Running Silent, Part 1

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Xu’s nostrils flared. He was perilously close to losing control, something he hadn’t done since he was a raw youth.  For Crystal Graei, losing control could be deadly.

His body, however, didn’t care what his mind said.  Neve’s scent filled the lift, her own mixed arousal and fear along with West’s cleanser.  Nothing was guaranteed to push his particular buttons like that combination.  The acrid musk of fear – a slight uneasiness, a wariness of him – was not so strong that the stink overpowered her arousal. The territorial threat of West’s scent slicked another layer of aggression over Xu’s lust.

It was fortunate that the majority of crew on the Mercy were human, and that he was not among his own kind.  The cracks in his control would be entirely too evident to Graei, especially of his own class.  Humans, fortunately, were astonishingly oblivious.

He needed a release, some way to bleed off some of the tension, but there was neither opportunity nor means for doing so. The next few hours required a delicate and precise balancing act.  Any mistake would be catastrophic.  At best, a mistake would result in the deaths of millions of New Juneau colonists. At worst, the Mercy could be captured, the crew slaughtered, the colonists allowed to die, and the ship and her contents giving the pirates the means to hold entire planets hostage.  The risks were enormous, and success hinged on Neve’s skill and focus.

He would not, could not, endanger millions for his own pleasure and pride.

He bit his tongue, hard enough to draw blood. The bitter mineral tang flooded his mouth, overpowering her more delicate scent. It was a desperate maneuver that was only partially successful. He’d sell his birthright for a few minutes to take the edge off.

The lift doors opened and Xu gestured for Neve to lead the way.  She’d been silent since leaving the command conference room, and she continued that silence. She was doing her best to ignore him, trying to convince him she wasn’t interested.  She had no way of knowing that her own body betrayed her to Xu’s heightened senses. Only his own barriers kept him from pursuing her. At least, from pursuing her directly.

It occurred to him that the station suits would provide another layer of distance between Neve and himself.  It irritated him how much relief the thought brought him. His own shaky control disturbed him more than anything Neve could do. She shook him down to his foundations. Xu drew a shallow breath, forcing himself to shunt his hunger for her to one side. There were much more important things to deal with just now.

Information buzzed through his complink, keeping him apprised of the situation in the remainder of the ship. Medical proceeded with the shut down, sliding crew members into stasis as they were released from their posts and returned to their bunks.  Only a skeleton crew would be aware through the change over, though Engineering and Security would maintain a full complement through the switch. The shuttle bay had been locked down and secured, along with Decks 28 and 29, the entertainment and health decks.  Within an hour all non-essential personnel would be in stasis and systems would shut off life support with the exception of the biotech garden areas on decks 24 and 25, which would maintain enough support to sustain the crops.

By the time Neve palmed the access plate for main propulsion, Xu knew the status of every deck. She finally broke her silence, but to talk to her complink, not to him.

“Lieutenant Yrtl.  Ah. No, Lieutenant Commander Enchev will not be resuming his duties at this time.”  She stalked into the propulsion bay, the lines of her body betraying her irritation and anxiety. “Yes, Lieutenant. I don’t want discussion, Lieutenant. You know the procedure. Make sure it is followed.”

She clicked off, shaking her head.

“Problem, Commander?”

Her shoulders hunched.  She answered without looking at him, swinging under a plasma converter coil.  “No, sir.  Lieutenant Yrtl will follow orders.”

Xu swung through behind her, his more limber Graei body doing what might be difficult for a human male of the same size. He’d once had a partner tell him he would be hard to beat in a limbo contest.  He’d had to look that up, and had only marveled at the strange games humans employed to entertain themselves.

“I’m sure he will.”

Neve headed straight for Lieutenant Reese. Reese had always struck Xu as a steady, even-tempered sort that performed well under pressure.

He looked up from the console to greet Neve. He dropped the stylus in his hand as he snapped to attention at the site of his first officer. Everyone in engineering froze, then followed suit, springing into crisp salutes.

