A Friendly Caper
Chapter Ten - Corvalis
"A body like this doesn't grow on trees, my friend," I told Ransom with a grin, hopping over the chair he'd sent reeling across the floor.
"Aye. You're better than the last two," he admitted, barely turning a thrust at his groin.
"Better than the last five hosts combined," I said, crossing our blades an inch from my nose.
I grabbed his thick forearm and shoved the black giant backwards, much to his surprise. My body didn't look nearly as strong as it was and I felt justifiably proud of that. For being only eighteen, and a transsexual to boot, my physical conditioning was superb. I'd had little else to do in my spare time than exercise, and not without good reason. I'd wanted to look good for my Prince, after all.
"I love my body," I decided, although I wished my tits weren't quite so healthy. They were a tempting target and kind of in the way, sometimes.
"You like to talk more than the last five," Ransom said. "I'll give you that much, my Lady."
We fenced for nearly thirty minutes before my arm grew so tired I had to switch. Tristam was equally adept with either hand, but Sareth wasn't coordinated enough yet. The muscles had no memory and especially with my left, I had to think too much about what I was doing. Against a skilled opponent like Ransom, that fraction of a second between intent and execution was all the advantage he needed. But it still took him fifteen minutes to slip past my guard.
"Ouch!" I stepped back, panting, sweating, and frowning. "You stabbed me in the boob."
"With deep regret, my Lady." He offered me a salute with his sword, bowing his head.
"Shut-up," I sighed, opening my blood stained tunic. "If you cut off my nipple I'll...Oh."
"Just a scratch," he observed, and that's really all it was.
I had a three centimeter cut on my left breast, below and to the right of my nipple. The wound wasn't deep, despite the blood staining my tanned skin. As always, Dr. Yes had made himself available to attend any injuries our little sparring match might occasion. Technically, he was personal physician to Talis, but for all intents and purposes the good doctor belonged to me. Since I was the one constantly in need of his services.
"Have you considered body armor, Countess?" he wondered.
"I'm considering a titanium bra," I replied. "That stings."
"Perhaps you should let me remove the implants." Dr. Yes had assumed his official, medical tone.
"Why?"
"A cut any deeper than this one could pierce the implant," he explained. "The silicone would spill into the surrounding tissue. It wouldn't be fatal, but unpleasant for a few days."
"I like my tits," I told him.
"They are nice, my Lady," he agreed with a smile, closing my wound and then removing the scar a second later.
"Expensive too."
"Why not get real ones?" Ransom asked. "They'll look the same and you won't have to worry about anything except your nipples."
I had to admit that having real breasts would be nice. "If anyone ever found out I got a boob job...Where did the Duchess get hers?"
"I'm not sure," the doctor said. "I believe they're natural."
"Hmph." I smiled at that, but Talis had smallish breasts anyway. She was probably on hormones, but Dr. Yes wasn't going to discuss her medical history with me.
It was a luxury to worry about such things and I suppose that's my point. Everything else weighed heavily on my mind. The impending war with Windham had occupied several hours the night before. A solution to the problems created by my adopted faith, Islam, and the stubborn blindness of its leadership. They'd declared a Jihad, a holy war, against the aliens and anyone on Earth who cooperated with them...With us, I reminded myself. It was a war they couldn't fight, let alone win.
After bathing with Troy and Swan, I had to do my paperwork. William had never visited my offices in the Chancellery. Orion had visited, but only out of curiosity. Tristam had preferred to work from the capital world of Mercia, wishing to avoid the distractions of Court intrigue. I found that amusing as I sat behind my desk. Helena's office adjoined mine through a door on the right. Ransom had an office to my left, but I wasn't sure I'd ever told him about it.
There were secretaries and assistants, deputies as I've mentioned, and all manner of bureaucrats dedicated to the task of policing our portion of the Empire. At the end of the day, however, it was my signature on the operational orders. My word determined which criminals were executed or imprisoned and how the vast resources at my disposal were spent in the service of the Empire. The office of High Marshall was my responsibility and one we did not protest or ignore. I actually enjoyed my new job, much as Tristam did, and that surprised me.
"This one," Ransom said, tapping the holographic viewer that served as my desk. "The commissioning is in three days."
