Authors: Marla Therron
Earth's satellites picked them up as they entered the solar system, and from there it was one long series of complicated explanations and official statements as the Oshun crew explained how they were returning in a ship that was not quite the Hermes, carrying a new crew member who was not quite human.
For a while, it was nonstop madness, dealing with the political and legal ramifications. Deciding how the Hive-kind would be dealt with. Deciding what would happen to the crew and to Tau.
Ian tried to claim responsibility for what had happened to the Hermes crew, but examining the data from its computer which Tau had retrieved for Penny's trial revealed it had been a mechanical error that had sent them off course. He had never been to blame at all. He had a hard time accepting that.
It had been more than a decade since they left, thanks to relative time, but one by one Penny watched her crew mates settle back into their lives, old and new. Rivera retired, well compensated, and returned to her wife and children happy. Cho became something of a celebrity scientist, talking about her experiences with the hive kind and planning proper research trips for as soon as the political climate settled.
Salome and Ian became heavily involved in breaking down and coming to understand the technology they'd brought back, adapting it to improve Earth's space travel capabilities. Ian never wanted to go into space again, or at least not out of the solar system, but Salome was eager to return to the stars, faster and safer than ever.
Penny threw herself into her diplomatic work. With Salome and Ian's innovations on the alien tech, they found a way to send signals to the other planet and opened a line of communication. Penny led efforts to reach a peaceful resolution to the Hermes Incident, as it was being called.
Tau was invaluable in explaining the Hive-kind's values and perspectives on things, and eventually understanding was reached. The Queen was infallible and thus could not apologize, but in diplomatic terms it was made clear that, newly pupated and unaware of the nuance of the situation, she had acted rashly, and regretted the lost opportunity.
Almost a year later, things began to at last calm down. Cho was leading a new mission, preparing to return to the Hive planet for a first formal diplomatic exchange. She'd begged Penny to come along, but Penny no longer wanted to run from Earth. She had something worth staying for now.
It was late fall, and the wind carried the taste of snow through the pine trees to the comfortable mountain cabin. Penny stood on the porch, looking up at the stars, and wondered what other, stranger life might be out there. Not that she was in any hurry to meet it.
Tau put his arms around Penny's waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. She felt him breathe deeply, his chest moving against her back. Convincing the government to let him stay on Earth as a citizen and live here unmonitored had been a feat, perhaps the hardest of Penny's career.
"You're sure you don't want to go back when Cho leaves?" Penny asked, a touch insecure. His hair brushed over her shoulders, a tickle of sensation. "Now that the situation is resolved, they might welcome you back as a hero."
He shook his head, hands sliding down to squeeze her hips.
"That isn't my home anymore," he said simply, "In truth, it never was. The only queen I have ever wanted to serve is here in my arms."
Penny's heart soared as the wind kicked up the scent of pine and cold stone. All her life, she'd only ever wanted to escape this place. Now that she wasn't running anymore, she could finally see how beautiful it all was. The world was a brighter and more colorful place since she'd returned, and Tau was at the warm, beating heart of it.
Penny turned in his arms to kiss him hard, wishing she could convey beyond what any translator chip ever could just how much she loved him. He squeezed her closer, and then turned to press her against the cabin wall as he showered kisses down her throat.
His hands slid under her thighs, lifting her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, tangling her hands in his hair as his kisses moved down towards her breasts.
His touches were still just as passionate and curious as they had been the first time, patiently learning more about her every day, until he could play her body like an instrument, every graze of his fingers sending ripples of pleasure through her.
The door was still open and the cold air made her nipples stand to attention as he pushed her shirt and bra up above her breasts. He surrounded them with his hot mouth, teasing with his tongue, until Penny ached for him and whispered his name, quietly begging for more.
Rather than going to the bedroom, he snatched a coat off of the rack by the door and carried her outside. He spread it on the ground to make a rough barrier for them, and Penny laughed.
"Out here?" she asked, incredulous though she was already removing her top, "Really?"
"I've had enough of hiding in tunnels and caves," he answered, "I want to love you in the open air."
He set her down, but before he could follow her, Penny stopped him, settling on her knees before him.
"I want to show you another human trick first," she said with a playful grin, and tugged down his pants. He'd taken to wearing human clothing since he arrived, though he still tended to favor very simple things, like the black t-shirt and jeans he was wearing now.
She pulled his already hardening manhood from his pants, heat filling her even at the sight of it. Not quite human, but close enough to be familiar and unthreatening. She pressed a delicate kiss to the head first and heard him inhale sharply above her.
As she wrapped her mouth around him, she felt him shudder and she purred with delight at her ability to make such a powerful man weak with just this. She moved forward to engulf him, feeling him heavy, throbbing on her tongue and already leaking his copious amounts of tingling, mint and anise precum.
