Fervour Of The Past VI: Conglomerate free porn video

Fervour of the Past VI: Conglomerate by Tegeli CHAPTER 1 In the full view from our house, the Jaan troops took control over the dig site. Bemariq secluded himself in his study. On his rare forays out, he barely said a word to me and certainly never glanced out from the window. My husband only came out to go post letters, to attend meetings the Heva and for long solitary walks in the hills above. He cooked nothing and never touched anything I prepared. Honeydew and drink were his sustenance. To him I was a ghost stalking the house. But after what I had done. I didn't deserve to demand his attention. Instead, I kept myself out of his way. He never went to the dig site, so I took over running it. Or what was left of our long work together. The fresh workers paid by the Jaan piled earth in the excavation. I did my best to save any artefacts in the ground, or at least write down their original context in the sediment. In mere days the Jaan undid, what had taken us months to achieve. At night, I watched through spyglass the flickering light up in the crags. On his daily expeditions, Bemariq must have been searching for the hypothetical secondary entrance. The hills were a maze of crags and ravines. As such, the search was hopeless to the point that the Jaan didn't bother stopping him. Even during the rare occasion that he was home at night, Bemariq slept on the couch in his study. My nights were cold, no matter how many blankets I piled on myself. Anxiety and guilt frequently struck me dizzy, and I ignored the headaches and pain in my stomach as brought by stress. I didn't consider the coming onset of my menarche, until my lower abdomen twisted in a violent cramp. My new anatomy appeared healthy from the outside, but there was no assurance that the insides weren't horribly dysfunctional. The machines of the past hadn't exactly shown soundness of mind. A human body was itself a delicate machine: even slight errors lead to agony and loss of function. Because of such fear, I found my need for my husband's touch constantly stoked. Yet his resentment would have hurt me more than loneliness. I stood silently behind the door of his study for dozens of heartbeats, before I knocked on the door. "Bem? Are you busy?" No answer. I was about lose my nerve, when Bemariq said, "What do you want, Sirin?" After deep breath, I pushed the door open. "I need to talk to you." Bemariq turned on his chair to stare at me. No emotion showed on his face. Despite his lack of enthusiasm at the sight of me, nothing indicated that he couldn't stand my presence. My legs were weak. I had to take support from the door sill. "I understand that you are furious..." Bemariq closed his eyes and scowled. "I find myself so." "I'm sorry..." The words poured from my mouth. "I should have supported you, as a proper wife does. But instead I exploited your love, just to get you out of that vault. Bem, if you have to, work your anger on me. I deserve and can take it. I might even enjoy it, a little." I swallowed. "Just keep me close, for a while at least." My husband opened his eyes, and his mouth twisted into a grimace. He stood up and walked to me. I flinched from the rapid movement of his arms. After a startling moment I was in a tight embrace. A frustrated sigh ??"??"almost a sob??"??" escaped my Bemariq's throat. I could allow my own snivelling, and tears warmed my cheeks. Bemariq guided me to sit with him on the couch. I leaned against him. My hand clutched his hand hard. His warm lips touched my forehead. "I'm sorry." "It's fin??"??"" My voice cracked. "??"??"fine..." "No. I have acted like brat. I thought I protected you from my ill temper by avoiding you. But that only hurt both us." He brushed my hair. "Back in the chamber, I very well knew, what you were doing. Yet here I am, with you." A strangled sound of joy escaped my throat. I calmed my voice with a sigh and said, "That's sweet." Bemariq brushed my cheek. His skin was rough but its touch was welcome. He said, "So are you." I smiled wide to myself and pressed against him. "What do you plan to do now?" "To wait and see. The Conglomerate will soon make its move. I've sent letters, in hopes of giving our official enough accurate information, so that their decisions might be even half-rational." "Did you tell them anything about us or me?" "Of course not. Nothing about you is relevant to the research." My heart sunk. "So you plan to go back inside." "Yes, but I thought about the Censor's offer." Bemariq rubbed my wedding ring between his thumb and finger. "There's no hurry to decide either way, is there? The Censor knows, how to wait." "Or someone else could take your place." He moved his hands to my waist and lifted me to sit on his lap. "Enough about me. What did the physician say about you?" "I didn't send for one." My gaze fell. "The thought was... intimidating." Bemariq placed his arms around me. "I should have supported you. Will you forgive me?" "Of course." I shifted in the awkward position and wrapped my arms around his neck. The unkempt stubble was turning into an untidy beard, but it didn't stop me from kissing his cheek. A sharp spasm raked my lower inside. I tried not to show the pain, but my wince was enough for Bemariq to notice. His expression grew worried. "Are you alright?" "Yes, yes." I put on a wide grin. "It's just the womanly cycle." "You need to see a physician." Bemariq pulled the hem of my gown up my leg. "Afterwards everything is assuredly healthy, we can do our own examinations." The continued cramp almost killed my attempt at a cute smile. Bemariq's touch was what I had wanted; little discomfort could be ignored. My skin shivered, as the intruding yet welcome fingers crawled into my drawers. The man's hand brushed up my thigh to the the fresh stubble of my crotch. I shuddered. "The way you squirm is endearing," my husband murmured. His finger rubbed my lower lips. I flinched. No heat was driven into me. Instead, my body was disagreeably tender under his touch. "Bem..." I whined. "What's wrong?" Bemariq pulled his hand out. His eyes got stuck staring at his fingers. Crimson glistened on them. The man's face twisted from fright. I was too light-headed to notice my own reaction. I was bleeding, either due to a miracle or misfortune. My vision spun. Strong arms lifted me towards the ceiling and carried me through space, which stretched beyond my senses. Bandages helped to control the flux, but not before I caused an odious mess. Sedatives did a bit to tame the knife, which twisted inside my abdomen. Bemariq paced around our bedroom and intermittently entreated me to forgive him. My anaemic countenance hampered my attempts to reassure him. Only an hour after having been sent for, the familiar physician, who had treated Bemariq, arrived. I asked my husband to leave the room. Mostly for his sake: the poor man was working himself into a paroxysm out of his worry and guilt. The physician placed her bag on the bed beside my feet. "I'm not really an expert on 'women's business', as the message said." "But you are a physician and a woman," I said. "And my condition requires discretion." I explained the peculiar circumstances, which had left my menarche to such a late date. "If not for the starfarer vault..." The physician gave me a half-smile. "I would assume you were playing a joke of poor taste on me. You and the associate were married before this 'reproductive rearrangement'." "Yes. That is true." The physician shrugged. "It's not my place to wonder about the personal lives of my patients. Let's continue." After the rather intrusive examination, I was glad that among the Roluans, women could practice medicine. Such a probing shouldn't be done to me by any man save my husband. The physician was kind enough to give a me a quick lesson on certain hidden aspects about hygiene, convenience and pleasure as a woman. They were in retrospect rather obvious, but it would have taken me a while to realise them. She gave me a 'little helper', a precaution to stop the flux in an unobtrusive and healthy manner. I felt foolish for not having sought one already. The fretful Bemariq was allowed back into the room. "Will Sirin be alright?" he asked. "Yes, most likely," the physician said. "Though the... incident was significantly more drastic than common." My husband frowned. "Hopefully it won't repeat in this severity. Is there any treatment?" As my condition was due to starfarer tech, the physician wasn't comfortable prescribing anything beyond hearty food for general health and mild sedatives for the pain. She took her leave, and Bemariq went to cook supper. I was already feeling better, but I didn't mind resting a little longer in the bed. Bemariq's return woke me from a doze. He brought a tray with a steaming bowl to my lap. "You didn't ask me, if I actually was hungry," I said. His expression turned worried. "You aren't?" I smiled wide. "In truth, I'm famished." My husband lay next to me, careful not to upset the bed. I lifted a spoonful towards my mouth, but stopped. "Are you going to stare at me eat?" I asked. His smile widened. "Yes." "You don't find me disgusting? For spilling my humours on your lap?" "No." Bemariq brushed my thigh. "I admit was scared for your sake. But enough of that. I don't want to ruin your appetite." Despite the simplicity of the meal, my husband's cooking was beyond delicious after the break. The abhorrent flow continued for six days and nights more. But with the little precaution, I avoided staining more clothes and bedsheets, and with the right dosage of sedatives I could concentrate on other things than being miserable. Though I was listless and pale, I made sure to put on a brave face for Bemariq. I did my share of chores around the house, and ate my full portions, even if my stomach churned. Bemariq's concern for me was endearing, but it worked to enhance my own worry, by making it seem I was dying. On the seventh day, my ordeal ended, and I was filled with relief. I wasn't doomed to such dreadful existence. But the ordeal would return. I hoped the intensity had been due to temporary starfarer adjustments, and I wouldn't have to go through quite the same experience again. The door bell rang with purposeful length. Bemariq stood up from the bed and looked out of the window down to the front door. "Who is it?" I asked. The warmth of his kiss lingered on my cheek. "A whole entourage. Inspector Ansis and ni Salng among them." Bemariq let out an amused sigh full of weariness. "They don't appear to be here to congratulate us." I moved to stand up, but Bemariq gestured me to remain. He said, "I'll go. You need to rest. Besides, you are undressed." Bemariq disappeared downstairs. I got off the bed and wrapped my house robe around myself. On my toes, I sneaked to where I could eavesdrop and sat on the floor. The Roluans barged in. Both Ansis and ni Salng spoke, among three other. Their voices were terse, almost accusatory but polite. The floor between me and them made it hard for me to understand the flowing Roluish. They spoke of a fleet and mentioned the Conglomerate. By his tone, Bemariq shared in the worry, and soon the harshness disappeared from the Roluan voices. Bemariq bid the visitors farewell. The front door clunked close, and Bemariq's steps came upwards. I put on my best innocent smile, as my husband emerged from the stairwell. He smirked. "Did you hear, what they said?" "Something about Conglomerate navy, perhaps?" "Yes. They have sent their own 'diplomatic expedition'. The Roluans suspected that I had invited them. I noted that the Conglomerate ships must have been on their way before the Jaan convoy arrived. It's all beside the point. 'Our boys' have already passed the outer Roluan islands." Bemariq helped me stand. I asked: "What could they be planning?" "Who knows? However, according to the Roluan intelligence report, the convoy lacks the size to truly contest the Heva harbour. Diplomacy seems to be on 'our' table." Bemariq made a tired smile. I bit my lip. The man took the hint and stepped closer. Though he wasn't all that taller than me, his shoulders blocked my path. I shrunk against the wall to enhance the impression of vulnerability. The man spoke in a low voice: "I think we were in middle of something." A hand took a firm grip of my jaw and guided me to a kiss. While I was busy concentrating on his lips, Bemariq opened the belt of my house robe. I let the garment fall off me and wrapped my arms around my husband's neck. He lifted me up and carried me back to the bedroom, where he placed me on the bed. I had little time to admire my husband's body ??"