by J Palliser
"I hear you, kid. Delaara, keep this boy honest, will you, darlin'?" Ron smiled at her.
"Will do, Sarge", she said with a chuckle.
"Blood and Honor, kids." He said as they left with Becker and Rachel in tow.
*** They sat around the coffee table in the living room, having a last beer before bed as Jacob recounted the meeting with Admiral Raeder.
"Erich is a good man," said Rachel as she toasted one of her oldest friends. "I'll drink to that," said Delaara, guzzling back the dark German beer that reminded her so much of a Centauri ale she loved back in the Empire. "This beer is just like Centauri ale", she said with an appreciative smile.
"Honey, the Germans perfected beer hundreds of years ago", Jacen laughed and kissed her. "Well, we're off to bed after a good shag, I think," said Rachel, giving Jacob the 'make love to me' eyes and biting her lower lip.
"Whatever my Captain desires, sweet lady," said Becker as he stood and helped her to her feet. They disappeared into the guest room, locking the door behind them. Jacen and Delaara sat finishing their beers and cuddling together on the padded chair. "Where's Rachel from, Jacen?" She asked. "She has an odd way of putting things, and I don't know what she's even saying sometimes."
"She's from Cardiff. I think that's what attracted Rash to her in the first place, to be honest. He has a thing for the upper class Welsh accents." He chuckled.
"She sounds similar to Paul Ascher", she nodded.
"Well, they were both educated in Munich, Ascher is from Sawnsea, originally." Jacen clarified for her. "Human culture is so fascinating," she said with a smile. "On Centauri, we had basically one culture, with several subcultures that weren't very big. I prefer Earth." She shrugged and kissed him tenderly.
"I prefer anywhere with you by my side, Delaara." He said in return.
"Let's get to bed, my love," she said finally after their beers were gone.
"Good idea." He said, standing and picking her up in his arms. He carried her back to their room, her head resting contentedly against his shoulder. As they undressed and kissed, Jacen knew that he wanted to be a father to their children, even more than he had before. She was his perfection.
"Mate with me, Jacen," she said in her sexiest smokey voice. "Whatever my lady desires," he said as he kissed her lovingly and deeply, her hands running through his hair and down his back as he moved on top of her.
"Mmmmmm, I love you, Jacen Kruger," she moaned as his lips reached her breasts, licking her nipples to full hardness. "I love you too, Delaara Kruger," he replied just as softly, his lips continuing to explore her beautiful body. He kissed lower across her flat toned stomach. Her moans grew louder as he reached her pussy, inhaling her arousal as he kissed her tenderly there. He loved her taste, and could feel the mindmeld starting with her moans and gasps as his tongue brought her to climax. She tightened her grip on his hair, pushing his tongue deeper inside her as she came.
She knew that what they shared was special. Her climax fuelling the mindmeld and bringing them both almost more pleasure than they could bear. As he kissed his way up her body to her lips, she reached down and guided him into her. They joined as one and moaned in unison, hearts beating together as he moved into her, thrusting with her. They looked into each other's eyes and everything was right with the world. When they came together, the crescendo was deafening in their ears, the pinnacle of their physical lovemaking.
She rolled him onto his back and straddled him, kissing his lips and chest as he filled her completely with his seed. Their moans of love and lust finally satiated, they fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
*** Rachel awoke to the smell of sizzling bacon and eggs. She smiled and cuddled closer to Becker as he moaned softly in his sleep. They had made love long and slow, the night before, and he had shown a tenderness and attention to her needs that he had rarely shown before.
Now that they were legally out in the open with their relationship, the urgency of fucking quickly was gone. It had been replaced by loving as lovers who'd had enough of the usual shagging for the thrill, and had moved on to the more romantic forms of sex.
She nudged him awake, and smiled at him as his eyes opened. "Good morning, loverboy," she said with a sexy tone to her voice. "I think Cobalt is fixing us some breakfast."
Becker inhaled sharply through his nose. "Mmm, that smells good. I smell coffee brewing, too." He grinned.
