by Maia Starr
Finally, it was time to leave. I was actually sad to go. Living out there in the thick of it with danger so close by felt real. It felt more real than living in the capital city and running an entire planet. Out there, the real battle was being fought to protect the capital city. Out there, the warriors were really fighting, doing what they had been trained all their lives for. I felt a good sense of camaraderie as though I was part of a pack.
Ella said bye to the human females that she had lived with for such a short time. She said goodbye to the doctor that had taught her so much. I hoped that one day we would be able to return. We had formed a bond with these Kalazaron because we had been in danger with them. We had conquered a rebel siege and sent them back to the Blue Mountains. It was something that none of us would ever forget. It would go down in Kalazaron history as a battle in which a master was an active warrior.
My speed racer was fueled and checked. Now, it was time to go. Ella stepped into the speed racer pod and I followed. Everyone came out into the courtyard to see us off. They saluted me. This was better than any coronation ceremony or fancy party that had been given in my honor since I had become the Master. This was real. This meant everything.
Ella looked at me and I could tell that she was looking at me with pride. That made me feel very good; I had not only earned her trust, but her adoration and pride in my actions. It was all that I wanted from her. The speed racer shot straight up and we had to move fast because this was considered rebel air space until we were miles toward the capital city. I tensed up and watched the radar screen and every angle to make sure we were alone and not being targeted.
It was a good hour before I felt that I could release some of the tension as we had crossed into a safe zone.
"What is that?" Ella asked.
I looked to see what Ella was looking at and saw familiar airships coming our way.
"Master Kree, it is our honor to escort you back into the capital city. We have your back covered, Master,” the Kalazaron warriors said over the radio. I looked to Ella and smiled. It was good to hear the familiar sounds of our forces. I pressed on the radio, "We are glad for your company. Cover acknowledged," I said in response and then turned off the radio. The ships maneuvered and formed a moving shield around us. We were now flying in the middle of them.
"I sort of forget that you are the master. That your safety is a big deal," Ella said to me. "That they would send out an air force like this to protect you."
"You are a big deal to me. I am protecting you; they are protecting us," I said to her as I squeezed her hand. She smiled.
"That being said, don't forget that I am the master," I said playfully as I laughed.
"I think I am the new master in the bed," she said with confidence.
"Don't speak to me in such a way now, I will not be able to concentrate with that kind of talk, Ella. That's what you do to me."
She laughed again and then was quiet. She took my warning seriously, but it was of no use; I was already thinking of her being the master in the bedroom and I could not wait to get her home. I thought about landing the speed racer pod on the roof so that I could take her directly to my quarters. However, I did not know what would be waiting for us in the capital city.
We landed with the massive force of ships in the training grounds of the warrior station and we were surprised by what we returned to. As soon as we stepped out of the racer, all of the warriors had gathered to greet us. There were at least five thousand inside the landing port. They saluted me. I was shocked. Why were they all there?
"Master Kree! Warrior fighter!" they shouted. My eyes were wide in shock. Ella and I stepped out of the pod. I grabbed two guards and whispered. “She does not leave me; one step behind me at all times until she is in my living quarters.” The guards acknowledged my orders. The rest of the warriors were suddenly very ceremonious about leading me out of the training grounds toward the city. Ella followed behind with the two guards stationed beside her to make sure that she stayed only steps away from me.
When we moved out onto the street, the entire capital city was in celebration. It was a parade of sorts as Kalazaron lined both sides of the street all the way down before me. I walked down the Kalazaron lined street. Warriors walked behind me in line. Music played. Drums were beaten. It was an all-out celebration and holograms of my likeness were projected onto buildings. Everyone had heard of my fighting efforts at the Belvenreed Outpost. It was a shock to me. The Kalazaron cheered and shouted the “The Warrior Master!” “The true fighter!”
I felt a surge of pride that the Kalazaron, known for our fighting, warrior ways, were acknowledging that a master could also be a warrior—a damn good warrior. They were understanding it. This would make it easier to make Belvenreed stronger. They flew flags and celebrated. I think it was comforting to them to know that the master of the planet was just as strong as any warrior.
The parade followed us all the way to the buildings of order. I climbed the steps to the very top and gave a short speech. The crowds cheered and chanted my name. “Master Kree!”
In all my time living in the capital city I had never seen such a thing for a master. Perhaps there was something to having a young master that would fight instead of the elder masters that the capital had grown so used to. I had been out there with the warriors fighting. I now knew firsthand what it was like and how to make it better and safer. The Outpost protected us, the capital city. It was important that they were offered the best supports and structures necessary.
Finally, I was in the elevator with my guards and Ella. I was out of sight of the public eye.
