Defying The Alliance (Novokin Alliance Invasion 1) Read online

  I managed to sneak in two quick kicks to the side of his head. He was easily able to block the first, the second caught him in the cheek. “Got you! Who doesn’t have technique now, you Hyberian ox?” I gloated. He grunted and his nostrils flared even as a thin trickle of gold fluid weaved its way down to his jawline. We were only supposed to be practicing, but the building tension of the last couple of days had my blood boiling and my body itching for release in more than one way.

  The ship's training room was a fully equipped Protectorate training center with both holographic combat sims and standard exercise equipment. Though, if given a chance, I preferred hand to hand combat with a real opponent. The adrenaline spike I experienced, attacking, defending and trying to anticipate my rival’s moves, helped me focus and think. What a better sparring partner than the 6'8" golden mountain of solid muscle threatening to pummel me if I gave him half a chance.

  “You may not have a choice Captain,” he reasoned as he caught my scissor kick in mid air, flipping me backwards.

  The somber tone in his voice slapped me with the realization of our desperate predicament. My bruised heart tried to claw its way out of my chest, so I couldn’t feel the hurt anymore. Anger rose deep from my gut pulling me to where it always pulled me, the Novokin Alliance invasion. That first day, and those horrible vid scenes coming in from New Astoria. The devastation, the death. Tears of festering rage started to build as I thought about my family. Caught on the home world during the first praking Novokin attack. And it wasn’t just mine. Countless numbers of planets and outposts in our galaxy ransacked and destroyed in mere seconds by those Novokin butchers. I could barely see, grinding my teeth and shaking so hard trying to keep the tears back -.

  The room flipped upside down.

  I realized what was happening a millisecond before white hot pain exploded in my shoulder where it hit the mat. That was a praking teeth rattler. A far off voice boomed in time with the jarring of my brain.

  "If we're going to practice, you will need to focus on the here and now Captain, lest you wish to be thrown across the room again," he said firmly as his lips curled up in that annoying, lopsided way that made him look sexy as hell and flustered the area south to my belly button. Apparently this was all very funny to him.

  I worked hard to keep a dazed look while I reached up a hand, from my undignified position on the floor, with the hopes of him helping me up. He obliged and leaned down to reach for my hand. Too bad for him.

  I took advantage of the millisecond he was slightly off balance. I locked his wrist then used his own weight against him, pulling him forward. All traces of smugness on his face were replaced with the stark gut-punch of reality. He was going down. I kicked out at his weight bearing leg. The big beautiful golden mountain of a man tumbled over little ole me and smacked face first on the ground, hard.

  "I didn't do all this just to become a criminal. Damn it!" I retorted, breathing heavily from the effort I’d exerted to see his 320 pound of pure muscle ass knocked down a peg, and kissing ground.

  He seemed stunned so I followed him down to the mat, circled behind him and leapt on his back like a monkey. “I used to hunt down and lock up criminals,” I panted. I pushed my knees into his back as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I locked my hands and started to squeeze.

  “Be careful Captain you may strain a muscle there.” Was that mirth in his voice? Was he laughing at me? Skeck, no. I squeezed harder.

  “Maybe honor, and duty mean nothing to you, barbarian, but I took an oath to uphold and enforce the ideals of the Protectorate.” My voice trembled under the strain of my anger and my effort to immobilize my gargantuan opponent.

  He started to move to his hands and knees. Dammit he was getting up. Then one of his arms crumbled under him, listing his body on one side. Oxygen baby. You don't realize how much you need it, until it's gone. There's a reason I'm the Captain. There's a reason I took first place in all the martial arts competitions at the Academy. Size doesn't matter to a grappler. The bigger they are, the harder they –AAAAAHHHH!

  All my muscles went into spasm at once. The jolt of electricity crawled over every inch of my body crippling my nervous system. My grip involuntarily loosened and he started to fall. Before, I had a chance to react, he turned the momentum of his fall into a roll and crushed me like a Greycrunch water bug. So much for air. My arms had the strength of wet spaghetti and when he righted himself, he easily peeled them from around his neck using my thumbs as levers. The only thought going through my head, as I skated unceremoniously to the floor is that this is what must've felt like to exist before I learned to walk.

