Persephone
I’ll admit I feel a petty satisfaction when all of the big Hunerae around me freeze. The room goes quiet and even the humming sound from the captain fades.
Perhaps it would have been more strategic to let them go on thinking I don’t understand Hunera but I’m feeling more than a little annoyed at having my authority undermined and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to prove that I prepared for this govdemit! I’m not some silly little human who doesn’t know what she’s doing. I was also a little disconcerted to realize what the buzzing coming from the captain actually means.
The guy is fucking aroused…because of me.
Without being obvious, I try to get a sneaky look at Captain Zohail from beneath my lashes. I’m not sure that Hunerae are capable of blushing but the two rows of small yellow circular marks that form lines from his lower lip to his chin have darkened from yellow to orange against his deep, velvety brown skin and I get the sense he’s embarrassed. Which, okay, is kind of adorable.
Hunerae soldiers are supposed to be some of the toughest in the universe and the captain, with his missing eye and the scars crisscrossing all up and down his strong, muscular arms is clearly no stranger to battle. Yet here he is, this big, dangerous warrior all turned on and flustered by one insignificant little human.
Aw.
It’s actually sort of…flattering? And maybe even a little endearing and I find myself softening towards the good captain.
The asshole with the blaster however is grinning again and it’s not a nice smile. It’s hard and amused and since he’s the one who came in here and fucked up all my plans, I make him the new target for my frustrations.
“Oy! Mu-dak! I don’t know what you’re grinning about. I’ve got enough blackmail to have all of you locked up for the rest of your miserable lives and since you’re the one that came in here and interrupted me, I may just demand that your ass gets dropped off on some forgotten hunk of rock in the ass-end of the furthest galaxy.”
I smile sweetly and lean a little bit closer to him and mock-whisper, “Or maybe, I’ll just hack your bird’s system again, which by the way was laughably easy, and have the oxygen in your room shut off while you’re sleeping. Perhaps you will find that amusing as well, yes?”
The Hunerae with the blaster is no longer smiling. In fact, his three fingers are drumming along the side of his weapon as if he’s just itching to use it. Luckily, before a situation breaks out that will no doubt result in me accruing a great many more bruises, the captain steps in.
“Come, my lady, I would hear your demands.” Without touching me, the captain moves toward the door, opening his wings in a move that is either meant to shepherd me forward, shield me from the dick with the blaster, or shield the dick with the blaster from me.
Tucking my blaster into one of my many pants pockets, I let myself be herded but don’t take my eyes off the other soldier Hunerae. I crane my neck as we walk past him and once we reach the door I turn abruptly and give him the rudest Hunera gesture I know. I get the satisfaction of seeing his face turn stormy and hear the quiet, solemn drone’s sharp intake of breath before the captain slaps his hand on the door panel and it whooshes shut.
Beside me the captain lets out a sigh.
“You would do well not to agitate Riaz. He is already an ornery male.”
I slowly turn away from the door and give the captain a sly look. “I was under the impression that you were the male who found me agitating.”
His markings flush orange again and part of me is thrilled. I know I shouldn’t tease him. It’s not like this is a fucking date—I’m blackmailing him and just held a blaster to his head in order to commandeer his ship for fucks sake—but I can’t deny that I find something about this male incredibly appealing. Perhaps it’s the way he keeps apologizing.
“My apologies if either myself or my crew made you uncomfortable. Humming is not always something a male can control.” He hesitates and his next words are slow and halting, “We would never, that is we know it is always for the female to decide…we are followers of Ashise.” He pauses, clearly flustered, and then stumbles on, “I know the edges of the universe can be a dangerous place for females but we would never hurt you.”
His markings have flushed all the way to red and I’m fascinated. I wonder what other colors they turn and if it varies with emotions beyond embarrassment. I grin, suddenly determined to find out.
“Don’t worry Captain, I didn’t just choose the Alvarium to commandeer because it’s the prettiest demn bird I’ve ever seen. I chose it because from all reports, you are a good man who does illegal things.” I playfully walk my fingers up his chest and tap right above where his heart beats strong and steady. “Unluckily for you, that’s exactly the kind of man I need.”
This time when the buzzing starts I don’t feel afraid at another unknown fucking up my plan. I feel exhilarated. It’s been years since I’ve felt like this—powerful and reckless and maybe just a little naughty.
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It’s so incredibly freeing that suddenly I just can’t help it. I laugh.
Zohail
The female—Persephone—is laughing. It is not, however, a cruel laugh. She is not laughing at me and my body’s ill-timed buzzing, or at least she is not only laughing at that I don’t think. The sound of her laughter is nothing but joy and she looks almost relaxed. I note with interest that the tattoos on her arms are no longer dominated by storms. The clouds have parted and now I can see the landscapes scrolling around her biceps and winding down to her hands. Inked on her skin are lush green forests, craggy, majestic mountains, vast deserts, and flower dotted prairies. She has an entire world mapped out on her body, complete with small animals moving about and the likes of which I have never seen. Her tattoos are strange and fascinating and I think I could spend hours lost in her arms.
