After a bit of editing and such, here are chapters 1-7 of Project Reclaimer: The White Lotus Stories. Look for Chapters 8-10 sometime in May!

Chapter 1

"Say goodbye if you're gonna." Bradley told the general, taking a step back slightly Moria watched him for a second before turning to look at his friend.

"Torii," Moria started taking a step forward. "Muid críochnóidh mé amárach feic gach eile arís."

With a sad smile Torii took a step forward to take Moria's hands. "Mo cara, glac aire. Stad slán."

Reclaimer Archimedes Cyranious Maxwell stood off to the side, watching the exchange with interest. He blinked and cocked his head at the language. A concentrated frown crossed over his face. He blinked and whirled around as a cold cylinder pressed against his neck.

“Something has you distracted enough to where me and my clicky heels can sneak up on you? Wow. How the hell did that happen?” The soft and taunting feminine voice echoed around the area they were standing.

“I can’t believe I’m loosing my touch” the boy said sarcastically. He took the offered cold bottle and eyed the woman lightly. “Honestly Captain…Assessment?” He eyed her blankly. Captain Kaytlin Renalds was one of the most respected Captains in the TUA. Bright sapphire eyes underneath tasteful teal hair always held a calculating look. Her appearance was feminine, her mind was aggressive, and her bite was demonic. Needless to say, Cyric respected her opinion.

“Honestly?” she asked. A nod from the boy caused her to frown lightly. “Honestly…I don’t know. He’s pretty respected in the Garnetier society, at least from what we understand. That’s a double edged sword: he knows quite a deal about what is going on…but he won’t go missing without some commotion.” She took a sip from her bottle of water and sighed lightly. “Either way…we have a situation that is going to cause us some stress.” She looked over towards the slight alien and smiled softly. “What do you think?”

“I honestly don’t know. I’m intrigued by him…and I don’t know why” the boy said softly, taking a sip from his own bottle and coughing lightly. “Stop giving me vodka at 10 am…” he glared at her and handed her back the bottle. She just grinned and shrugged.

“Loosen up. Anyway, orders came back from Luna. They are on your desk. And it looks like you may need to pull your little alien play toy back. I think its time for the shuttle to leave and the boy isn’t letting the ship launch” she said quietly, smiling and saluting. She turned and walked out, the swish of the metallic doors. Cyric rolled his eyes and moved off, coming to stand next to Torii.

The Garnetier stiffened as he felt that damned child’s haunting presence. Sneaky. That’s the only word he could think to describe the boy standing next to him: that and short. Torii smirked lightly, steel eyes glinting light as he turned towards his captor. He stopped short when he saw narrowed violet eyes.

“Make a height comment and you’ll regret it” the red haired boy growled out. “Now come along. The shuttle can’t leave until we do.” He turned on his heel and walked towards the nearest door. The Garnetier looked oddly over at him before following a few steps behind the red head. When the door shut and a lock clicked, Torii turned and looked for the nearest window.

Torii’s eyes shone with the fear he really felt. He gripped the wall tightly, watching as the ship launched, slowly drawing the person that he’d known his entire life away. He stiffened when a hand wrapped around his bicep.

“He’s in good hands. I sent word ahead to my command staff” the Reclaimer said quietly. His voice was unusually soft, his eyes unusually unfocused. “The pilot is the best known security flyer I have…and something tells me Bradley won’t let anything hurt the boy…” The red head shrugged and turned, leaving Torii standing looking out the window. The Garnetier blinked and his eyes narrowed before he turned to follow after the smaller boy.

“How can you be sure he’ll watch over him?” the alien demanded. He scowled. “Just because there was sex and those little acts of affection does not mean a thing” he barked out, glaring slightly.

“You definitely don’t know humans…” the redhead purred. He chuckled. “My job is observing humans. I observe their synapses, I observe their actions, I observe their bodies, I observe their brain waves, breathing, pulse, and blood pressure. All with the blink of an eye. When I say that he will protect the boy” he paused and turned around, glaring lightly, “he will.” He shook his head and laughed. “Because Colonel Bradley Severson is a human, albeit an exceptional one, he can be expected to act and respond to certain stimuli…just like you…as a male…” the boy grinned darkly and let his eyes trail along Torii’s body “can be expected to respond to certain…stimuli.” He touched the discrete watch he wore and smirked as Torii’s eyes went slightly unfocused for a moment.

“Beag tuili! Sibh críochnóidh mé amárach ni bris mise!” the Garnetier hissed out, his hands clenching into tight fists. Steel eyes glared into bored violet ones. The boy raised an eyebrow.

“I will learn that language…” the boy purred. “It has a rather pleasant affect on me…” The boy chuckled and tossed the alien a small bracelet. “I suggest you put that on. It’s a keycard that will give you free access to the ship’s doors and lifts.” The redhead smiled and motioned for the other man to follow. Torii cursed lightly and adjusted the pants he had been given. Things were quickly become very uncomfortable.

“Free access?” Torii asked quietly. “Am I not a prisoner?” The Garnetier stood quietly, looking down on his captor and giving a small twitch of surprise as the elevator started moving.

“Technically, yes” Cyric said, looking distractedly at his nails, “but technically, this ship doesn’t exist. At least not in this sector.” He smirked lightly. “We are a bit out of the jurisdiction of anyone but myself.” The boy shrugged. “I find you intriguing. I don’t exactly care for the brig area either. So this is for my benefit so when I want to pick your brain or push your buttons, I don’t have to go to that rather antiseptic place. Just feel lucky.” The elevator stopped and the Reclaimer stepped out. “Well come on” he said calmly, eyeing Torii without emotion again, “I need to show you how to get into your room.”

Torii shivered. That gaze was so like Moria’s. It was cold, dangerous, and oh so seductive. But it held the same hidden depths that the General’s did: a longing. The Garnetier quickly jumped through the doors as they began to close. He was in a short, brightly lit hallway that had no doors. “I’m living in a hall?” he asked angrily. Cyric eyed him like he had grown a third head.

“As appealing as that idea sounds right now…” the boy rolled his eyes and placed his hand on the wall on a small red cross. The wall hummed, and next to the red cross, the wall slid back to reveal an ornate wooden door. “Well, open the door” the boy said. Torii stepped forward and turned the handle slowly.

As the door opened, soft lamps and overhead lights illuminated a large room that was richly furnished. Soft black carpet covered the ground. Comfortable chairs and couches dotted the room along with several coffee tables. As Torii stepped slowly into the room, he looked around. Paintings, bookshelves, and several video screens dotted the walls. A few doorways further in the room hinted that the suite was larger. He blinked and turned around.

“All this is for me?” he asked quietly, obviously shocked. He ran a hand along the back of a chair and practically purred. “Min…” he whispered lightly, eyes softening and a smile crossing his face.

“Actually, this is all for me” the boy said bluntly, moving to the left and shutting the door. A flick of his wrist and the wall next to him opened, revealing a wall of shoes. Boots, sandals, dress shoes, and other forms of footwear were there. Two spots were open at the moment. “And please put your shoes in here” the redhead said as he stripped off his boots and placed them in the racks.

“This is your room? Then why am I here?” Torii asked, his eyes narrowing as he backed away from the smaller man. “Tá me níl straipach!” he yelled out. The Reclaimer just raised an eyebrow.

“The door on the left leads to your private room and wash room. The door in the middle is the kitchen and dining area, the right is my room. I figured you would much rather have a secluded room away from the crew and the brig. However…” the boy shrugged and walked across towards his room. “Whatever you want, I don’t really care right now. It’s been a long two days since I have had a decent night’s sleep and I don’t care to fight anymore.” The boy turned and bowed before the Garnetier. “Good day sir. Oh…and yes…” the boy smirked. “That chair is soft.”

Several hours later, Torii found himself sitting in the main room, a plate of food next to him. He had taken the time to find a set of recipes on the computer inside the kitchen and cooked something that looked near what his people ate. As it turned out, it was much better. He gave off a soft sight and snuggled closer into the warm clothes he had found in his room. Dark green pants and a black shirt. He was fiddling around with the controls on the table when the door behind him opened. He blinked and looked up.

A very disgruntled Cyric stumbled out. “Stop playing with those…its making the lights in my room go on and off…” he grumbled. “Which confuses me greatly…because these controls were set to…” he trailed off and sniffed. “Did you make chicken parmesan?” Violet eyes blinked and looked at the plate next to the Garnetier. A slow smile crossed the boy’s face as he leaned in and stole the fork from the alien and tasted a bite. “Not bad….a bit too much basil though…” the boy said.

“I…had never heard of some of the ingredients” Torii said quietly, squirming in his chair. The comfortable pants he was wearing were getting incredibly tight. He gulped lightly. It must be the collar. That had to be it. The loose fitting sleeping pants and lack of shirt on the red head currently tasting the food he had made, and liking it, were having absolutely no effect. “I um…I am sorry I woke you.” Cyric blinked and took another bite of the chicken.

“Concern? Really, nothing big. I can deal with a limited amount of sleep” the red head said flippantly. “And what’s with the stuttering?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and looking over Torii. “You usually have much more composure than this…” He leaned in closer and peered straight into the eyes of the Garnetier. “You look a little flushed…”

Torii licked his lips, eyeing the boy slinking closer. He gulped and pushed lightly against the redhead, trying to move him away. “I am fine. I am just feeling a bit…warm…” he gulped out. Cyric raised an eyebrow and pushed back.

“Just a bit warm?” he asked skeptically. He reached up to feel Torii’s forehead. He frowned and leaned down lifting up the longer black shirt to get at the boy’s stomach. His frown turned into a smirk as he looked down. “Warm huh? Your eyes say yes…but your body says something else…” he purred. Cyric stood up, backing away from the Garnetier. “I would suggest you loose those pants…they seem a bit restricting.”

Torii flushed and glowered. “I refuse” he hissed defiantly. He moved to stand, but was thrown back into the chair by a flying tackle from the smaller red head. The boy smirked and touched his watch again. Torii let out a loud gasp and arched his back. His eyes were unfocused and glazed over.

“And that’s hardly the halfway setting…” the redhead purred. He smirked and traced the pulse point on Torii’s neck. “And from what I can tell…you’ve been pining after Moria for so long that you’ve reserved yourself from any sexual contact…” He chuckled as Torii shivered underneath him. “And so responsive…especially for a life giver.” The gasp that came from the Garnetier was either from surprise or arousal. Either way, it really didn’t matter to Cyric. The redhead purred lightly. “Something tells me you must be aching...”

Torii gasped and arched his back, letting out a soft whimper. “Damn it…” he whispered, eye focusing on the dancing violet ones in front of him. “What do you want?” he hissed out, teeth clenched. He winced and closed one eye when the boy above him pressed his knee against the painful erection of the Garnetier. “Just tell me” he gasped out.

“Beg me” the boy replied simply. “Beg me to let you have release.” Cyric blinked in awe as Torii pushed him off and onto the floor and stood, glaring down.

“I don’t need you for that feeling!” the Garnetier hissed. He glared as the boy laughed.

“You think I’d be so foolish as to let my mode of control and torture be relieved by a simple wank? Hardly.” The redhead smirked and stood, sauntering closer to the taller male. “There is only two ways to achieve release…” the boy smirked and pressed his palm against the taller male’s groin, “…and both are inside me.” He licked lightly at the pulse point of the other man. “So tell me…what do you want?”

Torii was blushing scarlet. He turned away, eyes narrowed darkly as he ground his teeth. The heat in his body was becoming intense. It was slowly growing to a point that was nearing unbearable. But he knew what finding release meant. “I…can not! You have no idea what it means to my people!”

“I do. Permanent bonding. I believe the term is cuibhreach comrádaí.” Cyric said calmly. Torii’s eyes grew wide and he looked down at the Reclaimer. “I also know that given the problems Prince Moria has had with Hodorth and his company, and that with you being as close to said royal figure as you were, the only thing that awaits you on Garnet is death.” Violet eyes hardened. “I’ve seen enough of the death of people that are truly interesting. You won’t be counted among them.” Cyric growled and grabbed Torii by the back of his neck and pulled him down for a deep and bruising kiss.

Torii stood still, feeling the boy against him and giving in slightly. He groaned and pushed the boy away again. “Nil! Nil! Fanacht! WAIT!” the Garnetier cried out. The redhead growled and glared up. “What about Earth? Could I not go there? Would it not provide…um…tearmann? Protection?” Cyric frowned.

“If probes are your idea of protection” the boy groused lightly. He shook his head and cupped the face of the taller boy. “Like I said, I don’t want to deal with intriguing people’s deaths again. Is that clear?” He grabbed the collar around Torii’s neck and pulled him down. “As I said, you aren’t a regular prisoner. I don’t plan on leaving a person that can actually make me give a damn to the hyenas of the fucking galaxy.” He leaned in and crushed his lips to the Garnetier’s.

It was then that Torii stopped arguing. The hand pressed against his groin was slowly undoing his pants, sliding inside and stroking slowly at the erection inside. Torii practically buckled at the touch. The Garnetier moaned deeply into the kiss, reaching up to grip at the boy’s bare shoulders. The Reclaimer smirked and pulled away. “You’re overdressed…” the boy purred. He motioned towards the shirt and the half open pants. The Garnetier blushed and backed away, pulling the shirt over his head and dropping his pants with an embarrassed glare. He blinked in surprise when he was pushed back into the comfortable chair. He looked up to find a nude redhead straddling his lap.

A very nude, very natural redhead.

Torii blushed at the feeling of lips against lips and, more significantly, erections against erections. The Garnetier let out a low groan and bucked his hips lightly, pulling the other boy closer and deepening the kiss. Tongues fought as they struggled for dominance: the natural uke in Cyric vs. the inexperience in Torii. It was an even struggle, tongues and hands battling for supremacy when Torii finally won out by biting on the redhead’s lower lip.

Cyric gave a gasp and a cry into their joined mouths. Torii growled lightly, his animal instinct coming around and gathered the redhead closer, deepening the kiss. The Reclaimer whimpered lightly, running his nails across the shoulders of the taller man. Torii winced and smirked, his hand running down the squirming boy’s chest, slowly dipping past the navel and running slowly along the grinding erections.

“Nngh!” Cyric moaned out, the unintelligible sounds from the usually articulate child causing Torii to smirk and lean away from the kiss and over towards the boy’s neck to bite down gently. The redhead arched his back, hissing and mewling in pleasure. The Garnetier smiled lightly at the pliability of the usually aggressive boy. He slowly slid a finger down through red hair and down around the inner thighs to press against the boy’s opening. Cyric thrashed lightly and moaned.

“No…no fingers” he whispered, leaning down to kiss the startled Torii. The taller man tried to protest when his hand was removed and the redhead moved to press himself over Torii’s erection.

“Nil! Wait Cyric!” the Garnetier cried out, grabbing at the redhead’s chest.

“I know what I’m doing” the redhead whispered huskily, leaning back and impaling himself on Torii’s erection. He let loose a loud cry, a look of pleasure crossing his face. He panted deeply, gripping his hands tightly onto the shoulders of the taller man. He licked his lips before slowly rocking his hip.

