Theocracy: Book 1.

by Doug Dandridge

  Patrick went into motion, attacking the oncoming swarm. Everything thrown his way was blocked or avoided. Every robot that got within reach was hit. They all got up again, to be knocked down.

  “He’s unfuckin believable,” said Derrick after letting out a whistle. “I’m just glad he’s on our side.”

  And I just hope he stays on our side, thought Alyssa. “Look at his face,” she said, watching the serene look on the Monk’s countenance. “It’s like he’s taking a rest break somewhere while his body handles the light work.”

  Patrick knocked down a trio of robots, landed in a horse stance, and shouted “stop.” All of the robots stopped moving and he stayed in his position for a few more moments. When he moved it was to go back to the bench while the robots cleaned up the remains of their brethren. He grabbed his sword and shield and headed out of the gym. Alyssa knew the fastidious Monk would be heading for the showers, then to the galley to get something to eat.

  The agent didn’t want to barge in on the Monk in the shower, though the thought sent tingles down her thighs. And she didn’t want to look in on him by ship circuit, since he would know she was watching. So with a thought she sent Shadow to the shower room that she knew the Monk would frequent and had him hide away.

  “I sure wouldn’t want to face him in a fight,” repeated Derrick. “Not even with a squad of marines at my back.”

  “Shut up, Derrick,” snapped Alyssa as she watched the Monk walk into the shower room and disrobe through Shadow’s eyes. “I got something on my mind,” she told the subordinate. “We’ll talk about the Monk later.”

  “Something I can help with?” asked Derrick in a concerned voice.

  “Not a thing,” said Alyssa, drawing in a breath as the Monk threw his clothes in a hamper that the ship would recycle later. He’s beautiful, she thought, watching as the tight muscles slid under his skin. She caught sight of his groin region and could feel herself getting wet. I wonder if he knows how to use that thing. Or if his order is celibate? If the latter, she knew it was a complete waste.

  She watched Patrick shower, rubbing his skin with a cloth under the hot water, and felt herself get hot as well. Shadow wanted to move. He didn’t like the moisture in the air. But she ordered him to stay, and being a good cat he did so without protest.

  “Credit for your thoughts,” asked Derrick, giving her a quizzical look.

  “Oh, nothing,” replied Alyssa, her face reddening. She felt like a fool, pulling an adolescent trick to get an eyeful of a naked guy. But it had stirred something in her that had been growing since she had met the Monk. And it honestly had been way too long, and she wanted that connection.

  As soon as Patrick had finished and was toweling off she stood up and walked out of the meeting room, aware of Derrick’s gaze upon her. He probably thinks I’ve lost my mind, she thought. And he may be right. Wasn’t she, after all, lusting after a man from another culture, one seven hundred years less advanced than her own? And he was a clergyman of some type. For all she knew an unbeliever like her might be off limits. But she also knew that she wanted him in the worst way. Which meant, what? Staying in proximity, giving the signs, and hoping it led to what she wanted? Hell no, she thought. That had never been her way. She had never had any trouble getting a man to look at her, to lust after her. Again, doubt assailed her. This man might not even find her attractive. He might wish for a freckled face beauty of his own people. Not a dark haired, dark eyed temptress of a foreign people. But it can’t hurt to try. Can it?

  She found that she had been wandering around the ship for a moment, lost in her thoughts. She cursed herself again for being a fool, and made her way to the galley that they had all been frequenting.

  As she walked in the room, she was both happy to see him there, and nervous that he had actually been where she had expected him. Patrick had a plate before him, one of some kind of meat and vegetables, as well as a glass of cold liquid. He finished pushing a fork full of food into his mouth, then chewed as he looked at her with smiling eyes.

  “That smells really good,” she said, catching a whiff of the food. “What is it?”

  “Roast sauropod and steamed vegetables,” he said, pushing the fork into another piece of meat. “The meat is from my world, the greens from yours, I think.”

  “And the ship had both of those in storage?”

  “The food replication system doesn’t work that way,” he said, putting his fork down and using the napkin to dab his face. “It has protein and fiber banks that are attached to banks of nanomachines. They convert the basic proteins and fibers into whatever the diner wants. So, while there are some things in storage, but most of the rest is made to order.”

  “So, it would take me how long to get the same meal?” she asked, licking her lips suggestively.

  “Oh, you could have it in minutes,” said the Monk with a smile, looking over at a serving panel. “Because I asked for several meals worth of this to be prepared twelve hours ago.”

  “Then I guess I will try some,” she replied, getting back up and walking to the receptacle.

  She stood there the several minutes it took to get the food ready, looking at the Monk in a straightforward manner. Patrick looked back unabashed, and she could tell from his gaze that he found her attractive. Then the chime rang and the wall slot door slid open, revealing a meal that gave off the same wonderful aroma as his.

  Alyssa carried her meal back to the table, Shadow at her feet meowing for a treat. She made a shooing sound and sat, putting her plate on the table. The cat jumped up on the surface, not to be dissuaded. She laughed and gave him a bit of meat, then sampled some herself.

  “This is very good,” she said after swallowing that first bite. “Who would have ever thought dinosaur would be so tasty.”

