Alien General's Fated: SciFi Alien Romance (Brion Brides)

by Voxley, Vi

  A burst of pride warmed Ryden from the inside, the makings of a smirk on his lips. The little Terran was proving to be more and more to his liking.

  Aria looked toward Ryden then.

  "He is," she added. "And when you're thanking him afterward, I want you to remember this moment."

  She fell silent after that. Ryden ignored the desire to throw Aria over his shoulder and take her away from it all, see if she had changed her mind. Her words were sincere, because he could hear the resentment in her voice. She didn't want to believe what she did. She wished to deny the truth, but could not. That spoke to a strong character in his mind, one he liked a lot.

  He turned to the council, knowing that once he'd done it, there would be no going back. Bad choices for bad times, but he only did what needed to be done.

  "You will all return to your quarters and stay there until further notice," he said, speaking over the rising protests. "You will be ready to move and evacuate at a moment's notice. As of this moment, I'm disbanding the council until this conflict is over."

  At that, the shrill screams rose to the sky, but he ignored them. His warriors got to work escorting the ambassadors back to their rooms, essentially arresting them. Some went kicking and screaming, others—like the Palians and Brions—accepted his judgment with cold dignity.

  He wondered if he'd still have the support of the Palian fleet after that, but he chose not to single anyone out. It was better if he knew where they all were.

  The commanders stayed when all the ambassadors had been led away. The Palian was observing him coldly, Stavor was the picture of calm as he always was, and the Fremma had yet to speak. The scavenger species of Fremmas had no worlds to call their own, even though they'd been offered a home world.

  Their perpetual home was in space, the biggest fleet to ever sail together, composed of ships mostly found, bought, borrowed or simply stolen from others. They looked a lot like humans, save for their pale greenish skin and the wires at the back of their heads, which were connected to their partly mechanical bodies.

  Stavor moved first, approaching him without fear. It was a posturing move, but Ryden knew the warlord had the strength to give him a decent fight. He wouldn't win, of course.

  "Are you going to stop me or do I need to threaten you?" the Koliar asked.

  "I will not stop you unless you make the mistake of threatening me," Ryden replied.

  Stavor snorted.

  "My ship will stay," he said. "The Clayor are the main enemy right now, but mark my words, Brion. When this is done, I will bring you to justice."

  Ryden didn't answer that. Stavor gave him one last look and left. The Palian was next.

  "My fleet still supports you," he said, "but that might not have been the wisest move."

  "Perhaps," Ryden said. "I doubt I was sent here to make friends."

  Finally, the Fremma approached him, a short warrior with his trademark wires buzzing.

  "And you," Ryden asked. "Who do the scavengers support?"

  The man gave him a wide, mischievous smile. "We side with the winners, of course."

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Aria

  It hurt, to be proven right.

  Aria had tried so hard to deny the fact that the Union's council was bringing everything down upon itself. Even the ones who weren't actively trying to aid the enemy were doing it by letting the others tie Ryden's hands.

  She remembered how impossible it had been to even get to talk to the moon's security chief. And now it might be too late. She hoped Ryden had a plan for the incoming Clayor armies, already reported to be days away, maybe hours.

  Because Ilotra sure as hell didn't.

  It bothered her. She hadn't thought of herself as the bright-eyed naïve girl, but apparently that's what she was. Not naïve about the general, not that. Aria had known what he was from the start. About the council and the entire galaxy.

  She couldn't believe she'd thought that in the Union, there might be an actual purpose for her. Some way to put her knowledge to work for the benefit of all. It only ended up getting her bumped down to meaningless tasks which she—as it turns out—didn't even have to do.

  The next time she saw Sota, she'd give that guy a piece of her mind. If her trial run should have been over a while ago, there would be hell to pay.

  But all her worries seemed to be of little importance when she suddenly found that she'd been left in the great hall alone with the general.

