Al ignored the growl rumbling low in Telek’s throat. There was no doubt this must be Hanne Naess. “I surely don’t know what you mean. Who are you and why did you hijack my comm?”
The frigid smile grew. “Don’t be insulting. You have one of my boys standing right behind you. Hello, Telek. Mother is very happy to see you again. I’ll be bringing you home soon.”
“I’d die first,” Telek replied.
She pouted. “Don’t say that, baby boy, your mix was particularly hard to arrange.” Hanne’s eyes widened. “You let him go, Mr. Pirate. Do you know how hard it is to control a boy like Telek without his bracelets?”
“So far, I’ve had no problems with any of them,” Al replied. “And you won’t be getting them back.”
“You’ll be surprised.” Hanne smiled once more. “About all of it. Startle a chimera and you’re likely a dead man. Do something they don’t like, same result. That’s why they need to be back with me and mine. I just wanted to be sure I had the right ship before I wasted any more resources.” She waved at the camera. “Toodles, Telek. Mother will be tucking you back into your little bed before you know it.”
The line went dead. Al turned to see Telek trembling, his capped claws dug into the captain’s chair. “Gyal?” Al asked.
“Couldn’t get a trace on her. Guess we better expect more company than before,” Gyal replied.
“We had best call Rollins,” Arianna said. “Let her know there’s going to be a big party, and soon.”
“She won’t just kill you,” Telek said. “She’ll take some of you for fodder in the warm-up games. Or use you in her experiments.” He caught Al’s wrist. “You might want to rethink your stunners.”
Al had never seen the chimera so spooked. “I’ll take it under advisement. Come on, let’s talk to Rollins.”
“And Telek, if ever there was a time to remember more about the Alaisaigae, now would be it,” Arianna said.
AL WISHED he could ease some of Telek’s nervousness. Ever since seeing Hanne the day before last, the chimera had become a bundle of nerves. Rollins was less than a day out at this point, but that wasn’t exactly helping Telek’s nerves or Al’s for that matter. He caught Telek’s wrist again, pulling him closer.
Brushing his lips over Telek’s, he felt Telek’s tension slowly melt as they kissed. Al maneuvered him into the bedroom. By the time they hit the mattress, Telek’s body was pliant again. Al sealed his lips over Telek’s earlobe, sucking gently. Well aware of the erection he felt pressing against his hip, Al whispered a suggestion into Telek’s ear, something he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about ever since he first saw the chimera naked.
“Are you sure?” Telek rasped, his hand absently tracing geometric patterns on his lover’s chest. “Usually I’m supposed to be submissive and let things be done to me.”
Al brushed Telek’s hair back. “You aren’t a slave anymore, Telek. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want. I would like to try it, but if you aren’t comfortable with the idea, then we’ll try something else. I want us both to be happy.”
Telek flopped back onto the mattress, lying flat, studying the grey ceiling. “But would you be happy if I said no?”
“I’ll be happy with whatever we do. I’m pretty easy in bed.” Al grinned, rolling up onto his elbow so he could look down at the man. “I’m a switch. Dominating is fun, but so is being submissive. I trust you not to hurt me.”
Telek’s face twisted. “I don’t understand why. You know what I am.”
“I’ve been well aware you could kill me with your bare hands if you wanted to since before you even woke up in sickbay. You’ve not given me a reason to not trust you. I sort of thought we’ve been intimate enough for you to know that.”
Telek smiled faintly. “It’s all still new to me, being free.”
“I know.” Al reached down to stroke Telek’s cock. The bumps became more pronounced as Telek’s shaft swelled. Al’s body tensed, warmth rolling over him in anticipation of the possibility that Telek would concede to Al’s request.
“You’re sure?”
“Do I look unsure?”
Telek ran his tongue over the line of Al’s jaw. “You never look unsure. That’s what I like about you. You know what you want and you work to get it.”
“It’s my nature.” Al squirmed on the mattress, trying to get the tube of lubrication off the nightstand. Telek watched him with those acetylene blue eyes of his as Al smoothed the slick stuff over Telek’s not-quite-human shaft. Al put a little of the stuff on Telek’s fingers. “You remember what I did with you, right?” he asked, seeing Telek’s curious look.
