Davis nodded. “Get that info to the exobiologists.”
The Communications Officer held her headset close to her ear for a moment. “Captain, I have a response from the planet. Voice only, translation locked.”
The Captain smiled. “Put it on speaker.”
There was a chirp of static from the bridge speakers, and then a voice crackling with noise came through.
“Unidentified ship, you are entering the space of the Hargon Empire. Stop immediately and identify yourself and your purpose here.”
The Captain pointed at the helmsman. “All stop.” She tapped a switch on her command chair. “Hargon Empire, this is Captain Elsa Davis commanding HMSS Daedalus on behalf of the Empire of Mankind. We come in peace and mean no harm.”
“We tolerate no hostile actions in our space.”
“I understand. To whom am I speaking?”
There was a slight delay. “I am Logan, Chief of Security for the Hargon Empire.”
Davis smiled. “It’s good to meet you, Logan. We are here to contact new people, to learn about and from different civilizations. We would like to come closer to your planet so we can make contact a little easier.”
The man hesitated again. “You will fly in formation with our ships to the planet.”
“Very well, Logan. We’ll be there soon.”
* * * *
One of the spies came into his office and handed Crosley a data disk. “We just intercepted this from Logan’s communications. A spaceship is coming here.”
Crosley felt surprise and fear mixed with excitement build in him. The legends said that the Old Ones would return one day, but he’d never believed the stories. He dropped the disk into the player on his desk and listened to the exchange Logan had with a person called Davis on the approaching ship. It was true—a ship was coming here.
Maybe it is time to start believing in the legends.
* * * *
Cliff wandered around the ship after the Captain stood down from battle stations. There wasn’t anything for him to do in his office, and his head still hurt too much to go to the gym. Besides, a certain black-haired beauty still filled his thoughts. He considered going to the bridge to see if she was still there, but he didn’t have any real reason to be there, and he didn’t know what he would say if he found her.
It really didn’t matter too much, though. While sitting at his post with nothing to do other than think, Cliff had come to understand that he really just wanted to be close to Rabine. She didn’t need to say anything at all to get his total attention. She didn’t have to do a thing to fascinate him. She just needed to be there.
He stopped and shook his head. Maybe he’d taken a harder blow to the temple than he, his trainers, and the doctors knew. Maybe something got knocked loose in his bean and he wasn’t thinking straight even now. Or maybe he was dead and this was the afterlife. Complete with angels. Black-haired angels.
The communicator inside the Fleet emblem on his uniform shirt chirped for his attention, and he tapped the insignia to answer. “Rochester.”
“Hi, Cliff.” He recognized the voice even before she’d finished the first word of the sentence. It was Rabine, and his mouth went as dry as the deserts of Nerumie. He swallowed hard, hoping she couldn’t hear it through the communicator.
“Um, hi. Are you off duty?”
“As much as anyone is.” The Captain left the ship on high alert, and that meant everyone was subject to immediate recall. “What are you up to?”
“Just walking a little, trying to get my head to clear.” He didn’t want to tell her she was the thing clouding his mind.
She hesitated for a time. “How about if I buy you dinner?”
“Sure, that would be great.” He didn’t know if it was his subconscious simply doing what it wanted to do or if his big mouth just ran ahead before he could think about things.
“Fantastic! I’ll meet you at mess hall seven in twenty minutes. Bye.”
The communicator went dead.
* * * *
She tried to watch Cliff as he sat across from her at dinner, but Rabine didn’t want to stare. Actually, she did want to stare, but she knew it would be rude and would likely make him more uncomfortable than he appeared already. Her mind kept playing back the images of him in the ring yesterday—wearing the baggy trunks that boxers had worn since time immemorial and nothing else, sweat plastering the short blonde hair to his head and streaming down his bare chest. She found it strange she hadn’t noticed just how well-muscled he was before now.
It was easy for her to see Cliff’s muscles now, though, as he picked at his food, pushing bites around on the plate with his fork, watching intently and studying each bit before finally lifting it to his mouth. As he toyed with the meal, Rabine saw the muscles in his arms flexing, and as he chewed, bulging cords of sinew worked in his jaw and neck. Cliff would sometimes stop rearranging his food to reorder his spoon and knife where they rested on the napkin beside his plate. She’d watched him wipe at his knife four times, as if trying to remove a water spot, but Rabine couldn’t see any offending marks on the metal.
While she tried hard not to stare at him, Rabine caught Cliff staring at her from time to time, usually when she looked up to stare at him. The blow to his head might still have him a little bumfuzzled.
They spoke little as they ate, but Rabine couldn’t help remembering that Cliff had tried to say something to her before the ship went to battle stations earlier. She wondered what it could be. Finally, Cliff pushed his plate aside.
He smiled a little. “I’m not sure my brain is working at full speed yet.”
“I wouldn’t be too surprised if it’s not.”
He hesitated for a moment, just staring at her. A childlike grin replaced the soft smile. “What’s the word from the bridge?”
Rabine wondered what subject it was he dodged now, but she decided not to press him. “We should reach the planet very soon now. We’ll have to see after that.”
