Captain Gareth's Mates (2 page)

Chapter 2

“Have you been with a human man before?” Gareth asked as his fingers worked at the shiny belt the ambassador wore. The clasp was unusual, but he managed to undo it without too much fuss.

“No,” Brennar confessed, “nor a human woman.”

“We’re not so different, as far as I can see.”

Brennar’s palm strayed across Gareth’s chest. His shirt hung partway open now, exposing one nipple and a light thatch of hair between his well-defined pectorals. “True enough. Your body is thicker, heavier than mine, made of muscle. My species requires little physical strength, so we have lost much of it over the generations. We are a cerebral people.”

Gareth had guessed that from the forehead-touching ritual. Did Brennar’s people also have sex in an equally detached manner? He hoped not. Intellectualism had its place in a relationship, but he liked things a bit rougher in his bed.

He spread his hands as if to open his body to Brennar’s exploration. “Well, I think it’s safe to say you can’t hurt me, so feel free to do whatever strikes your fancy.”

They undressed each other slowly, with great enjoyment, stopping every few moments to kiss again. When Brennar was naked, Gareth paused to run his palms over Brennar’s smooth skin. Shibans were completely hairless everywhere except their heads, rendering the ambassador’s skin more like a soft, sheer fabric than flesh. In contrast, Gareth’s body was rigid with muscle, painstakingly hewn in his ship’s physical training room, and dappled with coarse, dark hair.

Brennar seemed to find their differences as fascinating as Gareth did. His more delicate fingers roamed through the hairs on Gareth’s chest, tracing a path down his abs and finally to the thick patch at his groin. There he stopped, whether from shyness or a desire to prolong their teasing, Gareth wasn’t sure.

No matter. Wrapping both arms around the ambassador’s waist, Gareth swung him onto the mattress and crawled up beside him.

Unexpectedly, Brennar took control, pushing Gareth’s legs apart and positioning himself between them. Gareth moaned as Brennar began to tease his cock with a pointed tongue long enough to curl all the way around his shaft. He stroked and squeezed until Gareth was on the verge of exploding and then slithered upward to repeat the process on the captain’s tiny dimpled slit. His saliva was glossy and cool, like a burst of fresh water poured over Gareth’s body.

“Wait,” Gareth gasped, reaching down to still Brennar’s bobbing head. “Not yet. I want this to last.”

Brennar smiled with understanding. He didn’t protest as Gareth got up on his knees, rolled Brennar onto his stomach, and began to kiss his way down his smooth, bluish back. He took his time, tasting and caressing, his lips savoring each delicate bump on Brennar’s spine. When he reached the cleft of his buttocks, Gareth parted them with one hand and reached for the small jar on the bedside table. He’d bought it on a whim during a layover at a distant space station, at a shop that catered to the carnal needs of a variety of species. Until now, he’d tested the substance only on himself, but he suspected it would work much better when shared.

Sure enough, Brennar murmured in pleasure as he lubed him up. The gel tingled audibly against the tender skin between his legs, making a gentle, singsong noise as Gareth rubbed some in. He knew from experience that it also provided a unique tactile sensation, like thousands of tiny fingers pressing down on sensitive nerve endings. He let Brennar bask for a moment and then knelt between his spread legs, where he positioned himself for a long awaited entrance.

Whether the tightness he encountered was a result of Brennar’s inexperience or a natural feature of his alien physiology, Gareth couldn’t tell, and he didn’t care. Combined with the delicious sting of the alien lube, he’d never felt anything half so gratifying. He arched his hips forward and inched his way into Brennar, forging ahead with small but intense jabs. Brennar shifted under him, wriggling his body to take more of him inside with every thrust.

“Does this hurt?” Gareth asked. “I can stop if you want me to.”

“No,” Brennar croaked. “I...find it...stimulating.
 
Please... continue.”

Gareth was more than willing. He bucked faster, driving his cock all the way into Brennar’s taut orifice. The lubricant eased his journey and stimulated his lust-hardened flesh all at once, rendering the act doubly pleasurable. When he was all the way inside, he stretched his body out on top of Brennar’s, running his palms down the alien’s slender shoulders, sides, and straining thighs.

