Transport Ship Arrowhead Ch. 02

The spherical city ship glided silently through the vastness of space. Roughly the size of a small moon, Nova City was a mobile center of commerce; an interstellar market place capable of faster than light travel.

The lower hemisphere housed its propulsion, defense, and life support systems, while the upper hemisphere housed the habitat section; a large dome protecting a sprawling metropolis from the harsh vacuum of space. Several freighters and ships were at station keeping around Nova City, waiting for docking clearance.

Endira Vas was wandering the city aimlessly. The purple skinned Muldaxian beauty didn't know where she was going, nor did she really care. Twenty minutes ago her ship, the Arrowhead, was granted landing clearance in one of the outer docking bays.

Right after the Arrowhead docked and they had disembarked, Vas saw that they had landed next to the burned out husk of a Muldaxian star cruiser. That long, smoldering rectangle of a ship filled Vas's heart with fear and a white hot rage; had she stayed in the docking bay she might have punched the first passerby. "I'm sorry, James, but I have to go," she said to her bond mate before storming off.

Seven months ago, the Verokk Imperium invaded the Muldaxian Commonwealth. A Planetary Coalition strike force had been deployed to drive the Verokk out, but they were not having much luck. An operation that was supposed to take only six months was now in its seventh, and was showing no signs of ending any time soon.

Vas had spent three years on the planet Dorrin as part of a cultural exchange. She was on her way home when the invasion was launched. She was homesick and furious at the universe for what was happening. The only good thing to come out of this mess was her bond mate, James Barret.

A voice coming through her comm-link earpiece brought her back to the present. "We're unloaded, hon," the voice said. "And we've been set up with guest quarters at one of the inns." Vas said nothing. "Vas? Please respond. What, are you having hot, kinky sex and not letting me watch?"

That did it. "I heard you, James, " she said with an edge in her voice. "Is that ship still there?"

"Yeah, it is. It's supposed to be moved to the space dock within the next hour or so. I'll trace your comm-link and meet you. Stay put, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," she said, and ended the transmission.

Barret flinched when Vas closed the channel. She had been getting more and more irritable lately and he didn't know what to do to make things better for her.

The Arrowhead had been hired to deliver a shipment of replication coils to one of Nova City's hotels. They were given a free room for the night in addition to their normal going rate. Barret had hoped that this trip would help Vas get her mind off things.

Seeing that Muldaxian ship had only made it worse. The seven months they had been together were the among best he could remember. A month after they followed Muldaxian tradition and bonded, they had a small Earth wedding ceremony aboard an Terran patrol ship; Vas wanted the traditions of both of their homeworlds honored in their union.

Barret looked down at the silver ring on his left hand. Vas had one just like it. He had insisted on silver because it matched Vas's eyes. Barret thought Vas was ravishing, but it was her eyes that always captured him, silver eyes full of love and hope. Now they were filled with bitterness and rage.

Vas was about to look for a bench to sit on when she heard a voice in her native tongue say, "Ah, a familiar looking face." Vas turned to see a shorter Muldaxian man with balding hair just as dark as her own. His gold eyes shone with a friendly radiance. He looked at the representation of the Arrowhead on the right shoulder of Vas's black flight suit and smiled. "I see we have a friend in common."

"Pardon?" she asked.

"James Barret." The man gestured at the patch on her shoulder. "I'd recognize any depiction of that piece of shit freighter anywhere."

Vas was about to respond when he raised his hand to stop her. "I mean no offense," he said with a smile. "It's just, I remember when James bought that thing. I thought he was wasting his money and that it would blow up within a week." The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hard to believe it was five years ago." The man noticed Vas giving him an incredulous look. "Where are my manners?" he said with a slight bow of his head. "Dismer Bor, at your service."

"Lord High Chancellor," Vas gasped, and quickly returned the greeting gesture. "My apologies, sir, I didn't know you'd escaped Muldax Prime!"

"It's all right, my dear," he laughed. "There's no need to stand on ceremony. Until our government is reinstated back home, I'm just another wanderer like yourself." Dismer gave Vas a quick once over. "May I assume that you are Ambassador Endira?"

Hearing her old title caused Vas's heart to fall. "I used to be," she said softly. "Now I'm just a delivery girl on an Earth cargo ship." Hearing herself say those words made her heart fall even more. She knew she was more than that, but today she didn't really feel like it.