Xu always found it secretly amusing, the way people dropped everything, as if he would throw them in the brig if they weren’t fast enough to salute. Nothing on his face, however, showed his dark humor at the discomfiture of the crew.  Instead, he returned the salute.  “As you were,” he said easily.

A quick look showed engineering personnel busily preparing for the shut down, already in station suits.  He nodded acknowledgment to the few people he knew personally before stepping into the stiff legs of his own station suit.  He pulled up the cross braces and shrugged into the sleeves.  He didn’t bother to seal the suit or flip the head piece up, since life support was still normal.  The one piece construction was designed to minimize the possibility of leakage in a minimal support environment, but not to be as contained as a true space suit. It made them lighter and more agile, allowing the crew to continue normal activities while the ship powered down.

The complink pinged in his ear. The tone had him answering immediately. “Captain.”

Neve’s head swung around, her eyes narrowed.  Ah. Neve was definitely shaken by the problems with her command.  She’d dealt with them, but she was still on unsteady ground.  He could use that, he would use that, to push her and to give himself a tiny measure of relief.

FUBAR Part I

She wanted a drink. Or two. Maybe three.

What she didn’t want was to be sitting across this meeting table from Shawn Ellery while he told her how badly he’d fucked up.

Tania fought to keep her face blank as Ellery searched her features. She knew he was searching for any reaction, something he could use to justify his stupidity. She wasn’t going to give it to him. He’d screwed up in a major way by bucking the protocol and not reporting the information he had when he received it. Granted, she understood that his reticence wasn’t technically insubordination, but it was definitely poor judgment. And, in this case, it put her ship and her crew in danger.

Ellery pressed his lips together, his nostrils flaring.

Tania remained impassive. While she wasn’t up to Xu’s standards, she was better than most, and she’d been working on her technique. Nothing like a Crystal Graei as an executive officer to help you perfect the art of blank face.  Still, she was going to have to do something if he didn’t get here soon.

The conference room entry hissed open.  Xu entered, ignoring Ellery completely.

Tania watched him take up a post at the corner of the table, ramrod straight and inhumanly beautiful. Xu was rarely less than perfectly turned out when on duty, but right now his uniform was just slightly off – the seams not perfectly straight, the edge of one sleeve tucked under. His smooth, dark skin was more blue than usual, and the tips of his ears curled back on themselves instead of standing upright. Hmmm.

“I apologize for any delay. I came as quickly as possible.”

Tania raised a brow at him. She’d paged him only moments before, and the locator had placed him in the Pleasure Lounge. She had the impression he had been…busy. Between the slightly mussed uniform and his physical characteristics, she was surprised the line of his uniform pants wasn’t ruined.

Continue reading FUBAR Part I…

The Next Best Thing Part 2 (Explicit)

Xu held Kevin’s gaze a little longer. “Good. Tell her to play with her breasts. Be sure she is watching those watching her.”

Kevin nodded, his lips brushing Xu’s with the movement and sending little pinpricks of heat along Xu’s skin, before turning back to face Valerie.

“Are your eyes open, Valerie?” Kevin’s voice was stern, at odds with his still trembling body. The contrast stoked Xu’s arousal even further.

“Y-yes.” Her voice quivered with arousal and uncertainty. Never before in a public scene had Xu allowed another player to give her orders. Xu found that tiny note of fear insanely erotic. It was that tendency his kind had to fight. The adrenaline spike that came with fear was an aphrodisiac to Crystal Graei. The fine line between apprehension and true terror was a delicate balancing act, and it was only one reason Graei control was imperative.

Kevin’s tremors eased. “Play with your tits. Watch them all look at you while you get your pretty little nipples all hard for me.”

Xu felt an unwilling surge of pride. Kevin either had experience dominating someone like Valerie or he had exceptional instincts. Since Xu didn’t think a trained dominant would have misread Valerie and entered this little charade, he’d bet credits it was instinctive.

Watching over Kevin’s shoulder, Xu’s gaze followed Valerie’s hands as they lifted from the table to her breasts. Though she was a small woman, her breasts were generous, with large nipples only a few shades darker than her creamy skin.