Rachel giggled softly. She had experience with him and his coffee, knowing that was all it took to keep him up and wired for the entire day. They got dressed quickly in civil clothes and went out to the kitchen. Cobalt and Redfox were already there, and she was only wearing a nightshirt she'd commandeered from Cobalt's old collection of oversized shirts. Becker noticed that she was molded to his back, and couldn't help but admire the perfect curve of her backside. He glanced at Rachel, and she was dressed sexy as hell in her short denim shorts and tank top that showed off her full tits to their utmost.
"Morning, guys. Breakfast will be on momentarily," said Jacen with a grin as he and Delaara turned to smile at their friends.
"Take your time, Jacen," said Rachel as she sat at the breakfast nook. Becker was making a beeline for the coffee pot, and grabbed four mugs from the cabinet with the ease of long familiarity. He poured the cups and added sugar and creamer for Rachel, knowing how she liked hers.
"Hey, brother. Coffee is poured for you and Delaara," he said after he'd taken a long swig from his mug. He carried his and Rachel's mugs to the breakfast nook and handed her the latte.
"Thanks, Rash," said Delaara with a grin. She took her mug and sipped, enjoying the flavor of the Colombian beans. She'd developed a taste for coffee, and revelled in the sweet bitterness of it. It reminded her of all she had now compared to before she'd been shot down over NZ8-257.
"It's ready, guys." Jacen said as he plated their food. He handed plates to Rachel and Becker first, with forks, and then handed a plate to Delaara with a smile. They took their spots and dug in.
"Cobalt, this is wonderful!" Rachel exclaimed with sincerity. "It's honestly better than I thought you would make." She laughed.
"Thanks, Captain," said Jacen with a wry smile.
Delaara loved his cooking, and told him so. "You make the simplest dishes shine, baby."
"I had good inspiration," he said with a smile, kissing her lightly.
Becker said "Man, this is some good stuff! Your mom would be proud of you, Cobalt!"
"Thanks, Rash. She taught me how to cook, but you already knew that." He laughed.
They ate in companionable silence, and Delaara cleared their plates to the dishwasher when they'd finished.
They sat in front of the vidscreen on the wall and talked for a bit before checking the news. "....and in New York today, the Bren delegation continues to stonewall Kriegsmarine's investigation of rumors that Bren interests have been smuggling contraband through Reich territorial space." The newscaster was being deliberately vague.
"Babies are 'contraband' now??" asked Rachel with indignation. Her eyes flashed. "Honey, if they were to say that infants were being smuggled, we'd have riots in the streets, full of people demanding we wipe the Bren out," Jacob reasoned with her.
"It's something I'd be bloody well glad to do, then!" Rachel was usually calm and composed, even under the most withering of fire. However, when something threatened children, her maternal instincts kicked in, and she became an avenging angel of doom to those who would do harm to the young and defenseless.
Delaara agreed with her, squeezing her hand tightly in support. For his part, Jacen just stared implacably at the screen as the story unfolded.
Their comm beeped all at once, and Rachel answered hers. "Captain Weiss here. What is it, Commander?" " We have new orders, ma'am", came the Jerov's voice over the comm. "All shore leave is now cancelled by order of Kriegsmarine Command, and we've been recalled to duty," he finished. As per procedure, all orders were forwarded to the ship itself and its officer of the day.
&
nbsp; "We copy, Jerov," she said. "I'm with Cobalt, Rash, and Redfox now. We'll be heading back up shortly." She confirmed. The rest nodded at her, and grabbed their bags and bolted to the Warthog in the driveway. They threw their bags in the back and strapped in as Jacen threw the ignition switch and the beast roared to life.
" Dönitz, this is Condor Leader, We'll be on deck in five mics", Jacen said as he nosed the bomber upwards and went to full impulse.
"It's war," said Rachel in a low whisper. Nobody onboard the bomber disagreed with her.
11
Ten
Into Glory...
In high orbit above Earth. They were all gathered on the Bridge as Admiral Raeder's broadcast went out to the fleet. Rash stood beside Rachel's command chair, and Jacen was holding Delaara from behind as they listened to the Old Man.
"We are now at war with the Bren Alliance" , the Admiral said in a grave voice. "All combat vessels are ordered to the Bai'jor system to coordinate for an assault on Bren interests and defenses at this time. Sieg Heil!"
"You heard the man, people," said Rachel in her usual calm manner. "Helm, set course for Outpost 19 and engage at maximum gravity-drive."
