Gamepoint

The Alien Games: Book Four

Ava York

Contents

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Sophia

Brannic

Rekker

Rogue Mate

Rescued by her Alien Mate

Kazan

Brannic

The universe floated past the projection screen in my office, creating the illusion I looked out of a window into the void outside The Alliance Star, the flagship of my fleet. Profound reluctance weighed on me. Though I wished for a different course of action, battle loomed, and I could not abandon my people to the Snaughian invasion.

For three-hundred and seventy years, my Empire flourished, citizens of a hundred worlds thriving. Then the Snaughians’ fleets arrived in Imperial territory eight years ago, and I had to watch world after Imperial world fall to their rapacious advances.

I closed my eyes, covering them with a hand. I massaged my forehead, hoping to relieve at least some of the tension plaguing me, but it was no use. Rubbing my forehead would not improve our coalition’s odds of pushing back the most recent wave of the Snaughians’ advance.

I will do what I must and continue to look for new ways to resist. I refuse to believe the Snaughians are inevitable. There must be a way to resist them, and I will find it.

A ding from my desk pulled me from my dark thoughts. I dropped my hand from my forehead and glanced at the message blinking on the display. I pushed a button, opening the comms channel. Captain Plorik’s voice buzzed through the comms.

“Emperor Brannic, Captain Zelgor of The Snaughians’ Bane and Quislik High Commander, Flupil Tanack await you on the secure channel.”

“Thank you, Captain. Put them through to my office.”

“Immediately, Emperor Brannic.”

I stood from my desk and straightened my battle suit, then turned to face the projection screen. On the left side of the screen brooded the red-and-orange-striped, Kirtaxian Captain Zelgor. I had met many beings in my five-hundred and Fifty-two years of life, but none so consumed by rage.

Guilt stabbed into me. The combination of frustration, pain, and fear swirling inside of him was far too easy to exploit and turn in the direction of vengeance. Even though I knew he fought for the cause of his people, I had already seen countless beings across the galaxy consumed by exactly such rage.

How does one heal such a man? How does any leader find a way to make such a man whole? But, what choice do I have but to utilize the beings before me. Captain Zelgor leads a fierce fleet of pirates, and I need his ships if we are to have any chance of holding the Snaughians back.

The Quislik, displayed on the right side of the screen, was an entirely different matter. Tall and thin, long-limbed with a large ribcage, the teal High Commander Flupil Tanack blinked the eyes at the tips of his two eyestalks.

If only I had any other alternative than the Quislik…

“Greetings, Emperor Brannic, Supreme Leader of the Draksian Empire, first of your line. May your reign never—”

I raised my hand. High Commander Tanack fell silent.

“High Commander, you know I do not appreciate such pageantry. Flattery gains you nothing. Let us move onto another concern…your Xunon units—”

“Our Xuno—”

I narrowed my eyes, interrupting his words.

“Do. Not. Interrupt me again, High Commander. I am already uncomfortable with our arrangement. I have heard disturbing rumors about your Xunon units. Are they, or are they not capable of intelligent thought? I will have an answer, and do not lie. Your race would not appreciate the consequences.”

The Quislik High Commander paused. Quislik had tiny skulls with few features, making them difficult to read. I had not been in contact with their race for long.

“I also have heard rumors, Quislik. I, too, have reservations about your troops.”

“Let me assure you both our Xunon-class Combat Units are not capable of independent thought. The cloned bodies are not capable of living independently of their computerized components. They are drones, Emperor Brannic. They are not capable of life beyond their designed use.”

A worry settled into my gut, screaming at me not to trust the Quislik.

But what choices do I have?

Captain Zelgor sighed, and he looked as trepidatious as I felt.

“What choice do we have, Emperor Brannic? Without the Xunon Combat Units, we cannot even hope to hold the Snaughians back, and we all know that, if the Snaughians break past us now, there will be nothing left to stop them from gobbling up every planet within reach.”

I nodded at Captain Zelgor’s words. Resigned to the unavoidable reality the entire galactic sector faced this day, I held up a hand for silence.

“Captain, I wish your words were not so true. I wish there was another way. I founded the Draksian Empire on the belief we could all mutually prosper through peace and cooperation.”

“And that worked for three-hundred and seventy years, Emperor.”

“Thank you, Captain Zelgor, I just wish we had been able to keep the Snaughians at bay outside of the Empire’s borders.”

We stood in silence for a moment, until my desk dinged and interrupted us. I pushed the comms button and Captain Plorik’s voice spoke with the gravity I felt deep in my soul.

“Emperor Brannic? The Snaughian fleet has arrived. They will reach engagement range in one galactic standard hour…”

“Thank you, Captain Plorik. Battle stations, Captain. Today, we either stop the Snaughians’ advance…or we will die defending our Empire.”

“Yes, Emperor. Our people understand, Emperor.”

I closed the channel with Captain Plorik and returned my attention to the projection screen.

“Best of luck, High Commander. Best of luck, Captain Zelgor. One way or another, today we meet our destiny.”

“Best of luck, Emperor. I could not think of a nobler way to die, than fighting to protect the galaxy from suffering under the hands of the Snaughians as the Kirtaxian people have.”

“Do not worry, Emperor, Captain. My Xunon Combat Units will turn the battle in our favor.”

I closed the comms channels.

One way or another, today we meet our destiny—and determine the future for all the worlds remaining in the Draksian Empire.

Sophia

“Hey Mel, I need four heart-attack specials with sauce, two princess melts—naked—and a Thursday special.”

I slapped my food ticket on the stainless-steel line for Mel to pick up. Mel yelled his response from the other side of the kitchen window.

“Heard! Is there a full moon tonight, or some kind of burger shortage we don’t know about going on?”

“Fuck if I know, Mel, I haven’t had a break since lunch. Hell, I’ve barely had time to keep my tables bussed right all day.”

Someone shouted across the diner, interrupting my conversation with Mel.

“Hey lady! I could use some service over here. This table is dirty.”

I rolled my eyes and scrunched my face so only Mel could see. He laughed and added my ticket to the rotating wheel just over the smoking, flat-top grill. I grabbed the tray of plates for table eight, turned around, took a deep breath, and shouted my response in my sassiest voice.

“Well, toots, why would you want to sit at a dirty table? I woulda sat you at a clean table—if you’d’ve waited—like the sign by the door says to.”

I smiled nice and big at the loudmouth trying to make my day harder. Loudmouth’s face turned bright red as all eyes turned to look at him.

“Aw c’mon now, lady. I didn’t mean nothing by it. Looks like you’re plenty busy, so I figured I’d just take a seat on my own and…”

“Wait for me? Why, that’s so thoughtful of you. Why don’t you do just that and I’ll see you in two shakes.”

Loudmouth sat down and quietly stared at his dirty table while I dropped table 8’s food.

“Long day Sophia? Need help taking care of that?”

Regulars are such a blessing!

The good ones always made sure you were looked after and safe. The real good ones made sure no one messed with you. One step too far and any of my regs would take care of business mighty quick-like. I loved them and they loved me back.

“No worries sweetie, I got Loudmouth read like a book. But I’ll let ya’ know if he gets out of hand.”

I shot my regular a quick wink, and walked past the serving station, grabbed a tea pitcher and extra napkins for table 10, before wiping table 13 where Loudmouth sat. My mental list of things to do whirled through my mind.

Table 8 needs their check soon. Check on table 7’s appetizers. Table 10 was ready to order, table 5 needs ranch dressing. After that, Loudmouth can order, but I’ll drop him the last of the coffee pot—before taking his order and starting a new pot.

Halfway through my list, I heard Mel’s voice in the ruckus.

“Hey, hey! Look at what just came in the door! Jakey, my man!”

A chorus of regulars greeted my brother as he walked into the diner and sat at his regular place at the end of the counter. His smile always made my day. It reminded me that deep goodness and innocence, which couldn’t be spoiled, remained in the world.

The regulars knew and loved Jake and they made sure strangers didn’t mess with him, either. They all knew about his autism, and they all had a special place for him in their hearts.

Jake smiled and waved at all of them as he passed before starting his evening routine. He wiped the chair, opened his backpack, and took out his placemat, special silverware, and cloth napkin roll.

Next, he wiped the counter, put down his placemat, and arranged his silverware just the way he liked. Satisfied, he closed and hung his backpack on the special hook under the counter which Mel had installed just for him. With a smile, he sat and clasped his hands while he waited for tonight’s dinner.

I walked over and stood on the other side of the counter and handed him a menu.

“Good evening, sir. May I suggest today’s special? Every Thursday night, our special is chicken fried steak with cheesy grits and green beans.”

He nodded and leaned in so I could give him a quick peck on the cheek. I smiled and mussed his hair before going to put his order on the line.

“Love you, kiddo”

“Love you too, Sophia.” Don’t forget you owe me a rematch on our game, tonight!”

“I didn’t forget. Just remember to charge the controllers before I get home, ok?”

“Ok.”

I hoisted the tray of food for table 4, grabbed two extra sides of ranch for table 13, a slice of apple pie for Loudmouth, and headed back out onto the floor. The diner closed in three hours and I hoped Loudmouth would be the worst of the day’s surprises.

An hour before closing time, I wished I had a diner full of Loudmouths.

I wondered if Mel had been right about a full moon. Our diner sat just off a main highway and, as one of the only places open until midnight, we got our fair share of the I-was-only-going-to-have-a-drink-or-two-at-happy-hour-but-oops crowd. Most of the time, it wasn’t too horrible and nothing a little sass and some tough love couldn’t handle. Not tonight, though.

Tonight, I struggled to keep from killing someone. It was all I could do not to use heads to open doors as I tossed their drunk asses out. Not even the local officers showing up for their graveyard-shift coffee and pie helped. The dickhead comments were beyond absurd—

“You’re so pretty. Bet you’d be even prettier if you smiled.”

“Hey beautiful, what time do you get off tonight?”

“Can I get your number?”

“Baby, you’re prettier than a new set of snow tires!”

“Are you wearing space pants? Because your ass is out of this world.”

“Hey bitch, don’t talk to him. He’s mine.”

“I don’t tip because it’s their JOB to wait on people. I don’t get tipped for doing MY job.”

By the time we closed, I had slapped hands away from my ass—and invented some new curse words to describe the worst of that night’s League O’Dicks.

Taintscum was tonight’s special-feature dickhead who’d actually managed to grab a handful of ass, before getting kicked out of the diner. The guy had meant to grab mine, but got a handful of Mel’s by mistake.

Priceless.

I finished up my side work and headed out, locking up the diner for the night. This was the best part of these nights for me—the world quiet and the stars bright. I could be with my thoughts and the gentle breeze, and no one wanted anything from me. I took a long deep breath of fresh air and started walking.

Our little, two-bedroom rental wasn’t far from work. I had deliberately picked it just for that reason. If Jake was having a bad day, I could run over for a few minutes during a break to check on him or take care of him. It wasn’t the nicest place in town, but it was ours, and we had made it comfy and cozy for the both of us.

I’m so hungry. I hope Jake left me the piece of pie I sent home with him earlier…

A bright light came up behind me, interrupting my thoughts. Thinking it was a diesel rig attempting to park away from the truck stop, I turned around to wave it away.

Weird. I can’t hear the engine…or even see where the light comes from.

I put my hand in front of my face and tried to move to the other side of the street.

Wait a minute…I can’t feel the ground underneath my feet anymore. I looked down and saw nothing but the light and panicked.

Did I just die? Oh shit! What about Jake? Who will take care of him?!

A strange, sleepy calm descended on my limbs and the world grew fuzzy at the edges, like an old photograph.

I just want pie, dammit. Without any dickheads to ruin it. I think I forgot table 5’s ranch.

Brannic

I sat, arms resting upon my knees, back pressed against the rolled-steel bars of my transport cage. Solid, metal panels encased the bars, entirely isolating me from the outer world. Memories of the lost battle for my people haunted my mind, and I could find no distraction from the weight of the consequences.

The Snaughians’ society will collapse within a mere hundred years. I could have waited them out, but what would I have abandoned my people to? How many worlds would the Snaughians have utterly destroyed while I waited for their inevitable demise?

I sighed, letting a hand fall over my face.

Now, I am captured and to be put on display to the galaxy. I’m certain the Snaughians mean to humiliate me in this game, but I only lost a battle. I have yet to give up the entire war. When overrun, the only real choice is resistance.

The cage suddenly stopped, rocking my body. I braced myself with a hand so I wouldn’t fall over and heard a mechanical, whirring sound from my cage, followed by loud clicks. The solid panels encasing my cage fell and the door at the end swung open.

Searing air flooded my cage, as if I had stepped into an oven. I took a moment to adjust, breathing slowly, then crawled out. Sand stretched in every direction for as far as my eyes could see. A large dune rose high behind my cage.

I turned and saw a second cage. Inside of it, sat a person of a species I had yet to encounter in all of my long years. I walked toward her, pulling my emergency canteen from my top-of-the-line battle suit.

Wide, terrified eyes watched me approach. Her body trembled, but she did not speak. I watched her struggle with panic. I stopped a short distance away from her cage and dropped into a crouch.

“Please do not fear. I am Brannic. I mean you no harm. Are you thirsty? Does your species drink water?”

I held the canteen out, showing it to her and placed it on the ground. I retreated, crouching several feet away.

Her suspicious gaze followed my movements until I crouched, then flicked to the canteen. Her eyes darted to me, checking to see if I had moved while she looked away. I sat back onto the sand and showed her my empty hands.

She pushed herself to her feet and slowly exited the cage. Without speaking, or taking her eyes off me for more than a split second at a time, she approached the canteen. She snatched it from the sand, opened it, and took a drink.

She capped the canteen, then crouched and stared me down.

“Where are we?”

“I do not yet know. I am Brannic. I am a species called Draks.”

She looked at me for a moment before speaking.

“I’m Sophia. I am also very confused. I feel like I’ve been drugged and I have no clear memories since I last saw my brother…just…vague glimpses...of creatures who spoke, but I thought it was all a bad dream…”

Her haunted eyes gazed off, into the distance, seeming to search for something familiar.

“What was the last thing you remember clearly, Sophia?”

She put her hand to her head and closed her eyes.

“A bright light…like one of those stupid alien abduction shows on tv…”

Her eyes flew open and pinned me with a look. She gulped, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Nothing after?”

She shook her head, suddenly so forlorn, my heart broke for her.

“Was…that real? Is...is this real?”

I nodded gently and twitched my tail. Her eyes darted to the motion then back to my face.

“You…you said you were a Draks…you’re not a Human in a costume, are you? You’re really an…extraterrestrial?”

I chuckled and shook my head. I hoped my face looked kind because Sophia, the Human, obviously needed some form of kindness.

“No, Sophia. I am a Draks. You call your species Human?”

Sophia nodded, but her eyes had begun to relax as her mind came to terms with her new reality.

“Yes.”

“And your species had no idea life existed outside of your home planet, did it?”

“Not really. We…thought about it a lot, though. But, only in stories. Rumors. Fantasies. No one really…knew? That I know of...”

She looked at the three moons on the horizon.

“My planet only has one moon.”

“This is not my home planet, either. My people’s star is much dimmer.”

She drew in a deep breath and released it. She blinked, her focus becoming sharper by the moment. Her eyes flicked to mine and she pinned me with a single look. My breath caught in my chest.

How long has it been since a single glace affected me so?

“I think I was drugged. I feel like I was dosed at a bar. The fog in my mind is fading away now, but I think I remember hearing other Humans speaking. Abduction…something about…a game show? Was that real? Or a dream, too?”

I smiled gently, and relaxed, letting my tail sway.

“That was also real. There is a species called Snaughians who are very wealthy and very powerful in the galaxy. They have brought us here to compete for our freedom against four other, similar teams. The first to reach the Altar of Freedom, and touch it, win—but one cannot win without their partner.”

She looked thoughtful, then broke eye contact and nodded. I felt as if I had been released from a spell, though I…wasn’t entirely certain I wanted to be.

Interesting…

“So, we are partners and we need each other to win?”

“Yes.”

“How do we accomplish that? What is our task? What do these Snokians want?”

I chuckled, running my fingertip through the sand.

“Snaughians. Their idea is that we survive a trek across this continent to get to a specific location where they have set up the Altar of Freedom. As I understand it, the altar, itself, is a teleport device which will only activate once, so the team must touch it together while touching each other.”

“These Snaughians sound like sick fucks to me. What is the point of any of this?”

“To make money. We are constantly followed by cloaked drones which record our every move and those recordings are broadcast to the galaxy, who can pay the Snaughians to send us gifts, if they like us.”

“What if they don’t like us?”

I shrugged, wishing I could give her better news.

“They send…less-than-helpful gifts.”

Her eyebrows rose up her forehead.

“And…if we don’t make it to the Altar of Freedom first?”

“They leave us here to die and make money off of broadcasting our deaths.”

Sophia

“Why does there have to be so many dicks?”

Brannic blinked at me. A massive being, even sitting there, relaxed and casual, he loomed. His tail gently tapped against the sand beneath us, much like a cat—if a cat were wearing a spacesuit.

His eyes, though… Like emerald fire set in his purple face. When he looks at me…I feel seen. What is happening to me? Worry about it later. Focus—alien planet. Survival. Get back to Jakey. Ok, we have a plan.

“I’m sorry, I’m not certain that translated correctly. Are you speaking of genitals?”

I scanned around, really seeing my environment for the first time with a clear head.

“Sort of. I’m saying the Snaughians act like male genitals. Also sort of.”

My eyes darted back to Brannic’s face. He looked like I had failed to fully explain.

“I take it this is an insult on your world?”

I nodded, then pushed myself to my feet.

“Yes. The male genitals on my world aren’t historically known to behave very well. Humans are complicated.”

I shrugged, having exactly no idea how to condense Human behavior into a digestible, bite-sized chunk. Brannic looked thoroughly amused. He slowly rose from his sitting position, watching my face.

I waved off his concern and stretched.

“I’m not going to panic. Aliens aren’t a new concept to my world, you’re just the first one I am aware of meeting.”

Brannic chuckled and relaxed.

“If you are a representative example, your species impresses me.”

A laugh bubbled from my throat, nearly choking me on the concept.

“I don’t know if I would call myself a ‘good representative’…there are a lot of Humans who would faint at the mere thought.”

Brannic smiled, tail swaying.

“I meant, Humans appear mentally flexible and adaptable. Since you adapted so quickly to meeting proof that species other than your own exist in the galaxy. I have met many species for the first time, and many do not react so well.”

“Who knows, Brannic? Maybe the drugs helped ease me through it. Honestly, I don’t really care about all of that, I just want to get home to my brother. He’s…more unique than most Humans...and so vulnerable.”

Terror for Jake stabbed into my gut, twisting my insides into knots. I wrapped my arms around my middle, as if to hold in my fears.

Who will be there to protect him if he needs me?

Brannic’s eyes softened and he pushed himself to his feet. He stepped toward me and extended a hand toward me. For a moment, my mind considered panicking anyway, regardless of all my brave words. I held in a breath, refusing to run, refusing to let panic break me.

Brannic has given me no reason to fear him…and every reason to trust him.

He lay his big hand on my shoulder as gently as a feather. He gazed into my eyes. His intense eyes of emerald fire snatched the air from my lungs. For a moment, I felt like I hung in eternity and Brannic spoke directly to my soul.

“As soon as I am able, I will make certain your brother is safe. And, as soon as I am able, I will reunite you with him. This, I swear on my honor.”

Fuuuuuck. Something in his voice, his words…rings of truth to the depths of my very soul.

“Thank you.”

My words escaped my lips like the barest whispers.

What have I gotten myself into? Is any of this really for real? Or did I get dosed with LSD or something? Next step: determine if I am actually on one hell of a hallucinogenic trip or not. This must be how Alice felt when she first met the white rabbit.

“For now, however, we must make shelter. We are in the desert and this planet’s star rises. We will need shade very quickly and water soon after, Sophia.”

I looked around and saw sand, sand, and more sand. Brannic sniffed at the wind, turning slowly in a circle. He pointed to a patch of sand on the horizon.

“I detect sea water behind us, but I detect fresh water this way. Shall we, Sophia, the complicated Human?”

“Lead the way, Mr. Draksian Water-Sniffer. It all looks like sand to me.”

Brannic smiled, then stacked panels from the cage atop each other. He pushed a button on the sleeve of his suit and a beam of some sort shot out, cutting holes in the solid panels. He removed a few detachable straps from the futuristic-space-suit thing he wore and lashed the panels and bars together through the holes.

Brannic removed his belt, made a handle, and dragged the mass behind him across the sand like a sled. Speechless, I followed.

How much does that weigh? How strong must he be? I may not be certain this is reality yet, but I’m still relieved I’m here with Brannic. What would I have even done, had my partner been some growly, grumpy jerk? Or had tentacles for a face?

“Uh…aren’t those heavy? I mean, it seems like a lot of calories to use. Aren’t we, like, in a survival situation?”

Brannic glanced at me and winked.

“Worry not for me, Sophia. I am both strong and certain help will soon arrive. I promise you will want for nothing I am capable of providing.”

I nodded and shrugged.

A little formal, but how do I turn that down? Is this guy for real? Is this just one of those strange dreams where it feels so real, but you wake up, anyway? If this is a dream, what is my mind trying to tell me?

I glanced at Brannic, gloriously dragging two cages worth of metal across the sand, muscles rigid, even under his suit. My heart fluttered in my chest. I gulped and turned away, shaking my head.

Must be a dream or LSD trip. No man is that perfect. Maybe, I’m just so stressed out that my mind thought I needed a Hot-Alien erotic dream. Or, maybe I was in an accident, and I’m in a coma, and this is my coma dream…

We crested a dune and stopped, panting. An oasis spread out before us, sparkling blue in the sea of sand. Brannic turned to me. He swept a hand toward the oasis.

“Welcome to camp. I think we can get some relief from the heat if we use the cage’s parts to build a shelter among the desert trees.”

Brannic

I felt alive, planet-side, lungs heaving from my exertions. My people needed time to hack into the Snaughians’ systems. When the Imperial fleets had faced the Snaughians at the Boranat Corridor, I had already planned for every eventuality I could think of.

My people will have already begun enacting my plan. I just need to remain patient. For now, my greatest concern is staying alive.

My gaze darted to Sophia, the complicated Human. Something vague tickled the back of my mind. I chased the thought, trying to pin it down, but it slipped away before I could define it.

Figure it out later. I must keep Sophia alive, too.

Tall trees with large, wide fronds for leaves swayed gently in the breeze. I noticed no large lifeforms but knew such was no guarantee in the desert. A ring of broken stones jutted from the sand around the crystal-clear water.

Aquatic plants choked the pool’s shores and long-legged creatures stepped through the tangled mat with deliberate care, long beaks poised to snatch up their favorite prey.

“So, Brannic, how do we make a shelter out of metal panels, in a desert, without creating an oven?”

I chuckled and returned my gaze to Sophia. While I had hoped to enjoy my teammate’s company, I had failed to anticipate enjoying it quite so much. Of all the minds I had met in my five-hundred and fifty-two years of life, Sophia’s delighted me in a way I had never before known.

How strange to, after all these years, have found someone…new.

“Come. I will show you.”

Sophia waved me forward. I chose a location on the hardened ground, with the wind and a sand bank, to my back. I dragged the panels down to the location and unstrapped them. I returned the straps to my suit and began to point.

“We will use these to create a shelter. It may look a bit strange, but I think we can even keep it fairly cool.”

Sophia’s eyes widened in the first hope I had seen her express.

“Air conditioning? Pull that off, and I might believe all your other promises.”

A deep laugh rumbled in my belly.

“Sophia, I could not be more grateful to have been so fortunate as to be paired with you.”

She looked like her head spun. She cocked her head to the side and stared at me as if I had grown surprise tentacles.

“Do you talk to everyone like this, or are you just trying to score?”

I grabbed a rolled-pipe panel and anchored it into the sand next to the dune which would become the back wall of our shelter.

“Are we playing a game? I do not understand your use of the word ‘score’, Sophia.”

“Ugh…trying to get in my pants.”

I glanced at her, still not grasping her meaning.

“I don’t know why I would try that. Those would hardly fit me, much less both of us. Seems like an…awkward thing to do.”

Did she almost laugh? Perhaps I make progress.

“Trying to sleep with me?”

“Well, that might be inevitable, Sophia. I only have enough panels to create a shelter about the size of the original cage. There won’t be much room...”

I heard Sophia sigh and turned to look at her face, before setting another panel in place. Her fists sat on her hips.

“Sex, Brannic. Anyone else I have met, who has spoken to me the way you do, has been trying to convince me they like me long enough for me to believe them enough to have sex with them.”