“I could stay like this all night,” he whispered. Since that wasn’t possible, he soon returned to a rhythmic thrusting. Brennar met each push with an undulating movement of his own.

They rocked together, joined and happy, for as long as Gareth could hold out. Then, sensing the end was near at last, he reached out to wrap strong fingers around Brennar’s cock. Like the rest of his body, his organ was longer and more slender than a human’s, but the basic equipment was the same. A few expert squeezes and rubs, aided by the lubricant on Gareth’s hand, and Brennar was coming along with him. His lukewarm seed flooded Gareth’s palm just as Gareth’s all-too-human liquid lust splashed inside his shuddering chasm. Their helpless cries mingled with the jazz on the speakers and the strange music of the exotic lubricant to create a unique song of bodily bliss.

Afterward, they lay side by side, limbs curled together and fingers idly stroking any place that brought pleasure.

“I’d like you to spend the night with me,” Gareth whispered. “Just so everything is out in the open, though, I warn you that I might not stay asleep the whole time.”

“I commended your strength earlier, but I see you have reserves I never suspected.”

“It was all that spinach I ate as a child. I tried to warn you.”

Brennar laughed and snuggled closer to Gareth. He rested his cheek against the captain’s chest and traced the outline of his blunt nipple with his tongue. In spite of his intention to continue their romp, Gareth closed his eyes and slept soundly for the first time in a long while.

* * * *

The intercom beside the bed shrilled a few hours later. The voice of his second-in-command, Lieutenant Erril, rudely interrupted a very wet dream.

“Paging Captain Gareth. Captain, please respond.”

Though she used standard protocol to address him, he could tell by her tone that this was no casual summons.

Gareth rolled over, disentangling himself from Brennar’s sleep-sodden form. The murmur of soft jazz still filled his quarters, playing on a continuous loop that had lasted all night. He switched the music off before he hit the intercom button. He made sure to choose the “voice only” and not the “video conference” option.

“Go ahead, Erril.”

“Captain, General Xaal has acknowledged your request for a face-to-face interrogatory, and he will comply. Please report to Landing Pad Four in twenty minutes.”

“Understood. I’m on my way.” He rolled off the bed, accidentally waking Brennar. “They’re here,” he said.

Brennar’s only response was a groan.

“Back to business.”

The enemy had arrived. The time for pleasure was over.

* * * *

Gareth and Brennar met the
Wayfarer
’s grim-faced security team outside the landing bay.

“His travel pod has just arrived,” one of the men informed Gareth. “The general and two of his men. We’re body-scanning them for hidden weapons right now.”

“Good work,” said Gareth.

“All’s clear, Captain,” called another guard over the intercom. “Exiting now.”

The doors slid open to reveal three more of Gareth’s security force plus three visitors. It wasn’t hard to identify General Xaal. Enormous both in terms of height and breadth, he wore leathery armor over his chest and forearms and affected a ceremonial sash over his right shoulder. His bewhiskered face was covered in battle scars. Two scowling and now weaponless bodyguards flanked him.

“Welcome, General,” said Gareth, activating the translation device he wore on his own chest. “I appreciate your cooperation in boarding my ship.”

Xaal made no attempt at a courtly salutation. “I understand Border Patrol wishes to have words with me. Fair enough, as I have plenty of words to speak.”

“Shall we proceed to a more suitable area? No guards, though I request permission for Ambassador Brennar to be present. He is a neutral third party who has no official connection to the Terran Council.”

“I have no objection. In any case I doubt we shall need a mediator, since I am not here to negotiate a compromise.”

Xaal motioned for his bodyguards to remain where they were, and Gareth did the same. The landing bay doors slid shut on them. Two others kept a respectful but watchful distance as Gareth, Brennar, and Xaal moved up the corridor to a briefing room and entered without guards.

They took seats around the conference table. Brennar shot Gareth a curious look when he noticed that a carafe of wine and three glasses had been set up in advance. For the moment, Gareth ignored him and instead addressed Xaal.

