doorway.
He glanced over at her. “Yes. Let’s look at these buildings then take a quick look at the tunnel rebuild.”
Chapter 5
Onboard the Drastan Command Ship
Devlon had arrived onboard his command ship two hours ago. He’d toured the improvements made in the subway systems with Heather. Where there had been two tracks, now there were four, to accommodate the split in the tunnels that would eventually connect to other locations. His people and the humans had made incredible progress. They were so far along with Tribe Leader Lee’s district that they could start shifting work to the next tribe.
He checked on his ship and crew before heading toward his private quarters. After being in the tunnels, he could feel the dust on his skin and was ready for a shower. Suddenly an argument broke out behind him in the corridor, making him turn around and glare at the two culprits.
Lt. Nix Saber was everything a female Drastan should be, strong and honor-bound. She could be trusted with highly sensitive material. She’d worked hard to get the position she had, and he thought of her as a daughter. She was arguing with the human she’d been charged to train, Corey Nash.
Corey was a friend of Maggie’s. His son Liam saw potential in the young human male, so they’d brought him up to the command ship to train. With the proper treatment for his radiation exposure and nutrition deficiency, Corey had begun to really fill out in height and muscle. He was almost unrecognizable from the frail man he’d been almost a year ago. Unfortunately for Corey, he seemed to get on Nix’s bad side a lot. Poor bastard.
“Corey, I told you that you’re supposed to secure the area outside the shuttle before a higher ranking officer disembarks. It’s protocol.”
“It sounds like a bunch of arbitrary rules that make no sense. The docking bay has to be cleared and secured before we ever land, and the commander is more than capable of kicking ass if someone gets in the way.”
The boy did have a point. He tried to hide his smile. The trip back to the command ship had been spent listening to similar arguments between the prickly pair. He was really tired, and ready for a break.
“Is there a problem, Lieutenant?”
“No sir, but we need to make sure you get to your quarters safely.”
Devlon stared at his lieutenant looking for any signs of deception. There had been a handful of Drastans who had betrayed him and the fleet by providing weapons to the Earth rebels. Not only that, they’d tried to kill him, hoping to take over command of the fleet. He hated not trusting his own people. He hated not being able to walk through the corridors of his own command ship without looking at each of them with suspicion. Devlon didn’t know how to fix things without having reassurance from the high chancellor that humans were to be protected.
He sighed. He knew arguing with Nix wouldn’t make a difference; she was just trying to do her job. “Fine, come on then. Try to not fight with each other the entire way there. I need a little peace and quiet.”
“Yes, Commander,” Nix said easily. She smacked the back of Corey’s head, making him jerk to attention.
Corey quickly responded, “Yes, Commander.”
To their credit, when they weren’t arguing with one another, they worked together as a team quite proficiently. There was an attraction there between them, which probably only added fuel to the arguing. It was their form of foreplay. Ugh, he didn’t need these types of thoughts about Nix and Corey.
He passed many of his crew on the way to his quarters. A few women gave him an inviting look or stopped him to actually offer to share sex with him. He should take them up on the offer, but he was too tired for even sex, which was saying a lot. Drastans had a strong sex drive.
Once they were at his quarters, he let Nix secure his area before locking her and Corey out in the corridor. He went to the bathroom and turned on the hot water. Removing his uniform and boots, he stepped into the wide stall.
He groaned when he felt the hot water run over his body. He washed away the dust that had covered him from being in the subway, and also while on the surface of Earth. How the humans lived in a place where the air wasn’t clean, he had no idea. The humans have proved to be resilient, though. Just look at Heather; she was the most incredible female he’d ever met. Smart, beautiful and sexy. She also could stand up to a room full of people and demand to be heard.
Closing his eyes, he imagined Heather sharing the shower with him. She always wore clothing that covered her up to her neck and all the way to her wrists, which only piqued his fantasies. He would love to strip her bare and touch every inch of her. She had a curvy figure which made him hard even now, picturing it.
He gripped his cock and began stroking himself. How long had it been since he’d relieved himself? A few months? Maybe since before he first met Heather.
Devlon had wanted her the first moment he saw her in the mediko, protecting Hali. She’d been brave and fierce, a true warrior woman. It was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.
Feeling the fire racing down his spine, he knew it wouldn’t take much more. One of the things that drove him crazy about Heather was her scent. Her natural scent was warm and spicy, very appealing. When they were close together, her arousal spiked, and that incredible scent of hers nearly drove him over the brink with need.
He pumped faster and faster, still imagining her scent. He would kiss her kissable lips, her neck, and spend quite a bit of time with her amazing breasts. Then he would kneel between her thighs and taste her with his mouth. Yes! His seed spurt forth, hitting the shower wall hard. He rinsed himself off quickly and turned off the water.
His communicator went off just as he started to dry himself off. He reached for it on the counter.
“This is Commander Estro.”
“Father, why didn’t you report in with me when you first arrived?”
