by Terra Wolf
“You’re also a Trekker. I’ve been paying attention, Aevar. Your team are the badasses of the Alliance, and you have more in common with the bad guys than you think. Also. there might be some Pirates there, but most of the people on Goya are just simple traders. They don't mean any harm, and like I said before, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. People will give us the information we’re looking for, I promise you.”
He nodded at her, and she felt the pod come to life. A whirl accompanied them as they floated off the bottom of the Titan. She immediately put on her seatbelt.
“It’s been a while since I’ve flown one of these things.”
She talked into her com. “Oh great, I'm so glad you told me that.”
“No confidence at all?”
“Maybe just a little bit, but only because I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.” She smiled at him and the pod sped off into the dark space. She looked out the window in front of her and admired the stars as they passed them by.
“They look so small. No larger than from Jubar’s surface.”
“You thought that they would be bigger?”
“Yeah, I guess. I mean we're so much closer now.”
“How long has it been since you were in a pod?”
“I guess not long. But last time, I was kind of unconscious, if you remember correctly.”
He laughed. “You know that's not what I meant. When was the last time you were on a pod before you were knocked unconscious by a blaster and clinging on for dear life?”
She gave him a half smile. “It’s been a few human years at least. I used to go on trading missions with my father fairly often but once I joined the medical team, that kind of fell apart. But I guess you’re out here all the time, so this probably doesn't seem so amazing to you anymore.”
“It’s where I live. I'm sure that your planet didn't seem so spectacular to you either, but when you talked about the water, I could still hear some amazement in your voice. A level of respect. That's what I have for space. I respect that at any moment it could take away the very air that we breathe inside this pod and we could be floating to nothing.”
She looked at the chiseled features on his face and saw some of his etchings peeking out over the tip of his jacket. He wasn't in typical Alliance uniform; he was undercover just like she was. They had been told their story at least ten times since they had convinced the commander to complete the mission. They were a pair of traders, employed by the same company. They were looking for information, since one of their ships had been attacked and their goods stolen. They would describe the monsters that they had seen and hope that some of the other traders had a similar encounter. Of course, that was completely untrue, but they bet that if the monsters were taking people, they were also taking goods in order to supply themselves. Unless they had some sort of operation on one of the outer planets, but the Alliance had reached out to all of their intel and no one gave them an indication that that was the case.
However, there was a problem with their story. Nobody on Goya would admit to being stolen from. A bad deal? Maybe. But outright loss, no way. She had another plan in motion, but she couldn’t tell Aevar yet. She was already putting him in danger, and she needed to keep him in the dark a little longer.
“Make sure you wear your scarf around your face at all times. The smog on Goya will make the back of your throat burn something serious,” she said as she pulled her own bandana up around her lips. The Titan had moved into position just off the planet’s outer ozone layer, so their flight was short. But as they began to descend onto Goya’s surface, the pod started to rock uncontrollably. “Slow us down!”
“I can't! We must be heading into a dust storm. Hit that green button to the right of you, the blinking one. It'll close the vent so that way we just circulate the air that's inside of the pod.”
The pod continued to shake and if Ivy hadn't been secured by the seatbelt, she would have been tossed from her seat. “What are you doing? Land us!”
“I'm no pilot, sweetheart. I'm a fighter. And doing the best I can! Get ready, we're going to hit the ground hard.” She slammed her palm against the green button and then held onto the belt that crossed over her chest. She clutched it so hard that she had nail marks on her skin.
The pod slammed into the surface of the planet, skipping off the ground until finally making a complete stop. She heard what sounded like air being released from the back of the pod.
“The hatch won't open automatically, will it?”
Aevar disengaged his seatbelt and raced to the back. “No! If it’s making that sound, it's because something is broken. Sounds like a fuel line, swuya!” He used his goggles to look through the back of the hatch. “We're not going out there anytime soon to check, though. This is a huge storm, and it goes for miles.”
“And your maps didn’t tell you that? I thought those fancy goggles of yours could do anything.”
“Well, they can't see into the future. We can only tell the weather as far as the upper clouds. The storms are created completely on the surface. So for now, we're stuck.”
Ivy removed her own seatbelt and walked around the cabin of the pod. “How are we going to finish this mission if we're stuck here?”
Aevar sat down on the bench and removed his goggles and communication device.
“We're just going to have to wait it out, Ivy. There's no other option.”
“Great. So we're stuck here, in this tiny little pod together, with hardly any food and very little supplies. You know sometimes these the storms last days! It’d almost be better to just head back to the Titan and try a different day.”
Aevar raised an eyebrow at her. “I'm not flying through that mess again. We're here until the storm passes, and then we complete the mission. That's our only option.”
“Well, what are we going to do in the meantime?” Ivy had never been an enclosed area like this before with no way to get out. Her skin felt like it was crawling as she felt the anxiety creeping in. Clearly, she wasn't good in small spaces.
“I can think of something,” Aevar said with a devilish look in his eye.