She had underestimated how much of it there was, how much of
him
there was. She could only do her best to swallow it as she bobbed her head down his length, feeling his hands tangle in her hair, push her down harder, demanding more in a way that made her moan around him with desire, loving how he could take control, take her roughly, but never make her feel she was in danger. She loved him using her this way because she knew he would never hurt her.
She opened her mouth wider, struggling to breathe as he rocked his hips into her throat, pouring out his endless stream of precum. One hand gripped her hair just tightly enough to be felt, holding her in place. The other stroked hair, her cheek, full of affection even as he was thrusting into her mouth so relentlessly.
She felt him throb on her tongue and suddenly pull back, his torrent of cum splashing over her lips and breasts. She worked him with her hands until he was finished, then let go as he fell to his knees to kiss her, ferocious and sloppy with desire, his come slick between them as he pushed her back onto the spread out jacket.
His seed tingled on her skin everywhere it touched, and as he rubbed it into her breasts, she could feel them becoming more sensitive, every brush of mountain air making her tremble with heat.
He dove between her legs and pushed up her skirt, his long, talented tongue diving past her underwear to taste her already wet need. Penny writhed and sighed under his skillful attentions, hooking a leg around his shoulders to pull him closer, clutching at the grass as pleasure overwhelmed her over and over.
He didn't stop until she begged him too, trembling with over stimulation, her face flushed and her eyes hazy with need. He sat up, licking his lips, and moved between her thighs, sitting on his knees as he dragged her hips up into his lap.
Heated anticipation flashed through Penny as she watched him bring his head to her lips, sliding his length through her wet labia, teasing her before he sank lower to her entrance, pushing slowly in.
He leaned over her as he sank into her wet folds and she reached up to catch his shoulders and pull him in for a kiss, whimpering as he filled her completely.
He pulled out of the kiss to look down at her as he rocked his hips, grinding deeper within her. She blushed, realizing he was watching her expressions, the way she gasped and moaned and bit her lip as he thrust deeper, striking the places within her that most wanted his attention. He was always observing, always learning, like he'd dedicated his life to discovering the best ways to make her quake with pleasure.
He pulled back after a moment and began to thrust in earnest, every strike filling her to all she could bear, every withdrawal leaving her feeling empty and desperate for more. He lifted higher, from sitting on his heels to kneeling forcing her to arch her back to follow him.
She was tense as a bowstring, supporting herself on her arms, and the tense position made every thrust made her feel even harder and deeper. Even as she struggled to stay up she couldn't focus on anything but him. His hands on her hips, pulling her into his thrusts, the weight of him moving inside her, hot and thick, filling her up.
He let her back down onto the jacket so that he could lean over her again, meeting her eyes with an intense, passionate stare. She could feel he was close; planting a hand by her head while the other still clutched her hip.
She stared up at him, awed by the sight of those glittering eyes and all the love and desire they contained. She knew she never wanted to be anywhere more than right here, living this life. All the pain she'd gone through was worth it for this moment, knowing she would never be without his love again.
He pulled her close suddenly, kissing her hard as she felt him throb within her, finishing in a rush that left Penny shivering with pleasure.
In the moments after, they lay beside each other, the cool air drying their skin, their hands clasped between them. Tau brought them silently to his lips to kiss her fingers.
"I love you, Penny Allyn." he said, earnest and so soft she almost couldn't hear it.
"I love you too, Aiten Tau."
***
PREVIEW OF ‘THE ALIEN’S PREGNANT MATE’ BY MARLA THERRON
The lights of the stage were blinding, dazzling Erena's already hazy eyes. Whatever drug her captors had forced on her had left her so helpless she could barely move, her skin burning, her body aching, her vision blurry.
Every sensation was overwhelming, from the clink of the silver chains around her wrists, to the grain of the cage floor beneath her bare skin, to the murmur of voices as creatures too strange to be real moved past her prison, only pausing briefly to stare at her before moving on.
She tried to hide her nakedness; ashamed of what she had come to, but moving was a desperate struggle against the drug, which made her limbs so heavy. And anyway, nothing mattered anymore. Her entire team was dead except for Alice, and Erena had no way of knowing where the other woman had been taken.
She could be in one of these cages too, or a thousand lightyears away. And as for Erena herself, she didn't know what was going to happen to her, but she couldn't imagine it was going to be anything pleasant.
She was naked and drugged and surrounded on all sides by strange, totally alien beings. Some of them looked almost human, but many of them were so far from humanoid she could barely comprehend them.
And the way they stared at her, openly hungry, eyeing her body like meat in a butcher's shop… Maybe that's what this was, she thought with trembling, hopeless fear. Or some kind of zoo. Whatever it was, she was certain it was the last place she would see. This was the end of her.