“But we just met, Sophia. Sex doesn’t seem like an appropriate expectation. We have barely met. I think I would need to get to know you as a person, first.”

Sophia’s mouth opened and closed, but no words escaped. I embedded the next panel while she formed her response.

“It wasn’t an offer, Brannic.”

“I was not certain, Sophia. I’m still learning your species’ culture. I have met species who believe sex is the most appropriate greeting upon meeting. Granted, the Wrugs are all hermaphroditic wanderers who float upon the winds of their planet, but I did not want to assume.”

Finally, Sophia did laugh.

“Humans are not like Wrugs. You know what? It doesn’t matter. How can I help?”

I nodded at the water.

“Bring enough of the marshy plants out there to stuff between the dune and this panel, here, to keep sand from filling the shelter.”

“You got it.”

Sophia spun away and stalked to the calm pond shining in the sun. I took a moment to search the sky, though I knew I should be patient. Sophia returned from the pond, arms filled with dripping aquatic vegetation.

“Honestly, Brannic, I would have been angry about getting all wet like this, but that water was amazing in this heat.”

“I very much look forward to swimming, after my work is done. Can you stuff those around the pipe panels for us? Create a dam-like layer to hold the sand?”

“Sure.”

Sophia and I stuffed plants everywhere, bringing load after load from the oasis. Brave woman that she was, she only screamed once, when a species of fish I didn’t recognize flopped out of the reeds.

Instinct kicked in she grabbed it quickly. “Look. Dinner!”

Shortly I declared our shelter complete, having managed to create a cave-like structure. I stood back, satisfied with my accomplishment, and pointed out the notable features to Sophia.

“Your plants hold back the sand on those three sides of the cave, and I arranged the roof to capture the wind, compress it until it cools, and let it flow through the shelter. Feel the breeze? The breeze travels past the open side, helping pull out the hot air, as well. I also cut off one of the pipes and used it as a vent at the top to release any heat trapped along the roof.”

Sophia collapsed to the floor of the cave with a sigh, panting and waving her hand at her face.

“Thank you for the air conditioning. If only the ground wasn’t so hard, this would be great, but I really, really do appreciate getting out of the sun. It’s so hot out there, if we had some oil, we could fry that fish on one of these panels.”

I laughed, then checked the sky again.

“Very clever, Sophia, but I’m hoping we will not have to resort to such.”

“Why? And why do you keep looking around? Are you expecting guests or something?”

A grin spread across my face.

“Trust me, Sophia.”

Sophia

I’d meant it as a joke, but with some rearranging of the panels, Brannic cooked the fish I caught by accident in a jury-rigged hotbox. Sweating harder than I ever had, I stripped down to my underwear and set my other clothes, neatly folded, to the side of our shelter. I sat in the relative cool of our hand-made cave and watched him fuss with the sizzling fish.

I sat, holding my rumbling belly, mouth watering, while I watched Brannic test the fish. I was so hungry, by then, I could have cried. I wished many times I still had my purse, but the straps had slipped through my fingers when I fell asleep inside the beam of light outside the truck stop.

After a few minutes of trying to avoid remembering my abduction, Brannic waved me over. He handed me half the fish, cradled in the frond of a bushy, broad-leafed plant by the pool’s shore. I streaked out, into the relentless sun, accepted my fish, and returned to the relief of the shelter.

Brannic joined me, and seemed quite pleased with my accidental find. I wish I could say his praise didn’t reach into my gut and give me the warm fuzzies, but I had never been much of a liar. I had also never met anyone like Brannic—and not just because he was a purple alien with a tail.

Such confidence…

He spoke as if nothing bothered him and I wondered how that felt.

Who is this guy?

Fish eaten and canteen shared, Brannic stretched out beside me in the shadowy darkness of the cave he had made. Memories of Brannic, dragging the pile of metal over the sand, using one of the solid panels like a sled, replayed themselves in my mind. My memory tried to focus on the way his muscles had bulged in his fancy outfit.

Stop it! Sure, he’s nice, now…they all are…at first. Don’t fall for the first silver-tongued, hot alien who builds you a sand cave at an oasis… If only this didn’t so closely resemble some of my racier dreams…

“Why do you sigh, Sophia? Unless your life is that different from mine, a chance to relax is a rare thing.”

“A chance to relax! I’ve been abducted from my home world, I’m worried sick for Jake, and I’m stranded in a desert with a purple alien! This is not what my people think of when they say ‘a chance to relax’. Is this your idea of a vacation?”

Brannic chuckled in the shade beside me.

“No, no it is not. Lunch was nice, though. Your idea of cooking it on the hot metal was brilliant. Luckily, it was a fatty creature and did not stick.”

I turned my head to him. Brannic glowed.

“Holy shit, you glow!”

Brannic turned his face to me and flicked his tail. Glowing stripes encircled his tail like a cat.

“The Draksian sun is quite dim. Many things glow on my world.”

This may be one of those dreams…

I dozed through the worst of the heat, stretched out under the cooled, compressed air flowing into our cave. When the sun began to set on the horizon, sweat drove me into the water. I dove under the surface and let myself float, eyes closed, suspended.

The need to breathe pushed me back to the surface. I broke through with a splash and wiped the water and wet hair from my face. I relaxed onto my back and floated.

We’re in a desert. Who knows the next time I’ll be able to do this?

Startled by a sudden splash next to me, I squealed and floated upright. I looked around, but could see neither Brannic nor anything else large enough to create such a disturbance in the water.

Brannic exploded up from the water on the other side of the oasis. He held up his tail and shook it at me. In it, he held two more fish.

“I caught dinner. Will you help me look for wood, Sophia? Deserts get cold at night.”

“Sure.”

We swam to the edge of the oasis and walked back to the shelter. While Brannic dealt with the fish, I wrung the water from my hair and searched the oasis for anything which looked like it might burn. I returned with all I could find, but it didn’t look like much to me.

I dropped the single armload of possible flammables at the entrance to our shelter. Brannic cleaned the fish and smiled in my direction.

“Don’t get too happy to see me, yet. I didn’t find much.”

“It will be enough. Worry not, Sophia.”

I plopped to the ground and watched him cook.

“How can you be so calm? You are always so…easy. I feel like I’m filled with little fires all the time. Some jerk says something mean to my brother, and I want to punch his face in. These Snaughians kidnap me and I want to kick them in the balls. Yet, you’re acting like we’re on holiday.”

Brannic grinned. He paused his fussing with the fish and turned to face me.

“I have lived a long time by the standards of most species. I have seen many things in the galaxy, Sophia. This is not the worst thing I have seen by far. We are safe. We have water and shelter and food. For now, this is enough.”

I shook my head, blinking my eyes.

“How old are you?”

“In two galactic standard months, I will celebrate my five-hundred and fifty-third year of life.”

I choked on my own spit. When I finished coughing and spluttering, I opened my mouth to speak—only to be entirely distracted by a mechanical whirring. Brannic rushed over next to me, handed me half a cooked fish, and began eating his own.

A drone flew up to us. Across the front stretched a display screen. The screen lit and two goblins grimaced at us. I cringed back before remembering my manners. I put on the most neutral face I could muster and braced myself for whatever crazy shit was about to happen next.

One of the faces began to speak while the other grinned the most irritating smile I had ever been unfortunate enough to experience.

“Welcome to the 34th season of Intergalactic Love Death Match, where five lucky couples are matched and sent to wild and exotic locations! Which couple will make it to the Altar of Freedom first? Will they survive? Will they fall in love? Will they win their freedom? Will the audience help or hinder their epic struggle across the vast continent of Tikalc on the planet Garglax II? Stay tuned and find out. Now, a word from our sponso—”

I turned to Brannic.

“Those are Snaughians?”

Brannic nodded.

“I detest them already. Reminds me of a guy I knew once. Didn’t like him much, either.”

“Hahaha! Look at that Human spirit, Kvorkt!”

“Oh, my, these Humans are just delightful, Plabz.”

“Call me ‘delightful’ again, and I promise to find you when I get out of here.”

“Wow, Kvorkt, this one’s spicy.”

“Yes, she is, Plabz. Yes, she is.”

Brannic rolled his eyes and waved a hand.

“Get to your point, Snaughians.”

“Oh, Kvorkt, I have savored this moment. Have you looked forward to this as much as I have?”

“Yes, I have, Plabz, yes I have. Greetings, Emperor Brannic of the—former—Draksian Empire. How are you enjoying your humiliating disgrace as a Snaughian slave?”

“Emperor?”

My head snapped around to look at Brannic. Brannic glared into the display. His green eyes smoldered, glowing. A grin more terrifying that I had ever seen spread across Brannic’s face and I finally understood.

Power resonated from him, from his voice, from his body, washing over me like a flash flood. I understood, then, that my companion was an Emperor. When he spoke, his presence snatched the breath from my lungs.

“You speak as if I have been defeated, Snaughians, but I have only lost a battle.”

Brannic

They really think they’ve won, don’t they? All that power, but no foresight. Very dangerous, indeed—in the short term.

I had not lived all these years and avoided matching wits with exploitative species like the Snaughians before that moment.

All ambition and drive—until the actual work of governing takes over. Diplomats and visionaries are needed to govern, not warmongers.

I had seen larger and older cultures fall, making the very same mistakes the Snaughians made now, and knew Snaughian culture would consume itself within a mere hundred years.

Conquering is easy. Ruling is hard. Considering the way the Snaughians consume every world they conquer, they would have more than a few rebellions to quell, even without my interference.

Speaking of rebellions…

My mind repeated the image of Sophia rising from the water, skin glimmering and wet. My normally controlled thoughts rebelled against my inflamed desire just thinking of her. A single smile from her lightened my very being.

Perhaps it is some after effect of the tranquilizers…or perhaps not. She is wonderfully lovely to look at.

In all my years of diplomatic experience, I had never been so compelled to act instinctually. It was as if something inside me recognized her and refused to remain silent. I could tell by her reaction, she also struggled against the attraction, more from pain than cautious curiosity.

The coolness of the sand underneath me reminded me that dusk had arrived and the night would soon grow cold.

Desert nights always fascinated me. It felt like the sky was clearer in the desert and you could peer straight into the unknown without leaving the ground—nature’s trap enticing you to stay outside just a little longer to enjoy the relief of crisp, cool air.

Desert nights sang to me of sweet safety, even as temperatures dropped drastically without the heat of a star blaring down from the sky. Without shelter, the desert’s cold night air stripped the body of needed heat and could be deadly to some species.

Most species had a natural instinct for meeting their survival needs. I wondered if humans were susceptible to such tolerances. They might be, since Sophia had been more than willing to help collect wood for the fire.

I looked at her and could see her discomfort, our meager fire unlikely to keep her comfortably warm, once we slept and the fire dwindled.

“Sophia, do humans do well in cold temperatures?”

“Some do, I don’t happen to be one of them, but this isn’t too bad.”

I stayed quiet a little longer to let her digest her own thoughts on this. I did not want to make her uncomfortable, but I also did not want her to die of hypothermia.

Will I offend her if I offer my body heat? Possibly, but I must try. I desire as few additional deaths on my shoulders as I can avoid, and Sophia has only just left her home world when so few others of her species ever have.

She bit her lip and started to fidget. Her eyes showed the battle in her own mind between safety and necessity. I wanted to show her the two were not mutually exclusive.

“My home world is very dark, like an extended night, in some ways. Draksians tend to be over warm. Our glow helps to dissipate that heat, but I don’t think the same thing will happen in this atmosphere. Would you be comfortable sitting very near me? That might help both of us stay comfortable.”

I could see her weigh the odds and fight her distrust. Finally, she looked down and sighed. She got up and moved to sit just a few inches from me. She lowered herself and began to get comfortable.

“Just so you know, I’m not afraid of you, Brannic. I just don’t know how to feel around you. I’ve never met anyone like you.”

The hurt I heard in her voice tore at my heart. I felt a fierce urge to find whomever had done this to her and return the favor tenfold. I kept my temper and decided humor might be the best way to break the tension – and maybe earn myself one of her gorgeous smiles.

“Well, up until just a few days ago, you didn’t even know that other species existed off your planet, much less a tall, purple, five-hundred-year-old Draksian Emperor.”

She stared at me for a second, then laughed out loud. It was the most glorious sound I had ever heard. I started to make exaggerated faces and she laughed more.

“Brannic! Stop! You’re ridiculous. Do people actually take you seriously?”

Her eyes glittered in the fire’s flickering light. It felt good to be the source of her joy. I could feel myself glowing. I was just about to pretend to give a royal speech when I heard the sound of drones.

In the stillness of the desert at night, sound carried for miles, so I had expected to hear the drone’s approach before they popped out of the air, startling us. I could barely make out their spherical forms in the dwindling light as they dropped crates. Unburdened, the drones cloaked, disappearing into the inky, night sky.

The crates landed with a soft thud on a sand mound near us. I glanced at Sophia. She stared at the crate, suspicion clear on her face.

I walked over to the crate and opened it, chuckling at the contents.

“What is it, Brannic? Is it something good?”

I grabbed my prize and raised into the air quite possibly the most unremarkable thing ever sent me. Devious grin adorning my face, I wiggled my eyebrows at Sophia.

“What is so fascinating about a crusty old roly-poly shell?”

What do I say that the Snaughians won’t also understand?

“Draks give ya’gaas shells as an insult. I am certain this one came from one of my many… fans.”

Sophia raised an eyebrow.

“Is it alive? Does it do anything?”

“No. The insult roughly translates as: your presence is as valuable as a ya’gaas.”

Sophia’s other eyebrow joined the first on her forehead.

“Um…fascinating. Is that everything in the crate? I was hoping for, you know, food? Water? A blanket, maybe?”

I reached back into the crate and pulled out a portable, self-contained, camp stove which could double as a heater, some basic cookware, and a 10-gallon, collapsing water unit with a filter, drinking tube, and spigot.

I opened the second crate and immediately felt a roll of very soft, fur fabric which I had not felt since my youth. The scent filled my senses with both nostalgia and a longing for home.

“What is the fuzzy thing? Is there something in it?”

Sophia perked up, now all curiosity, and peered into the crate, too.

And what a gift!

I unrolled the fabric with care. Inside, I discovered one of the simplest, and most delicious, Draksian fruits.

“This is a tamin. They are native to my home world. They grow wild everywhere and almost everything on the planet eats them. I have not had one in a very long time.”

“Does that tahm-een have scales and spikes?”

“The scales are hard leaves, and the spikes are hardened clumps of fuzz which protect the fruit from retaining too much moisture. They are delicious and full of nutrients. Would you like to try one?”

I held out my hand, offering her the ripest.

“I…have never eaten alien fruit before....”

“Are you sure? The desert oases may become less frequent and tamin juice is very hydrating and sweet.”

Her eyes widened and she reconsidered.

“Sweet, you say? Maybe just a taste will be ok. When in Rome and such, you know?”

I cracked the tamin open, revealing the bright, purple flesh, and handed her half. Juice trickled onto her fingertips. She raised the fruit to her mouth and tasted the juice.

“Brannic! This is delicious! It’s like a tangelo and white grapes in the same bite!”

She licked her fingers and looked at the fabric the fruit had been rolled in. She licked the juice from her hand while eyeing the fabric, longingly.

“Is that a...blanket?”

“That is a blanket woven from mudzo wool. The fabric is light, strong, naturally waterproof, and the fibers expand and contract in response to temperature. So many of the artisans who make them have died, along with their weaving traditions, so these are very rare.”

Memories of my mother at her wheel, spinning fibers into cloth and weaving it into blankets played through my mind. Years of watching Mother weave while administrating the Draksian people flooded my thoughts.

I had kept the blanket she had made me as a child up until the day I was captured. I missed her wise counsel, her kind ways, and her ability to maintain her grace and poise in any situation.

Sophia

“Hey! Earth to Brannic. You ok in there?”

He came out of his daydream, looked into my eyes, and smiled. Suddenly breathless and warm all over, I turned my face away before he noticed my blush.

Fucking hell, he’s handsome as sin.

“I apologize for drifting into my thoughts while speaking with you. It was rude of me.”

“Uhmmm.. ok. Apology accepted?”

He unfurled the blanket and shook out the crate dust before wrapping it around my shoulders. It felt soft and fuzzy and silky and plush and warm and so very light against my skin!

“Ohhhhhh…. Wooww… This is… just…. Wonderful! I think I like it better than the tam-peen!”

I clutched the blanket around my throat with one hand, the other still holding my tamin, and twirled. I don’t know how it happened, but he joined in on my little, impromptu dance party. We were just two happy people dancing around a campfire, under the endless, desert sky. I had not felt this free in a very long time.

“Catch!”

Brannic playfully tossed the ya’gaas at me. Having to choose between food and a roly-poly, insult carcass, I pretended to reach, but let the ya’gaas land in the sand just short of my fingers.

“You almost made me drop my tamin!”

“I am so glad you enjoy it.”

I stopped twirling and gazed at him, breathless, heart pounding.

“I do! I really do! I’m mostly a chocolate-type of girl, but this hits my sweet tooth just fine!”

Brannic smoldered his eyes at me as if he could turn his charm on with the press of a button.

Does he know how dangerous I thought he was? Is he more dangerous now, with the smoldering-on-demand, or before, when I worried he might try to eat me?

All that kindness, and wisdom, and strength, and…gentleness? How would any woman react to that? All the red flags, all the things men usually dangle out like an angler fish, to draw a woman in—which shouldn’t BE red flags, yet could be the worst red flags.

Something in the campfire popped and broke the spell he had cast upon me with his glowing, green, beautiful, gaze...

He leaned in close. I sucked in a breath and held it, uncertain what Brannic would do next—

Is this the moment he lets his I’m-innocuous mask slip and I see he is no different than all those who convinced me to give them a chance before?

Brannic whispered in my ear, voice low, soft, and hypnotic.

“Sophia, I have a plan and I need your help, but you have to play along.”

The way his voice rumbled through me made me want to purr. I closed my eyes for a moment, resisting the sudden urge to melt into his arms and beg him simply to speak with that tone so I could wallow in it. Instead, I put another slice of tamin in my mouth and nodded.

What the hell? Is this fruit an aphrodisiac, or something?

“Sophia, I want you to play catch with me. Throw the ya’gaas toward the large stone on the far side of the oasis. When I catch it, tackle me and cover us both with your blanket.”

So… this is what his game was the whole time. As soon as I let my guard down...

I turned and glared at him. He seemed surprised.

“Please Sophia, I have not played this game since I was a child, and I promise not to hurt you.”

Famous last words. He may as well have said ‘trust me.’ Again. But, I did—do?—trust him...

My mind sounded alarms, thoughts tumbling over themselves, but my body wanted to be under a blanket with him, just to know what that felt like.

Fine, Mr. Emperor, two can play this game.

Clutching the mudzo blanket around my shoulders, I picked up the ya’gaas and ran.

“Catch me if you can, Emperor!”

Brannic took a while to figure out I had changed his plans, then chased me. I could tell he held back, giving me a chance to get away. Just a few yards from the stone, he swung me into his arms and ran a few steps more, until he fell back into the sand with me atop him. I pulled the blanket over both of us.

“Quickly Sophia, give me the ya’gaas. We only have a few moments.”

I handed him the roly poly and willed my body to behave. This was intimate space. I could feel his strong body underneath mine. My body woke in ways I could not afford to pay attention to.

Brannic swiftly reached underneath the joints of the roly poly shell and pulled out something which looked like wires and curved, metal pins. From the head of the carcass, he pulled out a tiny crystal which looked like quartz.

He wound some of the wires over and under the pins and put the stone between them. He extended another wire to touch the big stone next to us. The stone emitted a weak glow and the sound of static. Brannic spoke into the shell.

“General Zesiel. Can you hear me?”

Crying out loud, he’s a freakin genius engineer, too?! Is there anything this man isn’t good at?

“Emperor, Is that you?”

“Yes Zesiel. We have no time to lose. Are we on schedule?”

“All plans are on schedule, and we are nearly ready for phase two.”

“Keep me posted. I shall check in as often as I can. Also, find Sophia’s brother and guarantee his safety as you would my own life.”

My heart caught in my throat. He had not forgotten about Jake. Brannic kept his word and, for a moment, I understood why his people loved him so. Brannic disassembled his crystal-rock-wire-thingy and reassembled the ya’gaas.

“If the Snaghians find out—”

“Shhhh! Sophia! If we want to survive, we have to keep this secret. This plan is much bigger than our survival, yet also depends upon it.”

“Couldn’t they hear you under the blanket?”

“Not likely, this large stone has natural magnetic properties and when it creates a circuit, it emits a static field which scrambles electronic circuit boards, but cannot be seen. Also, Draks use frequencies the Snaughians remain unaware of.”

All seriousness and royalty now, I nearly drooled. Emperor Mode looked damned sexy on him. Not because of the power he wielded, but because of his confidence wielding power. After days of feeling scared and uncertain about whether we would live or not, it felt good to know one of us had a plan.

Just a few days ago, I had been just a waitress with no idea what life was like outside my hometown—except for the stories the truckers told at the truck stop diner—and I knew most of what they said were lies—little embellishments and small moments of exaggeration to make their stories sound more compelling.

Now, I eat alien fruit, underneath the softest blanket ever, with the giant, purple, Emperor of the Draksian Empire, in the middle of—what I could only think of as—a revolution, dependent on us surviving this sadistic, mind-fuck of a game.

What have I gotten myself into?

Brannic

Garglax II’s star blazed down upon us, baking and bleaching everything in sight. Little bothered to move in the relentless heat of day. Sophia and I laid on our backs, arms stretched, dozing in the dark shelter of our little cave.

When the sun began to descend, and we could finally breathe easily, we stirred. Sophia stretched and groaned, wearing only the barest slips of clothing. I wondered if her people had no nudity taboos. I had met many cultures without any, but I remained uncertain as she had first arrived fully dressed.

I suppose it doesn’t matter, as long as she is comfortable. My people certainly have no nudity taboos.

Sophia’s first stop was the oasis. We swam off the day’s sweat and I caught two more of the delicious fish for dinner. Clean and refreshed from our swim, we returned to our camp and put the fish on the SurvivalCorp portable fire pit.

We listened to the fish sizzle and watched Garglax II’s star set. Long, thin streaks of feathery clouds floated high across the darkening sky, painted in reds and oranges with the last rays of the sun.

A chill wind floated by as we ate and watched the evening broadcast. Sophia shivered, pulling my eyes from the display screen. I opened an arm, offering her my heat. She considered the offer for a moment, then scooted over close. I wrapped my proffered arm around her blanketed shoulders and we settled in.

When the broadcast concluded and the drone flew away, Sophia remained in my arms. I sighed with a deep sense of contentment. She turned her face up to me.

“Brannic?”

“Yes?”

“How…how did you become Emperor? Conquest? Subjugation? Inheritance?”

I could only respond with a chuckle.

“You Humans must be an interesting species. No, I did not subjugate my subjects.”

“Then, how? How long have you been Emperor? How many species are in your Empire? Whe—”

I laughed deep in my belly. Sophia retreated from my arms and sat across from me near the fire pit. Her eyebrows rode high on her forehead and she stared me down with her fiercest gaze.

“Remain calm. I will tell you my story.”

“Is it bloody?”

I laughed.

“Is there betrayal, intrigue, and death? Does it go all Hamlet-everyone-dies?”

I held up a hand to stall her words long enough to stop laughing. I drew in a deep breath and replied.

“I do not know what you mean by Hamlet, but—if you will hold any further questions for the time being—I will tell you. In my youth—”

“By youth, how old do you mean, because Humans only live one-hundred Earth years, if we’re lucky, and I’m only twenty-five.”

So young…such a short life-span…so tragic…imagine, only one hundred years in which to find love and treasure it. I lived my first twenty-five years in a blink of an eye. No wonder Humans are so impulsive and impatient. They have such a limited time to live.

“I was one-hundred and seventy-six years old when my species discovered warp-gate technology.”

Sophia seemed to calculate something in her mind and I awaited her comment with patience.

“That would have been when my people were first discovering gravity as a scientific concept, and most were still complaining about the idea that our planet was spherical rather than flat like a dinner plate.”

Sophia looked slightly scandalized, and absolutely fascinated. Her avid interest tickled me, drawing from me my story.

She really wants to know…and not to get my fortune, or power, or influence. Oh, what a heady drug and pulse-pounding seduction.

“Such is a volatile time in most species’ growth. As is the first time a species accesses the warp network. For many reasons, travelling faster than light is a technological problem—the relativistic effects alone require mind-boggling calculations—but, warp-gate technology sidesteps the entire issue.”

Sophia looked lost.

“Fascinating, Brannic. Can we...focus on the juicy stuff, though? Like, conquering planets?”

I laughed, shaking my head.

