12:33, January 19th, 2135
“We have a problem.” Ashley announced without preamble as Kayden entered the bridge of the Emancipation.
After holding the line in the Trappist Prime system for several weeks, Ashley finally brought her flagship back to Sanctuary for some much-needed repairs. Reports from the blockades indicated that most of the Voidborn ships retreated to the Sol and Alpha Centauri systems, giving Kayden the chance to meet his girlfriend after returning from Kel Prime – an opportunity he leapt at the moment it was presented to him.
“Ash, you’re going to have to be a bit more specific.” Kayden countered. “We’re preparing ready for probably the biggest space battle in galactic history. All we have are problems.”
“That.” Ashley said, pressing a few buttons on her handheld tablet until the viewscreen on the bridge resolved into an image.
“Oh.” Kayden said, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Okay, yeah. That’s a problem.”
“I’m glad all that time away from me hasn’t dulled your acute ability to state the obvious.” Ashley replied sarcastically.
Rolling his eyes, Kayden took Ashley’s proffered hand and pulled her into a tight embrace. The kiss was filled with emotion – happiness at their reunion, relief that she was safe, and pride at how well she managed to hold the line. It was only when some of her bridge staff coughed uncomfortably that they broke apart, with Ashley continuing to hold tightly to his white shirt.
“I missed you.” Kayden said, running his hands up and down her uniform-clad body, revelling in how soft and warm she felt.
“Yeah? How about you show me just how much you missed me later.” Ashley said with a smirk before gesturing to the command chair she’d recently vacated.
When Kayden sat, she slid onto his lap and wrapped one arm around him before continuing their conversation. “As much as I’m enjoying this though, we should address the elephant in the room – that thing.” She finished pointing to the view screen.
“What…is it?” Kayden asked.
The screen in front of them showed an enormous living being floating through space. It was pear-shaped with a long flat snout at the front and a large, round central section. The entire beast was covered in brown chitinous armour and featured dozens of enormous black tentacles waving back and forth through space. As the image zoomed in Kayden saw vents along the creatures side which spat gobs of some sort of acid towards Earth’s surface.
To Kayden’s horror, an orifice on the creature’s back opened to accept a fleet of Voidborn shuttlecraft. They flew smoothly into a red-and-purple opening that he guessed functioned as some sort of shuttle bay, but it closed before he could see any more. He grit his teeth before looking back at Ashley, shaking his head.
“Our best guess is that it’s some sort of Voidborn space creature.” Ashley said. “You can see the scale at the bottom of the screen there – it’s easily 100 km long. Our infiltration team which captured and sent these images started calling it the Kraken, because of all the tentacle-things. We think it must have taken them weeks to teleport here – they must have paused reinforcing their more conventional ships to bring it in.”
“Thanks. I hate it.”
“It gets worse. Those shuttles are filled with zombified humans from the surface. We’re not entirely sure what happens to them on that thing, but… we know that nobody comes back.”
“Fucking fantastic.” Kayden said sarcastically.
“I know.” Ashley replied. “When I sent the scans to the Kel science team, they tried to tell me all about how most Voidborn ships are made of something called ‘living metal’ – which is why we get both organic and inorganic readings when we scan their ships. Apparently this thing is mostly organic – meaning it’s either a naturally occurring creature that they’ve taken control over, or it’s something they’ve managed to clone somehow.”
“Both of those options sound terrible.” Kayden replied.
“Agreed. Unfortunately it is directly above the area on Earth where we need to land. We will need to kill it beforehand, or else any landing attempt won’t work.”
“We’ll bump it up the priority list then.” Kayden offered. “As soon as the main guns of our battleships get into range we can-”
“I may have a better solution.” Ali chimed in over the intercom, clearly having heard the whole conversation.
“What’s that, Ali?”
“The Kraken appears to have a neural link, similar to other Voidborn-controlled creatures.” Ali said, zooming in on the screen to the creature’s spine. “It is a far more complex device than most though, and susceptible to tampering.”
“You’re saying you want to hack it?” Ashley asked.
“A ‘traditional’ cyber-attack would be impossible in a reasonable amount of time due to the neural link’s complexity and built-in protections.” Ali replied. “However, injecting a high dose of pheromones combined with a temporary interruption in the Voidborn control signal would likely throw the creature into a frenzy, providing an excellent distraction.”