"Well," Dismer said, breaking the silence. "I'm glad James was able to help you out. I just didn't expect him to give you a job."

Before Vas could tell Dismer the true nature of her relationship with Barret, another voice came into earshot. "Bor? Is that you, you old son of a slygrath?"

Dismer saw a human wearing an identical flight suit to Vas's hurrying over to where they were standing. "James!" The two men hugged like reunited brothers. "It's been too long, old friend. You have my spice whiskey?"

Barret laughed and slapped Dismer on the back. "It's in stasis back in my warehouse," he said. "I'll get it to you on my next run." Barret stood next to Vas and put his arm around her shoulders. She in turn wrapped her arms around his waist and melted into him, suddenly very happy for the physical contact. "I see you've met my bond mate Vas."

Dismer's eyes grew as big as dinner plates and his jaw dropped. "When?"

"Four days after we met," Vas said happily.

A huge smile formed on Dismer Bor's lips. Barret had been bonded to Dismer's sister, Alu, until her death five years ago. "I'm glad to see that you've finally honored my sister's wishes and moved on, James. Very glad."

Dismer looked down at his wrist chronometer. "I have a meeting with the city's administrator in about fifteen minutes," he said. "Later tonight I want to treat you both to dinner. We need to celebrate!" He looked at his chronometer again and grumbled. "Dammit, my bodyguard should have been here by now. He's supposed to accompany me to my meeting."

"My apologies, Lord High Chancellor," a breathless voice said. "This city is just too damn big. I got a little lost." I tall, lanky Muldaxian man with shoulder length snow white hair jogged up. When he saw Vas, his eyes lit up, as did hers.

"Hix!" she exclaimed as she rushed from Barret's arms to embrace the Muldaxian.

"Reunions left and right today," Dismer mused.

Barret nodded in greeting at the new arrival. "James Barret," he said.

The newcomer eyed Barret with quiet contempt. "Antis Hix. I knew Vas at the academy." His tone was that of an animal defending its turf.

Vas pulled out of the hug and gave Antis a dirty look. "Is that any way to talk to my bond mate, Hix?"

"Bond mate?" Antis said with confusion. "It's uh, it's nice to meet you, then." Barret knew it was a lie, but said nothing.

Dismer cleared his throat. "Come, Mr. Antis, we need to get to the administrator's office."

Vas's face fell when she heard this. "Maybe we could meet up later, Hix," she said softly.

Barret could read between the lines. He knew his bond mate's old friend didn't really like him for whatever reason, and Barret really didn't like the idea of Vas sleeping with him, but he also knew that it was her choice.

"Hey, Bor, how about if I go with you to the administrator's office so these two can, uh, get reacquainted."

Dismer gave Barret a skeptical look. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Barret replied, even though he really wasn't. "Besides, Administrator Remick's an old friend of mine. It'll be good to see her again."

"Very well." Dismer looked over at his bodyguard. "You're dismissed until later this evening. Have fun, you two."

Vas gave Barret a huge kiss. "Thank you, sweetie," she said happily. "I love you."

"Love you, too," he replied. Barret's sky blue eyes watched with trepidation as his wife ran off to fuck her old friend. He shook his head.

"Don't let Antis get to you, James," Dismer said. "The invasion has really gotten to him. It's gotten to all of us."

Antis and Vas couldn't reach his quarters fast enough. Once through the door, his shirt was ripped off and her flight suit was unzipped. Once in the bedroom, he was naked an she was wearing only her panties. As soon as they were on the bed they were both totally nude; their mouthes and tongues intertwined. They groped each other wildly.

Antis went for Vas's tits and took an erect green nipple into his mouth, lightly tugging on it with his teeth. He was tweaking her remaining nipple with one hand while rubbing her clit with the other. Vas meanwhile was vigorously stroking his long, smooth cock and fondling his balls. She was so wet she could hear her juices sloshing as Antis rubbed her slit.

Vas pulled away from him. "I've missed you," she said hungrily.

"It's been too long," he replied. Antis nudged her to lay back, and took in the sight of her naked body. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. He gave Vas's firm, cantaloupe sized tits a playful squeeze and ran his thumbs over her nipples, causing her to shudder.

Antis took his cock in hand and rubbed its rounded tip against her glistening green slit. After a little teasing, he slowly eased himself into her pussy. Antis sat upright between Vas's legs and slowly slid himself in and out of her. Vas rested her legs against his chest and moaned in pleasure.