"The Helix?" I narrowed my eyes as the name took shape. The vessel was modeled in the three dimensions, rotating slowly between us.
"My Lady, that's a heavy battlecruiser," Obel, my Chief Deputy (Logistics) pointed out. "It belongs to the Fleet."
"It belongs to the Empire," I corrected him. "I need a flagship."
"I've reassigned the SCS Penta to this sector," Biriss, Chief Deputy (Operations), said. "It will be arriving in sixteen hours. You can transfer your flag and..."
"A Space Control Ship is useful for controlling space, not for taking it," I said. "I intend to lead my forces from the front."
"But my Lady," Murin said, making a steeple of her fingers, "information on Windham is still sketchy at best. I think you should reconsider, in light of your greater responsibility to the March as a whole."
I looked at my Chief Deputy (Intelligence) and noted her sincerity.
Aside from Helena, who served in a purely political capacity, they were my closest advisors. I'd handpicked each of my Chief Deputies for many different reasons, but kissing my ass wasn't one of them. All three were concerned over my decision to personally join the attack on Windham, but nothing could dissuade me. In addition to being the High Marshall, I also held the military rank of admiral. It would take an order from the Duchess herself to stop me and if it came to that, my cousin would only request my absence from the front. Talis would know the decision was mine alone.
"Windham represents a significant threat to the Spinward March," I reminded them. "My responsibility is clear. We require unrestricted use of this vessel in the performance of our duties and under lawful directive hereby appropriate said equipment and assume all operational and logistic support, etcetera, etcetera...Write it up, fill in the blanks, and I'll have the Duchess sign it."
"My Lady," Biriss cleared his throat. "There's a commissioning crew already assigned. They've been conducting space trials for the past month."
"We'll need the crew as well," I said. "I thought that was understood. They'll be on temporary assigned duty to this office until such time as a replacement crew is trained and certified."
"You're going to make someone very unhappy," Ransom said with a grin, but he probably wasn't thinking about Helena.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"You're going to do what?"
The Lady Helena of Cepheus seemed utterly unimpressed with my dash and daring and I offered her an apologetic smile. It had taken her all of fifteen minutes to discover my plan to requisition the Helix and make it the flagship of my fleet, such as it was.
"I'm putting over five hundred ships on the line," I told her. "My ships, Helena. I'm not going to sit back and watch. I have to be there."
"You're not a soldier," she said. "You're not even a constable. You're the High Marshall, Sareth."
"I've been a soldier," I reminded her. "Long before you were born I was leading other soldiers into battle. I know what I'm doing."
"And what if something happens to you?" she demanded. "The Empire needs you."
"The Empire will survive whatever my fate."
That wasn't what Helena wanted to hear and she left quickly, without another word. It wasn't in her to express her feelings more clearly than that. In fact, she probably regretted confronting me so directly, but love makes fools of us all. My decision had followed too hard on the heels of passion and I should have better prepared her for it.
"That was unexpected," Ransom said, rising from his chair.
"She'll come to her senses soon enough," I said, turning my head as Colonel Prouel entered the room followed by a young lieutenant.
"Admiral Sareth," she said. "The operational plan for Op-6617 is ready for your approval. With your permission, Lieutenant Corvalis will conduct the briefing."
"Mistress Admiral." Corvalis saluted smartly and the woman was surprisingly attractive, if you like your Dysrosian nymphs chiseled out of granite.
Unlike the delicate Swan, Corvalis stood two meters tall with broad shoulders, a flat chest, and narrow hips. Each of her smallish breasts would have made a mouthful and little more, but I did enjoy her masculine form and the way it contrasted so sharply with her lovely, decidedly feminine face. Her pale green eyes were curious and alert beneath her closely cropped hair. Brown or blonde, I couldn't tell, and I wondered if an inspection of her sex would give me a clue.
"You were my squad leader with Seventh Shock?"
"Yes Mistress," Corvalis replied, coming to rigid attention.
"You did a good job," I told her. "It wasn't much of a run, I know, but it was important to the Empire."
"Yes Mistress." Her impassive gaze never wavered and she kept her eyes focused some distance away, looking through me as she stood in her tunic and breeches.