"What was that? Is that normal? I have not seen such a thing since I came to this planet," she said to me.
"No, I have never seen or heard of such a thing. But a master has never fought in a battle before."
"You do many things you're not supposed to," she said playfully. The way she looked at me, I wanted to take a right then and there in the elevator. If we were alone, I would stop it and take her. I put my hand on her lower back and caressed her; she looked up at me with a smile.
"I wish I did not have so much to do. I will show you to my living quarters and then I must be off to my council chamber," I said to her.
"You will be missed," she said in a flirtatious way.
The doors opened and I led her down to my living quarters and dismissed the guards.
"This is it," I said as I opened the door.
She moved inside and ran into the room with excitement as she said, "This is where you live?! You can almost see all the way to the Blue Mountains from way up here. This is better than sitting on the roof. It is beautiful up here. Look, you can see the crowds from up here. They love you, Master Kree.”
"I am glad that you like it because it is your new home. That is, if you want it to be. If you would want to live with me," I asked her.
She came over to me and put her small arms around my waist and said, "Yes, I would love to."
"Good, I am glad. I must be off. Make yourself at home," I said as I gave her a deep kiss. I reluctantly left her side and went to the council chambers. As soon as I walked in, a ruckus of voices erupted simultaneously as everyone shouted at me. I was lectured about my dangerous actions the entire day into the night. It was a long night.
It was the complete opposite of the praise that I was getting from the public Kalazaron outside the building. On the inside, the elders and the council were scowling me for my warrior ways. I guess my reckless efforts couldn’t win over everyone. I was on damage control on the inside. They knew that I had left to rescue Ella. They did not think it a worthy cause. I did not have any explanation for them other than, “I’m always going to do what I want when it comes to my own, personal matters.”
They did not like that answer as they considered this personal matter the same as a matter of the master, because it put their master in danger.
After an exhausting day of balancing the adoration of the public and the scorn of the counc
il, I finally retired to my living quarters. This time it was different, because Ella was living there. Her very presence gave the entire a place a new feeling. I loved it.
“I like coming home and finding you here,” I said to her as soon as I walked in.
"You do?” she responded as she walked seductively to me.
"I do. It is a beautiful sight to come home to after what I've been through in the council room," I said, putting my arms around her. She pulled herself up on her tiptoes and arched her head back begging for a kiss.
I kissed her on the lips and then she said, "Was it very bad? What did they say?"
"That I should not have put the master in such reckless danger and other things like that. After a while, I stopped listening," I laughed.
"You are bad," she said to me.
"I try to be," I said playfully as I slapped her ass. She squealed in delight. The tension of the day had already melted away from me just from playing around with her in this flirty way. I had made the best decision by having her with me. She was what I needed. She was what I wanted.
"I have a surprise for you," she said as she grabbed my hand and led me over to the table. There was a large meal laid out.
"Did you do this?" I asked her.
"Yes, I cooked our first meal in our home that we share together now. I am a very good cook," she said to me as she sat down at the table.
I found it very interesting that I was with a human that had already had experience living on the planet. She knew the ways of the planet. She knew how to cook the food and prepare it. It was as if she was one of us. She had been here long enough. She was now a Kalazaron, whether she thought of herself in that way or not.
"It smells delicious. I cannot wait to try it," I said to her.
"Wait until you try dessert," she said with a smile.
I assumed that she was the desert, but I would wait to find out later.
We sat down and began to eat and it was possibly the most delicious meal I had ever eaten, which was stunning considering she had not lived on the planet that long. As we ate, she said, "I am glad today happened. The crowds outside cheering you on like that. It was unbelievable and you deserve it. I am glad that I was sent to the Outpost."
"You are? Why?"
"It allowed me to see more of the planet, and how others live. It gave me an experience of battle that made me very happy to be alive. But most of all, it showed the subjects of the capital city that you are a true warrior and are worthy of being the master. They truly worship you now. They see you as a stronger warrior and that will only help you in being the best master they have ever had. That would not have happened had I not been sent there."
She had a point. I was now the warrior master and seen as almost godlike. It would help in the long run. I only hoped that it would be enough. Would it be enough for them to allow me to take a human female as a wife, and not a Kalazaron female? I smiled and did not bring up this point as I did not want to ruin our dinner. I was going to figure out a way around it anyways. I got what I wanted. I wanted to be with Ella. I wanted her to be my wife and I was going to figure out how a master could have a human female wife instead of a Kalazaron wife.
"Ella, you are very right. I am glad that I was in that battle. I learned a lot in the Outpost. I learned a lot from the generals. I feel like a better warrior and a better master."
