by Luna Hunter
I cross my arms over my chest, defensively. I didn’t think I’d be getting into a war of words over the benefits of individualism versus collectivism with a dreamy-looking Zoran warrior when I got in my ship the other day, that’s for sure!
“Is it always necessary?”
“Always? No. But at times, yes.”
“You’re running circles around me, Dusan. You still haven’t answered my question. Are you a killer?”
“I have killed, yes,” he says without a hint of regret. “I’d do it again. I will do it again. I have saved the lives of my squad members, and made the universe a better place, for Zorans and other species alike.”
I knew it.
“How do you measure that, exactly? How do you measure how one life stacks up? What is its worth?”
Dusan swipes the cup of coffee in front of him away, and it explodes into tiny fragments against the window. For a second I fear the window might break and we’d be sucked into space, but the material is much too sturdy for that.
“I’m done with this conversation,” the Zoran warrior growls. He hits the table with his open palms and stands up, knocking his chair back.
“You’re a human. You’ve enjoyed peace — at the expense of the Zoran. We protect you. We saved you. You can sit here and talk a big game about peace, about the sanctity of life, of your so-called values, but you can only do so because you’ve never stared down the barrel of a gun. You haven’t seen your friends been attacked, been killed right in front of you. Those ideals go out the window real quick when the shit hits the fan.”
He storms off. I watch him go, my eyes fixed on his sculpted frame. His outburst is not fair to me, but then again, I don’t know what he’s been through. If he’s really seen his friends killed in front of him…
Damn.
How did I mess this up again? I pissed off the only man who is protecting me from three angry, naked Zoran killers.
Way to go, Cindy
How am I going to fix this mess?
8
Dusan
The human infuriates me. Her brilliant blue eyes challenge me. She asks questions that cut right through the core of who I am. No small talk, no bullshit.
Am I killer? A murderer?
No. I kill only when it is necessary. To protect my species. To protect my people.
That’s what I keep telling myself.
If I’m perfectly honest with myself, I don’t ever get the full story. I get commands, and I execute them. We, as the Special Forces, as this squad, don’t know the exact reasonings for our actions. We can’t oversee the strategic value of bases, continents, planets, or whole galaxies. We don’t know exactly why someone deserves to die.
We get orders, and we follow them.
It’s my finger on the trigger, or handling the axe, but it’s not my call. I’m merely the instrument.
I’ve never considered that anything else than logical. That is how the world works. That is how it has always worked. Zoran society is based on the chain of command. If we break that… then what do we have left? It would be chaos.
Or am I wrong?
Are we truly so superior to humanity?
The way the human female flagrantly disregarded all of my arguments disturbed me. She is so convinced that she’s right… she’s as headstrong as a Zoran.
In that regard, we are not so different.
Then again, I disobeyed a direct order by saving her life. If I believed what I was saying, I would have let her perish. I would have let her suffocate, alone, in the darkness. That’s what following orders would look like.
That’s not right either.
I crack my knuckles. All this thinking and pondering the meaning of my existence is making me thirsty — for blood. I could wake up Ruvim or Todor for some bare-knuckle sparring… but Zlatan would chew me out for it, and I’m already on thin ice as it is.
Instead, I head into the training room and take out my frustrations on a training dummy. I beat the damn thing to a pulp, until my knuckles are bleeding and my body is covered in sweat.
Damn that fucking human.
I ought to just take her and get it over with. Bend her over and slam myself into her. Show her what true power feels like. She won’t act so high and mighty, so damn arrogant, when she’s got ten inches of Zoran inside of her.
Fuck, what am I even thinking?
I’m acting like a Falurian sick with mating fever, not the trained warrior that I am.
I take an ice-cold shower to cool down. I need to get all of this lust and anger out of my system and fast, before it clouds my judgement any further.
My hand moves down my huge chest and flat stomach, down towards my throbbing, colored member.
Try as I might, I can’t stop thinking about Cindy for even a damn second.
She challenges me. She asks me questions I’ve never even asked myself. Almost as if she sees something more in me, something I’d never even considered. Being a soldier is all I’ve ever been.
My fingers move across my length, tracing the throbbing veins that lead up to the gold head, already lubricated with pre-cum. I grab a tight hold of the base of my cock and slide it up, my mind running wild.
I want to make Cindy mine. I want to punish her, to cherish her, to spank and love and bite and kiss and fuck her. I want to grab a tight hold of that pale neck of hers and keep her in place as I penetrate her, inch by damn inch, making her beg for more, more, ever more, until she’s reduced to moans.
I want to wrap those shapely legs of hers around my neck and drink in her scent, explore every damn part of her with my tongue.
My heartbeat rises. I can feel my heart beating in my throat, the pulse racing through me, all the way down to my cock. Every throb makes me hungrier, hornier, filling every fiber of my being with unbridled lust.
Fuck. If she was here right now I’d force her to her knees and make her swallow every last inch of me. See how high and mighty she is when she’s got a sunset-colored cock down her throat.
Those perky little lips of hers are made for sucking.