"To me personally," I clarified, and a moment later allowed myself a frown. "Ransom, why is this officer out of uniform?"
"Forgive me, Admiral," he replied. "I thought you would enjoy the honor."
"Quite right," I agreed, accepting a simple box from his hand. "I have the duty and privilege of conferring upon you the rank of captain effective immediately. Congratulations Captain Corvalis."
"Mistress!" she said, barely getting the word out. I replaced the old collar device with the bright insignia of her new captaincy, allowing my fingertips to brush the woman's jaw.
"I shall expect much from you in the future, Captain Corvalis," I told her. "Your loyalty to the Empire above all else."
"Yes Mistress," she breathed, giving me her eyes for one precious second. "Thank you."
"Such a moment calls for a celebratory toast," I said, "but I fear we must break tradition. My time is short this afternoon, but perhaps you will join me this evening? I should like to discuss your future career, if my advice would not be presumptuous, Captain."
"I would be honored, Mistress," Corvalis replied, and her cheeks flushed with the fine, rosy color Dysrosians are noted for.
My briefing took less than twenty minutes, and the Captain seemed determined to prove her worth. Doubtless Colonel Prouel had the larger hand in the operation, but she'd been in my service for many years and had the advantage of much more experience. This was the point, and how things were done. After this operation, Corvalis would always find herself in the right place at the right time, her career carefully nurtured. Eventually she would return, assisting my Military Liaison to the General Staff until she was comfortable and experienced enough to assume the position.
By that time, Colonel Prouel would be ready for promotion and a choice assignment elsewhere, but still in my service. Her loyalty was beyond question, as my new Captain's would be, and the Empire would be served. Such arrangements were not made in preparation of a coup, but with an eye towards preventing one. The Duchess had her spies and I had mine. We were in league together, bound by the blood we'd spilled as much as the blood we shared. That's what nobody else could understand.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"I argued against you," Ellicent said, smiling carelessly. "But the Duchess is stubborn where Tristam is concerned."
"Sareth would have been happy to be her slave," I replied, letting her see the truth in my eyes. "I asked for nothing more."
We were dining alone on a terrace overlooking empty space. No Earth, no moon, not even the distant sun to spoil our view of the Milky Way. The Emperor was there, sitting on the planet Delphi near the galactic core.
"It's strange," I decided. "Seeing stars that I've visited, where I've been born and buried, and yet...I'm seeing them as they were a million years ago."
"You've changed," Ellicent said. "I've never known you for a philosopher."
"The new me." I smiled around a sip of wine.
"Does Helena like it?" she wondered. "This new, beautiful Tristam?"
"What do your spies tell you?"
"That she hardly sleeps."
"Oh?"
"She was in your favor," Ellicent said. "Like a child with an unexpected toy, she's afraid someone will take it away from her."
"I think you underestimate her."
"Why? Because I trivialize Helena's interest in you?" she asked. "Is that why you defend her?"
I shrugged. "Some would think so."
"Your ego isn't as large as you pretend," Ellicent said, smiling. "You're in love with her."
I said nothing. There was no point in denying her allegation, the woman knew Tristam too well. My feelings, my whole attitude towards Ellicent, were dominated by his memories of her. Sareth didn't know her and our shared experience, Tristam's and mine, was untainted. Orion had known Ellicent only briefly and William not at all.
"I've been wondering," she said, rising from her chair. "What does human blood taste like?"
"Do you really want to know?" I asked, watching Ellicent circle the table.
Her fingers touched my shoulders and she slid her hands downward, cupping my breasts with her face in my hair. She kissed my ear, pinching the cochlea between her moist lips. My nipples grew stiff beneath my tunic and I tilted my head towards the stars, stretching my neck as my hands covered hers.
"There are many kinds of love," I breathed, closing my eyes as I felt her fangs scratching lightly across my throat.
I became aware of my heart pounding in my chest, the pulse in my carotid artery beating rapidly against the cool enamel of Ellicent's teeth. My senses were alive to the danger. The rustle of silk as she moved, the humidity of her breath across my skin, even the scent of her female arousal seemed bright against the dimmed universe around us. I had an erection and my stomach grew taut, her breasts pushed against my back as she held me tightly in her arms.