Torii groaned and pulled the redhead closer and into a searing kiss. Their hips began to grind in a slow rhythm. Cyric groaned down, sucking on the Garnetier’s lower lip. He raked his nails slowly down the other man’s chest, catching a nipple in one hand and tweaking roughly. Torii growled into the kiss, thrusting his hips up as Cyric was coming down.

“Gods!” the redhead cried out, arching his back and crying out. With a growl, Torii thrusted upwards as he leaned forward, biting gently at one of the redhead’s nipple. One hand wound its way around the boy’s hips to grasp at the straining erection bouncing lightly in between the lovers. Cyric let out another gasp and cry at the touch, bucking his hips into the fist.

“Torii…please!” the human cried out, his back arched. Torii licked lightly at the boy’s neck, sucking along the pulse point to lap gently at the base of the neck. His hand stroked rapidly along the boy’s twitching erection as he thrust up into the quivering body. The boy’s cries were becoming more insistent. Each thrust caused him the moan or cry out. Each stroke caused his breath to come in pants. Cyric gave a high pitched keen, dug his nails into the side of Torii’s neck and into a shoulder and came all over their chests.

“Amhlaidh…teann…Dia!” Torii cried out, thrusting up into the redhead a final time before he two came. His thrusts slowed down, his stroking of the boy’s member relaxed. The two men sat there, breathing in each other’s sent.

“You can explain the ramifications of that later…” Cyric gasped out, breathing heavily and leaning his forehead against Torii’s. “But for right now…shower and bed…” The boy stood, pulling himself off of the Garnetier and wincing slightly. He shivered lightly at the feeling of something running down his leg. “Gods…far too long…” he whispered. He turned and offered his hand to Torii. “Well?”

“Tá me teacht. Tá me teacht” he said tiredly, standing and stretching before taking the smaller man’s hand and following him into his bedroom. The dark room was expansive, only the shapes of furniture visible in the dim glow of the glowing items scattered around the room. Torii blinked tiredly and shielded his eyes against the bright florescent lights of the bathroom.

“In” Cyric said, pushing the Garnetier into the large shower stall and turning on the water. The other man squawked loudly and glared at the cold streams of water. He sighed lightly as the streams turned warm. Another soft sigh escaped his lips when the redhead stepped inside and undid his braid. “Wash my back for me?” he asked quietly.

“Go deimhin” Torii said softly. They washed each Torii apologized immensely when he found blood between the redhead’s thighs. Cyric just smirked and licked the blood off of the taller man’s neck with ease. Soft touches and blissful silence perforated the air as they showered.

A quick dry later, Torii found himself lying on a soft bed in soft sheets. Comfortable pillows were piled around. He sighed lightly relaxing against the soft fabrics and gentle smells. He made a low noise as Cyric climbed in next to him. The boy melded himself to the side of the taller Garnetier, and Torii wrapped his arms around the boy, pulling him closer.

“Beautiful…” Cyric whispered. Torii blinked.

“What?” he asked softly, running a hand through Cyric’s long red hair.

“How do you say it? Beautiful?” the boy asked again, his voice soft with exhaustion.

“We don’t have a word for it…but…there is lonrach áilleacht” Torii whispered, nuzzling the soft hair with his cheek.

“Lonrach áilleacht…” the boy whispered back. “What does it mean?”

“Brilliant Beauty…” Torii whispered back.

“Then that’s what you are…my brilliant beauty…” the redhead whispered softly, snuggling against the taller man’s chest. Torii stroked his hair softly, listening and feeling the gentle easing of the boy’s breathing.

“Maith oiche mo lonrach áilleacht…” Torii whispered before letting himself fall asleep.

Chapter 2

Torii groaned, annoyed by the soft droning of voices that buzzed around his head. His eyes finally flickered open and he sat up, glaring vainly around in an attempt to locate the source of the noises. He stumbled out of bed and searched for something to wear. Kicking lightly at a pair of silk boxers, he groped around and pulled them on. Moderately clothed, at least to his groggy mind, he looked around to find the cause of the noise. Several doors were scattered around the room. One led to the bathroom, which he grunted at, a pair of sliding doors led to a large closet, he could see the clothes on the racks inside the portals. And yet another door was closed: a light shone underneath it. He moved forward and opened it.

“I mean, honestly, the situation within the Garnetier political sphere keeps getting rockier,” Dr. Sarah Robani said, glaring at the wall of view screens hovering above the table in the kitchen. She was plucking angrily at a bowl of cherries, ripping the stems out and throwing some into a blender, some into her mouth. “Their king and high general are practically separated, there is a resurgent military sect, and we just captured their crown prince. The entire system is fucked,” she groused lightly. A twinkling laugh came from next to the blonde medic.

“Honestly, I don’t think so,” the young woman said. Green-haired and even- tempered, Kristen Saladoria was the ship’s cultural liaison officer. She shrugged and went back to coring and peeling and slicing apples. “What Cy and I have seen while planet side is a connection between bond mates that is practically impossible to break.” She threw the sliced apples into the blender and sighed. “Of course… we don’t know just how serious such things are between two bond mates…”

“Which could be a problem for Casanova over there…” Sarah snickered out, shooting a glance over towards Cyric. The boy didn’t seem to notice her. So she shrugged and went back to talking with Kristen.

What Cyric did notice was the reflection of a startled and disheveled Torii standing in the doorway. The boy frowned, watching as the Garnetier’s eyes opened to an unbelievable width before he shut the door quietly. With a soft sigh, the human put down the spatula and skillet and turned around.

“Don’t let the crepes burn, Kristen,” he grumbled before turning around. He slid through the kitchen and back into his room. A flick of a switch and the room was bathed in light, revealing black carpet, black sheets, and a wide-eyed Torii.

The alien had his face buried in his hands. “What have I done…” he groaned as if in agony. Confusion darted behind Cyric’s usually unemotional eyes. He stepped closer and touched Torii’s shoulder lightly. Violet eyes narrowed as the man pulled away.

“Stay away from me!” Torii hissed. “I don’t need you causing this collar to cause me to do something else stupid!”

“Did you ever try taking it off?” The redhead glared at the Garnetier. “It was never a restraint, you idiot.” He rolled his eyes as he saw Torii reach up and find the clasp. The boy ducked as the metal collar flew at his head.

“You used me,” Torii jeered back. “You used that damn collar to force me into bonding to you!” Suddenly, he stormed forward and punched the boy hard in the jaw. Cyric didn’t step back as his head snapped to one side. The boy simply stood there, staring blankly over at the bed. Torii growled in frustration, hardly even registering that he had hit the human. The Garnetier paced angrily, practically glowing with his indignation. “How many others have you forced into submission with your rank?”

“Don’t you dare.” Cyric said quietly, turning his head slowly back to look at Torii. Steel eyes rose only to be met with violet maelstroms of fury. “I have never coerced my subordinates into anything of the sort. I take my position seriously. Your presumptions to assume to understand me are pathetic.” The Reclaimer pushed past the shocked man, disappearing into his closet and retrieving a gym bag. “Maybe ask my coerced ‘friends’ what I’m like,” the boy added hatefully before stalking from the room.

Torii shuddered as the bedroom door slammed shut. He turned and looked at the simple wooden frame and twitched again when the door beyond that slammed shut. He shivered and searched for the clothes he had worn last night. Seeing neither the shirt nor the pants, he cursed before seeing a pile of neatly folded and clean clothes in a chair. He dressed quickly and then stood there in uncertainty.

“Are you hungry?” came a soft feminine voice. The Garnetier turned around to see Kristen standing in the doorway, a gentle smile on her face. “We have some breakfast if you would care for some…” She trialed off in discomfort before disappearing back into the kitchen. Torii followed and looked into the room cautiously. Only the young woman Cyric had called Kristen was in there. He smiled bashfully.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked softly. Kristen smiled and shook her head. She loaded up a plate with fresh fruit pâté and several crepes and placed it before Torii.

“We were almost finished when Cyric left,” she said calmly, leaning against the counter with a mug of coffee. She played with the rim of the mug quietly, working her lower lip with her teeth.

“Is something the matter?” Torii asked. He smiled as Kristen blushed scarlet and stammered.

“I…no. Not really…” She looked down and shuffled her foot lightly. “It’s just that I heard you and Cyric arguing and I wondered why. I am the ship’s ambassador of sorts.” She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “I just was confused about the fight. It had something to do with the bonding, didn’t it?”

“It did…” Torii said quietly, pushing his food away. “When my people bond, it is for life and death. Very rarely are the widowers of bond mates allowed to re-bond. It is a symbol of undying affection, of undying loyalty, and a decision that takes much thought, much deliberation, and even approval from my people’s Parliament if royalty is involved.” The Garnetier looked down and scowled slightly. “But last night was not about deliberation. It was impulse. It had no forethought…” He slammed his fist down on the counter crossly.

“But don’t the reasons behind the bonding matter?” Kristen asked, pouring a glass of coffee for the Garnetier. Torii blinked up and cocked his head confusedly. “What I mean is that shouldn’t Cyric’s reasons behind the spur of the moment bonding be taken into account?”

“What reasons could he possibly have?” Torii asked, his lips set in a thin frown.

“The only reason Moria was sent to Earth and not kept here was because he had bonded with Colonel Severson,” Kristen said bluntly. Torii’s eyes grew wide. “We saw the piercing during the medical examination, and Colonel Severson has a nasty habit of talking in his sleep…” The young woman giggled lightly and took a sip of her coffee. “If Moria had been sent to Earth without having been bonded, I think our superiors would have been less than cooperative in keeping the young general away from the experiment labs and off of the autopsy table.” She sighed as Torii paled drastically. “Draconian science is so passé…”

“And why not send us home?” the Garnetier asked. He tensed lightly when Kristen raised an eyebrow.

“We are entirely aware of transmissions from General Moria to a man named Horgoth,” she said quietly. A defeated look crossed through Torii’s eyes. “Cyric was hardly in the mood to let two creatures that fascinate him die…” She shrugged and stirred her coffee idly. “So this suddenness is what is causing the problems?” The raised eyebrow still remained arched in question. “It’s something that usually happens with humans. The spontaneity is what makes it romantic.” Torii shook his head.

“To my people…it is reckless,” he whispered.

“Because it is so permanent.” She smiled sadly when she saw the Garnetier nodded slowly. “What do you intend to do about it?”

“Nothing. We may not have the piercing or the ceremony, but we are bond mates.” The man stood silently and returned her smile. “Thank you for talking with me. I think I should find Cyric…” He looked past her and into the great room and his already pale skin blanched even more.

“Rather imposing ship to get lost in,” joked Kristen lightly, taking the plate and dropping it and the coffee mug into the small sink where it was rinsed via an automated system and fed into the washing machine. The young woman smiled. “Cyric has a pattern. When he is upset, he hibernates in his rooms. When he is angry, he spars and trains. When he is confused, he finds his way down to the currant pools.” She shook her head and motioned him to follow. “Oh, and you need to wear this,” she said, scooping a package up and tossing it to the man.

Inside, Torii found a simple collar made of a shimmering violet metal. The Garnetier blushed as he pulled the thin jeweled item out and fastened it around his neck. “I hate being treated as an animal…” he whispered.

“It’s just a security measure. Cyric doesn’t like it either, but it is policy to keep prisoners on ship.” She pointed to the clasp of the collar. “It’s a neural stunner. Don’t leave the ship unless Cyric is with you, or you’ll be numb for hours…” She sighed and shook her head, obviously annoyed. “Anyway, you have the bracelet code for the elevators and common doors. To get in here, place your hand on the cross. That’s all ya need!” She smiled and waved, opening the door to the sparse hallway. “My room is on the officer’s hall and my study is on the command deck. Just get me if you need anything.” She smiled and disappeared into the hallway, leaving Torii alone with his thoughts.

Meanwhile, down in the medical section of the ship, Dr. Sarah Robani leaned against the control panel overlooking one of the enclosed current pools. The ten foot long, 3 foot wide, and 4 foot deep pool had a variable current setting that allowed the occupant to swim headlong into the current and receive the same exercise as doing laps in a pool on Earth. The blonde doctor frowned.

“Christ…something is really bothering him…” Her ice blue eyes scanned the computer screen. Heart rate, brain wave patterns, stress, and blood pressure were all flashing across the electronic system. She frowned and sighed deeply. “Can’t you talk with him, love?”

Alexander Robani was the ship’s chief science officer, and he was currently standing in the doorway behind his wife. An engineer and technician by trade, he had expanded into the field of technological diagnosis. He and Sarah had met in the TUA support staff officer academy. After the medical doctor got over her original ire towards the technocrat, they had fallen rather rapidly for each other. The young man adjusted his glasses and walked forward, a small smile on his lips. “I could never sneak up on you…” he said softly, moving to stand behind his wife, wrap his arms around her waist, and rest his chin on her shoulder. “How long this time?”

“Only about half an hour…but the sheer speed…” she pointed to a distance meter. One of Alexander’s eyebrows arched, but he chose to remain quiet. “I really don’t get what set him off…”

“Probably a lover’s spat,” the man mused evenly, eyeing the medical information. “This is all within his acceptable range, correct?”

“From what Dr. Sims gave me, I think so…” Sarah shook her head and let out a frustrated growl. “This is bioengineering that I don’t understand!” She cursed and flailed lightly. “I don’t know what to do!”

“Let me talk with him,” Alexander said thoughtfully. He kissed the blonde on the cheek and walked down the flight of stairs over to the pool. Brown eyes blinked kindly down. “Now let me see…” The young man looked around, smiled, and stepped on the emergency currant shut off. The moving water stopped and Cyric sailed forward. The boy let loose a strangled yep as he was propelled forward. He surfaced and glared at the grinning young man.

“What the hell was that for?!” he yelled, red hair dripping and falling across his face. He growled and threw a handful of water towards the brunette. The scientist just laughed.

“You look like you need to talk,” he said simply. The redhead shook his head.

“I really don’t know what I would say…” the Reclaimer whispered. He floated in the pool, eyes staring up blankly. “I really don’t know what my expectations were…but this certainly wasn’t it…”

“You’ve had one night stands before.” Alexander bent down to poke at the boy’s foot. He smirked as Cyric twitched and glared up at him. “So you had a good lay. What exactly is the problem here?”

“To them, sex is bonding. Something that is permanent.” Cyric let out an irritated sigh and glared at the ceiling. “Hell, I don’t even know if sex is allowed before bonding. Which if that’s the case, we could have a serious problem on our hands…”

“You are the virile little submissive queen, aren’t you?” Alexander asked playfully. He laughed and jumped back from the water. “Calm down! And go back to swimming!” He kicked the currant release and laughed as Cyric spluttered and was pushed against the far wall of the pool. He pushed a button and unfolded a chair from the wall and took a seat. “I can wait until you’re ready to talk,” he smugly added. A muffled curse only caused him to smile more.