“I conquered no one. The point is, Draksians could travel to distant solar systems and we met many interesting species. Some of those species became allies. Others became vassals. I began my career as a Science Officer aboard one of the first ships.”

I took the canteen, opened the cap, and took a swig of water. I offered it to Sophia, who accepted it and drank a swig as well.

“We were the first to make contact with the Vrrrrlft, a very kind species who were under siege by the Uyollmepa. I managed to end the hostilities and broker a peace, and they asked for Draksian protection.”

Sophia held up a hand.

“Wait, so let me get this straight, you became this big, powerful, Emperor out of…kindness and peace?”

“Yes.”

“And that works?”

“It worked for hundreds of years across a hundred planets and every species who joined us, Sophia. Until the Snaughians arrived eight years ago.”

Sophia’s face softened. She placed a delicate, human hand on mine.

“And now it is gone, and they stuck you in this game to humiliate you.”

I shrugged and grinned.

“So the Snaughians think, Sophia. But, like I said, I have lived for a very long time and maintained a vast Empire for hundreds of years. This—surviving Intergalactic Love Death Match—is just another battle. I will never stop fighting for my people, Sophia. My Empire is not gone. My people await my return, and I will not disappoint them.”

I could not read the look on Sophia’s face, but her cheeks looked a little puffy and shiny. Her gaze tried to freeze the air in my lungs.

“How did you even think of it, though? How often does peace win, when it feels like life is filled with so much aggression?”

“My mother. She told me long ago that the best leaders always eat last. A good leader invests in his people, making certain each has that which they need to thrive before feeding himself. A leader is useless without healthy people to lead. What are my personal desires, when compared to the needs of a hundred worlds?”

Sophia pushed herself to her feet and pointed out, into the vast desert.

“Then, Emperor Brannic, why are we laying around in the desert for days? Why haven’t we tried to get anywhere. I hesitated to point it out, but I have my brother to get back to and you have an entire Empire, apparently, praying for your return…”

“I’m waiting for my people to send us supplies. We would die out there under the heat of Garglax II’s star within hours with the supplies we currently have.”

Sophia took a strand of her hair between her fingers and played with it, making her hair shine in the warm glow of the SurvivalCorp fire pit.

As I have vowed to care for my people, to shelter them and provide succor, I have already dedicated myself to care for you, Sophia—to shelter you and provide—succor until we may both leave this planet, free.

Sophia

Brannic gently snored next to me, his tail twitching in his sleep like a cat dreaming of a bird. I laid awake long into the early hours, however, Brannic’s words swirling through my mind. My heart refused to calm and I struggled to control my breath.

‘What are my personal desires compared to the needs of a hundred worlds’ might be the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard. Just imagine giving up hundreds of years of your life for the benefit of others. I don’t know if I could be so strong. Just taking care of Jake and myself feels overwhelming.

I glanced over at the markings glowing down his back and ringing his shoulders. His muscles flexed and relaxed with each long breath.

What good is a waitress to an Emperor? He and his people, so much smarter and more advanced than a mere Human. I’m a waitress abducted from a truck stop walking home from a greasy spoon in the middle of Nowhere, USA—

I let my eyes linger along his strong back muscles. Memories of his captivating gaze, the one which seemed to find my soul in a glance, flashed through my mind. I gulped and turned away. I rolled onto my side, curled into a ball, and drew my blanket over my shoulder.

It doesn’t matter how hot he is. He’s an Emperor and I’m a waitress. If we even get out of here, he goes back to caring for his Empire and being devastatingly glorious every second, and I…I return to my greasy spoon and Jake.

I finally drifted off on a single thought.

What will returning to Earth be like, knowing what I know now…and never being able to tell a soul?

When the need to pee finally drove me from our cave, I dragged myself out of bed. Brannic wished me a good morning. I smiled with a blush and looked for any task which would keep my eyes off him.

I’ve only known Brannic for four days. Calm down, body. Just because he’s the hottest person I’ve ever met doesn’t mean I have to jump him. I mean, sex makes everything awkward, doesn’t it? It always has before. Yeah, but Brannic is different…wait, is he? I only know what he’s told me…no, the Snaughgoblin guys backed him up…

I ran from that line of thought and decided to swim.

Swimming clears my head. Good idea.

Brannic joined me at the pool…naked for the first time. I nearly choked on my own spit when he ran by and jumped in, the most beautiful cock I’d ever seen swinging in the wind.

This is not helping. Stop being perfect! I don’t want to believe you! I don’t want to believe you are real! Him stripping down means nothing. I started it when I stripped down to my underwear…but it was soooo hot out there.

I dove in, hoping the water could cool my burning cheeks and shock the hots I had for Brannic into submission.

I opened my eyes in the crystal-clear water. I saw Brannic swim through the creatures below me, at the bottom of the oasis. Naked, his body glowed in the pool’s shadowy depths, streaking past in sinuous undulations, steered by his tail.

He swirled and darted gracefully, snatching a gigantic crawfish-looking creature from the aquatic grasses, then spun his body and streaked to the surface next to me. I broke through beside him, wiping hair and water from my face.

Brannic smiled at me, eyes twinkling as he held up the alien space crawfish. I swam back, away from the flailing legs.

“Dude, that thing’s the size of my leg! Maybe don’t shove it in my face?”

“Forgive me, Sophia. I meant to say that you seem bothered today. I worried you missed Jake and your home, so I thought I would make something special for dinner.”

No! No, stop it! I can’t take it. Stop making me want you so much. Something must be wrong. Nothing is ever so perfect. You can’t be so perfect, Brannic…

“Thank you. That is very thoughtful. I can’t wait. I look forward to it.”

I spun and dove under the water before anything else slipped out of my mouth. I had already said too much. I swam to the shore and returned to camp. Brannic followed, carrying the giant crustacean-thing.

He fought it, killed it, and cleaned it while I picked up camp. Just as the first space-crawdad steak hit the grill, we heard the sound of drones approaching. I glanced up, shading my eyes from the rays of the setting sun. The drones deposited a trailer on the sand next to the fire pit.

Brannic thanked the drones and we scurried over to inspect our gift.

“Is this what you were waiting for?”

Brannic nodded and grabbed the brochure dangling from the trailer’s handle. He read the brochure aloud.

“Congratulations on your new SurvivalCorp Travel Trailer for Two. It says it has a bed for up to large-sized species, a camp kitchen, fifty-gallon potable water storage capacity with a filter, and storage racks for our luggage.”

I ripped open the door and thrust my head inside.

A bed! A real bed!

I squealed in delight. Before I could even think about what I was doing, I threw my hands around Brannic’s naked waist and hugged him. Then I realized what I was doing and lost the ability to breathe. Eyes wide, I released him, squeaked a quick sorry, and spun away.

Though terrified to look, I glanced at his face to see if I had offended him. I had most definitely not offended Brannic, for he sported the most perfect erection I had ever witnessed. This time, Mr. I’m Always So Cool Emperor spun away from me.

We both cleared our throats, took measured breaths, and avoided eye-contact until our entire camp was packed into, and onto, the trailer and the evening broadcast drone arrived. We watched the broadcast in silence, careful to maintain a proper distance the entire time.

A few minutes after the drone retreated, Brannic spoke, the tip of his tail twitching so fast, it looked like a blur.

“Maybe we should travel at night. I can set the trailer’s SmartFollow settings. SmartFollow follows you anywhere.”

“Sounds like a plan. It’s too hot to travel during the day, anyway.”

Without another word, we walked out, into the night.

Brannic

Grateful I had spent the first few days adjusting my sleep schedule, I walked through the night with no trouble at all. Humans being daylight dwellers, Sophia walked most of the night with me for the first few hours before her steps slowed.

Yet, she refuses to stop. These Humans may be as determined and stubborn as a Draks.

I called a halt and Sophia drained her canteen, staring out, into the dark night.

Humans have terrible night vision, yet not even that stopped her.

“Sophia, we can stop and rest. Wearing yourself out will do neither of us any good.”

“Eh, I walk twice as long in a single shift at work. Just, not in sand…the sand is pretty difficult, actually. And these are not the correct shoes for sand. Besides, I don’t see an oasis, so we’re not there yet.”

She continued slogging over the dune. I sighed and caught up to her.

“Yes, Sophia, but we have the ‘camper’, as you call it. Why not rest in there, while I walk? It’s not like I have to drag the camper behind me. You would be no burden…”

She stopped, waved her hands in the air and turned for the trailer’s door.

“Ok, fine, you talked me into it. My feet are killing me.”

Sophia opened the trailer, crawled inside, and shut the door. I chuckled and continued walking, using my combat flight suit’s navigation to steer me to the next oasis. I walked through the remainder of the dark hours.

Stars twinkled across the sky, and I wondered which was my home. I wondered which was the home sun of this Earth Sophia spoke of.

How far apart did she and I begin this journey? Hundreds of thousands of light years? Hundreds of years between us…

I glanced back at the trailer where Sophia slept.

I have never met another like her in all my experience. Could she be—no. Surely not. I am merely an Emperor, not a legend. Fated mates are so rare among my kind. Legends speak of souls brought together to help balance the world, but to think I…she…? No, I could not be so fortunate.

I sighed and continued walking into the first hints of the rising sun.

I am no legend, merely a servant to my people. Which changes how I feel not at all. Sophia…captivates me. I wish I had not made her so uncomfortable earlier. That was certainly not how I want anyone to first see my erection, but what is done is done.

I heard a popping noise from the trailer and turned to look. Sophia’s head leaned out of an open window.

“Can you stop for a second, so I don’t have to exit this thing on the run with a dramatic shoulder roll, like I’ve seen on entertainment shows back on Earth? I never studied jumping out of moving vehicles.”

I stopped, chuckling, while Sophia climbed out of the trailer. She looked refreshed and smiled at me, then looked behind my shoulder.

“Oh, look. We’re here. That’s great. Let’s find a good spot to park.”

I turned back to the sun and shaded my eyes with a hand.

I was so lost in thoughts of Sophia I didn’t even notice our arrival.

I watched her walk up to me and scan the oasis ahead.

I may regret having made her uncomfortable earlier. Every time she smiles, my heart flutters and now, we can never be. Drak–Human relationships would be doomed, anyway. Why would I tie one who lives as long as I to one like Sophia, who lives a mere hundred years? Would that not simply be cruel?

I turned my head away, thoughts hidden away with care, and followed Sophia into the sunrise and our next campsite. We ate and retreated to the trailer. The trailer had just enough room for the two of us to sleep comfortably—as long as I navigated my body with care not to smack into everything.

Sophia giggled every time I smacked myself against something, though she pretended not to. We slept through the heat of the day, emerging back into the world as the sun set. We swam and ate and prepared to watch the evening’s broadcast in good spirits.

A broadcast drone arrived just as we ate left-over space crawfish, as Sophia called it, paired with a warmed-up box of random vegetables. Sophia chewed thoughtfully, then sighed.

“It tastes like roasted butternut squash which reminds me of home. And Jake.”

“Welcome to Intergalactic Love Death Match. Kvorkt, can you tell us more about what the contestants might face on Tikalc? Garglax II is still a wild planet, is it not?”

“It is, Plabz, it is. Intergalactic Love Death Match spared no expense this season. We have found the most terrifying, most deadly, most life-threatening creatures from around the galaxy—and brought them here for season 34”

“Yes, we did, Kvorkt, yes, we did. And, fans, we did all this for you.”

Plabz and Kvorkt showed us terrifying monster after terrifying monster—just nothing which would live in the desert. I argued with them for a while until I got bored. Sophia got herself very upset on my account and showed Plabz and Kvorkt her middle fingers. I assumed the gesture insulted the Snaughians, so I mimicked Sophia.

The fans seemed pleased with the evening’s verbal exchange because I turned my head to stare at a swarm of drones dropping presents. I leapt to my feet, gathering the gifts up in my arms and stuffing them into the trailer.

“We need to get them all, Sophia. Resupply!”

“You got it, Emperor.”

Sophia ran around with me for at least thirty minutes, gathering box after box, none of which looked the same.

“What did they even send us?”

I ran to the trailer with another load of gifts, shouting my response over my shoulder.

“Don’t look now, we’ll open them later. I promise, you won’t be disappointed, Sophia.”

Sophia shrugged and continued picking up boxes until none remained upon the sand in the evening’s fading light.

Sophia

After the broadcast, we began the night’s journey. My legs felt like jelly after walking most of the night through sand dunes, but my earlier nap refreshed my determination to keep up. The last thing I wanted was to burden Brannic on his quest.

His goal seems…so important. Resisting the Snaughians, even if only to give his people hope to cling to, feels noble. He promised that my brother would be cared for, and I trust him. Still, I miss Jakey.

“What thought paints your face with such a sad look, Sophia?”

“I miss my brother.”

He laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. I gasped and spun my head to look at him. Desire washed through me, followed by a blush. Brannic snatched his hand back, as if touching me seared his flesh like a hot stove.

We both held our hands behind our backs and walked, silent. When I dared glance in his direction, I caught his eyes darting from my gaze.

What is this? Why can’t he even look at me? Why am I complaining? If he gazes at me with those eyes one more time, I’ll just jump him. Stop it! No, I won't go jumping Brannic. He’s so…reserved. Maybe he doesn’t like me.

I fought the grin trying to slide onto my face.

That boner said he likes me, in no uncertain terms. It’s just…a really, really bad idea. Dating an alien? That must be the ultimate long-distance relationship. Besides, they all seem great until the morning after, don’t they?

I kicked at a rock—and missed.

Then they act like sex was some kind of checkpoint where they saved their dating game and they stop trying. Then you end up with some boyfriend attached to your couch, playing a console no one could afford—

“You and I are very similar, I think, Sophia.”

I missed my next step and fell into the sand. Brannic rushed to my side and helped me up.

“Did you trip? Are you fatigued?”

I waved him away.

“I’m fine. I just stumbled. Sometimes these feet don’t do what I expect. Don’t worry about it.”

I continued walking, trying to find any way I felt similar to Brannic.

“I care for my people, my Empire, the way you care for your brother.”

The thought struck me like a wrecking ball. I looked at Brannic, head tilted.

“I never considered that.”

We walked in silence for hours. Many times I wished to hear his voice in the darkness. In the absence of his reassuring words, I focused on watching my feet by the light of Brannic’s glow. Two small moons chased a larger one over the horizon shortly before dawn, plunging Garglax II into the darkest night I had yet seen.

I stumbled more in the near darkness but refused to let myself stop. I pushed myself the same way I did the last two hours of a shift, when my feet screamed, and my knees ached, and my back demanded a soak with some epsom salts. Since Mom and Dad passed in the car accident so long ago, I had worked to ensure Jake had everything he needed.

Perhaps I am like Brannic.

We camped among the dunes that morning and I slept as soon as I filled my belly with a warm meal. The next night, we trudged through sand, sand, and more sand. We trudged up dunes only to trudge back down.

We spoke even less that night. Perpetual exhaustion plagued my body and dulled my mind. My eyes felt sunken and I could feel my face stuck in a grim expression—but I refused to admit how my limbs shook or how my joints screamed.

I just need more water and rest. I’m just out of shape. I’m a waitress, not a professional athlete. I just need the practice… Think of it like the gym.

Again, exhaustion drove me to sleep as soon as I had drained a canteen and stuffed my face with whatever didn’t smell too strange from the trailer’s pre-stocked fridge compartment. I didn’t even take off my shoes.

I woke the next afternoon to the smell of whatever space food Brannic had prepared. Too tired to even care how hot Brannic looked topless, we began another night of trudging through sand.

Brannic set an ambitious pace and I certainly did not want to be the reason we took any longer than absolutely necessary to reach the next oasis. After the first few hours of trudging through sand, my legs felt like lead and I no longer cared if I held anyone back.

My head throbbed and I could see the dark bags under my eyes in the reflective surfaces of the trailer. I had no energy to even worry. I held my blanket wrapped around my shoulders, trying to keep out the chill, but the chill crept into my bones anyway.

My heart fluttered and my head spun, but I forced my legs into one more step after another. My head hung limp and my chest heaved. My shoes tightened around my swollen feet. The world looked like it grayed at the edges and the sounds of our footsteps lost all significance.

Another step to Jake. This is how I get back to Jakey. Another one. Can’t stop…

My tongue felt thick and stuck to the roof of my mouth. I took a swig of water from my canteen. My mouth cracked at the edges as I drank. My stomach roiled as soon as the water hit it. The sun rose in front of us, slamming me with heat borne upon rays of light.

I smacked my lips. I felt the canteen fall from my fingertips, but the sensation meant nothing to my brain. I smacked my lips again, still parched. I stopped and turned, looking for my canteen.

It laid on the sand behind me, next to the line of my footsteps. I turned to retrieve it and must have fallen, because my mouth felt full of sand. I spluttered and wiped at my face, but the sand stuck to my skin.

What happened to my sweat? It’s hot on the beach, Jake. Wear your sunscreen.

I laid there, pawing at the sand in my mouth. My eyes rolled around. I tried to groan but could only wheeze. I tried to call Jake’s name but only choked on sand. I coughed, trying to clear my mouth, but little helped.

The world drifted in and out. Then I saw his purple face, mesmerizing eyes aglow.

Brannic. Save me…

Brannic

Minutes flowed into hours on our monotonous trudge through the endless sand, punctuated with each step. Sophia and I spoke little that day. After so many days without sight of shade or water, I assumed neither of us felt much like speaking.

As the moons set for the night and the first rays of dawn whispered of the impending sunrise, I scented the first wisps of fresh water.

Thank the Ancestress, we draw close to our destination…and relief.

Dawn crested, unleashing light to flood this part of the world. Instantly too bright, nictitating membranes slid over my night-sensitive eyes, protecting them from the star’s brilliance. I halted, chest heaving and looked back.

Sophia laid on the sand. Panic flooded my veins, wiping away all thought of exhaustion.

No! No, Sophia, no…

I turned on my heel and sprinted for her, trailer following. I skidded to a halt next to her, falling to my knees. I carefully rolled her body onto her back and checked her breath and circulatory system, muttering small curses and pleas for her to speak.

Sophia still breathed and the heart, whose rhythm I had fallen asleep to every night since arriving on this planet, still beat in her chest. I patted her cheek and shook her by the shoulders with the greatest care not to damage her Human body, so much more fragile and delicate than any Draks’.

Sand coated her face and mouth. I grabbed her canteen and did my best to rinse the sand away without drowning her. She spluttered, trying to relieve herself of the sandy water until she could breathe more clearly. Her delicate lips, usually so full, stretched across her mouth, cracked, pale, and thin.

I don’t know even the most basic Human medicine…

I pushed myself to my feet and cried out into the galaxy, knowing the Snaughians recorded our every move.

“Help me save her! Help me understand how to save her!”

I stroked strands of hair from her face and whispered sweet, soothing words. With deliberate care, I lifted her into my arms and carried her to the trailer. I disengaged the SmartFollow, opened the door, and laid her limp body on the mattress inside.

The brochure called it big enough for two, large-sized beings, but I would have filled most of it, had I tried to crawl inside. I arranged her arms and legs, hoping to make her comfortable. I heard a drone behind me and I snapped my head around to look.

The drone dropped a small case—wrapped in red ribbon and tied with a gigantic red bow—in my hands. The drone flew away and I searched for a place to untie the ribbon. A moment later, I gave up on untying anything and pulled a knife from my combat suit. With a quick slash, the tangled ribbon unraveled and fell to the sand.

I opened the case, laying it just inside the trailer. I tossed aside the note wishing me eternal life and reign, and grabbed the book.

“Humans, Understanding Your New Slave: A Manual. She is no more a slave than I.”

I flipped through the book, looking for the medical section.

“Feeding your Human… Discipline… Snaughians disgust me. There is no place in the universe for those who force such horrors upon others. Common Ailments…”

I flipped to the Common Ailments section and scanned the entries until I found symptoms I could identify.

“Here! Sophia, stay with me. I found it. Heat stroke… Oh, Sophia! Why did you not tell me? I would have slowed down. You could have rested…”

While I muttered words I didn’t even bother to listen to, I read the entry and glanced at the other objects the small case contained. I grabbed the Human Emergency Revive pen and immediately stabbed Sophia’s thigh with it. I pushed the button on the end of the syringe and injected her with the Species-specific Revive serum.

I stroked her forehead, whispering soft words and held her hand in mine. I watched her face for any sign the serum helped. After a few minutes, Sophia breathed more easily. Color returned to her cheeks and she no longer looked half-dead.

She eased into a deep sleep. I sighed, relieved, and read the rest of the instructions.

“Next, provide your sl—Human—rest, relaxation, and water…this I can do, Sophia. Rest. Sleep and recover. The oasis is close. You can swim, when you wake. You love to swim.”

I closed her inside the cool of the trailer, refilled her canteen, and set it beside her, for when she woke. I returned to the trek, determined that, when Sophia exited the trailer, she first saw beauty and hope.

My first sight of the oasis snatched my breath. Tiny, blue flowers surrounded the oasis like a sea. Their scent on the wind soothed my mind, my worried heart, and my sore muscles. The mere thought of losing Sophia terrified me.

I don’t know if I am to become a legend, or if fate has brought us together, but I do know how I feel. Almost losing her…revealed my heart to me. To be with me, though…would upend her life. Would she even want me? Does she even think of me in such a way?

I camped among the flowers, lining the trailer’s door up with the pool so it would be the first thing Sophia would see. Exhausted, I quickly rinsed myself and joined Sophia in the trailer, careful to arrange my long limbs around her sleeping body so as not to disturb her.

I slept poorly, too worried to let myself drift away, until Sophia snuggled her body against mine. In an instant, her presence comforted me and I drifted off, knowing Sophia would recover.

I dreamt of lifetimes with Sophia, each one perfect and pure. In one, we were prospectors, searching for ore-rich planets. In another, we had lived thousands of years together, ruling the Draksian Empire. We sat on thrones, old and weathered, and still full of love.

Sophia

I woke in the cool quiet of the trailer, spooning with Brannic. I laid there for a moment, simply listening to his slow, steady breaths. Brannic’s arm wrapped around my waist, holding me tight against his body. I tried to deny how much I treasured those moments—where I could pretend Brannic and I were more than just contestants thrown together randomly.

Well, that was close… Add almost dying by dehydration and heat stroke on an alien planet to the List of Ways I’ve Almost Died. Almost—until Brannic saved me.

A canteen laid against my forehead. I didn’t bother wondering how it got there, I opened it and drank my fill.

Strange…my arms don’t ache. I might have hoped to survive that, but I hadn’t even dreamed I would feel good the next day.

My full bladder screamed at me then. I tried to slip out of Brannic’s arm, but the damn thing was so heavy, I ended up elbowing him until he rolled over. I slid to the door and out, into the evening’s dying light.

Beautiful, blue flowers blanketed the sand surrounding the sparkling waters of an oasis. Tall, broad-leafed trees jutted into the sky and aquatic plants choked the oasis’ banks. Long-legged, stork-like creatures prowled the shallows, looking for prey and hundreds of birds gathered in the trees.

“Wow—”

A loud grunt, followed by a slithering sound drew my gaze. My eyes fell on, what I could only describe as, an armored slug the size of a two-story building. I eeped. My hands flew to my mouth to stifle any further noise I might make.

The massive, tank-slug, creature thing slithered by on thousands of tiny tentacles, with longer tentacles feeding the blue flowers into its mouth. Amazed, I stepped closer to get a better view. Then I noticed the giganto-slug brought friends.

I counted sixteen of the massive creatures meandering about in the flowers, stuffing their mouths. Birds flocked to the top of their chitinous, armored shells. The beasts grunted to each other as they ate, never stopping, never resting.

My bladder screamed at me, again. Fairly certain the giant slugs cared only for the blue flowers, I scurried off to relieve myself, then went for a swim. I dove into the oasis and pulled myself through the water in long strokes.

I swam over to the shallows and washed myself. One of my hands smashed one of the chubby aquatic plants. The plant’s innards squelched all over my hands. I washed it off, cursing my luck, hoping I didn’t try to die of an allergic reaction—and realized the plant was really great soap.

When I didn’t turn red, stop breathing, or get high, I found more of the plant and washed my hair, too.

I smell…lemony with a hint of pineapple and…cheese?

I shrugged. At that point in my journey, I would have been happy smelling like a fart, as long as I was clean. I wrung out my hair and returned to the trailer, watching the slug creatures wander through their blue-flower feast.

“Bless the Ancestress, you are well, Sophia!”

Brannic’s exuberant shout froze me in my tracks, stiff as a statue. His arms followed his shout, and the next thing I knew, he swept me up in his arms and hugged me so hard I struggled to breathe. I beat against his massive arms.

