by Maia Starr
"That will be all," I said to the warrior and nodded for him to leave.
"What are you doing outside? I did not give you leave to have such freedom. You are to be escorted to your room and then back inside this building and that is your routine. You are not to have the freedom to wonder outside for romantic notions of staring at the moons is that clear?"
She arched an eyebrow at me and said, "Romantic notions? Is that what that looks like to you General? The warrior was simply asking me how to rid himself of an ailment. He was too embarrassed to say it inside and so I followed him just outside the door. It was then that the beauty of the two moons caught my attention for I have never seen such a thing. On earth we have one moon and it is just as beautiful but very different. I am not going to apologize for having different experiences that you do not approve of."
"Now listen here…" I began to say.
Whoosh! A land speeder entered the gates and there was a lot of chaos and screaming. I immediately jumped to attention and ran toward it as I heard, "We were seized upon by the rebels! Many are injured!" the pilot shouted as he opened the door to the speeder.
I was about to yell orders when I was cut off…
"The stretchers! You! You! You! You and you grab the stretchers from inside to lay the injured on. Now!" the human female shouted. I was stunned by her quick reaction and her capacity to think that she was in charge here. She ran for the speeder and was in action examining the injured. For two seconds I was in shock as I watched her take command of what needed to be done, and then I joined her at her side. Suddenly we were equals and on the same team. She would call out a diagnosis and I would complete her sentence. Each warrior was laid on the stretchers and carried inside. Together Dr. Prost and I worked on the injured. During the chaos I forgot that she was a human and a female, in those moments of emergency chaos with lives on the line she was my equal. We worked well together on reconstruction of the injured bodies. I had never had such a capable counterpart in all my years of working reconstruction. She was quick and knew exactly what to do and did it well. She was even better than Marlac. We worked all through the night until sunrise. With each hour I grew more and more fascinated with her. I would catch her looking at me with adoration when I completed a task. It strangely made me feel good to have her be impressed with my skills. That was a new feeling altogether for me.
When the last of the injured were finally in a stable condition I allowed her to stop.
"No, there is still much more that can be done," she said in defiance which I had become accustomed to. By this time I knew that anything I said to her would be met with an argument. I think that is what made the work hours we shared together so pleasurable. It was only in attending to the injured that we agreed on treatment and completed each other’s sentences as though we were one being. But outside of this we were total opposites and she was quick to argue.
"Lavender, if you carry-on like this you will be joining the injured in a state of exhaustion, and I cannot have that. I need you well and rested here in reconstruction. Now you are going to accompany me to the mess hall for much-needed nourishment before taking a rest. Do you understand my orders?" I said to her as I crossed my arms in front of my chest.
She looked at me strangely, and I did not know what she was thinking or why she looked at me in such a way. But she finally resigned and said, "Yes I understand your orders. May I clean up first General?" She said as she raised her hands in front of me that were full of blood.
I looked down at myself and realized I was in the same state. "Yes, follow me. My apologies," I said as I led her to the washroom. Along the way I whispered to one of the female Kalazaron that worked in reconstruction. She nodded her head in agreement. Soon we were in the washroom at large sink basins washing the night off of our skin. She kept looking at me but said nothing. Then the female Kalazaron entered with a long white muslin dress.
"Here Lavender, it is time that you got out of that suit from earth. This is fresh and clean for you. I will be outside waiting to escort you to eat." She took the dress and nodded with a slight smile. I think it was the first time that I had made her smile. I felt good to have that effect on her. I left her and waited for her outside. When she returned to my side in the white dress she was a sight to be seen.
“I’m ready,” she said shyly and I was shocked by the change in her demeanor. She looked ravishing in the feminine dress.
“Yes, you are. This way,” I said letting her go ahead of me. I watched her as she walked across the grounds taking in all the sights in a sense of wonder.
“What do you think?” I asked her.
“I think it is beautiful here. I have never seen such shades of blue before. I could stare at it forever.”
“Yes it is beautiful,” I agreed but I was not looking at our surroundings, I was looking at her.
Moments later we were in the nutrition rooms eating a hot meal on a long table. It was very early so most of the inhabitants of the base were still asleep or barely rising from sleep.
“You did very well Lavender. I am impressed with your skills,” I admitted to her, though it was hard to do so.
“Thank you. You know, you have not called me Lavender before. Always just human female slave or slave,” she said as she pushed a small morsel of fruit into her mouth.
“Yes, apologies again. That was rude. I know. But you proved yourself more than that last night. I was glad that you were around to help with the wounded.”
“Thank you. We work well together,” she said with a smile.
“Yes,” was all that I said out loud but in my head I repeated, yes. We were quiet for some time and I felt a bit of nervous tension between us. Then she said, “So is that what it is like around here? Those types of injuries coming in out of nowhere? “
“Yes, it is. We have patrols. Those warriors were out on patrol and were ambushed. The purpose of the patrols is to gather data on what the rebels might be up to. We can only see so far from the towers here so we send out those patrols to keep informed. It is very dangerous. Our warriors were hit, but it is part of the job.”
