12

- Charlotte -

She felt his heat and his warm presence and his scent before she was fully awake. She immediately sensed that she was safe. Then she felt something hard poke her and she smiled. This was a good way to wake up.

She reached back to grab his hard manhood. The things he did with that thing...

He jerked awake, and she turned around to face him. “Sleep well?”

He blinked with his yellow eyes looked around quickly and stretched. “Reasonably well, considering the alien surroundings.”

“Uh-huh. Don't tell me you would have preferred to sleep without the tent keeping us dry and safe?”

He pulled on his pants, having some difficulty closing it over his stiff shaft. “I suppose not. And the company in here is very pleasant. Sensationally so.”

Charlotte sat up and hid a yawn with her hand. “You know, that feeling is mutual. Think that stream beside us is warm enough to take a bath in?”

Cori'ax got up on his knees and stuck his head out of the tent, his hand on the hilt of his sword. “I was wondering the same thing.”

He crawled out, and Charlotte put on her flight suit and did the same.

The alien sun was up, and it was already getting hot. “Okay. Unless there are ice floes in that creek, it should be fine to take a dip in it.” She scanned the sky and the horizon. “No rescuers?”

Cori'ax placed dry firewood in the stone circle. “Not yet.”

She scratched her head. “I guess they think we need some more time together. Or they're not coming at all. Or, since the Acerex are so weird about never coming to get stranded warriors, maybe they need time to mount a rescue mission.” She wasn't all that worried yet. She was enjoying being alone with Cori'ax, and she was pretty sure he would keep her safe.

“Maybe. I would expect your own friends to come here first.”

Charlotte considered it. “I'm not so sure. I was pretty adamant about not wanting any special treatment. It's the only way to be taken seriously in an army. Even Harper may hesitate to come to get me unless she thinks I'm about to die.”

Cori'ax had gotten the fire going, but Charlotte wasn't that eager to eat more of the meat from the night before.

She got the emergency rations out again. “Here, try a ... vegetarian spaghetti bolognese. Or you can have ... let's see ... chili. Yeah, I know none of those are great for breakfast, but we don't need fire to cook them. Just pull this, wait for ten seconds, then eat.” She showed him the tab that would start the chemical heating element in the pack.

Cori'ax accepted the spaghetti pack and eyed it skeptically. “Too little food for a warrior.”

Charlotte pulled the tab on the chili and heard the pack sizzle inside, while the outside was still cold to the touch. “Nope, it should be enough for today. It won't make you feel too full, but the nutrition will keep you going all day.”

She opened her pack and the steam rose. She got the little spoon attached to the pack, dug some chili out, blew on it and then savored the unmistakable flavor of military emergency ration. For once she liked it – it reminded her of Earth and her pilot's training in Texas a million years ago.

Cori'ax gingerly sniffed the contents of his pack. “Very alien.”

“Hey, you suddenly don't like alien things? You sure had nothing against it last night.”

He sent her an enigmatic look, then got the spoon and tasted the spaghetti sauce. “Not warrior food, but acceptable.”

Charlotte realized that it was the best she was going to get out of him right now. He was clearly not a morning person. She kept eating. “So no predators around now? And I don't see any Prec. I'd guess we can probably stay here until the rescuers arrive.”

Cori'ax nodded. “As long as there aren't any more traps, I suppose we'll be fine here.”

He got up, still eating, and walked over to the stream.

Charlotte admired the muscles of his broad back rolling as he walked. He was all power and competence in everything he did. She'd never seen a more confident man, and his confidence was not face or acted. He didn't talk much, and she liked it. He knew who he was, and that was extremely attractive to her.

His skepticism towards aliens had to be reined in somehow, but he had led a life where aliens were always enemies. It might take time for him to realize that aliens could be good, too.

He looked back at her, checking that there were no predators or enemies nearby, and then he gave her a little smile.

She smiled back. Or it might not take that long. He certainly seemed to have started liking her.

And it seemed like he wanted more. She did, too. Acerex could have relationships with people who weren't their Mahan, which after all was how everyone did it on Earth, where there was no Mahan concept. She had never been too keen on marrying anyone. But right now, being in a committed partnership with a warrior like Cori'ax seemed like a pretty tempting possibility.

Well, she didn't have to make any decision now. The ice between them seemed to have thawed, and maybe that was good enough for now. She knew she could easily fall for this man, but she wanted to take it slow.

She rolled her eyes at her own thought. Take it slow? She'd been naked ten minutes after meeting him the first time. She'd had no reason to regret that, but the whole situation was full of potential problems.

The large warrior threw a long shadow in the morning sun, and she felt a giddy sensation in the pit of her stomach. She'd gone so long without much male attention, and now this specimen was dangled in front of her. Despite the situation they were in, there was something about the danger that turned her on more easily.