??"those distinct lines of muscle covering his tall frame??"??", before he was undressed and lay beside me. He pulled the blanket on us, thus preserving the already uncovered mysteries. Giggling into my moans, I held my arms around the man, as his hands worked deftly on me. The frustration of the past days had piled up as desire, and Bemariq knew how to relieve it. I was left as quivering pile of satisfied mush. As soon as I caught my breath, I dove below the blanket to return the favour with my lips and tongue. Fingers tucked my hair, but not hard enough to hurt. The warm slimy signal of his masculine satisfaction filled my mouth. I swallowed and sucked him clean. I clambered from the bed, smiled at Bemariq and hurried to the bathroom. After cleaning my mouth, I examined myself in the mirror. How oddly natural my form was, despite bearing little similarity to what I been only a little over year before. Gone was the scrawny boyish shape. My hips now flared as a signal of the fertility the machines had wanted to force on me. I had an even more squashed waist and breasts of a size at the brink of fashionable heft. The latest change ??"??"that in my groin??"??" was easily the most drastic. Rationally, I should have been distressed, anguishing over my lost identity. No man could have welcomed such a loss of their manhood like I had. 'Sirin' must have started as more than a false identity created to fool Bemariq. My old name now meant nothing to me. Lady Usinilim was legal fiction, haphazard tonics and the result of abusing capricious ancient technology, yet I was her. I was lucky to have found my husband. Bemariq had all the manhood I needed. With a coy smile on my face, I returned to him. CHAPTER 2 The sleek silhouettes of fresh Conglomerate battleships appeared in the horizon. The usually nonchalant Roluans were urged to anxious gossip, until Bemariq became the target of quick glances and harsh whispers. Even I experienced distrustful ice hidden in the politeness, but nobody could blame the locals. Worst of the tension mellow, when it became apparent that the battleships wouldn't approach Heva. Only a decidedly civilian ship passed the Roluan military vessels and entered the harbour. Still, the Conglomerate was out to impress. Their oceanic liner dwarfed the other vessels at the docks in both size and luxury. With its bony pitch-black hull, it gave the impression of being capable of taking on the Jaan battleships, despite its lack of weaponry. An eerily calm crowd of locals had gathered to the waterfront. I too watched from the window of a seaside restaurant, as a whole army of extravagant notables and their stately servants walked down to the pier. Their demeanour was festive, as if the cream of Conglomerate society had decided to organise a pleasure cruise across the oceans. A few Jaan mariners made an appearance, decorously beyond easy shouting distance. My husband hadn't touched his meal of fermented sea snails. His stern gaze was stuck on the Conglomerate arrivals, who mingled with the courteous but lukewarm Roluan reception. "Recognise anyone?" I asked in a teasing tone. Bemariq's frown deepened. "Yes." I rested my elbows on the table. "Doesn't this help your home sickness?" "I feel sick of the Conglomerate without any helping." Bemariq turned his eyes to me. "Are you hoping that I'll work my frustrations on you?" I bit my lip. "Perhaps." My husband had been on the edge, after the nerveless telegraph from the Conglomerate convoy told that Bemariq's 'informed counsel' was expected. Such a blunt command meant that someone in the Conglomerate delegation had the prestige to boss my husband around. As our little house was unfitting for entertaining exalted guests, we had moved to a suite in the Grand Baleen hotel. The rather sumptuous decor and readily available room service were a nice change of pace, but I had done my best not to show any overt enjoyment. Bemariq might have taken it the wrong way. After settling in, the Conglomerate notables arranged a half-official reception at one of the hotel's lounges. I took it as a chance to wear the splendid gown I had worn in our wedding. As I did a pirouette, the nacreous green-blue hem swirled around me. With my corset tight underneath, the wide rigid skirt made my waist look delightfully small. Despite my admonitions, Bemariq didn't put on proper Conglomerate dress. Instead he had a dark-grey suit in the sober Roluan style. Though the attire was immaculately tailored, he was woefully underdressed among the imprudent display of Conglomerate men. While my husband didn't quite look like a servant, he wasn't far off. Though admittedly the tight design highlighted his shoulders and vigorous build. An eminently tall man strode to us. His hair was silver and he lacked all youthful aspect, yet despite his stately gravitas, he appeared barely older than Bemariq. Bemariq nodded almost deep enough for it to be a bow. "Associate Ayimun." I managed not to visibly start. Ayimun was a highly placed advisor in the government and a captain of industry, and a long term financial supporter of my husband. I had never personally met him, but I couldn't have failed to know his reputation. "Associate Bemariq." Ayimun smiled wide. "You seem surprised to see me." "Well, of course." Bemariq's voice had almost broken into a stutter. "How was your voyage?" "Pleasant enough." Ayimun glanced at me. His eyes lingered at my abdomen. "Your wife is not with a child?" "No." Ayimun's smile didn't falter, but his eyes gained a harsh glint. "You should make haste. It would be a shame to lose yet another esteemed line of associates. Now, excuse me, I can't linger here. Do enjoy the party. The delicacies are almost fresh from the homeland." After the high associate was gone, I pressed against Bemariq and whispered: "What did he mean, 'lose a line of associates'?" Bemariq swirled his hand. "I'm at the moment the last male Usinilim. The next in line, a third cousin of mine, failed to establish hereditary reins. His mother's infidelity was suspected but never established." I had assumed that like other ancestral member groups of the Conglomerate, Usinilim was a large clan, with plenty of spare male's to take up the title. The continuation of an ancient line ??"??"an the easy utilisation of the infrastructure shackled to it??"??" rested on me bearing children. "What's wrong?" Bemariq asked. "I??"??"" A man in snappy dress uniform strode to us. "Lady Usinilim. Associate Bemariq. I am commandant Duy." "Luwud." Bemariq's voice was cold. "How's your wrists?" I winced, but Duy lifted his hand and smiled wide enough to push his eyes closed. "Oh, fine. The bones have healed, and the pain is but a memory." Bemariq placed his arm around my waist and pulled me to him. "'Commandant', eh? Quite an promotion from a mere senior journalist." Duy's smile didn't falter. "You see, associate, I was undercover. I work for the Elusive Service. At the present, I have been assigned to guard you." "Oh, and presumably, keep an eye on me." "Just so." Duy nodded. "This whole affair is due to the injustices committed on your person. I will remain at the hotel to keep you two safe. Do inform me or my men of your??"??"" Duy glanced at me. "??"??"or your wife's??"??" movements." Duy took his furtive leave. For the rest of the short reception, Bemariq and I spent greeting immaculately polite people, who appeared to know my husband well, but whom my husband found more distant than mere strangers. When we had lingered long enough to fulfil the bare minimums of courtesy, Bemariq took my hand and fled the lounge. He remained silent during the groaning elevator ride and the walk to our suite. I closed the door after us. "Would you like a drink?" Bemariq asked. He went straight to the cabinet, where he poured a glass full of fortified wine. "No, thank you." For a moment I wondered, how I would get out of my gown. Bemariq didn't seem inclined to help. I untied my shoes, made the support cartilage of my skirt slacken and went to sit next to Bemariq. He sipped his drink in silence, so I said, "You were surprised to see Ayimun." "Yes." "Why?" Bemariq looked at me with an amused frown on his face. "A man like that, here in the end of the world... What he thinks he'll get out of here must outweigh the losses from not supervising his ventures back home." My husband's voice had a strange frailty. Not the wavery quality of fear, but a distinct vulnerability nevertheless. Instead of poking into the source of those feelings, I said, "Why didn't you tell me you were the last Usinilim?" "It didn't seem relevant." He let out a grim chuckle. "At times I've thought that it'd be a poignant gesture of spite to die without an heir." A jolt went through me. "Was that why you were fine marrying me?" Bemariq took a long sip of his drink and turned his eyes to examine me. "Your point eludes me, Sirin. We could always have had a child through a surrogate." I frowned. Chimeras weren't such an unproblematic solution to childlessness. The scandal alone would have been a wildfire of nasty gossip, not to mention the heightened possibility of developmental irregularities. Of course, none of that would trouble someone, who didn't want progeny. "But you do want children? With me." Bemariq drank long and full while staring the rain-spattered window. "You must admit that at the moment it would be inconvenient." His words struck me as an unpleasant pang. Odd, as procreation hadn't been high on my priorities in life. The primordial machines must have programmed the instinct into me. I remained quiet, as I fought to suppress the mounting disappointment, before the anxiety turned into grief. My husband turned to look at me. I let my face communicate my feelings, as I found no sensible words. My hand was drawn to my abdomen, inside where a knot twisted. Worry spread into Bemariq's expression. "Did the pain start?" "What pai??"??"" I caught myself. He must have meant my cycle. Through a moment of concentration, I managed to separate the real physical pain from my mental anguish. This was the wrong moment to disgust Bemariq with my feminine physicality. I smiled. "No, it's merely the digestion." I patted my husband's thigh. "I need to visit the bathroom. Help me out of this gown." Without visible hurry, I made my way to the bathroom and used the precaution given by my physician. After the sedatives began their work, my sickness was quite tolerable. I allowed myself to relax a little. Perhaps the flux wouldn't be so horrible this time. I returned to the main room. Bemariq had taken off his coat and had a found a book to read, yet his expression remained tense. The reception had upset my husband more than he cared to show. He deserved to relax. Afterwards he'd be able to see my point of view and properly consider his decisions. I sat next to him, and slowly began to unbutton his shirt. With a wry smile on his face, the man allowed me to take the garment off him. I rested my cheek on his bare shoulder. My hand wandered down the defined torso. Below the pliant layer of skin, was thew, which could be both so pleasantly soft and rock-hard. I unclasped the front of his trousers. Bemariq placed his hand on mine. "If you are eager, we could do, what we have already done plenty of times." "No. I don't want to our new first time to be something we have already done." My hand wandered into his trousers to find the hardening member. The man's breath deepened. "We could use contraception," he said. I wrapped my hand around his girth. How odd, that his tool felt more mine than my own had. "It'd be insipid," I said in tones theatrical haughty scorn. "For your sword to be sheathed, when it has entered me freely already." Bemariq's smile disappeared. "We'd risk pregnancy." "Would that be bad?" The man moved my hand aside. "I said it would be inconvenient." "Why? You wouldn't be the o??"