  “Only the herbivores,” said Patrick with a smile, putting his glass back down after sipping. “The meat eaters taste just as awful as I’m sure they do on your planet.”

  Alyssa took another bite of dinosaur and chewed the tender meat, her eyes never leaving the face of the Monk. He took another sip of his drink and then gave her a smile.

  “What?” she asked with a chuckle.

  “I was just wondering,” said the Monk, leaning over the table. “Do you always use your cat to spy on men while they are naked?”

  Alyssa spluttered her own beverage, feeling her face turn red. “How did you…?”

  “I could feel the cat in the room when I entered,” he said with a nod toward Shadow, who gave him a measured look back. “And what the cat sees, you see.”

  “And how do you feel about me seeing you in such a state?” she asked.

  “Only that I would like to return the favor,” he said, reaching a hand over and putting it on hers.

  “You’re not a celibate clergy?” she asked, feeling her face heat up again at his touch.

  “Oh, hell no,” he said with a laugh. “We are most definitely not celibate. And we don’t even proscribe our clergy from having sex out of wedlock, like many of those in your culture.”

  “And you find me attractive?”

  “Very attractive,” said the man, coming out of his seat and moving around the table, keeping his hand on hers until he stood beside her and place his other hand on her shoulder. “I thought you were a guardian angel sent to save me when I first saw you. And now that I know you are human you are even more attractive to me.”

  “Your cabin or mine,” she said with a laugh, standing up and swiveling around to face him, her arms going around his neck.

  “Does it matter,” he said, his hands going around her waist and pulling her close. “They’re both the same. But…” he said with a laugh.

  “But?” she replied, her face close to his.

  He gave her a long kiss that seemed to heat her blood. He then brought his lips to her ear and nibbled for a moment. “My room is closer,” he finally said.

  “There’s something to be said about close,” said Alyssa in a low voice, her breath a
lmost gone.

  Patrick led her by the hand down the hall to his cabin, the door opening automatically as they approached. “You stay here, Shadow,” order Alyssa as the strong man led her through the entrance. The cat meowed in dismay, but she laughed and followed the man, the door closing behind him.

  Then it was her turned to touch the naked body she had seen before, and to see the admiration in his eyes as he looked upon her nude. He swept her up in his arms again, kissing her fiercely, then dropping his head to tease her stiffening nipples with his lips. She sighed, and he gently walked her toward the bed.

  They fell onto the soft mattress with a laugh. Then her laugh turned to a gasp as his hand found her secret place. She gasped again, then felt for his member, and found it fully erect. Her hand closed around him and she stroked up and down, feeling the penis grow even more. They stay in the side by side position for a time, their hands pleasuring each other.

  When she didn’t think she could handle anymore pleasure Patrick turned her over and rolled atop her. She gasped again as he entered her, and rode the waves of pleasure until she was engulfed in it.

  Alyssa had many lovers in her life. In her business it was inevitable. Relationships didn’t last, and people who were hunter and prey in one became lonely with such an existence. But she had never had one such as this man, who seemed to push every pleasure button in her body. It struck her as similar to his ability as a fighter. Unconscious skill that made her wonder if this was part of his training. She would not have been surprised.

  Even superman could not last forever, and she could feel his orgasm within her even as he gasped out his pleasure. She cried her way through another herself, her fourth if she was keeping count. She was surprised when he stayed in her for a little while, letting his erection recede within her, as she reveled in the feel of their sweaty skins touching along the lengths of their bodies.

  Finally he rolled off of her and arranged himself next to her where they still maintained a maximum of skin contact. She could still feel the aftershocks of her orgasms, and closed her eyes to luxuriate in the sensations, while he held her in strong arms and kissed her on the forehead.

  “Whew,” she said when her breath came back under her control. “No one has ever done that to me before. Is that something they teach you in monk school.”

  “Actually, yes,” he said with a laugh, then kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Though you were an inspiration, driving me to new and unknown heights.”

  “Really,” she said in surprise, then elbowed him in the ribs. “Liar.”

  “It is truth,” he replied with a grunting laugh as he covered up his ribs.

  “And what’s this about teaching how to do that in monk school?” she asked. “I could see teaching sexual techniques to spies. But warriors?”

  “We might be called upon to become spies at any time,” said Patrick, his face becoming serious. “And sex is a good method to get information. As well as being a pleasant way to spend time before putting one’s self at risk of harm. It reminds one of what life is about, an affirmation, before going out to face death.” His face broke into a wide smile. “And they taught us to be very good no matter how we were equipped. And now you have equipped me very well.”

  She laughed at that and reached down to check out the equipment. She wasn’t surprised to feel that it was on the rise, and she stroked him back within moments. And then, with the stamina of youth, they started again.

  * * *

  “Warning,” came the voice over the ship’s com. “You are entering a restricted area. Further progression into this area without the production of the proper codeword will result in the destruction of your vessel. Warning.”

  And so the computer generated voice extolled over and over again.

  “We have stopped well clear of the deadline,” said the voice of Daedalus.