  The next thing I knew I was face down drooling on the mat, and Trex was on his back next to me, breathing heavily. When I could once again feel my arms and legs, my indignation began to rise. I crawled to my hands and knees. Then I jumped on top of him, barely able to straddle the width of his solid muscled torso.

  I poked my index finger into his rock hard chest. "You cheated!" I snapped. My voice crackled with emotion, and my cheeks burned. “You bamboozled me with your zapping ray power thingy.”

  "No, I merely decided that air was more important to me in that moment, than my pride." His eyes then trailed down the length of my body where I straddled him. An amused lopsided smirk spread across his face and he turned his heated, green gaze back up to my eyes.

  “Is that so? Oh, you mighty golden barbarian,” I gibed, as I attempted to push myself away, up off his rock hard abs. Getting intimate with the beautiful barbarian in the middle of the training room had not been my plan. Ever!

  Strong, forceful hands quickly landed on top of my thighs and firmly tugged my lower body back down against his groin. His body was saying hello as his hardness fit snugly between my thighs, awakening my own desire for this male and turning the heat up in my core. The sound of his voice was warm, deep and smooth like rich, thick, dark Olourian maplehoney syrup, dribbling on the tongue, sending ripples of sweet pleasure and excitement through me.

  "You need to decide what's more important Captain. Your freedom and that of your crew, or your reputation. By which will you attain true honor?” The solemn, rough tone of his voice shook me inside.

  Skeck all, as much as I hated to admit the barbarian was on to something. Every member of my crew was counting on me. I had to...I had to–.

  His large arousal pulsed and pushed against the seam of my pants disturbing my thoughts and making me wet. My lips parted and my hips reacted by rocking back and forth, grinding up and down the length of him. My entire southern region tightened. I could've come right then and there, but I wasn't ready to give up my advantage and I wasn't ready for this to end. One of his large hands slid from my thigh and cupped my backside, pulling me into him.

  I lowered my chin and his eyes locked on mine, as I traced the definition of his solid, powerful muscles and ended in a soft, silky patch of fur at the center of his chest. Raw need reflected in the green pools of his eyes making me quiver and sending my essence ablaze. His need mirrored the unbelievable craving inside me. A need that demanded satisfaction.

  It had been three years since a man warmed my bed. Three years of relentless running and hiding. Always checking over my shoulder. Never knowing who to trust. I’d always managed to keep a cool head. But this was different. He was different. It was all happening too fast. I desired to be with this alien like the desert craves the water.

  Yet my unconscious mind, unrelenting and always vigilant shouted at me, It’s ridiculous, you’ve only known this alien for a day and a half. You’re the Captain. You can’t fraternize with people under your command. These people depend on you. To keep them safe. Safety requires focus and protocol. Romantic entanglements are only a distraction, a distraction you can’t afford. I knew I had to put a stop to this before my body’s rebellion got out of hand.

  Still unable to detach myself from the warm, solid fingers gently squeezing my thighs, I whispered, “My crew’s safety and freedom mean more to me than anythi
ng else, and yet I can’t betray the ideals that I swore to uphold.” I paused, struggling to focus on what I was saying and not the feel of him under me.

  I continued speaking before he had a chance to respond. “On the Deep Proteus station you asked me why I saved all these people. I did it because I’m a Protectorate Captain, sworn to defend and protect. That’s what I do. That’s who I am. It may mean nothing to you but it means everything to me and my crew. Besides, I wish somebody had done the same for my family before the praking Novokin butchers slaughtered them.” My voice broke as a single tear finally escaped, cool on my flushed cheek.

  Calloused fingers cupped my face and wiped the runaway tear. “You’re not a Protectorate Captain. Not anymore. And it wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have saved them,” he stated gently.

  “I never said that-.” The words froze in my lips. An empty stare haunted his beautiful green eyes. He let me see his pain, his loss and I knew it for what it was. It was my own. The dilated, dark pupils of his tender eyes sucked me right in, drowning out all of my pain and misgivings. At that moment, I needed him like nothing else, like nobody else before.

