Chapter 7

Chapter 7

K hanet’s attention was rapt on the skin of my thigh where my dress rode up when I tucked my legs under me. I tugged at the fabric to no avail. I gave up and let it fall where it wanted.

If I had my way, this explanation would end in sex, anyway.

I wanted that explanation first, though. What little he’d said at the restaurant told me nothing.

“The Volnu project’s original aim was to create a defense system that would trump every offensive system imaginable.” He shook his head. “I need to back up. First you need to know a bit of Skeall history.

“Our public archives teach that during the first era of recorded history, we were a peaceful people focused on agriculture. We used a barter system to trade with tribes across our planet and there was no talk of strife or wars.

“It wasn’t until the first off-worlders arrived that we learned what it meant to be included in a universal society.

“Our planet was rich in natural resources while those in nearby galaxies struggled with less hospitable climates. We tried to share our bounty with the new species who came, but their greed was unending.”

He stared through the view port as if it showed distant stars rather than the cold gray metal of the docks.

“We were happy to share, but that quickly became not enough. They wanted everything. When our chieftains realized they were stripping our planet bare and putting our survival in jeopardy, it was too late.”

“Why didn’t you appeal to the Denchui Alliance? Weren’t they formed to keep things like that from happening?”

He nodded. “They were, but our planet’s discovery was too recent to be invited, and the ones plundering our planet were members. They told our ancestors there was nothing they could do.”

I was angry on their behalf, and from what he was saying, these people had been dead for centuries. It didn’t matter. The injustice turned my stomach.

His tone remained impassive. “We rose in defense of our planet. We taught ourselves to fight and went from an agrarian society to a military one in the span of a single generation.

“Our weapons were no match for those of our enemies. They’d had eons to perfect them, while we had mere years. The result was catastrophic.”

I didn’t want to hear what came next, and at the same time I was on the edge of my seat.

“We call it the You?shi?v—the great culling. Millions of Skeall perished. Those that survived did so by going underground. They retreated to tunnels dug from the earth.

“When they were hunted even there, the ever dwindling group found a way off planet. Our homeworld is now a dry husk, unable to sustain life of any kind.”

“That’s horrible. Where did your ancestors go?”

“To the planet we now call home. Do you understand why we are so secretive? Why we guard the location of our planet?”

I nodded. “I’m outraged and I’ve known about it for less than an hour. I can’t imagine how the Skeall feel with this as your history. The generational trauma must be great within your society.”

He nodded. “For some, yes. Those families kept a record of all they’d lost, the names passed down from generation to generation so they are never forgotten. Others, like mine, chose to learn from the past, without dwelling on it.

“Now that you know our beginnings, it may be easier to understand why we wanted to create a weapon that would be the ultimate defense. Something to keep in our arsenal that would ensure no others ever stood against us.”

“A nuclear option.”

His brows came down in confusion.

I shook my head. “Something from Earth’s history. The nuclear option was a last resort defense. Something no one wanted to use but developed and kept as a deterrent.”

“Exactly. The Volnu project was founded to create just such a nuclear option.”

I was almost afraid to ask. “What was it?”

“A planet destroyer.”

I gasped. “The debris field.”

He nodded. “The weapon used a concentrated plasma cannon which targeted a planet’s core. Whether the planet had a solid or liquid core, the effect was the same. The planet would explode.”

“Oh stars. This exists?”

His eyes bored into mine.

“It isn’t supposed to. Records show our khumtu scrapped and shelved the Volnu project before a prototype was built. They deemed it too powerful and decreed we’d explore different ways to ensure our future.”

“The stringent borders and refusal to join the alliance.”

“I believed what we’d been told until I saw proof the weapon exists with my own eyes.”

“So, someone somehow got the plans for this weapon and built it?”

He shook his head. “We don’t think it was anyone else. We think our council has been lying to us for decades. About this, and we’re discovering other things as well.”

“Why? Why would they lie to their own people?”

“Power.” He spit the word like it offended him. “When our culture shifted from agrarian to militant, power became important. Who held it and who could take it mattered more than it did when we were a simple bartering society. The more power you have, the more resources you command.

“The khumtu likes the populace to believe they are benevolent and seek our best interests, but in truth they have been hoarding power and knowledge. For how long, we can only guess.”

“You’re saying ‘we’. Who else knows?” I wanted to ask how much danger he was in. There was no question he was at risk. It is never safe to challenge powerful people.