“Yeah, no one had ever been that kind before but….”
Al followed Telek’s gaze down to his hand, then scooped the lubricant back up. “On second thought, I might want to do this myself. I forgot about those non-retractable claws of yours.”
“How can you forget those?” Telek laughed.
“Most of my lovers are usually fully human. You’re different. I’m still learning,” Al replied, lying back on the bed. He reached down, easing one finger into himself, then quickly added a second. It wouldn’t take much to get him ready for this.
Telek bent over him, taking Al’s cock into his mouth. No matter how careful he was about it, Al always felt the whisper of those prodigious fangs, but Telek had never yet accidentally impaled tender flesh with them. There was still a certain clumsiness to Telek’s technique, but he was improving. Still, it was easy to tell sex was something he had been forced into, and he had never cared what his partner got out of it.
Al ran a hand over Telek’s soft blue hair. “I’m ready.”
Telek gave Al’s shaft a final tickle with his tongue before letting him go. Al spread his legs farther, giving Telek better access. The chimera’s cock pressed against Al’s entrance. Telek looked to him for reassurance. Al nodded. Telek slid inside him slowly, either by design or uncertainty. Either way, Al could feel every bit of the texture of Telek’s shaft, not unlike a fancy dildo he had been given in his youth. Only Telek was hot, soft silk over steel, so much better than any toy.
Telek found a rhythm quickly enough, pulling almost all the way out before pushing back in, leaving Al moaning and bucking, trying to get as much contact as he could. Grinning, Telek stretched out over Al, his lips meeting Al’s, hungry and demanding. The friction of Telek’s abdomen over Al’s cock as his lover moved made Al’s blood roar. Telek thrust hard into him as he bit Al’s neck just over the pulse point. Al gasped. The bite didn’t hurt, especially not with Telek’s tongue soothing the spot, but it might leave a bruise.
“You marked me,” he rasped, running his hands across Telek’s strong shoulders.
“Felt right,” Telek replied, the animal in him coming to the forefront. He suddenly stilled. “Did I hurt you?”
Smiling, Al pulled him back down for a kiss. “I’m fine.”
Mollified, Telek regained his lost momentum. He shifted them on the bed, laying them both on their sides. Al hooked a leg around Telek, sighing contentedly as Telek’s hand closed around Al’s cock. With strong strokes as his thrusts picked up speed, Telek brought Al off easily. Clinging to him, Al met Telek’s plunges with renewed vigor. With an almost animal cry, Telek came, his body shuddering against Al’s.
As Telek slipped free of him, Al kept his leg firmly in place, not letting the man escape. He wrapped his arms around Telek, burying his face in the crook of the man’s neck. “That was great,” he mumbled.
“Good. This is all so good. More than I deserve,” Telek whispered.
Al tightened his grip. “No, it’s exactly, finally, what you deserve.”
“WE’RE about to have company.” Arianna’s voice coming over the comm startled Al. He bolted out of his office and onto the bridge.
“Another little guard craft?” he asked. The hard, firm line of his sister’s mouth said it was something more serious.
“Can’t tell. Has to be a bigger ship. There�
�s a cloak,” she replied.
He swore under his breath, slipping behind his weapons console. Cloaks were rare and not efficient, not yet, but they were enough to fool long-range sensors. “Gyal, get a signal to Rollins, tell her to step it up, then man the other weapons bay.”
“Aye, sir.”
Rollins’s reply to the hail promised she was only minutes away but got cut off as the enemy’s cloak dropped. A heavily armed warship slammed the Ghost with everything she had. Ari got them out of the path of heaviest fire. Al took his best shot, aiming not for the engines but for the opening shuttle-bay doors, picking off a few of the smaller guard ships as they started spewing out.
“I can’t avoid them all,” Ari warned.
“I know.” Al paused long enough to open the ship-wide hail. “We’re greatly outmanned. Expect to be boarded. You know what to do. No one is taking the Ghost. The military should be here any moment. Try not to accidentally shoot them when they board.” He killed the link, having added that last bit for the chimera on board. Telek would be directing them, and all Al needed was for one of them to eat Rollins’s men or something.