"Tristam." she sighed, pricking my skin, but nothing more. She gathered a drop of blood upon her tongue and let me go. "Yours is a fragile existence, Sareth. You should be wary of creatures like us."
"My Lady." I dipped my head as the Riavian left the terrace.
She'd made her decision the moment Talis had made hers, I realized, and Ellicent had only been curious about mine. I had the distinct impression that I'd disappointed her somehow.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Gabriel was a favorite of the Duchess, having the appearance of a barely pubescent angel, but without the wings. They weren't necessary, believe me. The man, for he was over a hundred years old by human reckoning, was the picture of milk and honey. His creamy complexion gave way to golden locks curling around his ears and the nape of his neck. His eyes were that same color, lustrous and kind, much like his lips, and he wore the ornate uniform of a Royal Page.
"Announce me," I told him, smoothing my tunic before following him through the doors.
"Admiral Sareth Contessa de Pleaides," he sang in his golden voice. "Mistress High Marshall of the Spinward March."
The formality had the desired effect as I marched across the silence. The Duchess was a busy woman and she sat surrounded by her various assistants, including Ellicent and the computer, Jericho. Ordinarily, my arrival would have been much more casual, and so Talis neither smiled nor frowned, but bent a curious ear to her advisor. Ellicent could only shrug, smiling unhappily at being caught by surprise.
Talis rose from her chair as I bowed my head.
"To what do we owe this pleasure, Countess?" she asked, coming around her desk.
"I'd like to return to Earth," I told her. "I'm unsatisfied with the proposed solution to our problems and I ask your permission to negotiate a more palatable solution."
"I see." She gestured towards a couch. "Sit down, Sareth. Speak with me."
Ellicent ushered the others out of the room. Eva, my cousin's personal servant, brought us a bitter green tea. Talis served, adding tiny Cephean plumbs to our cups. They were sweet and terribly rare, and the tea was excellent.
"You're not going alone, I take it," she said, smiling as she propped herself on an elbow. Such a pose made the Duchess look exactly like what she was, a sixteen-year-old girl.
"I'm going down with a squad of shock troops," I explained. "We'll have three gunboats and an orbital battery in direct support, a full regiment in operational reserve."
"Will that be enough?"
"I'm going to contact Prince Faisal bin Saud, the eldest son of the Saudi king. I'll use him to gain audience with his father. I don't want a fight."
"They've declared war on the Empire," Talis reminded me. "They might just decide to start shooting. I can't afford to lose you."
"Our most recent intelligence suggests that Faisal commands a weak company of infantry to defend his palace against the local population," I said. "If they shoot, they die. I'll be in no danger."
I didn't need to tell her I would be wearing battle armor. A bullet would be deflected harmlessly away and even an artillery shell would do little more than knock me off my feet. Earth had never possessed the weaponry to threaten the Empire and thirty shock troops with full tactical support would be more than sufficient against 300 of the enemy. I might have forgotten to mention that the king had a full armored division at his disposal, but without effective command and control they would be like so many sheep led to the slaughter.
"Will they even talk to you?" she asked. "I understand their opinion of women is somewhat...old fashioned."
"Ransom will pose as the High Marshall," I told her. "I'll serve as his interpreter."
"That's clever," Ellicent said, smiling. "Lady Helena's idea?"
"It was her suggestion," I agreed. "The king will have no choice but to hear our proposals."
"Why?" Talis wondered. "They've refused all contact in the past. Why will they meet with us now?"
"Desperation. They're trading people for food now," I said. "Not infidels, but the Faithful. They're breaking the Sharia, the laws of Islam. "
"And what is it we're proposing, Sareth?"
"Exile to the lands they now occupy," I answered. "We'll give them the technical means to become self-sufficient in food, energy, clothing. We'll provide them with medical care and other essentials as required, but restrict their access to technologies such as communications and transportation."
"We've considered such solutions already," Talis said. "It isn't efficient. The resource expenditures in manpower alone are considerable."
"Compared to the certain destruction of half a billion people?" I asked. "We could destroy them all this very minute. You've accepted the idea of sterilization simply to assuage your guilty conscience."
"Countess!" Ellicent's crimson eyes flashed with anger.
"It's the same thing, Talis," I continued. "Better to do it now, or not at all, and you know that."