Antis moved slowly and methodically, as if he was trying to memorize the texture of her inner warmth, the feel of her tight wetness around him. Vas brought her legs back down and planted her feet on the bed so she could get better traction. She started to roll her hips, hoping to encourage Antis to thrust faster.

"Not so fast," he cooed.

"Not fast enough. Come on, Hix," she pleaded. "Fuck me like you used to. Fuck me like you mean it!" But Antis kept up with the slower pace. Truth be told he wanted to go faster, but at the same time he wanted to savor the moment.

Vas grew more impatient. She could feel her orgasm just over the horizon, so she sat up and clamped her legs around his waist. Vas bounced up and down on Antis's cock with urgency, and pushed him down on the bed when he tried to get her to slow her pace. "I'm in the pilot's seat now," she declared, and proceeded to ride him as if her life depended on it. Vas pinched his nipples while she fucked him, causing him to give in and thrust into her with the force she wanted.

Vas nearly screamed when her orgasm hit. She threw her head back as her skin lightened from dark purple to lavender, her body trembling violently as the pleasure surged through her. Once those waves had stopped, Vas collapsed on Antis and proceeded to lick his ear from lobe to pointed tip. Antis pumped into her harder and faster.

Vas pried herself off of his cock and gave him a sly smile. "You're gonna like this," she teased. Antis's eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw her take his dick into her mouth and start sucking it.

"What are you.... doing?" he managed to stammer.

"Sucking your cock," she said in a matter of fact tone.

"Why?"

"Because it's fun." She gently stroked his length. "Don't you like it?" She sounded hurt. Vas, like the rest of her kind, knew nothing about oral sex before she met Barret, and now she loved it. She loved it when Barret sucked and licked her clit, and she loved sucking him until he exploded in her mouth. She had gotten quite good at it; Barret couldn't get enough of her blowjobs, and other Muldaxian men she'd been with since learning the intricacies of oral sex had sung her praises. Antis, it seemed, didn't share their enthusiasm.

"It's different," was all he could say.

Vas flashed Antis a devious smile. "I know you'll like this." She buried his cock between her tits. Antis closed his eyes and groaned as Vas massaged his cock with her tits. His breathing became more and more ragged and his skin was starting to change color.

"That's it baby," she coaxed. "Cum for me. Blast it all over my face. You used to love getting me in the face." Vas knew the effect talking dirty had on Antis, and no sooner had she said it than he turned a vary pale shade of lavender and thick jets of black cum shot from the twin holes at the head of his cock.

Long streams hit Vas on the chin and dripped down onto her tits. A river of black semen was flowing down her left breast, and a small glob hung from the nipple. Vas released Antis's cock from her chest and gave it one last squeeze. "Mmmmm," she moaned, looking down at the shear volume that had erupted form him. "That was a lot. Been a while for you, hasn't it?"

"Since before the invasion," he said breathlessly.

Vas excused herself to the bathroom to get cleaned up. When she came back out she noticed the conflicting looks of satisfaction and disappointment on Antis's face. "What's wrong?" she asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

Antis didn't even look at her. "I was kind of hoping you'd let me, you know, finish inside."

Vas let out an exasperated grunt and sat down on the bed. "I have a bond mate, you know," she said in a harsh tone. "He's the only one who gets to do that."

Antis sat up. "But he's an alien!"

"Yes he is! And you know what? I love him!" Vas was indignant now. "What's the deal? Really? I'm not the first of our kind to bond outside our species, and I won't be the last. This is nothing new!" Antis wouldn't make eye contact. Instead he was looking at a very fascinating crack in the wall. "Wait a minute," Vas said almost to herself. "Didn't you bond with Zilist Clua a few years ago?"

"She broke our bond and left me before the invasion," he softly replied. "Happy now?"

"No," she said, getting off the bed. "I'm insulted. Just because your bond mate left you doesn't mean I'm going to betray and leave mine." She gathered up her clothes and dressed as quickly as she could.

"What are you doing?" Antis got off the bed and maid a bee line for the bedroom door.

"Getting dressed. What's it look like I'm doing?" she said angrily. "I going to find James, and then I'm having dinner with him and the High Chancellor. I'm going to have a drink, and I'm going to try to forget that you did this. And then maybe, just maybe, I'll consider forgiving you!" She finished zipping up her flight suit and stormed out of the room, leaving a very naked and very embarrassed Antis Hix standing in the doorway.