“Yeah…” He trailed off, his eyes never leaving hers, and the grin faded to a very serious expression, something that jangled her nerves just a little. Cliff took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. As he slowly opened his eyes again, he leaned forward. “There’s something I wanted to say earlier, but I didn’t know how. I’m not sure I know how to say it now, either.”
“Why not just say it?”
He nodded and opened his mouth, but the intercom spoke first. “Now hear this, now hear this! All department heads report to the Ready Room immediately.”
He sighed. “You’d better get moving.”
* * * *
The aliens—they called themselves humans—had sent down a small group of technicians to set up a communication system that allowed Logan to see them. He assumed it was something like television, though the equipment was much more complex than any in a TV studio he’d ever seen. He faced Captain Davis and some of her officers through the communications link.
Davis looked calm and relaxed. “We will be sending down more people, with your permission, of course, to help relations between our peoples develop.”
He tried to make himself as relaxed as Davis looked. “That will be just fine.”
“There is one thing I’d like to ask you about first.” Davis frowned a little. “Our sensors show there is another species on your planet, but we see no mixing of them and your people.”
It was clear to Logan from the first time he saw the images of the human ship that their technology made that of the Hargon look like sticks and stones, but he didn’t suspect they could see the things Davis spoke of. He wanted—no, needed—their technology for the Empire, so his answer had to make sense to the captain. “Yes, there is another species here. They call themselves Lings, and they live apart from us.”
“I see. From our scans, it seems their technology is not as high as yours, but it looks to our science staff that the Hargon and Lings may share a common ancestor.”
Logan struggled to kee
p his expression neutral. “That may be, but we can’t say for certain.”
Davis nodded. “Maybe my people can help you with that. I plan to send down my Science Officer and our best biologist.”
Two men, obviously soldiers because they carried weapons and wore armor, had escorted the technicians. Logan decided to press Davis. “Will you be sending more of your soldiers? Frankly, their presence here is disturbing.”
Davis shook her head. “No, but I would like to leave the two guards there for now.”
Logan nodded. “That will be just fine.” He needed to gain the trust of these people in order to gain access to their tools.
* * * *
Cliff really didn’t understand why the Captain sent him down with the landing party, but at least it let him be close to Rabine. The people here, the Hargons, were far from primitive, and their weapons were not in the least archaic. It was true the technology at the disposal of the Hargons was several thousand years behind humanity’s—perhaps at the level of twenty-first century AD Earth—but no matter how he sliced it, they had in-system space flight and nuclear weapons. But he had found some curious things, strange enough that they distracted his mind from Rabine.
That was a good thing. Maybe. Cliff found he stared at Rabine every time she was around. She often caught him at it, but her only response was to smile at him. Her smile made the day seem a little sunnier despite the fact that the larger, redder sun of this world gave a ruddy hue to the light.
He sat with Alexa in the common room of the suite the Hargons had provided for the landing party. Alexa had taken a liking to a sweet drink the Hargon Security Chief introduced to them. It tasted a little like orange juice mixed with watermelon, and it kicked like a mule. The chemists told him the drink was ninety-three percent alcohol.
Alexa took a swallow of the rocket fuel substitute. “So, what’s bugging you?”
Cliff reluctantly chased the images of Rabine from his thoughts. “I’m not sure if it’s really anything.”
“It must be something or you wouldn’t have wanted to talk about it.” She lifted the glass to her lips but paused before she took another drink. “Or is it more about a certain scientist than the Hargon?”
“It shows that much?”
After taking a sip, she set the glass back on the table. “If you mean that you’re absolutely entranced, yes, it shows. Have you got her in bed yet?”
Sometimes Alexa didn’t talk much like a grandma. “No.”
“So you’re in love and not lust, then?”
Cliff often wondered if he was the only man in the galaxy who got a little nauseous when the L-word came up in conversations about women. He liked to think he wasn’t alone in that. “We need to stay focused on the problem we have with the Hargon.”
“As you wish, but remember, your two problems can easily become intertwined. So, what’s bothering you about our hosts?”
He was glad his stomach settled a little with the change in subject. “Their society and technology don’t fit together too well on the time-line.”
“Tell me what you mean?”
He tried to gather his thoughts in order to express them in a way that would make sense to someone other than himself. “They say they’ve had space flight for about seven thousand years. That’s longer than humanity has had it, but the society is more like eighteenth or nineteenth century Earth, and the technology itself is more like our twenty-first century. They just aren’t advanced enough.”
“You think they’re lying about the age of their technology?”
He shook his head. This was the part bothering him most of all. “No, I don’t. I don’t think they’re smart enough to have developed space flight in the first place. I think they found the technology—or someone gave it to them—and they are simply using it. Some of the Hargon ships I’ve seen are hundreds or thousands of years old, and the repairs are like a patchwork quilt.”
Alexa nodded. “So why tell me about it?”
“Because you’re an exobiologist.” He leaned toward her just a little. “Are the Hargon bright enough to have developed this technology?”
“I really can’t say just yet. I may not understand how their brain works well enough to estimate their maximum abilities.”