"That's quite enough," Ellicent warned me, standing now as the Duchess raised her hand.
"Sit down, Ellie," she said in a quiet voice. "My cousin is right. It is the same thing and our choice has been made for selfish reasons."
"This is a war that must be won a generation at a time," I said. "Give me twenty years, that's all I'm asking for."
"And then what?" Ellicent wanted to know.
"I'll come back and ask for another twenty," I said, meeting her challenge head-on. "Because it's better than the alternative."
"America tried for over fifty years and failed, remember?" Talis took a deep breath. "They're going to draw strength from that."
"I know," I agreed. "That's why it'll work."
Kelly, the innocent girl from California, smiled sadly. She wanted so desperately to do the right thing. We both did. Talis knew what should be done, just as Tristam did, but our naive humanity resisted the inevitable. We didn't believe in it, not yet. Even if this wasn't the solution, it would at least buy us time to find a better one. That's what I was really asking for and she couldn't refuse.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"How are you with a sword?" I wondered, tossing a rapier and smiling as Captain Corvalis snatched it out of the air.
"I haven't held one since the Academy," she admitted, turning the jeweled hilt. "It's beautiful, Mistress."
"I took it off a Zhouk," I told her, brandishing my own rapier. "About two hundred years ago."
"That's a long time," Corvalis said. Her lovely face belied her profession, especially those pale green eyes. They were a genuine gift, I decided, smiling as she turned them self-consciously away.
She wore the standard tunic and breeches, recently pressed, and knee high boots polished to a mirror finish. Corvalis presented herself as a junior officer should to an admiral, immaculate, reserved, and just a little nervous. She hid it well, the nervousness, and I didn't hold it against the young woman. I spent my interest more in the open admiration of her formidable physique, barely contained beneath the thin, wool-like material of her uniform. I wished to see more of her.
"Bloody the blade and it's yours."
"Admiral?" Corvalis blinked at me.
"First cut," I explained. "If I win, I get to keep you."
"Is that an order?" she asked slowly.
"It's a wager!" I laughed. "Just don't kill me."
"Uh..." She nodded. "Of course not, Mistress."
I met her with a sword in my left hand, since that's the one I needed the most practice with. As I might have predicted, Corvalis rarely pressed an attack, probably fearful of actually drawing some blood. She parried clumsily and after only a few minutes it became obvious to both of us what the outcome would be. Using my need for exercise as a handy excuse, I played with her.
Snick!
Covalis frowned, distracted as the top button of her tunic was cut away. I took advantage to...snick! The next button fell to the floor and I had a teasing view of her broad chest and the smallish breasts that refused to jiggle as she danced away from my blade.
After fifteen minutes the woman's pale complexion had turned pink. I feinted towards her left hip and turned my rapier upward. Snick! The third button was gone, but her riposte had nearly found my thigh. Corvalis was down to her last button and if I kept playing with her, I could very well find myself losing our wager. But I was enjoying myself and the sheen of perspiration clinging to her pronounced abdominal muscles made the it a risk worth taking.
Snick!
The Captain's last button flew off and her tunic fell open completely. Her nipples were small and dark, but obviously stiff with excitement. For someone so physically fit, a bit of fencing wasn't going to leave her so damp and breathless as she appeared. I could smell her sex, sharp and metallic beneath the natural musk rising from her pores. Corvalis stank of arousal and my cock ached as I circled her to the left, turning the woman on her heels.
"Take it off," I suggested. "I'll wait for you."
"Will the Admiral remove her tunic as well?"
"I still have all my buttons," I teased her. "But if you insist, Captain...Why not remove it yourself?"
We'd stopped moving and I spread my arms, smiling as Corvalis licked her lips. She lowered her sword and stepped closer, finally dropping it with a clatter. I dropped my rapier as well, pushing the wounded tunic off her broad shoulders as her fingers unbuttoned mine. My hands roamed over taut muscle, feeling the woman warm and solid beneath her surprisingly soft skin. I had to turn my eyes upward to find hers, as she stood five or six inches taller then me, and they were bright and intensely alive with interest.