“And what about here? Should I be worried that I may be murdered in my sleep by a rebel?”
“Well…yes.”
We were both silent and then she laughed and then I joined her. “I guess that is a bit harsh,” I said.
“No, it is honest and I like honest,” she said. Then we completed our meal and I sent her off to get much needed rest. I on the other hand would have none because I needed to deal with the after math of reports and such on the hit on our patrol. There was much to be done. By the afternoon I was sleeping in my bed and I was excited for what the night had in store. I had decided to reward Dr. Lavender Prost for her courage and skills in the line of duty. I hoped that she would enjoy it.
Chapter 5
DR. LAVENDER PROST
I was shocked by General Rendor Moscurn’s change in attitude toward me. As I worked along side him on the injured warriors I could feel that he trusted me more. A few times he called me out by my name, “Lavender” instead of the term “slave.” It felt good for him to take notice. It felt good to be useful and work along side him in an equal manner. I got lost in the chaos and knew that we were saving lives together as a team. It only drew me closer to him. At the end of it the sun was rising and we had worked all night. That’s when Rendor approached me in a softer tone than I had ever imagined possible for him.
"No, there is still much more that can be done," I said when he tried to stop me from the work.
"Lavender, if you carry-on like this you will be joining the injured in a state of exhaustion, and I cannot have that. I need you well and rested here in reconstruction. Now you are going to accompany me to the mess hall for much-needed nourishment before taking a rest. Do you understand my orders?" He said to me as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and I was completely in shock that he was ordering me to spend time with him and to rest. This was a complete change from the General th
at I had met a few days ago. Something had happened and I had now earned his respect and admiration. I had to admit that it felt good. It felt damn good and as he stood there waiting for me to respond I took the opportunity to look him over. His strong arms crossed in front of his strong chest after a long night of helping the injured really turned me on. I was feeling different toward this attractive alien on a daily basis. Then I realized that we were both covered in the filth and blood from the chaos and so I said, "Yes I understand your orders. May I clean up first General?" I said as I raised my hands in front of me showing him what I meant by this.
He looked down and said, "Yes, follow my. My apologies," he said as I followed him. I noticed that he whispered something to a female Kalazaron and I suddenly felt a surge of jealousy. Were they lovers? How foolish of me to think that I could actually be the lover of a Kalazaron General. Of course they would only be with their own kind. Why was I even thinking this way to begin with, simply because of one really good sex dream? Moments later we were washing the night off of us and in silence as the tension and chemistry felt like it was building between us but it could just be my imagination. Then I saw him move toward the door and the female Kalazaron reappeared with a long white piece of muslin. Ren grabbed it from her and then handed it to me as he said, "Here Lavender, it is time that you got out of that suit from earth. This is fresh and clean for you. I will be outside waiting to escort you to eat." I took the dress and nodded with a slight smile as I was in shock by the gesture. I was not expecting that he cared about my comfort as I was in fact his slave. I took the dress inside the washroom and pulled the scuba-like space suit from my skin. It had seen its last days I think. I continued to wash up and then pulled the soft fabric of the dress over my head. It was very long as it should be since it was probably made for a female Kalazaron. I took the hem at the bottom and tied it into a knot on the side of my knee. There now it almost fit perfectly. I had to admit that it felt great to be in a feminine dress again as it had been years. I felt free and sexy in it. Then I walked out to meet the Ren for our dinner date… I mean meal.
“I’m ready,” I said shyly and his opened wide. Then he smiled.
“Yes, you are. This way,” He said letting him go ahead of him with all the manners of a gentleman and I had never seen him be so courteous before. I was happy as I walked across the grounds taking in all the sights in a sense of wonder of this new planet that was now my home. It was so spectacular and strange.
“What do you think?” Ren asked me as though he knew what I was feeling about the planet.
“I think it is beautiful here. I have never seen such shades of blue before. I could stare at it forever.”
“Yes it is beautiful,” he agreed and I walked with a bit of a bounce to my step as I thought that it truly could be possible to adapt to my new home.
Moments later we walked into the mess hall and I felt like I had achieved something. This is what I had wanted since I had arrived at Belvenreed. I wanted to eat in the mess hall with everyone else at meals and not be forced to sit alone in my room. Now I was being granted that wish, even if it was when most of the base was still asleep. The workers served us a meal on the trey with smiles on their faces and all of them saluted the General in the Kalazaron way. This was holding a hand to the chest in almost a half prayer pose. It was all very fascinating to my earth sensibilities. As we ate Ren finally started to make casual light conversation and then he surprised me with praise. I could not believe it!
“You did very well Lavender. I am impressed with your skills.”
