Sister Katherine (35 page)

Thighs squirmed beneath hers, lifting her onto the folded legs of the man behind her.  Katherine’s fragmented mind tried to identify him, and after a moment a name drifted hazily through her skull:  Miv. 

The prod at her anus and the excitement it gave her tossed thought aside once more.  Thick, moist heat invaded carefully, and some deep instinct took hold, reminding Katherine to push against the intrusion, opening her to him.  The ache of taking him only added to the maelstrom that had rendered her incapable of lucidity.

He rocked back and forth, the friction enticing and driving back a little of the cold of her pussy and breasts.  Moments after Miv had begun fucking her ass, the wild trickles of bubbly pleasure filled Katherine’s backside.  She screamed in reaction.

“Lovely,” the man in front of her breathed.  “Now let’s see how many times we can make you come for us.”

He and Miv lifted Katherine in such a way that she was sandwiched between them.  Moments later the Dramok impaled her pussy with his primary cock.  Her frigid sex once more burst with effervescent elation, but this time she went over the precipice.

Her entire body spasmed.  Simdow’s chest rubbed against hers as she rose and fell between the two men, sending off the unbearable bliss of her breasts as well.  Now all was heaving cataclysm, her body overwhelmed by pounding pleasure that refused to end.  Waves of nirvana, explosions of unbearable heat, and blasts of consuming ecstasy filled her over and over. 

At some point Katherine became dimly aware of thick, spicy-sweet iron filling her mouth over and over, thrusting in and out until a flood of even more delicious honey poured down her throat.  It only added to the seemingly neverending cacophony of sensation, along with the roars of nearby beasts.

She wasn’t sure if she passed out or if she simply reached a point where she’d lost all her senses, too overwhelmed by pleasure to remain cognizant of it and retain her sanity.  All Katherine knew later was that there was a period of time of which she had no memory.  It was a quiet blankness that she emerged from by slow degrees.

She came around, held in the middle of the tight knot of her clan who sat on in a circle on the too-small bed.  Her bonds were gone and her mouth was no longer braced open.  Simdow, Miv, and Vadef gently washed her with warm cleansing cloths, removing the oil the Imdiko had sprayed her with.

Katherine blinked up at them, fighting to reassemble her ability to think.  At last she croaked, “I think I died.”

The men chuckled in response.  “I am glad you decided to perform a miracle and return, my love,” Simdow said.  “How do you feel?”

Katherine thought about that.  She was certainly relaxed to the point of exhaustion.  Strangely enough, she felt serene.  Emptied of all angst.

“I feel cleansed on the inside.  Like all the pain has been washed away.  I get that from scourging, but never this profoundly,” she told them.  Katherine smiled.  “It’s wonderful.”

“And temporary,” Vadef sighed.  “But maybe you can sleep tonight and face tomorrow with not so much sadness.”

Katherine nodded.  “I will definitely sleep.  I can barely keep my eyes open now.”

“Don’t try,” Simdow told her.  “Rest, my love.”

He and Miv settled her and Vadef in the small bed, kissing them both goodnight.  Katherine watched the Imdiko being treated as lovingly as she was, somewhat bemused at the affection between the men.  No, not affection.  Love.  She knew such things were supposed to be among the worst of sins, but her mind was too empty and her body too tired to be bothered with it.

Simdow and Miv left the room to sleep in the other part of the quarters.  Snuggling against Vadef, Katherine felt slumber stealing over her.  She experienced a twinge of sadness once more over the terrible separation she’d endured from her girls.

I was going to have to leave them behind anyway.  They will return to their real families, the ones who they truly belong to.  I will have my own children to love.  It is the way things are supposed to be.

Her heart felt steadier now, though Katherine knew she would grieve for a bit longer.  At least the sharpest pain had been dulled and she could move forward with good memories and better hopes.

Chapter 16

The next morning Simdow had an early shift.  The whole crew did because big things were about to happen.  He showered quickly and joined the rest of his clan over the breakfast a seemingly recovered Katherine had prepared:  something called pancakes on which sticky sweet syrup was poured.  They weren’t bad at all.  Miv pounded down three thick stacks of the things.  Vadef had prepared some grilled strips of the more familiar vina meat to go with their meal.