I'd never been with a woman such as this one and I hitched a sharp breath as her hands found my naked breasts. I pressed my palms against her nipples while Corvalis used her thumbs on mine. The differences between us were astounding , exciting and pleasurable simply by their existence. I was a man who looked like a woman, possessing a form and countenance at odds with my gender. And here was my young Captain, enveloped in her masculine body, with the heart of a lion and the eyes of a lamb.
The Captain's confidence grew as she kissed me, our difference in rank giving way to something more basic to our nature. She kissed like a man, taking my loose blonde hair in her fist and filling my mouth with her tongue. My full tits pressed against her hard, flat chest as my hands explored the marvelous contour of her back. Corvalis seemed so much larger than me, as indeed she was, and perhaps I enjoyed that most of all.
"Permission to speak freely," Corvalis breathed, teasing me.
"Tell me what it is you want," I replied between kisses, moving my lips along her jaw and down her neck. Like many alien races, she didn't shave her underarms and I pressed my nose into her left armpit, breathing deeply and lapping at her sour sweat.
"Get on your knees," she said, reaching for her belt, forcing my tongue's reluctant retreat.
I used my teeth on her breasts, and they weren't merely firm, but hard like the rest of her sculpted body. I bit into her flesh and washed her stony nipple with my tongue. If Corvalis had been any other woman, I would have probably drawn blood, but she only took a satisfied breath and pulled my mouth to the other one.
"Suck me off," she demanded a few minutes later, having put me on my knees in front of her exposed sex.
Corvalis had pushed her trousers to her knees and the woman's thighs were as thick as my waist, or very nearly so. She had long legs, standing well over six feet tall, and I caressed the prominent muscle and sinews that seemed barely contained beneath her soft, pale skin. I turned my head and rubbed my cheek against a tangle of tawny pubic hair, thick and unkempt and ripe with the welcome stench of lust. She had long, plump labia distended from her vulva and a generous clitoris standing erect from its coral sheath.
I went down on her, much as I would have if she'd been a man, pulling the Captain's clit between my lips and sucking greedily. My tongue would slip beneath it, splitting her swollen pussy lips and gathering the rich fluid dripping from her hole. Her ass felt like steel under my fingers and Corvalis would clench her cheeks as she thrust her cunt against my mouth, fucking my face with her vulva. I quickly grew hot and wet, her juices spilled down my neck, and my erection strained for release. I suckled harder, flicking my tongue across her clitoris, which must have been the size of my thumb as she neared orgasm. I'd never seen anything like it, but I couldn't let her cum.
"Don't stop now," Corvalis groaned, but I was already gaining my feet.
"Give me a bed," I breathed, removing my boots as she did the same. My cock sprang loose, bobbing stiffly as I lifted my knees, stepping out of my breeches.
"You're male?" Her gorgeous eyes widened with surprise and I nodded towards the bed, stroking my shaft slowly.
"Lie down," I told her. "This is going to feel good."
"I've never been with a man," she confessed, and the Captain's sudden nervousness both surprised and amused me.
"I'm not a man," I whispered, pressing my lithe body between her thighs.
I kissed her mouth, coaxing Corvalis to relax and worry less about my cock than the rest of my decidedly female form. My heavy tits flattened against her chest. My hair fell into her face and I knew exactly how sexy my ass felt in her strong hands. If my cock was unexpected, she repaid me in kind as my erection found its passage suddenly blocked by a the thin wall of her hymen. It was a bit deeper than for a human female, but not much. I'd barely gotten the head of my cock inside her.
"You're a virgin?" I breathed, pushing myself off her chest and looking down as if I might see it for myself.
"Yessss..." she sighed, pulling my mouth to hers.
Corvalis thrust her tongue between my lips even as I pushed hard with my hips, tearing through her maidenhead with a muffled groan. A Dysrosian virgin, who could have imagined such a thing? They're called nymphs for a reason, after all, and I would have to tell Ransom about this. Except I never kiss and tell and he wouldn't have believed me in any case.
"Wait..."
I reached between us, sliding my fingers through her damp pubic hair to find my cock stretching the mouth of her sex. I felt the wetness and smiled, withdrawing to show Corvalis my stained fingers.
"First blood," I told her. "Remember our wager, Captain."
"I belong to you, Admiral." She touched her lips to my fingers and wrapped her thick legs around my hips, urging me to take the rest of her.