Torii was standing awkwardly at the back of the elevator. He shuffled as different people stepped on and off. Some eyed him curiously. Some eyed him with apprehension. A majority of them simply smiled, nodded to the nervous Garnetier, and went back to waiting for the automated voice to signal the arrival at their floor.

When the voice said “Medical Floor” and the metallic ping was heard, Torii moved through the opening doors to step into a brightly lit atrium. The Garnetier glowered at the map and the names listed next to them. The words shifted between English, Japanese, and French: none of which he understood. He looked around and down the five hallways.

“Fánach cinniúint.” He looked around cautiously before closing his eyes and spinning on his heel. After three revolutions, he raised an arm and pointed with a finger. After another spin, he stopped abruptly when his finger hit something. He opened his eyes to find himself poking Dr. Sarah Robani in the nose.

“Can I help you?” she asked with an aggravated lilt to her voice.

“Cac! Tá me amhlaidh buartha!” he blurted out. He blushed and cursed under his breath. “I’m sorry for that. I was looking for Cyric and Kristen said he may come down here for some kind of currant pool and I can’t read and…” the Garnetier stopped abruptly and blushed again. “I am afraid I am nervous at not having him around to explain things.”

“It’s fine. This way. The little brat is down here exhausting himself,” Sarah said scathingly. She turned and stalked off down the corridor. Torii blinked before quickly dashing forward to catch up with her. “Look, he’s going through some weird biological and mental shifts right now and I can’t figure out why. So whatever you two fumed about earlier, leave it alone for a bit, ok?”

“You care for him,” the man said dejectedly. He stared at the ground as he followed her, not watching as the blonde woman shook her head.

“Don’t sound depressed!” she snapped, blue eyes flashing. “He is my most frequent patient down here. Unstable physiology and a penchant for dangerous missions make him a regular down here.” She snarled and pointed down a hall that was behind a blue door. “He’s in pool number 5. It’s the third door on the left. If you don’t see him, look for the brunette with glasses sitting next to the pool. That’s my husband. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my culture reports.” She turned and left in a flutter of her white coat and muttered curses.

“Go raibh maith agat!” Torii yelled out. The doctor just waved over her head as she walked off. The man blinked in puzzlement. “Ar buile cineál,” he muttered before turning to look into the room. He saw Cyric splashing at the doctor’s spouse. Instead of catching his attention, the Garnetier stood and watched. The boy seemed so much more relaxed than usual. He was smiling slightly. But even then, he looked reserved. His face was happy, but his eyes were blank. Torii examined him, captivated by the redhead’s movements in the water. He had personally never been comfortable near the water. The fact that radiation and toxins were amplified by the liquid had always been slightly nervous for him. But the redhead was mesmerizing in the water. He was shimmering as he moved with lethal strokes. He was so distracted that he didn’t notice the presence next to him.

“An amazing brat that he is,” Alexander said quietly and caused Torii to jump with a startled yelp. “My, my, you are a jumpy one…” The brunette grinned and turned to leave, deftly opening a locker on his way out. “Why don’t you take him a towel? Try and bridge the fight,” the scientist said before walking down the hall, whistling to himself.

Torii blinked slowly, then grumbled, “Humans confuse me…”

He shook his head and grabbed the fluffy white towel from the locker. “Must be private…” he softly mumbled to himself before making his way slowly down the metal staircase to stand near the pool. He shuffled around, looking for anyway to get the strongly swimming boy’s attention, and inadvertently stepped on the same switch that Alexander had earlier. He watched in confusion as Cyric sailed forward and splashed into the wall. The redhead let out another, more aggravated growl and flung water out at the offender.

“Damn it, Alex!” the boy yelled, flinging his head out of the water. His eyes widened as he realized who was standing there. “Oh god…I’m so sorry, Torii!” Cyric cried out. He clambered out of the pool and looked rather abashed. “I thought you were someone else…”

“It is ok,” Torii said laughing. He handed the boy the towel, a smile on his face. “It’s just good to see some emotion coming from you.” Cyric raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Ah…um…well,” Torii stammered and blushed. “I just noticed that sometimes…most of the time really…your eyes are blank…” He shivered and shrugged. “No emotion. It was just a relief to see you exuding some emotion: even if it was anger and embarrassment…” The Garnetier shuffled again bashfully. Cyric smiled slightly. a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

“So, you have been watching me?” he asked gently. Torii flushed crimson, but managed a smile through his awkwardness.

“A little,” the alien returned, watching as the boy pulled his long hair out of the tight braid. “I spoke with Kristen for a bit…” Cyric blinked and looked up at him, curiosity flickering through the blankness in his eyes. “She said we needed to talk…”

“Sounds like her.” He scrubbed vigorously at his hair with the towel. “Ugh…chlorine kills my hair…” he grumbled. He pouted slightly at the laughter coming from Torii. “Well, it does!” He threw the towel at the amused Garnetier and stalked over to a small changing room under the stairs.

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” the Garnetier quickly called after him. He looked towards the curtain, uncertainty marked in his posture. “Cyric?”

A pair of wet swimming shorts smacked into his face. Light laugher came from the grinning redhead standing in the changing room door.

“Archimedes. I mean, we are bondmates, right? Then you should know…” The boy walked forward and wrapped his arms around the taller man’s neck. “My first name is Archimedes…” he whispered before kissing the Garnetier’s lips softly. “And you’re one of the few people that knows it.”

Chapter 3

“I don’t like when things are this strained!” Cyric practically growled out, stalking around Captain Reynolds’s office. The Captain was smirking, here eyes dancing mischievously at the Reclaimer’s current state. She looked over to where Ashley London, her fiancée, stood laughing. “And the fact that you two heinous women think this is funny pisses me off further!”

“It’s only been three weeks since he got here Cyric! He’s adjusting! Let him!” Ashley cried out. She smiled and patted the smaller boy’s head lightly, grinning at the glare of disgust he aimed in her direction. “You know I’m right. Don’t glare at me like that.”

“Listen to Ashley. She puts up with me doesn’t she?” Kaytlin Reynolds asked with a smile. She rolled her eyes at the dark glare the boy shot her way.

“That is indeed a feat of extraordinary patience…or stupidity…” he scowled and looked between the two. “And I cannot tell which.” The women just smiled as the redhead stalked out of the room. Kaytlin laughed and leaned back in her chair. She smiled as Ashley walked over and gave her a gentle kiss.

“His mood swings are getting worse…” Ashley whispered quietly. Kaytlin nodded and sighed deeply. The two women remained in thoughtful silence as they stared towards the door. “I just hope this doesn’t start something no-one can control…”

“I think it already has” Kaytlin said with a smile. She pulled her fiancée down for another kiss. “I think it has started indeed.”

Cyric stood on the bridge of the White Lotus staring out at over the system. Garnet. The planet looked almost habitable from this distance. He looked across the amassed fleet of ships. Reclaimers 3, 7, and 9 had all been through at one point or another, dropping off information and the odd ship. His once small Shinobi flotilla of eight ships was now a bristling seventeen. The ships remained cloaked, staying out of sight and in the slipstream of space. He sighed deeply and leaned against tactical map lightly.

“Rough day Boss?” asked a concerned crewmember.

“Rough week” Cyric mumbled lightly. The crewmember grunted in acknowledgement before turning back to whatever mundane task they had been occupied with. The Reclaimer stood and stretched. “Keep an eye on Garnet. Orders are to maintain a record of every ship that leaves and to monitor for more influential personal to…acquire….” The crewmembers on the bridge frowned when Cyric spat the word out. They heard the disgust in his voice as he stalked off. The Reclaimer hated it when any one was treated like a biological commodity. After all, that was exactly what he was reminded almost daily that he was.

Project Reclaimer

Torii looked around the room he was sitting in a simple chair. He had been in Cyric’s rooms as he thought things over. He was healed, and had nearly three weeks to adjust to all that had happened to him. He let his thoughts turn to his mate. The redheaded boy was stunning. But Torii felt sadness in his heart, he had wanted children but now he wouldn’t have that chance.

He looked up when the door opened, and watched as Cyric entered the rooms, shedding his shoes by the door. He watched as the boy mulled about the room, watching broadband reports on a view screen from what appeared to be Earth and flipping through several books, seemingly complete oblivious to him being there. But he knew different. He knew that Cyric was very aware of where he was. He let his eyes track his mate’s movement as he waited for the prefect moment to strike.

Torii got up and drifted towards the Reclaimer trying to make it look as if he was heading into the kitchen. When Cyric glanced at him, he nodded slightly, a small smile ghosting across his lips, before he looked back to the book. But he kept the boy in his peripheral vision. When he drew next to the boy, and moved slightly past, he turned reaching out to grab the unexpected red head.

Cyric yelped slightly, his eyes wide as he was easily thrown over the Garnetier’s shoulder. He had let his guard down around the life giver, figuring that Torii was adjusting to the circumstances of living on a human starship and, more importantly, adjusting to him. He gritted his teeth as he was tossed onto the bed, watching with lidded eyes as Torii seemed to stalk him. It didn’t take Torii long to have them both stripped of clothing. Cyric didn’t put up a fight, and Torii didn’t care to be dressed any longer.

Stretching out beside his mate, Torii looked over the boy. He started at the top of the boy’s head, but reached out when Cyric went to touch him. Pulling the boy’s arms above his head, he held both of Cyric’s wrists with one hand. He turned his attention back to the boy’s hair. It was a gorgeous color. He reached out with one hand to let his finger trace the mark on the boy’s forehead.

“Comrádaí,” Torii whispered, his eyes found Cyric’s. “That is our word for mate. You are my cuibhreach comrádaí.”

“Comrádaí…” Cyric said slowly, rolling his tongue over the word as he watched the man over him. Torii reached up and laid a finger over Cyric’s lips, letting one draw over the bottom lip. He let his eyes drop to the boy’s mouth, memorizing the shape of Cyric’s mouth before he looked to the boy’s chin, his fingers following his eyes.

“Life givers court potential mates, to see if they are compatible. If they are found to be, then a request is sent to the parliament for a bonding certificate.” Torii explained. “They go through normally without a hitch, unless royalty is involved.”

Torii shifted to move his nose to Cyric’s neck. He inhaled his mate’s sent, closing his eyes and letting the smell of the boy wash through him.

“Keep your hands here,” Torii whispered as he let his eyes meet Cyric’s. He pulled his hand away slowly so he could shift again and let his other hand move to the boy’s chest. He could hardly believe the contrast of his pale skin against the darker pigment of his mate’s. “When they receive the document, a sagart comes to do the ceremony to bond them together.”

Torii reached out to let one figure trace around Cyric’s left nipple. “We have a special metal that luckily survived the bombing that is very strong but is malleable. One end is sharp, and the life giver uses it to pierce his mates left nipple, he then bends it to a circle where the ends fuse together. The life bearer does the same thing. A small reception follows before the newly bonded are allowed to leave.”

“I know what happens then,” Cyric replied with a grin.

“They mate.” Torii whispered as he leaned to lick around the boy’s nipple. He closed his eyes, to try to stomp down the sadness that rose every time he thought about children. He looked up when he pulled a moan from his mate. Cyric was watching him with passion filled eyes.

Torii pulled away slightly and looked over his mate. He leaned until he could bury his face in the juncture of Cyric’s leg where it met his body. Inhaling deeply he closed his eyes as again the boy’s scent went through him. Cyric almost smelled like a life bearer. The simple smell of the trees by the éabann Muir. (Ebony Sea)

“I’ve always wanted children,” Torii started, he leaned to lick Cyric’s cock when the boy went to speak. “But I guess I’ll have to be content with the idea of Crouch having children.”

“Cruach?” Cyric asked as he tried to keep track of the conversation.

“My brother.” Torii replied as he moved to spread the boy’s legs. He let his eyes scan the boy’s shapely legs, but his eyes stopped on the mark that marred the boy’s right thigh. “What is this?”

“It’s a biological…” Cyric groaned as Torii’s thumb brushed over it. “brand.”

Torii looked up, he watched Cyric as he let his thumb run over the mark again. A grin curved his lips as he bent to let his tongue run over the marked flesh. He had to reach up to hold the boy’s hips as Cyric bucked. He breathed deeply again as Cyric became more aroused.

Torii shifted until he was kneeling between the boy’s legs, he looked out over Cyric’s body. His cock ached with the need to be buried within his mate’s hot depths. But he needed to look, he needed to learn the boy’s body. It was a life giver need, to know all the all the secrets of his mate’s body.

“Torii?” Cyric started as he leaned up on his elbows.

“Although you are not a life bearer, you are my mate,” Torii said, he reached out to touch Cyric’s stomach. “and while I didn’t take your innocence, your body is now mine. No one is allowed to touch like I do. No one is allowed to couple with you. I need you to understand this.”

“I do…” Cyric replied, but found that Torii wasn’t done.

“I am very traditional, Archimedes, I will kill any person who touches you wrong.” Torii nearly growled out. It was something he saw early in the war. When Earthlings came to Garnet, they tended to couple with multiple people. It confused him how they could be so free with sex.

Torii leaned forward; he didn’t give Cyric the chance to reply, hooking one of the boy’s leg over his arm he slid forward. His body aligned perfectly with his mates, and with a tilt of his hips, he found himself buried deep. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He knew he would lose control; this was just still so new to him.

“Please…” Cyric whispered and that was all it took. Torii found he couldn’t keep his control and proceeded to pound the boy into the mattress. Every time Cyric would cry out, Torii would find himself craving more of that addicting sound. Torii reached between them, gripping Cyric’s cock to stroke it in time with his thrust.

Cyric cried out as he found his peak and spilled his seed between them. He managed to find the brain cells to watch as Torii found completion in him. He reached up to wrap his arms around Torii’s sweaty shoulders to pull the life giver against his chest.

“We really need to discuss things.” Torii replied as he let his weight rest against the boy. “there are so many things to learn about each other.” He felt soft fingers running through his hair softly. Cyric hummed lightly and contentedly.

“And we have forever to learn those things Torii” he whispered softly, stroking the man’s back slowly. The two relaxed into each other, letting the slowing breathing lull them to sleep. Cyric sighed deeply and snuggled closer, a soft smile creeping across his face.

Project Reclaimer

Several hours later, Torii blinked slowly into consciousness. He groaned lightly and blinked down. He smiled slowly, relaxing against the sleeping redhead and tracing slow patterns across the boy’s chest. Cyric grumbled and snuggled closer. The Garnetier laughed softly. The usually stoic boy lying underneath him was being expressive in his sleep: he was twitching his face and mumbling lightly.

Torii slowly crawled out of bed and disappeared into the bathroom. He hummed lightly, fiddling with the shower knobs until jets of water were the right temperature. He sighed deeply as he rinsed himself, feeling his muscles instinctively loosen. He was far more relaxed now, adjusting easily to the atmosphere of the ship and the atmosphere that surrounded his mate.