“I checked on the command deck to make sure everything was okay, but I really needed to take a shower, Liam. Is there an emergency I need to know about?”
“There is something that needs to be discussed in private. I’ll be at your place in ten minutes.” Liam ended the communication.
Devlon put his dirty uniform in the wash bin. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he walked down the short hallway to his bedroom. He opened the closet, pulled out a clean uniform and got dressed. He pulled on his boots and combed his thick hair. There were streaks of gray around his temples. Did they make him look old, or distinguished? What did Heather see when she looked at him? He heard the door security alarm unlock. That would be Liam. Only his family had access to his quarters.
Since they were meeting in his quarters, he might as well go to his kitchen to find something to eat. He greeted his son as he passed by him. “Hey Liam.”
“Dad, where are you going?”
“To get something to eat. Do you want a sandwich?”
“Sure, I haven’t had anything to eat since breakfast. Maggie burned the toast.”
Devlon chuckled. “At least she didn’t catch your kitchen on fire again.”
Liam sat down at the kitchen table laughing. “That’s true. She’s been busy with the baby.”
“Is Missy still staying up all night?”
“Yes, and sleeping most of the day. It’s really upset our schedule. Well, it’s messing up Maggie’s schedule more than mine. She and I haven’t been awake at the same time in a while. It’s been hard.”
Devlon understood what Liam wasn’t saying. They were having a hard time getting back to having intimate relations. He could relate to that. He and Lara had had a similar experience.
“Be patient. Once Missy gets to a more regular routine, so will the both of you.”
The door opened and Kyle entered. “Hey, I heard you got back. What are you doing?”
Devlon placed a plate with a sandwich in front of Liam. “Want a sandwich?
“Sure. I could probably throw together a quick soup. Let me see what ingredients you have,”
Kyle offered, going into the kitchen.
The door opened and Jared entered, followed by Quinn, who told him, “Your second-shift security detail has relieved Nix and Corey.”
Devlon rolled his eyes. “I don’t need a security detail onboard my own ship.” He placed the plate down on the table a little harder than he meant to. He took a deep breath, calming down.
Quinn didn’t wait to be offered the sandwich; he took the plate and started eating. Devlon looked over at Jared. “Sandwich?”
“Yeah, that would be great.”
He went back into the kitchen, maneuvering around Kyle, who was heating up something that smelled absolutely delicious. Devlon made three more sandwiches and carried them to the table. Kyle came up behind him with the pot of soup, bowls and spoons under his arm.
Quinn stood up. “I’ll get the drinks.”
Devlon sat down and looked around the table. It was like it used to be; his boys were here with him again. They weren’t boys anymore, though. They’d grown into fine strong men. He couldn’t be more proud. He coughed to cover up the sudden emotions he felt.
Jared looked at him in concern. “Are you feeling okay? Do I need to run a check on you?”
“I’m fine. Let’s eat this soup before it gets cold.”
The five men sat at the table eating their sandwiches and soup with few words exchanged. It was peaceful, and short-lived. Once the food was eaten, he looked to Liam.
“What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?”
“While Jared was in the subway tunnel giving treatments, he overheard rumors that the current tribe leaders were being threatened by the rebels.”
Devlon turned to look at Jared, “Threatened how? Why didn’t you tell me while we were there?”
“At first it was just an unconfirmed rumor. I didn’t want to say anything until I could verify it. I pulled Jerry aside, and he confessed that some travelers had come through and mentioned that it would be beneficial if he resigned, but he refused. Then they made a threat that if he didn’t do what the rebels wanted him to do, his position would be taken from him.”
“Why didn’t Jerry tell me?”
“Jerry’s being watched, he’s worried that the rebels might attack his family. I came back and told Liam about it.”
Devlon’s first thought was of Heather. Would she be threatened next? He had to warn her, send warriors to help protect her.
“What do you think they want to achieve by doing this?” Quinn asked.
“If they control the tribe leaders, they can control the subway system, and in turn the trading that they hope to do between tribes and domes and eventually domes to domes,” Devlon answered.
“We can’t let them do that,” Liam growled out.
Devlon nodded his agreement. “No, we can’t.”
Chapter 6
Heather was glad to be back in her own territory. It wasn’t anything special, really: grey ceiling, grey walls, and grey floors. One of her tribe members had discovered paint in a storage area and painted murals on the walls of the sky, a park with grass and trees, and then a beautiful sandy beach with a blue ocean. It was like looking through windows at what the world used to be like.
Her tunnel happened to be a long one, with ten subcars. Her people doubled up in each living space, but she got her own and was grateful for the rare bit of privacy. She greeted the people in her tribe as she walked along, taking time to speak with everyone who approached her. They looked at her with such hope. If the Drastans helped them build the way they did with Jerry’s district, it would give them a better chance at full and happy lives.