Corvalis was tight, as I would have expected from a virgin, but I couldn't savor the experience for long. Inexperienced as she might have been, the Dysrosian's cunt knew exactly what it was doing. Her cervix descended, swallowing my cock even as we fucked with growing urgency. Corvalis held my ass with both hands, pulling me into her and lifting her hips to meet me. Our legs were entwined, my body covering hers. We were joined so intimately that she might have been fucking me. It wasn't so difficult to imagine, the Captain driving a thick penis into my pussy, and I greatly enjoyed that brief fantasy.
But the sensation of her cervix, and especially the long, supple tongues of her sex wrapping themselves around my cock, brought me back to reality. They felt soft enough, those alien tentacles, but they were covered with microscopic barbs that attached themselves to my erection. A toxin was injected, a powerful stimulant to keep me aroused no matter how long or often I ejaculated. The mouth of her cervix closed tightly around the base of my cock and if I'd wanted to look, I could have seen a portion of that fleshy tube emerging from labia, only to be pushed back inside a moment later.
We didn't stop fucking for several hours.
"My balls hurt," I groaned, laying beside Corvalis as she held me close. "I never want to have sex again."
"I didn't know it would feel like that," she told me, kissing my damp hair. "Thank you, Mistress."
We were both hot and sticky, but cooling off now that we'd finished our sex. Her cervix had let me go, apparently satisfied that my balls were drained, and not a drop of sperm was wasted. Her vagina was empty, but her womb would be bloated with my seed. Her eggs were swimming in semen and twins were far more common among Dysrosians than single births. They always seemed to have their children two at a time and they were always female, which probably explains their aggressive biology. Corvalis and her kind could mate with just about anything that had a penis, which was another reason they were called nymphs.
"You're no use to me pregnant," I told her bluntly. "I've already arranged command of a company for you."
"I'll take care of it, Mistress."
"You're going to jump school," I explained. "Complete that and you'll take Bravo Company of Third Recon. Living on the edge. Think you can handle that?"
"I can handle it," she assured me.
"Eighteen months of that, you'll promote to major and I can send you to the War College," I continued. "I'll bring you back here, bump you to light colonel assigned to Prouel on the General Staff."
"May I ask the Admiral why?" Covalis watched my face, wanting to know if her career was suddenly golden simply because she'd let me fuck her. Would she have to bend over every time I whistled?
"No," I decided. "You may not, Captain."
It would be better to let her wonder about my motives and her loyalty wouldn't suffer in any event. After Corvalis left for jump school, I wouldn't see her again for three years, but I'd follow her progress closely. The young Captain represented a substantial investment and I'd hate to be mistaken, but I had to trust my instincts. Ransom and Prouel were both satisfied with my choice and I had to trust them as well.
"You'd better get back to your barracks," I said. "We're going in heavy tomorrow morning, right?"
"Yes Mistress," Corvalis agreed. "My troops are ready."
"Only as good as their squad leader," I reminded her, watching as she pulled her trousers up those long, powerful legs.
I had half a mind to keep her all night, but only because I did miss sleeping with a strong, masculine body close to mine. There were entirely too many women in my life, I decided. Too many boys who may as well have been girls, like Srah and Esya, who would be returning home shortly. I loved Helena, but I needed someone else. I needed a man, a real one, and I thought of Talis and how lucky she was to have Christian. I'd been so lucky once, but my Prince was dead.
"Take the sword with you."
"Admiral?"
"Practice everyday," I said, smiling as she picked up her tunic. "New uniforms get expensive after awhile."
"As you say, Mistress." She found the sword where it had fallen, threading it under her belt.
She saluted smartly and I closed my eyes, only to be awakened a short time later as Srah joined me. The head of my household wasn't about to let me sleep alone. I wondered what she'd think of Lilith and that made me frown. Another woman in my life, and one I loved dearly, but where would I find a man?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Mistress, wake up," Srah whispered. "My Lady...Sareth."
"What is it?" I sat up, blinking at the light, which was mercifully dim.
"Warm water and a towel," a woman said. "Quickly. You, bring some coffee for your Mistress."
"Helena?" I turned my head. "What time is it?"
