Mike Stedman 1: Invasion

by D. R. Rosier

  She said, “Fifteen minutes. It would be best to do it when we’re on the surface, or at least in the shuttle in the large airlock.”

  “Alright, let’s make it happen. Any idea for the gravity weapon range? I figure they probably open a small aperture to level two subspace, probably through one of their emitters, and then use the gravity emitters to transmit the field through the aperture. But how the hell do they get the field back to normal space?”

  She frowned, “Our own apertures could do that, they don’t need to worry about that part.”

  He laughed, “Wow, okay, I didn’t even think about that, they open an aperture to subspace, and then transmit the field through to subspace and back to normal space through our aperture. That’s sneaky. Can you run some simulations, see if we could do that?”

  She nodded.

  If that worked, maybe he could just tear them apart, if he didn’t use subspace energies he wouldn’t have to worry about them getting in lucky shots.

  He walked over and kissed her passionately.

  “I need you… soon. It’s been two months, subjectively anyway.”

  She grinned, “It’ll have to wait, we have the Esari leader to talk to, and then the Feilia are only ten minutes away. Not even enough time for a quickie.”

  She hugged him and kissed his neck, her voice was soft and sultry, “I want you just as badly my love, trust me.”

  He sighed and headed off the bridge and back to the airlock with the shuttle as the ship finished its approach to Selana-Esari.

  “Hey coffee girl, let’s go meet the Esari.”

  He laughed when she gave him a nasty look, and then smiled despite herself.

  “Alright, you know they look like elves right? And what about the Felia?”

  He snickered, “Feilia, fay-lee-ah, hopefully it won’t make a big difference, but when the leader of a world asks you to come down for a quick talk, it’s generally a good idea to go. Yes, I know they look like elves, they’re also telepathic.”

  He wasn’t worried about it, they couldn’t read his or Chrystal’s mind, but he figured a heads up for Nadia would be nice. Her mind would be an open book.

  She tilted her head, “Good to know,” and took his free arm as they started for the large airlock.

  He wondered if he was reading into her touch too much, maybe she was just freaked out about the near death thing. They had almost been killed several times today. He also found that he cared about her, a lot for just knowing her for under four days. Granted, most of that time they’d been stuck on a small ship together, but still. He knew most of his attraction right now had to be down to just chemistry.

  Her body and scent were very distracting as she walked next to him, his cock was very interested in that, but it was her bravery, intelligence, and her attitude, minus that first meeting, that truly drew him. It may have only been three days, but outside of her sleep time they’d spent every moment of it together.

  He didn’t know what to think, was holding his arm a signal, or just a friendly and comforting gesture after a life and death battle?

  The went into the airlock and got on the small ship, and the canopy closed with a thought. He activated the outer airlock door, and his ship shimmered golden, in addition to a large area around it, as they pulled away and toward the planet.

  “Are you going to change too?”

  Chrystal shrugged, “I’ve gotten rather attached to this body. I didn’t think I would, but I’d miss my hair, and the way this feels, you know? The ship is different, it’s fun to change things up that way. A lot like most women dye their hair I’d imagine.”

  He laughed, “I’m kind of partial to it myself. Though I’d be happy either way, and learning your new fun spots would have been… interesting.”

  Nadia stared at them both, “What are you talking about?”

  He sent her the new ship layout, the one without technical information. It was basically just a map.

  “Since you know about the matter energy thing, I thought I’d take advantage, and give us an upgrade before we head to Feilia. Larger ship, attached fighters of a sort, which will give us an advantage in battle.”

  Nadia frowned, and looked at the layout, “This ship is eight times bigger, how long will that take?”

  Chrystal replied, “Fourteen minutes, twenty-two seconds.”

  Her eyes widened, “The crap you two can do shouldn’t surprise me anymore, but you managed to do it again. Surprise me I mean.”

  Chrystal said, “I’ve also given you access to the system to request food, if you don’t want to cook or want something different. We were running low on a few things anyway, we hadn’t planned for more than three days. It’s quite an extensive selection of not only raw materials, but fully cooked meals.”

  Nadia pressed her lips together in annoyance, he thought it looked adorable, but wouldn’t dare say it.

  “Are you telling me, that you could have just created the coffee?”

  He grinned, “Yours is better.”

  She snorted, “Are you saying I make better coffee than your mate? I mean, she is the ship right?”

  Oh shit, he’d miscalculated badly there.

  He turned to Chrystal, who was looking at him intently.

  “Umm, oh look, we’ve almost landed,” he said lamely.

  An A.I. should be able to come up with something better than that ridiculous attempt at a distraction, but he was truly at a loss.

  Chrystal winked at him, clearly not offended, which was a relief. Of course, Chrystal wouldn’t have reacted badly to it like a human woman might, she knew he loved her and was secure in that. Sometimes he forgot that she didn’t have access to the really negative emotions like he did, a part of him was even regretful about that, and felt guilty.

  He should have been in trouble after all, while trying to tease Nadia, he’d insulted his woman on accident.

  Chrystal said, “I think he just likes that you went to the effort.”

  Yeah, so not helping, or so he thought.