“This…this could work.” Ashley responded, nodding thoughtfully. “We could set this thing off just before we get into range with our ship’s main guns. It might buy us a free salvo or two without reprisal.”
“Can we go back to the word ‘inject’?” Kayden interrupted. “Because it sounds like we’d have to actually land on that thing.”
“Correct.” Ali said casually.
“And where are we going to find enough pheromones to… oh.” Kayden said, answering his own objection. “Dawn.”
“Exactly.” Ali replied.
Kayden rubbed his temples before nodding. “Run the numbers and give me a battle plan. Dawn’s visiting her parents right now – I’ll talk to her once she’s done.”
“And in the mean time?” Ashley asked.
“Well, Mirana and Elara are rallying the respective Vrul and Kel fleets. Anna is with her family and the goblin crew, cooking up something special for when we get to Earth. Selina is working with Celestia and the Sanctuary council to get our strike forces ready – no surprise, they had a lot of volunteers. And Ali is…well…everywhere.” He finished, gesturing to his mind.
“I am assisting wherever I can add value.” Ali’s disembodied voice added cheerily. “Including continuing to repair the Vrul AI we found. She is not combat-ready yet, but she still may be able to provide support in the coming battle.”
“So it sounds like for the moment you can take a breather.” Ashley said. “Can I give you some advice? Not as your girlfriend, but as a fellow commander?”
“Yeah, of course.” Kayden said, sitting up slightly.
“Go get some rest – and make sure everyone knows you’re doing it.”
“I know.” Kayden nodded. “I need to be sharp tomorrow.”
“It’s not just that. We have a rare moment of calm before the storm, and people are looking to you as their leader. If you don’t pause to get your rest, they won’t either. Then nobody is going to be in peak condition when we launch the attack.” She paused. “You’re not just a young lieutenant anymore, Kayden. You’re an inspiration to these people – and to me. Nanobots and adrenaline rushes be damned – that’s your real superpower. So try to use it to do some good, okay?”
For several long moments, Kayden tried to find the words. When he couldn’t he responded by kissing Ashley softly, then running his hands down her body. With his eyes closed he found it easier to memorize every curve, the tips of his fingers remembering how soft and warm she was with every passing moment.
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“Thank you.” Kayden said quietly when they broke apart.
“It was one of the big realizations I had when I became a captain, and then again when I got free of the Black Company. The least I can do is pass that wisdom on to you.”
“I’ll tell folks I’m going to rest, but I can’t lie to you – there’s too much going on in my mind to sleep. I’m just going to be tossing and turning the whole time.”
“Oh, I have a remedy for that.” Ashley said, winking.
“Do you now?” Kayden replied, a smirk appearing on his face.
“I wasn’t thinking about that.” Ashley responded, standing and offering him her hand. “But we can do that too, later. I had something else in mind – something that I’ve found which always brings me back to the present.”
Curious, Kayden took her hand and stood. She doled out a final few orders to her bridge crew before passing command to her first officer – a former convict and mountain of a transhuman man who was covered in reptilian scales. He followed her off the bridge and into the long hallway running the length of the ship.
As they walked, Kayden waved and nodded respectfully to the dozens of crew members making repairs or modifications to the ship. The cells which used to line the former prison ship were gone, replaced by living quarters, mess halls, and workstations. Goblins chatted amicably with transhumans, former convicts, and the occasional Vrul or Kel advisor as they ensured their ship was in the best shape possible for the battle ahead.
“Makes you proud, doesn’t it?” Ashley asked, seeing the look on his face. “You built this.”
“I had a lot of help.”
“Sure, but you were the one responsible for it more than anyone else.” Ashley countered.
When they finally reached their destination, Ashley palmed a hand-scanner by the door before entering. Kayden followed her into the darkened room – one which lit up as soon as the door closed behind him. His eyes darted around the small but well-appointed bedroom, going from the footlocker to the desk to the comfortable-looking bed wedged against the wall.
“Down boy.” Ashley said teasingly as she opened the footlocker. “That’s for later. There are other things you can do in a bedroom, you know.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?” Kayden replied, tongue firmly planted in cheek.