  A soft prickling sensation, the same as when we were hiding in the air vent from the Novokin soldiers on the station, began to ride up my legs and into the folds of my sex. I dug my nails deeper into his skin as my whole body was assaulted by electrifying waves of delicious pleasure. His strong pelvis pushed off the floor, making our connection tighter, as his throbbing cock thrust against the thin barrier of my workout leggings.

  Snaring a fistful of golden brown, silky fur on his furnace of a chest, to balance myself against his thrusting, I leaned down to devour those luscious chiseled lips, when the door to the training room hissed open.

  Skeck! I threw my chest up swinging one fist, then two into the smooth line of his beautiful, rugged jaw. Trex laid back, eyes wide with confusion and his shapely nose now bleeding profusely into his mouth. I pushed off him and stood in one fluid motion, wincing as the throes of pleasure still assailed my lower half.

  Unable to move quickly on my quivering legs I addressed my sparring partner on the floor.

  "And that's why you always have to remain focused," I proclaimed, before I spun on shaky heels and headed for the door.

  I strode carefully across the room, casually nodding to Jaxx and one of the lieutenants, as they repaired a power coupling, or something. When I could see straight again, I'd figure it out.

  “Hey Captain,” Jaxx chirped. His eyes drilled into mine, as he tossed sidelong glances toward the other side of the room, where Trex was still lying on the floor. Or I thought he still did. I didn’t dare look back.

  “Commander,” I intoned, looking in his general direction but avoided his gaze. On second thought, I really needed to talk to him. “Actually, Commander Jaxx, could I have a word with you?”

  Then I thought better of it as Jaxx started packing up his tools to follow me." I'll meet you in the operations room in twenty."

  I left my first officer to his confusion and hobbled to my quarters like a newborn Verdaxian foal.

  Chapter 3

  Jaxx's face was a stone wall when he pointed up at the bridge's main viewer. "As you can see Captain, from this range we have only three possible targets. The first is a transport ship, said to be ferrying a class of 127 students with –."

  I shot him a look that could curdle Charludian bat milk. "No way, Jaxx. I'm not attacking anything with children on it," I waved my hand, "next."

  “Of course Captain,” he agreed, as his chest deflated from holding his breath and the muscles in his face relaxed. The Foxtopians, 15 sectors away heard his exasperated sigh of relief. Jaxx had made his objection to piracy loud, whiny and clear, when I informed the crew of our predicament and my intention to drop even lower on the ladder of morality. I sincerely doubted attacking a shipful of children gave Mr. impending daddy the warm fuzzies.

  “This is hard on all of us, Commander. But we don’t have a choice,” I said gently, in front of the bridge crew. If we were to survive, I needed everyone to be on board. Any more objections had to be dealt with now.

  “There is always a choice Captain,” he quipped, his voice tense.

  “You’re right my friend,” I countered softly. “And I choose you. My responsibility is first to my crew, to you and to your unborn children. I promise you, we’ll find a way to make this work, and hopefully we won't make a habit of it.” I assured him, hoping to allay my conscience as much as my first officer’s.

  Green fingers brushed over glistening eyes before he continued, "The other two are cargo ships,” he informed, waving his hand and the stats of two other ships filled the screen. “One is privately owned, and the other has an Alliance signature."

  Trex’s massive form filled my peripheral vision, standing near the auxiliary station just behind and to the right of me. It turned out he knew quite a lot about running a ship, taking to the consul like a Bensothpian land-mite to salt. Not that anyone asked him to, but we needed all hands on deck so I decided to let him stay. He looked formidable, muscular and menacing as always. Put a shirt on for prak's sake. And of course, the card-table face was back on.

  I threw my hand out to wave off the private cargo ship. "We're not out to hurt Joe'en Q. Public, so tell me about the Alliance ship."