“Can’t…breathe…Bran’c—”

Brannic relaxed and I leaned back. I sucked in deep breaths, transfixed by the pure joy on his face. He stroked locks of wet hair from my forehead. His gaze cut to the core of my soul.

“Sorry. Oh, Sophia, I was so worried. Why? Why did you push yourself so hard? I almost lost you…I know you are tough, but you are Human, Sophia. No one expects you to keep up with a Draks!”

I placed a hand over his mouth to stop his blubbering. Electric sparks seared my hand where we touched. Five-hundred and fifty-two, almost fifty-three, years of desire crackled in Brannic’s eyes. Whispered words escaped his lips before he could stop them.

“I just found you and I almost lost you…”

He leaned his head on mine and closed his eyes. He rocked us both as we exchanged heavy breaths.

“I couldn’t stop, Brannic… We have to win. For Jake, for your people… I would never forgive myself, if I held you back—”

Brannic chuckled.

“Oh, Sophia—sweet, fierce, indomitable, Sophia. Worry not over such things. Please, you must take care of yourself. Pace yourself. For what we must do, we need all of you—alive and healthy.”

Brannic turned the full force of his Imperial gaze on and pinned me with a breath-taking stare. Emotions, far stronger and fiercer than any I had ever experienced, coursed through me. Whatever defenses or rationalizations I had used to keep Brannic out withered under the intensity of his gaze. He whispered with such raw desire my body tried to melt.

“Promise me, Sophia.”

I nodded, speechless. Instead of promising, I responded in the only way I could think of.

I kissed him.

Our lips touched. The heat of Brannic’s lips seared my flesh like liquid fire, igniting every nerve. The giant, armored slugs ceased to exist. The trees swaying in the breeze ceased to exist. Whatever we had thought we were going to do next, however we had thought we were going to behave, and all other concerns and considerations, fell away from us as the world faded.

I wrapped my arms around Brannic’s neck and lost myself. Our lips parted. Our tongues touched and danced, tasting, exploring each other. Pleasure erupted like fireworks in my head and my skin felt more alive everywhere he touched me.

Without another word, Brannic carried me back to our trailer. I don’t know how he avoided tripping on the way, but I refused to give up the #1 Greatest Kiss of All Time. Somehow, he got the door open and set me inside.

He put his hands around my hips and held me there long enough to break our kiss. We panted, staring into each other, all pretense burned away in our passion. His chest heaved. His eyes smoldered.

“Sophia…are you sur—”

“Get in here and kiss me, Brannic.”

I dashed for the other side of the mattress and Brannic followed faster than I ever thought any being that large could move.

Brannic

I closed the trailer’s door behind me. A second later, I heard the mechanical thunk of a camera drone crash into the outside of the door, but I only had eyes for Sophia. She laid on her back and removed the small, upper garment across her chest.

Transfixed, I forgot to breathe. Alone together, aroused, and in such a small space, Sophia’s mouth-watering aroma mingled with my own musk. Her delicious, natural scent intoxicated me. My head spun and my eyes glazed.

Everything moved to the simultaneous rhythm of our two, beating hearts. Her eyelids hung low. Her lips and cheeks had puffed and reddened. My gaze met hers and I forgot to breathe again.

The face, which had worn such strength for our entire journey so far, softened. I drew in a deep drought of her scent, savoring each note. I let my own walls, my own internal protections, built up over centuries, fall aside and I met Sophia’s vulnerability with my own.

“Are you just gonna kneel there and stare?”

“Forgive me for taking a moment to savor the exquisite perfection of your physical form, Sophia. I…have not been…so intimate with anyone for some time.”

Sophia giggled. Her hips wiggled in a most alluring fashion.

“Well, if you’re going to put it like that, take all the time you need. But, while you’re feasting your eyes, maybe you could touch me, too?”

“Oh, Sophia…I would like nothing more…I have never been with a Human—”

Sophia chuckled and traced a finger over her chest, between her breasts, and down her belly.

“How much different can it be? I’ve never been with an alien—or an Emperor—but I don’t see anything about you that won’t work.”

She flicked her finger at the erection straining my suit bottoms.

“What if I hurt you, Sophia…”

“Tell you what, if I’m not enjoying something, I’ll let you know, and we can try something else.”

My eyes darted to hers, blazing with the intensity of my desire.

“I accept your terms, Sophia.”

A soft moan escaped Sophia’s lips. Her eyes fluttered and her hips rocked. She still wore the scrap of cloth over her most private areas—the only parts of her body I had yet to witness. I slid my palm across her thigh, from her knee to the tiny piece of fabric.

I stroked my thumb over the center, where her body had soaked through the thin fabric. Sophia shuddered under my touch. A grin spread across my face. Sophia panted, watching my every move, quivering in anticipation of my next play.

I curled a finger under the tiny garment’s thin strap and ripped them from her in one, swift jerk. Sophia’s back arched. A puff of her delicious perfume flooded my sensitive nose. Slowly, I leaned over her, bringing my lips to her ear and whispered.

“Let me show you what five-hundred years of sexual experience feels like.”

Sophia’s body arched up to meet mine. Her legs wrapped around my waist. Her eyes rolled back and she sucked in a sudden breath.

“Fuck, yes—”

With her expression of consent and submission, I ended her words with a kiss. I laid my lips on hers and Sophia threw her arms around my neck. Her lips parted with a moan and my tongue sought out hers.

Sophia met me, passion for passion, our tongues touching. Pleasure streaked through my mind, waking every nerve. I slid a palm down her body and over her breasts and belly and rested my hand over the throbbing heat of her perfect folds.

With Sophia’s little moans and whimpers as my guide, I explored her with my fingers. I slid my fingers through her folds, exploring every contour. Unable to resist a second longer, I scooped as much of her precious nectar onto a fingertip as I could find and brought it to my mouth.

I sucked her juices off, luxuriating in the perfection of her taste. Rather than satisfy my curiosity, the taste only whetted my desire.

“Oh, Sophia…”

I refused to deny myself for even another second. I lifted her, rolled onto my back in the cramped space of the camper, and brought her perfect pussy to my lips. I dragged my tongue through her dripping folds in one, long lap.

Sophia trembled atop me. I wrapped my arms around her hips and pulled her tight against my face, learning every inch of her through my tongue. I lapped at her entrance and all the way up her pubic bone where I discovered a feature I had never before encountered.

At the top of her silky folds protruded a swollen, fleshy nub. I ran my tongue around it, taking its measure. Sophia shuddered harder. Her body rocked on my mouth and she whispered little yesses.

Whatever this thing I have discovered is called, I love it already.

I lapped at her folds again, until I heard unintelligible mumbles, then sucked on the newly discovered nub. Sophia screamed and flooded my mouth with her nectar. Confident with the nub and licking her folds, I let my hands explore her flesh.

I ran my hands over her hips and legs. I stroked my fingers down her spine and over the soft skin of her breasts. She leaned into my touch as I ran my fingers over her round ass and down to join my exploration of her folds.

I teased her entrance with a finger until she sobbed and begged me for more, lapping and sucking on her dripping, swollen folds. I pressed two of my big fingers inside of her. As slick as she was, the fingers slid right in.

Sophia cried out and slapped her hips into my face. I felt her inner walls stretch around my thick fingers and began to explore, stroking her with each thrust of her hips. I curled my fingertips, finding a little place inside.

Sophia arched back and cried out. Smug I had discovered another of her secrets, I vowed to use the knowledge to pleasure her until she begged me to stop. I stroked into her, long and deep, and sucked on the fleshy nub.

Sophia cried out, half sobbing. Her inner walls clenched on my fingers over and over. She drew in a deep breath and screamed. Fresh, sweet nectar flooded my mouth and I lapped up every drop.

Sophia collapsed atop me, panting. I pulled her perfect body back to my face, not yet satisfied, and lapped long, slow strokes. She whimpered in my arms, shuddering waves of pleasure still rolling through her body.

I lapped and lapped until her body tensed again, sliding my hands over her hips and thighs. I lapped up across her dark star and into her tunnel, filling her with my thick tongue. Sophia revived. She ground herself onto my face. I curled my tongue to find the same place my fingertips had discovered inside of her earlier.

I trapped one of her nipples in my fingers and tugged. Sophia cried out. Her tunnel clenched on my tongue, so I pounded the special spot inside of her harder with my tongue’s tip. Her nectar flooded my face again.

I slowly lapped up every drop until Sophia slid off of me to the side.

“Brannic…we have to stop…I can’t take it…”

I chuckled and drew her into my arms. I curled myself around her, quite pleased with my efforts. I snuggled up to her ear.

“Are you certain? I could do that for days.”

She panted and whimpered.

“You’re trying to kill me…”

“Ah, Sophia, but what a way to go.”

Sophia

Invigorated by Emperor Brannic’s unquenchable appetite for making me orgasm, I woke in a better mood than I had enjoyed in ages. For a moment, I considered feeling guilty but I quickly came to my senses.

Why in the world—any world—would I want to feel guilty over that? Maybe a little shy when he wakes, but there wasn’t a damn thing wrong about yesterday. Really, I just need more underwear…

I wrapped my shirt around my hips and put on my bra, then climbed out of the trailer. I called out until a camera drone appeared.

“Hello, galaxy. I seem to have run out of clothing, since I didn’t exactly get to pack before this…excursion. As much as some of you may think leaving me without clothes is a great idea, I’m Human and not likely to survive long in this desert without, at least, something to wear. Not to be a burden, but if someone could send me something, I would be ever so grateful.”

I leaned against the little camper to wait. A drone flew up a moment later and deposited a small crate beside me. I opened it and pulled out a pair of boy shorts with Brannic’s face over the ass and a T-shirt. A rectangular photo had been printed across the front.

“Is this…a…dick pic?”

I shuddered and considered asking for scissors, then noticed a two-piece swimsuit in the case I couldn’t see before. I decided to change into the swimsuit and stashed the rest in the trailer.

I took my evening swim, washing away all the physical evidence of this morning’s passion. Memories flashed through my mind, trying to reignite my body for more.

Calm down. He’s an Emperor. As soon as we win, he has an entire Empire to go back to. He’s not going to abandon his people to live on Earth with a waitress, trying to pretend to be Human. He’d need a disguise…which doesn’t matter, because it won’t happen.

I shrugged off all contemplations of a future with Brannic and returned my mind to practical matters. I looked around the oasis. The giant slug-things had eaten most of the flowers and had begun to follow each other deeper into the desert.

I walked back to our little camper where Brannic stretched. My heart skipped a beat and I worried how he would react to me. Would everything be different now?

When Brannic’s gaze fell on me, a grin spread across his lips.

“Greetings.”

His joy in seeing me filled me. I felt myself blush, just in response.

“Morning. What is our agenda for the day, Emperor? More walking?”

“Call me Brannic. I have an idea, but we’ll have to run fast. If we jump on one of those giant creatures, we can ride to the next oasis.”

I glanced at the last of the slugs slinking off, into the endless sand.

“You go right ahead. You obviously want to ride one. I think I’ll just set the trailer’s SmartFollow and relax. We still have gifts to open and I don’t see why I would want to trudge through sand if I don’t have to.”

Brannic laughed, then began packing our camp.

“Excellent idea and, yes, I suppose I could just ride one for fun.”

We stuffed our things into the trailer and set the SmartFollow to trail the closest giant slug-beast. We walked into the sunset, discussing how, if we had the materials, we could affix some chairs on top of the trailer.

A few minutes later, drones arrived with a luxurious bench seat and two small construction drones. The construction drones attached the luxury bench seat to the roof of the trailer, then installed a ladder up to the roof.

“Your people really do love you, don’t they?”

Brannic looked surprised.

“I can only hope they love me as much as I love them. I have lived for their prosperity for a very long time and regret not even a galactic minute.”

Be still my heart! Would he—could he ever love Jake or me as much?

We spent the next few days riding or walking along behind the great slugs. Without the need to walk from destination to destination, we chatted, sharing small stories of our lives. I described my life as a waitress, and he told me of peoples he had met and worlds he’d seen.

We opened package after package filled with seemingly random items, most of which I couldn’t identify. Brannic seemed pleased with the items—except for the photo-print T-shirt of my first intergalactic dick pic.

Brannic carried that one outside. He flagged down a camera drone, held the shirt up for a clear view, and told the sender to report to the closest medical facility. I stopped him before he tried to explain, firmly believing there were certain things I didn’t want to know about the galaxy.

Once all the items had been unwrapped, Brannic fiddled with the pieces, taking them apart and fitting them together in new ways. I looked forward to seeing what he would make, certain it would be useful.

Another day passed without a drop of water in sight and our water stores grew low. I began to worry, but the slug caravan crested a hill and we followed it down into a sea of blue flowers ringing a large oasis.

I banged on the trailer door. It swung open and Brannic popped his head out.

“Yes?”

“Oasis.”

“That’s wonderful. Give me a minute to put everything up and we’ll swim.”

“Love it. I’ll get the SmartFollow.”

I turned off the SmartFollow and climbed down from my perch. We began to set up camp and prepare for our swim when I heard the sound of drones. I groaned, turned, and shouted out, into the air.

“If it’s another dick pic, don’t bother!”

The display screen lit. Plabz and Kvorkt grinned up at me.

That may be worse than a dick pic.

“Congratulations, Sophia and Emperor Excrement Face—”

“Hahaha, Plabz. Emperor Excreme—”

“Get on with it. Brannic can’t even hear you right now. What do you want?”

“Ah, Sophia. Congratulations, your team has reached your first Challenge!”

“Yes, they have, Plabz. Yes, they have.”

“What do they have to look forward to, Kvorkt?”

“Only tomorrow will tell, Plabz. Rest well, Sophia, for tomorrow, you challenge!”

Brannic

The clamoring of alarms outside the trailer drove me from a deep sleep curled around Sophia and out the door in a heartbeat. Sophia crawled out after me, still adjusting her swim top. Sirens and alarms hung from drones hovering around the trailer. In a quick series of acrobatic moves, I took out the nearest six.

“Shut them off or you lose all the drones.”

The alarms instantly ceased at my threat and the drones flew away. A broadcast drone replaced them, Plabz and Kvorkt smiling at us from the display. Sophia stepped close and glared at the screen.

“Why are you dressed like cowboys?”

“Good of you to notice, Sophia. Emily has inspired us, hasn’t she, Kvorkt?”

“Yes, she has, Plabz. Yes, she has. Emily is one of our greatest competitors this season.”

“That she is, Kvorkt. Emily and Ralkor, the gladiator, are in the lead, in fact.”

“Sophia and the disgraced Emperor—”

Sophia stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips

“Enough! No one cares about your speculations or opinions, you little goblins! You mentioned a challenge and you’ve ruined the best sleep I’ve had in years. Now, you better change your clothes before the Texans see you. Texans are nuts. You don’t want to know what they’ll do to you, when they get ahold of you.”

I raised an eyebrow, impressed by Sophia’s tirade. She looked at me and shrugged.

“If we run into either of the Texans, you’ll understand. There is just no way to explain Texas. It’s really just an experience.”

I chuckled, indeed looking forward to anyone who impressed Sophia.

“I look forward to it, Sophia.”

“I can’t guarantee that’s a good idea, but—if we can get them on our side—they’ll fight to the death out of pure spite.”

“Then I heartily look forward to it—”

“Forgive our interruption, Emperor, but it’s Challenge time! Kvorkt, can you tell us about today’s challenge?”

“Certainly, Plabz. I must admit, I am very excited about this one. We have something special for Emperor Brannic.”

“Fans, get ready. I smell a vote in the works. Am I right, Kvorkt?”

“You are, Plabz. You are. That’s right, galactic fans, it is time to vote. Emperor Brannic, at the next oasis, awaits a new ColonyMaster Platinum Deluxe Base Camp. ColonyMaster, everything you need to conquer a planet.”

“That’s right, Kvorkt! The ColonyMaster Platinum Deluxe Base Camp provides everything you need to start your colony right.”

“That’s right, Plabz. Once you find the perfect place for your dream home on your new planet, just select the Homestead option and your base camp will expand.”

“Kvorkt, designed by the greatest minds ColonyMaster could enslave across the galaxy, the Platinum Base Camp provides everything you need for four large-sized beings to survive their first twelve galactic-standard months under any conditions—”

Knowing Snaughians could talk all day without tiring, if given the chance, I interrupted Plabz and Kvorkt.

“And what is the challenge?”

“That’s simple, Emperor. Isn’t it, Kvorkt?”

“True, Plabz. All you have to do is make it there alive.”

Sophia looked concerned and began glancing over her shoulder. Her voice quavered when she spoke, as if she sensed danger coming.

“Survive what, you lumpy piles of dumpster scum?”

“Haha. Oh, Kvorkt, Humans are so colorful.”

“That they are. Fans, vote now! You decide which of these galactic horrors we release!”

“Vote now!”

Sophia glared at the display screen. On it were pictured some of the most horrific creatures to exist in the known galaxy. She cut her eyes to me.

“Emperor? These Snaughians must be stopped. If you can guarantee my brother’s safety, I want to join your cause. I love my brother, but I can’t stand the thought that Snaughians continue to exist and terrorize good people, after I go back.”

My heart raced, pounding in my chest.

Yes! I want you to stay with me, to…choose to stay. I will give you anything, Sophia.

“I vow on my Empire your brother will be safe.”

Sophia’s eyes sparkled, but she did not cry. She glanced back at the screen. A very large, armored creature—made mostly of spindly legs with razor-sharp, chitinous blades adorning each leg—seemed to be receiving the most votes.

“Then we have an agreement. Might I suggest I cling to the bench up top and you start running now? Whatever they decide on will be terrible and I don’t see any reason to wait around for it when we don’t have to.”

I moved a wisp of hair from her cheek with a fingertip.

“You are very clever, Sophia.”

Her cheeks shone and she smiled. Then she looked at the bench and pointed.

“Can I get a boost?”

“Certainly.”

I wrapped my hands around her waist and lifted her to the seat up top. She looked behind us.

“Better start running! I see a dust cloud! And, someone, get me a gun! That I can shoot with my human hands, don’t start getting clever on me now.”

I ran to the trailer’s interface and set the SmartFollow, then ran for all I was worth. I sprinted past the few giant slugs eating the last of the oasis flowers and into the sand. I ran in long strides, wind at my back.

The joy of movement, of pumping legs and pounding heart, filled me. My lungs drew in great droughts of air, feeding my body with fuel. I glanced back once. Sophia clutched a gun in one hand and the bench in the other, hair streaming behind her in the wind.

Behind us both ran the spindle-legged creature which must have won the vote. It was much, much larger than it looked on the display.

How do we survive this? Is it heat tolerant? Cold tolerant? How fast—

Considering how quickly it gained on us, it moved fast enough. I returned my gaze to the sand in front of me and ran even faster than I ran before I looked. From behind me, I heard Sophia shout.

“I don’t know what this gun does, but I’m gonna shoot it. Prepare yourself!”

Sophia

Emperor Brannic, my alien lover, ran faster than any Human. Our trailer following, he sprinted across the sand. Legs pumping, each of his long strides brought us closer to the next oasis. The wind whipped my hair into my eyes like I was standing up, through a car’s sunroof on the highway.

A drone zoomed up and handed me a pack of hair ties. I wondered how the Snaughians had managed to acquire Earth products for about half a second. I took the hair ties and fought to secure my hair, deciding that wasn’t the moment’s important detail.

The giant, spindly-legged, crab-spider-monster thing gaining on us seemed far more important. Another drone arrived, carrying a large device I hoped was a gun. Long and sleek, designed with the practicality of military equipment everywhere, the thing sure looked like a weapon to me.

I wrapped my hands around it and the drone flew away. I hefted the weapon to get a feel for it. Solid, and a little heavier than Uncle Julius’ rifle, the design reminded me of a rocket launcher.

I wonder what the kick on this thing is like.

I leaned over the bench and yelled at Brannic, waving the weapon so he couldn’t miss it.

“How bad does this kick? I don’t want to get knocked off the bench. Won’t do either of us any good, if I miss on the first shot and fall off this trailer.”

Brannic immediately fussed with his belt. He stripped it off and tossed it back to me. Luckily, I caught it.

“Strap yourself down, Sophia! Your legs!”

Good idea—

“And your gun is backwards. Point the other end at that thing behind us.”

“Brannic, I’m naming that thing Ben, for my Junior High bully.”

Brannic smiled and waved at me. I strapped my legs to the bench, flipped my futuristic space rifle around, and aimed. Successfully aiming anything while strapped to a bench bolted onto the top of a futuristic teardrop trailer while bumping over sand dunes requires skill—more skill than I had.

As soon as I flipped the gun around, my finger had found the trigger button. I pressed it. A ball of crackling energy thunked out of the weapon’s end and streaked, uselessly into the sky.

Ok, now I know what to expect.

Fresh determination and my general rage against the Snaughians, strengthened my spine. With a feral yell of rebellion, I aimed much better the second shot and pressed the trigger. A second ball of energy thunked from the weapon and directly at the nightmare of spindly legs nearly upon us.

The ball of energy hit Ben close to where I aimed, ripping through legs and armor. Ben screeched and tumbled into the sand. I cheered, joyful and triumphant.

“I hit it!”

Ben broke into thirty miniBens, all of which scrambled across the sand. Though not as fast as, or as large as the SuperBen, the critters still gained ground on us. I screamed in frustration. Creep shudders coursed through my shoulders.

“Die already!”

I blasted the thickest clusters of the horrors. To the symphony of screeches, spindly legs flew in all directions. Clusters of little monsters fell to the sand, only to be overrun by more, intact miniBens.

Some stopped to scavenge their fallen, forgetting all else other than an easy meal—but not enough for my taste. I blasted every twitching leg, every chittering mouth, and grotesque mouthpart which dared to wave. I blasted cluster after cluster of them, screaming with each shot.

“And that’s for winning first place in the talent show we all know you only got ‘cause your daddy was the Mayor!”

High on satisfying my deep-seated resentments with exploding miniBens, I shot and shot, blowing each creepy nightmare of thin, spindly legs into oblivion until my really cool space rifle would fire no more.

My chest heaved. Adrenaline rushed through my veins. I understood what people meant when they said they ‘saw red’. I felt alive, muscles on fire, focus sharp and more real and alive than I had ever known before.

I shook the spent weapon. When it did not fix itself, I screamed at it and threw it as far as I could.

“Someone, get me another gun!”

“Sophia—”

I turned to face Brannic, high on my spree of glorious destruction.

“Do you have my new gun?”

Brannic shook his head, waving his hands at me.

What does he want?

“No, I don’t. We don’t need a gun anymore.”

“What? Why not? I’m killing miniBens.”

Brannic spoke with the most soothing voice I had yet heard escape his lips. I cocked my head, realizing I might be missing something about this conversation.

“You already killed all the manybends, as you call them.”

The what?

Oh.

My gaze snapped around. The only miniBen I could see laid on the sand, a smoldering ruin. Around us, a blanket of blue flowers encircled the clear, glassy waters of an oasis. On the other side of the oasis sat, what looked to me like, the love child of a two-bedroom house and a tank.

My nostrils flared and my body calmed. Waves of heat radiated from my chest. I drew in deep breaths. Brannic chuckled, then unstrapped his belt from my legs. I had forgotten the belt.

And the strap, and legs. I lost myself in the destruction.

My head spun a little bit and I let Brannic lift me down from the top of the little trailer. My fierce, combat-hazed gaze tangled with Brannic’s soothing green eyes and I realized my heart hammered in my chest. He stroked a hand down the side of my face and spoke in gentle whispers.

“We won, Sophia. You fought as fiercely as any of my greatest warriors. Breathe, Sophia. Breathe and let yourself calm. Let us go for a swim, to clear your system of your natural fight stimulants, yes?”

I nodded in little jerks, still panting from the effects of the fight. I closed my eyes and leaned into him, letting the remainder of my thoughts float away. I knew I was safe, in Brannic’s arms, and needed no further comfort.

Brannic

I carried Sophia through the trees, arms wrapped around her. She clung to my neck. Her heart pounded against my chest like a caged bird. Her eyes, irises wide and deep, rolled in their sockets. She panted and her body felt afire.

My feet broke the surface of the oasis. Concentric rings of tiny waves spread out from each of my steps. I carried Sophia into the water, her exhausted body limp and trembling. I spoke soft, soothing words, pacing them to relax the rapid beats of her heart.

“Oh, Sophia, you Humans are so fierce. I had already seen the strength in your heart, but now I see your Human determination to survive. To survive so much and adapt so well.”

I stroked a strand of hair from her face and we both slid into the water. Heat leached from her, warming the cool waters surrounding us. Sophia drew in her first deep breath and sighed.

“I remember my first blood lust.”

Sophia’s eyebrows crawled up her forehead and she spoke, voice throaty and hoarse from all her fierce screams.

“I thought you were Emperor Peace and Prosperity.”