I swallowed hard on a piece of fruit and almost choked by hearing his words. I did not expect that I would ever hear the annoying brute say such things to anyone or me. Yet here he was letting me know that I had impressed him with my skills. Then it hit me. He was continuing to call me by my name instead of slave. It felt good and of course I could not let it go unnoticed.
“Thank you. You know, you have not called me Lavender before. Always just human female slave or slave,” I said as I pushed a small morsel of fruit into him mouth and waited for him to reply. I assumed he was going to say something rude to cover up his slip, but he did not. Instead he said, “Yes, apologies again. That was rude. I know. But you proved yourself more than that last night. I was glad that you were around to help with the wounded.”
“Thank you. We work well together,” I said with a smile and in shock. I wondered how he would take me saying that we were a team. Would he be offended?
“Yes,” was all that he said. We continued to eat and I looked around at the long mess hall building with long rows of tables. A few Kalazaron were starting to come in for the morning meal. I enjoyed watching the routine of this place. It was a well-oiled machine and I’m sure it was because General Rendor Moscurn was a damn good leader. I relished in that thought and then found myself becoming aroused by it. I felt Ren looking over at me a few times as though he wanted to say something but then he would remain silent. I thought it was very strange for someone that was so dominant and brash to be acting so nervous and somewhat shy. So I decided to break the tension with basic conversation and about work. Our work seemed to be where we were most connected. “So is that what it is like around here? Those types of injuries coming in out of nowhere?”
“Yes, it is. We have patrols. Those warriors were out on patrol and were ambushed. The purpose of the patrols is to gather data on what the rebels might be up to. We can only see so far from the towers here so we send out those patrols to keep informed. It is very dangerous. Our warriors were hit, but it is part of the job.” He said and I could tell that he took great interest in this. He was a General that really understood his command post and had a knack for it. Though it did seem a bit brutal to me that casualties were just an every day way of life, but so much it be on a planet where every male was a warrior. That thought began to really sink in and I realized that if the rebels were brash enough to attack the patrols then why would they not attack the base.
“And what about here? Should I be worried that I may be murdered in my sleep by a rebel?”
“Well…yes.” He said matter of fact. My eyes grew wide at his blunt answer.
We were both silent and then I laughed and then he joined him. “I guess that is a bit harsh,” He said.
“No, it is honest and I like honest,” I said. Which was very true about myself. I did not like things sugar coated, I wanted the harsh truth because it would make me prepared for whatever lay ahead. That was important to me. We then completed our meal and he sent him off to get much needed sleep in my sparse chamber. I would not see him again until that evening when he had a big surprise for me. It was much more than I had ever expected or could dream of.
That evening there was a knock at my door. I was so startled as no one had knocked. I did not have the capacity to open the door from my side anyhow. I was a damn captive!
“Um…come in!” I shouted in a confused manner. The door slid open and Rendor stood there with a big grin on his face.
“How are you this evening Lavender? Did you get some rest?” he asked.
“Yes I did. Thank you. Did you?”
“Yes I slept a few hours later in the day.”
“That’s good,” I said. Then there was a long awkward pause. Then he stood up straight with his chest out and said, “I have new orders for you, and you will follow them. I order you to accompany me off site. It is for your work,” he said.
I arched a brow at him confused and sort of laughing on the inside that he was trying to find some balance between his arrogant orders and being polite. I guess he didn’t have much practice in being polite.
“Yes General,” I said as I followed him out of the chambers. We walked through the base and I was surprised to see him lead me to a land speeder. “Get in,” he said.
I did not question and I crawled in. Soon we were speeding away from base but not toward the mountains, in fact the mountains were to our backs, which made me feel better. Wherever we were go
ing at least we were going away from the rebels. I was quiet and said nothing even though I wanted to ask a million questions. Finally the speeder came to a stop and Ren helped me out of the speeder.
“Here, we are here,” he said as I looked around and gasped at the sight. There was a beautiful pond before us and the two full moons were reflected in the water.
“Oh Ren! It’s beautiful!” I shouted.
“Ren?” he said.
“Oh sorry I got carried away. In my head I call you Ren, short for Rendor. I’m not sure why and it just slipped,” I said nervously.
“Ren? I guess I could get used to that,” he said smiling. Then he took my hand and led me toward the water. “What are we doing here?” I asked.
“It’s a reward. You did so well with the injured and showed more than I ever thought possible of a leader and I want you to have a treat for it. We have simple means out here in the outlands but this is my favorite place to come swim and I thought I would bring you on my next dip.”
“Swim? But what will I swim in? I cannot swim in this dress,” I said. He just looked at me and smiled. Then he walked away from me to edge of the pond and began to undress. My mouth fell open. He wanted to skinny dip. As he untied his belt his leather like kilt fell to the grass. His sleeves came off and his boots. I saw his taught skin on his behind and his perfect Greek Statue like body. I was in awe. I wanted him to turn around but instead he jumped right in. I was disappointed but excited.