  I could feel Trex’s eyes boring holes on the side of my skull. His words played over and over in my mind. ‘You’re not a Protectorate Captain. Not anymore.’ I chanced a quick look, hoping to borrow some of his strength, his conviction. Damn he was smoking hot.

  “err...as I was saying Captain, the Alliance ship is a midsize Terring class. Cargo unknown. With an unsual level of defensive capabilities,” Jaxx uttered, arcing a single viridian eyebrow. Wow, his colors were sure intensifying in his second dimester. He'd be popping in a few weeks.

  “This ship has ten times the standard armament allotted for its size,” he pointed out, a hint of worry in his voice.

  "Understood. It’s still a go." I responded tersely, letting him and everyone else knew that I had already settled on this target.

  My first officer continued unperturbed. "Their coordinates are just outside normal shipping lanes. If we leave them dead in space it'll be at least two days before someone happens upon them."

  I nodded. This all sounded good so far, but apparently he wasn't finished.

  "The problem is, they'll probably call in their position as soon as we approach."

  I had of course considered this earlier, regardless of whatever ship we accosted. But at this stage in the game what choice did we have?

  "That's a risk we'll have to take." I said pinching the bridge of my nose.

  "There's a good chance that if they call for reinforcements Captain, we could have a fight on our hands." Jaxx cautioned as he turned to face me. The serious tone in his voice matched the somber expression he bore, foreign to his usually jovial face.

  I tapped the arm rest of my chair reverently. "Then we'll see what this old Warbird has left in her," I uttered firmly with more confidence than I really felt.

  And just like that, our mission parameters changed from flight to fight.

  The cocking of a golden eyebrow coupled by a piercing, savage look from the auxiliary station made my knees weak and my chest flutter. His wild, golden-brown hair framed a strong neck and cascaded freely over the top of his muscular shoulders. He nodded in my direction, before he turned around to continue his work. It seemed, I had his approval. Well goody for me, now all was right with the universe. I tried to work up a good annoyance, but all I got was a sense of warmth that made me feel…safe.

  "Helm," I said with renewed vigor, "set course and target that Alliance cargo vessel." I turned and pointed at Jaxx. "You, my big green friend, raise up the Jolly Roger. We're pirates now."

  Chapter 4

  The chiseled faced commander was just about to raise the cup of cooled Carbathian peppermint tea to his lips when his helmsman broke the silence on the bridg
e. "Captain, there's an incoming call from the warship Gluxston."

  "Hold." The commander raised his brows at the helm. "Who's ship is that?"

  "It's Captain Asmot's Sir."

  Skeck. Gulping his tea, he chipped the half-empty cup hiding it in a nearby storage bin. He worked extremely hard to stay off the central command's radar. His intention to remain anonymous had worked to his advantage thus far. Nothing good ever came from his Alliance overlords, especially one that high up.

  "Open."

  The large visage of a purple skinned man filled the screen of his bridge. His perfectly coiffed hair, hard angular features and dark soulless eyes belied the façade of his casual attitude. "Commander Liam, so nice to see you again."

  Liam flinched inwardly. While in command of a ship, the crew would refer to him as captain, as was proper with any vessel. However, since being absorbed into the unending glory that was the Novokin Alliance, his rank as a Terran had been reduced from captain to commander. Asmot made sure to remind him of that.

  "Commander there's been a distress call from an important Alliance vessel in your sector. I am having coordinates sent to your navigational system right now. You are to provide assistance and detain the aggressors. I will be there shortly to personally collect the prisoners." That was very curious, the Alliance didn't detain anyone. Their unofficial motto was shoot first, then shoot again.

  "Sir?"

  "Yes Commander, these may be the hostiles you received a priority one communiqué about yesterday. They are considered very important to the Supreme Commander, and as such I’m ordering you to take them into custody until I arrive." Were his ears deceiving him or had a superior officer in the Novokin Alliance just explained his orders? Curiouser and curiouser. Then Captain Asmot leveled his gaze, his narrowing eyes belying his true contempt for the Terran.

  "Is there a problem, Commander?"

  "Of course not Sir. The coordinates and the call number of the vessel are coming through now. I'll be there shortly."