“What’s your best guess?”
She shrugged. “My first impression is that you’re right. The Hargon aren’t smart enough to have developed the hardware they have.”
Cliff nodded. “But that doesn’t rule out the idea they just stumbled on the stuff.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Alexa lifted her glass to him. “High intelligence is no substitute for dumb luck.” She laughed. “Besides, that’s why we need an expert in archaic weapons systems.”
Chapter 4:
Lunch Break
Leilend walked with confidence through the halls of the palace as she made her way to Logan’s office. As much as the idea of her being in danger bothered Crosley, the fact was that Leilend was a valuable spy in the resistance movement. As one of the trusted Ling servants to the Hargon, she could gather immense amounts of valuable information. She entered Logan’s office with the drinks and snacks he’d asked for, and Leilend found the human woman called Rabine was already at the conference table in discussions with the Security Chief.
The woman spoke to Logan as Leilend took the tray to the table. “We would like a chance to meet the Ling. I think that’s important to our understanding your world.”
Logan laughed casually, a sound Leilend had come to know was a gesture of false friendship. “Then please meet Leilend. She is Ling.”
Rabine turned to face Leilend. The woman looked much like a Ling—or a Hargon for that matter—but her skin was darker with a faint greenish hue. Short black hair encircled her face, and the woman’s eyes were black. Overall, the human was beautiful, even by Ling and Hargon standards. But there was something more about this Rabine than simple physical beauty.
Leilend had long understood her kind frequently had flashes of precognition. Crosley often had such dreams, and some Ling, especially women, sometimes had waking dreams. In her mind’s eye Leilend saw Crosley and Rabine standing together in a forest clearing, surrounded by grass and trees as rays of the sun slanted down through the lush canopy to bathe them in warmth. They stood naked together, and Leilend licked her lips slowly as she studied Rabine’s body.
Crosley reached out his hand in the dream and touched the woman’s face, his fingers trailing down the skin of Rabine’s cheek and tracing the line of her chin. Leilend felt an electric tingle run through her body as her husband caressed Rabine’s face. Rabine lifted her arm and placed her hand on Crosley’s chest, her fingers making small circles around his nipple. Leilend closed her eyes in the phantasm, but she still saw how Rabine moved closer to Crosley, slipping her arms around his body to pull them closer together.
The tingles Leilend felt when she watched Rabine touch Crosley faded to nothingness, replaced by shock-waves like those from explosions when the naked bodies of the pair pressed against each other and their lips met. The waking dream rushed on as Crosley and Rabine touched and kissed one another, their hands and lips exploring their bodies and tendrils of passion moved through Leilend’s mind.
In the dream, Leilend heard a noise from the woods, and she looked around. A naked human man approached the pair, and his cock stood out long and hard from his body. As the human stepped up behind Rabine, Crosley dropped to his knees in front of her and lifted Rabine’s leg.
Crosley licked Rabine’s pussy, his tongue darting over her clit as the human stepped in close behind her. He thrust forward, and his cock entered her pussy, probing the depth of her as Crosley sucked her clit. Leilend twitched with pleasure as she watched the man’s huge dick slip from Rabine’s pussy. He pushed forward again, but she heard Crosley gag a little as the big cock entered his mouth to thrust far down his throat. The man bucked against Rabine, burying his dick first in her pussy and then running it into Crosley’s mouth.
Crosley stood up suddenly, and both men backed away from Rabine. When they pushed forward again, Leilend saw the man’s cock press hard against Rabine’s anus and Crosley’s dick slipped easily into the woman’s pussy. As the trio pressed together, the man’s shaft slid into Rabine’s ass.
The visions in Leilend’s head continued to thrust and grunt as the men filled Rabine, sandwiching her between them. Rabine’s head lolled back and she screamed incoherent noises when the two men pressed together, their legs quivering as they filled her ass and pussy with cum.
Rabine’s voice spoke to her, but it wasn’t in the waking dream. “Very good to meet you, Leilend.” Leilend looked around, and she was back in Logan’s office, the human and Logan waiting for her to respond.
“Um, yes, sorry. It is good to meet you as well.”
Rabine held a small device, and it made strange clicking and beeping sounds.
* * * *
Logan wondered briefly about the hesitation Leilend had shown in greeting Rabine, but he dismissed it as he had more important things on his mind. While the team Davis sent down contained diplomats, scientists, historians, and others, it was clear to him that Rabine, as the Senior Science Officer, was the one he must focus on in order to gain the advantage he needed. Davis would listen to this woman, and everything hinged on him convincing Rabine the humans should give him more technology. He could be hard, cold, and ruthless, but Logan also knew how to be cordial and charming. He believed he was going in the right direction with Rabine.
She smiled. “I’m sure my exobiologists will want to spend more time with the Ling. We didn’t even know any were here in the city with the Hargon.”
Logan smiled back, and he knew it was a good smile that would put her at ease. “There are only a few Ling here. They tend to stay to themselves in their own villages, as do most Hargon.”
Aaron, Melodee - As Darkness Falls [Flights of Fancy 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 5