The Nova City administrator's office, sitting atop the city's central spire, was bigger than the Arrowhead's cargo hold. The wall behind the administrator's desk was all glass, giving visitors the best view possible of the city.

There were two long couches along the walls on either side of the desk, and two cushy chairs in front of it. Those two chairs were occupied by Dismer Bor and James Barret, while a red haired human woman wearing a grey business suit with the seal of the city emblazoned on the left breast pocket sat behind the desk.

Karin Remick stood and lightly bowed her head to the High Chancellor. "I wish the news was better," she said. "The Verokk are hellbent on getting all government officials and dignitaries back to Muldax Prime. They were screaming at me to extradite you, and now they're threatening to send an attack fleet. There is no way this city can defend itself from an Imperium fleet and they know it."

"Thank you, Administrator," Dismer replied somberly. "I have no wish to endanger anyone here. I'll book passage out as soon as possible." Barret was about to offer his old friend a rode when Karin spoke up.

"Not so fast, Chancellor," she said. "Nova City might not be able to defend itself, but we do have allies. The Verokk are threatening an independent commerce center. The Coalition doesn't take kindly to that, nor do the various commerce guilds. I'm expecting a few hundred extra gunships to be here within the next few days. You don't have to go anywhere for a while."

"Thank you, Karin."

"No problem. As for you, Captain Barret," she said, turning her attention from the Muldaxian high chancellor. "You need to visit more often. Eight years is too long."

Dismer's wrist-comm beeped. "I have to go," he said with a weak smile. "Hyperspace conference calls with the Coalition high council wait for no man. James, I have standing reservations at the Singularity Lounge. Why don't you and Vas meet me there at 1830 hours?" Barret nodded.

After Dismer left the room, Karin slumped behind her desk in an exhausted heap. "Another day, another disaster averted," she sighed. "Damn Verokk stirring up trouble and making my life more difficult." She gave Barret a tired grin. "Sorry about the bitch session. It's been a long seven months."

Karin sat up and gave her old friend a thoughtful look. "So, who's this Vas woman? Last I heard you'd hooked up with Dismer's sister." She gave Barret a sad look. "I was sorry to hear about her death."

"Thanks," Barret said. "To answer your question, I met Endira Vas seven months ago when Bor asked me to give her a ride back to Muldax Prime from Starlane Spaceport." He raised is left hand to show his ring. "Now we're bonded and married."

"Married, huh?" Karin arched an eyebrow. "I'll assume that my invitation got lost in hyperspace. When do I get to meet her?"

Barret rubbed the back of his neck. "Probably as soon as she's done having sex an old friend she met up with."

"Does that bother you?" Karin asked. "You know, that she sleeps with other guys."

"Not usually," Barret replied. "We've both taken other people to bed since we've been together. Hell, we've even watched each other! This time was different, though. The guy she ran off with didn't seem to like me for whatever reason."

"Administrator Remick, we have a small problem out here," a voice from the intercom on her desk announced. "The captain of a Geddryn mercenary ship just barged in to see you."

"Great, more Imperium shit to deal with," Karin muttered. She hit the intercom harder than she needed to. "Tell him to make an appointment."

"That's not the problem. A Muldaxian woman came in looking for Captain Barret right before the Geddryn showed up. Now the he's demanding that we turn her over to him."

Barret sprung to his feet and bolted for the door with Karin right behind him. The Geddryn were bounty hunters, as well as members of the Verokk Imperium. Karin shuddered to think what would happen to Vas if they got their claws on her.

When Karen crossed the threshold she saw a black haired Muldaxian woman being glared at by a four armed lizard. Vas was motionless. Though she showed no emotion on her face, the fight or flight response was raging a war within her.

"Vas!" Barret's voice snapped Vas out of her paralysis.

"Thank the Goddesses," she muttered under her breath. Barret was at her side before the snarling reptile could react. The Geddryn looked at them like a predator stalking its prey.

"What's going on out here?" Karin demanded, trying to diffuse the situation.

"I am Captain Viraz," the Geddryn hissed. "This Muldaxian is identified as Ambassador Endira Vas. The Verokk Imperium has decreed that she and all other dignitaries be returned to Muldax Prime. You will turn her over to me so that I may..... transport her."