"Aye aye, ma'am," said the ensign at the controls. The viewport showed them entering gravity-drive. Rachel turned on the ship's comm. "We know what we're going to be up against," she said calmly. "I know that you will all be up to it. I have the best bloody crew in the Kriegsmarine, and we will win this war! Sieg Heil!"
"Sieg Heil!! Sieg Heil!! Sieg Heil!!" The victory cheers could be heard on every deck, and Rachel smiled to herself with pride in her ship, her crew, and her pilots.
She went to her Ready Room with Cobalt, Redfox, Rash, and Jerov in tow. As they sat, she moved to the front of her desk and sat back against it.
"You all know what we're in for. The Bren aren't as adept as the Centauri, militarily, but they do employ mercenaries, usually Wraiths." She said calmly. "Redfox, you've fought Wraiths before. What should we expect?" She looked Delaara as she asked the question.
"They're savage in combat, Captain," she said. "I've seen them sacrifice themselves in order to destroy their targets, and they have no fear of death."
"Sounds like the Dracs," said Commander Jerov with a snort. "Except that unlike Dracs, Wraiths have no honor, and will use civilians as shields", said Delaara. "They're smart, ruthless, and completely without conscience. All their Guild cares about is money." She finished.
"Sounds exactly like Islamic terrorism in Earth's history." Rash said. Rachel nodded. "Exactly the same, except for the money part. And, as you well know, that's why Islam has been banned by the Reich Ministry and condemned as a pagan religion and as a purveyor of terrorism punishable by either life in a penal colony or death for any practicing of it. Anything to add to Delaara's comments, Cobalt?" She looked at her Condor Legion Leader.
"Well, I've only faced them on the ground with Delaara on NZ8-257, but I can tell you with certainty that the best hope for defeating them is to catch them off-guard. It was how we were able to beat them. Well, that and Delaara's deadly accuracy with a pulse pistol," he grinned.
They chuckled and the tension was broken. "Good to know. Jerov, I want all squadrons briefed and battle plans drawn up for engaging Wraith targets", Rachel ordered.
"You got it, Rachel." Jerov said as he left the Ready Room. "If they try suicide attacks on the Zeppelin, I'll need tactics for defense against such attacks," she said to her pilots. "Get with the other Strike Wing commanders and let them know that we're going to need everyone in defense of the Zeppelin at a moment's notice." She looked at Cobalt and Redfox.
Jacen nodded as he and Delaara rose, and left to talk to Red and Blue Squadrons. Rachel looked at Rash. "Jacob, would you be so kind as to lock the door, please? We still have about 4 hours until we reach Outpost 19."
*** Commander Wulf looked at Ja'dia Drax, his wife, and knew she would have approved. His son, Alexei, had transferred to Luftwaffe Fighter Command from the Drac Military, and was on Outpost 19 to await the arrival of the Graf-Zeppelin.
"Wulf, don't worry. Alexei will be fine!" She told him. "Rachel is a great captain, and he'll have the closest surrogate family ever." She said with a smile. "They'll look out for him, so don't worry."
"I know, but he's my son, so it's my duty to worry," he said with a sigh. "Well come on. Colonel Kyra has a briefing for us for when the fleet arrives," she said and dragged the big warrior from his chair.
*** Colonel Kyra sat in her office and read the daily reports. Os'kar was standing in front of her, pacing back and forth. "Os'kar, would you please calm down? You're making it hard for me to think," she said.
"I still believe we should incarcerate Edeer and Queeg, if only for their own protection. Feelings toward the Bren are at an all time low right now," he said, real concern in his voice.
She sighed. "Fine, protective custody it is, but only if they say yes," she said with an exasperated smile. Os'kar was already moving toward the door to her office as her comm beeped. "Colonel, this is Chief O'Reilly. The Graf-Zeppelin has dropped from gravity-drive and is on final approach to docking arm 2."
"Thank you, Chief," she said with a smile. "I'll go meet them in a moment." She closed her console down and walked out to the promenade. Dar'ik joined her as they walked towards Docking arm 2.
"Hello, Salim," she said with a warm smile for her Trassian friend. "What brings you out today?" "Well, since I joined Reich Intelligence, all they have me do is paperwork this, and paperwork that. It's cutting into my business," he complained jovially. "I was hoping to get a good look at the Kriegsmarine's newest weapons and meet some of the people who fly them."