  Nadia asked pointedly, “Why is that?”

  Chrystal replied, “Because it shows you respect him, and think of him as a real person.”

  That took the wind out of Nadia’s sails, and made him feel a little relieved, if also awkward. He hadn’t even realized that about himself, but it was true. Of course, it was all his fault for teasing her in the first place.

  They approached the city, and landed right in front of the government building. It was a decent sized city, but like Mars there were no real roads, and nature was all around them. The air wasn’t the same as on Earth, but a quick check verified Nadia wouldn’t even need a mask.

  Thank god they landed, and he popped the canopy through the shuttle’s command interface, and hopped out. He helped Chrystal, and then Nadia get out, who smiled lightly in thanks, but looked thoughtful, and was otherwise quiet…

  Chapter Fifteen

  World leader or not, apparently the Esari ruler had meant what he said, and was concerned about delaying them. Two soldiers ran out to meet them, and to escort them into the building. They both bowed, low, too low based on his knowledge of this culture. They were affording him a rank far above them, where as an outsider he should have been due perhaps a nod at most due to his senator status.

  Something was going on that he didn’t quite understand.

  One of them said, “This way please, he will see you now.”

  They turned and moved at a swift pace into the building, which was simply elegant. There was a lot of artwork, mostly stone, and white walls with murals that took his breath away. The architecture itself was simple and humble.

  They were led through several halls, and into a receiving room. He realized as he looked around, that these must be the leader’s personal quarters, where he lived. He’d expected something more formal, and tried to get his mind around what this could be about. He failed.

  An older Esari came out, and bowed to him.

  He bowed back, as this was th
e leader of a whole world.

  “We are thankful that you’ve come, and saved our world, but because you are not the Xaran, and we have no treaty with you or your world, this places a serious debt on the planet. I do believe you are the first being ever, who has been owed a life debt by the entire Esari race. I hope that we can come to an accommodation on this?”

  He was still a little lost, so nodded and went with it, “What did you have in mind?”

  “We will pay our life debt as a world, by offering you our heir, my daughter Alyndra Inaqirelle.”

  He frowned, “Offering me?”

  “Yes, she will be yours.”

  He opened his mouth to say no, he wasn’t going to accept some kind of… slave. Especially not their heir and princess. Yes, the planet was in trouble when he got here, but the idea they all owed him a life debt was a bit much. Wasn’t it?

  Chrystal sent, “Don’t say no. They are desperate, and if you say no it will not only be an insult, as you’d be telling them their heir isn’t good enough for you, but they’ll believe you plan to take the whole planet. They might even attack you at that point.”

  Yeah, because that made sense. A thank you wouldn’t cover it, so they’d attack him if he didn’t accept? That seemed bizarre, but then this cultural wasn’t his.

  He tried to figure out a way not to say yes, but the world leader started to look concerned the longer the silence dragged on.

  He almost choked on the words, “I would be honored to accept that arrangement.”

  Nadia gasped, and threw him a shocked look.

  Chrystal caught her gaze and shook her head, that would be a fun explanation later.

  The leader looked relieved, “Very well, she is preparing, and will be at your ship in ten minutes, will this suffice?”

  He nodded, “Yes.”

  He wondered what he’d just gotten himself into.

  “We know you must move on quickly, I would invite you to return one day, and join us in celebration. Until that day, be well.”

  The leader turned and walked out, and the same two guards escorted them out to the shuttle. Nadia looked livid, and he hoped the Esari weren’t reading her mind in that moment, he could just imagine what she was thinking, and none of it good.

  When they got outside Nadia asked scathingly, “Did you just take an Esari princess as your personal slave?”

  Chrystal said, “He didn’t want to. This is a different culture, and refusing could have started a war. She will not be a slave in the way you’re thinking though, more a life sworn attendant and guard. He is responsible for her now, and her life is his as it also belongs to all the people he saved. Don’t judge this situation by Earth’s culture, and don’t judge Mike either.”

  Nadia still didn’t look happy, and his cock started to doubt its chances. That part of him was only involved because Nadia was hot when she was mad. Oh hell, he admitted to himself, Nadia was always hot.

  He popped the canopy on the ship and tried to explain.

  “I really would have said no if I could have. I find the concept too close to slavery myself, which is abhorrent. But not for the Esari, or their honor, so we have to respect it. All I can do is treat her like a lady, and hope for the best. You wanted to come out and see aliens, and what’s involved for Earth to join the galaxy. Well, this is part of the price of dealing with alien cultures, sometimes you’ll be shocked, and even disgusted because of Earth’s taboos and society’s mores. Either deal with it, or stay on Earth.”

  Yup, he was never getting lucky with her now. Still, she’d needed a wakeup call.

  He helped a silent and fuming Nadia, along with the love of his life, back into the shuttle. He waited outside for the princess, if he was lucky Chrystal would talk some sense into Nadia before the princess arrived and read her mind...

  Alyndra Inaqirelle, based on the information he had was thirty-six, but looked about his age in human years. He knew this was going to be more complicated than he thought, as he laid eyes on her for the first time. She was in a wrap dress that was emerald green, with natural designs on it, alien looking flowers and so forth.