I chuckled and found a submerged rock on which to sit.

“There are always those, like the Snaughians, who seek power through the exploitation of others, and I have stood against such exploitative societies many times, in defense of my people. I simply prefer to handle things through less destructive means, whenever possible.”

As Sophia calmed, and her heart relaxed to a more normal pace, she slumped.

“Brannic, I suddenly feel like I’m made of lead.”

“Do you want me to carry you to our new accommodations? I expect it to be quite comfortable.”

Sophia stirred, lifting her head by sheer force of will. She pointed at the ColonyMaster Platinum Deluxe Base Camp awaiting our inspection.

“The housetank?”

“What is a tank?”

“Mobile, armored, military, ground vehicle built around a very, very large gun. With tracks like those. Smaller than a house, but bigger than the other trailer.”

I imagined what she described for a moment then nodded.

“If you’ve come down from your bloodlust?”

Sophia gazed into my eyes. Her perfect face softened into the most vulnerable, hopeful expression I had ever seen.

“Does it… Do you think there’s a…bathtub?”

Surprised, my eyes darted between Sophia’s face and the trailer.

“I suppose we shall have to check.”

Sophia nodded then collapsed against me.

“I thought about it, Brannic. My pride tells me I can make it on my own, but my body tells me my pride can go fuck itself. I might crawl there on my own by morning, but I’d prefer to get really clean and pass the fuck out for a while…”

“So, I may carry you?”

Sophia responded with a snore. Chuckling, I set the little trailer’s SmartFollow to synchronize with the housetank, as Sophia called it, and carried her inside. She woke long enough to help me get her cleaned up and into a bed large enough for six Draksians.

I watched her sleep for a moment, indulging my personal, secret adoration. Then, I turned away and transferred our supplies from the small trailer. I set all the clothing to sanitize and added what remained of the small trailer’s food stores to the housetank’s fully stocked pantry.

I refilled the small trailer’s water tank and shoved all the collected bits and pieces of junk I had stripped away from the parts Captain Plorik smuggled to me—under the guise of random items—into the housetank’s recycler.

Sophia slept long through the remainder of the day and I didn’t even bother to let in the broadcast drone that evening. Instead, I worked with the collection of parts Captain Plorik had sent, preparing for the next stage of my plan.

The next few days passed much the same. We drove the housetank through the desert’s endless sand dunes. At first, I worried the entire house would tilt on a slope, but the machinery kept the house level while the four sets of triangular tracks adjusted to every divot in the terrain.

Garglax II’s star rose and set in spectacular displays of color and shimmering auroras. When we stopped to refill our water stores, the wind whipped sand in our faces. The entire time, I remained painfully aware of Sophia’s presence.

She had not indicated any interest in furthering a relationship, or deepening our intimacy, so I held back my feelings out of respect. Holding back those feelings only compressed them, forging them into a deep yearning which ate at my soul.

Have I found my Empress? I have never met anyone with such heart or determination. Living without her in my arms is torture.

We passed a long column of giant, armored slugs I watched from the housetank’s kitchen window.

Sophia intoxicates me…she floats through my mind every minute—her fire and joy and…everything. Each detail about herself she has been taught is a flaw—looks perfect to me. How could anyone want her to be anyone else? I love who she is—all of her.

Then my thoughts punched me in the gut.

I love all of Sophia. I love Sophia. But it has been lifetimes, for most species, since a Draksian found their fated mate. Is she…my destiny? Am I destined to be with her? Does it matter. What matters destiny, when I love her so strongly.

The sky outside the window darkened. Concerned, I walked to the housetank’s control room and checked the housetank’s advanced sensors. A small, red light blinked on one of the consoles.

“Sandstorm? Yes, I want to engage Emergency Sandstorm protocols…”

I punched the Start button. The housetank rolled to a stop. The display screen played a simple animation of the program’s progression. Anchors exploded from the housetank’s undercarriage and into the sand all around.

The tips of the anchors drilled down into the sand, until the oncoming storm had little chance of dislodging the structure. Protective blast shields covered all the windows and a small shield generator surrounded the entire house in a protective bubble.

With little else to do until the storm passed, I searched the housetank for Sophia, hoping she was my destiny.

Sophia

While Brannic busied himself for the last three days fiddling with the gifts we had been sent, I explored the housetank. The height of intergalactic luxury, the place put the little house Jake and I rented on Earth to shame.

A bathroom any tv home renovator would cream over separated two bedrooms four times larger than my bedroom back home on the housetank’s second floor. The first floor sported a half-bath the size of my old bedroom, a massive living area, storage sheds, a bay for anti-grav vehicles, and the chef’s kitchen of my dreams.

By the fourth day in the housetank, Brannic and I had fallen into a comfortable, domestic rhythm. We woke and set the housetank’s autopilot with the day’s course. Considering we travelled through sand, sand, and more sand each day, the autopilot required little supervision.

We made breakfast and checked the upper balcony for new packages delivered during the night. Brannic brought in the gifts each morning and sorted them into categories I didn’t bother to guess. I had asked him about it once and he spewed a lot of intergalactic technical talk I didn’t understand. I had avoided asking too many intergalactic tech questions thereafter.

I made breakfast while he fussed with his strange gifts. Sometimes, Brannic barked a joyous laugh and raced off with some contraption he’d put together. That morning, he laughed triumphantly over something he created from three, small, space tv’s and something that looked like an over-complicated space toaster.

Before I could ask what delighted him so, or serve the frozen meal I’d thrown into the futuristic equivalent of a space microwave—I had no idea what the galaxy called any of this stuff, or how it worked—Brannic ran off, again. With a sigh, I followed, carrying our steaming plates.

I found him in the housetank’s control room, installing yet another after-market modification. I set his plate on the counter and leaned on the door frame. I picked at my food, trying morsel after unidentifiable morsel, and watched him work.

If that day passed the same way as the previous three days, I expected to find time to finish the intergalactic Romance series I found on the housetank’s entertainment system. In the last episode I watched, Varlax yearned for Kalkop, but didn’t dare admit how he felt, while Kalkop yearned for Tigigifit, but Tigigifit only had eyes for Varlax—twelve eyes, to be precise—and I just loved a good love triangle.

And, later, we’ll sit by the living room fireplace with the curtains open and watch the galaxy streak through the sky in twinkling points of light, playing music from thousands of worlds and species, talking gently…then go to bed. Separately.

With so much space, each of us had taken a bedroom—and I missed his arms holding me through the night.

Would he want to know I miss him? He always seems happy to see me—but he generally seems happy, so does that mean anything? Does he miss me? He hasn’t even tried anything…since—but, neither have I.

I bit into something which tasted like a chocolate-covered, candied lime rind and moaned in appreciation, wondering what it was called. I tried to refrain from asking too many questions, though. I learned early that I did not want to know where most intergalactic delicacies came from.

“You look more excited about this component than the others.”

“That is because this is the key component, Sophia. I am finally ready to move on to the next stage of my plan.”

My eyebrows shot up my forehead and I mumbled around a mouthful of the chocolatey food.

“Oh yeah? How so?”

Brannic grinned and winked at me. He pushed a button.

“The housetank is now transmission-proof. None of the Snaughian drones can enter the house or record anything inside of the house. I apologize for waiting so long, but now we can speak freely.”

I blinked trying to clear the food from my mouth so I could ask all my questions without spraying Brannic with chocolatey goo.

I never even considered he wanted to clue me in. Why? I’m just an Earth waitress.

Brannic picked up his plate of food in one hand and held the other out to me.

“Come, Sophia. I will tell you everything. I have wanted to for so long, but I couldn’t risk the Snaughians listening.”

“Ok.”

I took his hand, stunned and speechless. He led me back into the kitchen and we took seats at the breakfast bar. The barstool seats swiveled, and I couldn’t help myself. I swiveled side to side, waiting for Brannic to explain his secrets.

And, if anyone calls me childish for enjoying a swiveling barstool, I shall simply claim to be exercising my abs. But…there is no one here to complain and Brannic has never called me childish.

A realization struck me and I forgot to listen to Brannic for a moment.

Actually, Brannic has never treated me as less—even though he is Emperor of a hundred worlds, he has never spoken down to me. Or belittled me in any way, for that matter. Or complained when I needed care…

I shook my head, trying to clear it, forcing myself to focus on what Brannic said. I held up a hand to stop him.

“I’m sorry, I just had a brain fart. I remember nothing you’ve said. Can you please start over?”

“I understand. I’m so excited, I threw a lot at you at once. The important part of my tirade is that we have to fake our own deaths.”

“Excuse me?”

“We fake our deaths. Now that I’ve finished assembling the cloak and modifying the anti-grav.”

“You did what, now?”

“That’s where the explosives come in. We create an explosion, leave a little debris—mostly the leftover parts from the gifts—”

“We have explosives?”

Brannic nodded, smiling.

“Oh, yes, Sophia. It is amazing what you can create out of household items. The manure stockpiles for the housetank’s environmental systems will amplify the entire thing.”

“You want to blow up our new housetank?”

“No, no. Not at all. This will be our new, mobile, undetectable, cloaked base of operations. We just blow things up, engage the cloak and shield, and disappear.”

Deep, deep, devious joy bloomed inside my core.

Time to take this game to the Snaughians!

Brannic

Sophia and I spent the remainder of that day preparing our deaths. I explained the plan to her as best I could, considering how little Humans knew of intergalactic technology. Sophia listened attentively and made no complaints—even when we packed the little camper trailer with explosives and bags of manure.

A bittersweet expression of sadness passed over Sophia’s face as we closed the little trailer’s door. We stood in the housetank’s vehicle bay, which Sophia insisted on calling a garage. Out of sight of the swarms of Snaughian drones trying to find a way into the house since I installed the jammer, we spoke freely.

“I might miss this little trailer a bit, Brannic. We spent so much time with it, I think I got attached.”

“If it distresses you, I can look for an alternative, though I had not planned for—”

She placed her fingertips on my lips to hush me. Desire streaked through my body. I barely breathed, wanting her touch to last forever.

“No. I joined your army, remember? I’m committed to your plan. I was just saying goodbye.”

I swallowed the emotions threatening to choke me, not wanting to impose my desires on Sophia without knowing she would welcome them. As calm and neutral as I endeavored to appear to her, I feared I could not keep the truth from my eyes.

A chime sounded and I walked to the nearest console. I pressed the button to open the comms line and heard General Zesiel’s voice crackle over the vehicle bay speakers.

“General Zesiel reporting.”

“Good to hear from you, General. Phase prepared, General. Twelve-hour timetable.”

“Phase prepared on our end, Emperor. Twelve-hour timetable starting in three, two, one—mark.”

I smiled at Sophia. She chewed at her nails, eyes wide, bouncing on her toes. I returned my attention to General Zesiel’s call.

“We are committed, General.”

“We are committed, Emperor. May you live forever.”

“I really hope not, General, but another seven-hundred years would be welcome.”

Zesiel chuckled over the comms and Sophia looked like she forgot to breathe.

I forgot Humans live such short lifetimes—though, if she is my fated mate…the rules may be different.

Hope surged inside of me, but I dared not allow myself the distraction.

“Thank you, General. That will be—”

“Emperor, forgive the interruption, but, before you sign off, may we speak with Sophia?”

Sophia pointed at her chest, words rushing from her in a flood.

“Me? Why would you ever want to talk to me? I swear I won’t try to harm your Emper—”

“Sophia, we have a message for you.”

“For me? Who could have anything to say to me?”

Sophia rushed to the console, staring at it, though General Zesiel communicated by voice only.

“Sophia?”

“Jakey? Jakey, is that you?”

“It’s me. Is it really you?”

Sophia slapped a hand to her mouth. Liquid pooled in her eyes, shimmering in the vehicle bay’s lights.

“Oh, Jakey. I’m so sorry I left so suddenly. I never wanted to leave you. I’m so sorry I wasn’t th—”

“Sophia, calm down, like you always tell me. I’m fine. At first, I worried, but then Captain Plorik came to the diner and bought me dinner. He explained what happened and I demanded to see you, so Captain Plorik took me to his spaceship.”

Shocked, Sophia sucked in a breath. A moment later, Sophia yelled at the console.

“What do you mean, you’re in space, Jakey? You…you…got in a spaceship with a stranger? Jakey, that’s worse than getting into a strange car! What if they wanted to hurt you?”

“Sophia, don’t yell. You always yell. Well, I am an adult and I can make my own decisions. As soon as I saw Captain Plorik, I knew he wasn’t Human. People don’t usually see me, but I see them and I know how Humans act. As soon as I knew, I wanted to go to space.”

Sophia sighed, body relaxing. She nodded her head and chuckled.

“You would see it that way, Jakey. Somehow, you always see the truth before anyone else does. Jakey? Be careful. For me, ok? This place I am, Garglax II, is so very dangerous…but I’m doing something really important. Can you forgive me for not being there?”

“What is there to forgive, Sophia? I joined the rebellion, too. We must stop the Snaughians! Viva la Revolution!”

Sophia held a hand over her mouth. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her body shuddered, but she controlled her voice and spoke with love and comfort.

“I love you, Jakey. I love you so much. Stay safe and I will see you when we win, ok? I have to go now and blow something up.”

“I love you, too, Sophia. Emperor Brannic’s people take good care of me. Don’t worry about me, Sophia, just beat the Snaughians.”

“Mission accepted, Jakey.”

Before anyone else could speak, Sophia ended the call and broke down in sobs. Before I could think, I pulled her into my arms and held her while weeks worth of worry for her brother poured out of her. I stroked her hair and held her until the deluge subsided. She drew back and looked up at me, face swollen and chapped.

“I’m sorry I snotted all over you.”

A deep belly laugh rumbled from my gut. I squeezed her to me one last time.

“Oh, Sophia, worry not. I and my battle suit wash clean, and you have no need to apologize for caring about people other than yourself. I built an entire Empire on the concept.”

Sophia laughed, then found a tissue and blew her nose.

“Would…would you be offended if I turned in early, Brannic? After everything, I just want a bath and bed. I’m too tired to cook.”

“I don’t mind at all. I’ll make some food while you’re in the bath. I’ll leave it on a tray outside your door. I have more to accomplish before my day is done and we will both need rest for tomorrow.”

Sophia nodded, blowing her nose again, then padded off upstairs, muttering as she left.

“Yes, I need to be well rested to die tomorrow.”

Sophia

I woke the next morning and prepared myself to die. I practiced a good oh-no-I’m-dying face in the full bath’s floor-length mirror—which never fogged up, no matter how hot I ran my bath. I marveled at many of the housetank’s features, wishing I had them back on Earth to go back to.

But…why go back? Jake is already in space with me. Knowing how much he loves sci-fi movies, can I even ask him to return to that tiny rental house with me? After all this, would either of us even be happy?

I turned from the mirror and dressed for the day. The house had come with a selection of…interesting outfit options I assumed were the height of fashion somewhere out there in the galaxy, but I had really expected more fabric. I found the most modest outfit available, which turned out to be a boat-necked, fuzzy, almost-sweater crop-top in a neutral gray.

Even without a proper bra, the garment seemed to magically keep my boobs covered—and afloat. Wondering how, I looked for a tag, but couldn’t read anything printed on it. I decided to ask Brannic about it, when we got to the talking-about-my-boobs stage.

Wait right there…stage of what? He’s an Emperor, I’m an ex-waitress turned intergalactic rebel. This…whatever it is…is not a relationship. A five-hundred and fifty-whatever-year-old Alien eating you out once does not a relationship make.

I pulled on a pair of comfortable jeans I know someone found in my closet on Earth. According to the paint stains, I wore these very same jeans when we painted the Solar system on the walls of Jake’s room.

Now, he’s flying in spaceships with aliens. He must be so happy. He sounded happy. I’m happy for him. Actually, now that I think about it…I’m just happy. What if I want this to be a relationship—like, the kind of relationship where I can just ask Brannic about this shirt levitating my boobs.

I left the restroom and went downstairs, and tried to leave my thoughts behind. Then my eyes fell on Brannic and all bets were off. I tore my eyes away from the glory that was the Draksian Emperor and opened the fridge, pretending to look for a snack.

“Ah! Sophia. Excellent timing. We die in an hour.”

“Sounds great. Are you hungry? My nerves want…popcorn, but I might settle for this orange pudding thing.”

“Thank you, but I already ate. I would have woken you for breakfast, but I did not want to disturb you.”

Warm fuzzies crawled into my belly, though I silently begged them to go away.

He doesn’t want me, he’s just really nice. Don’t get confused. He hasn’t even tried to kiss me, again. He’s the Emperor Who Cares About a Hundred Worlds, remember?

I gave up staring at the contents of the fridge, grabbed the orange substance and a spoon and stuffed my face while Brannic refreshed me on the plan. I hadn’t forgotten the plan, but, as long as I ate, I didn’t drool over his rippling, topless abs, either.

Brannic pinned a small ornament to my shirt.

“Stick to the plan, Sophia, and everything will be perfect.”

I nodded. We each took our places and counted down the minutes until we offed ourselves in a fiery explosion. The last minute ticked by. I glanced at Brannic. He nodded, and I opened the housetank’s front door.

I stepped onto the porch screaming and waving my arms in the air.

“Oh, no! The Emperor is dead! Fire! Fire! The house is on fire!”

Three…two…one…

I slapped the device he had attached to my shirt.

Brannic will push the trai—

A massive fireball erupted from directly below the vehicle bay, knocking me to the sand. The fire rolled over me, enveloping me. For a second, the world outside the personal shield Brannic gave me was made of liquid fire.

Get inside as quickly as you can—through the fire. I won’t burn. I have a shield. I won’t burn. And I better make it fast, before I breathe all the oxygen trapped in this shield with me.

I pushed myself to my feet and ran through the raging fire back into the front door. I dove through the threshold, rolling to look behind me. Everything outside the housetank was on fire. I ran to the housetank’s control room.

Grinning like a maniac, Brannic slapped a button. The housetank shuddered—then levitated into the air and out of the fiery hellscape of the explosion. I laughed, grabbing Brannic by the shoulders, then screamed in his face.

“We survived! Did it work?”

Laughing, Brannic nodded.

“Perfectly, Sophia. We cloaked at the perfect time and the housetank’s protocols prevented any damage. These are meant to survive anything.”

He gestured to the house.

“So…we are free of the Snaughians? We could leave? Your people could come find us?”

Brannic nodded, face suddenly serious.

“Would you leave the other Humans behind?”

“What? Fuck no. Let’s pick them up on the way off this planet.”

Brannic smiled. His entire body softened in a way that made me drool.

“This is the next phase of my plan. To get the others and get us all off this planet.”

For the next three days, we searched, flying our housetank through the air on after-market anti-grav upgrades. I sat on the balcony, within the protective bubble of the shield, staring at the ground.

At one point, I asked Brannic about life-signs detectors, like I had seen on tv. Brannic laughed, pointing out the entire planet was alive, so singling out a single life-form would require an entire survey ship’s equipment and computing power.

I have so much to learn about the galaxy…

Brannic and I took turns searching, switching to make meals or do chores when our eyes refused to search any further. Each day, we drew nearer and nearer the spire of Central Mountain.

I wondered who came up with such a boring name for a mountain. As a name, Central Mountain paled in comparison to Kilimanjaro or Mt. Fuji, but I supposed the Snaughians wanted an easily translatable name.

By the evening of the fourth day, I finally admitted to myself how much I had missed Brannic’s company during this endless search. Without his conversation and vivacious wit, I felt alone…and deprived.

Will I feel this way when we part? More importantly, do I even want to part with him? Think very hard, Sophia, before we let ourselves answer that question.

What do we really want—and why can’t we have it?

Brannic

Morning dawned bright and beautiful. The sun's first rays shone through the sheer curtains of my bedroom, drawing me from sleep with the promise of a new day and a fresh opportunity to locate one of the other couples.

I got myself ready, washing up and collecting a fresh battle suit from the laundry room. Sophia greeted me with a wave from the kitchen when I entered the open kitchen-dining-living space.

“Good morning, Sophia. How did you sleep?”

“A lot better, now that I can see more than sand outside the windows. The metallic grasses were a surprise, though.”

I chuckled and slid into one of the tall chairs at the kitchen counter space Sophia called a breakfast bar. I watched her cook while birds swirled past the living area’s tall windows. Sophia pinned me with a devious glance.

“Guess what I discovered while you slept in.”

“Uh…I couldn’t possibly. Too many factors and not enough clues. Tell me what you have discovered.”

“I’ll show you.”

Sophia pushed a button on the console and the picture-window wall retracted into the house’s walls, opening the house up to the lovely breeze and fresh air. Crisper, and far more pleasant than the scorching air of the desert, I scented birds, trees, grasses, soil, and all the flavors of life on the wind refreshing the house.

“That is lovely, Sophia. If we weren’t trying to save ourselves, everyone else on this planet, and defeat the Snaughians’ rapacious society, I would consider anchoring the housetank right here and making a home.”

With a contented sigh, I returned my gaze to her. She bore an expression I could not quite identify—something furtive and soaked in suspicion. I thought about those looks, late at night, as I fell sleep, trying to divine their meaning.

What in my words would ever cause her so much fear? I speculate on a future of happiness and fulfillment and she—

Realization dawned in my mind with the power of the scorching, desert sun.

She fears hoping for happiness, for a future… Why? Why fear a happy future? Peoples of most species I had encountered strived for a happy future. Fulfillment is nothing to fear.

No, but loss and disappointment are, and, when one has known only loss and disappointment, allowing oneself to believe happiness is possible…

She finished cooking and handed me a plate with a smile. We sat and ate and I saw Sophia in an entirely new light.

Her hard exterior was born of endurance. So young, compared to Draksians—yet so fierce. Hers must have been a hard life, to hurt her so deeply.

Understanding her, in that new way, changed me. I thought back over the twenty-two days of life with Sophia. The depth of the strength required to work so hard and care so much for her brother in a world which never appreciated her value…blew away every last vestige of my self-denial.

I can no longer pretend.

I love her. Though this be the strangest of circumstances, fate has brought us together. I feel it as strongly as I feel the weight of my Empire on my shoulders—though Sophia is no burden. Sophia lifts me. This love I feel for her is what I fight for, what I wish to bring to all of my people.

Every few minutes, Sophia’s eyes strayed to the comms and a pained look pinched the corners of her eyes.

“Would you like to call your brother?”

Her eyes popped wide and she spun her face to me.

“Can I? How do I do that? It won’t tip off our location, will it? After so many days of searching, I’m enjoying this spot, Brannic, and I don’t want Snaughians sending any more of those miniBens. We’re only cloaked, right? You said we didn’t need the shield, when we parked for the night—that we’d use too much fuel, ‘cause flying a house obviously requires a lot of energy—”

“Sophia?”

“Yes?”

“Let me show you how to talk to your brother. We’re using comms frequencies the Snaughians will never detect, and the comms use miniscule amounts of power.”

“Then I want to talk to Jakey.”

I showed Sophia how to work the comms, apologizing for not having done so before. We had been so caught up in all the excitement, I had forgotten Intergalactic technology was still new to her and hadn’t bothered to instruct her on something as basic as comms.

Sophia chatted with her brother, sharing stories of their adventures. Thoroughly satisfied with the happy way Sophia gasped at her brother’s adventures and laughed at the most awkward parts of his stories, I steered the housetank back into the air and continued the search.

As I steered the housetank North of Central Mountain’s spire, the housetank’s upgraded sensors and targeting systems dinged and focused on a structure near the mountain’s base. Delighted, I ran through the house until I found Sophia on her balcony, wrapped in the mùdzho-wool blanket.

“Look, Sophia. A camp!”

I pointed at the stone walls and trailers snuggled up to the mountain’s rock base. We both stared down, watching for signs of life.

“I haven’t seen anyone move in fifteen minutes, Brannic. I do see tracks, though, and it looks like they head North. I think they were here, but kept moving.”

“Let’s follow the tracks.”

We retreated to the housetank’s control room and followed the snow tracks with the help of the housetank’s electronic security system. Through the security system’s cameras, we soon spotted figures huddled in the snow. They watched a strange object meander across the ground away from them.

“I recognize Emily from the cowboy hat and the blue guy must be her partner, Ralkor.”

“I must admit, I am one of Ralkor’s biggest fans, Sophia. I am very excited to meet him.”

Surprised, Sophia looked at me, eyebrows raised.

“I thought you were Emperor Peacemonger, Brannic.”

“But he puts on such a good show.”

“Riiiight. Anyway, it looks like they’re up to something.”

“I’ll just hover here until we figure out what Emily and Ralkor are up to. I would hate to ruin any plans they may—”

A giant tentacle unfurled from the lake next to the strange creature meandering near the shore. I leapt to my feet and shouted in horror.