??"" "Look, Sirin." Bemariq squeezed my hand, but the gesture was too strong to be reassuring. "Even without your... condition, the situation is precarious. With the Conglomerate here, I will have to make hard decisions." "What do you mean?" He sighed. "I should have told you. The Censor tried to instil a map of the facility into my mind. The mental image is a half-forgotten dream. Nevertheless, I found what must be the secondary entrance." Bemariq turned to stare into my eyes. "It didn't open for me, but I am certain you ??"??"or your suit??"??" have access." My jaw clenched. "You mean, you would take the Censor's offer, before these countries can fight over the facility?" "Yes." Bemariq leaned back. "Neither the Jaan or the Conglomerate are going to back away. They both must lose, before they can start a war." Shivers pulsed up my spine. "You want my help, so you can abandon me?" Bemariq closed his trousers and stood up. "The search for this facility was everything. I was fool, who had committed his life to a mere tale. Against all the sneers, we found it." The triumph was bitter in his voice. "And still I had to slink back home to beg and snivel for more funds, just so I could actually get inside. I could easily do, whatever it takes, if it weren't for you." The air petrified around me, save for the insisted tapping of the rain. I was a burden. My silly small ideas about a family were shackles to Bemariq. If I loved him, I would support his life's work. "I understand," I whispered. "But please don't treat me as an anchor around your neck." Bemariq turned around towards me. On his face, the scowl was defeated by a worried frown. He sat next to me. I let him take my hand. He said, "If I'm right, I will need your help." He needed me, just so he could leave me. Yet his reasons were righteous enough, even if his motivation had the stench of personal glory. I couldn't blame him that the facility was beyond both of our dreams. My anger was doused by absurd joy, and their combined steam rose out of my throat as a deranged giggle. I found myself on my feet. I couldn't look at the man, lest whatever emotion was on his face prompted me to break into whimper. The suite had no room to hide in. I had to escape and find some peace to make sense of my whirling thoughts. I was too undressed to leave, so I went to my clothes. Outside, the rainy evening was dark, so the dullest spare gown could do. It was easy to slip into, alone. Bemariq was at the door. I avoided looking at his eyes. "Sirin." The name was firm and toneless on his lips. It could have been a command, or a strained plea. I pulled the ring off my finger. "With this you should be able to utilise the carapace suit to your ends." Pride swelled in me for managing to speak without breaking down into a snivelling bitter heap. Bemariq refused my offering, so I tilted my hand and let the ring drop on the floor. Nothing moved in the man's face. "Please, let me pass," I said. The man moved aside. I wrapped a cloak around myself and headed out. My stony determination held, for a while. Before I was out of the lobby, tears gushed from my eyes. CHAPTER 3 The storm over the sea was picking up rage. I stood on the same pier, where I had met Bemariq, while deep in thoughts of pure greed. Supposedly, decent swimmers had hard time deliberately drowning themselves. However, once soaked, my clothes would have dragged me into the depths. I didn't want to fill my lungs with brine. I wanted Bemariq, yet returning to him was to lose him. The wet and cold overpowered my self-pity. I went to a nearby establishment and ordered a warm drink with overt enough sweetness to drown at least a part of my glum mood. We couldn't have known, what we would find in the vault. I couldn't be blamed for having fallen for Bemariq. On the other hand, there was little fault in Bemariq's motives. A wife shouldn't ask her husband to give up taking risks. Not when so much ??"??"and not merely the man's pride??"??" was at stake. But I wasn't only selfish. I didn't desire that my husband gave up his life's work, for my sake alone. His life was at stake too. Regardless of his motivations, Bemariq's sacrifice couldn't assure any kind of success. He might just end up dead, or find the facility too far gone to utilise to anyone's benefit. The empires might very well end up in a war regardless of Bemariq's deeds. His willingness to risk it all showed more than anything that Bemariq wasn't heartless. A lump formed in my throat. He would have been wrecked by grief at the suite. Perhaps that was wishful thinking. I couldn't be sure that I deserved his affection any more. I needed to talk to someone to arrange my stormy thoughts. Unfortunately there was only person ??"??"save for Bemariq??"??", who had any frame of reference to my situation. However, her interests seemed to align with mine. The magnatess Sitolytta wanted to keep everyone out of the vault, and I wanted to keep Bemariq from ruining his life inside. Though talking to her would be a betrayal, it was only a small one. My clothes dripped on the expensive chair and rug below. An old knick- knack weighed in my sleeve. It was a reproduction of a Tudjan idol, old enough to have a bit of antique value. I wasn't quite sure, why I had abstracted the thing; a gullible pawnshop might pay at best a dozen slivers for the porcelain woman figurine. The magnatess drank her herbal drink with deliberate slowness. Two of her goons stood behind me, ready to bash my head in. "What exactly do you want?" she asked. "To keep my husband out of the vault." I swallowed. This was treachery, regardless of the way I put it. "But not by forcing me. He's the lynchpin of the Conglomerate claim here. If he rejected it, out of his own will, the Jaan Directory could also leave Rolu alone." Sitolytta tapped her cup. She gestured her footmen to leave the room. "It certainly would make my life easier. Some back home have began to question the wisdom of my strategy here," Sitolytta said. "But on convincing your husband... How would you accomplish this feat?" "I don't know. I assumed a schemer like you would have some ideas." The magnatess grinned like some venomous beast. "I might have." She leaned back. Her hand lowered on her abdomen, and her smile disappeared. "I need to speak with you about something else. I seem to be pregnant." I winced, but with her eyes lowered, the woman didn't pay notice. Sitolytta continued in wistful voice: "I've had three children, all now in boarding schools in the mainland." Either she had been very young, when she married, or she was older than she looked. "But this pregnancy feels different. Perhaps it's merely my imagination, grown broody due to the circumstances..." Sitolytta's large eyes rose to stare into mine. "But after stabbing me, my carapace gurgled of 'eggs' and 'numbers'. Do you know anything about that?" I stifled my grimace. "I can't say for sure, but the suit might have forced your ovulation, so that you'd carry multiples." "How many?" The image of the poor woman locked in the vault flashed in my mind. "A dozen or so, possibly." The magnatess started. With visible effort, she collected herself and clutched her cup in both hands. "Well. That's quite too many. Are you similar??"??"" "No." The word was like a skewer, even though it should have been a relief. Sitolytta's unblinking stare didn't falter. "Could it be that those rumours peddled to me as intelligence were right? That you weren't quite fully a woman, when you went into the vault?" I turned my face to look into the dark window. The night was deep black rain. "How does that work?" Sitolytta continued. "How does a man decide to be a woman?" "It's not like that." "Not to mention someone from the Conglomerate..." My heart skipped a beat. I turned to answer Sitolytta's stare. "Bemariq has never hurt me." The magnatess smile warmed. "I must apologise. It's just that the sight of you reminds me of the fear of having my face crushed. Let's continue with actual business at hand." We spoke of tentative plans, but the night was growing into a morning. I was weary to my bones. I left, and found accommodation in a nearby hostel. I woke between the unpleasantly warm bedsheets. Already I missed the manly scent of my husband, his firm arms around me and his search for a pleasurable entrance. I cursed the starfarers and their vault, and thanked them in case they did the work of Our High Lady of Reason. The small of my back hurt from sleeping on the overly soft bed, but I forced myself up and dressed. The chilly wind made me shudder, and the treachery of yestereve twisted by insides. I should have told Bemariq, instead skulking among his enemies. My hope was that the political realities would open his eyes to my point of view. Rain and traffic had turned the roads into mires of mud. As the accommodations had taken the little money I had on me, I was forced to walk to Heva Academy. I looked like a tramp in my muddy worn-down gown, so it took a while to gain access to the premises. I didn't have to wander the extensive grounds for long. After one of the geology students recognised me from the Karimma site, I gained an audience with the Lauded Researcher ni Salng. It turned out that my husband had been reticent about the exact events inside the vault. Ni Salng was eager to pump me for information. I told him everything, except what had happened during the 'forced medical exam'. It was only fair. If the empires from beyond the ocean came to blows, they would fight over Roluan land. "Despite neither Bemariq or me having any say on the issue, I must apologise that the Conglomerate forces are here on our behalf," I said. Ni Salng smiled wide. "I am sure you wouldn't have it this way. Now tell me, lady Usinilim, does your husband truly plan integrating himself to the systems of the facility?" "If he can't figure anything better, he will." "Such a drastic action might lead to great success." The researcher's head bobbed. "Or to senseless loss without benefit. In an uncertain situation like this, I fear the latter should be assumed more probable." Ni Salng sighed. "It is a shame I could not breach deeper into the vault. But it appears Rolu would be wise to openly take side of the Directory in this business. I will talk to my friends in the Ministry of Combat. Lady Usinilim, if you can, delay your husband's plans. The wheels of government turn slow, even in Rolu." Outside the Academy gates, two tall men stood waiting. Their impressive Conglomerate-style livery made them stick out in the throng of modestly dressed servants and pupils. Not that they tried to hide: their eyes were firmly set upon me. Old instincts told me to run. I could have disappeared into the crowd. However, I was no more a wastrel fearing authorities, but a woman of rank burdened by societal expectations. I stood still and let the footmen approach me. One of them bowed. "Good morning. Are you lady Usinilim?" "I am." I straightened my back, but I had to stuff my hands into my sleeves to stop them from fidgeting. "Come with us. A carriage is awaiting for you." My delight of being inside a proper carriage was dampened by the circumstances. Instead of stopping at the Grand Baleen, the carriage continued down into the harbour to the glistening black oceanic liner. The carriage opened an elytron, and a footman made a courteous gesture bidding me to step outside. "Right this way, lady Usinilim." The pier had more than just liveried men. Several wore proper combat uniforms and held needlers. "Where are you taking me?" I asked. Nobody answered. I figured my dignity couldn't withstand any insisting. I followed the footman in silence. The cabin was larger than the suite at the Grand Baleen, a sign of notable opulence on a sea vessel. The decor was equally luxurious: dark grey ivory bookshelves, amaranth velvet draperies, intricate furniture of polished steel. In his silver and blue silk morning suit, associate Ayimun was subdued compared to the reception, but no less impressive. He gave my soiled gown a quick glance and indicated his utter disapproval with slight movement of his neck and nostrils. "Lady Usinilim." His tone was that of a schoolmaster chastising a hoyden: grave but fatherly. I curtsied and said, "Associate Ayimun." "I will leave petty admonitions about your comportment to your husband. What concerns me is this: treason. After leaving the hotel without an escort or even a word to your guards, you were seen visiting the official of a state antagonistic