by Cher Hollis
She understood him very well. His inclination to share her body to further his goals had happened to her before. It was the reason she’d been on Duvall Station in the first place, to serve the first months of a three-year sentence. Her crime had been to trust a man she thought loved her.
His name was Marcus Albright and he was a very handsome man with obvious political power. It wasn’t until Marcus had suggested she use her beauty to gain the information he’d needed, that her troubles had started.
She’d always enjoyed using her feminine power over men, and she’d craved pleasing Marcus. She’d been certain that she had found a man who really loved her. But she’d been caught by the UNFBI, stealing secrets from powerful men.
Marcus had let her take the entire blame, and she’d been stunned, and then left heartbroken.
She’d been so numb when she first reached the prison colony at Duvall Station and she’d fallen back on her natural instincts, until she found herself in Korpal’s company, not really knowing how it had happened.
“Balice, go shake your luscious body in front of Khan—” Korpal ordered, with an arrogant uplifting of his hand. “—bring him here to me.”
Inwardly, Balice wanted to snap at him for being so highhanded with her, but outwardly, she obediently turned to follow his crude orders. Somewhat defiantly, she let the flare of her gauzy skirt swing wide as she stepped off the platform.
Immediately, she felt black alien eyes follow her hip-swinging motions through the command center, as she searched for Khan. A few moments later, she found Khan, where he stood like a muscular red giant near the communications post.
Khan had his powerful back to her as he spoke to Flagg, and she stopped behind them. “Korpal wants to see you, Khan,” she announced.
Khan halted his intense clicking and arm gestures to Flagg, then he turned his towering girth to face her.
“Now it’s my turn, Khan, to bring you to Korpal,” she said, adding a smile up at his vivid black eyes.
The sounds of Khan’s low drone had started the second he’d turned and looked at her. Flagg’s droning leaped forward with energy, while Khan’s was lower with a deeper intensity that she felt inside.
“To your duties.” Khan slugged Flagg’s arm, with what Balice took as a good-natured gesture between them.
Flagg turned and prowled away, as she said, “Follow me closely now, Khan.”
When she started forward, she used a seductive roll of her hips, and she heard a deeper tone of Khan’s droning vibration as he fell in behind her. She wanted to thank him, and she wanted to ask him why he had helped her earlier. But Korpal was watching and it would have to wait.
As she came closer to where Korpal perched in the huge command chair that nearly swallowed him up, she saw that Dante had arrived by Korpal’s side.
She heard Korpal saying, “Simon Preston was my second in command on Earth. He knows where Ela Cassandra De La Fluenta can be found, and he has said that he will gladly deliver her to me.”
Balice couldn’t make out what Dante replied, because his back was to her, but then Korpal said, “Simon will be a great asset here. He was second in command of my militant group on Earth and he has extensive military experience. Wait until Simon sees what I have accomplished, it will stir his militant Variant heart.”
Balice wondered as she stepped up to the level where Korpal sat, if Ela Cassandra was Ramon’s wife or maybe his daughter. When she stepped up, she looked back at Khan and she saw his eyes were like black pools. Someday, she decided, she would touch him to see what his alien hide felt like. She wondered what he would do.
“Good, now here’s Khan,” Korpal announced. “Dante, do as I’ve ordered. And, Balice, give us privacy for a while.”
Balice had moved close enough for Korpal to grab her, in front of Khan, and he pulled her forward to give her an aggressive kiss. The dominating attack left little doubt about whom her ultimate master was. Then with a possessive slap of her behind, he sent her off like the possession she was.
Khan didn’t allowed the flow of Talis by turning to view Korpal’s female as she’d danced away, even though the swaying of her roundness was hard not to follow. He forced his vision in front, as he stalked up to the command post. He was angry that Korpal had taken his post. He was leader of all Esa. He should be there to control all the Kalics.
But Khan shoved his anger back as he stood tall over Korpal’s puny height.