“That’s a fucking slàr!”

“No one mentioned actual space-kraken!”

The slàr tentacle grabbed the thing on the shore and stuffed it into its beak. A flaming arrow streaked through the air from Ralkor’s bow.

“What the fuck are those two doing, Brann—”

The slàr exploded into tiny pieces. Liquefied slàr fountained up into the air. I slammed the shield button. Slàr splattered our shield, leaving our entire security system’s visual sensors blind.

I immediately set the autopilot to retreat until we could be certain Emily and Ralkor had no more explosives—or slàr.

Sophia

“Why did they bother to blow up a slàr? They have an excellent base camp, the slàr are aquatic, and that slàr wasn’t between them and the Altar of Freedom. Sophia, why did they go out of their way?”

I shrugged, as the answer seemed obvious to me.

“Texas.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I told you they’d fight to the death out of pure spite. My guess is that slàr got on Emily’s bad side.”

Brannic blinked, then shut off the shield. The liquefied slàr which had landed atop our housetank’s shield fell onto the house while the rest fell to the world below and atop a giant, yeti-looking creature.

“Slàr have terrorized the galaxy since the Snaughians’ pollution mutated them from a small scavenger to those giant monsters on the Kirtanian home world. They spawn asexually through polyps and can infest any liquid water in a matter of months. No one has figured out how to eradicate them…”

I suppressed a giggle and asked the question tickling the back of my mind.

“So, it took a Texan to show you how to handle slàr.”

“Yes! You must understand, Sophia, I set up a prize for the first to discover a solution to the galaxy’s slàr problem—”

“How is this a galactic problem?”

“Slàr are so devastating, the Snaughians infect rebellious worlds with them. They bomb the world’s oceans with slàr polyps. Thirteen of my Empire’s hundred worlds have fallen to slàr…”

“What kind of prize are we talking about?”

“A sizeable fortune, a planet to colonize, and the Draksian Empire covers all colonization costs for the first hundred years with eligibility for Imperial trade agreements. As soon as we are out of here, I will give her title. She is now Queen Emily I.”

I choked on my own spit and coughed.

“Have you already picked out a world for her, too?”

Brannic shook his head.

“No. She has first choice of any uninhabited, habitable world within reach of the Empire.”

I shook my head and turned to leave the room.

“That beats a trophy any day. I better go find the housetank’s sanitation settings and see if I can wash off all that slàr. Yeehaw, Brannic.”

“I’m joining the Intergalactic Cowboy Coalition.”

“Just park the housetank in a pretty spot while you’re at it, ok?”

I left the room chuckling while Brannic landed the house and opened a comms channel to his people. I found the housetank’s sanitation settings and began a house wash cycle. Thousands of small robots flooded out of the garage and swarmed the liquefied slàr.

Later, over dinner, I asked Brannic the question which had been eating at me all day.

“Why haven’t we made contact with Emily and Ralkor? I haven’t heard any more explosions, so it must be safe by now.”

“As long as we remain hidden, we retain our advantage over the Snaughians. I hope to avoid contact until we can gather everyone together at the same place.”

Yearning to speak to another Human, I pressed on.

“Not even a note? Or some supplies?”

Brannic shook his head and finished chewing his mouthful of food.

“The other contestants are constantly monitored. If we drop them a note, will they talk about it within range of a drone? How do we give them new supplies the Snaughians didn’t send them? If we drop cloak long enough for the other couples to see us, the Snaughians can see and detect us, as well.”

“I hadn’t thought about the logistics of that.”

I stuffed something which looked like a cross between a banana and a starfish into my mouth and chewed.

“As long as the Snaughians continue to think we are dead, we have the ability to strike at a time of our choosing. This is part of why we decided on this style of prefab house. My people made certain it was fully stocked with enough supplies for months and it was the largest model our engineers could convert to full anti-grav.”

I swallowed my mouthful, shaking my head.

“You really thought this through. One would think being sent to Intergalactic Love Death Match was a longshot—”

“Not at all. The Snaughians love to send captured rivals to compete in ILDM. Half the contestants on Season 19 were from the same Royal family. That was brutal, as I understand it.”

Full, I slid my plate away and leaned back.

“The more you talk, the more this sounds like Rome—no, don’t ask. It’s an Earth thing I can’t explain. Have one of your people get you a history book on it, or something. The point is, they also liked to throw captured enemies into the gladiatorial arena for amusement.”

Brannic nodded and gathered up the dirty plates. He put them in the fancy, sci-fi dishwasher and smiled.

“I suspect I will find Earth history fascinating. I’ll have General Zesiel acquire Earth literature for the Imperial library.”

“Just…lock it up, ok? There’s a lot of fucked up stuff in there.”

We searched for the other couples for the next few days. So close to the end of this game, I could barely stand myself.

So close to seeing another human being, of not having to explain every reference…I love talking to Brannic, but…

My mind played the memory of a record scratch. I froze where I stood—in the middle of a hallway.

I do love talking to Brannic. I also miss Earth people out of mere homesickness…but… Do I really want to go back?

A deep breath and a heartbeat later, I answered my own question and set my knees aquiver.

No, I don’t want to go back. I just want to visit the home I knew before my abduction—

But, I’m just a waitress—

That’s Earth thinking. Brannic doesn’t give a shit if I’m just a waitress. He’s been perfect and—

“I love him.”

I slapped both hands over my mouth and looked over my shoulder, terrified Brannic overheard me before I had even come to terms with the truth I had been avoiding. I had never believed in love at first sight or the idea that each person had a perfect mate out there, somewhere, which we only had to endure life long enough to find, but I knew for a fact that I loved Brannic.

So, Sophia, what are you going to do about it?

Brannic

The time has come. I must confess the truth to her. No matter what comes next, or how Sophia may react, I cannot go another day without telling her how I feel. The strain of holding so much precious emotion inside threatens to rip me apart.

Having come to the moment, and accepting the inevitability of my impending conversation with Sophia, I felt calm settle into my body. A smile rose to my face. I took the time to bathe and dress in the finest Imperial robe in my closet.

I looked in the mirror, winked at my reflection, and sought Sophia out. I found her on the back porch, watching the trees sway in the breeze. The way the light highlighted her face and tossed her hair enchanted me.

This is no time to fear. One way or another, we will settle the question begging to be asked.

“Sophia?”

Sophia turned her head to look at me. As soon as her eyes landed on my Imperial robes, her jaw dropped.

“What are you wearing? Is that your official, Imperial outfit?”

“Yes.”

“Fancy, Brannic.”

“Thank you. Sophia…may we talk? I…there is something I wish to ask you. May I join you?”

One of Sophia’s eyebrows crawled for her scalp and she tilted her head. She waved at the free sofa seat next to her.

“Of course. Brannic. It’s kinda your house—and revolution…and you’re an Emperor. Don’t Emperors sit wherever they please?”

I sat next to her, body stiffer than I had expected.

How is this conversation more difficult than negotiating peace between Xliiki and Gfeorr?

“Normally, but I wish to dispense with such distance between us.”

Sophia’s eyelids narrowed.

“Exactly how do you mean that?”

“I love you.”

Silence rang between us, though the house, and all the way to the wildlife outside the house. Sophia’s mouth hung open again, so I tried to explain everything all at once, hoping she understood me.

“Sorry, that was sudden—”

“Ya think?”

“Please, let me get this out—this may be the only conversation I have never had before— I love you and it’s killing me to pretend like I don’t. While I hope these words make you happy, I understand if they don’t—”

“Brannic?”

Sophia laid her delicate hand on mine, stopping my words cold. I stared at the hand, afraid to look her in the eye—

Have I ever been so terrified?

My heart thundered in my chest. I drew in deep, slow breaths, trying to calm myself, but her hand on my arm distracted me.

“Why?”

Of all the things she could have asked, I had not expected that question.

“I don’t understand—”

“Why do you think you love me, Brannic?”

I blinked, then gazed into her eyes. We connected harder and more deeply than any connection I had ever known. Entirely defenseless, having just confessed my love, the open vulnerability of Sophia’s face struck me like a blaster-rifle’s energy bolt.

My words escaped in a whisper so intense, I scared myself.

“How can I not? How could anyone not love you, Sophia? You care so deeply and bore such a heavy burden with dignity, caring for another under soul-crushing conditions. You are so quick and clever and…and…how can I not admire such strength?”

Sophia’s gaze caressed my face. I dared not say another word. She gathered my hands in her delicate ones and gazed into my eyes.

“What…I don’t know Draksian culture or traditions…what do you want from me? What am I to you? A conquest—”

“Never, Sophia.”

I cupped her cheek in my hand and drew a deep breath.

“Then what?”

“Be my Empress—”

“Empress! Are you for real?”

I nodded, certain, desperately needing her to hear me and to believe my words. I closed my eyes, trying to focus and find the words which would reach her heart.

“It would be my honor, Sophia. I love you. I love living here—or anywhere—with you. I wake in the morning missing your face and your soft sighs. I want to hold you all the time, but I didn’t know how you felt—I did not want to push myself—”

“Brannic…”

Body trembling, I opened my eyes to find Sophia’s perfect face less than a finger’s width from mine. She kissed me. The rest of the universe fell away. Desire ignited inside of me. Sophia broke our kiss. Panting, I looked at her. She panted, too.

“I love you, too. I think I’ve loved you for a long time now, but I struggled to believe you would love me, too.”

“Why? By the Ancestress, how did I ever make you feel unworthy? Tell me, so I may never again make you doubt yourself.”

Sophia laughed, shaking her head. She slid her arms around my neck and smiled.

“Oh, Brannic, no. You did not make me feel unworthy. I felt unworthy when I arrived. You are the one who changed my mind. I might not have any idea what happens next, but I want to find out with you. As long as Jakey is safe.”

Sophia kissed me. Our lips parted and our tongues danced. We tasted each other, all worries forgotten. I pulled her into my arms and held her close. After a short eternity losing myself in the taste of Sophia, she broke our kiss and asked me my favorite question of all time.

“Does this Empress thing come with a consummation? Because, right now, I’m all for a consummation. As Empress, can I order a consummation?”

A chuckle bubbled up from deep in my core. I stood, carrying Sophia with me.

“Let’s just find a bigger couch…”

Sophia gasped and slapped my shoulder.

“Couch! I demand the Emperor’s bed!”

“But, Empress Sophia, I gave you the larger of the beds.”

Sophia slapped her hands over her face. She blinked, then spoke, voice a scandalized whisper.

“Did you? Why would you do that Brannic? You’re gigantic!”

“I wanted you to have the balcony…”

Sophia grabbed my face and kissed me, which I loved. I wished she had waited until I had reached the top of the staircase, but I managed to get us to my bedroom alive. Sophia took one look at the smaller bed and pointed to her room.

“I’m not saying I’ve been dreaming of your cock since I hugged you that day—”

“Oh, Sophia, I was so embarrassed. But, when you hugged me, my body responded before I could think.”

Sophia giggled and licked my earlobe.

“So, you did want me—”

“I have wanted you since the moment I first saw you, but I didn’t want to scare you. You looked so…fragile.”

“I was. Then. I’m not fragile now, though.”

I walked into her room and fell onto the bed, Sophia below me.

“No, you are not. You never were…”

Sophia kissed me and I forgot everything else. I entirely lost myself in her embrace. The world faded around us, Sophia becoming my entire world. Lost in our passion, we barely spoke, words unable to express the perfection of our physical contact.

I slid her anti-grav top over her head with open palms, appreciating the exquisite glory of Sophia opening herself to me fully. I pushed her top over her perfect breasts and they dropped in the most distracting way. I groaned in appreciation.

Sophia stretched, pulling the top all the way over her head and I caressed her perfect, bare skin. I traced my fingers around her soft contours. Her skin erupted in small bumps along where I stroked and Sophia moaned, luxuriating in the sensation. Her moans drove me over the edge.

I grabbed the waistband of her fitted pants and popped open the button, exposing her belly to my eyes. I traced my fingers across the supple skin until her hips vibrated, begging for more. Soft pleas escaped her lips between pants and tiny whimpers.

I leaned in close, and laid my lips against her flesh just below her belly button. I stripped my robes off with a hand while kissing up the centerline of Sophia’s body.

“Oh, Brannic, please…I’ve wanted you for so long…”

Her words fed the inferno of passion raging in my chest, nearly pushing me past my self-control, but five-hundred years of practice saved me. I had no intention of giving Sophia less than my best.

Robes falling to the floor, I brought both hands back to Sophia and slowly, teasingly worked her pants off her hips. I watched her face, wallowing in every little sign I drove her out of her head and directly into a world of pure pleasure.

I licked up, between her beasts, taking one in my hand and experimenting with the nipple until I discovered exactly what she liked best. I licked, nibbled and sucked, focusing on everything which drew a moan from her.

“Damnit, Brannic! Stop teasing me. I’m so ready—I’ve been ready for days, please!”

With a smile, I kissed her. She threw her arms around my neck and locked her legs around my waist, determined to have me inside of her.

Why lie? Inside of her is the only place I want to be—what we both want.

I sat upright, carrying Sophie with me. She broke our kiss and gazed into my eyes. Trapped by her eyes, and never wanting to escape, we gazed into each other’s souls. I rotated my hips, bringing my hard, throbbing, swollen cock to the entrance of her tunnel.

For a moment, we hung in an infinite eternity, between what could be and what we chose to be—the moment before utter commitment—and I trembled with the full knowledge of how profoundly my life had already changed.

Being inside her is not the moment our lives change forever—Sophia changed my life the moment I first saw her. This…this is the moment I commit all of myself to her.

“I commit all of myself to you, Sophia, for as long as we both shall live.”

Sophia’s eyes rolled back in her head, eyelashes fluttering. Her body melted in my arms. A deep moan escaped her throat and I entered her.

Sophia’s body parted around me as if we were made for each other, as if we were always meant to fit. She cried out and I felt her body orgasm around mine.

The beautiful perfection of Sophia at the height of pleasure pushed me past any control I thought I had. For hours, we made fierce, sweet love. I met every one of her demands, more than happy to give her everything she wanted, determined to give her all of myself for as long as I drew breath.

Sophia

“All hail Emperor Brannic, Supreme Leader of the Draksian Empire, peace maker and protector of worlds.”

The crowd roared, chanting together.

“Hail Emperor Brannic, long may he reign!”

He looks so handsome and regal

I watched Brannic address his people from a dais in front of an unfamiliar palace. He turned and smiled at me

“Sophia.”

Brannic.

“Sophia?”

Brannic?

“Sophia! It’s time to wake up, beloved.”

I never want to wake up without you again.

I felt his lips on mine and smelled… was that bacon?! I opened my eyes and saw Brannic at the side of our bed, looking quite amused.

“Handsome and regal?”

“I was dreaming and… wait! How did you know that I was thinking that?”

“I came in to wake you and you were mumbling. Are you well? Do you need more rest?”

He looked so concerned about my health and well-being. All the warmth and wonder I felt last night rushed back along with some salacious flashes of pleasure.

“I’m fine, Brannic, I was just dreaming about you all dressed up in Emperor’s finery in front of your palace.”

“I see. I had not heard you speak in your sleep before and did not know if you were ill, or if I had… hurt you in some way.”

“I am sore in all the right places and very happy, Brannic.”

I raised myself to my knees and drew his face to mine.

“Good morning, Emperor.”

I kissed his lips softly, lingering just long enough to spark last night’s flame anew. When I pulled away, Brannic’s eyes sparkled with gold flecks I had not seen before. He gazed at me and smiled. He pushed a strand of hair back from my cheeks and cradled my face.

“You are the most beguiling creature I have ever known, Sophia, and I will want to kiss you often.”

I backed just out of reach.

“As regal and handsome as you are, after last night’s workout, the smell of whatever you’ve cooked is competing with whatever other urges I have, Brannic. I think you are losing that battle.”

“Alas, however could a lowly servant- Emperor attempt to compete with bacon? I have now learned a new form of diplomacy.”

His sense of humor is so easy and inviting.

I laughed at his jest, and he laughed with me as we walked to the kitchen. He took my hand and my heart smiled.

How can such a powerful man be so dang wonderful?

Over breakfast, we laughed and fought over who deserved the last piece of bacon which Brannic had found buried in the freezer’s stores that morning. Now that he had tasted it, he declared bacon his favorite food and he would have to acquire some pigs from Earth.

“Perhaps Queen Emily will know how to do this. Her planet would be highly favored in the Draksian Empire, were she to produce high-quality bacon. From the video we have seen of her, I doubt there is anything that Emily can’t do.”

I giggled at the thought.

“Queen Emily I, finest bacon maker in the Draksian Empire. Now that I know there’s bacon coming to the galaxy at large, and that I get to be an Empress, I will simply have to stay.”

We packed up after eating and spent the rest of the day travelling. Last night had changed everything and we spent the day together. We talked about everything which came to mind. He told me about his hundred-year childhood. I told him mine ended when I was eight.

I listened to him talk of his adventures on planets I had not yet seen, with alien species I could not picture in my head. There was so much I still had to witness—so much that I didn’t know and wanted to see and to try...I felt as if a shadow had been removed from my eyes and I could see for the first time.

I pictured Jake on a spaceship, having the time of his life, surrounded by alien species, eating strange new foods, and…

And safe. He is safe and happy. And so am I.

I couldn’t remember the last time I felt safe. Not just safe in the physical sense, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. The thought made my eyes mist over.

Who knew all it would take was being abducted by aliens, dumped into an intergalactic reality death show, and faking my own death with a gorgeous purple Emperor as my accomplice?

“By the Ancestress! I got it!”

Brannic had been fiddling with some of the technology his people had sent us while we talked. One of the small screens in the control room changed from static to video. One of the other couples appeared onscreen. I think it was Charlotte and Jasek.

We watched as they emerged from a cave in a strange-looking box canyon. It looked like their team had expanded and I had a million questions.

How did they pop out of the mountain like that? Have they been hiding from the Snaughians, too? How close are we to them? Do they know about us, too? What a strange mushroom-y thing that is and… Is that a cow? Where did they find a freaking Earth cow?!

I had never been so happy to see a cow in my entire life! It was as if a little bit of home had landed nearby.

We couldn’t hear what they said, but it was easy to see that their strange crew had bonded and become more like a family than a team. I wondered if they knew about us, or the other couples.

“They aren’t too far from our current position, Sophia.”

“Let’s keep an eye on them today. Or, for at least a little longer. They don’t look like they have explosives...or slàr.”

We watched as their little band traveled, gear in tow, for most of the day.

When the evening’s broadcast began, the signal changed and failed. Brannic immediately went to work, trying to catch the signal again, adjusting a wire here, the angle of a metal receiver there. I watched the screen as he tuned into the new broadcast signal.

“Welcome back to the 34th season of Intergalactic Love Death Match, where FOUR lucky couples are matched and sent to wild and exotic locations!”

“That’s right Kyorkt. After the fiery deaths of Sophia and her ya’gaas-for-brains partner, the former Emperor Brannic, we are down to four couples.”

“That’s not fair Plabz, ya’gaas are an ancient species and can’t help their lack of evolution.”

The two goblins broke into laughter. My blood boiled and I glared.

I hate those two.

Brannic attempted to fine tune the signal, but the image kept flickering and changing. We must be catching reruns, or another signal, because it looked like the jerktastic duo was delivering the same script, but in different clothes.

“Brannic, I think you just stole someone else’s cable.”

He turned to look at the screen and watched as the images shifted, but the narration did not break.

“We must have missed out on a lot while we were hiding, because these look like reruns.”

Brannic looked at me, his expression one, big question.

“What is a rerun?”

“That’s when old episodes of the same show are played on another channel. See how Plabz and Kvorkt say the same thing, but their clothes are different when the signal gets adjusted?”

Brannic toyed with the signal a few more times before he stopped on the channel with the two hosts in western gear.

“I’m not sure what this is, but it is not a rerun, Sophia.”

Brannic

Just a few more pieces to position.

Sophia’s profile reflected the screen’s light as she watched the broadcast, intent on gathering as much information as she could about the game and its players.

“Why do you search so hard, Sophia?”

“Partially because seeing other Humans makes me feel less alone. Also, it feels like I am contributing to the cause, looking for allies we can actually reach.”

Her attentiveness would make her an amazing soruk’chur player.

I had learned to play the holo-game while on my first military tour in my first mid-century.

Four players began with fourteen pieces each on four sides of a two-dimensional playing field. Pieces could move in three dimensions and the goal was to create a sphere of dominance strong enough to support itself and control the other players’ sectors. Too weak a sphere, and your network imploded upon itself. Too strong a network, and your enemies became allies in your destruction.

Two of the longest feuding galactic dynasties had kept from mutually assured destruction by playing a game of soruk’chur which had lasted generations.

The Snaughians’ lust for power and wealth blinds them to their surroundings. They will soon be caught in the network my allies and I have built over the last seven years.

“Brannic, do you see that? Over there, on the side of the mountain. Is that a fire?”

I maneuvered the housetank as close to the bank of the river as possible, careful not to fly above the water.

“Can we get any closer?”

“Not without risking the Snaughians detecting us. The housetank might be cloaked, but it still exerts anti-grav waves which would disrupt the surface of the water and give away our position, or worse.”

“Worse?”

“We could wake another slàr. They are sensitive to rhythm and vibration. Our invisible home is not so invisible to them.”

Sophia’s mouth formed a perfect, silent oh.

We hovered in place a little longer, trying to make sense of the shadows moving in the flickering light. There had to be at least four people around the fire, but I could not be sure.

“Brannic?”

“Yes beloved?’

“If you can hack into the Snaughians’ broadcast signal, does that mean you can hack into their receiving frequency, too? Like, could you hack into a nearby drone, maybe?”

Her mind is even sexier than her body.

“Let me see.”

I searched for a drone closer to the campsite. Drones had the same problem the housetank had with anti-grav waves. I found one hovering high enough not to trigger any possible slàr which may be lurking, and close enough for me to hack into its return feed undetected.

A few more adjustments and the screen showed us what the drone filmed.

Three Humans, a Kirtax, a Tarek, and a Xunon gathered around a campfire. The mushroom-y creature and Earth cow were also there, along with at least four other animals.

“That must be Lena and Zelgor. I recognize them from the broadcasts. Almost all the couples are here!”

“Ah, Captain Zelgor?”

The Snaughians were stupider than I thought.

“Brannic, is something wrong?”

“No, Sophia. Something is very, very right actually. I know Captain Zelgor.”

“Is he a friend or an enemy?”

“I believe ally is the best way to describe it. We share the same goal.”

“Since you are allies, should we say hello or send supplies? We have plenty to share.”

Her kindness is such a blessing.

“We cannot. Not yet. Our return from death is the signal to move to the next phase of our plan, and we are not yet ready.”

She isn’t happy with my answer.

“That makes sense. I don’t like it, but we can’t afford to mess up your plan to destroy the Snuaghians.”

Wise and patient Empress, I love you so.

We talked and ate, watching the couples get to know each other and bond. It didn’t take long to see they would be fierce and resourceful allies. The Humans impressed me most. Their small forms belied their immense inner strength and determination. I had no doubt my Sophia would be well-received and allied with these mighty, yet underestimated, warriors.

Sophia called out goodnight towards the screen as each couple retired to their shelters for the night.

“I hope Aly is ok. She and her partner are the only ones missing, now.”

I really must pay more attention to the broadcasts instead of staring at her.

“Sophia, do you remember who or what her partner was? Any information at all? I don’t think I remember that broadcast. I must have been distracted by your obvious charms.”

Sophia slapped my arm and chuckled.

“To be honest, Brannic, they have really kept Aly’s quest very secretive. They only let out a few details about her and her partner. All to torture Emily, too. What bastards. I can’t remember the name of her partner, or, species, but it sounded like Subaru, or sorbet, or something.”

“Zorberu?”

“I think that’s it. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Is she in danger? If she’s in danger, we have to find her, Brannic!”

So ready to protect her people, even though she has never met them.

“If he is what you think, it’s an incredibly rare and mysterious occurrence, and she is probably safer than any of us. No one knows much about Zorberu, and I have only heard rumors, but many have sought them out.”

Sophia looked at me, cocking her head.

“Why?”

I shrugged, trying to remember every scrap I had ever heard about Zorberu.

“I have heard some seek them to enslave them, claiming they are a weapon, if they can be twisted to one’s purpose. Others seek enlightenment from the Zorberu. Few Zorberu ever leave their home world and I have never met one.”

Sophia returned her eyes to the flickering feeds. In the few flashes we could make out of Alyssa and Lor, He towered over her, silver skin blending into the shadows of the jungle surrounding them, horns glinting in the light.

“If they are so precious, why would the Snaughians dump them in Intergalactic Death Match?”