to the Conglomerate. As you did not try hide to your activities, you will be allowed to explain yourself." "Did you talk to my husband?" Ayimun hesitated a moment. "No. Now tell me, what were you doing in the house of the Jaan representative?" "My business is my own." "We both know that is not true." He nodded at my hand. "Where's your wedding ring?" I caught myself, before I rubbed my finger. "What do you want, associate?" Ayimun scoffed. "I hoped life beyond the seas would have toughened associate Bemariq. I see now that is not the case. No proper husband would tolerate your insolence." I opened my mouth, but Ayimun continued to speak in his resonant commanding voice: "What are you but a drifter, who stole a heart beyond her station? You haven't even done the least of your duty by bearing a child." The man's eyes hardened. "Recent rumours, which I would prefer to ignore as they put my friend in poor light, imply you might not even be able to." Ayimun nodded at the servants behind me. Two pairs of strong arms grabbed me. I struggled but couldn't stop them from ripping the gown off me. The stolen porcelain idol dropped on the floor and shattered into worthless little pieces. Instead of fighting back, I pretended that I retained a little of dignity. I allowed the brutes to pull of my underclothes, until I was in nothing but corset. Even though my face burned with shame, I kept my eyes in Ayimun's. "I fail to see, what this sorry spectacle accomplishes." My voice wavered at the brink of breaking, but I did not cower. A dull surprise break through Ayimun's expression. He lifted his chin. "Get lady Usinilim clothes suitable to her rank, and burn those rags." He walked past me. "You may use the bathroom to clean yourself." "Thank you, associate," I spoke between my teeth. CHAPTER 4 It was irrational of me to consider myself dirty from a mere gaze. The warm water in the shower helped quell my shivering, though I needed a lot of it. As soon as I recovered most of my composure, I stepped out of the shower and dried myself. On the bed was a bundle of fresh clothes with a faint scent of acidic fruit. The gown was resplendent crimson satin with pearly white decorative embroidery. It was a bit too small for me, but the train made the huge hem reach the floor. Still, I had to tighten my corset to fit inside, and around the shoulders cramped was quite cramped. Presumably I wasn't supposed to lift my arms while wearing it. I arranged my still wet hair in an imitation of a loose boudoir coiffure. There was no makeup, so I applied a bit of soot from the incense burner to my eyelids. Ayimun could have made our little encounter much worse for me. I wasn't grateful, merely relieved. The man had a reason to despise me, even outside the mild treason I had committed. In more ways than one, I hadn't been suitable material to become a 'lady'. But poor breeding and unwholesome education wasn't going to stop me from doing my best to be a deserving wife. The door was knocked. A man spoke: "Lady Usinilim? You are expected at the main deck." Servants swarmed the enclosed terrace, which overlooked the restless sea at the aft of the ship. With associate Ayimun sat Bemariq. My husband's shoulders were slumped in a posture of a forlorn pet. My heart jumped inside my chest. "Bem?" Bemariq lifted his gaze. "Sirin!" He jerked forward, but after a glance at Ayimun, didn't stand up. "Take a seat, lady Usinilim," Ayimun said. There was no place next to Bemariq, so I was forced leave Ayimun between us. A small object glinted in my husband's fidgeting hands. My ring. I had to turn my eyes away. Staring into Ayimun restrained scowl was easier. "Are you ready to discuss your recent visitations?" Ayimun asked me. I sighed. The mess I had cooked myself into wasn't going to fix itself with more lies. "I admit I visited the acting ambassador of the Jaan," I said. "And the Lauded Researcher ni Salng. Both agreed, that in order to avoid a destructive war, the vault should be deemed inaccessible for the time being by an international accord." "You have no say in that," snapped Ayimun. Bemariq lifted his gaze. "Is this really true, Sirin? After all we have done here, you'd just leave the vault reburied?" "Even if your plan worked out, nothing would happen in an instant. You wouldn't be able to stop the Jaan and the Conglomerate from fighting over the facility." Ayimun snorted. "Associate Bemariq. My friend. Your wife can't be said to be an expert on international power balances. Trust me, when I say, that the Conglomerate is more than capable of answering any provocation from the Directory. They will not stop you from completing your work." "This isn't ideal, but..." Bemariq squeezed my ring inside his fist. "I'm sorry, Sirin. I can't give up. Not now." "Lady Usinilim." Ayimun turned to me. "Based on what your husband has explained to me, we could still use your help. Such service would wash away this unpleasant talk of 'treason'." I shook my head. "No. I'll be a traitor, if I can keep my husband. Bemariq, please. I need you." My husband glanced at me. His mouth quivered, and his eyes darted to stare into the ocean. "Sirin, I..." "She's not essential." Ayimun stood up. "We must leave. The operation will commence presently, and the time frame will be tight." "What operation?" I demanded. "Come now, associate Bemariq. Great deeds await." Ayimun turned to a servant. "Make sure the lady remains comfortable and secure." Bemariq stood up and turned away from me. I bit my tongue to stifle a wail unbecoming of a lady. My head throbbed enough to cloud my vision, as I was led back to the cabin. Bemariq had chosen his work over me. Faulting him for that was immensely selfish of me, yet I couldn't help it. The first impulse in my mind was to jump on the bed and scream into a pillow. It wouldn't do any good, however. In order to let out my worst frustration, I grabbed the seams on my gown's shoulder and ripped them open. I did the same to the other side. My arms could move freely. I picked up a white pelt from a couch and wrapped it around my shoulders as an improvised fur shawl. I missed my auxiliary skin. With it I could have run out. The cabin window was too small to escape, even had I been half my size. The door would be guarded by a man smart enough not to fall for any prisoner ploys. Those only worked in chip dreadfuls, anyhow. To escape, I had to be more than a captive. The only tool I had left was the audacity implicit to my supposed station. I kicked off my heeled shoes and knocked on the door. "I am hungry to the point of fainting. As a state of affairs, this is beyond intolerable." "Food can be delivered to you, lady Usinilim." "That would not do! All this musty fabric stifles the air." "Associate Ayimun was explicit that you should be kept safe." "I am sure that this exalted personage in question did not assume you were unable to handle the security of one feeble woman, without a door between her and you. Now, take me to the restaurant so I may dine in dignity." To my surprise, the lock whirred open. The footman outside bowed and gestured me to follow. I did so, mimicking the deliberate gait of wearing heels. Fortunately the floor was softly carpeted, so the sound didn't give me away. The footman rounded a corner. I ran straight, towards the outer deck. "Hey!" the man yelled. "Stop her!" A servant at the door retained his confused look but reached for me and caught my shoulder. I twisted, and only the fur shawl remained in the man's hand. I reached the deck, but both directions had sailors and liveried men. Experience told me that they wouldn't to entertain the idea that I might have a perfectly legitimate reason to run around without shoes. The grey sea was dizzyingly far below. I climbed the rail and closed my eyes. The impact would only hurt for a moment. I leaned forwards and slipped from the rail. Air roared past me. I straightened my frame just in time to hit the hard water. The precious breath was punched from my lungs. Around me, the sea was a stinging cold blackness. Agony pulsed from my bones. The huge gown trapped my legs. I had moments before it would soak and drag me down. I swam upwards. As I sunk after each of my strokes, the hem expanded. I must have looked like a huge clumsy sea mollusc, but I reached the surface. Gasping for air, I looked for the harbour with my blurred eyes. Somewhere, men shouted, but I couldn't hear the words. The short dive had sapped my strength. I had to float on my back and concentrate on staying above the water. The shallow breaths allowed by my over-tight corsets weren't enough, but my attempts to open my bodice failed. Already my fingers were stiff from cold. The escape wasn't working out quite as smooth as I had hoped. In fact, I was about to drown, the faster the more I struggled. Water splashed outside my vision. "Stay... still," a man said. Bemariq. He hadn't abandoned me. I allowed my rescuer to wrap his arms around my shoulders. With strong kicks of an experienced swimmer, he pulled me to a pier. I clutched a ladder and turned to face inspector Ansis. "Are you alright?" the Roluan asked. For an instant my disappointment overpowered my desire to live. Luckily my hands were too stiff to let go of the ladder. "Yes... Thanks." The few steps up the ladder were almost too much to my remaining strength. Sailors pulled me up, and I collapsed on the pier. I barely managed to fumble my bodice open and press the lump to loosen the corset. Catching my breath took a while. "What are you doing here?" I asked the inspector. He smiled. "I received a report from our mutual friend that a young woman had been kidnapped at the gates of the Academy. Unfortunately the men guarding the Conglomerate ship did not allow me to step onboard for an inspection." "I'm glad that it was you and not my people, who fished me out," I sat and tested my limbs. Though I ached all over, nothing was broken. "I'd be dragged back to the ship." A sailor handed me a thick blanket. "That was quite a stunt, lady. People break bones from that height." I wrapped the blanket around me and forced a confident smile on my face. "I have incidental experience on such escapes. Though not in a gown like this one." Men in Conglomerate uniforms came running down the pier. "I need to seek political asylum in Rolu," I said. Ansis made a whimsical gesture. "The right to seek such asylum is thus granted. You are under our protection, lady Usinilim." After a short exchange of hard words, in which I was too weary to participate, inspector Ansis and his men escorted me from the harbour. I stepped into the wheeled cart of the watch, but I couldn't sigh from relief yet. "I need to get to the hills," I said. "You need medical attention." Ansis tapped the side the cart. The driver in front manipulating the rope steering system, and the beasts in front grunted and groaned into brisk walk. "There's no time for that." I shivered in my clammy clothes. Unlike a proper carriage, the Roluan cart wasn't warm inside. "The Conglomerate is trying to get back inside the vault through a secondary entrance. I suspect they have attacked the Jaan to steal the equipment they need." "To risk a war with the Directory..." Ansis shook his head. "Official response from the Roluan government will take too long. Could you, lady Usinilim, de-escalate this?" "My ability to do anything useful is slight. I want to keep my husband safe. If he refused the cooperate with the Conglomerate, that might buy time for a diplomatic solution." The inspector rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That's better than nothing. I do detest sending you into danger, mere moments after helping you out of it." The cart stopped at the a station of the city watch. Inspector Ansis hurried inside and came back with a set of oversized men's outfit for me. He told the driver to do as I said and bid me good luck. I changed into the dry clothes, while the cart rumbled out of Heva and towards the ragged heights of the inland hills. CHAPTER 5 The rural locals couldn't have missed the 'scurrying many-legged beasts'. The driver barely had to ask anything, before we picked up the trail of the Conglomerate detachment. As we circled around the outcrops and crevices, the road lost its width and gained jagged rocks to compliment its mud and gravel. Soon the clumsy wheels