Defying The Alliance: INFERNO (Novokin Alliance Invasion 2) (5 page)

Contrary to the miners’ initial hostile and plasma-filled welcome, their goodbye was heartwarming and gracious. They showered us with many thanks for our help. They shook our hands, patted us on the back and apologized for trying to kill us. They even shared their meager supply of food with us.

Most of their people had succumbed to the disease. What little patches of land they harvested went mostly unattended. Their so-called feast wasn’t much. But it beat the prak out of the ship’s rations any day of the week and more than satisfied our bellies.

Content grins spread around the round lunch table. Anya and Katlen sat across from me with my second in command and cooed over my soon-to-be godchildren. Jaxx caressed his two bellies with both hands in circular motions. His light green, half closed eyelids and the light pull of the corners of his mouth betrayed his contentment. I loved seeing him like that. He deserved to be somewhere on a planet’s surface. Safe, relaxed and rooted to the ground, able to enjoy his pregnancy. To prepare his body and mind for the birth of his budlings. I wished I could make that happen for him. But he refused to leave the ship, to leave my side. He’d been a true and loyal friend since we met at the Academy.

I watched him as his lips suddenly pursed. His eyes shot sidelong furtive glances before he lifted his large body off the chair and waddled away from the two women. A few seconds later Anya’s and Katlen’s noses wrinkled up in disgust. Their faces twin scowls before their eyes started to water. They both hurled accusatory looks at one another. Then they jumped on their feet and ran in opposite directions. Jaxx’s silent but deadly odorous side effect of his pregnancy had struck again. Unfortunately, it came with delayed olfactory recognition for any non-Floturans in the vicinity. I lifted my hand to cover the chuckle that slipped my lips.

****

Later that afternoon we were able to pull ourselves from Katlen and her people and return to our home, the Razor. None the worse for wear and graced with forty seven kilamounds of Dymatherlorium ore as a farewell gift by the miners. Ore that we could refine into fuel for the ship. Anya went tipsy with joy. She actually hugged and kissed the miners carrying the precious ore. For her troubles, she received several marriage proposals and an impromptu love poem. 

She hopped like a busy tigernutbee around the cargo bay with more energy than I’d ever seen her exhibit. She flitted between directing anyone with two good hands and a strong back where to stack her precious ore and instructing her new engineering staff on how to prep it for storage. Her sharp eye caught me watching her. She strolled in my direction.

“Hey Anya, you seem happy,” I remarked.

“Are you kidding Captain? I’m more than happy. I’m ecstatic! Thanks to the new upgrades my crew was able to make due to our recently procured equipment, courtesy of the Novokin Alliance and the traitorous Ruten Flores, the miners’ generous gift will increase the power of our weapons’ array by tenfold. We’re finally ready to kick some purple ass.”

“Excellent news! Maybe I should give you that kiss now?”

“ehh Captain,” she waved me off, too happy to even verbally spar with me, gliding away to resume her job.

A waddling, pregnant male approached me next. A pensive look filled his usual jovial expression. Something bothered my hormonal friend and I was going to find out soon enough. My only wish that he'd spare me the waterworks. “What’s up Jaxx?”

My non-hugging, no-touchy first officer took my hand in his. He laid his the other hand on top of mine and stroked it. For a short second I thought either someone died or he was going to propose to me. My shoulders tensed, my body stiffened and my olfactory senses prepared for a swift retreat.

“Captain you know it’s fine by me and the rest of the crew.”

“What on New Astoria are you talking about?” I snapped.

His gaze was tender and sympathetic. “You deserve to be happy you know.”

Oh, no he was proposing. I blinked a few times, speechless. This pregnancy was doing a number on his sanity as well as mine. I wanted my friend back.

He looked sideways and inclined his head in Trex’s direction. “We all know how you feel for each other.”

No, he’d gone completely bananas. “What are you referring to Commander?”

“As your Second in Command, and as your friend, I’m telling you that it's okay to act on your feelings for the golden lunk across the room.”  

“There is nothing between Trex and I. What are you blubbering about?” I protested.

“We all see how you look at each other. Today the poor barbarian went berserk when your cheek got sliced by the miners’ shrapnel.”

“I’m the Captain, Jaxx. I'm telling you there isn't something between us. Even if there was something between us, I could never endanger my crew’s safety by pursuing a relationship with someone under my command. Or any male for that matter.” 

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much."

Jaxx forced an eye roll from me. Almost every sentient world in the quadrant claimed the originator of the great playwright Shakk-estospere.

His lips parted into a sympathetic, light smile while he patted his two large buds. “We need to face facts my friend. We are not under Protectorate rule. The protocol doesn’t apply anymore and you know it. We’re just a bunch of rebellious souls refusing to give in to the cruelty, the lies and the brutality of the Novokins’ rule. We make it up as we go along and all we have is each other...” A suspicious glistening of his eyes told me he was holding back tears. “Listen Caspia, all I’m saying is that a happy Captain makes for a happy ship. That’s all. Think about it.” He kissed me on the forehead and waddled away, leaving me surprised and confused. A minute later, the putrid odor hit me like a gravity well.

****

I waited while Trex finished helping some of the crew store the heavy ore in cargo bay four. After giving a wave of thanks to the crew members for their good work, I spun on my heels and stomped over to golden boy. With just the two of us left in the room, I intended to give him a piece of my mind. Neither his chiseled marbled chest, seductive, emerald eyes or lopsided, decadent curl of his lips that teased every nerve ending south of my equator would quell the storm building in my head.

I stomped toward him allowing my fury to scorch my senses into submission. When I got close enough to feel the heat of his body I poked said aforementioned chiseled chest with an accusatory finger -
Ouch!

