by Rowan Bishop
The chanting continued to build momentum as Akyra and Raemus were finally signaled to move toward each other. When they dropped their richly embroidered kaftans, they were left with nothing else on, naked for all see.
The immediate exposure to everyone’s eyes caused Akyra to suck in a deep breath, but she quickly moved past the feeling, focusing on the very naked Titan across the pool from her.
Akyra’s heart was about to beat through her chest when she saw Raemus' cock again, swollen with anticipation, but not yet rock hard, swinging mightily with his every movement.
Attendants lit more flares along the walls of the hall, while a musky, woody incense flooded the lover’s nostrils as they moved to the waist-deep water in the middle, only a meter apart from each other. His excited, completely dilated Titan pupils almost stopped her in her tracks, the glimmer of the surrounding flames reflecting immaculately off their deep, exotic blackness, proof he wasn’t entirely human—but also proof that he was feeling the wild intoxication of the ceremony just as she was.
Akyra grinned in nervous excitement, slightly moving her shoulders back and forth to the beat of the singing. “Hello, Captain Raemus.” Then quiet enough for only him to hear, she added with a smile, “I feel like I’ve taken Ghula.”
He looked like he was in heaven, no doubt about it. Akyra was thrilled to see just how much Raemus was enjoying the build up as much as she was, most obviously in those eyes.
“Your necklace… it’s beautiful.” He held out a hand. When she took it, he squeezed it gently, then pulled her to him.
The hall full of spectators made sounds of joy when they finally touched, their clapping hands, pointed skyward to the ancient solar system of Sol, increasing in volume out of sheer happiness for the couple.
Raemus kissed Akyra’s lips just as their bodies touched, his solid chest so sturdy against her. His thick, warm cock pressed against her stomach.
Their kiss lasted a long time, long enough for their fingers to dance around each other’s skin—tickling his chest, around his shoulders, the sides of her breasts, her neck.
She reached down with one hand and gently wrapped her fingers around his growing cock, instantly falling madly in love with how dense and heavy it was, stroking it carefully, slowly, until it was completely hard and her fingers could no longer wrap around it.
They continued kissing softly, even as their breath quickened, even as his light fingers ran all over her body, down her back, across her round bottom, up and down her strong thighs.
Akyra felt so exhilarated by his touch, his delicate attention to her, that she nearly forgot the hundred or so people in the hall with them, watching their every kiss. The again, the insane urge was so intense that she almost knelt down on her knees in front of Raemus to feel that gorgeous swollen cock in her mouth, to suck softly on its huge head, if only for a moment—but the clapping brought her back to reality. Smiling even as their lips opened and closed, she promised herself the ecstasy of going down on him another time.
Raemus took her hand and led her to one of the many stone formations that rose from the water. He chose one that would suit their difference in height.
As they kissed again, Raemus began working his hands under her ass, pulling her upwards, shifting his hands lower and lower until he was effortlessly holding her up off the bottom of the pool, pressing her against the smooth, warm, wet stone.
Akyra wrapped her legs around him. Which was the kicker. Because that movement brought his fat, hard cock up against her pussy, positively melting with expectation. She moaned out loud, sinking her teeth into the enormous muscle atop his shoulders, rocking her hips into him, sliding her pussy up and down the most tender part of his shaft.
Akyra was almost completely out of the water when the huge head of Raemus' cock began pushing inside her. She was absolutely aching inside, and no matter how big he was, she needed his cock to go deep and make that ache go away.
One of his hands slid into her hair as the weight of her body pressed down on his cock, gradually pushing it further and further into her. She threw her arm over his head, holding on for life, her deep groan of pleasure filling the entire hall, a triumph of pleasure rising over all the other sounds and music.
Because the pleasure was overwhelming.
By the time Raemus was thrusting in her—as deep as his long shaft would go without hurting—she was already on the verge of climaxing for everyone to see.
Raemus was strong and confident, holding her up gently in every way, delivering a deep stroking inside her pussy. He couldn’t stop kissing her lips, her neck, even the top of her head as she once slipped down too far. There was no mistaking that he was head over heels in love with Akyra, and she seized onto that fact just as her body began to go rigid with the orgasm swelling within.
When she bit into his shoulder again as she came, squeezing her eyes shut, the echo of her cry bouncing around everyone within the hall, Raemus also started the loud, aggressive grunts of a man officially about to claim his woman.
Pounding harder and harder into her, jolting her hips with every grinding thrust, even as she sucked air and her body shook with the tail end of her orgasm, Raemus squeezed her—hard enough to take the rest of her breath away—and Akyra knew that warm, gorgeous gush of cum deep inside her body was filling her, filling her in a way she’d been craving since she first kissed him.
They stayed that way for several minutes, their bodies shivering with delicious spasms against each other. When the time seemed right, Raemus lowered her to her feet.
When they finally separated, Rayeley and Akino offered fresh robes.
They stared at each other from across the pool, knowing they couldn’t sleep in the same bed. But they were fine with what needed to be. This ceremony was nothing like they’d imagined. It was perfect.