of the cart couldn't navigate the ever rougher terrain. I got out of the cart. We were on the right track, as evidenced by the distinctive foot prints of a carriage. As I looked up the steepening country, a sigh of exasperation left my lips. I wasn't made for mountaineering. Even if I didn't get lost, it would take hours to reach the top of the crags. At least Ansis had given me good shoes. I told the driver to get back and tell the Roluan authorities, where I was going. If nothing else, they might be able to haul my bones out of what ever gorge I fell into. My breath faltered, and I stopped to look at the rather barren view. Rolu wasn't a lush country: even in the warmest of summers the moors were tinged with brown. Yet there was stark and uncompromising beauty in that windswept land. It would have been shame, if people had to die for the sake of what was below. The foolishness of my attempt made itself clear. My feet ached, and the cold air seeped through my clothes. My plan didn't go further than appearing in the view of Bemariq. If he could not be convinced, it mattered little what I did. A swift movement down the slope caught my eye. A large but agile critter jumped between rocks. It found the path I had used and hopped towards me. The familiar nimble Jaan carriage, followed further down by more cumbersome transports with thick chitin covering. I sat on a stone to wait. Sitolytta's carriage stopped next to me. Clinging to the back were two soldiers in full combat gear. The magnatess peered from the window. "So, you weren't a distraction." "To what?" I clambered onboard. Two more soldiers sat inside, their faces set into frowns that barely contained their excitement. As soon as I was seated next to the magnatess, the carriage leaped into motion. "The dig site was attacked," Sitolytta said. "Your suit was the main asset stolen." "Was anyone hurt?" "Three of the guards got shot, but only one died." The magnatess scowled and squeezed her fists. "Oh, I felt awful to have been fooled by you! But seems you also were tricked." "Only by my own expectations. I was more... bullied with the implied threat of physical force." Sitolytta made a dismissive gesture. "The lot of women, I'm afraid." I glanced at the soldiers riding with us. "That's rather rich coming from you." The magnatess smile became more smug. "I did not claim we have to settle for it. Do you know, why the Conglomerate hurried to these cliffs?" I explained about the secondary entrance, and what I assumed was the Conglomerate plan. What they were going to do once inside, I didn't want to guess aloud. "My suspicions were close enough." Sitolytta tapped her chin with a long finger. "It was convenient that I found you. Would do me a favour?" "Of what sort?" "Say that you gave the your carapace to me as a gift." "Why–– So you can officially claim the Conglomerate 'stole' it instead of legitimately repossessing?" "Exactly. Without some justification, I fear this will end up as an old- fashioned scrap, in which might alone decides right." "Incidentally, I find it hard to trust you with any more favours." Sitolytta chuckled. "Come now, lady Usinilim. At the moment, I'm not your enemy." "Alright. I actually gave the carapace to you, even if I completely forgot about it. There. But the identification ring, that is mine." The carriage reached the lower summits. The ground was too stony for following foot prints any longer. A pained grunt from the carriage told we were in the right direction. The beast swerved behind the cover of large rocks. "Needler shot," a soldier said from the outside of the carriage said. "From too far away to penetrate." "Did you see, where it came?" Sitolytta asked. "I think I saw a helmet among the stones. Up and right from us." "Alright." The magnatess opened a elytron and pointed towards a low ridge. "Make the carriage circle so we come above them and stay out of range. Don't answer those warning shots. Our business is purely legitimate, now that lady Usinilim has joined us." Below us was a steep ravine lined by broken sediment. There the Conglomerate group prepared their equipment. A silver-haired and tall shape ––Ayimun–– was conferencing with a smaller one, presumably Luwud Duy. A detachment of huge myrmidons, clad in dark grey-purple carapace, stood proudly without any sign of acknowledging that they might soon find themselves surrounded. Even their sharpshooter had come down from his perch. My Bemariq crouched in front of a casket. A young woman in a servant's gown fidgeted beside him. "I don't see any doorway," I said. "Look there." Sitolytta pointed into the distance. "The gravel of that slope has been recently dug, into what looks like a tunnel big enough to crawl into. A landslide must have buried the entrance." "Oh, Bem..." I mouthed. He must have dug through day and night in this bleak environment, like a man possessed. "I need to go down there." Sitolytta gave me an amused look. "Did you suddenly come up with a plan?" "No. I need to hear him say it, that this all is worth the cost." "I'd prefer to keep you away from all starfarer technology, considering that access granted to you." The magnatess sighed. "Perhaps I owe you that much. Go on. But don't make the situation any worse." I choked on the dust cloud, which had been lifted by my clumsy descent down the gravel slope. A myrmidon strode to me, his man-length needler casually aimed at my direction. "Are you going to shoot an unarmed woman?" I asked. The soldier's inhuman mask didn't let me see his face, though I did imagine a casually cruel smirk on it. He gestured with his weapon. "Come along, girl." "Ah..." The pleasant tone from Ayimun was incongruous to his barely veiled sneer. "Lady Usinilim. You ultimately decided to join us." Bemariq turned to me. His eyes flared open. "You shouldn't be here, Sirin." "I have to be here." Though my jaw quivered, I did my best control my voice. "I need to stop you from committing this mistake. Even if you get inside, this isn't the proper way to conduct your research! You just changed one set of looters to another." "Less than ideal circumstances are better than none," Bemariq said. "You said it yourself," I insisted. "That this needed to be done right." "Gag her," Ayimun said. "No!" Bemariq yelled. "If you touch here, you won't have my help." I stepped forward, but a myrmidon shifted to make clear he wouldn't let me closer to my husband. I said, "Bem, the Conglomerate will let you have only personal glory, if that. What good is fame to a man like you? I didn't fall in love with your renowned name." Bemariq breathed deep. He took the wrist of the servant woman in his. The ring ––my ring–– was in his other hand. Among all the danger, the despair from that gesture drowned my mind. "Bem," I whimpered. "Please, don't..." My husband closed his eyes and sighed. He dropped his arms, looked at me and smiled. "What a fool I've become." He strode to me, and I hurried to him. "Take the ring," Ayimun commanded. A myrmidon stepped between me and Bemariq. My husband lifted the hand holding the ring away. A shrill scream filled the air. The soldier struck Bemariq's chest with the stock his needler. My husband crumbled, only to receive a sharp jab into his face. Another myrmidon grabbed Bemariq's hand and clawed the ring out. The two men let my husband fall on the stony ground. My vision was blurry, as I pawed and hugged my Bemariq. "Sirin..." He breathed. I was filled with an urge to scream, the need hold his hand, the desire to kiss and make love to him. A hand touched my cheek, and I found enough of my calm to stop sobbing. "I'm fine," Bemariq lied. The skin of his brow was cut, and bled over his face. At least his proud nose was still on straight, and his pained grin had all of the teeth. I took his hand and squeezed it hard enough to sink my nails into his palm. He deserved a little pain, and it might have helped clear his head. "Commandant," Ayimun barked. "Get the servant into the suit. We will have to be inside, before the Jaan sow brings forth her whole stud farm." Though the Jaan forces would outnumber them, the group myrmidons shouldn't have expected too much trouble, even without the overly advantageous positions, which the crags were rife with. Even now, Ayimun wasn't ready to escalate the conflict into an actual war. What he assumed he could find was worth being driven into a hole with only one exit. He must have been after weaponry; something to fire the grand opening shot of an oceanic war with. Based on what I had seen in the vault, Ayimun's errant was not a mere fool's. He had to be stopped. The servant girl had been undressed and was being fit into my carapace. I gave Bemariq a quick kiss, stood and said, "The suit is locked to everyone but me. But I'll help you. In exchange, you must let Bemariq stay here. He's wounded and can't follow us inside. With me, you won't need him." Commandant Duy turned to look at Ayimun. The associate must have understood that I'd betray him at the first chance I got. In order to give me the opportunity, he'd have to think himself smarter than me, which ––based on his behaviour towards me–– wasn't far-fetched. "Alright," Ayimun said. "Let's move." I glanced Bemariq, who gave dazed but understanding look. "Stay safe," he whispered. I pursed my lips. "I'll try." After undressing, I took the ring from the quivering girl. The myrmidons kept their needlers at my head, as they helped me into my suit. Even if the carapace armour stopped the projectile, the impact from such a gun would turn my brains into mush. Even without their guns, fighting the myrmidons was no option. Though their armour was primitive compared to mine, the finely bred strength aided by the brawn of several massive men, would overpower me. The familiar strength surrounded my body, but I wasn't willing to admit that I was trapped despite the tightness of the suit. CHAPTER 6 One by one, we crawled into the tunnel between the gravel and rock ceiling. The myrmidons moved swiftly despite their bulk. Luwud twisted a torch-fly let it buzz into the air to illuminate nothing but rough rock walls. "A dead end," the commandant said. "My husband wouldn't have wasted effort on a pointless excavation," I said. "Open, door." The solid rock cracked open to reveal a dusty corridor. No ancient lamps illuminated the passage, and the walls had the pallor of dead coral, made more ghastly by the green light of the torch-fly. The corridor ended in a door similar to the one, which had lead to the tram far below. There was no shining window, but I said, "Open, please." "Scanning," a muffled faint voice said. "Full access authorisation verified. A bonded breeding female detected without bonded pair. User error. Eight excess males in vicinity." "What does that mean?" Ayimun asked. "That the facility expects you to bring your wives," I said. "I'll override the requirement. Oh spirit, these people are in a breeding pair, with their partners outside, exactly like me." "Acknowledged. Required facilities on stand-by." The door opened. "Step in," I said. "This should take us to the facility proper." The room was cramped with all of us inside. I commanded the elevator. After a screeching protest from the machinery, the room jerked into a swift downward motion. Ayimun places a hand on my shoulder. "Good work thus far, lady Usinilim. If you directed your obvious intelligence to wholesome pursuits ––such as guiding your husband to do his duty–– you would be an asset to your country." "Well, thank you, associate Ayimun." I turned and smiled. "My husband is my first priority." The man placed his hand under my chin. "You have distinct if faint eyeshine. Is your vision hampered? Any trouble seeing details?" "Not really." I did my best not to frown. "But I prefer to use oculars to read." Ayimun let go off me. "It's no matter. Such atavism is likely recessive. Bemariq's children won't be ruined by it." Even though a sudden sense of uncleanness made my skin itch, I kept a confused smile on my face. The optician at the academy had peddled the idea that my eyesight was deficient due to my 'resurgent anatomic feature'. I had done my best to ignore it. What did it tell about my distant ancestors, if they had traded perfect vision to the ability to see in dark? It might not have been a voluntary alteration either. As a fellow pupil had put it. 