After shoveling down two stacks of his own, Simdow pushed his plate away.  Vadef and Katherine began to rise, reaching for the others’ plates.  Simdow waved them back down to their seats.

“Just a moment before you get up.  I need to tell you all what’s about to happen.”

Vadef and Katherine sat back down and waited expectantly.

Simdow nodded at Miv and Vadef.  “I know you two are aware that the first wave of our attack fleet has arrived.”

The men nodded.  They looked worriedly at Katherine, who sat bolt upright.

Simdow took a deep breath.  “My Matara, please understand that we have no intention of subjugating your planet or people.  We’re here to stop this war before it finishes my kind off.”

Her eyes widened.  She said nothing, but her eyes brightened ominously.  Damn it, he didn’t want to see her cry again.

He said, “Kalquor is done if this invasion fails.  This is our last ditch effort.”

Katherine swallowed.  Simdow could tell she was torn. 

He continued.  “With Vadef’s help, Weapons Commander Lidon has just finished deciphering the passcodes that will allow our destroyers to get past the security grid.  We know about the vortex on the other side of the defenses that will take us directly into Earth’s atmosphere.  Our forces will use it to go in and attack only the Earth defenders that we must.”

Katherine’s voice was quiet.  “And then what?”

“We will use our shockwave technology to knock out military installations.  Last, we will take up positions over the most populated of your cities and threaten them with destruction if Earth does not surrender.”

Vadef jumped in to explain hurriedly, “That threat is a bluff, my love.”

Miv took Katherine’s hand.  “We can’t very well destroy the very people we need to save us.  Nor would we kill innocent civilians if we can help it.”

Katherine couldn’t contain the trembling that overtook her body.  “You should know the Church’s official position on invasion.  All men have been exhorted to kill their wives and daughters rather than see them polluted by your evil.”

Vadef gasped out loud and Miv jerked his gaze to meet Simdow’s, his expression horrified.  Simdow nodded.

“The captain’s Matara has already told him of this.  She doesn’t believe the majority of your people would do such a thing.  Taking a life, especially that of someone you love, is no easy thing.”

Miv spluttered.  “Even if only a few heed their religious elders – Simdow, that’s unthinkable.”

Simdow took a deep breath and let it go.  Trust a Nobek to want to protect everyone, even when he couldn’t possibly do so.  “There will be panic.  There will be suicides and what some will call ‘mercy killings’.  My Nobek, we ourselves are teetering on the edge here.  This is Kalquor’s last fight.  We are out of options.”

Katherine pressed her lips together, anger lighting her sky-blue eyes.  “Earth declared war on you, didn’t it?  They forced your hand.”

Simdow’s chest eased to realize that his beloved cast no blame on him or his people.  “I see our victory as a win for the women of Earth as well, my Matara.  Those who will return to Kalquor with us will be liberated from the tyranny of being lesser creatures than men.  You’ll be set on high, as you were meant to be.  Adored, loved … everything we can possibly give to you, you’ll have.”

That made the Dramok think once again about his hopes to eventually command a destroyer.  He was still not sure what to do on that front.  All Simdow knew for sure was that Katherine came first.  He hoped everything would fall into place with that priority in mind.

Unaware of his career issues, Katherine remained focused on the coming battle between her planet and Simdow’s.  Right now, she was looking at him with patience, like that of a teacher explaining a complicated problem to a student.

She told him, “It can’t be as easy as you seem to think it is.  I’m no military expert.  I barely know which end of a percussion blaster causes damage.  What I do know is that in war people die, hearts are broken, and tears are shed.  I understand why Kalquor is doing what it’s doing.  I believe some of your people in charge know just how bad things can get, even if most of you don’t.”

Simdow stared at her in disbelief.  “You don’t think I understand that?”

Her smile for him was compassionate but sad.  “I think you look at what’s about to happen through the eyes of hope rather than dispassionate analyzing.  It’s not surprising given how good your heart is.”

Simdow started to scowl and stopped himself.  Katherine was scared for her people, and that meant she expected the worst.  He needed to keep that in mind.  “People are going to die on both sides, but that’s already happening.  Once Earth surrenders, things will be much better for all of us.  You’ll see.”