“He has a lot of people that care about him,” he mumbled thoughtfully. He clenched a fist gently, scraping his nails on his palm slowly. “Some maybe too much…” he mused. He was lost in his thoughts, scrubbing slowly with some rather pleasant smelling soap that he had selected from the large shelf in the shower.

As the Garnetier showered in his daze, Cyric was mumbling darkly at the loss of the warm body. Violet eyes slowly opened with a hint of annoyance: he missed his warm body. He pouted lightly and climbed out of the bed, making a small grimace of distaste at the sticky feeling left on his stomach. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stumbled into the bathroom, and stopped and stared.

In all his striking and dangerous beauty was Torii, framed by steam and scrubbing in slow circles across his chest. Cyric watched as the Garnetier cleaned himself, moving slowly and with purpose. Deadly arms moved with delicate grace. Cyric licked his lips lightly and moved slowly forward. Never before, had something so mundane as washing looked so appealing to Cyric. He silently slid open the shower door and slipped inside, inching closer to Torii and wrapping his arms around the taller man’s waist. A feral grin flashed across the redhead’s lips as he felt the muscles in Torii’s back tighten suddenly.

“Calm down Torii,” he whispered softly, placing a gently kiss inbetween his shoulder blades. “It’s just me.” He smiled wide as the former guard relaxed and calmed, going back to washing in slow circles.

“Ddamnaigh! Don’t do that comrádaí,” Torii whispered out, turning around in the boy’s arms and smiling down, planting a gentle kiss on Cyric’s lips. “If you can sneak past computerized sensors, what chance do I have?” He saw the devilish gleam in Cyric’s eyes and huffed, pinching the redhead’s rear lightly. He was awarded with a slight yelp and a glare from the smaller boy.

“It’s not my fault someone left me cold and sticky in our bed” the boy quipped back. He blinked slowly and mulled the words over again, a soft and vacant look flashing into his eyes. “Our bed…” he whispered again, leaning back against the shower wall, a confusing array of thoughts and emotions flashing briefly through his eyes. Torii leaned down and gently kissed the boy.

“Sibh nocht geitd” the Garnetier whispered, gently kissing along his cheekbone towards the boy’s ear. Torii mentally cursed himself, remembering that Cyric didn’t know his language. He nibbled lightly on the boy’s ear instead of restating his thought. Cyric let out a soft moan and pulled the taller man closer. “Don’t look so confused,” he whispered. The redhead nodded quietly and let himself be pulled further into the warm spray of water.

“You’re far too nice to me” Cyric quipped lightly, reaching over to grab a bottle of soap from the self. He grinned and started lathering Torii’s chest himself, making small scratches every once in a while that left the Garnetier growling slightly with a smirk on his face. “And being nice to me gets people hurt” he whispered, a small smirk and a teasing twinkle in his eyes. Torii laughed and leaned close to the boy.

“Getting hurt is half the fun. We can’t know what feels good unless we know what feels awful” he whispered, gray eyes locking with violet. Torii smirked and pulled the boy flush, their hips pressing together in a wonderfully sinful feeling. Cyric moaned low in his throat and reached up to kiss his mate.

A loud buzz from the bedroom stopped the kiss. Violet eyes flashed dangerously. He cursed vehemently in French, slowly pulling away from Torii and rinsing himself rapidly. “I’m sorry Torii…that means they need me.” He was glaring harshly at the wall as he quickly washed his hair and his chest. He blinks and turned around when Torii began to wash his back.

“Calm down…you’ve worked yourself into a lather” the Garnetier said blankly. He laughed as Cyric snorted at the horrendous pun. “It’s ok. I know you have work to do.” He said quietly, gently rinsing the redhead’s long hair and ringing the last of the lather. He combed slowly through the hair as Cyric finished hastily rinsing off. He turned around and kissed him gently, shocking the Garnetier.

“Finish your shower,” Cyric said as he slipped out the door and grabbed a towel. He dashed off, leaving a small wet trail on the floor into the bedroom. He dressed rapidly and dashed out of the rooms, sliding into the elevator and bumping into Dr. Sarah Robani. The blonde raised an eyebrow.

“Shower in the afternoon…” she said lightly, eyeing the boy as he was wrapping his hair into a high ponytail reminiscent of ancient Chinese warriors. She laughed lightly and smirked. “You had sex.”

“Brilliant deduction woman” the boy quipped back, looking and glaring at the blonde woman. “Care to give me an exam to find out if it was mind blowing enough?” He smirked and stepped through the opening lift doors and stalked onto the bridge.

“What could possibly convince one of the best command teams in the entire Alliance that they need an assassin on the bridge,” Cyric barked out, a smirk firmly in place. The cheers and laughs of the bridge crew were strained. He narrowed his eyes and walked forward. “So explain to me what the hell I’m seeing Captain Richards” he said quietly, coming to stand next to the young woman.

“The beginning of something incredibly nasty” Kaytlin replied, eying the reports that flooded across the view screen attached to her command chair. She sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. “Power is consolidating in several locations,” she said lightly, pointing out several areas across the map. “Ever since the General left, things have been shifting. None of us can make it out….” She sighed deeply and shook her head. “Sarah, have you seen any medical movements?”

“Not that I can tell” the blonde said with a bored tone. “There have been no radiation spikes, no biological waves, no movements that would suggest a plague of any kind.” She looked over the shoulder of one of the sensor officers on the bridge. “None of the shields that we see around the city when the irradiated storms kick up either.”

“Something political then,” came a very stoic voice from the lift. Commander Evan Vierchi of the First Tactical Fighter Wing had just stepped onto the bridge. The young black haired, black-eyed man watched out of the large view ports on the bridge. His eyes narrowed. “Something is setting up. Quite clandestinely.” He shook his head lightly. “Sir, I would advise a Condition Yellow for the fleet.”

“Give the order Kaytlin” Cyric said quietly. His eyes darted across the tactical read outs and maps that were flashing at a faster pace across the screen before him. “Also, keep constant sweeps of the system. If a ship so much as moves out there, I want to know when, what, and where.” He watched as the crew’s work quickened to comply with the new orders. “Also, keep working on tapping their communications network and translating that language. Cross reference it with all languages: dead, alive, chaotic, idiotic, it does not matter!” He shook his head quietly and sighed deeply. “I want to know what is going on down there.”

Project Reclaimer

Torii stood over the pot, watching as the chicken slowly fried. He quickly flicked his eyes back to the computer screen and frowned. He poked at the chicken again and sighed. “This does not look right…” he grumbled lightly. The sound of the door to the rooms sliding open caught his attention. He looked out to see Cyric putting his shoes away in the main room. “You look amazingly stressed.” He chuckled when the redhead scowled at him.

“That doesn’t begin to cover it” the boy groused as he stepped into the kitchen and wrapped himself into the offered arms. He smiled when Torii kissed him lightly on the lips. “What are you cooking?” he asked curiously and looked into the frying pot.

“I remember you talking about sweet and sour chicken at one point and I wanted to try to make it for you,” the Garnetier whispered into the redhead’s ear. The boy grinned and turned the heat on burner up. He blinked and watched as the oil started to boil the way it looked on the computer screen. “I really should pay more attention.”

“Probably,” the boy said with a laugh as he reached around, pulling out a wok and different ingredients that he needed to be used to make a batch of fried rice and the actual sauce. “Generally, the things that are in bold are important Torii,” he said, starting to cook dinner. The Garnetier glare at him and huffed lightly.

“Well thank you for explaining that paradigm Reclaimer” he growled out, reaching over with a pair of tongs to look at the small crispy bits of poultry. “So why is this tasty? It looks to be quite unhealthy…” He raised an eyebrow and looked over at the redhead who was breaking tossing vegetables and rice and eggs together in the wok.

“Welcome to Earth cooking!” the boy cried out, a laugh quickly following his exclamation. Torii smiled and leaned down, kissing the boy gently. Cyric just smiled and tossed the rice one more time. “I’m hungry…can we eat now?” he asked petulantly, pouting cutely up at the Garnetier.

“How can I refuse such an adorable request?” Torii replied. He laughed and finished pulling the last of the chicken out of the pot of oil and set it to drain. He wrapped the boy up in his arms again, kissing him deeply. Cyric moaned lightly into the kiss, pressing back against his mate lovingly. Unlike the past three weeks, there would be no argument before bed that night, and they would sleep curled together in the same bed.

Chapter 4

After two months of anything, people tend to get bored. For the crew of the White Lotus, this was hardly the case. The near constant demands of the surveillance operation over Garnet required the crew to constantly be shuffling responsibilities to cover for each other.

For Counselor Kristen Saladoria, the days were spent observing data recorded from covert and overt probes launched to Garnet. It was a brilliant way to begin to understand the complex caste system that surrounded the Garnetier population. She was beginning to gain some insight, not just from her probes, but also from Torii and Cyric. The young couple had proved a most interesting mesh of cultures. She smiled and sighed, stretching behind her desk and chuckling softly to herself.

“Things are surprisingly normal for orbiting an enemy world” she mused lightly.

Project Reclaimer

Réalta looked over the reports that he had from Creideamh city. He knew that the reports were late, and he was determined to get to the bottom of why they were late. There was also the fact that it had been two months since his last report and the ones from Salmoria City had never arrived. He dug through and finally came up with what he had been looking for. The last report his son has submitted from the Salmoria base.

He read over the report, his eyes widened as he realized what it said. It would seem that Moria that come to the end of his ability with the Earthlings. It had been planned two months ago to hang the Earthlings and return to Creideamh City. Réalta leaned back bringing one hand to his eyes to rub them. If his son was dead, he would know. He knew that Hoginus wouldn’t kill Moria without contacting him.

“Réalta?” Silín said as the young woman stepped into the office.

“Yes Silín?” Réalta replied as he looked up.

“I have found what you asked for.” She said.

“Thank you.” Réalta reached out to take what she was holding. He loaded the disk into his ríomhaire and worked on reading what had been found. His mouth turned down as he found what he wanted. It would seem that Hoginus hadn’t heard from Moria in two months.

He clinched his teeth, he knew that he couldn’t contact Hoginus at that moment he was just too angry. While he wasn’t particularly fond of Earthlings, he didn’t want any lives to be forfeited. That was what bugged him so much about this fucking war.

Réalta took a deep breath before he moved to contact his mate. Hoginus answered the call immediately because the man knew it was his mate calling. The two stared at each other for several long minutes before Réalta finally spoke. “You look stressed, mo cheannsa.”

“It had been a long week.” Hoginus replied as his eyes scanned his mate’s face.

“Where is our son?” Réalta asked as he leaned back in his chair. He watched as Hoginus looked away, and then the man glanced back at him. “Hoginus?”

“He’s on a special assignment.” Hoginus finally answered, but he wouldn’t meet his mate’s eye.

“Well then, try again mo cheannsa, maybe the next lie I’ll believe.” Réalta grinned. He waited for several minutes, he eyes pinned to his mate. “Where is our son?”

“I don’t know.” Hoginus finally admitted.

“You don’t know,” Réalta tried to hold his temper. But pain settled in his stomach as he realized that they didn’t know where his son was. “you’ve lost track of my baby?”

“I’m sure he’s held up somewhere safe, he was told not get come back until he got the disk. That is what his main objective was.” Hoginus hissed as he glared at the man. “While you’ve been in your safe little bubble, I’ve been trying to keep these Earthlings from taking over our planet.”

“I was under the understanding that these Earthlings don’t want our planet, what they want is to have us pull our warriors out of Sigmund four.” Réalta asked as he shifted to punch a code into his ríomhaire.

“Give them an inch, they’ll take it all.” Hoginus shook his head.

“Is Moria dead, Hoginus?” Réalta asked, but he didn’t glance back up.

“No, you have my word, peata, that our son still breaths.” Hoginus replied. He saw his mate look at him, and couldn’t read what was in the man’s eyes.

“Then I expect you are looking for him?” Réalta asked he glanced over waiting for Hoginus to nod his head. “then I’ll let you get back to it.”

“Réalta…” Hoginus started but Réalta hit the disconnect button. He stared at the blank screen he tried to keep all the horrible thoughts of his son’s death out of his head. He believed his mate Hoginus wouldn’t lie about something like this. He looked up when his assistant stepped through the door.

“What?” Réalta barked his eyes glared at the man.

“We have the latest tests back, they’re not good.” The man replied as he moved forward to set the disk down. Réalta leaned forward to pick up the disk before he loaded it into his ríomhaire. A few minutes later his face was pale, and a tear slipped from his eyes.

“Are you sure?” Réalta asked as he looked at the life giver. The man nodded, and Réalta felt a new pain in his heart. His assistant had an expecting life giver at home. And it would be a miracle if the child saw his fifth birthday. “I’m sorry.”

Réalta watched as the man nodded, and with a helpless shrug the man left the office. He leaned back and closed his eyes, he needed to figure something out. He pulled his emotions back under control and went in search of someone who could help them.

Project Reclaimer

Réalta sighed and closed his eyes. The only solution lay with Earth, they would have to ask the planet to help them. Of course with his son missing, along with the Earthlings and disk, it was most likely that Earth already knew that Sigmund four had gone back on its word.

Turning back to his ríomhaire he started to type, bringing up all surveillance of the area surrounding his planet. He scanned the ships, watching each one to try and figure out what part they played. He also pulled up a log of all transmissions in the area, he knew that the ships out there were also monitoring them, which actually worked out to their advantage.

It took him a couple hours to match communications and scans with their ships. He found one ship that seemed to be the little hub of activity. He sat back tapping a fingertip on his desktop. The white ship, Réalta grinned as he read the name on the side, the White Lotus had better security then most of them.

He tapped his fingertip again, his eyes scanning the data that streamed across his screen. With a grin he reached out to type a command into his ríomhaire he let the program run. He let his eyes continue to scan, an actual true smile finding his face as the program beeped showing that it had made a connection to the White Lotus. He continued to tap his fingertip as he waited for his ‘call’ to be answered.

He saw the surprise look that crossed the girl’s face that popped up on his screen. “You’re not supposed to be on this channel.”

“I’d like to speak with whoever is in charge.” Réalta asked with a pleasant smile. He watched the girl scowl, and but kept his smile.

“How did you get this channel?” The girl asked. “It’s a private secured channel, one that you are not supposed to be on.”

“Get me whoever is in charge, and do it now.” Réalta said his voice dropping.

“You can’t take that tone with me.” The girl said. Réalta sat up, his eyes narrowed at the girl.

“I’m going to give you a minute to get me whoever is in charge, or I’ll blow your fucking ship out of Garnet’s orbit.” Réalta hissed watching the color drain from the girl’s face.

“You can’t…” She started.

“Care to find out?” Réalta replied. “Your ship is in my orbit, I can and will blow it the fuck up if you don’t cooperate.”

“Okay.” She said as she shifted slightly. She hit the intercom, and when she heard her captain’s voice she sighed. “There is a man on a secured channel, he looks to be from Garnet and wishes to speak with you.”

“Who is he?” Kaytlin asked.

“I don’t know, but he threatened to blow up our ship.” She said softly.