The Ghost shuddered as she took a few more hits. Alarms screamed.
“They’re forcing the shuttle-bay doors,” Gyal reported.
“We’re ready for that,” Al said, blasting a few more of the guard ships. He needed to reduce their numbers. This fight could be lost before Rollins made it.
“That’s the last of the guard ships,” Gyal said.
“They’ve got us locked down.” Arianna swiveled back to face him. “There is nothing more I can do here.”
“Time for hand to hand, then.” Al pushed back from the console. He was almost looking forward to this.
“Al, the Intrepid is here,” Gyal said. “They’re going to board.”
“Good. If these people have any sense, they’ll start withdrawing immediately to get the hell out of here before the military rounds them up,” Al said.
“Did you get the sense they were smart? That woman was arrogant. Rollins might find a load of chimerae loose on her men and ours.” Arianna glanced back at the viewscreen. “Their ship’s big enough to have hauled her entire fight squad of chimerae.”
“Not a happy thought,” Al muttered as he and his sister went one way and Gyal the other. Screams echoed through the ship, a sound he was very used to but not on his ship. He was the raider, not the one who got raided. He rounded one corridor, and a woman raced for him, her face something out of a nightmare. Noting her shock bracelets, he hit her full force, his blaster set nearly to kill. He set a binder on her and continued down the corridor, where his sister was busy doing the same to someone without a ship’s badge, military uniform, or shock bracelets: a chimera handler, then.
Together they headed toward the shuttle bay. Al knew Ari could read his mind. They needed to get the boarding dock closed or, if possible, follow it back to the enemy ship and rip it to hell themselves. The twins didn’t get far before three chimerae cut them off. One of them dodged Al’s first attack, coming around his side even as another ran straight for him. A blaster of a different make shrieked, taking out one of them as Al shot the other in the head. His sister had hers down, sweating hard.
Glancing around to see who had helped, Al grinned at Rollins and three of her men. “Good timing, Colonel.”
“You really found yourself some trouble this time, Bellomi,” Rollins replied, smirking.
“Tell me about it.” Al sighed. “Down this way.”
He took the soldiers and his sister toward the breached bay. The door slid open, shocking him. Hanne herself had boarded his ship. A quick survey told him she had on a personal force-field, a fancy, expensive little toy. In one soft-looking hand, she had a controller. The beast coming up behind her was anything but human. It barely fit through the door, and Al had no doubt it could break him bare-handed. The thing snarled, its muscles bunching. Snarling, the thing’s muscles bunched.
“Al…,” Arianna whispered, then, along with at least two of Rollins’s people, she joined in shooting it. The thing didn’t even blink.
“Evenden doesn’t like that,” Hanne said, casting a glance at the beastly chimera with her. Rollins shot her, making Hanne’s shield crackle. “Now that wasn’t very nice.”
A loud growl tore Al’s attention from the monster. Telek and two other chimerae loped down the hall, covered in blood. One of Telek’s eyes was lost to the swelling and blood covering his face. One of Rollins’s men raised his gun, but Al held out a hand.
“No, these chimerae are on our side.”
“So sure? Telek, Olsu, Tryne, come along now. We’ll take you home.” Hanne beckoned to her freed chimera.
Telek swung on her but only grazed her arm before he had to dodge Evenden. Al realized he was trying to strip away her control panel. Al took a couple steps toward her to try the same thing as the three freed chimerae savaged the monstrous one.
“No, Al, stay away from her,” Telek screamed.
“Oh, he likes you. I’ll definitely have to make you part of the collection.” Hanne winked at Al. He joined Rollins in shooting at her.
Hanne made sure to keep the chimerae between her and the military men and Al. They couldn’t safely get past the melee to get her. Hanne cheerfully offered up fight suggestions to the chimera, and Al wondered just how insane this woman might be. Telek caught Evenden on the throat, latching on like a lion taking down prey. Olsu and Tryne tried to keep the monster’s arms busy, but it slipped past them.
