Rebellion (A Titan Romance Book 1) (7 page)

A
kyra assembled
a leaders' meeting in the busted up remains of their barracks. The mood was very low, and the usual banter of these determined, headstrong women had vanished.

Each showed their frustration in their own way. Rayeley Thomsen, Alpha Squad Leader, had her boots on the table, rocking back in her folding chair, rubbing the bridge of her nose until it was red. Emilia Peeters, Bravo Squad Leader, was eating large amounts of snack sticks from her gear sack. Valarae Klipssen, who outranked everyone on the team but Akyra, paced the length of the battered room, hands on her hips. Jexica Crane, sniper team leader, anxiously scrolled her tapper for any tidbits she could dig up on Xerxus—or the planet’s other infidel groups who might be so competent at ruining their lives.

“I want everyone in this room,” Akyra continued, “to know this team did everything in its power to stop last night’s raid.”

Valarae stopped pacing directly across from Akyra. “Thanks, captain. So how come
you
look like the only one in the room who doesn’t believe that?”

Akyra leaned back, glanced at Rayeley, then tried her own luck at messaging the bridge of her nose. “It’s my job to worry, Val.” She even tried faking a smile. “Sent on a mission
way
more hazardous than we were equipped to handle. Two girls in the base hospital. Gayla isn’t even allowed to check in on them. Religious Oversight has a delivery stolen from under their noses, and I don’t see anyone taking the fall but me.”

“You mean
us
,” Emilia cut in.

No, I mean me. Trust me.

Valarae stepped up to the table and leaned on her knuckles. “If I may ask, captain, what’s the chain of command saying?”

Akyra reached over and grabbed a cluster of snack sticks right from Emilia’s hand. “That’s where it gets really weird. Colonel Weir in orbit hasn’t said shit.”

“Nothing?”

“Well, no. Actually, he said to sit tight.”

Everyone laughed. Gayla, medical specialist, added, “Why does everyone say that? That’s the
opposite
of our job.”

Akyra shrugged her shoulders. “Let the investigation begin.”

Rayeley rocked her chair forward, banging the legs on the floor, making everyone jump. “Well, fuck all this. I was
really
counting on getting laid.”

No one agreed out loud, but the laughter suggested everyone in the room agreed with Rayeley. If just a little.

Akyra allowed the silence that followed to continue. It was a good enough place to let the meeting fizzle. Normally, she ended every leaders’ meeting with positive feedback and a recap, but she was too fed up.

She walked to the hole in the wall where the arachnoids had first blasted in, running a finger over the edge of the hole where the building material had melted and hardened into smooth, shiny globs. Here Raemus had begun swinging a stunned arachnoid with his hands, clubbing others across the courtyard with it. Shirt half-ripped off, roaring with anger, eyes blackened, smashing these formidable robots without even a weapon.
Quite a sight.

Except that once Akino and Levi joined him, their enthusiasm prevented any Banshees within the barracks getting a good shot. Rayeley and her Alpha Squad on the roof did the most damage.

Three dozen spiderbots crash their way into a church bankrolled military outpost? An outpost fortified by a company of damn Titans? For fuck’s sake, what kind of insurgency is this Xerxus guy running on this planet?

Think, Little Miss Roux. Think!

Akyra turned back to the table where all the most important people in her life were waiting for her to say something. Instead, she grunted and kicked a trashcan across the room that banged on the opposite wall. “I’m not buying this.”

Everyone in the room froze. Valarae asked, “Buying what?”

Akyra moved back to the table, flattening her palms on it, looking everyone in the eye in turn as she continued. “Our Titan escort is late,
and
we get hit by a high-tech ambush? Bio-Teck Labs can’t accept a delivery we’ve come halfway across the galaxy with,
and
we get put up for the night in barracks that are basically defenseless? Arachnoids get all the way inside this outpost, snatch our bread-and-butter,
and
they get out?”

“Captain, what’s going through that brain of yours?”

“Probably the same thing going through the brain of everyone in this room. That this whole thing stinks.” Akyra rubbed a thumb against her temple. “And what stinks worse is every time someone says this is the work of local insurgents, I get this stabbing pain in the side of my head—because this seems a lot more complicated than a group of infidels who want to throw rocks at The Church.”

Emilia shoved a handful of snack sticks in her mouth before mumbling, “Then… who’s behind it?”

“Well,
I
don’t fuckin’ know, Emilia. Galaxy’s a big place.”

Just then, the headset resting around Akyra’s neck beeped. Her tapper displayed, “INCOMING: CAPT RAEMUS.”

She open the channel. “Hi, handsome.” She smiled at all her girls at the table before walking a few steps away for privacy.

“How are you?” Raemus' voice was strong and determined, an instant comfort given the confusing situation.

“Shitty. How are you?”