“Kneel, Khan,” Korpal ordered sharply. “So I can speak directly to you.”
Instant fury fought against Khan’s power to hold it back, then he forced his large frame down onto one limb before Korpal’s puny mass. He felt battle rage at being pushed to kneel in front of Korpal. It was weakness, and it angered him to do it in front of the Esa who were in his center command. Makkars never ordered the Esa to kneel.
Khan knew, since he’d met the Variants, his pledge that no Esa would end any Variants existence was a hard vow to keep. Right then, he wanted to stomp the small Variant Korpal, and it took strength to stay unmoving.
But Khan knew Korpal was the master over all female Talis.
Female Talis was so wanted by each Esa; they would go to war for it. Masters who controlled Talis was something the Esa understood from their first masters the Makkars. Only Makkars Talis was not the same as female Talis, because their Talis was much stronger.
The Makkars Talis would slam into an Esa, while the female Talis had to be seen and slowly grew stronger. But the Makkars were not forceful with their Esa, like the new Variant masters were.
“Khan, you will find a suitable planet where we can base our war operations,” Korpal ordered. “The Variants that I have assigned to your Esa Distar navigational post will show you which systems I want probed.”
“Yes,” Khan uttered, with a tight nod of his large head as he’d seen the Variants doing.
Korpal’s paleness grew darker, while his human voice snapped, “Say what is said to you, when you order an Esa beneath your command to complete a duty!”
“As you command,” Khan snapped back.
“Better, beast. I command you to do that each time that I give you an order. Now, did my man give you the coordinates for the Earth’s outer colonies?” Then Korpal added, “We will attack those first.”
Khan tensed.
“The humans will fall under Esa power!” he vowed. He and all Esa waited for the first battle with Earth males. The need to fight was strong. It would feed the battle-drive of all Esa to fight a war again.
Korpal leaned forward and his human eyes glowed. “You will not kill any Variants, or kill women, or you Khan, will pay the price. Is that understood?”
“As you command,” Khan said, and the translator threw out the human words in deep sharpness.
He would never allow any females ended, but he’d vowed not to end the Variants existence only as a way to gather females. Korpal had said there were many females on Earth.
It was a challenge to teach the Esa what to destroy in battle, and that some human males should be ended, but the Variants were to be saved. Yet the Esa would follow his commands or they would feel crushing punishment, because they would lose their Talis and the markers for it.
Korpal leaned into the command seat. “Earth’s humans should not be taken lightly, Khan. I hope the Esa are worthy of this battle.”
“All Esa are strong for battle!” Khan pounded his chest for each of his next human-translated words. “Earth’s males will crawl in fear of us!”
“Excellent, that’s what I wanted to hear. Together you and I will rip the heart out of Earth’s forces.”
“As you command,” Khan growled sharply.
“Have you sent the transmissions to my comrade, Simon Preston?” Korpal asked.
“To each position you commanded.”
“Excellent, you will bring the answers to me.” Korpal nodded, and it moved the long strange hair on the sides of his flat Variant face.
“As you command,” Khan snapp
ed.
“That is all for now, Khan. You may return to your duties,” Korpal ordered, and he raised his hand with a short sweeping motion that Khan had seen before, and did not like.
Not to let Korpal send him away as a low ranked Esa, Khan started to say more, but he stopped when he saw Korpal’s female coming back to the command post.
Swiftly, he stood—he would not let the female see him lowered before Korpal.
Then he challenged Korpal. “The Esa of center command have not had Talis. Have your female dance, and they will know why they left the Makkars.”
After kneeling, Khan knew he was stronger by making the demand. He stood unmoving to see what the Variant would do, while the sound of Talis droned from deep beneath his red hide. The sound was strong in him, because he looked at the soft, light-colored female with her rounded shape as she pressed into Korpal’s puny mass.
Korpal leaned forward with angry sounds. “And remember who controls all the Talis, you beast.” Korpal turned to his female. “Dance for me, Balice. Make them jealous of what I alone possess.”