Xu put his mouth against Kevin’s ear.  His own sensitive ears brushed against Kevin’s skull, forcing him to control a shudder of pleasure.  “I want her to get herself off.  You need to tell her what to do.  She needs to hear the words from you.”

Kevin nodded his head slightly, the movement rubbing his short hair along the sensitive ridge of Xu’s ear.  Xu closed his eyes briefly, moving his hands further up Kevin’s legs so his fingers framed Kevin’s arousal without actually touching him.

Kevin’s breath caught, and he swallowed hard.

“Keep watching the crowd, Valerie,” Kevin instructed. “Slide your hands down between your legs.”

Continue reading The Next Best Thing Part 2 (Explicit)…

The Next Best Thing, part I (explicit)

Relief, at least some measure of it, eased the invisible tension from Xu’s shoulders. He’d updated the Captain and gotten her agreement not to interfere prematurely in the situation with Enchev. The Captain, however, had cut Neve’s window in half by putting the ship on stasis alert.

Still, Neve had six hours, which was plenty of time. It was also enough time for Xu to bleed off some of the sexual frustration Neve induced. He had a few hours before the Pleasure Lounge and other recreation areas began powering down, and he intended to use them.

He spread his arms along the back of the low couch and surveyed the lounge. Along the interior walls were privacy booths. The area along the hull wall was dotted with small tables and conversational groupings of furniture, constituting what Xu thought of as the spectator gallery. The middle of the large room, where he now reclined, was sunken below the level of the floor and boasted a variety of couches, chairs, benches and low tables. This was center stage.

Though he often preferred privacy, the throbbing in his veins demanded quick satisfaction. The need to control his partner and demonstrate that control to others beat at him.

Fortunately, he’d played this game often enough that nearly everyone on board knew the rules.

He allowed a small smile for the tiny blonde kneeling before him. He’d partnered with her before and her sense of adventure and sure self-understanding worked well with Xu’s more dominant style. “What are my rules, Valerie?”

He posed the question more for the benefit of the young man kneeling beside her than for Valerie herself. Xu hadn’t partnered with Kevin before, and Valerie’s answer would help Kevin understand the dynamic.

“To respect my own limits, to speak up if I am uncomfortable, to do as you ask, and to please you.”

“Very good, Valerie. What are your limits today?”

Continue reading The Next Best Thing, part I (explicit)…

Bad to Worse

“Buggerfuck.”

Cav looked up from the console to see Ellery run a hand over his close-cropped brown hair.  Shawn Ellery was the epitome of cool under fire. When he broke out the compound curses, things were not good. “What’s the problem?”

“I just received the order to start preparing for power down for the engine swap. Six hours.”

Cav’s spine went ramrod straight.  “Fuck.  Didn’t you talk to the Captain?”

Ellery ran his hand over his head again, his eyes dodging hers. Double fuck. He hadn’t.

Conscious of the crew members watching her, she chose her words carefully. “Commander, you have to tell her.”

His nostrils flared, but Cav refused to drop her gaze.  He knew she was right or he wouldn’t be so pissed.  He should have told the Captain as soon as he found out.  As far as Cav could tell, Ellery’s ego and need for control had convinced him to take a gamble on the arrival of the escort ship, banking on playing hero.  Now he was out of time and out of line, and he knew it.  Fortunately, though Ellery might be a bit of a glory hound, he wasn’t an asshole. She waited for him to come to that conclusion himself.

His breath hissed out between clenched teeth. “I know. I know I fucked this up. Shit.”

Continue reading Bad to Worse…

Handbook of the Galaxy: 2

His Neve Problem

Xu Scholen stepped out of the lift into the corridor. Taking a deep breath, he walked toward the systems bay. His ears twitched at the droning hum of the engines overlaid with the quiet hiss of the backup systems. A quick check of his complink told him Commander Steesk was in TWR. Why she was there, he didn’t know, since they didn’t have any target world reps on board.