“Alright, give me five minutes and then transfer him to the man conference room.” Kaytlin said pushing a button. The girl went back to the man on screen.

“She’ll be with you in five minutes.” She said softly. Réalta nodded as he leaned back into his chair again. He hoped that he wasn’t wasting his time this. But he needed to get the ball rolling if he was going to save his planet. It was actually less the five minutes later when he was transferred. His screen opened to a room, and he let his eyes scan the people, only to come to a stop on Torii.

“An áit tá mo mac?” Réalta hissed out to the guard. He raised an eyebrow when Torii didn’t answer right away, and let his eyes narrow again. “TORII!”

“Talamh.” Torii finally answered.

“Excuse me,” Kaytlin said. “I’m Captain Kaytlin Richards.”

“You are in charge?” Réalta asked as he broke eye contact with Torii.

“Of the White Lotus and the surrounding fleet,yes.” She answered.

“Can you help me with establishing some sort of treaty to have Earth to help us?” Réalta asked. He saw the captain was about to answer when the woman was interrupted by another.

"What exactly qualifies your brilliantly glowing planet for a treaty?" The woman demanded. "And isn’t the planet run by someone other than you? Like someone important?"

Réalta watched the woman. He would have been amused if the situation hadn’t been so dire. He turned his attention back to the captain. “Why exactly is your ship in Garnet orbit? From the data I’ve gathered you don’t seem to be here to support the military.”

"We are worse than the military sir. We don't follow their laws." Cyric said blankly, eyes narrowed.

“Really now, then maybe I’ll go forward with my threat, if you can’t help me, and blow your fucking ship out of orbit for the fun of it.” Réalta mused watching the way Torii kept his hands on the redhead.

"If the White Lotus is gone, what happens to the reason you called?" Kaytlin replied. The Captain folded her hands on the table. She smiled neutrally.

“And if I am gone, then the fleet that replaces mine will be far greater." Cyric said darkly.

Réalta raised an eyebrow at the boy. “And what makes you think I wouldn’t rather deal with someone far greater then you?”

“Mo Rí…” Torii started, but trailed off at the look Réalta gave him. Cyric raised an eyebrow and looked up sharply at Torii, a confused look flashing through his eyes briefly before he turned back to the view screen.

"Because that brat has a direct line to Earth and her nuclear arsenal" Sarah quipped, filing her nails with a bored air. "I'm sure the war hawks on the council would love to further irradiate the wonderful ball down there." She blinked when a ball of paper hit her in the head. "What? It's true!"

"Just because something is true doesn't mean it needs to be said" Kristen said quietly, her eyes staring disapprovingly at the blonde. "I'm sure this can be solved peacefully and with a level head."

Sarah snorted and muttered something about naive people.

“Go ahead. Call Earth and let them ‘irradiate’ this ball, it will save Garnet five years worth of pain.” Réalta stated his eyes meeting the people around the room. “And what makes you think that we won’t launch a counter attack? You must realize that nuclear weapons don’t scare me.”

“Five years?!" Sarah cried out, leaning forward, the sarcasm leaving her voice instantly. "All the recent biological and radiological cultures we've run put you at having a biological decay rate far slower than that. Unless you're working with a rampant DNA strain that increases the rate of radiation contamination." The doctor frowned and narrowed her eyes. "The neo-estrogen strain found in your...what's the word...life bearers? That could be what is causing the increased contamination." She started scribbling on a piece of paper.

Sir," Captain Richards started, breaking the tension in the room with her commanding voice, "before my senior Medical officer has a coronary...or a mental breakdown...would you mind telling the assembled people here…"

“Just who the fuck are you?" Cyric barked out, his mood for tact completely gone.

“Why don’t you ask Torii who I am, maybe he’ll give you a Garnet caste lesson and tell you know how high up on the ladder I am?” Réalta replied glaring at the boy. This was not going the way he had wanted it to, and now this woman thinking that his life bearers were the cause.

Cyric turned around and looked up at Torii, questions dashing across his eyes. “Who is he?"

“He is the highest ranked person on Garnet,” Torii whispered out. “He is king Réalta of Hodorth City.”

“So that’s what the ‘my’ meant…” Cyric grumbled under his voice. He glowered lightly up at Torii.

“Well SHIT!" Kristen cried out. Sarah raised an eyebrow and looked at the normally reserved counselor with a smirk. “I'm sorry...it just seems we caused a bit of an intergalactic incident" the blushing counselor murmured.

“I apologize for the frankness of my crew Your Highness" Captain Richards quickly recovered. She smiled politely. "I do hope my brash science officer hasn't caused too many problems..."

“None, other than accusing my life bearers of causing increased contamination.” Réalta replied his eyes on the doctor. “My life bearers are some of the healthiest people on Garnet, but that’s not the point. The reason I contacted you is for your help to secure aid for my dying planet.”

“Yeah...sorry for that quip head boy" Sarah said, not looking up from the string of amino acids on the pieces of paper. "We know so little of your genealogy. Hence the Council’s necessities for that damned disk mission thingy. Whatever." She waved a hand flippantly and kept stringing out atoms and acid chains.

“And you are going to learn even less if you can not show some respect to me and my people.” Réalta hissed out glaring at the woman. Before he turned to Torii again. “Torii, Moria tá slán ar Talamh?”

"I'm afraid I do not have the authorization to approve any aid Sir" Captain Reynolds said slowly, eyeing Sarah like she had grown a third head. "I’m sure we could call an ambassador and figure out some..." She trailed off as Cyric stood up.

“I am, however, authorized to approve any and all aid and negotiations as per my standing orders to orbit Garnet. What do you need and I personally guarantee that it will be here before your next lunar cycle," the boy said with an air of command. He stood, eyes meeting Réalta’s through the view screens. “And what do you want with Earth?" Cyric cocked his head to one side and narrowed his eyes. "Did ya loose something?"

Réalta let a slow smile cross his lips. “You have my son’s guard, so I am going to assume that you sent Moria onto Earth, considering that they must think he’d make a wonderful barging chip.”

Cyric flashed a feral grin. "There was talk amongst the science minded of the high command that he be offered up for dissection." He paused and looked thoughtful. "However, my superior and I did not agree. You must understand that I have a little more say than the average officer Your Highness. Your son is safe. For the sole purpose of not letting him die."

“That’s a little barbaric, to dissect your fellow man?” Réalta shook his head. “Although having a life bearer, a Royal life bearer must make their greedy little hands sweat.”

Réalta let out a laugh. “Just think of what that would cause, when Garnet found out that your people dissected the crown prince of Garnet; I know I’d be leading the attack on that one.”

“This is why their greedy little hands are nowhere near your son. My Garnet is a little on the underdeveloped side or I would have made the connection sooner, apologies. There were also..." he glanced at Torii who gulped and nodded lightly, "circumstances with General Moria that stipulated his added protection by the Department of Reclaimers."

“Do forgive the Draconian among our scientists" Sarah scowled lightly. "I'll gladly help you kill them. They are truly pathetic for resorting to such measures." She scowled and looked down at her paper, hands clenched.

“As long as they understand that if any Garnetier harmed in the name of ‘their science’ I will slit their throats personally.” Réalta said his eyes going to Torii again. “I take it Torii is safe with you?”

“Because he is here. Had he gone back to Earth...I cannot be certain." His eyes hardened and fists tightened. "I assure you sir, he has been treated fairly and justly."

“Ya know, for being a short know it all, I like him" Sarah interrupted, taking off her glasses and eyeing the view screen. "He wants to kill Dr. Blithe as much as I do."

Réalta grunted ignoring the woman. “I will deal with those that have Moria. My son will not be used as anyone’s pawn. Now back to business, I would like to find out exactly what you can do to help us? We are running out of time, and we are exhausting all our scientific resources for this.”

Cyric snapped his fingers and watched as several holoscreens appeared. "Normally I would call in my brother, Reclaimer 5 to research this. However, he is dealing with a plague on Janus 7." He frowned and flicked off one screen and scrolled through another. "The closest we have is the Union Service Ship Hipocrities. It is a medical research ship the size of a colony." He stopped and looked at Réalta. "Would something of that caliber be helpful?"

“As long as it can start helping to combat the radiation that is plaguing my planet it will be a start.” Réalta stated. “My people are dying of radiation poisoning, for some reason in three hundred years the levels have barely dropped, I need to find out why.”

“The Hipocrities is the best chance you have until Reclaimer Regent Luken is free," Sarah said. She nodded lightly. "My guess would be that the nuclear radiation affected some kind of metallic alloy we don't have on earth. It could have sparked a chemical or atomic change that started a slow radioactive decay." She shrugged. "I'm a doctor, not a geologist...just call in the Hipocrities and the Heaven's Fleet." She looked bored again.

“I cannot just call in Heaven's Fleet. There are certain regulations that even I cannot circumvent." Cyric sighed deeply and turned towards Torii, sending him a cold smile. "You will have to cease military actions Lord Réalta. Against the Terran Unified Alliance of Earth and her allies. That is the first step to getting the medical fleet here."

“You make this happen, and consider it done.” Réalta replied.

“The Hipocrities is already in route Cyric" Captain Reynolds said with a smile. "She was rerouted here to deliver more field testing systems. I'm sure you can have the Grand Admiral reassign her." The Captain nodded to the King. "My lord, TUA ambassadors will probably wish to meet with you. Would this be acceptable to you?"

“Of course, but it would have to be on my terms,” Réalta replied as he leaned back in his chair. “You will not be allowed in Hodorth city, but I’m sure we can find a neutral place.”

“Um...pardon me your royal...ness" Kristen stumbled. She nervously looked up at the viewscreen. "But don't all Garnetier have a mate? I believe I also understood that the King was mated to someone important. I'm just curious...but do you have the ability to issue these commands solely?"

“I am mated to High General Hoginus and yes he is very important. He runs Garnet’s military. But I am king of Garnet. If he doesn’t like it, well then I’ll just have to make him see it my way,” Réalta replied. “Do not think that I don’t have a say in what happens to my planet, or that I don’t know what is going on.”

“I think that means he's going to take a dagger to someone..." Cyric murmured. "The ship should be arriving within the next day Your Highness. Is there anything else we can do for you?"

“No, that is all for now,” Réalta grinned. “Besides I have someone I need to visit, so I’ll say goodbye from here?”

“Of course sir. The next time you contact us, do ask directly for either Captain Reynolds or myself. I think your sensors should pick up the giant colony ship dropping out of subspace." He saluted the king. "I will inform my superiors of their new obligations. If they refuse..." he smirked. "We may be having similar conversations sometime this week."

“Very good, and thank you.” Réalta said as he leaned to hit a button. The screen in front of him went blank, and leaning back Réalta went over what he had to do.

Meanwhile, on the White Lotus, the conference room was cloaked in silence. Everyone sat staring at the blank view screen, mulling over the events that had just happened. Cyric was the first to act. He growled lightly and moved from where he stood, stalking towards the door.

“Kaytlin, contact me the moment the Hipocrities drops out of subspace. Keep monitoring the surface for signs of ships and biological movement. And Sarah,” he turned to the doctor and leveled upon her a devilish glare, “control your tongue next time. You may be the top radiation specialist on Earth but I will not have you jeopardizing this peace. Am I understood?”

“Crystal, Reclaimer” she said quietly, knowing better than to be her usual self when the Reclaimer was in this mood.

“Good” he stalked from the room. Torii followed quickly behind. He reached out to touch Cyric’s arm. The redhead jerked his arm away and glowered. “Don’t you dare. How could you let me look like such a fool to royalty?” he hissed, eyes cold and accusing. Torii glared back and was about to retort when Captain Reynolds appeared in the doorway and asked for the boy to help her with the report to Cdommand. The redhead turned around and glared at Torii, hissing as he stalked past.

“Don’t wait up.”

Chapter 5

Tired gray eyes flickered open. Torii rolled over and looked at the clock dial floating in florescent green above the nightstand. He groaned when the numbers flashed from Earth Standard Time to Garnetier Adjusted Hours, a system he had helped the technicians establish almost a month ago. It was hard to believe that until five weeks ago, he had been a maladjusted and quiet member of the ship. Now, it was hard not to imagine walking around the ship talking with someone or another. But now was not the time to dwell on such matters. It was roughly three in the morning on his home planet. And it was three in the morning here on the Lotus and the pillow next to him was cold.

“Sé rimah codails” the Garnetier muttered as he rolled out of bed. The Garnetier custom of sleeping nude was alive and strong in Torii. He stumbled slowly around the room, grabbing a pair of boxer shorts that Cyric had brought so the Garnetier wouldn’t stumble around nude while guests where in the rooms. He exited the bedroom and looked over towards the bookshelves that dominated the room’s walls. He glared at the door that was revealed: the large mural of the White Lotus has been slid behind the shelves.

Torii gently opened the door and leaned against the doorframe. There, practically swallowed by a large metal desk, was Cyric. He was glowering at the large view screens. Papers and small holograms were scattered across the desk. He cursed loudly and slammed a fist down upon the desk. His eyes were hard and his lips were in a very thin line.

“Feel like talking to me now Cyric?” the Garnetier asked softly. The redhead snapped his head over towards the door and glared. Torii sighed and walked forward. He reached over the desk and pressed a button. Every screen and hologram blinked off.

“Arrêtes-toi! I was doing work!” Cyric yelled out. He punched Torii’s arm twice before the Garnetier caught his wrist.

“And it was making you mad” Torii said quietly, leaning down and kissing the boy gently. Cyric bit the Garnetier’s lips roughly. A very primal growl tore from the taller man. He picked the boy up roughly and slammed him against the nearest wall. The boy groaned out and wrapped his legs around the other man’s waist. He bared his fangs and kissed the other man hungrily.

Torii kissed back, just as roughly. He slid a hand slowly up the boy’s shirt, raking his nails slowly across the redhead’s chest. The boy mewled hungrily and dug his nails into the Garnetier’s shoulders, leaving long, angry scratches across them. The blue haired man growled deeply, and hefted the boy over his shoulder.

“You just need to be taught who’s in charge,” he growled out. Cyric cursed at him heavily, scratching angrily at his back. A quick slap to his ass and the redhead yelped. He kept wiggling, trying to free himself from the stronger arms and clutches of the Garnetier.

“Let me DOWN!” the boy cried out. Torii grunted and threw the boy onto the bed. The redhead growled and whirled around, launching himself at the former guard. The Garnetier let out a loud grunt as he caught the boy and was forced back against the bedroom door. He groaned as Cyric assaulted his neck, kissing and sucking and biting as much of the exposed flesh as he could. The boy growled as Torii reversed the roles, slamming the boy against the door and assaulting his mouth. The boy groaned, wrapping one leg around Torii’s legs.

“Still feel like fighting?” Torii asked huskily, pressing his hips and barely clad erection against his mate. The boy groaned and pushed back, yanking his shirt over his head and throwing it into the darkened room. The Garnetier grinned and growled, pulling the boy off the wall and picking him up, moving them over to the bed.