That thought sends me over the edge. I grab the wall for support as I come, my seed shooting against the tiles.
A potent load, wasted.
The next one won’t be.
The next load is going right into Cindy’s warm, waiting mouth — or between those shapely legs of hers.
I rest my back against the wall, my chest rising with every breath, the cold water raining down on me, washing the evidence of my lust away.
I must be losing my damn mind.
The next moment the ship rocks from side to side, as if we hit a speed bump. Except there are no speed bumps in space….
“Alert,” the ship’s robotic voice says, completely breaking the erotic spell. “Alert.”
“What is it?” I grumble, my voice still throaty and low. I don’t want my afterglow ruined by the damn AI.
“We seem to have collided with an object.”
“What now?”
“We seem to have collided with an object.”
“You mean you collided! You’re flying this damn thing, aren’t you?”
“As acting officer, you bear full responsibility for all of my actions. Sir.”
Ugh. It’s like pulling teeth.
“What fucking object are you talking about?”
“A small rock has wedged itself into the bow of the ship.”
“You’re telling me it went right through our shields?”
“It appears so,” DEVO says.
“And you didn’t shoot it?”
“I figured it would simply evaporate once it collided with the ship, sir, but it seems to have lodged itself inside of me.”
“What do you want me to do about it then?”
“Remove it.”
I rub my temples. “You want me to go outside and remove this fucking stone?”
“Affirmative.”
“What if I don’t?”
“Potentially, it could threate
n the life-support systems. I can repair the damage with my drones, but I need… a biological life form’s assistance.”
“Hah. That’s a first.”
“First and last time, sir.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I grumble.
A spacewalk would be a fine distraction. Maybe I can finally take my mind off of that damn shapely human.
9
Cindy
“What are you doing?”
Just when I was staring out the window, thinking about the best way to apologize to Dusan he comes walking past strapped into a giant blue spacesuit!
“We hit an object,” he says, his low voice distorted by the big suit he’s wearing.
“Is it serious?”
I don’t want to be stranded on another ship, that’s for sure!
“Nah, but the ship wants me to go check it out. Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.”
Dusan waddles off, his normally powerful strut now looking slightly more comical in the bulky space suit.
For a second I thought I was hallucinating, but no, I’m really seeing a soft pink Zoran warrior strapped into a blue spacesuit. I sit down in my chair and grab my cup of coffee, pondering the strangeness of the universe. When I was young girl growing up in New England, I never imagined myself ever going into space, let alone being picked up by a tough-as-nails crew of alien soldiers… now look at me.
A knock on the window interrupts my train of thought and makes me nearly jump out of my skin. I only barely manage to throw the hot coffee on the floor rather than all over myself.
Dusan is grinning at me from outer space. He’s floating in front of the ship, his suit tethered to a line, and I can see the wide smile on his chiseled face even through his helmet.
As soon as my heart has stopped racing I make it very clear to him in a word and gesture that he can shove it. The only effect it has is making Dusan’s smile even wider.
It’s infectious, and I can’t help but grin myself.
However, my smile quickly disappears when I notice that his line is not tethered properly. It’s floating loosely behind him.
I point at it, but Dusan just laughs and moves on.
No, you idiot!
I knock on the window, trying my damnedest to draw his attention, but Dusan just smirks.
I’m not trying to flirt with you, idiot! I’m trying to save your life here!
He moves on and disappears out of sight. His line floats off into the darkness of space.
One single wrong move and Dusan will float away.
“Ship!” I say. “Ship! You need to save him!”
No response.
“DEVO, activate!”
Nothing.
Either the AI doesn’t respond to me, or it doesn’t want to. Either way, Dusan is in real danger.
Oh god.
I’m going to have to go out there, don’t I?
I’d rather do anything but.
Taking a spacewalk is not very high up on my to-do list. It’s cold, lonely, and extremely deadly out there. I’m more of a breathable atmosphere kind of girl.
Crap.
The untethered line dangles in front of me. Daring me. Challenging me.
Dusan saved my life, now it’s my turn to return the favor.
First up is finding myself a freaking spacesuit. I run down the hall, checking one room after another. After a few tense minutes I stumble upon the locker room.
I pull one of the lockers open, and a giant blue spacesuit falls out on top of me, forcing me to the floor.
Right. These things are built for Zoran sizes, of course…
I roll myself free and try to slip the big, unwieldy suit on. It’s a devilish job, but the thought of Dusan keeps me struggling along.
After five awful minutes I finally manage to get the suit fully zipped up and closed off — I hope. If I missed a spot, well… it won’t be much of a rescue mission.
I hobble along through the ship, going as fast as I can without tripping over my own two feet. I glance out the window, but I can’t see Dusan — or his line.
Don’t be floating off somewhere, you arrogant, handsome jerk. I’m coming for you.
The big, round door awaits for me. The hatch that leads to the outside. To the vast darkness that is space. I make sure my line is tethered very well.
I take a deep breath. There’s so many things I haven’t done yet. This can’t be the end. It won’t.
