by Voxley, Vi
"General," the man said. "I'm Captain Algos, I run... I am usually the one running security on Ilotra."
Aria saw the general measure Algos from head to toe and saw the disgusted grin on his face.
That man is great at making new friends, she thought.
"Are you?" Ryden asked.
The captain looked puzzled by his question.
"Yes, General," he said, uncertain. "Yes, I am the highest-ranking security officer on Ilotra."
"No," Ryden said, clearly relishing the situation. "I mean, are you calling what you're doing here security?"
Aria had to give Captain Algos credit. He frowned and stared at the general, even if he had to look up to do that.
"Yes," he said coldly. "This might not be up to your standards, General, but this isn't a Brion warship, it doesn't need—"
"Watch it," Ryden cut him off, giving the captain a hard look. "I know Ilotra isn't, strictly speaking, a military structure. But that being the reason this place isn't run like one is absurd. Ilotra isn't a warship, true. It's merely the central point of the entire Galactic Union, gathering all the political and economic elite together here, on this little moon. On Briolina, I've visited camps meant for children that I would have had a harder time conquering."
Captain Algos chose wounded pride over wisdom, Aria noticed, when he crossed his hands across his chest furiously.
"I will not be yelled at before my men," he snarled. "You may have the council's approval to run Ilotra under this threat, but I take pride in my service and I will not let anyone come here and criticize what my fortress looks like in a low-level threat mode."
Aria expected to see his head rolling on the floor, but instead, she found the general grinning. It seemed Captain Algos was as surprised as everyone else in central control, considering they'd all backed away halfway into his first sentence.
"Better," Ryden said, smirking, "now you're beginning to sound like a man. I must warn you against speaking to me like that again though, if you do not want your head to be mounted on my trophy wall."
The captain glared, but eventually seemed to accept that it was the best he was going to get.
"I will man the important parts of this fortress's defense with my own warriors," Ryden said, walking around, motioning for Algos to continue. "The Conqueror will provide support from orbit. It's also ready to deploy hundreds of trained warriors on the surface where and when they are needed. What we need to fear the most is a stealth attack, as was made obvious from today. Now."
The general turned back to Captain Algos so suddenly the man almost jumped, but he regained his composure at the last moment.
"You said something about low-level threat mode being in action. The time to raise the level was when you first learned of the Clayor, but we have to make do with raising it right now. Tell me what you have."
Captain Algos went on to explain what they had, with Aria providing additional details she thought the general should know. She turned out to be quite useful, as it was. Captain Algos was very surprised by her knowledge, which only made Aria want to yell at him, because she'd been trying to talk to him for months.
Since it wasn't the time to bring up personal grudges, she let it go. They mostly discussed repair works on the shield generator and other defensive measures that could be done in preparation for the actual fight.
***
She aided the general as best she could, but eventually he had to deal with matters that didn't concern her, so she showed herself out. The tinge of disappointment was eased by the parting look Ryden gave her, telling her she wasn't alone in regretting having to part.
The joy she felt at that was short-lived however, because her feelings were nothing compared to her continued concerns. The attraction she felt was at once annoying and so obvious she barely even took it into consideration.
So far, the general hadn't been that bad. But a part of her couldn't let go of the vision she'd had of him beforehand.
When you hadn't seen him yet, her mind pointed out.
Aria prided herself on making rational decisions, but Ryden had her doubting her convictions. Everything he did seemed to be good—like making preparations for the possible attack—but all of it was still carried out with threats. And whenever he lost his temper and showed his warrior side, he looked like the monster she feared he was. Aria wondered if a monster was what they needed.
She walked back to her quarters deep in thought. Sota was probably waiting for her report, but Aria didn't feel like meeting the leader of the Terran ambassadors right about then. All she wanted was a hot bath to relax in after the stress of the day and a chance to wrap her brain around everything that had happened. And then a very cold one to take away the absurd yearning she felt every time her eyes fell upon the general.
Apparently life wasn't going to be kind to her that day. Stepping into the quarters she shared with the other Terrans, hoping to sneak past unseen to her rooms, she found Sota already waiting for her. Aria sighed, seeing there was no escape. She greeted the aging ambassador, receiving a curt bow in return. Sota was shorter than Aria, with dark black hair reaching his ears and deep hazel eyes.
"You've had quite a day," he said instead of a greeting.
Aria pursed her lips. There were days when she liked the man's straight-to-the-point attitude, but this wasn't one of them. She'd wanted some peace and quiet before, apparently, they would all be in the middle of an actual war. It felt so weird to think that.
She'd never thought she might see a space war with her own eyes. Despite living on Ilotra and spending every waking moment in the company of aliens, Aria still wanted to say it sounded exactly like something out of a science fiction movie.
"Yes," she told Sota, nodding. "Can we do this later, Sota?"
"No, I'm afraid we can't postpone this attack on us until you feel well-rested enough to converse with me."
"That's not what I meant," Aria snapped.
"I know," Sota said, motioning for her to sit. "But time is of the essence here. What is that Brion bastard up to?"