“One track mind” the redhead purred, pulling the Garnetier down for a searing kiss. The two men arched into seeking, rough touches. Torii grabbed the boy’s wrists and looped them about his neck. His eyes met Cyric’s and a silent order was given. Violet eyes flashed with a bit of a challenge, and the boy’s nails raked across the back of Torii’s neck. Steel eyes glinted with interest and Torii leaned down, slowly kissing his way down the boy’s chest.

“Go deo” the Garnetier whispered softly, flicking his tongue across one of the boy’s nipples. Cyric moaned lowly, arching his back slowly. “It means forever searbh” he whispered, kissing a slow path down towards the redhead’s navel. Hands tightened in his hair as he slowly licked along taut abs made him chuckle. “For us…for life. Our mates…our Comrádaí…are our life.” The sound of a zipper slowly being pulled down and of fabric shifting reached Cyric’s ears. He shivered as he felt his pants and underwear pulled slowly off and thrown away. He gasped softly when Torii blew softly across the brand on his inner thigh.

“Cyric” Torii whispered, his eyes serious. Violet met steel and the boy settled down, watching the man that was once again staring down at him. “I cannot stress how important this is to understand.” He took one of Cyric’s hands and laced their fingers together. The Garnetier leaned down, resting his forehead against the boy’s. “When I say forever, I mean forever. Till one of us dies, the bond exists.” He searched the boy’s eyes, looking for any sign of confusion. “Archimedes…you must understand” he whispered again, leaning down to kiss the boy’s lips softly.

Cyric gently took the Garnetier’s lower lip in between his teeth and bit lightly, sucking along the teeth marks slowly. Steel eyes fluttered closed and Torii moaned deeply against the boy’s lips. The boy smiled lightly and pushed the taller man back. Their eyes met again and Cyric felt a slow blush coloring his cheeks. “I do understand Torii. I am yours.” He blushed a little deeper at the look of relief and happiness that flashed through the steel eyes above him. The boy smiled and wrapped his arms around the Garnetier’s neck. “Exert your claim,” he whispered huskily, leaning up to bite an earlobe, “make me yours.”

Torii growled and pressed a finger against the brand on Cyric’s thigh. The boy arched his back and cried out and let forth a mewl of delight. Torii groaned and pulled away, quickly stripping himself of his boxers and diving back down upon his mate, crushing their lips together and pressing their erections together. Both men groaned at the friction. With a growl, Cyric threw his weight up and to the side, rolling the two men over. The boy growled lightly and leaned down, kissing slowly along Torii’s collarbone. The Garnetier moaned out, reaching up to run a hand slowly through the red hair of the boy above him. He slowly pulled the braid out, watching through lidded eyes the movements of the boy.

Cyric licked his lips and slowly ran his tongue down the former guard’s chest, kissing his abs along the way. Torii let his eyes flutter closed, feeling the soft hair, scraping nails, and hot tongue working their way down his body. He groaned as the fingernails of the boy slowly ran past his hips, down his legs, then slowly up his inner things. The Garnetier twitched and squirmed as the ticklish hair and the scraping fingernails med around his hips. He growled out when he felt a soft and slow lick on the head of his cock.

“Leannán…” Torii murmured huskily. He slowly ran his hand through the boy’s hair, scratching slowly at his scalp. Cyric smirked and leaned down, taking the head of the Garniter’s cock in his mouth. He gave a quick suck that sent Torii arching off the bed. Cyric quickly set up a rhythm, bobbing up and down slowly, sucking every time he rose up. Torii groaned at each feeling, fisting his hands in the long red hair. He gave a loud groan. “Archimedes…” he moaned. Cyric rose off of the erection with a slight pop and eyed Torii quizzically. He yelped as Torii pounced forward, forcing the boy onto his back.

“Bâtard!” Cyric barked out, glaring up at the smirking Torii. The Garnetier leaned down and began sucking slowly on the boy’s pulse point. “You knew I’d re…respond to my f-first name!” he cried out, squirming and moaning at the suction on his neck. He started to talk again and only managed a moan. Torii smirked, tracing a hand slowly down the boy’s stomach. He ghosted his fingers slowly along the slight curve of the redhead’s cock. Cyric arched his back off of the bed, a mewl crossing his lips.

“Someone seems anxious” Torii murmured huskily. Cyric glared up at the Garnetier. A smirk flashed through steel eyes and a finger pressing against the redhead’s entrance changed the annoyed glare into one of pleasure. Violet eyes clouded over with lust and he arched off the bed again. He whimpered and Torii leaned down to capture his lips again. The Garnetier leaned back, pulling the smaller boy up with him. He shuddered lightly as the two sat pressing erections together. Cyric pressed closer, mewling loudly.

“Turn around searbh” the Garnetier whispered softly. Cyric turned around slowly, a slightly gleam of suspicion in his eyes. Torii chuckled and leaned backwards, grabbing a small vial from inside his nightstand. The clear gel was cold as he slicked his erection liberally. He then pulled Cyric back, setting the boy slowly on his lubed erection. The redhead moaned when he felt the pressure at his entrance. He looked over his shoulder and saw Torii nod slightly. The boy bit his bottom lip and slowly impaled himself on the Garnetier’s cock.

Both men were panting heavily when Cyric found himself sitting in Torii’s lap. The Garnetier moaned and wrapped his arms around the boy in front of him and rocked his hips upward slowly. The redhead groaned deeply and lifted himself up slowly, before sliding down again. The rhythm quickly increased as the two lost themselves in each other. Torii kissed the redhead’s neck, biting down on the marks he had mad earlier.

Both bodies moved rapidly. Cyric was letting out soft moans with each thrust. Torii’s hard breathing spurred them both on. The redhead tightened his nails in the Garnetier’s legs, his breath coming in quick gasps. The hand snaking around to quickly pump on his straining erection sent more shockwaves through the boy. With a gasp and a cry, he arched, his back pressing firmly against the broader chest of the man behind him.

Cyric rocked backwards, letting out another tight cry. Another thrust and Cyric was screaming his mate’s name, his seed spilling over his and Torii’s legs and hands. The redhead trembled, his head rolled back onto Torii’s shoulder and his eyes rolled closed. The spasms hit the Garnetier hard. With a loud cry partially buried in the boy’s neck, he thrusts a final time into Cyric before hitting his peak. He shook, eyes clenched tight as he rocked against the redheaded human.

The two men sat shaking, breathing heavily as the supported each other. Cyric’s violet eyes blinked open slowly. He gave a soft moan and shakily lifted himself off of the Garnetier. Torii mumbled something incoherent and pulled the boy back into his lap. Cyric let out a soft sigh and relaxed into the warm embrace of the older man.

“I should push your buttons more often,” Torii whispered, slowly stroking the boy’s long hair. Cyric snorted lightly and kissed the slight marks he had left on the Garnetier’s neck. The taller man chuckled lightly. “Comfortable searbh?” he asked softly.

“Brothallach” Cyric said slowly, working his lips around the word. He looked up at steel eyes questioningly. Torii smiled and nodded, chuckling at the smile of satisfaction that flashed through his eyes. “I want a bath,” he said confidently. Torii laughed and scooped the boy up.

“Go mo comrádaí ordús” Torii whispered as he walked into the bathroom.

Project Reclaimer

“You do not need to shut down on me Cyric,” Torii said softly. The two men were back in their bed. The nude bodies were tangled together as they talked. Torii was slowly braiding the long red hair of his mate. The boy frowned and didn’t turn around. “Come on searbh…shutting down on me will never solve anything,” he said softly, kissing the boy’s temple.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you after the meeting with your king,” Cyric said slightly abashed. He gave a soft purr of appreciation at the gentle pull of his hair. He leaned further into the touch, mewling appreciatively at the slow threading of his hair. “I don’t like entering a situation where I don’t know all the parameters.” He squirmed lightly, moving closer to the warm body behind him. “And you were the only one who know who it could be.” He ran a hand slowly across the other man’s leg idly.

“I have a great duty to my King” Torii whispered lightly, sucking on an earlobe and smiling when he felt the boy shudder against him. He blinked as Cyric moved out of his grasp and stretched out on the pillows.

“Don’t you have a duty to your mate as well?” the redhead asked. He gently pulled the Garnetier down. Torii found himself resting against the boy’s chest. He smiled slightly, feeling soft fingers running through his short hair. He kissed the boy’s chest lightly. Cyric laughed lightly and flicked his head. “Don’t dodge the questions love.”

“I…it’s complicated” he whispered lightly, tracing Garnetier letters in the boy’s chest. “As a guard, a Royal Guard, I am bound to obey him. And through I can never tell you a lie…”

“As long as I don’t ask, why should you tell?” Cyric quipped, flicking Torii’s head again. The Garnetier smiled sheepishly and leaned forward to kiss the redhead. “Hey, my world is about technicalities. I enjoy finding loopholes” the boy grinned, laughing as Torii rolled his eyes.

“Of course” the Garnetier said with a hidden smile. He snuggled closer to the redhead and closed his eyes slowly. “Go to sleep Archimedes” he whispered, pulled the blankets closer around them. He raised an eyebrow and, without looking, reached up and grabbed the tongue of the boy. “Put that away. You already used it enough tonight.” The boy grumbled and laced his fingers in Torii’s hair, slowly petting the former guard until they both fell into a comfortable sleep.

Project Reclaimer

Captain Reynolds growled and stood up, her eyes tinted with anger. It was three in the morning EST, and she had just gotten into bed with her lover. They had just started doing what loving couples do when the alarm started ringing: someone needed to talk to the Captain. Kaytlin cursed and flicked the switch.

“What the hell do you want!?” the sheet clad captain screamed out. The night bridge crew stood and gawked. Dr. Sarah Robani came around the corner, stirring a cup of coffee with a bored expression. She smirked at the thin white sheet that covered the Captain’s body.

“I just wanted to inform you that the U.S.S Hipocrities just dropped out of hyperspace,” the blonde said with an innocent smile. “You are in command after all…”

“Bullshit. Cyric is in charge of this operation, not me” the woman groused. She glared through the screen and barred her fang like teeth. “And don’t evil blonde scientist bitches ever sleep?”

“Only after sex” the doctor quipped and turned away, signaling towards the communications officer. The young girl laughed and flipped off the screen. “Dial up the brat. We need him here” the blonde murmured. She took a sip of her coffee and smiled lightly. “Good to see you finally awake Alex.” She smirked at the annoyed growl that came from her husband’s throat.

“Three in the damn morning is not a time when people are cognizant,” he barked out, grabbing her coffee and sipping the liquid slowly. “Which explains why you are so aware.” He glowered at her and looked out and over the ship he earned his command certification. He grunted when the buzzing on the screen finally stopped and a very annoyed Torii popped up.

“Would you kindly stop the high pitched ringing?” he barked out, steel eyes glinting dangerously. “I just got the boy to sleep.”

“And I need the brat up to explain to Director Marx why his ship had to be diverted from the earlier course” Sarah said with a deadly calm. Her eyes flashed with a darkness that made Torii shiver slightly. “So wake him up. NOW.”

“Since when do you give orders?” mumbled the redhead, popping up over Torii’s shoulder and resting his chin on the Garnetier’s shoulder. The boy sighed and stretched, wrapping his arms around the taller man’s neck. “Tell Marx to pull into close orbit around this ship. Redistribute the fleet to cover and support the Hipocrities until the rest of her guard arrive. I’ll be down in five minutes.” He disappeared behind the Garnetier and mumbled something darkly about women and sadists. Torii smiled.

“Satisfied doctors?” he asked with a smirk. Sarah growled and stepped forward, her fist rising. Alex grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, a dark look on his face.

“Yes Mr. Torii. Thank you. I apologize for the woman’s mood. She liked torturing people early in the morning. I have the scars to prove it.” Alex nodded and sighed as the screen went blank and disappeared. He glared at Sarah. “Darling, it would be wise not to provoke two men that are trained in at least ten thousand different ways to kill you and make it look like suicide.” He sipped the coffee again and leaned against the railing made for bracing one’s self during evasive maneuvers. “And now we figure out what we need to chemically and physically engineer to save this planet.’

Five minutes later, the Hipocrities had pulled into position under the White Lotus and the ships of the Shinobi Fleet were falling into position around the large Colony class ship. Director Raymond Marx stalked onto the bride of the glistening white battleship floating above his own medical ship. The older man was mad. He was beyond mad actually. He had been pulled away from his comfortable station above Alpha Centauri to the small planet on the edge of human space to drop off supplies for the construction of several scanning satellites. He now learned that he was stationed above this annoyingly advanced planet indefinitely. “Just who ordered me here?!” he barked out, a scowl set firmly on his face. “Who has the ability to contradict my authority with my ship?!”

“Shut the hell up Marx” growled a dark voice from behind the arrogant director. Cyric stalked past him, his violet eyes scowling at the gray haired man. “You are here to help not only secure peace for the TUA and Garnet Monarchy, but also to help secure the safety and viability of the planet itself.” Cyric flopped down in the command chair and took the offered mug of coffee from Sarah. The doctor smirked at him and he caught the joy in her eyes: she was loving the destructive talk towards Marx.

“R-reclaimer…” he choked out, stumbling over his greeting. “I had no idea it was you that gave me the order.” Marx smiled in a way that simply reeked of insincerity. His eyes betrayed his hopes for recognition and promotion. For all his boasting, the man was no medical expert: he was a biological weapon expert. The man was responsible for more plagues and diseases on enemies of the TUA than any other man. Cyric scowled darkly at the man.

“Marx, why exactly are you smiling?” the boy asked. Violet eyes flashed over to the lift and a small smile flashed onto the Reclaimer’s face. Torii stepped off and walked slowly forward, standing next to Alex Robani and taking the offered cup of coffee.

“I was thinking this would be a great moment for the TUA to take advantage of the war” Marx said in a very giddy voice. He hadn’t noticed Torii standing to his right. “If we use this humanitarian aid to destroy the populous of this planet, then we can simply annex Garnet and not have to deal with the hassle of peace negotiations.” He smiled darkly, a glint of pure malice flashing through his eyes. “I dare say, few people will miss this planet of feminine men too much.”

“I dare say I would miss it!” Torii said with ice in his voice, his steel eyes glaring daggers at the man standing at the center of the bridge. Marx whirled around and his eyes went wide. He grabbed at the side arm on his belt and drew it, pointing the weapon at Torii.

“An escaped prisoner!” the Director yelled out. “I will take him down for the glory of the TUA!” A sharp pain in his wrist caused him to drop the gun. The man cried out as he saw the long and thin needle sticking into his wrist: blood was pooling around it and filling the hollow needle.

“If you ever draw a weapon on my mate again, I will make sure you see just how disgusting a creature you are before you die” the Reclaimer said quietly, his eyes darkened with anger.

