I stood in the mechanic's bay of the garrison, trying to keep my head together. It was something made infinitely more difficult by the fact that I was looking at the side of our transport, literally covered in Kianna's blood. It was dried now, but the side of the vehicle was covered in thick streams and rivulets that stretched from the roof to the very back.

It looked like we'd done a sloppy job painting the transport red.

“What in the hell happened out there?”

I snapped to attention when Colonel Darqa strode around the transport and fixed me with a steely gaze. He stood before me, his displeasure more than obvious. Darqa was a large human man and the commander of our garrison. He was thick through the shoulders and chest, had golden-colored skin, and eyes that were cold and gray. His hair was dark, though shot through with gray, as was his thick, bushy mustache. He was intimidating and had the absolute bearing of command and authority about him.

“Sir,” I said. “We were engaged with multiple hostiles. Another one had apparently come up from behind us and – ”

“You didn't set your rear guard sensors?”

I cleared my throat. “Uh, no, sir,” I replied. “I guess we forgot.”

“Forgot,” he snapped, the disgust in his tone clear. “And now, Captain Reeves is in there fighting for her life. Because you forgot.”

“I – uh – yes sir,” I said, mainly because there was nothing I could say. He was right.

There really was nothing he could say that could possibly make me feel any worse than I already did. Make me any more scared than I already was. Kianna could possibly die and it would be my fault. How could I ever live with that? How could I ever live with myself after that? We'd been careless – I'd been careless. And Kianna was paying the price – might still pay the ultimate price.

Suddenly Darqa's face softened. “Look, son,” he said. “You're one of my finest soldiers and I can see how torn up you are about it.”

I nodded. “I was the spotter,” I said. “It was my responsibility. Kia – Captain Reeves was my responsibility.”

Darqa sighed. “I'm disappointed in you, Elix,” he said. “I'm not going to deny that. But, I also know it was a mistake. A stupid one, but a mistake nonetheless. It happens. The Vujan are sneaky little sons of bitches.”

I nodded. “ Yes, sir,” I said. “They are.”

“I want you to log fifty hours into the simulator,” he said. “I want you to prepare for every scenario out there. I want you to know the information cold.”

Darqa looked at the blood covered transport and frowned. Turning back to me, he motioned to it.

“Fifty hours, Elix,” he said, his voice booming. “I don't ever want to see anything like this again.”

I nodded again. “Yes, sir.”

He put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “She's going to be fine, son,” he said. “I just came from sickbay and the doctors say she's gonna be okay. She should be fit for duty again in the next day or two. I just wanted to impress upon you the importance of staying vigilant out there.”

“It won't happen again, sir,” I said. “I can assure you.”

He looked at me closely for a minute and then nodded. “I believe you, son.”

“Can I see her?”

He nodded. “Soon,” he said. “She needs a little rest first. And you, need to clean the blood off your vehicle. Call it part of your penance.”

I gave him a little grin as a powerful wave of relief washed through me. “Yes, sir,” I said. “Thank you, sir.”

Darqa nodded and gave me a curious look. “You and Captain Reeve make a hell of a team out there, Elix,” he said. “I want to keep the two of you together as long as possible. As I'm sure you do.”

It hit me like a hammer blow to the chest. He was being discreet, of course, but Darqa knew about us. Knew that we were together. I was absolutely certain of it. We'd always been discreet. We'd always been so careful about not being seen together – or at least, not be seeing being affectionate toward one another. I thought we'd kept our secret very well over the last year.

But, Darqa knew somehow. And rather than punish me, he seemed to be letting me know it was okay. To say it surprised me would be an understatement. Though, I was beyond grateful.

“Absolutely sir,” I reply. “I value her as a teammate immeasurably.”

He nodded. “Good,” he replied. “Keep her safe then. It's rare to find a good – teammate. Especially on a desolate rock like this.”

I nodded. “Absolutely, sir,” I replied. “Thank you, sir.”

“As you were,” he said as he turned and walked out of the bay, leaving me there to stand and stare in wonder after him.

Feeling slightly more heartened than I'd been ten minutes ago. Summoning the cleaning droid over, I set to work cleaning up the mess.