“On my way back to my barracks from the hospital.”

Akyra spun around, raising her voice for all to hear. “You went to the
hospital
? How’s my girls? Did you see them?”

Gayla was instantly on her feet, moving to Akyra’s side.

“I took my own medic,” Raemus said, “because things are a bit tense around here. Your soldiers are going to be okay.”

“They’re going to be okay,” Akyra repeated for her team’s benefit.

“They’re not great. They’re heavily sedated, Akyra. But brain scans show no damage.”

“Okay.” Akyra took a deep breath and waved off Gayla. “Good news.
Finally
, some good news.”

“Are you okay?”

“For now.”

“I need to see you, Akyra.”

“I know. I’d like to see you too, Raemus. It’s just… I’ve got a lot to deal with. This damn snatch and grab is going to land on my head in a bad way.”

“Have you considered going after it?”

“What, the Bio-Teck cube? Yeah, kinda. Except I’m also under orders to stay within Zebra.”

“Listen, I need to cut this short. But just think, if you
did
go outside the base to chase this thing down, it
might
help to have a guy around who knows the locals.”

“You offering, Raemus?”

“Call me back soon. Pretend you’re asking about your soldiers in the hospital.”

Akyra looked around the room, then lowered her voice. “Copy.”

“Talk soon.”

As Akyra reached to her tapper to disconnect the link, the screen flashed that someone was trying to cut in on the comm. The system would flash green if it was someone lower in rank than her current caller, red if it was higher rank. Right then, it was flashing red. “INCOMING: BIN AR-DREZAR, R.O.”

She rubbed her fingers over the screen for a moment before answering. “This is Akyra Roux, your excellence.”

“Yes, good morning, captain. Forgive my intrusion after such a terrible night. I won’t keep you. But… unfortunately we noticed you were online just now with Captain Raemus, using encryption.”

“Okay, yes.”

Encryption? No, I didn’t know that.

“I’m so sorry to say, but you are ordered to cease all communication with Captain Raemus…
immediately
.”

Akyra was on the other side of the barrack room by now, completely shielding her words. “What’s the problem, if I may ask, your excellence?”

“No, I’m terrible sorry. This is a church matter.”

“I
work
for The Church.”

“You are sub-contracted by The Church. Even that is tenuous. So no, as this
catastrophe
is investigated, you will not be speaking to Captain Raemus or any of his company. You understand your position, I’m sure. Indiscretions will not look favorably in your file. And I’ve read your file.”

Which means he must know everything about me, right down to my genetic flaws.

A mess of emotions and memories came rushing into her gut. Her legs quickly felt weak. Something else about Bin Ar-Drezar’s words hit home.

Catastrophe. He said, catastrophe.

Because that’s exactly what’s happened on this damn planet. Everything I’ve been fighting to achieve, everything all my hard work represents, will be ruined if I blow this contract.

Catastrophe.

Not again. I will not lose my dreams again to failure—just like rejection from the breeding program. If I return to the High Orbit Anchorage with a failed contract, my career will be over. Not to mention for everyone on my team, too.

Unless, of course, I get it back. But how? Where do I even start?

Akyra knew in her heart where to start. She’d start by staying alongside Raemus, find this Xerxus fucker, and get back what was stolen from her.

“Sorry what’s that, your excellence? You cut out on that last part.”

What if… What if she disobeyed her orders, took Raemus’ crazy suggestion, and went out to recover the fucking cube herself?

In that instant, she chose her path. She knew it was the only way to protect her career—and ultimately protect her wounded heart.

She’d not even heard the last thing Bin Ar-Drezar said.

Instead, she simply said, “You needn’t worry about me or my team, your excellence.” She looked over to the table of women eagerly wanting to know what was going on. She added, loud enough for them all to hear, “We’ll just… sit tight.”

N
obody
, in fact, sat tight. Just as Bin Ar-Drezar suspected they wouldn’t.

Both Titans and Banshees began furious preparations to get off base as quickly as possible, loading supplies and weapons far beyond what their vehicles were meant to carry.

Akyra needed to begin searching the planet—or at least the regions surrounding Zebra—as quickly as possible if she meant to preserve her career, even if that meant disobeying orders from both Bin Ar-Drezar
and
Colonel Weir in the short-term.

Raemus needed not only to move his most loyal Titans away from Bin Ar-Drezar’s watchful, suspicious eyes but also to move his rebellion to the distant region of Pergamon—both under the pretext of continuing his role as escort for the Banshees.

Very early the next morning, after Akyra prayed with her two soldiers for their speedy recovery in the outpost’s hospital, the newly formed convoy passed under the giant gun turrets of the outpost’s gates, and rolled out upon the immense red, furled plains to the north.