"Countess, we've just received a report from Chief Inspector Niazal," someone else said, Commissioner Yoast, which made it official business.
The Commissioners oversaw the day-to-day operations, supervising the Chief Inspectors, and doing the dirty work. There were a dozen of them and they manned operations centers, like watch officers in the military. The only time I ever saw one was when something bad happened, an incident that couldn't go through normal channels for any number of good reasons.
"Who died?" I asked, taking a robe from a breathless Alya.
Iris was running as well, although carefully as she carried a large bowl of warm water in both hands. Another servant had already arrived from the kitchens with coffee, a drink that most other species considered vile. Helena had taken a sip once and only her excellent breeding had kept her from spitting it onto the floor, but being human, I was addicted.
"What is it?" I looked at the Commissioner. "Make your report."
He glanced at Helena, standing expressionless with her arms crossed over her breasts. She wore a bathrobe, which seemed more than a little unusual, but nothing about this was ordinary.
"The Countess Rowena," he finally said. "She's been murdered."
"What?" I sat frozen with my cupped hands dripping water. I'd been about to splash my face and wash the sleep from my eyes.
"Niazal has detained her entire household," he continued. "He's also issued a warrant for the Baroness Castille, in the Knewel System, we're waiting for confirmation of her arrest. The woman's niece, a certain Lady Junifer, has already been taken into custody."
"My wife is dead?"
"Baron Castille was her, uh...houseguest," the Commissioner explained. "It seems that his wife was unhappy with the situation and arranged for her niece to present a gift to Lady Rowena."
"I know Junifer," I said. "She's a friend of Rowena's. She's Ephorian, they grew up together."
"Which is probably why the Baroness chose her," Helena said. "The gift was a...necklace?"
"Yes," Commissioner Yoast agreed. "The metal constricted around her throat. Naizal suspects the device was activated by Lady Rowena's DNA, her body chemistry. It's being analyzed."
"I see." I gathered more water and rubbed my face.
"Did you know your wife was having an affair?" he asked, and we both knew it wasn't an innocent question.
"My wife was a beautiful woman," I said. "Men found her...attractive. I was rarely interested in the details."
"When was the last time you saw her?"
"Over a year ago. Rowena was passing through Mercia," I recalled. "We had lunch together."
"Have you ever met or spoken with the Baron or his wife?"
"Not that I can recall. I last saw Lady Junifer about...six years ago?" I frowned, trying to remember. "We were in Delphi, for some occasion. I don't remember what, but we danced and...Helena was with me."
"The Delphi Solstice," she said. "Lord Tristam was otherwise engaged with Lady de Lethe for much of his visit."
"Yes." I nodded, wiping my face with a towel while my twins frowned in silence. "She was recently joined and wished to celebrate."
"He needs to rest," Helena decided, speaking to Yoast. "Conduct your investigation. Go through the communication logs here and on Mercia, you'll find nothing, but we'll need to reassure the Duchess as soon as possible."
"I should have brought her here," I sighed. "Rowena. How am I going to tell our daughter?"
"She doesn't have to know," Helena whispered, sitting beside me on the bed. "Lie down, Sareth. I'll stay with you."
The worst part was the numbness. I thought I should have felt something. Anything. But I only felt dull and empty inside. Was it Prince Ibra's first wife lashing out from the grave? The irony wasn't lost on me and I wondered what my Prince had felt when he'd learned of her death. Numb? He'd never known the truth, that I'd killed her out of love for her husband. I'd felt so desperate at the time, but now, looking back on it...
We lay on our sides and Helena kissed me, pulling my face to her cool body where her robe had fallen open. Her breasts were right there, and beneath them her hearts beat with a slow, steady cadence that I could feel against my cheek. My hand touched her bare thigh and I moved it along the back of her leg, under the cotton to find her naked. I held her perfectly shaped ass in my hand, but she moved of her own accord, spreading her legs with the top one over mine.
Helena pushed her sex against me, looking for an erection I didn't possess. Corvalis had drained the lust from my balls and even if she hadn't, I couldn't imagine wanting to make love. Why Helena chose that moment and those circumstances to offer herself so completely, I couldn't understand. I didn't want to think about it. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, embraced only because I lacked the strength to send her away. I dreamt terrible things.