The morning went by painfully slowly. Tierney kept expecting Rasmus to barge into her room with armed guards to arrest her for going through his things. She should have been more careful about putting that picture back. Had she even placed it face down?

The Irral crew were still extremely attentive, despite Tausson's assurances that they would lay off after a few days. She'd had countless Relicans come up to her and ask why she wasn't staying in the designated Asteroid Mate quarters, and at lunch they watched anxiously as she tested the metal levels of her meal. She wanted to tell Tausson about her encounter with Rasmus the night before, but there were too many people around, and right after lunch he was helping in Trajectory again, so she wouldn't have any time alone with him until after their pairing that night.

Just as they were finishing up their meal, she broached the other topic that she desperately wanted to discuss. "How long have you and Rasmus known each other?"

"All our lives," Tausson answered. "We were raised in the same home."

"Was anyone else on the Irral raised with you?" she asked innocently, taking her last bite.

He'd already finished and disposed of his tray. "Two: Carterra, and a First Tin Protection Officer named Dristo, although neither he nor I knew it until a couple years ago."

"Were you and Carterra friends back then too?"

Tausson's dark gray lips smiled at some memory. "The first time I met Carterra, we were still soft-skinned, maybe six or seven -- she's a year older than me. We were each brought to the head caretaker at the same time: I'd gotten in trouble for trying to sneak out and watch the Squad training, and she was in trouble for breaking another kid's nose."

"She broke their nose?" Tierney asked in disbelief.

His smile widened even more. "She did. He deserved it though. He'd been picking on her for days, hounding her every step, throwing pebbles at her. She warned him to stop."

On a hunch, Tierney asked, "Who was the boy?"

A curtain of melancholy fell over the warmth in his eyes, and his grin faltered, but didn't disappear completely. "Rasmus, actually."

Tierney was trying to think of something to ask that would prompt him to keep talking without revealing what she knew, but Tausson saved her the trouble.

"It took a couple years, but eventually all three of us were inseparable," he said. "I was the first to break us up, leaving with the Squad while Carterra and Rasmus stayed behind to finish their training. I didn't see them for years, but when I became commander and was able to pick my crew, they were the only two I specifically requested."

The gloom had settled over him completely now. Tierney almost felt sorry for bringing it up, but she needed to understand. "What happened?" she asked.

Tausson glanced around at the other Relicans in the room. Some were having their own discussions, but those closest were listening to them.

He forced a smile and said, "History."

* * *

While the first part of the day had crawled by, the afternoon was gone in a blink. Before she knew it, Tierney was getting dressed in anticipation of her meeting with Rasmus. She'd wracked her brain all day to come up with a plan to distract him enough to get the information that she needed, but the only one that seemed certain to work was the one she liked the least.

Hated it, actually.

But she couldn't let Rasmus continue as commander after seeing how he was last night. Not only would the Relicans under him suffer, humanity would fare just as badly, required as they were to go through him to get their needs met.

With the fate of so many people resting on her shoulders, she couldn't let a little personal discomfort keep her from attaining her goal. So she took a hot oil shower to make her skin soft and her hair lustrous, put on a black mini-skirt dress that was so tight it rivaled the Relican mechasuit -- Why did I even pack this? -- and made herself up as if she were going on a hot date.

Ten minutes before their meeting, just as she was about to leave, someone knocked on the door. Her heart jumped and her palms became sweaty.

Why is he here?

Throwing on the long sweater that she'd planned on wearing on her way to the command center, she opened her door.

"Elic?"

"Miss Dawson," greeted the tall Planetary Officer.

"Can I help you with something? I have a meeting with Rasmus in a few minutes."

Tierney let go of the sweater to start buttoning it, inadvertently revealing her skimpy outfit beneath. First Elic took in the suggestive clothing with evident shock, and Tierney felt the heat of embarrassment rising in her throat.

"I was wondering if you'd had any luck regarding the matter we discussed a few days ago," asked Elic, making a visible effort not to look away from Tierney's face.