Just as she was giving up totally, the cage opened and something reached in, clipping a leash to the collar around her throat and dragging her out onto the stage.
"Our next item for bid," the thing holding her leash was shouting as it pulled her on her knees to the front of the stage, "A true rarity! A female from a totally undiscovered species, stolen from the furthest depths of uncharted space! Even if you aren't seduced by her alien beauty, she'd certainly be a fascinating research subject! She's already been outfitted with a full set of vaccinations and a language chip for your convenience! So who wants to start the bidding at ten million?"
The auctioneer rattled on, praising Erena's attributes as she sat on her knees, naked and trembling and confused. She could barely see the audience past the stage lights, but she could hear them crying out bids.
Fear bloomed in her despite the numbing effects of the drug. She was being sold, like an object. This wasn't right! She searched the crowd as tears stung her eyes, looking for someone, anyone, who would point out how wrong this was and save her.
Her eyes locked with a man across the room. At least, she thought it was a man, through the blinding stage lights everything looked strange. But she saw his eyes, piercing even from this far away. They locked with hers, clear even through the haze of the drug, and she trembled at the sharpness of that gaze.
Help me
, she thought, wishing she had the strength to form the words,
Please, save me!
Erena had dreamed of this moment all her life. She'd always longed to be a scientist. She'd grown up completely fascinated by all of it. Chemistry, biology, physics, nothing was beyond her. It felt like magic to her, learning all the building blocks of the universe, the secret undercurrents and reactions that caused every single thing on earth.
Eventually, she took a specialty in astro physics. Not because it was her favorite or because she wanted to stop studying everything else. She went on studying all the other subjects in her free time. But astro physics was what would allow her to go into space, and in this day and age all the most exciting discoveries were happening in space.
It had been many years since mankind had moved beyond earth and begun colonizing other planets in their star system. Only now were manned missions moving beyond the Sol system and out into deep space in search of new fantastic discoveries. Erena, thanks to her tireless hard work, was going to be part of the first manned exploratory mission into deep space.
She'd never been so proud. She was already going to be in the history books just for going, but Erena's excitement was entirely in thinking about the incredible things she would discover out there.
She was the ship's chief science officer. The captain was a tiny, red headed woman named Alice Harper, calm and clear headed with natural leadership instincts and a talent for getting along with anyone.
There was also Sergei, a swarthy Russian man and the security officer, and Paolo, the handsome bronze skinned Brazilian chief engineer, and Fin, a chipper and yet surprisingly serious dark haired French man, in Medical.
They were a small team, meant to work closely together, with everyone helping out with everything, deferring to each other's expertise in case of decisions.
Erena had been training with the four of them for years preparing for this and they knew each other better than anyone. Erena practically considered them her siblings. She'd even dated Paolo for a while, though it hadn't worked out and they'd broken it off amicably.
The day of departure, they waved to the cheering crowds seeing them off. Erena leaned over the high platform that connected to the side of the ship, smiling with delight. The sun caught her golden hair, pulled back in a business like pony tail, and highlighted her curves, held in by the skin tight silver flight suit she was wearing.
The team had been carefully chosen and groomed to be as attractive as they were qualified, as this mission was as much about inspiring people as it was about progress. But Erena, with her long, thick blond hair and her bright amber eyes, was a media favorite.
She and the team posed for a few photos, then strapped into their sleek space craft, the Spirit of Exploration. Erena had run through the simulated take off so many times it almost seemed unreal to be finally doing it, feeling the ship shake and roar as the powerful rockets below it fired, shooting it up into the atmosphere on a cloud of fire.
The rockets detached and the boosters kicked in, pushing them out of the atmosphere entirely and into orbit around Earth. From here there was a brief wait as they drifted, waiting for the ship's orientation to line up perfectly with their destination.
Then Captain Harper fired the ship’s impulse thrusters, pushing them off out of orbit, heading towards the edge of the solar system. The hard part was done. Fin cheered first, always loud and excitable, and Erena soon joined him, climbing out of her harness and going to hug her team mates. They celebrated their success, breaking out a bottle of champagne and staring out the windows at the earth as it dwindled.
"Alright everyone!" Captain Harper said eventually, "That's enough fun. It's time to settle in for the long haul. Let's get you kids to bed!"
Though Paolo grumbled and they tried to argue for a few more minutes of enjoyment, they had a schedule to keep. Alice programmed the auto pilot as the rest of the crew settled into their stasis pods. They would remain in semi-cryogenic stasis for several years as the ship traveled out of the solar system at near light speeds.
It was unhealthy for the human body to be awake and active during near light speed travel, so until they reached their first destination they would be remaining unconscious, their bodily functions slowed to a near death like state, not even ageing.
It was the scariest part of the mission in Erena's opinion. This trip would take them nearly a decade, and due to relative time, far more time would pass on earth.