Akyra unconsciously rubbed the birth control implant, barely noticeable under the tissue of her left shoulder, and for a brief moment, a familiar wave of sadness passed over her that she didn’t have the heart to explore. Before the feelings moved into her conscious thoughts, her hand moved from her shoulder to the pendant on her chest. She rubbed it with thumb and finger—and knew she would never take it off.
The locals politely began to dissipate and move toward the hallways, polite eyes now averted as the ceremony was over.
Occasionally, however, one of the women would sneak a glance to Akyra, then to Raemus, the words “prophecy” and “Glory to The Almighty” rising above the shuffle of sandals upon the sandy stone floor.
Chapter Thirteen
You shall know the will of God—
It’s a fire upon your hearts, already there.
Solar Wind, stanza XII, by the 35th century A.I. poet Braexus
The next day, the convoy packed up. Raemus made it clear everyone needed to load extra provisions for the journey ahead.
They were finally moving on toward Pergamon, an entirely different geographic region still six hundred kilometers to the north, a mountainous green zone, where fewer and fewer settlements could be found. And there was going to be no stopping along the way.
But to Raemus, fewer settlements was the point. He knew chances of making contact with Xerxus grew the farther they traveled from Zebra and Bin Ar-Drezar’s long fingers.
There were innumerable variables at play, and Raemus now needed to apply his best asset as a Titan, his augmented intuition, to all of them.
What Raemus didn’t tell Akyra and her leadership team was that he actually had deeper ties with the locals farther away from Zebra, places far enough away that he could carefully acknowledge his sympathies for the greater insurgency, where many of the locals had even begun praying for Raemus’ possible future leadership. He grew friendly with the towns close to Zebra, yes, always enforcing the peace when splinter insurgents got too carried away. But right under Bin Ar-Drezar’s nose was no place express his true feelings.
“Sorry to see the desert go,” Akyra said, as she and Raemus carried their he
avy gear toward their vehicles from where they’d sneaked a cup of blue phenia tea, recapping their strategy for moving forward. “Desert always feels clean. Despite that it’s, well, one hundred percent dirt.”
“Not a lot of places for the enemy to hide,” Raemus agreed.
“Yeah.” Akyra looked at the side of Raemus' handsome face as they walked. “Good memories now, too.”
Raemus smiled. “Xerxus’ probable location is uploaded into your nav. Remember, Akyra, I’d bet it all he’s waiting for us.”
“Can’t we make that work to our advantage?”
“Let’s see how he and his chums react as we move in. Six hundred kilometers is a lot of space for plans to go wrong. Sometimes it’s best not to make them.”
“Raemus, I thought you said you’d have more influence in these regions, away from Zebra.”
He nodded. “True. Except it’s still a tough neighborhood. Don’t forget for a second, Titans are in this part of the galaxy for a reason. Minora isn’t so bad now, but things can go bad real quick. You may get the occasional heretic with a rocket launcher near Zebra, but the farther away you get from the outpost, the bigger the assholes. The bigger momentum these assholes can sustain. These planets, planets like Minora…” He clicked his cheeks. “The Church has trouble keeping people convinced it has their best interests in mind. Hence the farther away from a church outpost…”
Akyra stopped walking before they got in earshot of the others. “What do you think?”
Looking off to the rocky, red-hazed horizon, Raemus shrugged. “Well, until Bin Ar-Drezar opened up on us three days ago, I’d have said that I still didn’t know.”
“Looks like your decision was made for you.”
“No. I made the decision myself. There’s no doubt about it. The sin all is mine.”
“Perhaps mine, too.”
“Believe me, I pray to The Almighty I’ll find his path to forgiveness.”
“One day.” Akyra bound her own fate now with his. This pleased him more than he expected.
He turned to her in perfect seriousness, echoing her sentiment. “One day.” He moved close to her, dropping his gear from both hands. Lifting the Sol’s Hand pendant she’d temporarily left outside her chest armor, he examined it thoughtfully as the dry, cold wind picked up. He bent down and kissed her cheek.
But she dropped her own gear, grabbed his face with both hands, and pulled his lips down to her own.
“Thank you for Shu’ri, Raemus,” she said after their kiss.
“Thank you for Shu’ri, Akyra.”
Akyra added, “It was kinda super hot.”
Raemus’ own laugh caught him off guard. He let go of the pendent and the wind caught it. “Pergamon’s a lot warmer. You’ll like it. Talk to you soon.”
When they finally parted toward their respective teams, Raemus’ keen eye noticed everyone else felt good, too.
He watched as Akino, Tomohiko, and Aejax—who’d been helping Banshees tote their equipment to the vehicles—show Akyra great respect, stopping when she approached, nodding to her with reverence and poise.
All the Titans also gave Raemus extra space, too. They avoided extraneous questions and refrained from seeking his approval, allowing him some alone time while he loaded equipment and worked out possible outcomes with Xerxus in his head. The extra space was a nod to his own rise in stature and admiration.
After yesterday’s ceremony with Akyra, his team elevated him from military commander to leader of a spiritual family, of which they were all brothers. These Titans were breaking from hardened rules pushed upon them from childhood, breaking from the rigid system holding them in place. Now that Raemus had ceremoniously committed the capital crime of making love to Akyra, and so publicly at that, he’d ripped them free.