She finished the emergency ration and walked over to him, then bent down and tried the water with her hand. It was pleasantly cool, but not cold, and the stream widened to a pleasant pool right here, with crystal clear water and a sandy white bottom. She had no idea how long they would have to stay on this planet, and after the eventful day and night before she had a need to get clean. This was as good a place as any. “I think this could work for a quick dip. You want to join me?”

She didn't wait for an answer, just discarded her flight suit and underwear and took a step down into the water. It felt good around her feet, and the sand was soft and fine and supported her perfectly. There was no current in the pool, so she waded further in, very conscious that Cori'ax had to be staring at her naked butt. It made her feel sexy and naughty and she felt the familiar tingles shooting through her girly bits. Somehow she knew that he wouldn't judge her – he just liked what he was seeing.

The water got deeper, and when it was up to her knees she turned around. Cori'ax was in the water too, just as naked as she was, except he still had his sword belt on. Of course – he wanted his weapon close at all times.

He waded over to her and smiled. “It is a good warrior habit to take pleasure wherever it can be found. Even on enemy planets. It strengthens the fighting spirit.”

“Yeah? Then I'll take a little pleasure right now.” Charlotte splashed him with water and laughed.

He splashed her right back and laughed his deep laugh in response, she retaliated, and then he cut the war short by lifting her up and dropping her into the water where it was the deepest.

“You,” she spluttered and splashed him again, “fight dirty.”

He helped her back on her feet, then kissed her lips. “After this, I think we'll both be very clean.”

His huge manhood was bobbing between them and she grabbed it eagerly. “We better. 'cause I'm having some really dirty thoughts right now.”

“I like dirty thoughts.” He bent down and kissed her, and she closed her eyes and drowned in the passion that rose in her. She wanted to give in to it and allow herself to at least consider falling for him.

“So,” she said and leaned against his muscular chest, “am I just a way for you to pass the time, or do you mean something more by this?”

He gazed down on her with those cat-like yellow eyes. “I mean more. I want more. I want ... something that can last. Do you?”

His words made her happy. That was exactly how she would have phrased it, too. “Let me show you.” She got down on her knees on the sand, and the water came up to her waist. She unceremoniously licked the length of his alien cock, feeling the very special features it had. She would never be able to take it more than halfway into her mouth, because it widened so much that-

She froze. Many bright, white streaks shot across the sky above them and left brilliant white contrails.

She gently removed her mouth from his cock, kissed the tip and got back on her feet, keeping her hand on his chest as she peered skywards.

“Shit. I think we're being rescued.”

- - -

They just about had time to get dressed before the craft were visible as specks in the sky, getting closer fast. Charlotte had activated the beacon in her flight suit. If these were Earth-made shuttles, their crews would know exactly where she was.

“You know,” she said and bundled up one of the tents, “I had a pretty good time. Despite all the predators and the aliens and the traps. Thanks for coming to get me.”

Cori'ax smirked. “I'm glad I did. This has been eye-opening. And unusually pleasant.”

Three gunships screamed overhead, clearly scouting the area for threats. A larger shuttle came in behind them and set down twenty yards away. Its hatches popped open before the craft had finished rocking on its undercarriage, and six battle-clad figures jumped down with large, black guns in their hands. Yep, these were Earth forces.

One of them removed the black helmet and dark hair flowed down her back. Then she came over, walking fast ahead of five soldiers, worry radiating from her eyes. “I came as soon as I heard. You okay?”

“Hi, Harper. I'm fine, thanks.” Charlotte embraced her friend. “We just had a nice camping trip. But yeah, it's about time to go home.”

Harper looked Charlotte up and down, then sent Cori'ax an angry glance. “I can't believe these guys. You were missing for hours before anyone cared to tell me.”

Charlotte shrugged. “That's how they do it. Harper, do you know Warrior Cori'ax, the captain of Squad Nine?”

Cori'ax bowed lightly. “Highness.”

“Warrior,” Harper responded coolly, but correctly. “I only know you by reputation. Are you responsible for this?”

Cori'ax drew breath to reply, but Charlotte quickly placed her hand on Harper's arm. “He's not. It was an accident. I fell out of the gunship, and then he jumped after me to make sure I was safe on the planet. I would have died here without him.”

Harper frowned. “You fell? Doesn't sound like something you'd do.”

Charlotte looked away. She'd become a little reckless herself, lately. “Things are done differently with the Acerex, and I guess I've been influenced by them. But it really was an accident. Cori'ax is not to blame at all. Well, not much, at least.”

Harper's frown lightened. “Okay. So is there any reason to hang around here now?”

“I don't think so.” Charlotte looked over at Cori'ax. “Shall we go, captain?” She was still a soldier, and she wanted everyone to remember that. Not least herself.