"And I am now a better lover," she said playfully. We both laughed and continued eating our meal. When we were done, we had dessert in the bedroom.
The next day, as promised, I took actions toward making Belvenreed a stronger Outpost. No one denied my firsthand accounts of what was needed. I spent all day going through the various lists that the generals at the Outpost had given me. I designed a specific task force to handle each request that was needed. I had engineers involved. I had defensive tactic teams involved in coming up with new ways to guard the fence line. Most importantly, I had a team working on coming up with a better way to get supplies to the Outpost.
It was this very visual supply train that was causing the raids. The rebels knew when the supply ships arrived because there was no way to hide them at their size. If we could keep the rebels from know when a new supply was arriving, then they would not attack as much. I had them looking into an underground supply chain, or perhaps another way that did not involve something showing up on radar. It was a lot of work, and it was all put into action as soon as the next day. It was my promise to the warriors that I had fought with. It was my promise to the warriors that were injured in the reconstructionist building. I was not going to let them down.
Chapter 9
ELLA CAPRICIO
I had to admit that it was a heady feeling to see Thaedon being honored the way he was. I had never seen anything else like it. The Kalazaron worshipped him. I was shocked at how fast the news of his battle exploits traveled from Belvenreed and then spread like wildfire throughout the capital city. He deserved it, of course, because he was very brave. I had seen firsthand what a good warrior he was. Now, the entire capital city knew it and they were honoring him with a grand parade.
The warriors seemed to have more respect for him than any other master before him. He told me it was because masters did not fight in battles. Because he did, the young warriors really felt like he knew what they were going through. He had the respect, honor, and pride of everyone. Being the sole female that had his full attention made me feel very special. Especially after I had given my virginity to him. I was scared that he would be rid of me afterwards, but he kept his word.
I was now living in his living quarters and it was the most tremendous space I had ever seen. I looked over the city towards the market where I used to live with the Loki family. It wasn't that long ago that I thought my fate was to be with them forever. I thought I would be there captive in an abusive situation for the rest of my life. I didn't dare dream that it would ever be this good. That I would actually fall in love with my new owner.
A part of me found it really sexy to feel owned by such an attractive and powerful Kalazaron warrior. It made me feel very safe and untouchable. I knew that he would get in trouble for his actions, but because he did, he was on his way to being the best master the capital city had ever seen. So it worked out for him in a good way.
However, there was still the complication that he would eventually want to or need to marry a Kalazaron female. I tried not to think about it too much because I knew there was nothing that I could do about it. I had only been with him as his lover for a few days and I wanted that happiness to last without thinking about the problems of the future.
However, nothing prepared me for the satisfaction that I would get two weeks later. A grand ceremony was planned to honor Thaedon for his bravery in the battle at Belvenreed Outpost.
"The dressmaker is coming in an hour. Order as many dresses as you'd like, but you must order one special," he said to me one day.
"I do? Why?" I asked him.
"There is to be a ceremony honoring my fighting at the Outpost. You are to escort me. Therefore, you will need a dress. A really beautiful one," he smiled at me.
"You want me to go with you? To be at your side? What will the Kalazaron say?" I said to him confused. Did he really want me at his side after the way everyone had reacted to us dancing at the coronation? True, I was covered in blue paint as the Loki sisters' slave. Still, I could not shake that feeling after that happened.
"Yes, I want you at my side. You will not argue your way out of it. Find a dress," he said in a final way. He was very abrupt and dominating when he wanted to be; this is why he was the master.
It felt great to be with an elite dressmaker. I ordered a very beautiful, red dress. When the day came for the celebration, I put on the dress and had help fixing my hair. I felt so beautiful. I didn't feel like a captive slave any longer. If I were on Earth, I would say I felt like a princess. I guess this was as close to a princess as one could get on this planet of Kaethon.
"You look absolut
ely beautiful. This is how it's meant to be. This is who you are meant to be," Thaedon said to me as I walked out of the dressing area into the living quarters and twirled around for him to look at the dress.
"Thank you. Thank you for everything, not just the dress," I said to him.
"I have another surprise for you. You will see at the ceremony. Look in the front row; I think you will feel satisfied."
"What is it?"
"You must wait and see." He smiled.
We left for the ceremony being held at the Stanis Trials Arena. When we were led to the grand entrance I realized that all the invited were already sitting inside. I grew very nervous and jittery.
“It is all right, Ella. Do not be nervous. You are the real prize,” Thaedon whispered in my ear. I looked up at him in his handsome state. His gorgeous hair hanging down to his jaw. His rogue beard and strong square jaw still gave him that mysterious look that made him look like a dangerous player instead of a master. I smiled at him. He was right. I was with him. I had nothing to be nervous about.