“I don’t have to tell you that you are encroaching on restricted space, and you need not pretend that your visit here is either friendly or benign. I prefer directness.” He reached for the wine and a glass. “May I interest you in some refreshment?”

Xaal bristled. “I never dine with my adversaries.”

“Suit yourself.” Once again ignoring Brennar’s shocked expression, Gareth poured himself a generous amount of wine and tossed it back in a single gulp. After banging down the empty glass, he settled back in his chair with his hands folded and a smirk on his lips. “You may explain yourself at any time now.”

“You prefer directness? Very well, then. The planet we are presently orbiting supplies the Terran Council with raw energy in the form of phytronium, which the colonists mine for your exclusive use. As it happens, my ships are also in need of this substance. I have therefore arrived with my fleet to...shall we say...liberate the contents of those mines.”

“Yes, I know,” Gareth said with a shrug. “My sensors have picked your ships up. But I’m afraid I don’t quite understand the basis of your claim to a Terran Council energy source. Please explain this quaint notion.”

“My claim is a simple one. On my world, the stronger party takes what it needs to survive.” Xaal punctuated his statement by banging a gloved fist on the table. “Right now, I am in need of new energy reserves for my ships. I have therefore decided to take yours. Four ships, each with a full crew of warriors, are just beyond orbit. At my signal, they will destroy your ship and take the phytronium by force.” He paused and then theatrically softened both his tone and expression. “However, I am at heart a reasonable man. I am willing to return to my own sector without incident if you will arrange to have all the available energy stones transferred to my fleet’s cargo holds immediately.”

“I can appreciate your position. I know from experience how much energy it takes to maintain just my ship’s processing facilities, climate controls, and so on.” Gareth poured himself another generous helping of wine, smacked his lips after a long swallow, and set the glass on the table. “That being the case, I’m afraid we can’t spare any of our resources, especially for a hostile invading force. The Council would become a laughing stock, not to mention a magnet for every pirate and con artist in the sector. Had you requested aid in returning to your home planet and remaining there, I might have reconsidered. However, the manner in which you ask has already determined that I must refuse you in no uncertain terms.”

Xaal blinked, his jaw flexed in an outraged scowl. “You are hardly in any position to deny me, Captain. I can send men to the planet and take what I need, enslaving your colonists in the process. Quite simple.”

“I would be delighted if you would send your men to the surface.” Gareth barked out a coarse laugh that made Brennar flinch. “Unfortunately for you, they would never return with the phytronium.”

“And why is that?”

“The Terran Council is primarily an agent for peace among the sectors, but, as we all know, the price of peace can be steep. For some time, our scientists have been busy perfecting a new weapon, and I have the honor of carrying its prototype on board with me.” Gareth extracted a small, narrow device from the lining of his belt and placed it on the table beside his wineglass. “What you see before me has the power to destroy not only Anubis’ mines, but the planet itself and every being that dwells there. A simple numerical sequence will initiate detonation.”

“And why should I believe you?” Xaal scoffed. “The Terran Council would no more destroy its own resources than you would destroy your own ship, to say nothing of the colonists on the planet.”

“You are mistaken. As far as our resources go, we would rather destroy them ourselves than give in to our enemies and let others learn that we were bullied into emptying our holds. With respect to the miners, I agree that the loss of sentient life would be regrettable. However, you and I are men of war. We cannot base our command decisions on sentimental bias.”

Beside him, Brennar stifled a gasp. “Captain...surely there is another way.”

Gareth pretended not to hear him. “The Terran Council has no shortage of immigrants who will gladly toil for us in exchange for political asylum. Anubis is not even especially rich in raw materials compared to some of our other less developed sites. You’ll forgive me if I keep their locations secret.” His smile returned as he picked up the slim gadget and turned it over in his hands. “Besides, have you any idea how boring it is to command a border patrol vessel? Obliterating an entire planet can give me not only prestige, but a bargaining chip. One Earth year from now and I may be sitting at the highest position the Council can offer. And I will institute new, effective ways of dealing with brigands like you.”