Its claws struck Telek full in the chest, peeling one side of it open. Hanging like a broken gate, the wound poured blood on the decking. Telek barely had time to scream before he collapsed.
There was more screaming. It took a moment for Al to realize it was him. Olsu and Tryne got their fangs and claws in Evenden’s throat, taking the monster down and continuing to savage it there. Hanne stepped back farther, and her handset chirped.
“We’ve got the cryo units. Everything else is going to be a loss, Dr. Naess. We have the military boarding us,” someone said.
Hanne shrugged. “Oh well. Next time, maybe.” Grinning, she thumbed a control and winked out.
“Damn, a personal teleporter? Even we don’t have those,” Rollins said.
Al didn’t pay her any mind, sinking to his knees in the blood pooling around Telek. His lover wasn’t moving. How could he be? His chest had been tore apart.
“Al?” Arianna touched his shoulder, and he flinched. “Odd, if you’re safe and you can get to Shuttle Bay Two, get here fast.”
“I think I can make it.”
“He’s dead, Bellomi.” Rollins pointed to the other two chimerae. “Are they safe?”
Al ignored her. His hand hovered over Telek’s mouth, but no warm breath curled against his fingers.
Tryne got up from the now headless Evenden. She came over and pushed Telek’s ribs back into a better approximation. She turned to Rollins and said, “We’re safe. We’ll look for any of Hanne’s men.” Tryne nodded to Olsu, who followed her. The military men didn’t try to stop them.
“Bellomi, we need to get some order restored. I don’t know where that woman thinks she’s going. We have her ship locked down,” Rollins said, but Al barely processed it.
Suddenly the Ghost was rocked by an explosion. That shocked even Al out of his stupor. Rollins flicked her comm-link. “Report!”
“The ship exploded,” one of her men replied. “A smaller ship blasted off just before the explosion. We lost it in the confusion.”
Al’s lips peeled back in a feral smile. “Then there will be another time.”
“Al, Ari, what happened here?” Odd raced up, her medical bag thumping off her hip. She stopped, looking at Evenden.
“We don’t care about him.” Al patted Telek’s shoulder. “He needs you.”
Odd knelt on the other side of him, holding one of her tools. Her eyes caught Al’s. “Al, he’s dead. There’s nothing I can do for him.”
“Are you sure?” He wasn’t ready to believe it yet.
Odd glanced down to the blood, then back up to him. “I’m sorry, Al. Telek’s gone.” Sympathy shone in her eyes. “I have to go help the living.”
Arianna slipped a hand under Al’s arm. “Come on, Al. They need you. We’ll take care of Telek later.”
He wanted to argue, but she was right. He couldn’t let his entire crew die just to linger with his grief. He shook free of his sister and stalked down the corridor.
A low, long moan froze them all.
Al spun back around to see Telek curling up into a ball, groaning in pain. His hands covered his injured chest.
Odd’s jaw dropped, and she actually beat Al back to Telek’s side. She had her diagnostic tool out again. “I don’t understand this. He was dead.”
“Again?” Telek rasped. “It happens. Damn, hurts.”
“He’s actually healing all of his wounds. Rollins, your docs should take a sample of these chimerae’s blood. I’ve never seen nanites this fantastic,” Odd said as Al rested a hand on Telek’s shoulder.
“Go on,” Telek said. “Not safe yet, right?”
“Not yet,” Al agreed.
“Go, I’ll be fine.”
“You two.” Odd pointed to the soldiers. “Help me get him to sickbay.”
“All right,” Al said. “Let’s finish getting the vermin off my ship.”
AL WAS glad to see Telek up and about in the rec room, but the joy was tempered by the fact that the rec room was also filled with soldiers. Telek gravitated to Al’s side, whiter than usual, slower. “Telek, should you be up?”
“Probably not, but this is it, isn’t it?” His eyes flicked to the soldiers. “They’re going to take us now.”
Al nodded. “I’m going to talk to her one last time. Maybe Rollins will let you stay.” His voice shook. He thought he had lost Telek for good, but losing him to the military was almost as hard.
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