  Immediately, she backed away. The room seemed so weird now, big and empty, her footsteps echoing in the room where the fate of the galaxy was decided. She knew Ryden was in big trouble for what he'd done, but she believed he was doing it for the Union’s sake. With no way to know who the traitors were, it was better to make sure that the council members had no chance to mess anything else up.

  Ryden followed her with slow, measured steps. His eyes were alight with desire; Aria couldn't mistake that look for anything else. It was the same as in her rooms, but she felt considerably less sure about her feelings now. The general was as relentless with her as he was with the fortress. She got the sense they were both being worn down.

  A guy like that was probably not used to having to wear a girl down. Her eyes wandered over his perfect form, from his wide shoulders to the powerful build of his body. Again and again, her eyes drifted back to his face, mesmerized by his eyes and the fire in them.

  She'd missed him, but she wasn't sure if it was her talking or the frantic rescue that made her weaken. But she knew that she needed to make up her mind really fast, because there was no doubt in her mind Ryden was about to suggest it again, one way or another.

  Aria was saved by a com link, regretting it the second when the general's face dropped.

  "Stay here," he ordered. "There has been an attack."

  He stopped then, suddenly, listening to the link intently, the frown deepening on his brow. Aria saw him grit his teeth in fury.

  "She's the only one now?" he asked, not from her.

  Aria wondered if they were talking about her. In the next moment, when Ryden looked at her with worry, she had her answer.

  "Are you absolutely sure?" he growled. "How could they have gotten all of them?"

  The general listened to the answer before taking a deep breath.

  "Aria," he said. "You know how to operate the defense systems of Ilotra?"

  That was a strange question.

  "I..." she stuttered for a moment. "Yes. Most of them, if need be. But a lot of the controls are a bit odd here, I'd have to read up and—"

  "The shield," Ryden said hurriedly. "Do you know how to turn on the bubble?"

  Aria wasn't sure she liked the direction the conversation was taking. She nodded hesitantly.

  "I think so," she said.

  The general was looking at her seriously. "You need to be sure, Aria. Can you turn on the shield?"

  "Yes," she assured him. "What happened, General? I, yes, I could handle the controls, but why would I? Did something happen to Captain Algos?"

  Ryden seethed with fury.

  "We angered the hive mind," he said then. "It got its revenge. Algos is dead, so is all of his crew. So are practically all of those who worked in the command center, both the central one and the one regulating the shield. The hive mind threw all it had into this. It's only you now. You and a few rookies who have the basic ideas of how to work one console."

  Time seemed to slow down for Aria. Her head started to spin. It couldn't possibly be happening to her.

  Well, you wanted to be important, her mind said. You wanted to be needed.

  ***

  The way to the command center had changed drastically. Bodies littered the ground everywhere, mostly Clayors, with some Brion warriors and crew members scattered around. Aria walked on, thinking that there were so many. Ryden had to be right; there was no way the hive mind didn't use almost all it had.

  The smell was nauseating, unshakable. Aria held a hand before her mouth, but it still rea
ched her, rotten, repulsive. The crews were already hard at work trying to clean it all up, but the smell would be more difficult to get out. Nothing quite as foul as a dead Clayor, unless there were hundreds of them.

  Ryden walked beside her, his face twisted by fury. She knew he hated it. The enemy had waited until he and most of his warriors were cleaning out the council and then attacked. Even if they'd been alerted in time, there was no way they'd have made much of a difference. Ilotra was vast and running only helped so much. Not even the inner transportation lines would have done much difference.

  She noticed other warriors with them too. Ryden had spoken very fast to them in Brionese, but Aria had caught some words and figured out the rest. After all, it was pretty logical that with one hour, she'd become the most valuable person there.

  The hive mind had exhausted itself with the massacre, but the general had been right. Almost nothing remained in its wake. The Clayors had just killed, killed, killed. The command center had been hit the hardest, but not only. Many engineers, and people who manned the weapons were dead too. It seemed to Aria that the hive mind had just lashed out, tried to get as many as it could.