Leaning in, Tierney whispered, "Not yet, but that's what tonight is about." She gave a subtle gesture to her outfit. "I'm hoping to wheedle it out of him."

Elic allowed herself to survey the clothes once more, still looking confused.

"This is a distraction," explained Tierney.

The Planetary Officer still didn't seem like she understood, but Tierney wasn't about to explain it to her. She'd realized too late that her plan could be construed as being a malign influence, and while Elic clearly wanted Tausson to win the blood walk, Tierney couldn't be sure how many rules the Relican was willing to break.

"I appreciate the effort you're making for Tausson," said Elic. "He's the best commander in the fleet, and he doesn't deserve the treatment he's been receiving."

"I agree," said Tierney, watching the halls again. "Now I've got to get moving. I'll let you know how it goes."

Elic nodded and left, seemingly relieved to have Tierney and her inappropriate clothes out of sight. With one last check in the steel mirror, Tierney gathered her things and went to the command center.

* * *

"Hulkud," Rasmus barked from inside his room.

I guess that means come in?

Tierney opened the door, wondering if the fact that he was still cranky would help or hinder her plan.

Rasmus sat at the same desk that Carterra had used, and Tierney wished the former commander were still there. For the first time in years, Nelle wasn't just a short walk away, and Carterra had served as a worthy proxy. Now Tierney had no one but herself to go to for advice. Was her plan going to work? Was she doing the right thing?

"What questions do you have?" the current Irral commander snapped, not looking up from the tablet in his hands.

He's blinded by his frenzy, Tausson had said.

Here's hoping.

Tierney gave a silent prayer, then, channeling her single semester of theater acting, became who she needed to be to pull this off.

Gently pushing aside four empty meal trays that were piled up on the edge of the narrow desk surface, she put down her computer and said, "Before we get down to business, I was hoping you could clarify a few things for me, since you seem to be the only one around here with any appreciation for the joys of pairing."

At the word pairing his eyes locked onto hers.

Be careful, she reminded herself. He could accuse you of being a malign influence. Again.

"Why is it always the same position?" she asked, trying to sound casual as she sat across from him. "Humans have hundreds of positions. Some require a level of flexibility and strength that is beyond the average human, but even so..." She trailed off, leaving the specifics to Rasmus's imagination.

He eyed her suspiciously, but didn't answer.

I'm not Tierney. I'm a nameless woman who doesn't love Tausson.

"Tausson doesn't seem to mind it," she continued with a dismissive shrug, "and I guess if you've never known anything else, it's okay, but with all of the possible positions in the universe, why that one, you know?"

He continued studying her, but still didn't take the bait. He was nothing like he had been last night -- too calm, too aware. She needed to feed his frenzy. She needed it to consume him.

Time for the big guns.

Slowly standing up, she began to unbutton her sweater, letting one of her bare legs peek out from behind. "It's so warm in here," she said. "You Relicans love your heat, huh?"

Like all the great film seductresses, Tierney kept her eyes on Rasmus as she let the sweater fall from her shoulders. Her heart started racing, but she calmed it by reminding herself that this wasn't anything unusual for her character. The woman she was playing did this all the time. No need to get nervous.

Rasmus's eyes went straight to her chest. Despite her comment about the heat, she actually felt a chill with so much of her skin exposed. Her nipples, barely covered by her low-cut dress, stiffened noticeably under the thin fabric.

Tierney stood still while his gaze traveled down her body. "Any ideas?" she asked, her voice low and suggestive.

"About what?" he grumbled.

She'd put her hair up using a set of hair sticks, a gift from a member of the Japanese Prime Minister's delegation a few years ago. Now, with only a faint twinge of guilt -- this woman had made no promises to Tausson -- she pulled them out, shaking her head gently so her hair tumbled loose on her shoulders. Sitting back down, she leaned forward to give him an optimal view of her breasts, while making it seem like it was accidental.

"Pairing," she said softly. "Do you think they'll ever let us try another position?"