“Mate?” Marx spat out, his eyes narrowing at the Garnetier that was glaring at him. “You actually entered into that unholy union with something non human?” He turned to the redhead and smirked, his eyes radiating pure fury. “Well what should I expect from a pathetic little genetic creature that needs to be fucked to know who is boss?” He stood shakily and turned to leave. “I will be returning to my ship and leaving now. There is no way I will stay here and help those…” he turned and looked at Torii and spat out “things.”

He never made it to the lift.

Cyric leapt forward, his dagger drawn and aimed at the man’s spine. Torii lunged as well, the guard hoping to snap his neck with his bare hands. But it was Dr. Sarah Robani that was fastest. An injection gun was in her hand and in the back of Director Marx’s neck.

“I do hope you enjoy the cold hell of your own science Director” she hissed lightly, yanking the trigger on the gun. The hiss of the needle and the grunt of pain form Marx were the only sounds on the bridge. “Do you remember the Mars Pox incident?” She smirked, and grinned evilly as the Director’s eyes grew wide. “Oh good, you do. Well you see…I survived that nasty little outbreak you released upon those so called rebels.” She stepped back and smirked. “I did modify this strain a bit. It is non contagious…and can only be cured in a vacuum. Time for a walk Director.”

While she had been talking to the man, she had been leading him to the empty escape ship-docking pad on the bridge. She pushed him into the airlock and smiled as the man clawed at his neck, and then at the door. With a flip of a switch, the man flew from the chamber and into the black of space.

“Thank you Sarah” Cyric said lightly. Torii moved quickly to wrap the redhead in his arms and kissed him lightly. “Nara, get me the Hipocrities please…” He sighed and moved away from his mate slowly, and eyed the view screen as it flickered to life.

“Reclaimer Maxwell, what a pleasure” the operator on the medical ship smiled. “Tell me, how can we help you? Director Marx should already be on board your ship.” She raised an eyebrow and looked around. “May I ask where he is?”

“There was an accident” Cyric deadpanned. “He was walking through our medical facilities and tripped. He was injected with a very volatile strand of a carnivorous virus. He died shortly after.” The young woman on the screen blinked slowly and smirked.

“Such a shame” the operator said with false sincerity. “Sir, the chain of command has been upset recently. Dr. Marian Rashida was the head of the science department. But Director Marx had her arrested. There is no evidence to support his claims…but…many of the security captains are under his sway.” She looked forward pleadingly.

Cyric nodded. “Have them board a shuttle and come here if you would. Only those loyal to Marx. Then release Dr. Rashida and tell her she is the new Director. This is per my personal order as this sector’s commanding officer.” He nodded again as the girl saluted.

“Yes sir Reclaimer!” She smiled. “They will be with you shortly.” The screen flickered offline and Cyric smirked darkly.

Fifteen minutes later, the shuttle with the loyal security officers docked. As the doors opened at the men and women exited, laughing about their upcoming promotions, they were mowed down by hails of gunfire from the elite anti-boarding marine forces onboard the White Lotus. The reports would later read that these men were trying to lead a mutiny. Dr. Marian Rashida was quickly whisked to the White Lotus Bridge and entered through the airlock that Marx had left through. She smiled at Sarah and Alex Robani, hugging each of her college friends.

“So Reclaimer,” the new Director of Operations for the U.S.S Hipocrities said with a smile as she turned to face him. “What can my crew and I do for those poor people on Garnet?”

“Anything and everything you can Doctor. This is now priority one for this fleet and you have the full resources of the Union at your disposal” Cyric replied, a small smile gracing his lips.

“Excellent” she said with a quick nod. “Then I will need to speak with their chief scientist.”

“He is also our king” Torii said from the communications board as he typed in a code. He stood back up and motioned to the view screen. After a few seconds, the groggy image of Réalta appeared.

“This had better be important Torii” the king hissed out, his eyes betraying just how tired he was. Before Torii, Cyric, or any of the other beings on the bridge could do anything, Dr. Rashida stepped forward and bowed.

“Your Majesty, my name is Dr. Marian Rashida and I am at your disposal.” She stood up and smiled, her brilliant green eyes flashing with sincerity and determination. “How can we be of service?”

Chapter 6

Réalta raised an eyebrow as he scanned the people on his screen. He hadn’t been expecting to be woken up at this ungodly hour. Having just gotten to bed, he was exhausted. “We must first figure out how exactly for your people to scan my planet.”

Dr. Marian Rashida smiled lightly. "We have automated probes and mobile robotic labs that we can drop planet side. The other option is a manned survey team. Either option can be set to mobilize within twelve hours."

“We can start with the automated probes and mobile robotic labs, I have designated the worst areas for you to start,” Réalta replied as he stood. He didn’t bother to pull on a robe over his sleeping shorts as he moved to his desk to pick up his ríomhaire. “There are not a lot of Garnetiers in these areas, but that shouldn’t be a problem until you started the manned survey teams.”

"Of course your Highness" Dr. Rashida said. She scribbled something onto a video pad and smiled. "Are there any theories you have I should check for specifically?"

“We believe that it could be a natural occurring metal, but we’ve lost so much right after the bombing, but as far as we can tell radiation levels have only dropped twenty five percent over the last three hundred years.” Réalta replied as he put his back to the screen to lean over the desk to push a button.

"I'll have my geologists start running an analysis of the crust and basic radiation levels" the Director said, slightly distracted. "If you'll excuse me..." She bowed and walked off, heading towards her shuttle docked on the side of the bridge.

Cyric smirked at the screen. "Someone is definitely in tune with how hot he is" the boy murmured, laughing lightly. Torii growled threateningly, a hint of jealousy flashing across steel eyes.

Réalta glanced over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “The doctor is finished with this meeting?”

"She gets scatter brained when calculations and infrastructure enters into her mind" Dr. Sarah Robani said with a snort. She rolled her eyes and eyed Réalta across the screen. "Just relay any information you need to get to her through me." She shrugged lightly and started filing her nails again.

“I’d rather work with Dr. Rashida if you don’t mind,” Réalta replied as he turned to lean against his desk. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the people. “I do not appreciate being woken up and then ran out on, it does things to my self-worth.”

"Do excuse my wife. She's a biologist. It seems bacteria like her more than most people" Alex Robani said darkly, pouring himself another cup of coffee. "And Dr. Rashida is a chemist. She's not much better."

"I apologize for our Director" Captain Reynalds said smoothly, sliding onto the bridge. "She was only recently freed from the brig. The previous director had...issues with her voice in challenging him."

"The other man was a sadistic bastard," Cyric barked out. "He had no right commanding a medical ship."

“This might not work; my peoples very lives are at stake here. I need to know that I can work with these people, and so far I’m not seeing that,” Réalta said as his door opened. He watched as the young green haired girl crossed the room carrying a tray of tae. “Thank you Silín, can you finish pulling up those files?”

“Of course Réalta,” The girl said.

“I will not let my people suffer any longer. If you can not help us, then there isn’t much else left to do,” Réalta said as he poured tae.

"You can work with us Your Highness" Dr. Rashida said, popping up in her own viewscreen. "I needed to start processing the timing for entry pods and robotic drop ships. I apologize for leaving sir."

“Of course,” Réalta started taking the files from the girl. “This is Silín my assistant, I expect you to treat her with the same respect you would me. She’ll be here to help if I am unable to be reached.”

“Dia dhuit,” The girl said softly with a bow.

"Miss Silín" the Director nodded, a smile gracing her lips. "Réalta, sir, I'm sending over the projected primary landing divisions. I need you to pinpoint three zones for high-powered drills for core sampling."

“Silín find the three highest radioactive places on the planet. That will do, Dr. Rashida?” Réalta asked.

"Yay verily" the Director said with a smile. "Is there anything else preliminary we need to run?"

“Water samples might help,” Réalta started looking as Silín came to stand beside him.

“Éag City, Ar dearglasadh canóin, and Gorm muir,” Silín replied softly. “Those are the three worst places.”

“Very good, make sure when you send the information a map of Garnet goes with it,” Réalta said seeing the girl nod as she went back to work. “Gorm Muir is our main sea; will your drills be able to drill in water?”

"We'll need to modify some things..." Marian frowned lightly. "Captain? Can your mechanics handle a little modification work?"

"Major Anderson and her team are the best in the business" Kaytlin replied, a smile on her face. "They keep us flying some days. Just tell them what you need and we'll get it done."

“Are your drills manned Dr. Rashida?” Réalta asked with a frown. “Our aquatic life is more dangerous then our human life.”

"No, they are automated" Alex Robani butted in. He smiled lightly and adjusted his glasses. "The Drills are controlled from the platforms that drop them. Those platforms are manned by a flight crew and the drill team."

"Will we be allowed into Garnet airspace?" Cyric asked calmly.

“Of course, I will make the announcement later today,” Réalta replied softly. “Although it is still possible that you may lose a probe or two, my people are still jumpy when it comes to Earthlings. But you do not need to fear for your ships, there are only two people on this planet authorized to launch bombs.”

"Perfectly understood Lord Réalta" Captain Reynalds said with a smile. "I will also give the general order to all forces still stationed on Garnet to stand by for pick up. You will have your planet back."

“Thank you that will help things along immensely,” Réalta said. “As per Cyric’s request, my warriors were called out of Sigmund four, and any and all negotiations with them have been suspended. They broke our trade agreement, so we will no longer trade with them.”

"Completely understandable" Cyric said lightly, his eyes flicking across the maps Réalta had sent. "Sigmund Four has a tendency to reneg on their debts and duties."

"Regardless of politics, Lord Réalta, we have asked another set of ten ships to join us, including a manufacturing Colony" Captain Reynolds motioned towards a manifest that listed several ships. "Are there any other services we can provide at this time?”

“None that I can think of,” Réalta replied reaching up to push his hair from his face. He turned his attention to his ríomhaire to go over everything they had discussed so far. “No that looks to be all to get started.”

"Then I shall being making preparations for the equipment drops now" Dr. Rashida said with a smile. "Good morning everyone. Captain, I will inform you of the first time for drops. Lord Réalta, I will contact you as soon as we have the first tests completed." Her view screen went silent.

Réalta looked at the people on the screen, he turned slightly nodding Silín out of the room before he turned his attention back to Cyric and Torii. “I wish to speak to Torii alone, if I may.”

Cyric's eyes flashed, and he frowned. "Transfer the signal to conference room one please." The nod from the communications officer signaled the end of Réalta’s connection on the bridge. "Let's go Torii."

"He said alone," Torii murmured when they were off the bridge and stalking towards the conference room. "I do not think you would wish to anger him."

Cyric turned blank eyes towards Torii. "Not a chance in hell" the boy whispered before entering the conference room.

“Siad déan mar a dhéanaimse ní aonarach?” Réalta asked softly eyeing the guard.

"Don't start talking over me again," the boy growled out. He whirled around and glared at Torii. "Don't I have some right to be here under your law?"

“Torii mínigh anois!” Réalta said, his tone hard as he looked between the two boys. “Which law do you speak of Cyric?”

"How the hell should I know?" the boy ranted. "I thought mates had some sovereign rights in situations like this!"

Torii groaned. "You should not have yelled that out..." he mumbled darkly, staring at the floor.

“Torii?” Réalta’s voice held no question, he wanted an explanation and he wanted one now.

“He is my mate,” Torii replied as he looked at his king. He watched as Réalta raised an eyebrow and the man seemed to be waiting for more. “It just happened; the bond was consummated with a mating. He is my mate.”

“I see.” Réalta replied pursing his lips. “Does he understand what it means to be a Garnet life giver’s mate?”

"I know a little...enough to know I'm important to him" the boy quipped, his eyes staring at Torii. "I obviously have much more to learn..."

“Yes you do,” Réalta started. “He has every right to kill you should he find you having sex with another person, of course the same goes for you. And bonds are permanent on Garnet, he will be with you until one of you die. And there are the consequences that come with sex.”

“Are you ready to have feelings from your mate? Are you ready to know when he’s upset, or angry or in danger?” Réalta asked tilting his head slightly as he meet Cyric’s eyes.

“An empathy of sorts?” the boy asked quietly, turning to look at Torii lightly. “If it brings me closer to a man that encompasses my dreams, then I’m more than ready.”

“Alright, Torii would you like the Bonding Ceremony?” Réalta asked as he moved to his walk behind his desk and sit down.

“Is that even possible Mo Rí?” Torii asked as he glanced at Cyric. “I was under the understanding that it would bring death to mate a non Garnet life bearer.”

"Whatever I can do to help..." the boy started before trailing off and shuffling nervously, a very uncharacteristic mood for Cyric.

“Right. Now Cyric, leave it up to me; and Torii you life is not forfeited for this. Although, you are exiled from Garnet as of now.” Réalta stated as he frowned. “I plan to have Moria back on Garnet and mated within the next year.”

Cyric raised an eyebrow and glanced at Torii. "He's your King. You wanna talk to him?"

“Torii, let me remind you that I am not in the best mood with only a few hours sleep, and in a few hours I have rounds in three of our domed cities. I would advise for you to tell me everything now or face my wrath at a later date,” Réalta replied glaring at the guard.

Cyric blinked slowly and grinned. "Yep. You get the honor of telling him love." The boy slid into a chair and rested his head on the table

"Cyric told me...and I know myself...that Moria and the human, Colonel Bradley Severson, have bonded" the guard said slowly. He ran a hand through his hair slowly. "I witnessed the physical bonding myself on Garnet at the camp..."

"And I saw the left nipple pierced with a simple barbell on Colonel Severson during his decontamination from Garnet" Cyric said softly.

“I see,” Réalta said softly as he leaned back in his chair. With a frown he glanced down at his desktop as he thought about it. His son, his child was not only bonded but bonded off world to an Earthling. “And this Earthling, this Bradley Severson, is he a good man? And Cyric, are you sure the piercing was a bar and not a circle?”

Cyric blinked and ran his hand across a keypad lightly. "Computer, please withdraw personnel file on Severson, Bradley. Also, I need pictures form the Garnet recovery physical." The computer beeped loudly and ran. The file appeared on a holoscreen followed by several pictures. Cyric isolated the one with the nipple piercing and enlarged it. "His file seems normal. I cannot vouch for the man personally however." The boy shrugged lightly and looked up at Réalta. "But I do read people. The man genuinely cares for your son."

Réalta nodded slightly a small smile found his face. “Torii, was Bradley Severson a willing participant of this mating?”

"Um...is there a middle ground to that answer?" Torii asked quizzically. He ignored the laughter coming from the redhead at the table. "In the beginning, no, he was not. But I believe he began to enjoy it after some time."

“Well it would seem my son is smarter then I gave him credit for.” Réalta said with a low laugh as he shook his head.

“Um…could someone explain all of this? Does it have something to do with this Hodorth or whatever his name is person?” Cyric asked. He blinked and looked over to Torii with a confused glance.

“It simple, and no it has nothing to do with Hodorth: he is mated. It has to do with the fact that that Hoginus told Moria that he would never mate, so you can bet there isn’t a life giver how’d have the boy. Moria has mated an Earthling, leaving the bonding ring unclosed,” Réalta looked up to see if the two understood.