  Thank God for small miracles, thought Alyssa, leaning forward in her chair to look at the enlarged image of the control center. She had seen it before, in long range telescopic shots taken by the Republic fleet. Somehow, it was different looking at it from a ship just over twenty light seconds away, while it was warning you to not get closer.

  “My God, but that thing is big,” said Derrick, looking over at the other two who were sitting close.

  Alyssa was happy to see that something else was capturing the man’s attention. It had been apparent soon after their first sexual encounter that Derrick had realized they were lovers. It was also apparent that he did not like the idea one bit, as it crashed his hope of occupying that position with her. But something about the Monk had drawn her like no other man she had ever met.

  And how do I feel about Patrick O’Hara? she thought, looking over at the monk, who was staring at the screen with complete concentration. He gave her a quick glance and a smile, then turned his attention back to the screen that showed the massive control center. Am I falling in love with him? He is a good lover, the best I can imagine. But we have nothing else in common, except for fighting the same enemy. And is that enough?

  She shook her head and banished that worry for a moment. That was not of importance at this moment, when they had to determine what their next move was going to be. She focused her own attention on the control center, which was really more of a very large space station that must have served other functions as well.

  The center was four hundred kilometers in diameter, but three hundred in length. Giving it a volume of almost a hundred thousand cubic kilometers. Which made it fifty times larger than the most massive structure her people had ever put into space. And there were even larger structures set around this central black hole. Including the constructs that tapped into the energy of the hole for whatever reason that much energy was needed. Those were each over ten times as massive as this station, and there were twenty of them.

  “It is amazing,” she said in agreement, thinking about the massive amount of time and resources that had been poured into the project of making eight stars orbit a black hole as the home to scores of terraformed planets. But then again, theirs seemed to be an energy rich society, for which no task seemed impossible, just requiring the application of enough force and science to achieve. So why in the hell did they die out, if they were so damned powerful?

  “We need to do something,” said Derrick, looking at Alyssa, then shooting a glare at the Monk. “We can’t just sit here and wait for the Theocrats to catch up to us.”

  “The ships of your foes are still ten hours behind us,” said the vessel in its frustratingly calm voice. “I am attempting to find and transmit an acceptable code for this station.”

  “And how long will that take?” asked Derrick, looking at the viewer that showed the dots of the fusion flames of their pursuers.

  At least they had turned over to come to a rest where we are, thought Alyssa. They hadn’t been sure that the enemy ships would. There had been the possibility they would come tearing past and fire at them, hoping to take the engines out so they could board the ancient ship on their return. But at the halfway point they had turned over as if they had been ordered to by the Republic agents. In ten hours it wouldn’t matter what they had done at that point, as they would be close enough to attack and board, unless Daedelus could either get aboard this ancient station, or leave the vicinity.

  “I can only make a couple of attempts at sending the code,” said the ship, a note of exasperation seeming to enter its voice. “After two attempts, the station will fire on us for any subsequent tries.”

  “Well, that would seem to discourage hacking,” said Alyssa, squinting her eyes to focus on a weapons turret that had turned their way.

  “Hacking?” said Patrick with a quizzical look.

  “Trying to fool the computer into thinking we are supposed to be here,” said Derrick, who mumbled “primitive” to himself under his breath.

  Patrick frowned, having obviously heard the man. Otherwise, he ignored the remark.

  “It will not let me in,” said the s
hip. “What are your orders, commander?”

  “Do you have any suggestions, Daedelus?” asked Alyssa, sure that Patrick really didn’t know what to do. He had made great strides in understanding the culture and technology of both her world and the ancients as embodied by this ship. But he still had a long way to go before he could be called acculturated.

  “There is another station approximately three hundred and sixty-four light seconds from here,” said the ship. “Perhaps something could be found there that might aid you.”

  “And what good would it be to go there?” asked Derrick, shaking his head. “Won’t we just be in the same dilemma as here?”

  “Not quite,” answered the ship, while a view of the other station sprung onto the screen. “This is a civilian station, a center for commerce and commercial transport. And I already have clearance to dock there.”

  “And that helps us how?” asked Derrick, still not happy at the resolution of their situation.

  “The station has wormhole gates that may still be open,” said the ship. “Leading to a number of destinations across the Galaxy. Possibly even to this station.”

  “Possibly,” said Derrick in a sarcastic tone. “Maybe. What you mean is that you’re not sure, right?”

  “It’s better than sitting here in the middle of space waiting for our worst nightmares to come up our ass,” said Alyssa, looking over at Patrick. “I think it’s worth a chance.”

  “Agreed,” said the Monk with a nod. “Daedalus. Bring us to that station at fastest possible safe acceleration. On my command, now.”

  The ship leapt forward in space, taking care to not enter the firing zone of the control center. As soon as she had a straight heading for the other station, she ramped up to over four hundred gravities.

  “And look at it this way, Derrick,” said Alyssa, reaching over and taking Patrick’s hand in hers. “This will put the Theocrat vessels even further behind us. It gains us at least another couple of hours.”

  “I guess that’s good,” said Derrick, looking at Patrick’s hand in hers. “I guess if anything is good, that is.”