Straining my neck I glared up into his face, just for a moment taking in his enormity as he towered over me. That just infuriated me further.

"What in the eight infernos is wrong with you? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

He leaned against my finger and lowered his face down, mere inches from mine. His look was passive enough, but I could see the spark of amusement in his eyes. "Their plasma drills were not enough to cause me any physical harm Captain." His husky voice raised goosebumps all over my skin. 

Oooh! This man was infuriating!
I poked him three more times, hard.

"That's. Not. The. Point! You aren't invincible, and furthermore we were negotiating dammit! We showed up to help these people. They were afraid. Sick and scared. But you disregarded everything we discussed. Instead you rushed them like a Metzartian rhinoceros charging a wildfire." My nerves were white hot.
Why wouldn't this male just follow orders?

He closed what little distance still existed between us. Enough for me to inhale the musky hint of apples and summer breeze emanating from his golden skin. My heart raced like a savage horse. My next words caught in my throat. He loomed over my head until I was forced to splay my hand on his fur-speckled, battle scarred chest to keep him from engulfing me. 

"Two things. First, one does not negotiate with plasma drills." His voice raspy and deep. "I would not see you hurt my little Captain." The sensation of two large fingers under my chin wavered my resolve. The intoxicating scent of summer rolled off him in waves.
Was that some super, secret panties dropping superpower?
I shuddered, drunk on the scent of him. My anger was doused by the flames of my desire for this unbelievably sexy but utterly infuriating alien. "Second, what is a rhinoceros?"

I gave him an incredulous look.
Did he ask me what a rhinoceros is?

"One, that was three things and two, I can protect myself," I managed to gasp. Part of my brain suggested in a very timid voice that I move away from this electrifying, sex dripping barbarian. The other louder part wanted to lick him, and see if he tasted as good as he smelled.
Protocol. I have to...He’s a member of my crew. My crew’s safety...

"Of that I have no doubt." His warm, delicious breath tickled my ear setting off a cascade of fireworks in my brain.

I tried to give my body commands. To will it to walk away, but it seemed stuck on autopilot. Pebbled nipples pushed against the fabric of my uniform. I was powerless to move anywhere but towards his gravitational pull.

"As a member of my crew, you will follow my orders." My words came out as no more than a whisper. ‘A member of my crew’ resonated in my head. I was here to reprimand him, I reminded myself. Maybe punish him for insubordination, not fraternize.
What in the seven planets was I doing? Had I blown a fuse somewhere?

Trex's look darkened, as he pressed his strong frame against mine. Olive eyes shimmered with anticipation. A muscular thigh pressed heavy against my hip sending shivers up my spine. The full thrumming pulse against my belly demonstrated his need and excited my rapidly heating core into overload. The memory of our last time being this close arrested my mind. He had pushed me away. 

"But I'm not a member of your crew Captain. You made that quite clear to me before I came on board." His breathy voice now held a hint of amusement. "If you recall, you just offered me a ride."

My body trembled as his lips grazed my ear, but my stupid brain thought –
sheetek
.
Was this whole thing just a joke to him?
With one hand I pushed him back. He seemed surprised.
The real surprise was yet to come, skeck-head
. As if in hyper-drive my other hand snaked up and
-SLAP!-
landed a meaty one across his face.

He just smiled. The son of a bitch smiled. I struck out again, but this time he caught my attack and pinned my right hand to the bulkhead above my head.
How dare you not take my slap!

Acting of its own volition my left hand jumped up to take revenge.

SLAP!

I'm sure the resounding sound of skin meeting skin echoed across the far bowels of the ship. His large hand fastened my left hand, still red from the impact on his face next to the other. A deep growl reverberated through his massive chest turning my knees to wet noodles. He held both my hands stretched above my head. I tried to shake him off, but to no avail. His firm grip held me in place while his half naked body pinned mine against the bulkhead. I was pissed and unhappy. The huge barbarian had me immobilized. What if one of my crew walked in on us. They would find their captain nailed down and helpless like a kitten by this humongous alien. I’d never live down the humiliation. Especially since I bragged about whooping his ass in the gymnasium. Then he had the audacity to lean in as if to kiss me. I shot him daggers with my eyes. Smart man he stopped short. Smart man. I was ready to bite that lip if he tried anything.

That’s when I noticed his heaving chest. He was panting.
Why?
Not from exerting himself holding me in place, that's for sure. I was nothing more than a feather in his massive grip. I lifted my head and shot a defiant look at him. I gazed into the troubled, dark green waters of his soul. There was no mocking, no mirth in their depths but something else.

The look on his face had morphed from laughter to hunger, igniting every cell in my body to tingle and then burn. At first his jaw clenched. A determination read in his face to overtake his prey. His prey being me. Never thought myself as prey. Yet a deep craving vibrated through me as scorching heat assailed my wet core. Thinking of this hunky alien ravishing my body, I shuttered. My back bowed against the bulkhead, and my chest pushed forward as if to challenge the predator inside him. His hard cock pushed and grew at my belly. Then just as fast the tight muscles around his jaw relaxed and his body eased the pressure off mine.

Realization struck.
This barbarian wanted me. Trex wanted me.
Raw passion and desire bled through every pore of his body.
He wanted me but he held back.

Why?

Was it because I was his captain? Was it because of his mission to avenge his people? Maybe it was me.
I guess punching him in the face at the gym, then slapping him on more than one occasion and telling him never to kiss me again could have sent the wrong message. Whatever his reason, now I’d seen his deep desire to be with me. So the question that remained was:
Did I want him? Yes! Goddess yes! Was I ready to put my crew at risk? No. Absolutely not. Would I really be putting my crew at risk?
Maybe Jaxx was right. Maybe I could give myself this one treat, maybe just once.