I pressed the chime on the door for Kianna's quarters. A moment later, it slid open and closed behind me when I walked in. She was sitting at the small table in her quarters, the sunlight streaming through the window behind her, making her red hair seem like fire. She normally kept it in a tight braid, but at the moment, it was free and spilled down over her shoulders. It was beautiful.

Kianna picked at the remains of a meal on her plate. Her smile widened though, the minute she saw me and she jumped out of her chair, throwing herself into my arms.I pulled her tight and kissed her. It had been three days since I'd last seen her and it felt like a lifetime. I pulled back and looked her up and down, unable to keep the smile off my face.

“Should you really be jumping around like that?” I asked.

She waved me off. “I've been fine for a couple of days now. The medical droids did excellent work,” I said. “The slice was clean. All the way down to the bone, but clean. But, they used nanobots to repair all the damage, lasered me back together, restricted me to quarters, and put me on bed rest for a while.”

I nodded. “I'm glad to see you're okay,” I said. “I was so scared I was going to lose you.”

She placed a soft kiss on my lips. “I wouldn't be here if not for you,” she replied. “If it hadn't been for you putting that protein patch in place, I would have bled out. The doctors even said so.”

I held her tight, pressing her body close to me, reveling in the feel of her warmth. Reveling in the fact that she was alive. I hadn't expected to meet somebody like Kianna out on a remote world like Gorndyr. But, Kianna is unlike anybody else I'd ever met.

She was half a foot shorter than my six-foot frame and petite. With skin the color of milk and a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, she looked much younger than she was. Though there was no mistaking the full hips, curvy body, and full breasts – she was all woman.

And she was mine.

“Are you certain you are okay, Kianna?”

She nodded. “I could have come back to work yesterday,” she said. “Instead, I'm off duty for the rest of the week.”

“Well, better safe than sorry,” I said.

“I suppose,” she replied, giving me a flirty little smile. “I'm just bored being cooped up here.”

I felt a stirring in my groin and smiled back at her. Fortunately for me, humans and Arturicans like me, are physically and biologically very similar. Indeed, except for skin, some might say is too pale and eyes that are a shade of blue not found in humans, I could actually pass for one of them.

“Well, perhaps we can find some way to alleviate your – boredom,” I said.

Kianna bit her bottom lip and smiled. “I certainly hope so.”

She parted her lips as I pressed my mouth to hers, our tongues swirling around with each other. I pulled her to me, pulling her body harder to mine as the intensity and passion of our kiss grew. She ground her body against mine, gasping softly as I kissed her neck.

“The door is locked, right?” I asked.

She nodded and murmured as she kissed my neck and nibbled on my earlobe, sending shivers of pleasure crawling across my skin. I ran my hands up and down her body as we kissed, relishing the feel of her body, but craving the feel of her flesh. Kianna lifted her arms as I slid her shirt up her body, taking it off and flinging it across the room. Her full breasts spilled free into my hands and I took hold of them, kneading and caressing them, giving her erect nipple a hard squeeze that drew a sharp breath from her.

Leaning down, I took one of her nipples into my mouth and sucked on it, swirling my tongue around as she moaned softly. Her hands were in my hair, pulling on it hard, which only served to inflame my passion even more.

Our kiss grew harder and hotter and before I knew what was happening, Kianna had my uniform belt undone. She slid my pants down to my thighs and quickly fell to her knees. Looking up at me with wide, blue eyes, she ran the tip of her tongue around the head of my cock. I drew in a sharp breath and shuddered as she teased me with her tongue.

“That feels so good, baby,” I said, my voice low and hoarse already.

Kianna smiled and gripped the base of my rod with one hand, squeezing it tight, as she slipped her mouth around the head of my cock. I moaned as she started to work me with her hand and mouth at the same time. My body tensed and shuddered with the sensations of feeling her sucking and jerking my stiff prick.

I let out a gasp when she tightened her grip and her mouth around my cock, moving up and down my shaft like she had something to prove. Shockwaves of sensation pulsed through my body and I knew if she kept it up much longer, it was going to be over before it really began.

Stepping back, I pulled my cock out of her mouth. She grinned up at me, her eyes sparkling as she got to her feet. I leaned into her and kissed her hard, imparting every ounce of passion and feeling I felt for her. There were no words strong enough to convey just how deeply I cared for her. She was my only reason for getting up in the morning and the only blessing of being shipped out to this desolate place.