Their convoy now consisted of the two big, black, burly armored troop carriers under Akyra’s command, surrounded by a string of Titan assault and support vehicles, eight in all. It was enough capacity to deliver nearly fifty elite soldiers—Banshees slightly outnumbering Titans—and a devastating amount of firepower on just about anything that might get in their way.

They passed small towns initially, and immediately Akyra wanted to know why they weren’t stopping to ask questions. But Raemus insisted they press on, for anyone who had made such a big deal out of assaulting the base and stealing the Bio-Teck cube wouldn’t keep it so close to Zebra. They would keep moving, he told her over their private channel, to the larger towns, where people gossip more, where secrets are harder to hide.

They traveled at high speeds for two days, gathering red dirt everywhere, in and outside of their vehicles. But the time also allowed Akyra the chance to raise the spirits of her team again. They were going to get the job done. And whoever was behind the heist was going to get some serious payback.

Raemus also laid out the plan to get to Pergamon, where Xerxus was known to have strongholds, and the best bet to recover the Bio-Teck cube, whether Xerxus had it or not.

But after two days of cold desert travel, everyone needed a rest from the breakneck speeds they were maintaining. Raemus knew of a place safe enough for a few hours. At least until rumors of their arrival travelled across the town. Best of all, he told Akyra over their private channel, “it’s got showers. Hot, steamy showers.”

Akyra was nearly encrusted in the commander’s seat of her vehicle with a dense layer of grime. “Say no more, Raemus. Hot water, a lot of soap, and a little privacy for a change is all this lady needs.”

Raemus laughed over the comm. “Privacy? You’re on Minora, Akyra. Privacy isn’t a big feature around here.”

Akyra didn't’ reply right away. “Like… no privacy? Ever?”

Raemus laughed out again. “See you in the showers, captain.”

Akyra asked, “Literally?”

But there was no answer.

* * *

T
he large town
they finally entered was riddled with all the signs of galactic neglect, a large swath of poor residences and desperate businesses constructed from the cheapest materials people could find. As fas as the eye could see, not a single structure was more than a single-story. Just like the convoy, the entire town was covered in the red dust that plagued this part of the equatorial region.

But the people, perhaps emboldened by their poverty, were welcoming and kind to the convoy as they rolled down the one main road wide enough to handle the military vehicles. Some waved, recognizing the Titans. Some even welcomed them with shouts and calls.

But the convoy pressed onward to the center of the town, remaining alert for any hostiles, until it came to the one building Raemus had predetermined a safe house. It was strong enough to offer a small defense, while full of people he spent the last year building relationships with.

It would be safe enough. At least for a few hours to clean up and get some decent fresh food.

The center of the building was open in the middle, covered by a wide sunscreen, creating a warm, humid greenhouse despite the frigid temperatures outside. In the bright, warming sunshine, six pipes poked out from the terra-cotta walls, from where the hot water began to flow. The floor was sparse, although here and there a few large ferns grew from round planters.

The people of this place offered their loyalty to Raemus and his Titans, for the Titans had occasionally come to their aid when no one else would. And because of that loyalty, everyone would wait and watch Raemus and his closest brothers shower first.

The matrons cleared and cleaned the bathhouse, brought out countless towels and soaps at great expense.

Raemus led his highest ranked soldiers—First Sergeant Akino, Lieutenants Tomohiko, Sinjin, Jenzen, and Nix—down the wide, dark hallway, naked except for the red towels they draped over their muscled shoulders. The many other Titans and all the Banshees stood against the walls of the shower room and hallway, most with nothing on their skin but their own red towels, watching with great pride as this mighty leader and his favorites ceremoniously went before everyone else.

When they left the shadows of the wide hallway and entered the brightly lit open square, they were greeted by the lovely chanting of many the local residents who came to watch and pay homage. They sang beautifully, clapping their hands softly, their melodies enchanting, but Raemus barely caught their words over the powerful streams of water gushing to the hard stone ground. He knew the chants were prayers. They were always praying to The Almighty, always singing joyful praise. Perhaps that was why he cherished these people so much.

The locals were cooly dressed in light, nearly see-through garments. Many wore tattoos on their faces, or around their breasts, or down their backs. They audibly sighed with elation when Raemus handed his towel to an attendant, along with a smile and the coin that wasn’t expected, and stepped into the streams of water.

The other Titans followed their brother into the water.

As much as the hot water water simply felt wonderful as he cleaned his body, he knew how important this cleaning ceremony was to the locals, being the sort of story that would quickly become lore. Which he didn’t mind, though it definitely eliminated this place as a safe house ever again.

Being in a position of power within The Church—at least military power—meant Raemus’ life was nearly void of intimate, private moments. Raemus was used to this and felt pleasure by allowing himself to be watched as he soaped up his body repeatedly, lingering in the rush of the water, immersing himself in this gorgeous cacophony of soulful song, the jingle of bracelets and trinkets, the clapping of happy, thin, labor-worn hands, the rumbling of water upon the stone floor, and finally, perhaps most intensely, the sweet musk of jahobi oil soap spreading throughout the open air room.