Khan cut back his anger over things he did not understand, and then he stomped off the center deck, back to the communications post. As he moved, he shoved Esa aside with his force.
The contests he and Korpal fought were trouble. The kneeling Korpal demanded in front of his leading Esa, made Khan’s command weaker. Because of it, Khan was forced to join The Esa Games, and win each cycle to hold his position as their leader.
Khan stopped at the communications post and he clicked the order for ten Esa to turn their sight from the female’s tempting dance, so they would keep control of the first Kalic. Next, he ordered Flagg to him as he stayed turned away from the female’s Talis-sending power.
Flagg came to him, droning with force.
“Control, Esa,” Khan clicked sharply, in the language of the Esa. “We have duties!”
Flagg looked too weak to stop, giving the female another look past Khan’s back.
Khan slugged Flagg hard enough to rock his bulky hide. Next, Khan yanked Flagg around. “I will carve you into little pieces. Stop droning.”
Flagg’s droning quickly stopped. “As you command.”
Khan ticked in annoyance; Flagg knew the edge to push. They had been together from the first of their existence, which had started at the earliest duty an Esa did, working in the supply fields.
Their Makkar masters commanded every Esa to work three to five cycles in each supply region, where they built Kalics, assembled weapons, made their Esloc or Eslic, and then created the energy packs that fueled all Esa.
Khan trusted Flagg. Together they had fought to control the Esa during the last of the Makkars one-hundred-cycle war. They had won all the battles and were now the leaders. Esa still tried to seize the command away from them, but none had won so far.
Khan knew the center core of Esa, in the lead Kalic. He had picked each one. They were not like other Esa. He’d known many cycles past that he was not like other Esa, and each new cycle, he changed more.
The changes in him were about giving commands and receiving commands. All Esa were strong and fierce fighters. They were grown by the Makkars to do battle for them, but they were followers.
A cycle had come when one Esa had to move forward to direct the ways of battle. Khan had fought for the lead.
Since then, he knew each new choice and order he used gave him more freedom apart from all Esa. He’d watched it happen to the Esa he picked for center command. Some Esa could take new command and power and some could not. The Esa that Korpal called Marco was one that could not take free choice.
It would be wiser to be rid of Marco, and if not for the mighty choice to leave the Makkars, Khan would have challenged Marco in The Games, and then swiftly ended Marco’s existence. Now, Khan waited for Marco to challenge him, so he could smash the Esa, and finish him. Khan knew Marco wanted to be leader, but he did not see what stopped Marco from challenging him.
Khan’s thoughts were stopped by the sounds of Korpal’s female dancing behind him. He grabbed Flagg’s upper limb and he pulled him as he stalked forward, keeping his back to the female’s Talis sending dance.
“Flagg, open your shield click,” Khan ordered, as he kept moving. “There are orders you will do, only for us to hear.” Khan twisted his head with a slight snapping sound. It shifted the Makkar translator he wore to a shielded clicking code that he and Flagg used so others could not understand them. He stopped and turned to Flagg.
“To be kept from Variants?” Flagg asked, showing his sharp skill.
Khan nodded tightly.
“Order one K-10 with four loyal Esa to pilot. Pick well, they will not return. Their pledge and bond must be strong to us. Their orders are to find planet Earth, then send the way back to you. I will know if Earth is where Korpal showed us.”
“Wise,” Flagg clicked. “I warn we wait to launch them until we find the planet for our base to battle Earth forces.”
“Yes,” Khan clicked. “We will be closer to Earth, and building our base will cover the launch and mission from the Variants.”
“Waiting will lower their fuel use,” Flagg said. “They will not go there and back without refueling. Launching closer, from a new base, will let them return nearer to send back Earth’s directions, before their fuel source dies.”
“Allow them free Talis markers, until then,” Khan ordered. “I will talk to them before their mission. No Variant will hear of this.”