Kyra laughed. Dar'ik was the best tailor in the Gemini Quadrant, and he knew how to break the ice. As a former Obsidian Order operative, he was well versed in coercion, combat, and cooperation.
"Well, come on, then. Rachel is coming aboard with a few of her staff, including a surprise she said she had for me." Kyra was always wary of Rachel's surprises, but she had seemed very cheerful and almost giddy when they'd spoken.
"I look forward to meeting your friend, Colonel," said Dar'ik with a smile. He had grown fond of the new commanding officer of Outpost 19 since Captain Regal had disappeared. They had become closer over the past few years, and often went on dinner 'dates' together. He even confided in her about his time as an Obsidian Order operative.
For Kyra's part, she had grown to like Salim Dar'ik, and even have some romantic feelings for him. It was hard for her to open herself to anyone, and she was doubly suspicious of Dar'ik due to his shady past. However, over the past few years, they had developed a sort of bond.
They entered the turbo-lift up to the docking port, and as they ascended, Dar'ik turned and kissed her cheek. When she turned, shocked, he said "Colonel, I enjoy your company immensely, and was wondering if you would have dinner with me tomorrow night in my quarters. I should have the latest batch of paperwork filed by then."
He looked nervous, and was that a blush she saw? A former Trassian agent had just asked her to a romantic dinner for two, and he looked nervous as hades!
She felt her heart flutter a bit. "Salim, I would love to have dinner with you tomorrow night," she said with a radiant smile. His delighted smile lifted her spirits as she kissed him lightly on the lips.
As the lift opened, they exited to stand before the airlock. It cycled quickly, and out stepped 3 humans and a Centauri. Dar'ik's eyes went wide as he saw her, and reflexively shifted his weight into an unobtrusive combat stance. Then he noticed that she was holding hands with the bearded male human, and his curiosity came out. "Welcome to Outpost 19," he said with a smile, beating Colonel Kyra to it. "I'm Salim Dar'ik, the station tailor, and this is Colonel Kyra Nyra, the station's commanding officer," he said with a smile to everyone.
"Good to meet you, Dar'ik", said the female human with a smile as she turned to Kyra. "Kyra, I have some wonderful news! Is there someplace private we can talk?"
"Let's go to my office, Rachel." Kyra said with a smile for her friend. "Dar'ik's all right, he's just talkative." They laughed like the old friends they were, and got into the turbo-lift down to the promenade.
"Well, Commanders", Dar'ik said, addressing the bearded male human and the female Centauri. "It's good to meet you both", he smiled.
"Good to meet you too, Mr. Dar'ik", said the man with a smile. "I'm Jacen Kruger, and this is my wife, Delaara."
"Your wife? That's unexpected," he said with a surprised look.
Kyra turned and said "Dar'ik! Don't be rude to our guests!" "It's quite a story, Kyra. We'll fill you both in when we reach your office. Also, Jacob and I have something to confess to you," the female Captain said with a smile.
Dar'ik was intrigued beyond measure. The three pilots, for he recognized their flight suits, tended to be alert and always looking around as they entered the Promenade and headed up to the Colonel's office. As they entered, Dar'ik's curiosity was about to burst when Kyra finally asked what the surprise was.
"Well, Jacob and I have been together for about a year now, and we're getting married!" Rachel grinned and hugged Kyra, who was grinning ear to ear as well. Becker was smiling and blushing, still not fully used to their relationship being out in the open.
"That's wonderful! It's nice to meet you, Jacob", she said, shaking the blonde man's hand.
"Good to meet you too, Colonel", he said with a smile. "Kyra, these are the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer of Condor Legion; Lieutenant Commander Jacen 'Cobalt' Kruger, and his wife, Lieutenant Commander Delaara 'Redfox' Kruger. Their story is almost too fantastic to be believed," she said with a huge grin.
Jacen grinned and blushed a bit as he squeezed his wife's hand. She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Go ahead and tell them", she said. "Well, it all started above NZ8-257, along the Centauri Neutral Zone back during the war..." Dar'ik listened in fascination as Jacen, Delaara, and even Becker added to the tale of adventure and romance on a tropical paradise. He laughed and was also touched by the sincerity of their love for each other.