Ivy cocked her head at him. “Oh, and what’s that?”
Aevar pulled out a pack of cards from his back pocket and put them down on the bench next to him. “Your sister taught me how to play. I bet I can beat you.”
“You bet, do you? You don't have anything to bet. That's the whole point of playing: winning.” She was competitive. She’d been told before.
“Fine. For every hand I win, you take off a piece of clothing.”
Ivy was shocked. Sure, there had been some tension between her and Aevar, an undeniable chemistry. But they were on an Alliance pod. This wasn't really the time to get involved. Besides, she had bigger fish to fry. But as he patted the bench next to him, she realized that she didn't want to say no.
“And if I win?”
“The same rule applies. I remove a piece of clothing.”
Suddenly, Ivy was a lot more interested. She was dying to see what was underneath that dark black jacket and light grey pants that set low on his hips. Maybe she would finally get a closer look at his etchings after all.
“Well, I hope you don't get cold easily.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“Let's put it this way, I taught Maggie how to play.”
Aevar looked a little worried, and he should have.
Chapter 10
Ivy
Ivy slammed her cards down on the bench again. “Winner! Time for those pants to go.” She winked at Aevar who had lost both of his shoes, his socks, his jacket and shirt, and now his pants. Ivy had only given up her bandana. Aevar was losing, and badly.
“Swuya!” he swore looking annoyed. “You know maybe you could match me, it would certainly make me feel a little better.”
“And why should I do that? You’re the one who made the rules.”
He leaned in closer. “Because together, we could play other games.”
Ivy shud
dered. Her heart was pulsing at an unrecognizable rate. Her eyes settle on one of his etchings, a mark right on his chest.
“What does this one mean?” Ivy asked, reaching out to touch one of Aevar’s etchings. Bad idea, because as soon as she touched his skin, she didn’t want to pull her hand away. She ran her fingers over each line, slowly caressing his skin.
“It means power of the mind,” he said grabbing her fingers with his own. He pulled up her fingers to his lips and sucked on each one. His tongue swirled over her flesh and her pussy ached in response. Then his lips found hers and he pushed away the cards.
She pulled back. “The game!” she complained.
“Is over,” he countered.
As his hand reached into her hair, she found she couldn’t deny him. His half naked body in front of her made it difficult to think. Their lips mashed together more feverishly. Suddenly she felt her own shirt being tugged off.
“You’re a sore loser,” she mumbled against his lips.
“But this way, we both win.”
Wasn’t that the truth. He removed her shirt and she wrapped her legs around him, sitting on his lap. He was bigger than her and as she reached around his neck she could just barely clasp her hands. Swuya, he was remarkable without clothes on. He began to grind her body against his as their kisses continued. He released her lips and began kissing down her face and neck.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said in a whisper.
She continued to grind against him, her pussy aching for more attention as he removed her bra and began using his hands to massage her breasts. He continued his kisses further down until he playfully bit one of her nipples. She moaned in response.
She laid back against his knees and the bench with her legs still wrapped around his hips. His tongue flicked against her skin and his hands went to remove her blaster belt and pants. Somehow within moments she was more naked than he was.
“Hey, no fair!”
“Why?”
“I won! You’re supposed to get naked first,” she laughed as he descended upon her once more. He stood, removing his pants and unleashed a huge cock springing to attention.
“Happy?”
She raised an eyebrow at his member. “I’m about to be.”
Aevar picked her up swiftly and her naked body wrapped around his. He was so warm, it felt like he was burning her, but she didn’t want the pain to stop. Slowly he pushed his cock into her allowing it to fill her completely. She had never been with someone so large before.
“Ohhh,” she groaned, unable to control herself. “Harder.”
He teased her again, moving so slowly she thought she might scream. The smell of her sex filled the small cavern and Aevar licked his lips.
He pushed himself into her again, and then again. Picking up his speed. She cried out for more, needing him deeper inside of her, to hit her g-spot and push her over the edge. Her back pounded against the side of the pod, the cold metal felt like heaven against her hot skin.
“More!” she commanded.
“I’ll give you more,” he said pounding into her.
She couldn’t breathe, their skin was so hot together. She thought she might burst into flame. She was so close to the edge and with a few final thrusts, she felt the waves of pleasure crash over her. Her skin buzzed with ecstasy as her orgasm rocketed through her veins. She could also feel the heat of his seed flowing into her. His cock pulsing inside of her.
Slowly she came down from her high and climbed down his statue like body.
“Better than cards?”
She laughed at him. “Way better.”
Chapter 11
Ivy
“It looks like the storm has passed,” Aevar said as he checked the monitors.
“So I guess it's time to do this, then?”
Aevar nodded. “I guess so.”
He had to manually open the back hatch, and he walked out first with his blaster up just in case anyone had noticed their arrival. But things were just as they expected—no one had seen them crash because of the storm. Most of the colonists of Goya were most likely protecting themselves within their own homes and businesses. Besides, they were a solid hour’s walk from the town itself.