His suspicion was losing the battle with his lust. His mouth was hanging slightly open, and he was entranced by all of the skin she was showing. One hand was on the desk, but the other was hidden below, near his lap.

"Even if they did loosen up the rules a bit," she said, running a finger along the edge of the desk, "Tausson would probably never go for it. You know how set in his ways he can be."

Her plan was working. The gleam in his eye that was usually present when he looked at her -- and that had been missing since she entered his room -- had returned, and a half smile was growing on his lips.

"He's a silver," he said. "Mindless bita, the lot of them."

Tierney almost asked what bita meant, but it didn't really matter, and she couldn't lose her momentum.

"He told me about you bronzes," she said with a sly smile. She didn't clarify her statement, instead getting up and moving around and sitting on his side of the desk. Slowly crossing one leg over the other, she gazed down at him.

"What did he tell you?" he asked. His voice was a deep, rumbling purr, but rather than a contented house cat, it reminded her of a lion, about to take the first bite of its kill.

No. I'm the predator here. I'm in control.

"Nothing as interesting as that story you told me," she said, "about the... what was the silver called?"

"The Wayward Silver," he said. Both of his hands were now on the arms of the chair, repeatedly clenching into fists and then opening again.

"And the bronze," she said, meeting his hungry gaze with her own. "Don't forget the bronze."

Sliding off the desk, she slowly walked around the room, pretending to admire the collections on the walls. "I've been thinking about what you said last night --"

"Last night?"

"In the assembly." She looked seductively over her shoulder. "You know, about being your Asteroid Mate."

"The assembly... Squad," he muttered, though he sounded like he was convincing himself.

Did he not even remember? A commander who blacked out and went nuts was even more dangerous, making her mission here even more critical.

She swallowed the disgust that she couldn't completely ignore, and said, "The more I consider it, the more I think it might be beneficial for both of us."

"It's not up to you," he growled, still in his chair.

She paused near the back corner by the bed, near the three weapons she'd identified as possible blood walk selections. Turning to face him, she crossed her arms, accidentally pushing up her breasts even more. "It is up to me; I can say no at any time. I'm tempted to do so with Tausson, since I'm not satisfied with that arrangement, but if I end it, I can't be anyone's Asteroid Mate anymore."

"You will be my mate," he commanded, standing up so quickly he nearly knocked his chair over.

"But what if you lose the blood walk?"

His glance went to the wall behind her, in the general area of the three weapons she'd guessed. But before she could turn and see exactly which one he was looking at, his gaze was back on her, a mean sneer on his face.

"I will win," he said, "and I will take you from him."

A shiver passed through her at the certainty in his voice. Praying that her fear didn't reveal itself to Rasmus, she asked, "How can you be so sure?"

Suspicion returned to his eyes, and Tierney knew she had to act fast before it derailed her plan. "What if I told you his weapon of choice?" she asked, making it sound like it was no big deal.

Rasmus let out a laugh. "I already know his weapon."

"How can you know? What is it?"

"Tausson's too sentimental to choose anything but his sword," he said, slowly crossing the room towards her. Again, Tierney was reminded of a lion -- a bronze lion, stalking its prey.

I'm still in control.

As if his location were of no consequence to her, as if she weren't fighting a creeping panic in her chest, she turned her back on him to face the wall of weapons. "So which of these will defeat his sword and ensure that you and I become Asteroid Mates?" She gestured to the deadly mittens. "These?"

Suddenly Rasmus's hands were on her shoulders, spinning her around to face him. She didn't fight him as he held her still, searching her eyes. He smelled similar to Tausson, but the scent was stronger, and more coppery, like pennies.

"Tausson was foolish to send you," he said. "I see through your games too easily."

Hoping she looked properly offended, she said, "I'm here for me, not Tausson. I wanted you to know that I'm interested in your offer, provided I have some assurances that our mating will be more... satisfying than my current arrangement. And I want to know that you have a plan for winning, so I won't be wasting my time sticking around for another three days."

He stared down on her with a hungry, knowing leer, and she feared he'd seen through her charade.