“The other warbird captains. We are working together to learn the truth.”

“What will you do when you have it?”

He took a deep breath. “We will expose the khumtu.”

“You’re talking about rebellion. About toppling your entire government.”

“Yes.”

Holy shit.

***

She stood and crossed the space between us, arranging herself on my lap the same way she had in the chair.

I tucked her close, wrapped her in my arms and buried my nose in her braid. Saying it out loud, in explicit terms, made it all too real. Intellectually, I knew what I’d been planning from the moment I saw that sphere of debris floating in space.

But acknowledging out loud that we intended to confront our ruling council made my stomach sink.

I didn’t fear for myself, but I feared the fallout from our actions. How many would die as a result of the khumtu’s exposure? How many would refuse to see the truth and defend them?

Daynx leaned back and framed my face with her hands.

“You are doing the right thing. Not many would be able or willing to stand against their own government.”

“It’s the right thing to do. And we can hope it is only one council member responsible.” I didn’t believe that, but if it was true, the resolution would be far easier.

She nodded. “Yes, but the consequences are far-reaching. The number of unknowns scary.”

I studied her face. Her eyes reflected the low light in the room and seemed to sparkle like far-off stars. Her delicate nose led to full lips and her pulse pounded in her neck.

“You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “You don’t have to say that.” She winked at me. “I’m a sure thing.”

I took her chin between my fingers and brushed my lips against hers. “It’s simple truth. You are captivating. I am ensnared, and I don’t want to be free.”

I captured her moan against my lips and pressed as close as I could. I felt her loss deep in my soul when she backed off my lap, and then lost all thought when she drew her dress over her head and dropped it to the floor.

She wore nothing underneath.

I reached for her and my fingertips brushed her sides. Her skin was smooth and warm and the feel of her was too much and not near enough.

She moaned and gripped my shoulders.

“I need you.”

I dipped and wrapped my arm behind her knees, scooping her up and striding toward her cabin. Her giggle cut off into a moan when I lifted her breast to my mouth, unable to wait until we reached the bed to taste her.

I found her cabin door open and sent silent thanks to Arella. I laid her on the bunk and straightened to rid myself of the clothes that chafed at my skin.

Danyx scooted to the far side of the bunk but I grabbed her ankles and pulled her back to the edge. Her squeak died in her throat when I spread her thighs and licked up her seam. She raised up to look at me and I grabbed the end of her braid and tugged her head back.

My hand trailed down her stomach as I licked, nibbled, and sucked her sex. Her abs fluttered beneath my hand and her breaths staggered. I scraped my teeth against the small nub at the apex of her thighs and she shattered.

Her breath caught, her back bowed from the bed and her fists clenched the sheets at her hips.

“You are exquisite.”

I waited for her to catch her breath before I helped her further onto the bed. I crawled over her and smoothed the hair at her temples until her eyes fluttered open. She licked her lips and spread her legs, cradling my hips between her thighs.

I groaned when my cock settled on her sex. Even that small contact was magnificent.

Her fingers speared through my hair and she pressed her breasts into my chest. “I want to feel you.”

“I’m intact.” As much as the image of her belly swollen with my child appealed to me, I didn’t know how she felt about children.

“I have an implant.”

I dropped my forehead to hers and tried to conjure an image of my grandmother naked. The reality of her beneath me was too great and I gave in to the urge to possess.

I entered her in one swift stroke and our groans mingled between our lips.

“Fuck you’re big.”

“Have I hurt you?” I tried to pull back but she wrapped her legs around me and dug into my ass with her heels.

“No.” She tilted her pelvis up and I sank even deeper.

My vision blacked.

“Now move.”

I obeyed, sliding out and into her with long, smooth strokes. I sought to prolong her pleasure and fought against the instinct to pound into her, to mark her as mine, to leave no question that she belonged to me.

I lost all control when she whispered, “Harder. Faster. Fuck me like you mean it.”

###

I don’t know who the woman driving my body was, but I appreciated the hell out of her. I’d never been bold in the bedroom. Never one to ask for what I wanted or direct the action in any way.

Something about Khanet brought that out of me. I conducted him like a symphonic composer.

And it was glorious.

His cock stretched and pulled at my skin, the sting of pain eased with overriding pleasure. He flipped us, his hands on my hips urging me to ride him as I wished.