'the mark of a Collapse times slave populace, surely fit only for work in the mines'. Then again, simple oculars allowed me to read without trouble, while tools for seeing without light had distinct drawbacks. The elevator stopped and opened to a long corridor, in which the weak blue phosphoresce of the walls created a dim twilight. "What now, associate?" I asked. "Do you want to sightsee, or are you seeking something specific?" "Weapons, lady Usinilim," Ayimun said. "Anything to give us the edge to drive the Jaan off this land. Afterwards your husband can continue his work, though we ––you and I–– will have to make sure he does nothing reckless. Like adjoining his nervous system directly with unmaintained machinery." The associate was treating me like a partner. My short compliance had unlikely caused such a change of heart in him. Friendliness from such a man as the associate was a sign that he held all the cards. Or at least thought so. "Alright, I'll call a guide," I said. "I'm not sure what it is, but it'll take us where we need to go." The disembodied voice acknowledged my request, and our group was left standing in the small spot of light. "What of the Roluans, associate?" I asked. "How will they be treated?" "That depends purely on them. Rolu would make fine addition to the Conglomerate, but as long as our interests are not endangered, we will leave them be." I declined the opportunity to argue about the fluidity of the interests of empires. "Now that I'm helping you..." I made my voice waver. "Will you have the authorities brush aside my... assumed treasonous conduct? The well-being of my husband was my concern. I acted heedlessly, of which I'm gravely sorry." Ayimun's smile cast deep shadows on his face. "I too am sorry that Bemariq was hurt due to this misunderstanding." I smiled. "As for the weapons, I'm not sure there are any here. Yet, this place should have more suits like mine. They would allow a small group of soldiers dominate the local infrastructure. Commandant Duy knows from experience, how the carapace is practically impervious to small arms fire." Unease tinged Duy's grin. "That's a start," Ayimun admitted. "It won't win us the naval confrontation, but that can wait." A familiar shape approached from the lightless hallway. "Our guide comes," I said. The myrmidons shifted restlessly, when they too saw the large inhuman creature. The root-limbed guide made no gesture to acknowledge that it recognised me. "Take us where my associates can be outfitted with healthy suits like mine." I did my best to keep my unease from my voice. If my ploy failed, it was prudent to keep Ayimun's impression of me positive. "If that is at all possible." With deliberateness of a glacier, the guide turned and strode into the corridor. The air grew heavy with moisture and warmth. As we entered corridors with lights, which still struggled against the passage of time, the dark dissipated into hazy gloom. Our guide stopped and stood in front of a door. For a long moment, nothing stirred. I would have assumed that we were supposed to go inside, if the guide's body hadn't blocked the way. The twined arms took hold of the door. Stone wailed against stone, as the guide forced the door open to reveal long hall. Though the room was in better state than the corridor, water dripped from the ceiling and the lamps pulsed as with dying breath. Finely powdered white sediment had accumulated on the floor and shifted with our steps. One wall was lined with upright cocoons with their transparent doors open. No human remains were visibly present, which was a reassuring sign. "Are those machines for fitting on a suit like mine?" I asked the guide, which still lingered outside the door. It did not answer. "Fortunately, their function can be tested," Ayimun said. "Commandant Duy, strip." Apprehension twisted Duy's face only for a heartbeat. "Very well, associate." Despite his habitual appearance of a middle-aged paper-pusher with a poor posture, Duy had the burly physique of a wrestler. I turned my eyes demurely away, in order to avoid giving the impression of admiring his frame. Duy stepped into the cocoon. The doors closed. A tendril reached out to hand a ring like mine to the commandant. I felt a bang of disappointment, from my wedding ring losing its uniqueness. "Take the ring," I said. "And put it on." The man nodded and obeyed. Strands of silky nerve and layers of green- grey skin pushed out from the machine. They wrapped around the commandant, adjusting to his form. Tiny tendrils carried plates of carapace to their places and worked to attach the parts. The seams locked together. "The machine wondrously works fast," Ayimun said. He turned to me. "Lady Usinilim, do you know, how long a set of myrmidon's carapace takes to grow?" "I'm not familiar with the subject, but I guess a dozen weeks." "About so, and only quarter end up being fit for wearing in actual combat." On the associate's face, the nonchalant sternness had disappeared into controlled excitement. "Imagine, if we could manufacture carriages or even warships with anywhere near this speed and precision." "The Conglomerate would rule all, where waterways reach." "Indeed." The cocoon opened, and Duy stepped out. He tested his limbs and fingers separately, crouched and did a few one-armed push-ups. "Is the suit good, commandant?" Ayimun asked. Luwud Duy stood up. "Yes, better than good. The muscle, or whatever this tissue is, responds almost faster than my thoughts." Ayimun turned to me. "I'm surprised, lady Usinilim. I assumed you would make an attempt at futile trickery." I pouted a smile. "I'm nothing if predictable, associate. I only want what's best for me and my Bemariq. Service to our country benefits us also." "Just so. Alright men, let's upgrade your gear." Ayimun unclasped the protective vest on top of his immaculately tailored suit. "Are you going to wear one too, associate?" I asked. "Do you think that I should not?" "Maybe there's some unforeseen errors in the process." I bit my lip. Ayimun smiled the smile of an adult reassuring a silly child. "I appreciate your concern, lady Usinilim. But reasonable risk shouldn't stop anyone made from the hard stuff of a Conglomerate man." I had to concentrate in order to keep my eyes away from the myrmidons, as they stepped from their suits. Though they were all notably tall, their bodies were proportional in their abundant brawn. All of them had the wide shoulders of heroic statues, and arms thicker than my thigh. Even the healthy padding of fat couldn't hide the chiselled crevices defining their musculature. Comparatively, the equally tall Ayimun appeared rangy, though that was an illusion. He was in truth thewy if lean; the reasonable build of a man, who took care of his physique. The associates' frame was very much like Bemariq's, in fact. If my plan worked, those eminently manly forms might disappear. I might have felt a pang of guilt, if the new suits didn't make the soldiers even more dangerous. Should Ayimun decide that he didn't need my access any more, I'd be lucky to leave the facility with my life. One after another, the soldiers stepped out and tested their easy new strength to their grinning satisfaction. On their martial frames, the sleek carapaces had the look of true combat suits. If these were what constituted as heavy duty clothes for the ancients, the actual weapons ––of even personal capacity–– must have been terrifying. The associate also appeared pleased. His eyes stopped to stare at me. No sign of the quality of his thoughts was apparent on his face. Ayimun might have been calculating my worth. I retreated behind my best half-confused smile in order not to show my anxiety. A faint smirk spread on Ayimun's face. "On to exploring the facility then, lady Usinilim." My thoughts snapped back to the present. "I'm not familiar with this part of the vault. We should start from near the main entrance. That would be most likely place for security areas with weapon storages." "Sound thinking. Lead on." I stepped outside the room to guide. "Take us, where we first met." CHAPTER 7 A part of me had hoped that I'd never walk those corridors again. Yet the excitement ––that intense thrill of discovery shared with my husband–– returned. The place was one of a kind among the surviving remnants from an age, when the sky wasn't the limit. That extraordinary nature was exactly why we couldn't study the facility in peace. Sitolytta had been right to fear, what the Conglomerate might find, as the cadre of soldiers I had helped to outfit proved. I walked beside the guide, so I didn't have to concentrate on keeping fear off my expression. Even if I couldn't be sure, the tunnels became familiar in their vitality. Pipes and nerves filled the corridor like reeds, though any critters had fled from our approach. One of the soldiers yelped. The other men joined with their own surprised noises. The floor clattered, as the myrmidon's dropped their weapons. I pressed against the wall, and let the men pass me. "Explain!" Ayimun demanded, as he strode past me in stiff march. "What is this 'reproductive reorganisation'?" My stomach twisted. Not even the associate should have been forced through that. Nevertheless, the starfarer machines should have been able to reverse, what they had done. I didn't answer, but dropped behind the group and picked up one of the impressive alloy-barrelled needlers. The gun was oversized for me, but its weight was barely noticeable inside my suit. I tried to shoulder the unwieldy if delicate weapon, but my arms weren't quite long enough to hold it comfortably. As if I was a kid playing with tools meant for adults. A memory of practising shooting with my father returned to my mind. I brushed the recollection away. My suit should have been able to handle the recoil, so I lowered the needler to my waist. In any case, the gun wasn't my first or even second backup plan. The men, trapped inside their suits, continued on after the guide. I kept my distance as I followed, so that they couldn't be sure that they hadn't been abandoned to their fate. My reappearance should be relief despite their anger. The door of the hospital area opened, and the group walked inside. The moment the door closed behind them, a clamour started. Ayimun shouted my name. A debate rose, but it was too frantic to lead to any conclusion. The door was banged. "Violent self-destructive behaviour detected," the voice of the facility said. "Safeguards enacted." The footsteps stopped. Soon enough, the men ceased their frantic talk. I sat on a pile of pipes to wait. After the group was gone from the reception room, I followed inside. Their suits had taken them all into separate rooms and trapped them into cocoons, which had fortunately sedated them all properly. Out of guilt, I did my best to make sure, the machines weren't actively mutilating them. But their bodies were fully hidden, and I couldn't tell what was happening. I picked up their discarded equipment including sidearm and hid them out of the way. The day had been long, and so I helped myself to the field rations. The liquid meal didn't stop my hunger, but it would keep me from passing out. Hopefully Bemariq wouldn't think I was hurt or worse. I could have run to the top and out of the facility, but I had to stay to keep the Conglomerates from trouble. There was no knowing, what they might accomplish in their desperation. After hours of humming boredom, the door opened. A person, who must have been one of the myrmidons, staggered in. The machines hadn't done the bare minimum to enable female reproduction. The myrmidon's face was perfectly womanly, if a bit heavy at the jaw. His shoulders were still wide, but appeared less pronounced accompanied by the flared hips, squashed waist and ample chest. The soldier's eyes were filled with tears, and awfully girly sobs rose from his throat. The sight crushed my chest. I couldn't fault his bravery or self-control, considering how I myself had reacted, and my changes had been welcome. "Everything will be alright," I said in motherly tones incongruous to the needler I was holding. "What's your name?" "Qa––" He hesitated. "Qafin." "Alright, Qafin. Those machine should be able to return you back to yourself. But you need my access to change your reproductive designation back to male." I