Aria’s brows shot up. She’d never heard Sota refer to anyone like that; the man was courteous to a fault. She sat down, still chewing on this new development.
"He's reinforcing Ilotra. They're trying to estimate the damage to the shield generator."
"All right, he wants to turn on the bubble. That's predictable. What is he generally planning to do?"
"What do you mean?" Aria asked.
The man sighed.
"He's a Brion," he said. "You saw how he handled things today. Do you think he's a threat and what are you doing to stop him?"
Many things had happened to Aria that day. She'd nearly died in an explosion and almost been sucked into space. Yet Sota's words were the first to make her angry.
"You heard him," she said, slowly, to make sure the other ambassador understood she was being serious. "General Ryden is not a threat to us right now. He came here to help. I thought my job was to try to control him when he stepped out of line. Why would I stop him?"
Sota gave her a stern look, one that made her blood boil.
"I see I might have misjudged you," he said coldly. "I thought you would be good for the job because you have spirit and you speak Brionese tolerably. I see I should have picked a man for this task. One not so easily distracted from what's important here."
Aria was up before he could properly finish his sentence and the slap echoed loudly in the room. Sota didn't raise his hand to strike her back. Instead he stood from the chair, his dark eyes cold and unforgiving.
"Never do that again," he warned her.
"Stop talking nonsense then," Aria threw back at him. "How dare you? I think he is right so far because I think he is right, not because I think he's hot."
"So you admit to being attracted to him," Sota said, like that proved his point.
"Of course," Aria said, rolling her eyes. "Did you see him? I dare you to go out and find a single woman with a healthy sex drive
that doesn't agree and maybe then I'll let you get away with saying that. Until then, don't we have much more important things to consider?"
"Like what?" Sota asked.
"What he said," Aria said, despairing.
Was everyone but her blind and deaf?
"That someone in here helped the enemy," she said. "That someone let the Clayors inside."
Sota fell silent at that. Aria wouldn't forgive him for being an asshole, but she knew he took the Clayors seriously at least.
"You really think we have a traitor on Ilotra," he said, deep in thought.
"Yes," Aria said. "And you must agree. You heard the others when he asked if all of them knew the Clayors were here. I thought they all knew, but apparently not. The Brions sure didn't."
"They might have been lying to protect their general."
"Maybe, but they weren't the only ones. By far."
It seemed like it almost pained him to admit it, but Sota nodded.
"I agree," he said. "But who? We knew."
"Yes," Aria allowed. "We were told because we had no idea about the hive mind. It has to be someone who knew about it."
"I'll ask around and see what the others think," Sota said. "In the meantime, carry on with your mission, Aria."
She glared at him, willing him to say no more on the matter. But Sota didn't get to his position by not speaking his mind.
"What I said before was out of line," he said through tight lips, as if admitting his foolhardiness was not something the esteemed ambassador enjoyed. "But don't be a fool, Aria. I expect better of you. He might have been right about the Clayors and our defense. He may even be right about the traitor in our midst. But he is still a Brion. War is everything to them. They don't think of civilians and casualties like we do.
"I've talked to their ambassadors. All of them, even those who aren't warriors, are prepared to meet their death. They expect the same from everyone else. All I'm saying is that when that man chooses to sacrifice a large chunk of Ilotra to get his victory, he will do so without regret. And before you defend him, there is no guarantee you won't be in that chunk when it goes down."
With that ominous, almost prophetic thought, Sota left her alone at last. Aria fell to sit back in her seat, deep in thought. Sota was harsh. Ironically, he had a lot in common with Ryden in that regard.
Harsh, but honest, she thought miserably.
Had she slapped Sota for telling the truth? Was she really being a silly girl who fell for broad shoulders and eyes that made her knees weak?
Everything he'd said was true, she knew that. They were her own concerns, repeated back to her. It might have depressed Aria to think so, but it wasn't her job to look for the brightest side of things. Only the most honest.
At least she no longer needed a cold shower. Her desire was suddenly all gone, along with her good mood.
CHAPTER TEN
Aria
The bath felt nice and relaxing, exactly what she needed after the day she'd had. Aria loved her bath, the only luxury she'd asked for on Ilotra. It was so big it was practically a small pool with seats to rest on. Of everything that was hers, Aria adored that the most. She didn't mind hard work and doing more than her share, but after long hours and tedious tasks, it gladdened her that she could always slip into the hot water.
The day she'd had definitely qualified. Aria rested her head against the porcelain edge, looking at her hair floating gently around her shoulders. She felt that after the terrible, deadly cold of space she appreciated the warmth more than ever before.
That's why she was so upset when the clerks came to disturb her. She’d had given strict commands about that, but she'd left an exception for very important things. Apparently Ryden looked like someone you didn't leave waiting. Aria couldn't help smiling at that. It was, after all, very much true.
With regret, she got out of the bath and put on the first robe she could find.