“How did it go?” her second-in-command, Leonard Stern, asked as he fell into step beside her. Leonard was shorter than her, with a balding head and a bitter attitude. She didn’t know why she’d ever named him her second to begin with. Maybe she’d felt guilty at first, since she’d taken over his position as second with the previous tribe leader. Also, the men in her tribe seemed more at ease with Leonard by her side. Not that he did much. They arrived at her subcar, and he followed her inside.
“Good. They liked our ideas, and in fact, they’d already started building shop locations in Jerry’s district.”
“Jerry probably had them do that since the apartments were being built.”
“Yeah, Jerry was smart to go ahead and have them build it out to make sure we have an example of how it can be done. I have to admit, it looks great.”
“You saw Jerry’s district?”
“I did.”
“Well, what does it look like?”
“The commander took some pictures of it. I can ask him to forward them to me. They pushed back the subway wall to form a courtyard, surrounded by three two-story buildings.” She described the apartments and the space for the shops and market.
“So Jerry’s having them install full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs with a sprinkler system in the area set up for his greenhouse.”
“What’s he going to use for soil and seedlings?” Leonard asked, making himself at home on one of the benches in her living area.
The subcars were divided into sections; some of the cars were still attached to others, while a few were off track. In her subcar, she’d used the hand bars to hang sheets up to divide her sleeping space from her living space. In living space she’d left most of the seats as they were, but in her sleeping space she’d had one of the other benches taken down from where it’d been secured, and set it on top of some boxes to raise it up and make it a little more like a bed. It blew her mind to think that soon she would be able to sleep in a real bed again.
Heather frowned at him with frustration. She’d planned on changing clothes, and now she’d have to wait for him to leave.
“One of Jerry’s people used to be a botanist. She figured out how to use the soil down here, beyond the concrete, with nutrients that a Drastan scientist is helping create to make the soil sustain plant life. They’re also providing compatible seeds from Drasta. The domes also have stores of Earth seeds that we can trade for. As soon as the greenhouse is finished, they’ll begin trial plantings.”
“When will they start working on our district?”
“Soon. Commander Devlon says that since most of Jerry’s district is done, he can send some of the workers here to start. We’ll need to pick a few of our people to work with the Drastans and learn how to use their equipment, so that we can build things on our own without the Drastans doing everything.”
“I say just let the aliens do all the work.” Leonard put his feet up on the bench and tucked his hands behind his head.
“Leonard, the Drastans aren’t going to be here forever. They’ll go home eventually.” Sooner than later. Damn it! Why did the thought of Devlon leaving Earth for good bother her so much?
“I don’t care how long they’re here, as long as we get what we need from them.”
That summed up Leonard’s feelings about everything. He didn’t give a shit, as long as he got what he wanted. It reminded her of her ex-husband—and that was a disturbing thought. “I need to change before I call the other tribe leaders, Leonard.”
“I should be here when you call them. They may want to talk to me.”
She laughed at his pompous tone; it couldn’t be helped. He stood up angrily and stormed out. Maybe she should go after him and smooth things over, but she really didn’t want to. Leonard was self-absorbed, selfish, chauvinistic...fuck! He really was like Mark. She should just get rid of him.
Heather quickly changed her clothes. Walking through the construction area had covered her with a layer of plaster dust and grit. She really wanted to take a shower, but it was getting late. For safety reasons, the women and children showered during the early part of the day and the men showered in the evening. She’d missed the scheduled time for women to use the communal showers, so it would have to wait until tomorrow.
She went to her little makeshift kitchen and grabbed one of the MREs — meals ready to eat — that the dome leaders had is
sued to all the tribes. They weren’t as good as the ones the Drastans offered, but she gave the good stuff to her people. Leaders should made small sacrifices like that, and Heather strove to be the best leader that she could be.
It was so strange, considering her family’s disinterest and Mark’s betrayal. For a long time, she hadn’t believed in herself and was actually grateful to not have anyone depending on her. Leaving Mark had been hard to do before the disaster, but afterwards, it was ten times worse.
She’d scrambled from one place to another, trying to find food just to survive. She learned what things the tribes looked for to trade and she made sure to negotiate hard for what she needed in return. It was one of the things her previous tribe leader, Dexter, had said he admired about her. He invited her to join their tribe, wanting to use her talents for trade and negotiation.
Leonard was second to Dexter, and expected to be named next tribe leader when Dexter became sick. It didn’t work out the way he expected. The tribes also recognized Heather’s natural ability to lead and voted her in. To say Leonard was pissed about it was putting it mildly.
Heather had fought with him a lot at the beginning, but he finally relented when he realized that none of the other tribes supported him. It was a bitter defeat for him, that he still hadn’t forgiven or forgotten.
Outside her subcar she could hear laughter of children as a family walked by. Sometimes she wondered if things would’ve been any different if she’d had children. Mark would’ve been a horrible father, though; he was too selfish and controlling.
So many times he’d reminded her of her own father, who was a strict disciplinarian. Perhaps that’s why she stayed with Mark so long — he was familiar. She was never special, just another girl child to help work on the farm. Her hopes and dreams were ignored.