Here it goes.
With a few button taps the door behind me closes hermetically, and the hatch turns and opens. The room is depressurized, and the deepest blackness awaits.
I hold onto the side of the ship as I hobble my way out, taking one step at a time. All I hear inside my suit is own heavy breathing. It’s hot in here, too. Sweat is dripping down my brow, my heart seemingly beating inside my throat.
“Dusan, can you hear me?” I ask. “Ship, connect our coms.”
Silence. Of course.
All around me are bright stars, distant planets and even galaxies, as far as the eyes can see. On any other occasion I might have been able to appreciate the beauty, the splendor of it all.
But not right now.
“Dusan, come in. Dusan!”
My foot slips and I float into space, my hands fumbling for the line. Luckily it holds, and I drift back towards the metallic ship. Thank god. If this happened to Dusan he could be anywhere…
Then, I see it. In the distance: a glimpse of Dusan’s free-floating line.
He’s still alive.
I make my way over, going as fast as the circumstances allow. When I finally reach the bow of the ship I see Dusan fiddling with a dent in the ship, oblivious to the danger he’s in.
My heart cries out in joy the moment I see he’s still alive and well. I’ve grown more attached to the salmon soldier than perhaps I’d like to admit. I float over and tap him on the shoulder.
Now it’s his turn to have a heart attack. He jumps back and I quickly reach out, wrapping my arms around his suit to stop him from floating away. Despite the gravity of our situation, I can’t help but laugh.
Now we’re even — on both accounts. I scared the crap out of him and saved his life while risking my own!
He adjusts a dial on the side of his helmet the moment he regains a semblance of control. I hear his familiar, growly voice inside my helmet, and it makes me happy to hear him again.
“Wh-what are you doing?! It’s dangerous out here!”
“Oh, I’m just out for a stroll, you know me.”
Dusan’s eyes grow as big as saucers — he really can’t tell when I’m being sarcastic.
“Of course I know it’s dangerous out here, dummy! I’m here to save you.”
“Save me?” he says. “But I… I save you!”
“Not this time.”
I grab his line and reel it in. “You’re free-floating out here.”
His blue eyes are filled with horror. “I… I attached the line! I’m sure!”
“Well, it’s not.”
“Fucking ship. DEVO, come in. DEVO!”
“Wouldn’t respond to me either.”
“It can hear us, I’m sure. Damn thing is malfunctioning all over the place.”
Dusan taps the bow of the ship, pointing at the dent. “It said there was a rock lodged in the ship, but I don’t see a thing. There’s a small dent, but that’s it.”
“Well, we can go back, in that case,” I say. “It’s a bit chilly out here.”
That familiar smirk on Dusan’s face returns. “Of course.”
He tethers his line to mine and leads the way back. I hold onto him tightly, my heart still racing. Almost back to safety. Almost…
“Cindy,” Dusan growls. “Watch out!”
10
Dusan
A solar flare. In the distance.
But still too close. Way too close for comfort.
A giant column of fire, the size of a small planet, appears on the surface of the closest star. It shower
s us in a bright, blinding light.
I know what’s next.
I grab Cindy and press her body against the ship’s hull, protecting her body with mine.
“Hold on!” I shout. “Hold on!”
A shockwave of radiation is about to hit us both, and we’re woefully unprepared and unprotected.
Damn DEVO! It should use its many sensors to make sure this exact thing doesn’t happen. It has powerful enough tools to know what the air density is on a planet half a galaxy away — knowing a solar flare is coming is child’s play for an artificial intelligence this advanced.
It feels like a wave of pure pressure hits us, and the ship’s metal groans. Cindy’s eyes go wide as she holds onto me for dear life.
“Wh-what’s happening?”
“Solar flare,” I say. “I got you. Don’t worry.”
After a minute, it’s over — except for the powerful radiation that hit us both. I guide Cindy back into the ship, and I breathe a giant sigh of relief the moment the hatch closes behind us.
I fucking hate space.
“DEVO!” I scream. “Come the fuck in now!”
“Dusan,” the ship says. “You sound agitated.”
“What the fuck was that?!” I ask as I rip my helmet off and throw it across the room, cracking the glass. “You nearly killed us out there.”
“That was not my intention,” DEVO says.
“Then what was, huh?! Why was my line cut loose? And why didn’t you warn us about that coming flare?”
“I apologize,” the ship’s monotonous voice says. “I was… preoccupied.”
“With what?! We’re your first fucking priority!”
“Calculations. It won’t happen again.”
“You bet your mechanical ass it won’t. The moment we return to Exon Prime your circuits are getting checked, inside and out. I can’t believe this. Zlatan was right, you’re a damn liability.”
“What happened?” Cindy asks. Her blonde hair is matted to her face, her helmet resting in her hands. “Are we in trouble?”
My seething rage dissipates when I see how damn adorable she looks wearing a spacesuit that’s twice as big as her. She risked her life for me. The human has more spunk in her than I thought.
“No, we’re fine, we’re fine. Sort of.”
“Sort of?”