their planet. With luck, he wouldn’t have to return to this region of space until it was time for the invasion. Commander Reck hadn’t made him privy to all the details of his war plan, but he knew from experience that it would be quick and efficient. Perhaps promptly retrieving the human would prove him worthy of another promotion, and he would get to lead part of the onslaught personally.
As they moved out of Earth’s solar system, Troxeo could see out of the corner of his eye that Arkhan had turned in his seat and was casually looking at their cargo again. “Is something on your mind?”
Arkhan shrugged, and a slight red tinge crept into his skin. “She’s not as horrific as I imagined she would be.”
Troxeo felt angry, but he wasn’t sure why. “What is that supposed to mean?” He wondered if there was something about being close to Earth that was making them both get weak.
“Look at her yourself for a minute,” Arkhan urged, and Troxeo reluctantly obeyed. The human’s dark hair was spread out around her head on the floor. Her arms were loosely spread out. If Troxeo didn’t know how she came on board, he might have thought she was taking a relaxing nap. Her breasts gently rose and fell in the rhythm of her breathing. Her shirt had ridden up, exposing the soft skin of her belly. Hips curved in a way he had never seen on Oretoz women. For a moment, he allowed himself to imagine what it would be like to hold onto them.
“I don’t see anything special.” He made sure to keep his voice flat and uninterested.
Arkhan snorted. “Me neither. She’s just like all the other ones. Since they’re all the same, how about you let me have this one? We can go back and get you another one for Commander Reck. He’ll never know the difference.”
“What do you plan on doing with it?” Troxeo asked.
Arkhan grinned and waggled his dark eyebrows. “I can think of plenty of things.”
Unbidden, an image entered Troxeo’s mind. He saw the human woman underneath him, writhing and moaning. The women from his planet were soldiers, just like the men. They viewed sex as another mission for them to accomplish so they could ensure the future of their species. They took no pleasure in the act of mating and didn’t expect to give any. It was the way of their people. Troxeo had never questioned it before in his life. But as he looked at the soft, supple figure on the floor of his ship, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had been missing something. What would it feel like to have her velvety skin pressed against his hard and lusty body?
“You’re sick.”
“The Bonaan are already doing it. I don’t see how it would be much different, anyway. If the parts are compatible, then what’s wrong with that?” Arkhan looked thoughtful. “Besides, you know the women at home aren’t much fun. The Earth girls must be interested in mating if they’re willing to leave their planet to do it.” He looked at the limp form on the floor again. “Let me propose something. I’ll take her to my cabin when she wakes up, and I’ll see exactly how compatible we are. You can have her back when we reach headquarters.”
“Like hell you will!” Troxeo was up and out of his seat in an instant, indignant at the thought of his cousin fucking the human.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Arkhan held his hands out to stave off Troxeo, but he couldn’t wipe the smug grin from his face. “Why do you care?”
Troxeo struggled to find the right words. “She’s under my protection.” It was a logical statement, but it wasn’t exactly accurate. Commander Reck had been rather vague in his commands. He wanted an average human, and that was all he said. Reck specified nothing about the human’s treatment on the way back to Oretoz. If someone decided they wanted to have a little fun, it wouldn’t be the first time soldiers took advantage of the spoils of war.
But the idea of someone else mating with this human started to make Troxeo feel
John Steinbeck, Richard Astro