couldn't be sure that it would work. But the myrmidon's devastated expression made me hope I wasn't lying. Qafin took a deep breath and found his calm. "What do you want, lady Usinilim?" "Just obey me. I could use your help. The others might not be as collected as you, so your help to convince them to act reasonably would be appreciated. The faster we are done here, the faster the changes can be reversed." The myrmidon glanced down on his frame and took a deep breath. "I understand." Rest of the soldiers filtered into the reception. Most were sobbing, one was stunned to silence. When I told them to remove their carapace suits, all obeyed me. Underneath they were distinctly feminine, if too muscular for conventional womanly beauty. Such a body type had its appeal, though my opinion wasn't exactly representative of the normal. A shorter woman, who had the appearance of a younger sister to Luwud Duy, walked into reception. His grin was amused and strides bold. He glanced at the naked women in the room and bowed to me. "You seem calm, considering, commandant," I said. "Oh, I had plenty of time to hyperventilate in my pod, lady Usinilim." Duy tapped his new dainty nose. "'Exactly like me'. I presume your plan is to force us to obey you in order to get the chance to restore ourself." "That is true." Duy chuckled. "I'll take this as the rare opportunity it is. Not many get to experience the other side." The commandant removed his suit without protest. Underneath was a robust but generously feminine body, which appeared to please Duy. A statuesque woman with a short silver hair walked into the reception. Ayimun's form was willowy, and his movements graceful and uncowed. "You..." The associate's scowl was poisonous on his new gorgeous face. "You knew this would happen." "I hoped it would." Ayimun looked at the myrmidons and back to me. He took a step towards me, but Qafin placed a hand on the associate's shoulder. "That gun will crush your bones even through your armour," the myrmidon said. "It's better to stand down, associate." Ayimun sneered. "Did the surgery take your manhood in more ways than one? Better to die––" "You can still get your toy back," I said. "But you need my access." My bluff was inadequate, so I continued: "Or do you trust your skills in archaeolinguistic analysis to command these primordial systems? Enough to bet your dicks on it?" It turned out that the associate Ayimun wasn't willing to risk his manhood for a fickle chance of glory for the Conglomerate. He got out of his carapace suit. I told them to place their identification rings on their suits, and we headed towards the secondary exit. I asked the guide to accompany me. Its presence had become surprisingly comforting. The guide wouldn't follow us farther than the elevator. Being packed in a tight space with people, who had a good reason to hate me, made heartbeat fill my chest. Yet they all remained calm and dejected to a pitiful degree. The unmanning had taken its toll. I left the naked group to the safety of dark cave, and crawled out. The small barren valley had turned into a busy campsite. The Roluans had brought a large delegation of officials, who were engaged in frantic talks with Conglomerate notables. Jaan, Conglomerate and Roluan soldiers eyed each other from the sides and kept the milling throng of curious civilians and journalists away. I told the guard at the tunnel to get some clothes for the group inside. I took a few steps forward, before Bemariq noticed me and I saw him. We rushed to each other. Only in the tight embrace I remembered the powerful suit I was wearing. I drew back a little, even if Bemariq didn't show pain. He kissed me with deep hunger, as if the restrains of the recent weeks had been dissolved. I returned the kiss eagerly, uncaring of the public spectacle we were making. "Sirin..." he whispered into my ear. I detached from him. "Let's talk later, in more privacy. Now I need to find the representatives of Jaan and Rolu." Magnatess Sitolytta and the three men and a woman from Roluan government listened to my suggestion. They agreed to represent it to Ayimun. The associate wore a loose uniform and stared at us with cold eyes. Though he hid from the open view in a carriage, he sat in rigid posture. "So the plan goes thus," Sitolytta began. "The Jaan Directory and the Conglomerate will create and agreement to keep the facility underneath us untouched, as it is demonstrably dangerous and unpredictable, as you may agree." Ayimun grunted, in a way which must have been much more petulantly girly than he had intended. Sitolytta continued: "This vault shall remain untouched, until a joint international excavation ––without any military presence whatsoever–– can be arranged in a conference, in which all great powers ––not just us and you–– participate." "Why would the Conglomerate agree to this?" Ayimun asked. "This plan assures the research will be conducted with full and careful scrutiny," Bemariq said. "As an expert on the subject, I think proper and meticulous research is in the interest of the Conglomerate, as it is in the interest of the whole world." "Besides..." Sitolytta made a pursed smile. "After this tentative plan as been formally agreed, lady Usinilim will help with your current predicament." I said, "Of course, if the initial agreement can't be made swiftly enough, the Conglomerate might decide certain organs of personages present are worth sacrificing, permanently." Ayimun's posture managed to stiffen even more. "These negotiations seem to be prudent and in the interest of all parties." "Very good!" a representative of Rolu said. "We'll make the formal arrangements for the official talks in the coming days." CHAPTER 8 The carriage clambered down the hill. I sat next to Bemariq, with all of our hands clasped. "Are you mad at me?" I asked. "For ruining your chance?" "No." Bemariq kissed my cheek. "Prudence will serve the science itself better. If it was glory I sought, participating in ––or even leading–– an international research team will bring plenty of it." "It might take years, possibly decades, for the great powers to agree on anything." "No matter. There's plenty of research to be done elsewhere." His hands held mine tighter. "And it will give us time to start a family. If you still want that." The man's words stoked the carnal furnace, which had been implanted in me. "Oh, Bem..." I sighed and pressed my head on his shoulder. "Do you forgive my folly, again?" he whispered. "I will keep on forgiving you until the day of the fabled Lasaida. I hope I won't have to, after this once." Instead of the hotel with its soured memory, the carriage dropped us at our awkward but personable house. Down at the camp, the Jaan had finished their work, but my thoughts were only on Bemariq. I locked the door after us and got out of my carapace. Suddenly my condition returned my mind. I hurried past Bemariq and went to the bathroom, but he followed. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Just wait for me outside, please." "I will. But just so you know: you don't have hide yourself from me." He shut the door. A short examination revealed that my flow hadn't yet ended, even if the discomfort was mostly gone. The need of my husband's touch burned in my mind, but I wanted our new first time to special. Perhaps I was conventional in that way. I washed myself, wrapped a towel around me and returned to Bemariq. He had poured us tiny glasses of certain golden wine, the one which was more heady than a hammer to the cranium. I took the glass and sat next to him on the couch. "Bem, this would be a perfect time for what you called 'in-depth examination'. But I think we need to postpone any probing." "I understand." He rubbed his chin. "Actually, it might suit us fine. A local whale festival happens to be next week. The one with the fertility traditions and whatnot." "Oh. A night at the beach would indeed be romantic." I bit my lip. "But I don't know if I can last that long." "Don't worry, honeydew." He kissed my nose. "I'll help to scratch the worst itch." As an associate, Bemariq was in terms of official political status only second to Ayimun out of the Conglomerate notables at Rolu. My husband had to participate in the proceedings, in which the initial agreement was slowly forged. At first the whole deal was on precarious ground, as the Conglomerate contingent couldn't quite agree, if the changed Ayimun was allowed to represent the state in 'her' condition. In order to show that Ayimun's 'womanhood' wouldn't have to be permanent, I took the other victims of my ploy to have their changes reversed. The vault's systems turned out to accommodating. After I designated the them as men, the process worked out without much of a hitch. My fear that they would be forced to copulate with me didn't come to pass. The men did come out a bit boyishly pretty, but that nothing a good regimen of tonics wouldn't fix. Not all of the men arrived to be changed back. Luwud Duy send a word that he would wait, 'out of sympathy to the associate'. No explanation came from the myrmidon Qafin, who declined to appear. The local gossip did mention a foreign 'giantess' seeking for a discrete tailor. I took the magnatess to an inspection of the facility, though our actual goal was the medical scanner. She disappeared inside the egg, and the windows turned into visualisation of her insides. Because I couldn't tell, what was going on in the image, I asked the spirit to explain. Sitolytta got out, and I explained her situation. "Four embryos? Not as catastrophic as I feared, but still inconvenient, not to entirely without danger." "Will you get rid of them?" I crossed my arms, but it was more of hugging myself. "Perhaps. However, I have this strange fancy that I shouldn't. But they'd be born out of wedlock. I couldn't marry Hyssi. Besides his non-existent status, he's very much still a boy." Sitolytta gave me a weary smirk. "I will have to think about this. Thank you, lady Usinilim." Once a year, a species of peculiar whales came to mate in the deep bays and coves near Heva. The seas around Roluan islands were filled with large fauna, but what made this species notable was the bioluminescent strips on their flanks. Plenty of local folklore was influenced by their night-time dance. Supposedly, the blinking lights would hypnotise the females of all mammals into a heat, while the subliminal sound waves supposedly enhanced fertility, especially in livestock but also in humans. The sceptical anthropologist in me told that the tales were an excuse for women to take the initiative. Be that as it may, the locals considered the whale-lights to be a worthwhile sight to wait in the windy dark, even without any carnal motives. Our picnic basket sloshed with its rather liquid contents, as we made our way to the rocky part of the beach. Bemariq had picked an area some distance from Heva, which he thought would be the least crowded. Crowded or not, the passionate moans carried by the chilly sea-wind weren't from mating whales. The sky was filled with stars, and I did my best not to look around too much, lest my night-piercing eyes invaded anyone's privacy. We picked a good spot with a view to an ink-black bay, lay down and began to sip the invigorating and warming cocktail. The taste was just the type of acerbic vileness, which promised quick results, and I was soon warm all over. "Look, Sirin. In the water." A line of yellow-green spots twinkled just under the surface. It was joined by another, which pulsed with daring red and purple. "The hypnosis is working." I said and turned around to lie against Bemariq. "Or it might just be your presence." Bemariq wrapped an arm around me and pulled our thick blanket on both us. I escaped the growing chill by nuzzling against his body. He let out a yawn and rubbed my shoulder. After the last few days of business at Heva, it was no wonder Bemariq was tired. The comfortable weariness infected me. While I had looked forward to our 'first' night, we weren't in any hurry. However, I couldn't allow Bemariq to fall asleep. My hand snaked into his trousers and clasped the warm rod. As if my touch was magic, the soft flesh hardened and bulged against the tight grip. As an echo, parts in me stirred, though to small extend. Bemariq groaned into a stifled yawn. "Don't you dare to