“My guess is that the Zorberu refused to be twisted to the Snaughians’ purposes. Perhaps they merely seek to punish. Perhaps they seek to try to break him.”

Sophia

The next few days passed in a blissful haze of laughter, lovemaking, and searching for Alyssa and her partner, a Zorberu. We had seen little about them on the broadcast feeds we had been able to separate from the jumble of data Intergalactic Death Match broadcast out into the universe.

“Do you think there are beings in other galaxies watching all the shows we broadcast into space?”

Brannic chuckled, fiddling with this and that, trying to break the Snaughians’ data encryption.

“Possibly, considering how much life there is in just our galaxy.”

“I wonder what they think. Do they watch all this and think we are crazy? Are there Intergalactic Sociologists analyzing our every move, trying to understand us? Or do you think they watched some of this and quarantined the entire galaxy out of horror?”

Brannic cocked his head and looked at me.

“Where do you come up with some of these questions?”

“Probably the same place Queen Emily, the Badass, came up with the—obvious-to-me—idea to blow up the slàr.”

“Texas?”

Surprised, I laughed.

“No, I’ve never been to Texas. I meant Earth. There are places on Earth other than Texas and people are different everywhere you go. The human imagination, you know. Though I suppose the Human imagination may be the most destructive force in the galaxy.”

Brannic’s beautiful belly laugh rumbled forth from deep within him. I loved the sound, and I let myself melt into it—even if only a little, and only for a moment’s indulgence. He wrapped his hands around my waist and drew me into his lap.

“Bold claim, Empress.”

“Oh, I see! Empress, is it? Don’t wave that fancy title you gave me in my face just because you cannot deny the destructive power of the human mind.”

Brannic managed to reply among his chuckles, while I rode the quivering of his body.

I like being in his lap…and making him laugh.

“I deny you nothing, Sophia. My Empress.”

“Your Empress. What if you are my Emperor? What if I own you?”

Brannic leaned his face into my anti-grav-shirt-covered boobs.

“Oh, but you have owned me from the first moment, Sophia.”

“You act like this is destiny, or something.”

He lifted his head and gazed into my eyes and whispered a question, voice so intense, his words snatched my breath.

“And, what if it is? Do your people not believe in destiny?”

I kissed him before I had to answer, thoroughly distracting us both. Brannic lifted my anti-grav top, dropping my boobs from their very comfortable lift. I nearly purred at the appreciative way he watched them bounce—

The comms buzzed. Brannic and I froze, staring wide-eyed at each other. I whispered first.

“Fuck.”

“I don’t want to answer…”

“Quick, find my top—where did you put it?”

Brannic groaned. His head fell back and I slid off his lap. He adjusted his combat suit around his perfect erection and motioned somewhere to his left.

“I threw it that way. I don’t know, I forgot the shirt as soon as your perfect breasts escaped the top’s anti-grav field.”

I located my top and put it back on, praising whichever being had invented the invisible wonder which lifted and cradled the girls in the perfect way.

“Ok, I’m ready, Brannic.”

“I’m not.”

“But, it could be Jakey!”

Brannic sighed and opened the comms. A display screen flashed to life and Jakey’s perfect face smiled at me.

“Hi, Sis. How are you? I have so many adventures to tell you about. Why are you messy? Were you in the wind?”

“Uh…no, Jakey, just…”

“You were making out, weren’t you?”

I gasped, scandalized. My cheeks warmed and shone. Jakey laughed.

“You were! Haha. Finally! That means I won the bet!”

“Wait, what bet, Jakey? Jakey! Answer me, what bet?”

Jakey high-fived someone off screen, laughing.

“I told you they liked each other, Captain Plorik!”

Jakey and I spoke for hours before we ran out of things to say, after which Brannic returned to searching the broadcast feeds for some sign of Alyssa and her partner.

“Hey, Emperor Hot-Stuff, I was thinking…”

“Emperor ‘Hot-Stuff’?”

I sat on his lap again and stared him in the eyes.

“Take it as a compliment. Focus. Aly and her partner started in the jungle, right?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go to their start point while we search the feeds. They most likely travelled by the easiest route toward Central Mountain, right? Just like we did?”

Brannic kissed me—which quickly devolved into making out again.

“You’re brilliant, Sophia.”

He refused to stop saying things like that until I parked the housetank and jumped his bones. The next morning, we set the housetank’s autopilot for the tip of the peninsula covered in dense jungle and engaged the housetank’s Find Resources function to search for about as much steel as one could use to make two cages like the ones Brannic and I had arrived in.

We ate and watched the world of Garglax II rush by below us and birds swirl outside the housetank’s shield from the back deck. Brannic searched the feeds, trying to separate the signals and I caught up on my intergalactic soap opera.

As the sun sank to the horizon on my thirtieth day on Garglax II, I looked for a good place to park for the evening. Brannic ran in, skidding to a halt next to me.

“Sophia! I found them. We will reach them tomorrow. Do you know what this means?”

I gulped. A thrill shivered up my spine.

“That means it’s almost time, right?”

Brannic nodded slowly. In his eyes burned a look I had never before seen on his face. I shuddered under the full power of a five-hundred-year-old Draksian Emperor. Every ounce of confidence and majesty which had grown within him for his entire reign unfolded before me.

Brannic drew himself to his full height and smiled a terrifying grin.

“Yes, Empress Sophia of the Draksian Empire. Within days, we begin. And the galaxy will never be the same. I will tell you my only prayer, the only thing I ever wish for on the eve of battle. May the galaxy forgive us for what we do and the lives we change. Let us be a force of good in the universe.”

Brannic

We rose the next morning eager and ready. Certainty we would find Alyssa and her partner today bloomed in the core of my being. Sophia must have felt so, as well, since our breakfast conversation revolved around the subject.

Belly full, completely in love with Sophia, and thrilled to be so close to executing my plan, we engaged the housetank’s shield and flew over the jungle, searching for signs of Alyssa and Lor’s passing.

We sat on the balcony, legs dangling through the railing, holding hands, and stared down into the jungle’s impenetrable canopy.

“Well, Brannic, I see a lot of trees.”

“Ah, yes. If only I had one of those imaginary life-signs detectors from your Earth stories.”

Sophia giggled and squeezed my hand. She fought the smile rising to her face, twisting her face into funny shapes.

“When we get out of this, what are the chances we can…acquire…Earth shows? Because you will laugh your ass off at what humanity has come up with.”

“Is it really that different than what you have found out here in the galaxy so far?”

Sophia thought for a minute, tilting her head from side to side.

“Yes, and no. In some ways, this house, for example, has versions of the familiar, but I would never have imagined a flying house on tracks, for example… Brannic! That looks like cages! We found their starting point.”

“Where?”

Sophia pointed until I spotted what she saw. I pulled myself to my feet and helped her up.

“Let’s park and take a look. Maybe we can tell what direction they went.”

Sophia put on her let’s-get-practical face and stopped me in my tracks.

“Brannic, it’s been a month. The jungle covered any evidence within the first few days. Besides, how much power can we afford to lose? We’ve been low since yesterday.”

“This is true. Let’s go look.”

Sophia placed her hand in mine and we walked to the housetank’s control room. I checked the power levels.

“We are quite low. We will have to go to the base camp soon. Their mini-factory can recharge the housetank’s power cells.”

Sophia chewed a lip. I could see her amazing, innovative, Human mind thinking.

“How far can we get? What if we, you know, turn out all the lights and unplug all the appliances?”

“I don’t understand ‘unplug’. Everything in the house is built in…but I could squeeze a few more hours of flight time out of the power cells by reducing some of the energy consumption, yes.”

Sophia turned her face to me and gestured with a hand.

“What about the shield? That has to be a power suck.”

“We need it to breathe when flying at altitude…it also keeps the house from collecting the bugs or birds we may fly through.”

“So, we fly lower, where there is enough oxygen to breathe, and run the house’s wash cycle later? You know, the little bots that cleaned up the liquefied slàr Emily and Ralkor blew up earlier? To clean up all the bugs and birds we collect without the power-suck of a shield to keep them out.”

I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her.

“You are brilliant, Sophia. Want to close up any windows while I adjust the power-consumption settings?”

“I don’t know…I may need another kiss.”

I kissed her again and we parted ways. Sophia left to close up the house so there would be less to clean up later and I fiddled with the power settings until I had squeezed from it every last drop.

I left to find Sophia. I walked through the house, dark enough without the lights for my markings to glow. Without the shield or temperature controls, the house soon grew stifling. I stripped down to my combat suit’s temperature-controlled bottoms and let my glow light my way.

I found Sophia and nearly fell over when I saw her outfit. She twirled in front of me and winked.

“It’s called a bikini. It’s skimpier than the swimsuit I was wearing before. Like it, Brannic?”

“Yes. Yes, I do.”

“The point is, it’s new and designed to entice so I wanted your input.”

“You always look lovely, Sophia, and your official swimwear is delightful. I also have good news.”

“Oh yeah? Tell me your good news.”

“I squeezed a few more hours of flight time out of the power cells, but we really don’t have enough power left. As much as I desire to get distracted by your new outfit, and carry you upstairs to show you how much I enjoy this look, we need to make some plans. Even my tail twitches at the sight of you.”

Sophia looked pleased and satisfied with my response.

“So, how long do we have?”

“Huh?”

“Housetank. Power cells. Flight time. How much?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry, you are entirely distracting. In six hours, we must return to the base camp and make contact. Our sudden reappearance on the broadcast will signal for people to make their move.”

Sophia bounced on her toes.

“I’m so excited, Brannic!”

I kissed her a third time and we took our places on the balcony to search the jungle. The winds whipped her hair until she wrapped a length of fabric around it. We flew toward Central Mountain, taking turns searching and making cold snacks.

We searched the jungle below for hours without any sign of Alyssa or her partner. Our power slowly drained. Eyes tired and losing hope, the light began to fade half an hour before we ran out of time. Sophia shot to her feet and shouted.

“I see smoke! Brannic, smoke! There, on the horizon. It must be them, right?”

I shaded my eyes from the dying light and looked where she pointed.

“That is smoke… To the control room!”

We scrambled to our feet and ran to the control room.

“Oh no…Brannic, I’m not certain we’ll make it to them before we have to change course…”

“We can try.”

Sophia laid a hand on my arm and smiled softly.

“Brannic…the readings are clear. They are too far away. We will already have to land short of the base camp…and we can always come back after we recharge the power cells, right?”

“Yes, though I had hoped we could pick them up on the way back to the base camp.”

I adjusted the autopilot’s course and watched the routing predictions.

“That would be nice, but we honestly don’t know if they are dead or alive, where they are, what their situation is… If they have survived this long, they can make it one more day. Brannic, if we break cover now, if the Snaughians even catch a glimpse of you…the revolution will begin. Is this the time to begin? Will anything here, on Garglax II, be ready?”

“I would have thought you would want to pick them up…”

“I do. I want to so badly, but it will already be a struggle to get the housetank to base camp intact, won’t it? I don’t want to crash our home. I don’t want to crash at all. We need this for the plan, don’t we?”

I sighed and nodded. I pulled Sophia into my arms.

“You are right Sophia.”

Sophia cupped my face in her hands, pulling me down to her level.

“Alyssa is Human, remember? And a Texan. Fight to the death just to spite you, remember? We saw smoke, so the chances are good they are alive. I don’t know anything about Zorberu but what you’ve told me, but I can only assume they must be good survivors—”

“I don’t know much about Zorberu, either. And, yes, you are right. Human practicality.”

I chuckled and shook my head. With one, last, wistful look into the display focused on the column of smoke climbing into the sky like a flag, a beacon, I changed our route. The housetank banked, just fifty miles from the column, and we flew away from the jungle and to our destiny.

Sophia

“Brannic! I have an idea.”

Brannic held me in his arms, tall, hot, and topless—and glowing in the darkness of the powered-down housetank. He smelled of musk and amber and subtle spice. Though I desired to stay wrapped in his arms forever, I wiggled my eyebrows at him and asked the question sitting on the tip of my tongue.

“Don’t we have some sort of communicator and a drone that could take them some supplies?”

“You are so brilliant, Sophia.”

Brannic kissed the top of my head and ran for the vehicle bay. I followed him, stopping by the kitchen for two, tall glasses of a cool, slightly sweet, fruit drink. I walked through the darkened hallways until I joined Brannic in the vehicle bay.

He knelt near a drone the size of a dog. To it, he had attached a crate, to which he had tied various supplies from the house.

“Here, drink this. In this heat, we need all the hydration we can get.”

“Thank you, Sophia.”

“Welcome.”

Brannic took the glass and drained the entire thing in one, long gulp. He released a satisfied sigh and returned the glass to my hand, then continued strapping things to the case.

“Can you get some food from the kitchen? I hate to send a communicator and toilet paper without also sending food and water. I’ll get the water. I just want to get this in the air before we get too far from Alyssa and her partner.”

“Sure thing, Emperor Hot Stuff.”

I turned, leaving the room to retrieve food, but I heard Brannic mutter to himself behind me.

“I’ll show you Emperor Hot Stuff. You just wait, Empress Sophia…”

Smiling smugly, I walked to the housetank’s storage section. The housetank came to us fully stocked, foodstuffs neatly stored in several, temperature-controlled sections.

I grabbed a chunk of meat from the walk-in freezer which reminded me of a ham—though I could read nothing on the label—and tossed it in the little, mag-lev utility cart. I stuffed a small crate with fresh foods I had come to love and added a bag of a rice-like grain.

I threw in a bag of crunchy snacks and wrote a quick note for Alyssa and returned to the vehicle bay. Brannic had already secured a ten-gallon potable water tank to the drone’s load and he quickly added the foods I had picked out.

He entered a series of commands into the drone and opened the garage door. The drone streaked out, into the night. Brannic shouted at me over the sound of the air rushing past the open door.

“Let’s hope it makes it. The Zorberu should know how to use the communicator, even if Alyssa doesn’t.”

I pushed the button to close the garage door, encasing us in near darkness. I would have worried, but I loved looking at Brannic aglow. Then I replied to Brannic’s shout.

“It will be fine, Brannic. I have a good feeling and I’m not about to let that hope go. Hope is far too rare and precious to kill it when I do find some.”

He gazed into my eyes. A soft smile spread across his face.

One moment, he is hard as iron, with a backbone of steel—the next, he is the soft, safe sanctuary I have dreamed of my entire life, but never really believed I would find. He is like no one I have ever met—and not just because he has a tail or purple skin.

I cupped his face in mine.

“You are never ashamed of showing love, are you?”

“Sophia, why would I ever need to be ashamed of that?”

The pain of living a lifetime of disappointments pinched the corners of my eyes.

“I have met many who are too afraid—like I was, when I first arrived.”

Brannic stroked a strand of hair from my face.

“Then we are fortunate to have met and to have had the opportunity to get to know each other, yes?”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about, Brannic. You always find a way to make all of this look like a grand new adventure, as if happiness is inevitable, or something. Most days, I have no idea what to do with that.”

Brannic kissed my forehead.

“In all my years of life, Sophia, I have learned many poignant lessons. Some lessons have gutted me and left me questioning reality. Others, prove to me that hope is never wrong. Most importantly, I have learned that each breath, each heartbeat, every decision we make—they are all opportunities.”

“Opportunities for what?”

“To live. To love. To stand brave and strong against those like the Snaughians who do not care who they hurt in their pursuit of power. To stand up and fight for all those who cannot fight for themselves.”

I jumped him. I literally jumped at Brannic. Luckily, he caught me and, somehow, he found a soft-enough surface because I wasn’t about to let him get away with at least one orgasm.

Words like that should be rewarded!

We made love through the night, cooled by the breeze from the open balcony. We fell asleep in each other’s arms and awoke with the first rays of dawn. We rose and began our morning—without using any power.

Not entirely pleased with having to skip a shower, I forgot to complain as soon as I saw how far we had travelled during the night. Central Mountain dominated our view. With sides so steep, they looked slick, the mountain pierced the clouds. The very top of Central Mountain floated above the clouds in a purple haze.

“Do…do we have enough power left to fly over the top?”

“We are at the last of our fuel, Sophia, and we don’t have enough power to activate the shield. At that elevation, we would have to have a shield to keep in the oxygen, or we would suffocate.”

“That’s a damn shame. We are within ten miles. How close can we get to base camp?”

Brannic looked at the numbers on the closest console. He looked up at me.

“We should land immediately. That leaves us half a day’s walk.”

I nodded, staring out, into the distance. I could just make out the base camp at the foot of the mountain.

“Excuse me, Emperor, while I change into something more comfortable. And get my blanket. It’s cold this close to Central Mountain. Time for you to meet Texas, Emperor.”

Brannic

Sophia and I circled Central Mountain, mere feet above the few trees growing among the rocks and snow. We swung wide around one of the waterfalls, scouting the mountain for a good location to camp.

“Why can’t we just ride the housetank up to the top and jump out, land on the Altar of Freedom, and teleport together before the Snaughians can stop us?”

I imagined all of the contestants leaping from the porch and laughed.

“Oxygen. That high up, few can breathe without assistance. Captain Zelgor and I both have combat suits, so we would be fine, since they are designed to create an energy field around the wearer’s head and fill it with breathable atmosphere.”

“Even if we travel slowly and acclimate, like the others planned to do?”

I shook my head and led Sophia to the closet in what used to be my room.

“There’s just not enough atmosphere that high and I only have a few more combat suits.”

“So...we couldn’t have won, anyway? If the Altar of Freedom is so high, we would have suffocated before even reaching the caldera on top...Oh, Brannic, those Snaughians don’t know what kind of fight they’ve picked.”

Brannic chuckled, leading me into his former bedroom.

“And I thought the Snaughians had met their match when they invaded my Empire.”

When we arrived at the closet door, I waved my hand over the door’s switch. A panel retracted and we walked inside. I waved at the finely made, and extremely ornate, combat suits stored there.

“I wondered where you kept getting fresh suits…”

“I have enough to outfit everyone, but you Humans are far too small to use any.”

Sophia looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

“So, we need to make some sort of breathing equipment for the Humans. The mini-factory can handle that, can’t it?”

“Yes, Sophia. Yes, it can. Excellent solution.”

“The real trick will be the cow and the intelligent plant—”

“Fishguts. Jasek named it Fishguts.”

Sophia shuddered and walked out of the room. I followed her.

“I know he did, but it still kinda creeps me out, ok? I’m sure I will learn to live with it, when we get everyone aboard.”

I followed Sophia to the living room’s wall of windows. She looked out and I could see her mind furiously calculating. She pointed out.

“That Insta-bridge requires stable anchor points, yes?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“I hate to leave any of the equipment behind. We really have no idea what we will need when we get to the top of that cursed mountain, right?”

I nodded, my mind beginning to catch up.

“Yeah…we need room for the animals, anyway.”

“And they won’t be able to breathe up there, either. So, do you think—”

An alarm blared, interrupting Sophia.

“Tell me later, Sophia. That’s the power cell alarm. We have to land.”

I sprinted for the housetank’s control room, skidding to a stop at the console. I initiated the landing procedures and rejoined Sophia at the front door. She wore lovely cold-weather gear and shouldered her pack.

I wore my combat suit and shouldered my pack. The house landed and we descended the stairs and entered the bowels of the housetank. Pipes and wires ran through cramped corridors. After a few turns, we reached Engineering. I slipped in and filled my pack with the housetank’s power cells.

“Ready?”

“Yep. Let’s go introduce you to more Humans. So you can fully appreciate me.”

I chuckled and we left the house, locking it up tight.

“Won’t the Snaughians notice a house sitting here, though?”

I took one last look at the home which Sophia and I had shared and filled with such bliss.

“I installed the emergency power cell before we left and set it to power the housetank’s basic functions and the cloak. As soon as we step off this porch, the house will disappear to our eyes and we will be visible to the Snaughians.”

“Well, fuck, Emperor. Let’s hit the road.”

Without another word, and without even a single glance back, Sophia marched out, into the snow. I sighed and trudged out to follow her. We trudged through the snow for a while, remembering the days we cursed the heat of the desert, then we reached a land bridge.

Sophia pointed to the little house in the distance.

“Look. It’s one of those cute little information booths the other couples built.”

“Looks like a nice place for a short rest to me. What do you think?”

Sophia grinned at me and took my hand, dragging me toward the booth.

“Only if by ‘rest’ you mean ‘make out’.”

“You are insatiable, Human.”

“You are irresistible, Draks.”

Mere steps from reaching the information booth, the ground behind us rumbled. Alarms blared from my combat suit. Information streamed onto the holographic combat HUD.

“Run, Sophia. The Snaughians found us!”

“How can you tell?”

A broadcast drone appeared in front of our faces.

“Welcome back, Emperor! I really thought he was dead, didn’t you, Kvorkt?”

“Yes, Plabz. I completely bought their fake death.”

“The strategy involved! Now I know how he became Emperor, Kvorkt.”

Sophia ran, shouting at me over her shoulder.

“Forget those two, they’re just trying to distract you and get you killed.”

I ran after Sophia, prepping my combat suit’s weapons. The broadcast drone kept pace with us, Plabz and Kvorkt’s lumpy faces grinning.

“I don’t know how much good running will do Sophia and the Emperor—”

“Empress Sophia, you uncouth scoundrels! She is the new Empress of the Draksian Empire and I expect you to treat her with respect.”

“Wow, Plabz. What a turn of events!”

“This is why we tune in, Kvorkt—resurrected Emperors, declarations of undying love, and running for your life from the most terrifying monsters in the galaxy!”

“You are so right, Plabz—”

A primal scream erupted from Sophia as she whirled around to face the drone, fury burning in her eyes. With a sudden lunge she stabbed the broadcast drone with a kitchen knife I didn’t know she had taken from the housetank, without missing a single step.

“I’m gonna kill them! Somebody get me another gun! I’m seeing red and no one will keep us from surviving and winning! Do you hear me, Draksians? Your Empress wants a giant gun!”

Sophia’s ferocity filled my heart. I had never seen anyone more magnificent in all my years. The fight in her heart intoxicated me. Then I glanced over my shoulder. There, I saw a vûknût four times larger than any vûknût had a right to be.

“Draksians! Imperial citizens! Now is the time!”

Sophia glanced over her shoulder at my words, then screamed.

“Is that a fucking Godzilla-sized space crocodile?”

“I don’t know what Godzilla is, Sophia!”

Sophia

I ran as hard as I could, face down in the cold wind. I could hear Brannic’s footsteps running beside me, though my heart pounded in my ears. I ran with every ounce of strength I had built up over years of carrying heavy trays of food.

I glanced up and saw the happiest surprise of my life. Emily rode directly for us on her giant deer. Jasek, Ralkor, Captain Zelgor, and the two fengkshás, which Emily and Ralkor had raised, followed on her deer’s heels.

Two drones appeared before us and dropped two of the energy rifles I used to take out the miniBens. Seeing red, furious indignation steeping every fiber of my being, I dove for the gun. I slid across the snow on my belly and grabbed one of the rifles.

I spun around on my back and fired at the horror gaining ground on us far faster than I could ever be happy about. Brannic dove for the other energy rifle. We glanced at each other, roared, and fired.

Ball after ball of energy soared through the crisp, cold air. Crackling and sizzling, the energy balls struck the Godzilla-sized space crocodile’s tough, armored hide, exploding into spheres of blue destruction.

Small holes bloomed on the creature’s hide, where the energy bolts disintegrated the creature’s armor. The space crocodile stumbled, bellowing.

“Those holes don’t look big enough, Brannic…”

“Shoot the mouth, Sophia! The soft spots!”

“Great idea, Emperor!”

We both aimed for the bellowing mouth flinging spittle everywhere. The space crocodile roared just in time. Our energy bolts struck, disintegrating everything in their path. The space crocodile paused for a second, vomited a disgusting mass of electric green bile and blood.

Emily veered her deer to the right. Her cubs veered left. I wondered what the fuck they could be doing for about half a second, then I saw Emily swinging a lasso over her head.

No…She’s not going to try to rope that thing… Is she? But, where are those cubs going? Don’t they see the giant space croc?

Emily raced in toward the space croc’s mouth and threw her lasso.

There’s no way…

To my amazement, the lasso landed on the space croc’s lower jaw. Emily jerked her end of the rope and the lasso’s slip knot tightened. With practiced precision, Emily wrapped the end of her rope around her saddle’s pommel and brought her deer to a stop.

She backed her deer up. The rope pulled tight. The space crocodile was big, and mean, and ugly, but that giant space deer was big, too. When Emily backed it up, the deer leaned against that rope, anchoring the space croc in place.

The croc backed up on instinct, but the deer refused to budge—as if, now that it knew it could fight back against giant predators, it was determined to bring the beast to the ground. The space croc forgot about us and turned all its attention to Emily.