  She was horrified, but she had an impossible task to conquer.

  What she'd told Ryden was true. She did theoretically know how all the stuff worked, but she'd barely even been allowed to touch it up to this point. Not to mention that the looming knowledge of being the only one with any idea at all made the pit of her stomach ice over.

  Still, Aria would not let it get to her. Ryden had comforted her in saying she wasn't suddenly tasked with the entire fortress's defenses. While the others might not have had the knowledge of the particular layouts, there were plenty of very perceptive and wise species on the moon. Ryden was bringing down his own technicians too, but Aria would have to show them the basics.

  She had hoped against hope that it wouldn't be too bad, but the command center was in complete disarray. She ignored the dire need to sleep and got to work, finding the most apt people to aid her and worked from there.

  She lost Ryden from her side somewhere in the process, being left with an impressive armed guard in his stead. The screens showed the general moving around on Ilotra, whenever Aria had the moment to spare them a look. He seemed to be everywhere at once, pushing his warriors harder than ever before to make sure all of the Clayor hideouts were found. He was also telling them about the Host.

  Aria hadn't wanted to believe that, but then she remembered the presence she'd felt. When she asked the general about it, he'd looked positively ready to kill and confirmed that she had indeed met the Host. The look in his eyes made it very clear to Aria how close she'd been to dying in that moment.

  "You should never have met him," the general growled, a dark look in his eyes.

  Aria was ready to apologize when Ryden shook his head.

  "No," he said. "I meant I never should have let you be taken to him."

  She had no words with which to answer that, but Ryden didn't seem to expect any. The general left her to get Ilotra up and running again. And Aria kept feeling a terrible sense of loneliness every time he went away that she'd never felt before. It was like a part of her was missing and only his presence filled the void.

  She worked until she was ready to fall asleep standing. Some functionality was restored. Every console had someone behind it who basically knew what they were doing, as long as they remained in their fixed position. Aria wondered if that was what Ryden felt like all the time, overseeing something so huge that it could scarcely be comprehended.

  A warrior who had been following her the entire day approached her. Joya was a female warrior, tall and stern. It amused Aria a bit, since a part of her was sure the general hadn't appointed her a male warrior because he didn't want her around other men.

  She'd noticed that when she spoke to a man, Ryden's eyes narrowed. It was endearing, in a way. It was also entirely frustrating, but that was another matter completely.

  "Yes, Joya?" she asked, trying to fight back a yawn and failing.

  "You should sleep," the warrior said.

  Oh, sleep. Sleep sounds nice. I'll sleep when I'm dead.

  Out loud, Aria said: "I can't. There is still so much to do."

  "If you're this tired, you're doing more harm than good."

  Joya's bedside manner could have been better, Aria figured, but she couldn't deny the warrior had a point. Considering what was at stake, she couldn't allow mistakes. Perhaps a little rest might do her good?

  "I should tell the general," she said.

  Joya shook her head. "The general is aware you are human and you need more rest than we do. He would approve, I'm sure. I'll alert you've left the center right away."

  "Why?" Aria asked. "If you think he'd agree, there is no need to bother him. I'll be back in a few hours."

  The warrior woman shook her head. She had a wave of dark brown hair, cascading over her shoulders, moving like the ocean when she did so.

  "The general ordered me to keep him updated at all times about you," she said. "No exceptions."

  Aria didn't respond to that, but she couldn't get the words out of her mind. So even in the middle of running a whole fortress, Ryden still insisted on keeping tabs on her. She didn't know what to make of that, other than the obvious. It was clear the general wanted her safe. And probably not just that. It was getting harder by the hour to deny him the wish she shared.

  Aria let Joya lead her back to her rooms. After the martial law and house arrests, Ilotra seemed almost deserted. The corridors usually bubbling with life were empty and cold. On the other hand, everything that moved was under strict control. All of the ambassador's quarters had their elite guards watching out for any sign of the enemy. The news of the massacre had traveled around fast.