"On Relica," he said, "women sought me out, desperate for the pleasure that I alone would give them. While Tausson was in cold space, seeking only to please Control, I studied the forbidden stories in the Passages, learning the ways to bring another to ecstasy."

"Sounds promising." Tierney had meant it as a snarky reply, but her voice was tight with nerves under his scrutiny, and the words came out closer to a husky whisper. Clearing her throat, she said, "But how can we do any of that with Aspri watching our every move?"

"Get on the bed," he ordered.

Tierney started to object, but he grabbed her arms and shoved her back onto the bed. The weight of his body pressed down on her, and while that same closeness had been arousing when it was Tausson, now she felt like she was going to suffocate.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, pushing back against his immovable bulk.

"The commander outranks everyone on his vessel," Rasmus said, pinning her arms to the bed, "even the Senior Medic. Aspri can only order me around if he deems me unfit." He ground his hips against Tierney's, his shield digging between her thighs. Bringing his face close to hers, he said, "I can order Aspri out of the pairing room."

This was news. Did Tausson know? If so, why had he never mentioned it?

Probably because he lost command before we even got together.

But Tierney had more pressing concerns: she was no longer in control. Rasmus was on top of her, and there was no way she could fight him off. So far he was only dry-humping her, though. Should she stay in character? How far was Rasmus going to take this? What was she willing to do to get the information she needed to save Tausson?

Telling herself she could scream before it went too far, she closed her eyes, pretending she was enjoying the fact that her skirt was up around her waist, pretending she wasn't sick to her stomach.

"That's good to know," she said, biting her lip, "but it's useless information if you don't win."

Rasmus let out a roar and flipped over, effortlessly bringing her with him. Locking her hips against his, he pounded his hard shield up against her. Even though she was on top, there was no way she could escape his powerful hold on her legs.

"What will you give me if I tell you?" he asked, grinning up at her.

Fearing the answer, she said, "What do you want?"

His hands slid up her thighs and cupped her rear. Instinctively she slapped her own hands over his. Eyes wild with desire, he said, "You will pleasure me now, and every day we meet at this time, in addition to our pairing."

"We do actually need to get some work done," she said, trying to keep her smirk, even as she attempted to slide off. "I'll do it tomorrow."

"If you are so anxious for proof of my abilities, you will have it. Now!" he snapped, hooking his fingers into her panties and tugging them down.

This was too much. She wanted to save Tausson, but not like this. Even if she did learn what she needed, he would never forgive her if he found out she sold herself for his victory. She doubted she would be able to forgive herself.

But how was she going to get out of this? Was there still a way to get him to tell her his weapon without having sex with him?

Compromise.

Her argument to Tausson came back to her. And even as the plan formulated in her mind, a sincere smile crept into her lips. How much did Rasmus know about a human woman's body, anyway?

Leaning down and lying on top of Rasmus, she said, "I have a compromise." He stopped thrusting up at her and warily regarded her half smile.

"I'll show you how I pleasure myself," she said, "and you can watch."

"No. That is far from equal."

"It can be quite stimulating," she said playfully, withholding her grimace as she reached down and squeezed his shield. He gasped, his eyes rolling back. "You'd be surprised how much."

At least Jonas always liked it. And these two are definitely cut from the same chauvinist cloth.

"Try it," she said, trying once again to slide off. "You'll see."

Although he didn't look convinced, Rasmus let her go.

Thankful that she made it out of this with her underwear intact, she tugged down her skirt as she sat up near the bed pillows.

"You sit there," she said, indicating the desk chair that was only five feet or so from the bed.

I hope this works, she prayed.

"I will remain here," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Tierney didn't entirely trust him to keep his hands off her, but she was playing with fire as it was, and any more disagreements could jeopardize their tenuous deal.

"Ok, but you might be more comfortable over there," she insisted, settling back on the bed.

Please buy it, please buy it!

Channeling her character once again, she slid her hands across her stomach. One went up to rest by her throat, while the other slowly slipped downward... farther... farther... until she began rubbing... her belly button.