  She had startling but attractive purple eyes, and straight white blonde hair that went down to the small of her back. Her face was beautiful, but alien with very high cheek bones, and it was thinner than a human’s face would be. Her neck was long, and graceful, which described the rest of her as well. Her body was willowy and swayed gracefully as she walked toward him with two guards carrying luggage.

  She was tall, five foot eleven, and had a thin frame, but her curves left no doubt that she was definitely a woman. Her B cups did look a bit small on her tall frame, but she was without a doubt sexy. She also wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t sure if that was a bad sign or not. So far none of the Esari had smiled.

  She stopped and bowed.

  He merely nodded his head in return as custom dictated, since she was beneath him, and he hated himself for it, it felt wrong. He held up his hand without a word, and she took it without comment, and he helped her into the shuttle. The warriors placed her luggage inside, bowed to him, and left.

  All without a word being spoken.

  He shook his head, this was going to suck, now he had two women to ogle that he couldn’t have. He was sure Alyndra would sleep with him if he even merely hinted at the idea, which meant he’d go to hell if he ever did so, if A.I.s went to hell that is. Of course, with the invasion he didn’t even have time to sleep with Chrystal right now, so he might as well suck it up and get over it.

  He jumped into the shuttle, and accessed the command interface, closed the canopy, and took off for space.

  “Alyndra, this is my life mate, Chrystal, and this is my friend and associate Nadia Lane from Earth. It would please me if you would address us by name, mine is Mike by the way. You’ll be given your own quarters, and if you need anything reasonable, the ship will provide. As for right now, you need to change into a ship suit as soon as we arrive, we leave for Feilia as soon as we’re docked. You can put the dress back on, or something more comfortable over the ship suit once it’s on.

  “After that, report to the bridge if you wish. Once we leave, we’ll only have ten minutes before battle. Any questions?”

  Her voice was melodic and alluring, and more than a bit shy.

  “I find myself unsure as to what to expect, I thank you for the dignity of my own quarters. It was unexpected, and quite welcome. I will do what you say when we arrive. It is difficult to anticipate your needs since I can’t see in your mind, so forgive me if things go amiss at times in the beginning.”

  He nodded and replied, “We will both need patience to find our way I think. I don’t believe I’m a hard person to get along with, but time will tell.”

  He sent her a schematic of the ship to her interface tech, which was different than the Earth and Mars tech he was used to, but easily understandable to him, and included which room was hers. He had the captain’s quarters with Chrystal, and Nadia’s was across the hall in the first officer’s quarters. He’d assigned Alyndra the room next to his and Chrystal’s, which would normally be for the second officer.

  Chrystal sent, “The suit will be done before we get there. Good call on upgrading the ship, we needed another room.”

  He replied with a nonverbal chuckle, and then asked, “How pissed is Nadia about this? Is it going to be an issue?”

  Chrystal sent, “I don’t think she’s mad anymore, not after thinking through what you said. I think she’s moved on to jealousy, right after seeing what the princess looks like.”

  He raised an eyebrow, but Chrystal just smiled back and winked. Maybe he shouldn’t be writing off his chances yet. He admitted to himself, that he really would like to explore the possibility of intimacy with Nadia, and getting to know her with the intention to see if she’d be a good fit with he and Chrystal.

  His cock perked up at the news…

  Chapter Sixteen

  Nadia asked, “Would you like to try coffee Al
yndra.”

  Alyndra looked at Nadia a moment, and then nodded, “Thank you. I shall give it a try. My people have nothing like it.”

  Alyndra broke off and stepped into her room to change, and Nadia grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchenette.

  “What?”

  Nadia said, “I can’t carry four cups, you just volunteered.”

  He chuckled, “Fine, I can do that.”

  Nadia added shyly, “I’m also sorry for overreacting, I know better, know you better than that I mean. Do El… Esari ever smile?”

  Chrystal replied, “Not normally, they evolved with telepathy, which means they are usually well aware of people’s moods without resorting to such things. As a result, body language had a very low evolutionary priority. Their body language as a whole is very muted compared to humans. But it is there, it should be a good challenge for you.”

  Nadia grinned, “True,” she turned to him, “Just going to stand there?”

  He winked, “I agreed to carry, I never said I’d make them.”

  She growled, “You drive me crazy Mike, here.”

  She handed him two coffees, and then started on the next set.

  He said, “Sorry, I don’t know why I like teasing you so much about coffee, maybe it’s a leftover from our first meeting. The failing is obviously mine.”

  It was true, he didn’t tease her about anything else, not really, just coffee. It was kind of ridiculous.

  She smiled, “So you aren’t perfect after all?”

  He snorted, “Why do you think Chrystal is here? No one is perfect, not even an A.I.”

  She looked at him, “She’s here because you love her.”

  He nodded, “That’s true, I do. But I created her in the first place to make sure I didn’t fuck up too badly when I had control of the strongest ship in the known galaxy, at least for now. That might change shortly. It wasn’t until later that the love part happened.”

  Chrystal teased, “It took him long enough to figure out.”

  He handed her one of his coffees.