The croc tried to lunge, so I shot it in the mouth again. Emily backed her deer up, maintaining the rope’s tension. Ralkor streaked past Brannic and I, massive sword in hand. Ralkor roared a battle cry and leapt atop the croc. Beside me, Brannic laughed maniacally.

“Sophia! That’s Ralkor, the greatest Gladiator I’ve ever seen! I’m fighting with Ralkor!”

“That’s great, honey. I’m happy for you. This is your chance to fight with him. Go on, you don’t have to worry about me. I’ve got my rifle now.”

Brannic grinned, pushed himself to his feet, and ran directly at the space croc. I only worried for a second.

He’s survived this long…besides, here comes Jasek, the Xunon clone. They were designed for combat, right?

Razor-sharp bone spurs erupted all over Jasek, blood streaking the skin where the spurs had broken through. Fully engaged, the sweet Jasek I had come to know—from the snippets of broadcasts Brannic and I had seen—transformed into the picture of Death, incarnate.

While Ralkor hacked at the croc’s face and eyes with his sword, Jasek attacked the monster’s belly. Armor plates flew into the air. The space croc roared and bellowed, fighting Emily’s rope, seeking enough slack to swing its head around far enough to bite one of its attackers.

The cubs returned to the fight, faces bloody, carrying the carcasses of what looked to me like juvenile saber-toothed space cats in their jaws.

Oh…they didn’t run away, there are just more predators around… Holy shit! There’s more than just this space croc after us!

I spun around, the giant space croc forgotten, and scanned around us. I spotted a pack of the feathered otyiks from the Kirtaxian home world streaking across the snow. Captain Zelgor tried to streak past me to join the space croc fight, but I needed help with the otyiks, so I tripped him.

He’s big. He’ll be fine. Just a little fall directly onto his face…no big deal…

Zelgor turned a look of pure fury on me. I pointed at the oncoming otyiks. He turned to look. His eyes bugged huge, then the look of pure fury returned. He ran directly for them. I pushed myself to my feet and started shooting otyiks, trying to take out as many as I could for him.

Just then, the cubs streaked into the fight, tossing the carcasses of the Smilodon-things aside, and gleefully jumping directly into the fray. Giant, space, bear-dog things clashed with the snake-headed, feathered, space wolf things, with Captain Zelgor in the middle, and all hell broke loose.

I scouted further, in case the Snaughians had released anything else to try to kill us. That’s when I saw the evil, death-pig thing.

“What the fuck! Why are you such ASSHOLES?”

Jasek spun his head around, spotting the giant, space death-pig. Using some sort of unseen projection, he shouted loud enough for me to hear over all the roars and chaos surrounding me.

“Alert! Ntàssze detected! Be advised, ntàsszes are dangerous creatures. Keep all body parts out of a ntàssze’s jaws.”

I fired at it, hoping someone would finish killing one of the other overwhelming threats and get over here before that death pig got its jaws on anyone. The damned thing kept dodging my rifle’s blasts. At this distance, the death pig saw each blast coming. I screamed in frustration and checked my rifle’s power level.

The power cell charge indicator flashed red. I thrust my fists into the air and yelled with all the Imperial fury I could muster.

“Get me more guns!”

Brannic

Ralkor, the greatest gladiator I had ever seen fight in a pit, stabbed down into the massive, overgrown vûknût’s eye. With his distinctive brutality, Ralkor sunk his sword into the vûknût’s brain to the hilt and swished until the massive, armored beast collapsed.

It smoked where my rifle blasts had hit and a foul mix of fluids ran from its mouth. Panting, I searched for another target and saw Captain Zelgor tossing otyiks to the cubs. The cubs leapt into the air, snatching the otyiks’ scrambling bodies in their mouths.

The fengkshá cubs tossed their heads, breaking the otyiks’ spines in vicious jerks. Emily rode up on her dyàk and shouted at anyone who would listen.

“Loosen the rope! There’s a ntàssze death pig coming!”

I dashed for the rope and loosened the end. Emily tossed the rope around, coiling it into her hand. She pulled the dyàk’s head around and ran it directly for one of the deadliest creatures in the galaxy. Seven-feet-tall at the shoulder, an ntàssze was little more than a propulsion system for one of the deadliest, tusk-studded mouths in the universe.

And the Texan runs directly for it—

An all-too-familiar sound behind me interrupted my thoughts.

A mech suit?

I spun just in time to see Sophia’s beautiful face screaming, eyes afire with bloodlust, drive an eight-legged combat mech into the fray. She sat in the pilot’s cockpit atop the mechanical body section. She drove that mech directly for the ntàssze—when two more ntàsszes appeared over a ridge.

“Jasek! Ralkor! Ntàsszes!”

Both turned their heads to me. I pointed at Emily and Sophia, both riding hard for the first ntàssze. The two, additional ntàsszes flanked them. Without another word, the three of us ran for them.

Emily tossed her lasso. For one, long moment, I watched it sail through the air at the ntàssze. Then the loop sailed over the ntàssze’s mouth. Emily jerked the rope, tightening the lasso around the ntàssze’s mouth and wrapped the rope around the pommel of her saddle.

As she had with the overgrown vûknût minutes before, Emily turned her deer face-first to the ntàssze and backed up. Seven-foot-tall dyàk bore its weight against the equally tall ntàssze. Though fearsome, Emily’s lasso neutralized the ntàssze’s most dangerous weapon, having trapped the beast’s mouth shut.

The dyàk’s thicker leg bones won out against the ntàssze’s legs, as they were designed exclusively for forward motion. The trapped ntàssze’s legs snapped. The beast fell forward onto the hard, snowy rock. Emily pulled a long rifle from a sheath dangling from the right side of her saddle, aimed it directly for the ntàssze’s head, and fired.

The creature collapsed in a puff of smoke and the deafening crack of Emily’s long gun.

Is that ballistic? A slug propelled by…a controlled explosion? That’s…barbaric!

Emily jerked at her rope, loosened it, and coiled it back into her hand. She turned just in time to see one of her cubs leap through the air and tackle one of the new ntàssze the split second before it bit her and her mount.

She reloaded her gun, fury all over her face, and shot that ntàssze, too. She yelled at it before looking for more, already reloading.

“And stay down! Trying to eat me? I’ll show you trying to eat people!”

The last ntàssze was mine, though. I activated my combat suit’s full capabilities and bounded over the last scrap of distance between me and the third ntàssze. Energy blades glowed to life in my hands. I leapt, spinning in the air.

The ntàssze snapped it’s five-foot-wide, tusk-studded jaws at me. In a perfect twist, I unfolded my arms and became a whirlwind of blades, slicing through all organic matter in my path.

The ntàssze fell to the ground in bloody slices, a pile of flesh, where a deadly predator had existed mere minutes before. I landed square on my feet and drew up to my full height, looking for what was next. Then I saw Sophia’s mech covered in the creatures she had called manybends.

Sophia took to that mech like she was born to it. I watched in awe as she tossed the creatures left and right. Laser rifles fired in an orgy of destruction. Spindly legs flew. The cubs streaked for her, looking eager to get their jaws on the latest toy. One still carried a flopping otyik carcass in its jaws.

The rest of us watched, terrified to get too close before Sophia had either run out of adrenaline or ammo. None of our attackers remained alive, but Sophia wasn’t quite done. She really hated those manybends.

Emily trotted over on her deer and Captain Zelgor appeared, panting through his own bloodlust. He stared at me blankly for a moment, then fell to his knee.

“Emperor Brannic.”

“Stand, Captain Zelgor.”

Zelgor pushed himself to his feet.

“I am a Captain no longer, Emperor.”

I smiled and put my hand on his shoulder.

“Many things will soon be rectified. As soon as my Empress comes down from her blood lust.”

Emily swung down from her dyàk and walked up.

“Howdy, Emperor Brannic. Good to meet you.”

She stuck out her hand. I took her hand and she shook it.

“Well met, Queen Emily, the Texan.”

Emily laughed, obviously delighted. She smiled a brilliant smile and responded.

“Not a Queen, that I know of…”

“You discovered how to destroy slàr, Emily. For that, I have awarded you the Imperial Title of Queen, a small fortune, and the habitable planet of your choice within reach of the Draksian Empire.”

Emily blinked at me, speechless. Ralkor chuckled and hugged her.

“Worry about the details later, Emily. Let’s harvest what we can while Sophia drains her rifle’s charge.”

“Great idea, Ralkor. If I am Queen, can I make Ralkor my King?”

“It will be your planet, Queen Emily. Your rules—and, as long as you don’t start oppressing people, your new society will enjoy the fruits of membership in the Draksian Empire. I do so swear as Emperor.”

I turned at the sound of Sophia’s mech approaching. Everyone gathered to greet her. She stopped the mech, popped open the cockpit’s hatch and slid out, landing lightly on her feet.

“I ran out of ammo. Hi, guys. Did Brannic tell you you’re a Queen, yet, Emily?”

“Yes! Is he serious?”

Sophia laughed and took my hand.

“Only in the best way. Let’s get to base camp. We have so much to tell you, not least of which is that we think we spotted your sister.”

“YOU FOUND ALY?”

Sophia

“We think so. Come, we can’t talk about it, yet. We need your mini factory, first, ok?”

Emily nodded at my words, though she looked fit to burst. She looked at our gathered aliens and the mech. She pointed at the mech.

“Somebody get that thing back to base camp. Y’all aliens can run fast enough. I’m taking Sophia with me.”

I glanced at Brannic. He grinned at Ralkor, Jasek, and Zelgor.

“Race you.”

As soon as the last syllable left his lips, he ran. Jasek, Ralkor, and Zelgor grinned and chased him. Zelgor won, but only because he could leap twenty feet every stride. I laughed and Emily shook her head.

She mounted her giant deer and held out a hand to me with her foot out of the stirrup and held out of the way. I stuck my toe into the stirrup, took her hand, and she swung me into the saddle behind her.

“Tell me all about it, Sophia. Everything.”

She stuck her foot back in the stirrup, now that I no longer needed the step up, and gently nudged the deer’s sides. The deer trotted toward base camp. I slapped the mini shield Brannic had given me earlier to survive the fire and to keep out any spying drones, while I told Emily everything I knew of her sister.

We arrived at base camp a few hours later, the cubs trailing us. They bounded off for the chunks of meat Fishguts, the mobile, intelligent plant dangled from its viny tentacles.

“Oh, Emily, do introduce me? I am really thrilled to meet everyone. I’ve only caught glimpses of the feeds. It’s complicated, but I’ll show you why, when we get to the housetank.”

“You really think that thing will take all of us, our equipment, and the animals?”

“I don’t see why not. The Insta-bridge will be essential. See, we plan to anchor the panels to the house, like a backyard fence. We can set up the trailers and livestock pens that way without having to worry about anyone falling off.”

“With the shield around the entire thing?”

I nodded as Emily pulled her deer to a halt. She helped me down with a hand, then dismounted and took the deer to the pens to unsaddle it. On the way to the pens, she shouted at the camp.

“Everyone, Sophia is here, and they know where Aly is!”

She saw to her duties while Charlotte, Lena, Mabel, and Fishguts gathered around. Charlotte, Lena, and I shared hugs and the usual greetings. I greeted Mabel and Fishguts next, more than happy to finally meet them in person.

Zelgor walked my mech up, interrupting us all. Jasek, Ralkor, and Brannic jumped down from the top, laughing and smacking each other on their backs. Brannic ran for me. He picked me up by the waist and lifted me into the air.

“Sophia! I have excellent news! The Draksian Empire has adopted everyone here—and Alyssa and Lor, of course, once we pick them up. We shall make a home in the Empire for everyone—the Xunon, Kirtaxians… Hello, Mabel. Forgive me for not introducing myself before.”

Mabel swished her ears and tail. She took a good look, and a long sniff of Brannic. Then she licked his face. He spluttered, but he laughed, too.

“Nice to meet you, Emperor Brannic. May I introduce my partner, Fishguts.”

Mabel tossed her head toward Fishguts, who offered Brannic a flower. Mabel spoke on Fishguts’ behalf.

“You should eat that. Eat or drink anything Fishguts gives you.”

Brannic accepted the flower and looked at it. He shrugged and ate it.

“What will it do to me, Mabel?”

“I have no idea, Emperor, but it’s always worked out before.”

“Mabel, I understand you are the first of your species?”

Mabel looked deeply into Brannic’s glowing, green eyes. She nodded.

“I believe so. I don’t think I can return to my previous herd, when I can think and converse in ways they never will. Besides, the people gathered here, they are my herd now.”

“We will create a place for you in the Draksian Empire, if you desire such.”

Mabel licked her nostrils and looked at Fishguts.

“Let me think about what I want to do next, Emperor. I haven’t yet decided if the mutations the Snaughians forced upon me are a blessing or a curse. Can I get back to you after we win?”

“Of course, Mabel.”

Emily returned from the pens, whooping like she’d lost her mind. She petted Mabel’s neck and looked around.

“Somebody tell me what I have to do to get to my sister.”

Brannic held up his finger and everyone fell silent as he engaged the more powerful jammer in his combat suit to be certain the Snaughians couldn’t hear or record us.

“That’s a jammer. Sophia and I brought the housetank’s power cells. The mini factory can recharge them. As soon as they are recharged—”

A drone, cloaked only moments ago, must have hit the jamming field, because it fell to the ground, disabled. Zelgor chuckled, picked it up, and tossed it into the mini factory’s hopper.

“As I was saying, as soon as the power cells are recharged, we return to the housetank under the protection of the jammer, set up the Insta-bridge panels, load everyone up, and go get your sister and Lor.”

Tears welled in Emily’s eyes, but she refused to cry. She nodded, sucked in a deep breath, then declared it time to party. More than happy to celebrate, no one disagreed. We laughed for hours, eating, drinking, and recounting our tales to the flickering light of the crackling fire.

After we ate, I had to interrupt.

“Sorry, guys, but I must have a shower. May I borrow one?”

Emily pointed at one of the many trailers.

“Use our sanitation trailer, Sophia. Fully stocked with good towels, shampoo, soap…the Intergalactic Cowboy Coalition keeps us well supplied. We set up a private area in the back of camp with some creative Insta-bridge panels. We learned our lesson after Lena and Zelgor arrived—”

Lena gasped, throwing her hands over her mouth. She turned red and shouted at Emily.

“We are not that loud!”

Mabel belched and threw in her two cents.

“I beg to differ. It’s worse than yowling barn cats. Moo.”

I grabbed Brannic’s arm before he could get distracted, and dragged him off to the sanitation trailer. We stripped in record time and got in the shower. As much as I wanted to jump him right there, I really wanted to get to a bed first.

We giggled and teased each other, washing each other up. Brannic had to wash his head, I couldn’t reach it. We rinsed and stepped out. I grabbed a towel off the shelf and handed it to Brannic. Sex toys and a bottle of lube fell out of the towels.

“What are those?”

I laughed too hard to answer. I wrapped a towel around me, stuffed the lube and toys back into their hiding place, making a note to ask Emily about them later.

“Sophia, what were those?”

I laughed harder.

“They look like…Ohhhh…”

“Let’s forget we saw that, Brannic.”

“What was in the bottle?”

“Lubricant. For the toys…”

“Ohhh. I see. They looked interesting…”

“That’s a discussion for another time. Besides, I want you in me right now, not toys.”

Brannic leaned down and kissed me, weakening my knees. He pulled back and I sighed., wrapping the towel around me.

“After we win, we will have so very much to discuss, won’t we, Empress.”

“Haha. Hey, I forgot clean clothes. I’m running for the bed in this towel. Try to keep up.”

I grabbed my clothes and dashed out of the door. Half-way to our designated bedroom, Brannic swept me into his arms and carried me. Emily watched us streak past, grin on her face. I shouted to her right before Brannic sped into our room.

“Someone’s sex toys are in the towels.”

“Oh, shit! I forgot about those!”

Emily dashed for the sanitation trailer and I laughed all the way into our evening’s lodgings. Brannic adjusted the Insta-bridge panel walls of our room, then turned. The other couples had set up a giant mattress with pillows and trays of snacks.

A little mini-fridge sat in the corner and little candle-like torches flickered on everywhere. Rich fabrics hung along the walls, blocking anyone’s view inside.

“Wow, Brannic. They went all out. There’s even a rug. I always wanted to glamp.”

“What’s glamping?”

“Luxurious, glamorous camping.”

Brannic kissed along my collarbone.

“You, Sophia, are all the glamor I need.”

I slid both arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes.

“I love you, too, Brannic.”

He gazed into my eyes and spoke softly, stroking a strand of hair from my face.

“Then, why do you look so sad all of a sudden, Sophia?”

“It’s…it’s just not fair! You will live so long and I have, maybe, a hundred years—if I’m lucky? And too many of those aren’t great years, physically...”

Tears welled into my eyes. I blinked, furiously fighting them, though they threatened to overtake me. Brannic’s face softened more than I had ever seen. A smug smile rose to his lips.

“Do not fear, Sophia. There is something I have not told you…”

“You’re married?”

“What? No. No, I’m not already married—”

“It was a joke, Brannic.”

Brannic sat on the mattress, me straddling his lap. He was hard as a rock underneath the towel he had wrapped around his waist. He cupped my face in both hands and gazed deep into my soul.

“In Draksian history, sometimes, when there is great need, a very, very fortunate Draksian is lucky enough to find his fated mate—the one other being in the universe of the same soul. Once they become one, the Draksian and his mate, they share a life—for as long as they both shall live.”

“What does that mean? Are you saying…”

Brannic nodded, sliding his hand to the back of my neck. Little shocks of pleasure trundled down my spine, waking all the nerves in my body.

“You and I will live together for many, many years, Sophia, filling our lives with as much joy as we can. The markings on my shoulders, here, are new, Sophia.”

I really looked at his glowing markings for the first time since I first saw them.

“These are new…”

I looked up at him. I could feel it, too, deep inside, like a cable connecting us forever.

“Make love to me, Emperor.”

“Forever, Empress.”

Brannic

Sophia’s lips crashed into mine, all delicacy and pretense discarded in a mere heartbeat. The world's harsh edges faded in the face of her passion, sweeping me along with her. Our lips parted and our tongues met.

Electric tendrils of pleasure streaked through my body. Sophia wrapped her hands around my neck, gripping the hair at the back of my head. I slid my hands down her back and ripped the towel from her.

She lifted her hips long enough to open the towel around my hips, but she refused to let our kiss die. Then she lowered her hot, dripping folds onto the shaft of my rock-hard cock and all pretense of tender affection disappeared in a flash.

I gripped the back of her neck, lacing my fingers into her hair at the scalp. Sophia’s eyes rolled in her head. her eyelashes fluttered and she moaned through the little smile on her face. Sophia’s intoxicating, personal, delicious scent filled my nose.

I growled, deep in my throat and kissed along her exposed neck, nipping here and there. I traced her spine with the fingers of my other hand, down, down, down, until my hand reached her ass. I ran my flattened palm over her perfect flesh and gripped the strong muscle.

“What do you want, Sophia?”

“You.”

I chuckled, gliding the tip of my long tongue over her collarbone. My tail wrapped around her breast, since my hands remained busy, touching each cell of her exposed skin. I wanted to wake every nerve in her body.

Sophia shuddered at my touch. I watched her face and I drew a nipple into my mouth with my tongue. Her eyes rolled in their sockets and soft gasps jiggled the perfect flesh of her exposed breast.

Not having spent much time stimulating her breasts, I focused on them learning exactly how to touch them to please her best—and I enjoyed every minute of discovering Sophia and watching her slip away into a world of pure pleasure.

Her nipples hardened into perfect little peaks under my gentle explorations. I nibbled them, licked, and sucked. I nipped at her nipples, stretched and tugged at them, until I found all her limits.

Sophia quivered on my lap, hips grinding her swollen clit along the ridges of my cock shaft. I sucked a nipple into my mouth and held on. I gripped a fistful of hair and slowly, gradually, stretched her back.

She panted in tiny breaths, whispering soft yesses. When she stretched far enough to whimper, I let the nipple go. Sophia cried out and ground harder on my cock. I slipped my tail around her throat, the tip stroking her cheek.

“Brannic…please…I need you so bad…”

I rocked my hips, the head of my cock finding her entrance with ease. I rocked up, into her, sliding in slow and deep. Sophia cried out. I could feel her tunnel throb and clench around my thick cock.

I held myself there, as deep as I could get inside of her. She whimpered and begged. Her hands slapped at me as she begged me to enter her again. I released her hair and grabbed her hips in both hands.

“Oh, Brannic, please! I’m so close!”

I moved both legs to one side of me and rotated us both until Sophia lay on her back, impaled on my fat cock. Her legs draped over mine, she immediately slammed her hips into mine—slamming herself onto my cock over and over, as deep as she could.

She grabbed at my arms, crying out, lost in her pleasure. I felt her clench around my shaft and slammed myself into her over and over. Orgasm after orgasm flowed over my sweet Sophia’s face.

“I love you, Sophia.”

“I love you, too, and not just because of the orgasms. Oh, Brannic…don’t stop… there’s another one…I want to see your eyes!”

In one, quick movement, I rolled atop her and gazed deep into her soul. She gazed into mine. Connected, lost in each other’s souls, my new marking glowed brighter and brighter. Sophie gasped.

“Brannic…is this…”

“Yes, my love—we share a soul, Sophia.”

“Kiss me!”

I refused to deny my Empress a single request. I leaned in and kissed the other half of our shared soul with all the love and dedication I felt. I thrust into her. The ephemeral threads of our love wrapped around us and our bodies tangled and we made love, leaving new marking glowing on my flesh.

I felt her throb around me, clenching rhythmically. A deep moan filled her being. Her back arched and the orgasm ripped through us both. We came together, gazes locked into our souls.

The boundaries of reality felt like they melted around us as our souls fully reconnected. My marking glowed brighter than they ever had. With a primal roar, I came, filling her with rope after rope of hot come.

For a short eternity, Sophia and I existed as one. We collapsed into each other’s arms, chests heaving, coated in sweat, whispering words of love.

We fell into a deep sleep and, when the sun rose, we prepared to face our destiny, begin a revolution.

* * *

Every game must come to a close…

Don’t miss the final installment of the Alien Games:

End Game

Rekker

Rekker wasn't expecting to be matched.

On the eve of being sent to retrieve a mysterious artifact, he's sent something just as enigmatic.

A human woman, lush and curved.

His mate.

Even worse, she wants nothing to do with him.

His blood burns for her, but the need to make her happy overrides everything.

He'll find a way to set her free, even if it means he'll be alone. Forever.

But when danger comes from an unexpected source, they're thrown together. And when his mate turns to him, he'll protect her.

Keep her.

Claim her.

Lila Kanes never wanted any thing but a quiet life on her family farm. She certainly didn't want to be claimed by a massive alien mate.

Thrown into the stars, she'll do whatever it takes to find a way home.

Back to Earth.

Back to her family.

She couldn't possibly want to stay with the hot, horned alien with the amazing body, who made her feel like the most precious thing in the universe, could she?

Right?

Rekker is the first book of the Warriors of Vaznik, a stand alone series in the Warlord Brides universe. There's no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA for each couple!

Click here to keep reading Rekker, book one of the Vaznik Warrior Mates!

Rogue Mate

Science fiction romance is the destination of the Rogue Star…. Hop on board!

Our rescuers are a group of pirates. Or smugglers. They're not exactly answering questions, either.

More importantly, they're giant, golden skinned aliens...

And their rogue of a captain seems very interested in the little human commander.

Me.

Rogue Mate is the first in the Rogue Star science fiction alien romance series. Click now to start the adventure!

Rescued by her Alien Mate

I thought being kidnapped by four-armed blue apes was as weird as life was going to get.

Boy, was I wrong...

We've crashed, our captors have fled, and now we've been rounded up by a group of tall, horned men. With scales. Who don't understand a word we say.

So why does my heart flutter when their leader touches me?  When his eyes flash silver, something deep inside me answers.

But if I lose my heart, how can I keep myself and the other women safe?

Rescued by her Alien Mate is the first book of the Warriors of the D'Tali science fiction romance series. Each book contains a complete HEA for our couple, and lots of steamy SFR fun!

Click to start the adventure!

Kazan

A mate is the last thing on my mind.

Especially one as sassy as the human female they say is my match.

Even if her lush curves call for my touch, and her fiery spirit is equal to my own.

I will endure the thirty days demanded by the Protocol.

But with every look, every word, I can feel us bound closer together.

Will I be able to leave her, even for her own safety?

Kazan is the first book of the Jorkan Protocol Mates. Click now to spend the night with this perfect steamy, funny science fiction romance escape. There's no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA for each alien warrior and his mate!

Copyright © 2021 by Ava York

All rights reserved. These books or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the Author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.