In response, she pulled out a bottle of massage oil. “Normally I use my chair for this – it has a massage function – but since it’s a special occasion, I’ll use my hands. Get naked and lay face down on the bed.”
In a flash, Kayden stripped down and laid down as instructed. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Ashley take off her uniform, leaving only a set of lacy panties and matching bra. His eyes traced the tattoo on her hip before locking onto hers mischievously. She saw his smirk and grinned in reply before shaking her head.
“Not yet mister. I just don’t want to get this oil on my clothes.”
“Sure, sure.” Kayden said, chuckling.
His smirk subsided when she poured massage oil onto her hands, warming it before running them over his legs. She began to work her thumbs in small circles around his calves, somehow finding every knot of tension and slowly unwinding it. As he took a breath he realized how tightly clenched the rest of his body was and began to try to relax as she worked her way up to his thighs.
“Holy shit Ash, that feels really good.”
“I know, right? The best way to relax after a long day is with a massage.”
“Especially from someone you care about.” Kayden added.
“Mmm. Maybe that means you can do me next?” She asked, pressing her thumbs against his lower back.
Kayden let out an involuntary moan from the pressure, answering her question. She proceeded to scoot up his body, straddling him and working his shoulders, back, and arms. Her fingers were like magic – pressing exactly where he needed them with just enough pressure to make him relax. By the time she reached his head and began to run her fingers through his hair he felt like most of his body was made of jelly – completely relaxed.
“So tell me – when this is all over, what’s your plan?” Ashley asked.
“Be with you.” Kayden answered instantly. “And the other girls, of course.”
She giggled before responding. “I mean, that’s kind of a given at this point. You’re not getting rid of me, or any of the rest of them.” She paused for a moment. “You know, I was really hesitant about the whole ‘harem’ thing when we started, but I’ve come around on it. I never had any siblings growing up, and now it’s like I have a bunch of sisters who are super nice and supportive. And as an added bonus, they’re the most talented group of women I’ve ever met – I’m pretty sure that if I gave them enough time and resources they could do just about anything.”
“I’m glad they’re treating you well.” Kayden replied. “If they weren’t, I’d have to threaten to spank them for misbehaving.”
“Don’t tell Anna that, she’ll start being a brat just to get spanked.” Ashley replied, mirth in her voice.
Kayden chuckled in response before speaking again. “I know I didn’t answer your question though. The short answer is this: we’ll do whatever we want.”
“And the longer answer?” She said, pressing into a particularly stubborn knot in his back.
“I’d like to spend some time on Sanctuary, building a home together. After that we could spend some time travelling – I’d love to see more of Vrul space, and the Kel worlds look amazing. Longer term, I’d like to start a family, raise some kids, and do whatever good I can for the galaxy.”
She leaned over and kissed his spine. “That sounds wonderful to me. Though for the record: no kids for me. I’m okay being the cool aunt and helping raise them, but… I’m not looking to have any of my own.”
“I’m more than okay with that.” Kayden replied. “If that’s your preference, then that’s our decision together. Can I ask why though?”
“Just…never really had that aspiration.” She replied. “I love kids, don’t get me wrong. I just feel like unless you absolutely aspire to be a parent, you shouldn’t become a parent. My parents had me by accident, and… well, it’s not a feeling any kid should go through.”
“I’m sorry.” Kayden said.
“It’s okay. It’s ancient history now.”
“What do you aspire to do or be then?” Kayden asked changing the subject.
“Happy.” She said. “I want to be happy. I haven’t figured out what that means yet, and I’m okay with that.”
“I’m looking forward to figuring it out together then.” He replied, smiling. “We’ve got our whole lives to do that… you know, assuming we all don’t die tomorrow.”
“You ass.” She said teasingly before raising her leg and moving to the side to allow him to roll. “Flip over, I’ll do your front.”
When he did she couldn’t help but grin wider at the one part of his body which was decidedly not relaxed. She straddled him again, kissing him on the lips before slowly moving downwards. When he tried to get up she held him firmly with her forearm and shook her head.
“No you don’t. Not after all that hard work I did to get you relaxed. You stay right there and let me take care of this for you.”
Kayden sank into the bed further as his her lips worked their magic, sending his mind into a hazy state of bliss.