“As you command.” Flagg bowed. And when he turned his large red hide to leave, he had to go around the female, who was behind them again.
With his plan set, Khan turned to view Korpal’s female close to him. She was a puny mass and stood only to the middle of his tall red bulk.
She had long hair, Variants called it, and it was the color of stars falling past her swaying lower curves. Her eyes made him think of the Makkar home planet; they were so green. Her lips, as he’d heard them called, were red like his hide but looked lighter and softer.
He did not understand how to think about the rest of her smooth light-colored shape. He only knew that it jolted him like nothing before. Female creatures of rounded curves and soft swaying had never been seen by the Esa. For many cycles after he’d first seen Balice, Khan had wanted to know what it would be like to touch this Talis as Korpal did.
“Khan, please take me to the games tonight. I really want to see them.”
Balice held her limbs high above her head in a tempting way she had. She twirled in front of him, then her rounded shape swayed closer. He was surprised she had asked him to go; it would be very dangerous for a small female.
“No,” he shoved through his deeply droned vibrations. The heat of Talis was pounding through him at being so close to her.
“I will dance alone for you. One time. If you take me,” she offered, and he caught that she tried to bargain with him.
Khan had mighty temptations, as she danced around him. He saw the two pleasing mounds of softness she had, which lifted and swayed. He growled from deep. She clouded his Talis with her talk.
“Balice, you will drive all Esa into Talis-hunting rage, if they find you there.”
Khan learned it was very powerful when he said the female’s name for the first time. She swayed around him, and then stopped to face him. Her two plump mounds bounced firmly as his vision locked on them.
“I will cover myself so you won’t even know it’s me. Please-please, say yes, Khan.”
Looking higher, Khan saw that her eyes sparkled like rare Makkar essence. He found he was not willing to stop her, so he tested what he might gain from the bargain. He looked at the light green cloth that covered her soft pleasing body.
“I will take you, if you dance alone for Khan, with no cloth covering you.” The sound of his translation clicked through his droned vibrations.
Balice’s eyes opened wider, but then quickly lowered, with a tempting lift of her lips. “For you, Khan, I would love to.” He
r voice sounded lower and pleasing. Then she asked, “Will you take me tonight?”
“Yes.” He had to be firm with her when he said, “You will vow to do as I command, then I will take you.”
“I vow, Khan,” she said, and she sparkled with excitement. “I also promise you something very special for helping me today, when you should have been angry with me.”
With their bargain made, she twirled away from him and started to dance with energy, which swayed her curves around the outer edges of the sphere. Khan had seen all the females Korpal possessed, but none of them matched Balice’s Talis.
For the rest of the cycle, which Variants called days, Khan was forceful and he snarled every order. It wasn’t new—but the strength he showed was. He knew he shouldn’t have made the dangerous bargain and said Balice could see The Games. It would be unsafe for any female. The Games were Esa battle matches that did not have outsiders.
Under command of the Makkars, the Esa were warriors fully trained for battle. Esa only knew fighting and war. They lived filled with the need to battle, which was held in control by the release of fighting and destroying essence or mass.
They used two ways to control their dangerous drives when not in battle; Talis and The Games. If they did not have enough markers to receive Talis, and the need for battle made them rage, they joined The Games.
In many of The Games, they were allowed to inflict harm, but not end the existence of another Esa. One time during each game cycle, challenges were met and fought to the end of existence or as Variant humans called it; fights to the death. The ending of existence meant little to the Esa. They were fated to die in the heat of battle, any battle, any fight.
Khan had ordered Flagg to secure a dark corner of the upper level of the battle circle, threatening his future Talis if he asked why. When the time came, Khan left the control sphere to meet Balice. He was still fierce with anger, but also tight with hunger to see her, when he saw a black shape outside the entrance to the battle circle. He strode forward and saw that Balice had kept her pledge by hiding her small body under a dark cloth.