Cori'ax clasped the hilt of his sword, a sign of readiness. “With the queen's permission.”

Harper nodded, and then they walked towards the shuttle with Cori'ax behind them. He was the last to get in the shuttle, and then they were airborne and driving hard out of the atmosphere.

Charlotte opened a private channel with Harper in her helmet. “Thanks for coming. That was a pretty unpleasant planet. Mostly.”

Harper reached over and squeezed her hand. “I would have come sooner. But it took those geniuses so long to tell me that you were missing, and then I asked if they knew where you were and then they said they had a pretty good idea, and I said to go and get you as fast as fuck. They didn't seem to get it, so they asked who should write the hero's eulogy for the daily briefing. So I thought you were dead and I kind of lost it, and then it slowly became clear that you were just missing but that they had no plans at all to go get you.”

Charlotte squeezed her friend's hand back. “Yeah, they don't do that. I also discovered that very recently. Never crossed my mind to ask about it. Seems so obvious that you go and get your missing people back at any cost.”

Harper groaned. “I know, right? They didn't even have plans about how to do it. No rescue plans! I wanted to tear my hair out. I can't command them, and Vrax'ton can't be contacted right now. So I had to get together a team from the Friendship, and it took so damn long to travel here from Acerex. You have no idea how relieved I was when I saw your beacon show up! Oh, I'm so glad I found you.” Harper leaned her helmet-clad head on Charlotte's shoulder, obviously emotionally drained.

Charlotte squeezed her friend's hand and couldn't help sniffling a little. Which other queen would do something like that? Harper had probably had a much worse time than she had. “Shit, I'm sorry I made you go through this. I was actually pretty safe with Cori'ax.”

Harper glanced to the back of the shuttle, where the huge warrior was sitting by himself. “Yeah, they do have a way of making you feel totally safe. But I didn't even know he was with you. Nobody told me. It wouldn't have made much difference anyway. Charlotte, you know you can leave the Acerex army at any time, right? Nobody would blame you. You gave it a damn good shot. But seriously ... I mean, they're so damn different! Who leaves their missing soldiers behind without even trying to get them out?”

Charlotte could only shrug. “It's insane. But I actually think I know the reason. I mean, you said once that Vrax'ton still considers you his captive, deep down?”

Harper scratched her chin. “Yeah, that's true. It's because he rescued me in kind of a battle situation. It's not real or legal, of course. It just goes way back in their culture and history. If you asked Vrax'ton if I was his captive, he would laugh it off without giving you a clear yes or no. But if I asked, in private, he would say yes. He actually does consider me his property, deep down.”

Charlotte nodded. “So if you're a warrior and someone rescues you, then you become someone else's slave. In principle, I mean. In their minds. They wouldn't actually enslave you, but I think it's the psychological thing that does it. You'd always feel that you owed someone your life. For these guys, that could get pretty tough. I don't know if you noticed, but they're proud as fuck. I totally buy that they'd rather be left behind and die alone than be rescued.”

Harper nodded slowly. “I think you got it. So, considering that they will happily leave you behind to be slaughtered, will you stay with them or return to Earth service, where we actually care about our servicewomen?”

To Charlotte, the answer was clear. Return to be a glorified bus driver after finally having seen some real action? It would take more than this. “They have their weird things going on, no doubt about it. But I waited too long for this to become reality, and I'm actually enjoying it just as much as I thought. And I think it'll be better from now on. Cori'ax and I didn't quite get along before, but now I think we ... umm ... broke the ice.”

Harper must have heard something in Charlotte's voice, because she had a knowing little smile playing at her lips. “Really? Broke the ice, huh? Again, you mean? Yeah, those parachutes are pretty versatile. I hear they can be used as tents, even.”

Charlotte punched her friend on the shoulder. “Hey, don't be so perceptive. Breaking the ice with aliens can take a lot of effort. In many ways.”

Harper laughed. “Don't I know it. He got you addicted yet?”

Charlotte smiled. “Maybe a little. I won't deny it.”

“Just make sure that you make your decisions based on common sense and not just the romantic things. I speak from experience here. You can still see him, even if you're not in his squad or even in their army. In some ways, it would be better like that.”

“Oh, I'm not that addicted. I'll stay because I want to fight with these guys, not because he has such a magical dick that I can't be without it for more than ten minutes. Harper, I still really want this. And now I want it more than ever. I can't thank you enough for coming to get me.”

“It's the least I could do.”

“But it was hard on you. I don't want you to worry. I want to be rescued if necessary. By the Acerex. I'll let everyone know that. I won't consider myself someone's captive just because he does the right thing and saves my life.”

Harper sighed. “You know, I'll tell you right now, I'll come and get you anyway. Whatever you say.”