They'd had to leave their families and friends behind, knowing they would never see them again. Leaving her parents had been painful, but Erena had been preparing for this all her life. It also frightened her, thinking about how many advances and changes might happen before she returned.
The place she returned to would almost certainly be nothing like the place she left behind. But it was all worth it for the incredible things they would learn. Erena felt no regret, only eager optimism for the amazing future ahead of her. She sank into cryo sleep with a smile on her face, dreaming of the whole new worlds that would await her when she woke up.
She felt as though she'd barely closed her eyes before she was waking again, blinking frost from her lashes as she sat up. The rest of her team was shifting around her, stretching and groaning as they climbed out of their pods, ice clinging to the tight curves of their suits.
"Good morning," she said with a yawn.
Paolo, looking deliciously sleep mussed, his dark hair tousled and his eyes half lidded, draped himself across the end of her pod.
"Good morning bella," he crooned, gazing at her affectionately, "I dreamed of you the whole way here, and now I wake to see you looking more beautiful than ever."
Erena laughed, dismissing his compliments. Paolo talked to everyone like that. Besides, the blue white led lighting of the ship washed everything into a kind of pale morning haze, shining on the sleek gray panels and consoles of the ship's stylish interior.
Compared to such fashion forward surroundings, Erena was fairly certain no one but Paolo could manage to look anything but pale and drab. It had been very important to the directors of this mission that they glamorize space travel enough to attract more people, and thus more money, to it.
For that reason, one of the biggest costs of the project had been consulting fees for famous architects and stylists and expert advertisers to contribute designs for everything from the ship itself, to the suits they were wearing, to even the choice of team members.
"You're looking as cheesy as ever, Paolo," Erena replied, teasing, "Are you planning to try out for a soap opera after the mission?"
Paolo stumbled back, clutching his chest.
"My love!" he gasped, "You wound me!"
Erena laughed, and Paolo nearly tripped over Sergei, who was shifting past him to get changed. Sergei scowled at them both, his dark eyes withering.
"Stop fooling around," he scolded, "We have work to do."
"Ah, my brooding hero," Paolo instantly turned his playful flirtations on the Russian, "Could it be you're jealous of my attentions to the fair Erena? Could it be you've decided to return my affections at last?"
He clasped Sergei's hands, and the other man blushed, sputtering in flustered incoherency.
"You know," Paolo teased, leaning closer, "You are the only member of the team I have not yet had the pleasure of getting to know... intimately."
"It's true," Finn chipped in from across the room, his accent lyrical.
"Really Finn?" Erena laughed, "Even you?"
"He's a very handsome man," Finn shrugged, "And I have a weakness for people who can out drink me."
Sergei shouted something presumably very crude in Russian and hurried away, the other three laughing at his scramble to escape.
"I will woo him one of these days," Paolo vowed, beginning to strip out of his jumpsuit.
"Forget it Paolo," Erena advised him as she did the same on the other side of the room, "Some people just can't be wooed."
They changed into more comfortable clothing now that the tight flight suits were no longer necessary. They'd entered what Finn called the 'road trip' portion of their flight. They were well outside Earth's solar system now, and were approaching the first of the planets they would be examining.
Dressed in a simple white t-shirt and shorts, Erena drifted into the cabin where Captain Harper, the first to wake, was already at the console checking on their status.
"Is that it?" she asked, her hands in her hair as she tied it back, "It doesn't look like much."
Outside the front view screen a blue gray planet was turning, looking cold and uninviting.
"Yeah, it looks like your predictions about it were right on the money," Alice agreed, "Cold and barren."
"The gas super giant in this system causes too much interference with its orbit," Erena explained, looking down at the start chart displayed on Harper's console, "It's just too cold to be worth setting down on. Not when we only have enough fuel to do that a handful of times."
"Maybe five, if we stretch it," Alice's tone was thoughtful as she looked out at the ice planet, "Is it worth sending out a probe at least?"
"Definitely," Erena smiled enthusiastically, "I'm pretty sure this planet has liquid water whenever that gas giant isn't cutting it off from the sun. It could have microbial life."
"Well then, I guess we'll be hanging out here for a few hours till the probe gets back," Alice punched in directives for the probe and sent it out. They both watched as the tiny silver craft dropped out from under them and fell towards the planet like a shooting star.
"Tell Finn to break out the playing cards," Alice ordered, "And don't let him deny it. I know he has them."
A few hours later the probe returned and they were all busy for a time analyzing the data quickly to make sure there wasn't anything more interesting about the planet that they'd missed. When they'd confirmed that it was just the ball of ice Erena had thought it would be, they moved on.
"Now comes the real road trip," Finn commented, drawing a card from the deck, "Damn, another two."
"Are we up to near light speed already?" Erena asked, taking her own turn to draw and laying down a pair.