  I bet they're glad to stay in their rooms now. Not that any of them would ever admit that. Ungrateful bastards.

  Joya let her in and remained close by in case she wanted to go back. For a second, Aria considered dropping by Sota's rooms and giving him a piece of her mind, but that could wait. Rest was what she needed.

  But Aria couldn't sleep either. As soon as she set her head down on a pillow, she was instantly awake, thinking of consoles and defense arrays and weapons and... No, there was no relaxation in sleep, it seemed.

  She drew a bath for herself. Warm water enveloped her, washing even the tense last days from her mind. Her body took in the heat, the hot water having its usual calming effect on her as it drew the chill of exhaustion from her bones.

  Aria rested her head against the wall, not moving. She liked staying so still the water no longer moved. It was a child-like play, but she enjoyed it. The game focused her mind, but it didn't burden it. Exactly what she needed.

  History repeated itself when the attendant came to call her, telling Aria she had a visitor. She asked no questions this time, because it was clear enough.

  Aria got out of the bath, pulling a robe on loosely. It was funny, in a way. For long days she'd doubted if she really wanted him that much, if she was prepared to give in to him barely a week after meeting the man. But in the heat of the moment, the decision was made for her and she let the current drag her along.

  She'd nearly died. Not once, but three times during the past week Aria had stared a very possible death in the face. She hadn't liked any of them; they made her crave for something real and warm and true. Ryden's words had scared her the last time, but being near the general made it seem like his view of the world was contagious somehow.

  What he'd said about making memories, getting to enjoy something good before the danger... Aria wanted it, wanted it badly with all the passion in the world. She'd tried to block the general out from her mind, but it simply wasn't working. Even when she was sitting in that damn cell, her mind kept wandering back to him first and foremost.

  She found him waiting as he had before. Only this time, there was no intimidating approach, no nothing.

  "I came to see if you were all righ
t," Ryden said.

  She could see his eyes traveling across her barely covered body. Only this time, Aria was presenting herself on purpose. His voice betrayed the edge of lust, but he remained standing where he was.

  "I am, thank you," Aria said, her own voice shaking a bit.

  They said before a person died, they regretted not doing the things they had wanted to the most. Looking at Ryden, Aria knew what she wanted.

  "You're taking your rest, I see," the general said. "I will not disturb you."

  She had made her decision, but Aria was still surprised when she heard her own voice say, so quietly she could barely hear it:

  "You could join me."

  Ryden heard it too, bless that warrior hearing. For a moment he searched her eyes for any trick and then the grin was back on his lips, feral desire in his eyes. Aria retreated into her rooms and the general followed. The doors had barely slid closed when Aria felt the robe pushed off over her shoulders to fall before her feet.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Aria

  I can’t believe it’s really happening. It's really happening.

  Aria's thoughts were tumbling all over each other, trying to maintain some semblance of control. Her mind knew it was futile, at least. Her body was acting purely out of instinct and desire; giving in to Ryden felt like the most natural thing to ever happen.

  She couldn't deny she wanted it to happen, wanted it so badly it ached not to be touched by him. Aria had never felt such blinding desire, the kind that refused to listen to logic or modesty or anything resembling decency. All it wanted was to let the general fuck her until she screamed. It was so sudden and sharp a part of her wondered if it was a trick of some kind.

  In the heat of the moment, it seemed much simpler to push all her concerns away and let Ryden's amazing, strong hands steal the robe off her body and stand there, naked before his gaze.

  Instinctively, Aria tried to cover up again, reason distracting her from her desire, but the general caught her hands before she could do that. He kept them gently but firmly spread apart, making her feel like a sacrificial virgin inspected by a warrior god. It was close, but Aria wasn't exactly a blushing virgin, even if she still felt heat coloring her cheeks red like a schoolgirl.