Katherine’s jaw tightened and Simdow had the impression she repressed her own scowl.  Her voice remained gentle however.  “There is a saying we Earthers have, one I would ask you to hear and think on:  the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”

Simdow realized she couldn’t understand how careful the fleet would be to keep casualties at a minimum, not now anyway.  He let the discussion go and reached across the small table to tuck a wayward curl behind her ear.  “If it was my home world coming under attack, I would be mad with terror.  I dare say, I wouldn’t be nearly as calm as you are.  But I swear to you, on everything I hold dear, there will be as little harm committed against your people as possible.”

Katherine grabbed his hand and pressed it to her lips.  “We’ll see, Simdow.  I fear the worst, but I do hope you’re right.” 

His poor Matara.  Simdow wished he could move time forward, passing by the next few hours so Katherine could see how little there was to worry about and mourn.  He’d shift time itself if he could, just so that darkness in her eyes could be erased.

* * * *

Hours later, Simdow’s claims to Katherine came back to haunt him.

He stood at his station, watching readouts of the battle carefully.  It had started as they had all believed it would:  two fleets on either side of Earth’s defensive shielding facing each other down.  The deciphered codes had been triggered, erasing Earth’s defensive shielding grid.  The brutal Earther battlecruisers and their thousands upon thousands of single-man fighters had taken on the Kalquorian destroyers and their squads of fighters.  Vastly outnumbered, Kalquor’s fleet was taking immense losses.  Meanwhile with this distraction going on, other Kalquorian destroyers had slipped into the unguarded wormhole portal that led directly to Earth, heading to an area known as the Bermuda Triangle.

It was thought the Earthers had left the vortex gateway undefended in order to hide its existence from the Kalquorian fleet.  The enemy had no idea young Cassidy Hamilton, new Matara to Captain Tranis’ clan, had accidentally given away the position of the portal.  Hundreds of destroyers had made their way into the wormhole before the Earthers detected the invaders.

With only minutes left until the destroyers flew out of the portal and into Earth’s atmosphere, chaos reigned on the Earther fleet’s side.  Some had converged on the wormhole entrance to either fight off the Kalquorians or to make the jump to Earth.  Apparently panicked beyond all reason, many of the massive battlecruisers had begun crashing into Kalquorian destroyers in apparent suicide attacks.  Even more were flying away from the fight, heading in all directions as other Earther ships fired on them.  Simdow and the other men on the bridge, including Captain Tranis and Weapons Commander Lidon, stared in growing horror and shock as the enemy self-destructed in front of their eyes.

Dr. Degorsk had also come onto the bridge.  He muttered in a tight knot with his clanmates Tranis and Lidon.  Simdow couldn’t hear their conversation, nor could he spare the attention as he monitored the fight that had become such an insane scene.  Keeping track of the fleet’s communications had become nearly impossible as orders and tactics flew fast and furious, along with the broken reports of the invading ships.  The wormhole was an unstable one, and keeping tabs on the vessels flying within it was proving almost impossible as interference kept disrupting communications.

More than anything, Simdow fought to cope with the situation.  He’d been in deadly skirmishes before, but he’d never seen full-scale destruction like this.  First had been the horror of seeing so many Kalquorian destroyers annihilated and knowing he watched thousands of his own kind die.  Now he watched an entire race seemingly go mad as the Earther fleet continued to flee, suicide, or attack itself.

Were they so afraid of an invasion that their answer was to kill themselves?  Katherine’s assertion that men would turn on their wives and daughters to keep them from the Empire’s grasp suddenly seemed all too feasible to Simdow.  His throat closed at the awful terror of such insanity.

Nobeks always spoke of glorious battle and the honor of dying in the midst of it.  Simdow didn’t see one damned thing about any of this that was glorious or honorable.  It was a horror he’d never fathomed, could have never imagined in his wildest nightmares.

Lidon’s raised voice suddenly intruded on Simdow’s intent efforts to monitor the situation.

“A little Earther girl is holding off three Nobeks with a knife?”

Simdow kept his eyes on his station and the vid reports, but he listened closely as a voice piped in over a com.