They were now on a path different than what church architects had originally chosen for them. Not even assaulting their own outpost and stealing Bio-Teck Laboratories’ property had done that.
This spiritual family continued on its own. And Raemus commanded, beyond any doubt, as the head of the family.
The final process of mounting up by both teams happened swiftly. It was professional and tidy. This was the kind of military efficiency that comes from happy, hopeful warriors, the kind of military efficiency he absolutely loved. Surely, Akyra noticed. And loved it, too.
His vehicle rumbled to life, and standing on its roof, he turned toward Akino, who was at his side. “Ready to get this job done?”
“Yes. The Almighty calls us to Pergamon.”
“In that case…” Raemus slipped on his helmet to give him access to his comm mic. “Attention Thunder Company, this is Thunder Leader Actual. Stand aside as Captain Roux’s team moves up. Banshees have the lead. Take good care of us, ladies.”
Raemus knew Akyra smiled as she stood halfway through the roof hatch above her seat. He could hear the smile in her voice. Everyone could. “Copy, Thunder Leader,” she said. “Stay close, and we’ll keep you boys safe.”
As the lead Banshee carrier began approaching his own vehicle—the top half of Akyra’s armored body poking out the roof—Raemus' heart began pounding. She hadn’t put on her helmet yet, so her braid flipped wildly in the wind. As she roared past, both Raemus and Akyra waved to each other, her huge smile only ten meters away as Staff Sergeant Polliana Paxton hammered the accelerator, stoking the thunderous engines to their limit.
Raemus was almost sure he heard the shrieks of excitement from all the other Banshees within the rear carrier as it barreled past in turn, Sergeant First Class Valarae Klipssen atop this one, helmet on, arms crossed, focused forward.
He laughed, smitten by such levels of sheer jubilation from these humans. It was an honest joy he’d never seen humans exhibit. And if all these women embraced such feelings, then it must come from their commander, the woman charismatic and strong enough to set this tone: a true leader.
There she was, her figure receding from him at the very front of the entire column, helmet off despite the cold, her long braid trailing behind, her arms spread wide as if embracing those winds of change blowing before her. She was hope and joy. Ahead of everyone. Beautifully human.
As the last Titan vehicle trailed away, local townspeople who’d come to witness the procession bowed on their knees in the dusty wake of the convoy. Many of them, dressed in dark robes barely enough to withstand the cold, some with tattooed faces, some with uncovered shaven heads, began scooping up dirt of the vehicle tracks into jars and pots, the folds of their clothes if they had nothing else, mumbling prayers of hope and reverence.
One of them, an elderly stooped man, perhaps their elder, stood alone among the many bowed devotees, watching the convoy drive away. He too was in a long, dirty vestment. From one hand, a modest censer swung gently, from which thick plumes of smoke rose, swirling around him. The old man feebly waved at the receding vehicles, knowing by now the soldiers of The Almighty could not see him, knowing they would not wave in return—praying myths were real and prophecies as old as the ancient seabed under his sandals would be fulfilled.
Chapter Fourteen
The northern region of Pergamon, known for its paradoxically temperate climate, stands the best chance of population retention due to its rich soils and the consequent possibilities of future agriculture.
…Careful consideration should be given to the species of flora injected into the ecology—already implanted with nutrient producing microbes. With proper attention, the rising mountains and expansive valleys could be home to colossal forests, capable of supporting vast amounts of pilgrims imported to the Luminara system.
On the other hand, the varied geography of the region would make tracking the advancement of such pilgrim populations very difficult in the future.
From an early edition of “Minora” by The Bureau of Planetary Engineering, Church of Nova Sol
After a long, final day of driving over the nearly lifeless, monotonous desert, a hazy green line of distant mountains rose on the hori
zon.
When the military convoy reached the base of the first low foothills, marked by an immense stretch of boulders larger than the leading Banshee troop carriers, the convoy parked for the afternoon.
Soldiers were dispersed along the convoy, working quickly in the last hours of sunlight to service every vehicle to Valarae and Akino’s strict expectations.
Akyra had already done her job, routing the next day’s leg with Raemus, identifying hazards and potential stopping points along the rising mountain roads. So she offered to help Polli, who lay under the front of their carrier, cleaning the twin air filters and refreshing fluids.
She was squatted down next to the huge front wheel, holding a length of electrical cable that ran from the rear generator to Polli, when Gayla walked up on her.
Gayla backed her shoulders against the big, black carrier and looked down at her captain with a rather large smile. “Sooo…”
“What’s up, Gayla?”
Gayla just raised her eyebrows, grinning.
Akyra took her attention away from Polli just long enough to laugh, look her medical specialist straight in the eye, and say, “Yes. It’s blue.”
“Holy fucking shit.”
“Just a little bit. It’s not neon or anything.”
“Did you… see it in the dark?”
Akyra frowned. She did not enjoy this rare feeling of embarrassment in front of her medical team member. “Gayla, don’t demean the most spiritual experience of my life with your petty, teenage questions.”