I slid her pants down, pushing them all the way down to her feet. She kicked them off and saw me looking at the long, thin scar that ran down her thigh. A scar that was my fault. I'd been careless. She put her fingers under my chin and forced me to look her in the eye.

“Stop blaming yourself,” she said as if she could read my thoughts. “It's not your fault. And look, there's barely even a scar left. So, nothing to worry about, okay?”

I gave her a weak smile and a nod. “Okay.”

Kianna smiled and took my cock in her hands, stroking me as she stared into my eyes. The look of pure desire in her eyes soon made all other thoughts in my head flee. All I could focus on was how bad I wanted her. Needed her. Picking her up, I set her down on the table behind her, sweeping off the plate of food she'd been nibbling at where it hit the floor with a clatter.

Pushing her down onto her back, I parted her thighs and dropped to my knees. Leaning forward, I buried my face in the warm, wet center of her, relishing the taste of her pussy. Kianna moaned softly and ran her fingers through my hair as I ran my tongue over her wet, swollen lips. But, when I took her clit into my mouth and sucked hard on it, her grip on my hair tightened as she pulled it and cried out.

I plunged my tongue into her, savoring the sweet taste of her juices. She writhed beneath me as I lapped at her pussy, groaning and tugging wildly at my hair. Slipping two fingers into her, I went back to work on her clit, sucking it hard as I pumped my digits into her again and again.

“Elix, yes,” she called out. “Oh God, yes... ”

Her breathing was growing ragged and her movements more frantic. She pushed my head down, grinding herself against my mouth, taking my fingers deeper inside of her. I felt her body grow rigid and a moment later, she cried out, her voice so loud, I feared others in the barracks might hear her. She trembled and shuddered beneath me as her orgasm crashed down over her, crying out my name again and again.

Hearing her cries and feeling her squirm beneath me only stoked my own fires higher. Arturican women weren't nearly as vocal or expressive as human women are during sex – women from my homeworld didn't seem to enjoy sex as much as human women, and the difference is one I've come to appreciate, as well as enjoy.

Slowly, her orgasm subsided and though her breathing slowed, she looked at me with eyes filled with lust and desire. My cock was painfully rigid and begging for release. I stood up and pulled her off the table without a word, quickly turning her around and bent her over it. As I stepped forward, she looked at me over her shoulder, biting her bottom lip, her eyes filled with anticipation.

I didn't keep her waiting. With one hard thrust, I buried my hard shaft deep into her dripping wet pussy. I reached up and grabbed hold of her hair, pulling it hard as I started to move my hips, pumping my cock into her again and again.

“Fuck, Elix,” she gasped. “Yes, baby. Fuck me. Just like that.”

A low growl escaped my throat as I drove my cock into her hard and deep. She was so warm and tight, and I filled her up completely. Being inside of her felt so good that it was hard to stave off the inevitable.

Kianna pushed back against me, taking my cock deeper into her. Her body twitched and she cried out again as I hit that most sensitive spot within her. I gripped her hair harder, the fingers of my other hand pressing hard into the flesh of her hip as the feeling the pressure built low within me.

“Come for me, baby,” she gasped. “Come inside of me. I want to feel your hot come in me.”

I growled, a sound that was more animalistic than human, and drove my cock into her hard and deep. I felt her body shudder and knew she was close. Slowing my pace, I slammed my cock into her tight little hole harder, driving it deeper, reveling in the sensations that traveled from the top of my head all the way down to the soles of my feet. No matter how many times we'd fucked, I never got tired of being with Kianna.

I pushed my cock into her one final time, pressing myself as deep into her as I could go. She gasped and stuttered and I let out a low moan as I felt my cock pulsing and throbbing. A moment later, I called out her name as I burst inside of her. My body trembled as I filled her with my seed, the sensation of my eruption in her, touching off another powerful orgasm in Kianna.

Together, we shuddered and rode out the waves of pleasure that rolled through us. Slowly, our breathing returned to normal, but that afterglow from really good sex still hovered, enveloping the both of us in a gentle warmth.

Kianna stood up and turned around, pulling me into a tight embrace. She stroked my hair and planted a soft kiss on my neck. I just held her, enjoying the sensation of her naked body pressed to mine.

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you too,” I replied. “So much.”

We stood there for a long time, just holding on to one another, enjoying every moment we had.

I never wanted the moment to end.