“The colony is this way,” Aevar said as he pointed off to the West. Everything was covered in a thick layer of sandy dust from the storm. Trees were blown down around them. They were lucky that their pod hadn’t been damaged more than it was from his terrible landing.
Ivy hopped down out of the pod and surveyed the damage for herself. “We're going to have to be airlifted out of here, aren't we? I don't think that this pod is going to be moving anytime soon.”
Aevar walked around the exterior of the pod and noticed a giant gaping hole where the fuel lines once were.
“No. If we're lucky, somebody might give us some galactic coin for scrap, but unless the Titan wants to retrieve it, we're screwed.”
“Great.” Ivy sighed. “Well, I guess we should start walking then, especially before another storm kicks up.”
Aevar led the way with his blaster up but Ivy thought that it was overkill. No one was going to stop them. If anything, he looked more dangerous and conspicuous then he should have.
“You know, you can put that thing away,” she said after they had been walking for a while. “You don't want the colony members to see you as some type of threat when we arrive. We’ll be fine. Why can't you just believe that?”
Aevar stopped abruptly and turned and looked back at her. “Let's see, why should I believe that? Oh I know, because the whole reason that we’re on this mission is because your entire colony of people was abducted by some monster that we know actually nothing about. There's also the small fact that I'm falling head over heels for you and I have a desperate need to keep you safe. Can't you see that?”
Ivy was just inches away from his face. His chest heaved up and down as anger flowed through his body. So she did the only thing she thought she could: she reached up and put her hands around his cheeks and pulled him in for a tight kiss. Visions of their time on the pod swirled around in her mind. She couldn’t wait to repeat that encounter.
“I know you're only doing this for me,” she mumbled against his skin. “But I need you to trust me too. I know what I'm doing.”
He sighed heavily. “I never said that you didn't. It's just that when I’m with you... I feel crazy inside. Like everything is jumbled and I can't think straight. And if there's one thing that I'm good at, it’s thinking straight.”
“So I made you bad at the one thing you think you're good at?” She smiled at him, willing him to relax.
He shrugged. “Something like that.”
“Well I think you're good at a lot of things,” she said, her fingers grazing his cheek. He was so much taller than her that she had to stand up on her toes just to reach.
“Is that an invitation?”
She shook her head. “It will be when we get back on the Titan. But for now, we need to start moving. And you need to put that blaster way.”
He rolled his eyes at her but did as she suggested and tucked it in the back of his pants. They walked side by side the rest of the way through the wilderness toward the colony. Finally, they reached the city limits. A large metal gate made of scrap stood in front of them. Sure, they could go in the back unnoticed. But that wasn’t the plan. They needed to be seen to talk to people. At the gate, they were met by two unruly looking guards.
“Here on business or pleasure?” one of them asked her as he eyed her up and down, licking his lips.
“Business. My associate and I have some supplies back at our ship that we’d like to sell. Looking for buyers.”
“That's a shame, because Ralph and I could have shown you a good time.”
She felt Aevar straighten up behind her. He placed his hand on the small of her back, but she waved him off discreetly. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him to touch her, because swuya, did she ever, but now was not the time. They had to play their
part to get in.
“Oh well,” she said to them, “maybe another time.”
“Do you have papers?” the other guard said this time, directing his question at Aevar.
But Ivy intervened. “Really? Papers? Who are you, the Alliance guard?” They all laughed together, Aevar a beat behind them. She hoped that the guards didn't notice.
“Go ahead, lady, and take your mute friend with you.” Aevar pulled the bandana just slightly higher on his face and nodded to both of them as they walked past. Ivy made a beeline directly toward a bar that she was familiar with. She remembered her father stopping in there from time to time to find out about new business. If there was any gossip about this beast of a species, the people in there would know.
“Let's sit at the table in the corner.” She pointed. It was darker in the corner, away from all the windows and interested eyes. She ordered drinks and then walked over to join Aevar, who had already sat down.
He smirked at her as she set the drinks down on the table. “This is something new. I've never had a lady buy me a drink before.”
“Well, I guess there's a first time for everything.”
“So do you know any of these characters?” He took a swig while scanning the bar.
“No, but I know someone who frequently stops here. If we wait, she might stop by and then we'll have someone to talk to.” Ivy scanned the crowd of Pirates and traders one last time, but she didn't see any familiar faces.
“So who is it that you're looking for? Who do you know? But wait… if they know you, they won’t buy our story.”
“An older woman. She used to trade with my father sometimes. And she travels all over the galaxy playing cards and placing bets. She taught me how to play cards. And she knows everything about everyone. Nothing escapes her. And don’t worry about her knowing me. It’s all part of my plan.”
“Your plan?” he asked, his voice rising. “What about the commander’s plan?”
Ivy watched intently as the bartender nodded to a waitress who looked in their direction. She hoped that her informant would be there shortly; some of the other attendees were starting to look their way.