When she approached, the doors to her private rooms slid open and there was the general, a peculiar look in his eyes. Aria thought she could recognize lust, which both excited and scared her. Mostly because she had no idea what she might say to him.
"General," she chose to say.
Only then did Aria consider what she must have looked like. Her honey-golden hair was wet, clinging to her soft tan skin. She wasn't wearing anything under the thin robe, hastily thrown on. Her nipples were hard under it, poking out through the fabric clinging to her body.
She thought she could hear a soft growl from Ryden, which bypassed her brain and went straight to her pussy. If she'd had any doubts before, that sound alone was enough to tell her the general wasn't there to discuss Ilotra's defense systems.
Aria wished she could vouch for her own defenses, but Ryden seemed to take them down simply by existing. She had to look away and repeat her question not to stare at the gorgeous general as intently as he was watching her. She tried to cover herself, feeling a blush on her cheeks. The general bowed his head slightly in greeting.
"I seem to have interrupted something," he said and Aria could hear the hunger in his deep, sexy voice.
"Yes, I—" Aria murmured, embarrassed by the state of her clothing. "I was taking a bath. It has been a long day."
"That is true," the general agreed, a dark lust in his eyes. "By all means, don't let me keep you from your relaxation."
Aria nodded, smiling gratefully, then hesitating. There had to be a catch to that. She forced herself to play it cool.
"Thank you, General," she said. "Was there something you needed from me?"
"I thought I might join you in the bath."
The attendants who had so far been present to see if either of them needed anything made themselves very quickly scarce after hearing that.
Aria's mouth dropped open and her hands fell to her sides, no longer covering her breasts. A grin tugged Ryden's lips upward.
"That—" Aria began, her hands snapping back to try to cover up her body, but she trailed off. "You... who the hell says things like that?"
"I do," the general replied, taking a step closer.
Aria backed away, caught off guard.
This man is simply unbelievable. Why am I still not saying no?!
"Human men don't talk like that," she said instead. "Well, most of them don't, I mean."
"I am not human."
"Yes," Aria agreed, her previous concerns coming to the surface again. "You are a Brion. I know. You think you can have everything."
Ryden looked at her oddly, as if confused by her accusation.
"We take what we want, but that does not apply to women. If you do not want me in your bed, it's your right to say so."
"I know my rights," Aria said, glaring.
For some reason, her mouth kept talking. "And I won't deny I’m tempted, just that—"
Her eyes went wide in alarm and she backed away into her rooms, as Ryden approached her with a knowing smirk on his lips.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "I did not give you permission."
"You admitted you wanted me," Ryden said.
"That is not the same thing as saying yes to this madness! I only met you..."
She kept backing further into her rooms. Ryden followed her slowly, almost menacingly. When he was in her quarters, he signaled the doors to shut and lock behind him. Aria was watching on in silent shock, unable to get a word over her lips. Not because of fear, no. She wasn't afraid of Ryden in that moment, but because the same unexplainable temptation made her actually consider his offer. Or was it his command, rather?
"You're not saying no either," the general said, his voice so low it sent shivers down her spine.
Aria still couldn't utter a single syllable. It might have had something to do with the fact that Ryden had walked up to her slowly and purposefully, pulling her hands away from where they tried to cover her chest again.
When he ran his hands over her body, Aria seemed to snap out of a daze. She backed away, glaring at him.
"You
are unbelievable, General," she said, but her voice was shaking.
Ryden stopped, but his eyes were burning with passion.
"Here we are, right in the middle of a galactic war," she went on, pulling the robe tighter around herself. "And you think it is okay to walk in here and propose that we fuck like nothing out of the ordinary is going on!"
"I find nothing odd about that," the general said.
Aria was running out of places to run. Her rooms were nice but small. They were in a tiny hallway leading to several other accommodations. Aria's back was nearly against the wall, but she barely noticed. Her eyes hadn't left Ryden since she'd seen him waiting for her. It was like they were glued to him, unwilling to pull free.
"It is all the more reason," he went on. "If I am to fight the Clayors, I might die. You might die. I would rather face my death after tasting you, having a memory of what you sound like when you beg me to fuck you."
Aria's breathing stopped for a moment before her heart started beating very fast. Finally, she said, "That is unbelievably morbid. I take it you haven't spoken to a lot of human women, General? We don't like thinking about dying. We don't find that arousing."
The general came even closer and there was no more air between them.
"Neither do we," he said quietly, pressing Aria against the wall.
"I don't believe you," she stated, but her voice was failing her.
So was her body. Her hands were brushing against his, her body arching to meet him.
"We don't desire death," Ryden said. "There is nothing glamorous about dying; there is only glory in an honorable death. But we do not shy from it either. Before we die, we want to experience the most that we can. And I stand by my words. If death comes for me, I would be glad to have spent my last days with someone like you."
Aria moaned when Ryden pressed his lips to hers, pulling her up into his arms. His hands roamed over the wet, silky fabric, pulling it up until he could run his hands over her ass. She kissed him harder in return, desperate and eager, like he was the only source of air she knew.