His ears also twitched at the thought of his upcoming meeting. Not only was Neve Steesk Chief Engineer, she was also his Chief Fantasy. With her oddly tinted hair bound in myriad tiny braids and secured at her nape, he wanted nothing more than to spend hours unraveling it: combing it through his fingers, winding it around his arms, draping it over his skin. She definitely aroused more than a professional interest. Given the Fleet Command attitude toward sex, he wouldn’t normally bother to dampen that interest, but this was a delicate situation.

His fascination with Neve ran deep. He wanted her under his control, sexually. Too bad she wasn’t ready for that sort of relationship.

Xu licked his lips, imagining the pleasure of training her, drawing her out to her limits. She wouldn’t roll over, it wasn’t in her nature. No, she’d fight him, and the challenge would be in bending her to his will without breaking her. There was nothing sexier than a smart, strong woman who submitted willingly.

Continue reading His Neve Problem…

Mission: Relaxation, Part II (explicit)

Dhaji’s cabin, like all junior officer quarters, consisted of a bed, a desk, a small seating area and a hygiene station with individual lightbath. Framed art and unframed drawings personalized the space.

“I like the new bedcover,” Cav commented, toeing off her boots.

Following her lead, Dhaji stepped out of his.  “It’s a gift from my foster mom. Do you want a drink?”

“No, I don’t think so.” She paused in the act of stripping off her shirt to watch him.

The soft light of the cabin accentuated every shadow on his body. For all Dhaji’s face bordered on unattractive, her mouth watered at the sight of his body. He used the conditioning equipment onboard, and it showed. His shoulders seemed somehow broader without the uniform to camouflage the muscle. The planes of his chest gave way to hard ridges at his abdomen. A sparse trail of hair led from his shallow navel into his uniform pants. Cav’s breath hitched and she wrenched her shirt over her head.

“You have the most amazing breasts,” Dhaji breathed. His pants hit the floor in a pool of fabric.

Continue reading Mission: Relaxation, Part II (explicit)…

Mission: Relaxation, Part I

Cavanaugh James rubbed a hand over her face. She wanted some food and sleep. She knew herself well, though, and knew that she was too wound up to sleep just yet. With only twelve hours until her next shift, she didn’t want to waste any of it lying in her bunk counting Earther sheep. No, she needed relaxation – and she knew just how to get it. A tiny smile tilted the corners of her mouth in anticipation: some of the tension of the past twenty hours began to seep away.

Smooth ceraglass paved the level 28 main corridor, the pale gray of the walls nearly white against the shiny blackness. The low heels of her uniform boots made no sound on the hard surface thanks to the dampening material. At the delta intersect, Cav turned toward the port side exterior of the ship. The ship was designed for ease of movement. Each level had a main corridor loop. Off the main corridor the intersects ran the width of the ship. Crossing the intersects were offshoot corridors running lengthwise to the ship. Find an intersect and you ended up back at the main loop corridor.

Ignoring the interior offshoots, she strode easily to the end of the intersect at the terminal offshoot – and the door leading to the Relaxation Lounge. Just seeing the doors caused an expectant tingle in her nipples. She really did need this.

Continue reading Mission: Relaxation, Part I…

Handbook of the Galaxy: I

HANDBOOK OF THE GALAXY

Note from the Publisher:

The Handbook is designed to give the reader an introductory look at some of the basic historical context and current mores of various cultures within the Galaxy. As such, it cannot, in any way, be considered a complete view of the Galaxy. Here we have tried only to provide a basic introduction for the lay reader, with the hope that any entries which spark the reader’s interest will lead to further research and study on that topic. It is the goal of this publication to present all sides of significant galactic debates, as well as provide balanced and fair reviews of individuals, races, religions, belief systems, educational systems, and other areas of interest.

If you believe there are factual errors in the text, please contact the Publisher at the address below:

ATTN: Handbook Errata
MS 3146
Rezcland Publishing
24912 Marp Bevnig
Vatera, Glognis 43720-65N
Pregzan Six, Scutum-Crux Beta

Continue reading Handbook of the Galaxy: I…