In such ceremonies of this, so simple as bathing, he admired the will of these poor town dwellers, and he embraced their poverty.

Between rinses, he caught a glimpse of Akyra and her closest entourage leaning against the far wall. She was holding her red towel to her chest, its length almost touching the floor. While it covered much of her, he could see her hips and thighs through the growing steam. Many of the other Banshees were lingering about the shower room, in and around groups of singing locals, all of them almost naked in their towels as they waited their turn.

There was no mistaking that Akyra’s eyes were locked on him. That gave him an unexpected feeling of arousal, adding a small thrill to this typically spiritual practice. He’d bathed in the presence of naked women before, most of whom chanted songs of
spiritual
ecstasy, but Raemus had never felt the strong passion of being watched by someone who seemed as
physically
attracted to him as Akyra seemed to be.

The kiss they shared, constantly replayed in his memory since the night of the spiderbot assault, seemed so fresh on his lips, her taste and smell constantly on his mind.

More than ever, he enjoyed being watched as he prolonged his shower in front of everyone. Especially in front of the matriarch of the Banshees.

Akyra locked eyes with Raemus as he pushed water from his long hair. The hot water ran down and around the strong muscles of his shoulders, tickled over the two long scars across his heavily built chest, in and out of his abdominals, spiraling down the length of his thick cock, rolling off the large head, finally splattering on the ground around his feet.

She watched the water travel down his body, momentarily lost on the luxurious, warming sight of his cock. With a start, however, she looked back to his eyes, knowing she was caught staring.

Raemus grabbed some extra soap and, knowing that Akyra and her girls were carefully observing, slathered it against his chest, quickly applying it to the length of his cock, up and down several times, until it began swelling—just slightly. He wanted Akyra to see just how much he liked having
her
watch
him
.

He knew it was a foolish, prideful act. But in the moment they shared as she unabashedly looked on, he couldn’t resist showing her what she obviously wanted to see.

He noticed many of the local women and most of the Banshees were now watching Akyra, who hadn’t moved a muscle in several minutes. The energy between the two captains was undeniable to anyone in the shower room.

Then, in a sobering instant, he felt foolish about the whole thing.

I’m defiling a beautiful gift from these locals with my own thoughts of touching Akyra—and the way I want her to touch me.

He quickly rinsed and took a towel, as those in his group had already done.

He nodded to the attendant, turned and nodded to Akyra, who was now the only Banshee remaining against the back wall, alone in his vision.

The Banshees and the Titans took their turns as groups of tired, grubby, and increasingly horny soldiers showered themselves clean—while entertaining thoughts that were unquestionably dirty.

All the while, the local women clapped and sang their beautiful prayers of gratitude to The Almighty.

It wasn’t long before Raemus felt regret for putting on his deliberate cock-show for Akyra. It wasn’t his style. It was simply dumb. He was captain of a Titan Class company, dammit. He didn’t thrive in theatrics, but… he couldn’t help the exhilaration of seeing Akyra watch him naked, obviously attracted to him.

Soon, his regret turned to shame, for he knew his greater cause allowed no time for self-serving pursuits, no matter how sexy she’d looked, barely hiding behind a single, narrow towel though the rising steam.

As he began to suit up in his battle armor, immaculately cleaned by the ladies of the house for a few coins, he stopped to watch some of the Banshees finish grooming each other. He stood in plain view, watching Polli, Emilia, Jexica, and Rayeley among others, sitting naked on stones, combing and braiding each other’s colorful hair, tying in feathers and bright cords of fabric, singing their own melodic prayers in beautiful harmony. They were strong women, bright faced despite two days of running from Zebra.

And I’m distracted by the idea of Akyra’s pussy. What’s wrong with me?

He recalled Akyra confiding in him privately on the first day of their exodus from Zebra, saying that if she didn’t succeed in finding the Bio-Teck cube—or at least destroying it so it doesn’t stay in the wrong hands—she’d be stuck in this planet, labelled a traitor for disobeying her superiors. That should have riddled her with anxiety. But it didn’t. She kept her head up. Her orders to her team were clear and objective every time.

Perhaps there’s more to this woman than being a superb commander. She’s willing to sacrifice everything in order to fulfill her contract. There’s definitely more to this woman than I know.

He found Akyra in a small alcove of the building, already dressed in full battle armor, hair up, headset on, fitting her gloves. Not knowing what else to say, he got right to business. “I can’t expect our little visit here to be much of a secret at this point.”

She nodded, smiled wryly without looking at him. “Tough to keep a secret when two full-sized units descend on a safe house with no warning.”