Her laughter trails off and when she looks up at me, an impertinent smile still on her face, my heart once again clenches inside my chest. Perhaps I will have Alim perform a medical scan later.
“Don’t worry Captain, what’s a little buzzing between friends? Now, why don’t we go back to your quarters and talk about the terms of your surrender?”
I gesture down the hall and try to remind myself why she’s here—which has nothing to do with me or my cock. “After you, my lady.”
“I told you to call me Persephone,” she says as she begins walking and I get the sense she knows exactly where she’s going. My thief planned well and I have no doubt she studied the entire layout of my ship before she ever set foot on it. I am once again struck by admiration and an insane urge to smile.
“My apologies, my la— Persephone. Male Hunerae are not often given leave to use a female’s name.”
She again tilts her head adorably and gives me a confused look.
“You’re not?”
I shake my head absently as I press my hand to a panel on the wall and unlock the door leading into the heart of the ship.
“Male and female Hunerae live largely separate lives. Once we are no longer dependent on royal melvitae for nourishment we are sent to schools that raise and train us to fulfill a certain purpose. Soldiers in particular are kept segregated from females so that we are not tempted to break our vows of celibacy.”
“Wait, what? You took a vow of celibacy?”
Her voice is incredulous and I finally allow myself to smile but it is twisted and bitter. “I did. Soldier Hunerae are meant to preserve their strength and virility so they are ready should they ever be called upon to service a princess.” My wings rustle and my voice goes hard, “It is meant to be a great honor as much as it is also a great sacrifice. The Hunerae Empire demands much from its soldiers.” Too much. Without thinking, my hand again goes up to touch the cool metallic edge of the patch covering the ruined socket of my eye.
As we move into the conservatory, the air changes, going warm and moist. All around us are plants in pots, some as small as a unit chip and others large enough for Persephone to lie down and take a nap in. A few plants have attempted to stretch beyond the confines of the walls and begun to edge along the one-way plexibubble that looks out at the stars. I take a deep breath and can smell the spicy sweet scent of a mellia flower. For a moment, the memories and smells of home combine to become too much— I am filled with anger and longing and a bitterness I fear will leave me cold for the rest of my days.
I look down at Persephone, needing to focus on something besides the emotions churning inside me but she is no longer by my side. My stomach jolts with panic and suddenly none of the other things I’m feeling matter and when I see her, I am filled with relief. She is standing in the middle of the room, her head thrown back as she looks up through the plexibubble. The look on her face is one of complete and utter awe.
Curious, I move quietly back to her side but when I notice that there are tears trailing silently down her cheeks my curiosity shifts instantly to concern. Hesitantly I touch a hand to her shoulder and speak softly.
“Persephone, are you well?”
She jerks at my touch, her eyes flying towards me. Her cheeks turn a curiously dark shade of pink and she hastily swipes at her face, scrubbing away all traces of wetness.
“Blyat! I’m fine. It’s nothing. I just…” She trails off and her gaze slides back to the sky as if she can’t help but look. “This is just the first time in my life I’ve seen the stars,” she says, the words quiet and rough. “My grandmother used to tell me stories about Earth, about what it was like when she was a little girl, before the whole place went to shit.” Crossing her arms across her chest, she hugs herself and her next words are wistful. “She said her parents would take her camping in this place called Northern Michigan and that the sky was just full of stars and it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen…” She trails off with a sigh and I look up as well, trying to imagine what it would be like if I had never seen the stars.
It is unimaginable.
Hunerae have always been drawn to the skies. Thousands of years ago we were some of the first to leave our planet and explore the mysteries still so abundant in the universe. I still remember my first flight beyond the homeworld, how my heart moved when it felt as if the stars were finally within reach, like I was a part of them, a part of it all. It was another type of coming home.
“It takes fifteen years to get the paperwork necessary to leave New Earth and go elsewhere in the Galactic Collab. Fifteen years and not New Earth years. Galactic Collab years, which are twice as long.” Persephone’s voice hardens. “And even then it’s not a guarantee. It all depends on if you have good connections or if you’ve got some kind of skill or talent the GC thinks it can use.”
She tears her eyes from the sky to look at me and her voice is bitter and accusing.
“They treat humans like we’re nothing, like we’re pests or scum that they had the good grace to scrape off an interesting rock in the off chance we might prove useful later. They throw us scraps and then demand gratitude all while they look down on us as if we’re the only species to have ever made mistakes.”
I do not point out that polluting a planet to the point that it’s uninhabitable is a rather big mistake. It doesn’t matter really—they weren’t the first to do it. They were just the first to be stuck without the means to leave and the dubious honor of living on a planet that the GC found scientifically fascinating enough to save. Saving humanity had simply been an afterthought.
“And this is why you have attempted to commandeer my ship? To leave New Earth and see the stars?” I ask curiously and watch as some of the anger leaves her face and her lips twitch.
“I am commandeering your ship. There’s no ‘attempting’ about it and no I didn’t do it just to leave New Earth and see the stars.” She pauses and lifts up her arms, the tattoos vibrant even in the dim lighting of the conservatory. Her next words are firm and determined.
“I want you to take me home.”