I took full advantage.

While I pounded myself into him like a prize winning pile driver his fingers slipped down to my clit. As soon as they brushed against me I exploded again.

I’d never had two orgasms in a row, and he didn’t look like he’d stop anytime soon.

My thighs burned, my muscles spent. He flipped us again and I gave myself over to him. I spread my legs as wide as they would go and urged him on. “Use me Khanet. Find your pleasure like you found mine.”

His breath hissed through his teeth and his movements jerked and became unorganized. He thrust into me three more times before he bottomed out, his muscles locked as he bowed over me.

I held on to his neck and kissed his shoulder until he collapsed next to me.

I felt a cataclysmic shift, but I was too spent to identify it. I knew something changed, and everything from there forward would be different.

He couldn’t stay. He and the other captains decided to continue their normal routines as much as possible. It was up to each of them on their rotations home to search the archives. Drokak would pave the way for them to research without raising any alarms.

He wanted me to go with him. To stay on the Thiljo while he was on patrol, and to live with him when they returned home.

I wasn’t ready to give up my newfound independence. Or my ship. Or my heart, though I suspected it was half gone already. I had no idea how a relationship with him would work, but I knew I couldn’t leave Arella or Skitter behind. Maybe our different paths would be what drove us apart, but I planned to enjoy him while I could.

Which in this case, was only a few hours.

He woke me before he left. He admitted he almost let me sleep, but he figured I’d be mad if he left without saying goodbye.

I told him I’d have skinned him alive.

He kissed me goodbye, a gentle brush of his lips on mine. He leaned his forehead against my temple and shook his head. I couldn’t read the look on his face before he turned and left my cabin. Arella let me know when the Thiljo shuttle left orbit.

My heart sank. What they were doing was dangerous and could get him killed. I put that thought out of my mind and went back to sleep. If I thought about it too much, I’d run after him and to hell with my plans.

I spent the next day resupplying for our return trip. Khanet gave Arella a passcode to broadcast while in Skeall space. It let the other warbird captains know we were under his protection, so we could cross through without worry. Which was good because Il’ors had spread the virtues of the food I’d brought. I had a waitlist of other chefs and elite Todrorians clamoring for my next shipment.

It probably didn’t hurt that the family he worked for lorded the superior ingredients over their peers.

Il’ors even gave me a bonus to ensure he had his pick of my next shipment. I used it to upgrade Arella’s replicator. No more beige gloop! I doubted I’d ever feel rich enough to eat the items I sold, but I didn’t mind splurging on the upgrade so I could have simulated eggs and bacon for breakfast.

Arella even tweaked the machine so the food it produced tasted almost like the real thing.

There was no reason to stay longer on Todrore, and many rich, hungry reasons to get back into space, so we didn’t linger.

I didn’t ask for them, but Arella gave me regular updates on what was happening with Khanet. The information was third hand, since she heard it from Xekil, but I’d take what I could get.

Halfway back, I decided to get items from Rounia instead of Ruella Prime where we’d gone before. Rounia was a bit further, but since it was closer to the bulk of Denchui Alliance star systems, the items they had were more varied. I’d be able to buy more fruits and vegetables than could be found on Ruella Prime, and there would be exotic meats and fish as well.

Traversing the Core would add a week to our trip, but with the Skeall shortcut it wouldn’t make that much of a difference overall. And the boost in cost would more than make up for it.

I planned to upgrade the refrigeration capabilities in the cargo hold so in the future we could carry unusual, even more perishable items. On that trip, I’d have to choose things that would survive the trip back, but anything I carried would still be exclusive given the other freighters had to go around Skeall territory.

Nearly three weeks later we were in the final approach to Rounia. Arella called me to the bridge and Khanet’s smiling face greeted me from the view screen.

“How are you?”

I grinned. “Good. We’ve gotten our dock assignment for Rounia and it’s close to the market I wanted, which is nice. How are you?”

He cut his eyes to the side to let me know he couldn’t talk. “Everything is as it should be. Progress is steady, and we hope to complete our project soon.”

“Will I see you when we fly back through?”

“I should be on patrol.”

Damn those butterflies, lighting me up like a live wire. I beat my them back with a mental stick. “I’ll have Arella contact you when we cross the border.”

“May the stars align to speed your journey.”

If it weren’t for one large hiccup named Garble, it would have been the speediest cargo acquisition in history.