pass out," I murmured into his ear. "After dragging me all the way to this windy rock." I threw the blanket off us and immediately regretted losing its warmth. "Let's get our blood coursing. Stand up." I dragged my husband to his feet. He filled his lungs and stretched his frame. "Alright," he said. "Let's watch the whales." He grabbed my hips, pulled me in front of him and kissed the back of my neck. Far down in the water, both of the lines of light coruscated in frantic pulses. While the view was great, the cliff we were on didn't extend as far away from us as I would have liked. "The edge is quite close..." "Don't worry," Bemariq said. "I'll hold you. Pick up your hem." When I lifted my skirt, and the breeze touched my legs, I was glad for the stockings I wore. Bemariq took the hem and piled it over my hips. His pleasantly warm hand groped my eagerly damp groin. "A lady should be more discomposed by the prospect of losing her virginity," Bemariq said. "I don't quite feel untouched." "Worry not," he whispered into my ear. "I'll make it feel like a first time." My body became rigid from the anticipation. I fumbled backwards with my hand, and Bemariq twined his fingers around mine. He opened his trousers and pushed my torso down. After some probing, the head of his rod poked at my lower lips. Though I was familiar with the considerable size of his member, my altered muscles clenched from trepidation. A hand took hold of my hair. I managed to whimper only for a moment, before the man jerked my head and pulled me to him. The thrust impaled me. The initial sting was mild, compared to the ache from the hammer battering into my insides. The entrance to my womb. Strength left my legs. I fell towards the edge. Bemariq yelped. He wrapped his arms around my waist and dragged us backwards. I landed on his hips, and his baton ––still inside me–– slammed again into my cervix. The pain radiated through my lower body, squeezing a gasping squeal out of me. I saw more stars than was in the clouded sky. The agonised groans below woke me from my daze. "Bem!" I clambered from top of the man and groped for his head in the darkness. "Are you hurt?" "Not bad..." Bemariq grunted and cleared his throat. "A rock struck my spine. And if I had a phallic bone, it'd be in tiny pieces. Not that you are heavy, dear." He struggled to sit up and asked: "Do you want to get back under the blanket?" "If you promise not to fall asleep." "That incident woke me up good." Bemariq clambered back to the spot and took the blanket. "Come on." I lay next to him. As the soreness faded, my desire returned to the surface. Bemariq pulled me against him. As his hands roamed my skin, his lance found its target again, though this time the entrance was gentle, almost an afterthought to our embrace. Bemariq pushed me on my back and moved on top. I wrapped my arms around his powerful and firm torso. His wide shoulders and red-blooded weight held me down in a delightful trap, in which the man could whatever he wished with me. His hard thrust filled me completely, beyond the brink of discomfort. I let out a moan tinged with pain, which only encouraged the brute to continue his forceful administrations. The muscles of his back rippled under my fingers. His breath was heavy, possessive. Against the stars I couldn't make out his face, though I could see the sharp line of that manly jaw. The need to have and keep him for myself alone crushed my reason. I moved my dainty hand hold his thick neck in an imitation of a yoke. My nails bit into the man's skin, and I wrapped my legs over his. Passion overwhelmed Bemariq, and all gentleness left his movements. He was fortunate, that his wife found satisfaction in such beastly treatment. Yet he did not treat me as a slab of flesh, good only for sating his lust. He lavished me with kisses. While one hand took support from me and held me down, the wandering fingers of the other showed he loved every part of me. My hair was pulled. My throat was touched with thrilling strength. Fingers sunk into my breast. He brushed my waist to show how he appreciated my hard-won lines. He fondled my thigh to soft how exciting he found his wife's soft hairless form. The man used me fully. With each shift of his rod, he approached a climax. His seed would pour into me in an attempt to bind my body to his virile animal needs. The excitement of my nether nerves burst into warmth. I gasped from the steady intensity of it, which lingered as shivers. Bemariq kissed me and shifted his motions. Liquid heat joined his member inside me. The final few thrusts were a seal to our mating. My husband moved to my side, pushed his arm underneath me and pulled me into a tight embrace, as if fearing I'd float away. I did feel giddy and weightless, though I would never have willingly escaped that strong and secure grasp. We caught our breaths to the rhythm of our shared rapid heartbeat. Bemariq lowered me to his side and pulled the blanket back on top of us. The clouds were fading from the starry sky. I rested my head on the man's bicep, while his hand idly groped my breast in an absent-minded affirmation of my femininity. Sticky goo stained my groin. I resisted the urge to touch it. For the first time, its presence in me had a purpose. I shuddered. "Bem," I said. "Don't you think it's a bit odd, how we ––humans I mean–– breed our tools, and now in a way that facility breeds us for its own purposes?" My husband chuckled. "I do often feel like a tool." "Perhaps at time for a reason." I pressed into the man. "But what I mean... These desires... to start a family. They might be alien. I mean, how could I have that sort of instinct? When you seemed reluctant, I was genuinely hurt, which is rather baffling." "I'm sorry." Bemariq yawned. "Still, it's perfectly natural for a nubile... woman..." His breathing became heavy. "Bem?" He didn't answer. Less than gently, I slapped his cheek. "You promised not to fall asleep." Bemariq let out a long yawn. "I'm not up for another round, my honeydew." "I'm not either. But I want to talk." He let out an amused sigh. "Alright. About what?" "Why haven't you noted that my eyes shine?" Bemariq remained silent long enough that I almost slapped him again. "I'm not sure," he said. "There never seemed to be reason to. People tend to be sensitive about that sort of thing." Perhaps I was. "You don't mind it?" "Of course not. It actually looks cute, when you stare from a dark room into one with lights on." "But what if your child gets it?" "'It'? There doesn't seem to be anything wrong in the mother." 'Mother'. I took his word for it, and curled up to sleep. CHAPTER 9 - Epilogue "You must think this was a fittingly ironic punishment for me, lady Usinilim." Associate Ayimun was wearing an unarmoured military uniform. Despite his feminine body, he carried the outfit well. Ayimun, commandant Duy and I were accompanied by Roluan and Jaan soldiers. I would have wanted Bemariq, ni Salng and other researcher to get a last chance at surveying the facility, but the negotiations had been strict. Any research of the starfarer facility was forbidden until the proper concord could be formed. "I would never think it as a punishment," I said. "The facility was the only weapon I had. In truth, I'm relieved that the reversal process works so well." "At least something good came from this debacle," Ayimun said. "The agreement will curb Jaan aggression in this side of the oceans." "How about you, commandant?" I asked. "Did you take this was a punishment?" Luwud Duy was wearing not only a gown of pragmatic cut, but some makeup to enhance his shapely face. "Not at all." Duy grinned. "This has been an interesting opportunity. Still, I'm more than glad to move on." The associate and commandant returned from the hospital rooms. Luwud Duy had changed into a dress uniform suitable for his rank, which was incongruous to his smooth young face. Ayimun managed to look his age with his severe countenance, making his boyish features rather ethereal. "Did the procedure work correctly?" I asked. "It did." Ayimun walked past me. "Now, let us leave this place." I took the group to the lift and let them ride up without me. The secondary entrance would be sealed after I left, but I had been given time to assure nothing we had done would jeopardise the long term integrity of the facility. The guide walked with me, silently as always. "You seem more helpful than a mindless automaton," I said. "Are you just happy that you have something to do?" No answer. I hadn't expected any. We climbed the slope to the grotto of the Nexal Censor. Alone, I walked into the tunnel, but I did not go all the way through. "Suit." I placed my hand my belly. The carapace plates had parted a little to accommodate my growing abdomen. "Can you protect us both from whatever is in that room?" "Affirmative." "Do so." Perhaps it was from guilt that I had to inform the Censor. I had robbed from it a partner, or valuable tool at least. I went to the edge of the pool. The slumped form on its throne was as cold and miserable as it had been. That the Censor would notice me wasn't guaranteed. Still, I had to try. "Nexal Censor," I said. "I need to talk to you." The water parted, and a root rose. It moved towards me with exaggerated slowness. I lifted my hand and the tip of the huge appendage touched my palm. A questioning disappointment reached my mind. I explained the situation: the jealousy of empires and the agreement forged with acumen and common purpose. "I hope you don't blame my Bemariq. He did try. But in the end, we had to settle with a mere peace." The stream of emotions turned into a dejected acceptance. A brief terror, the fiery death of civilisations, flashed to my mind and was wiped away by a cold bitter wind. The forlorn despair faded and became coloured with hope. After the cataclysm, which the Nexal Censor had survived through, a 'mere' peace was enough. The Censor could wait. The root sunk back into the murky pool, and I left the chamber to its dead tranquillity. Bemariq was waiting at the secondary entrance with the workers and Roluan officials. "You visited the Censor?" he asked. "Yes. He's not angry with you." Bemariq chuckled with relief and led me to our carriage. The Roluans began to move the huge block of stone, which would bar the entrance until the distant day of an international agreement. "I think I've found a suitable new project for us to participate," Bemariq said. The carriage moved slowly in order not to shook me too much. "Oh?" "There talk of a proper comb-through of the Tudjan undercity. A friend of mine asked me to lead the survey. It would be right under Tudja, so we could live in proper townhouse..." He gestured at my belly with his eyes. "And hire some help if need be." "Tudja... That sounds interesting. But last I heard, the relic smuggling is pervasive and growing more audacious." "We'd of course get some guards." "Erqas said she could work as civilian bodyguards with her fiance." "Who? Oh, you meant that myrmidon. Who's her fiance?" "Another myrmidon. Apparently, they found their shared love of 'wrestling' and gave up their commissions to be together." Bemariq smirked. "Such a pair would certainly discourage any thieves." The serene moorland passed us by. "Hopefully we can return here," I said. "I've grown fond of this place. On the other hand, I miss the heartbeat of a real city." "I hope you aren't planning on sampling that beat." "Oh, are you going to cloister me?" He grinned. "A few months of rest-cure should curb those impulses unsuitable to a lady. Of course, even if it worked without driving you insane, I'd have to divorce you out of boredom." "Well, in that case, I shall 'sample the heartbeat' with ardour." I let my husband pull me against him. "With you." AUTHOR'S NOTES: Phew. Taking all parts into account, 'Fervour' is the longest story I've written in quite a long while. I'm not sure how that happened, as the first instalment was very much a stand-alone with only the potentiality of a small sequel. I guess I got carried away. I did lose most of my audience on the way, which is understandable, as the content changed quite a lot and gained quite a lot of length. I hope the quality wasn't in fact doing a corresponding nosedive. Thanks for reading, and thanks for the reviews. All rights are waived on this text, CC0.