“Um….what?” Cyric asked, a blank stare on his face.

“I second that utter confusion” Torii murmured lightly, moving over to rest against the back of the chair Cyric was perched in. “Could you elaborate Mo Rí?”

“Moria has what is called an open bond, it is normally used when - now mind you this is a five hundred year old law - a woman was suspected of being infertile. If unable to conceive within a two year period, then the life giver was free to leave the bond and mate another,” Réalta explained watching the two. He waited for nods or question from them.

“So how does that work with Moria?” Cyric voiced. “Is he concerned that cross pregnancy between Terrans and Garnetiers?” He scratched his head lightly and turned his head to one side confusedly. “So a safety net? Or something to get away from Garnet?”

“Actually no, in fact a pregnancy would be the best thing for this mating. I suspect that my son is hoping, with the piercing of Bradley’s nipple and the fact that it was left open, that the bond would be enough and Bradley would fight to keep him.” Réalta said softly. “It’s well known on Garnet that Moria and his tabhair don’t get along. Moria is convinced that Hoginus wants him dead. Moria wasn’t suppose to come back from Salmoria, none of his men were.”

“We were not supposed to return?” Torii growled out lowly, eyes flashing. “Why? What could be so dangerous that we would need to be eliminated?” His hand tightened roughly on the back of the chair. Cyric arched an eyebrow.

“So the bond…was a way to protect him?” the redhead asked lightly, eyes glazed over slightly. He smirked lightly. “He can read humans rather well…” He reached up and took one of Torii’s hands and gently kissed it, stroking his thumb across the Garnetier’s knuckles slowly.

“Its hard to say what Moria was thinking at the time. I do know that most life givers never even fazed the boy. Moria was too tied up with training, and learning. He studied our laws, he knows more about Garnet law them even I do.” Réalta sighed slightly. “He in fact saved every Garnet and Earthling in that camp by what he did. I just hope that he doesn’t regret his choice.”

“I’m glad I intervened then,” the boy said, a smile crossing his lips as he looked up at Torii. Steel eyes softened as he met the gaze of his mate. He leaned down and kissed the boy’s lips lightly. “Would you feel better if we got back to talking about us?”

“I think so…yes” the Garnetier whispered. He looked up to Réalta and nodded lightly. “How do we proceed Mo Rí?”

“Right now leave it up to me. There are a few things on this end I have to take care of,” Réalta said his smile faded slightly. “I have yet to track down my mate, he knows I would find out that Moria is no longer on Garnet. Hoginus, the cladhaire, is hiding from me. I’m not sure how long it will take for me to track down the people I need to, but I am going to assume that the people helping us will be coming to a neutral place here on Garnet. I should have something pulled together for a small ceremony by then.”

“Thank you Mo Rí” Torii said, a soft smile on his face. Cyric grinned and bowed lightly.

“Thanks Lord Réalta” the redhead said tiredly. He relaxed and leaned closer to Torii, his eyes blinking slightly. “Is there anything else we need to discuss this morning? Or can we go back to bed now?”

“No, that is all. I must leave for rounds anyways. I’ll keep in contact,” Réalta said as he stood. “Take care of each other, slán mo páiste.”

"Ciao" Cyric waved nonchantly and yawned. Torii rolled his eyes and bowed low offering a solemn and respectful parting to the king. The viewscreen went blank.

"Bed...now" Torii grumbled, scooping the boy up. Cyric giggled and nuzzled the Garnetier, his arms wrapping around the taller man's neck. “I think he likes you” he whispered. Cyric smirked.

“Of course! We’re both snide and like knives!”

Project Reclaimer

Réalta scowled as he looked over reports. He had spent the last twenty hours tracking his mate, only to find the man one step ahead of him. Apparently Hoginus had come to the realization that he knew that their son was off world. And Réalta had yet to track down his son.

“King Réalta?” Réalta looked up as the life giver stepped into the room. “They are ready for you.”

“Alright.” Réalta stood, checking his outfit to make sure everything was in place. He reached up fiddled with the headpiece that sat on his head. He hated to wear it, but knew that he had to. Turning he left his office to walk down to one of the throne room.

“Two minutes, your highness.” One of the techs said as Réalta nodded. He went over to sit in his chair, but scowled at the empty chair next to him. It was one of the only things that had been taken out of Salmoria City after it fell.

Réalta looked up when Silín came into the room. He watched as the girl crossed the room with a smile on her face. “I finished the report, and you left your speech on the desk.”

“Ah, I was wondering where it went.” Réalta smiled at the girl. He took the speech, glanced it over before he tossed it beside his chair.

“Are you ready?” the life giver asked. Réalta nodded sitting straighter in his chair. He actually hated the chair, and had only sat in it when he had to. He let his eyes scan the impromptu people he pulled together for this announcement, he waited for Cáel to nod to him.

“Dia is Muire dhuit, my people,” Réalta started. “It is with great pleasure to inform my people that the latest war is over, as of now I have recalled our warriors from Sigmund Four and suspended all trade with them. We are currently working towards a peaceful future, and with the help from Earth, we may find a future without death from the radiation.”

“There will be automated probes and mobile robotic labs scanning and working around the planet. They are necessary for our survival, and the people who control them are trying to help. They have already lost two probes, please do not make me come out to each site.”

Réalta paused slightly a grin on his face. He knew that this was being broadcasted all over the planet, and most likely the ships orbiting the planet. But not many of them would know what was being said. He also knew that he now had Hoginus’ attention.

“It is my hope that with the help from Earth, Garnet will have a long and healthy future, and our children will be born without the problems most are facing right now. The increasing deaths of our life bearer are becoming too much, and I am working towards a solution to set this world straight.”

Réalta nodded, and watched as Cáel grinned at him. Once he was sure that they were no longer broadcasting he stood and walked across the room, his pale purple knee length loose fitting tunic swirled around his darker purple tight britches as he moved.

“That was wonderful King Réalta, how long until your mate contacts you?” Cáel asked softly looking down at his king.

“I give him the time it takes to swallow his surprise and make it to the nearest Vid.” Réalta said nodding before he moved out of the room. He headed towards his chamber, knowing that he’d need wine before facing the love of his life.

He entered his chambers and his Vid was already beeping, and with a smile he moved to pour himself a drink of Garnet’s deep red wine. He turned to stare at the screen with a smirk as he sipped the wine. He waited another few minutes before finally reaching over to flip on the screen.

“You certainly have an ego on you,” Hoginus hissed the minute his mate’s smiling face came into view.

“My planet, mo cheannsa, and I will not let you or anyone else destroy it any more,” Réalta said softly sipping his wine.

“They will take over, and then were will it leave us?” Hoginus hissed.

“They will not take over, mo cheannsa, I will make sure that whatever contract I sign will make that they can not take over our planet, besides we have nothing they want,” Réalta replied setting the wine down.

“Our planet, being the key word here, peata.” Hoginus said with a shake of his head. “I never paid enough attention to you when I was there did I?”

“Oh, now that’s sweet, taking the blame,” Réalta stated. “But sorry, I’d like to have the chance to see Garnet’s children grow up. We have but another five years and nothing but the diseases, and the pain, and the sicknesses that will run rampant in the streets. Five years from now, the water will no longer be drinkable and the domed cities will start to decay.”

“You are working on a solution.” Hoginus replied watching his lover.

“I am tired Hoginus,” Réalta stated. “When were you going to tell me our son was no longer on Garnet, but in fact was taken as a prisoner to Earth? That Moria’s men had scattered from the area on his command to save their own skins? Why must you hate your son so much?”

“He’s too much like you,” Hoginus said watching the pain flash across his mate’s delicate face. “He is strong headed and stubborn, he lacks the qualities that you have when it comes to dealing with people.”

“I see.” Réalta replied softly before his eyes drifted back to Hoginus. “I want the information on who to speak to, to find Moria.”

“Réalta,” Hoginus started but trailed off as Réalta stood straight.

“I want the information Hoginus.” Réalta said keeping his voice even as he met his mate’s gaze dead on.

“You would have to contact the military on Earth, my love,” Hoginus said looking up as someone stepped into his office.

“That is not what I asked, Hoginus,” Réalta replied watching as the man set something on his mate’s desk before exiting the room.

“But it’s the answer you’re getting,” Hoginus said as he hit the button cutting the connection. He turned to what was set on his desk. A frown pulled at his mouth as he read over the reports. It would seem Hogorth was on the move again.

He stood but paused when he thought of his mate again. Réalta was a beautiful star, and he wished the boy all the luck in tracking down Moria. Of course when he found the boy, it was another thing when the King of Garnet found out that the boy was carrying that Earthling bastard’s child.

He left the room heading towards the council room. He knew that Hodorth had high hopes of becoming a conquering planet. Hoginus knew that things rarely worked out that way. Garnet wasn’t exactly a powerful planet. In fact, it were a dying planet.

“Éamon, please call the council, there is a pressing problem we need to speak about.” Hoginus said watching the man. The man nodded before turning to his Vid, Hoginus watched the first three calls before turning to head into the council room.

Project Reclaimer

“How many have you lost?” a very disgruntled Cyric growled over the video connection. Dr. Rashida glowered at him through the video screen.

“Get the lube out of your ears boy!” she yelled out. The redhead blushed scarlet and started to curse. Torii grabbed him and covered his mouth. “We keep loosing probes and pods due to wild life Reclaimer. Three have been lost to anti aircraft fire from Garnet regulars and two probes to civilian fear.” She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Hopefully the message from their King will do some good.”

“I’m sure Réalta’s message will illicit more calm from the people” the Garnetier said with a smile. Cyric was busy gnawing on Torii’s hand: the guard just smiled. “Thank you Director. Take whatever means are necessary to ensure the proper sampling occurs.” The video connection ended. “You can stop now.”

“You don’t have to silence me!” the boy yelled out, glaring up at the guard.

“You are becoming so more vocal with your emotions…” the guard grumbled, scooping Cyric up. “How about we put those vocal cords to better use?”

Chapter 7

“Shields to maximum! Three degrees down on the primary engines!” a young, black haired man yelled from his chair in the center of the massive bridge. “All starboard guns pick your targets and fire!” A massive shudder ran the length of the ship as the large kinetic rifles hurled large slugs of metal and explosives at the enemy vessels.

“Reporting massive damage to the carrier Avalon and her escort!” one of the controllers yelled out. “Damn it….we’re loosing too many ships and taking heavy damage ourselves!” The young man’s gold eyes flashed dangerously.

“Calm down Ms. Johnson!” the man barked out. He growled and turned back forward. “Chief Logan, are we scoring any knockdowns on these ships?”

“No Reclaimer,” the man replied, floating to his side in the gravitationally reduced bridge. “We’ve crippled only 15 of the attacking forces in the last hour.” He noticed the scowl that flashed across the Reclaimer’s face. “Sir….we need to consider the option of…neutralizing the enemy forces.”

“Ms. Soto, wide range communication to all ships in the Hoher Befehl Fleet,” the black haired man barked out. He waited for the young girls terse nod before clearing his throat. “Attention all vessels! This is Reclaimer 001, Adrian Iso! As of now, the Horatio Nelson is about to reconfigure for Knockout operations. All ships are advised to find and take kill shots.” The Reclaimer paused. “They are now beyond reproach. Fire at will.” The transmission snapped off. “Fire control! Bring all kinetic cannons to maximum power. Unhinge all beam cannons and activate all missile systems.”

“Missiles are primed and all anti ship warheads are loaded and armed,” Chief Logan replied.

“All laser crystals are humming and charged,” Commander Richards yelled out, flicking another few switches. “Extending all barrels and activating primary lenses.” She smirked. “All weapons are primed and engaged sir.”

“Fire at will,” Adrian replied blankly. The heavy kinetic cannons flared and slammed the giant anti ship rounds into the nearest frigates. The ships around the Horatio Nelson exploded in bright flashes sparks and electricity. Contrary to science fiction, there are no grand explosions in space unless a core ruptures. And most of the Reclaimer’s Fleet weren’t aiming for reactors: they were aiming for bridges.

“Radiation cannon primed and charged Sir,” Chief Logan yelled over the din of reports.

“What fleet jumped us?” Adrian asked, eyes dark and annoyed.

“The 41st General Supply Fleet, flag ship is the Venetian Trader,” Ensign Marris replied, scanning his console. “Ms. Johnson! Can you tag it?”

“40 degrees to the port side, up 12 degrees,” she yelled out.

“Chief, unhinge the Nexus Cannon and target those coordinates,” Adrian barked out, eyes flashing dangerously. “Ms. Soto, order our forces out of that cone of fire!” Gold eyes flashed darkly as the ship began to turn.

Meanwhile, on the Venetian Trader, the captain and her crew were feeling confident. They had surprised and jumped upon the Iso’s Fleet at the designated point. They had been assured of support. As expected, Admiral Iso’s fleet had tried to disarm or disable his ships, rather than destroy them.

Then hell had broken loose.

The Horatio Nelson had unleashed a full broadside from its kinetic and magnetic guns before launching hundreds of missiles. The devastation to the surrounding ships of the 41st GSFleet were intense. Twelve ships were destroyed in the volley. Another sixteen were damaged and currently launching escape and life pods. And now the capital ship was turning to face his own ship. All activity on the bridge ceased as a viewscreen appeared.

“Wrong move attacking my fleet asshole,” Adrian whispered darkly, golden eyes flashing. “You should know better than to pick on a Reclaimer.” A large cannon barrel extended from the bow of the Nelson and began to pulse with a bright yellow energy. “I hope you like the sun.” The bow flared and the Venetian Trader faded into nothingness.

“Nexus Cannon discharged,” the Chief called out over the quiet bridge. “Solar radiation dispersing. The Trader is gone Sir.” The young man grimaced and stood up.

“Very good Chief,” the Reclaimer said quietly. “Broadcast on all channels orders for the remaining ships to surrender. Anyone that resists, eliminate. Begin salvage operations as soon as the sector is secure.” He groaned and stood, stretching his frame. The tall man smiled grimly. “Restore gravity to the bridge.” He nods as the lights flash back to normal and the gravity clicked on. “Ms. Soto, broadcast using the Reclaimer private codes and find out why the hell TUA support and supply ships are attacking us.” The Reclaimer moved to stalk off his bridge before he paused. “And Ms. Soto?”

“Yes Reclaimer?” the young woman asked, looking up from her duty station.

“Warn my Brothers to watch their backs…” he muttered grimly, stalking from the room with a swish of automatic doors.

Reclaimer

“So this is what…a metallurgical toxicology report?” Dr. Marian Rashida asked. The young woman frowned and looked at the view screen Dr. Alex Robani was toiling over.

“Something of the sort,” he replied, his usual smirk playing across his lips. “From the mobile labs that we sent to the surface, many of the reports were coming back with inconclusive findings.” Alex smiled and shook his had. “So I had engineering modify a few. I must say…your teams on the Hippocrates do a wonderful job…”

“The point Alex?” Dr. Rashida asked darkly. She rubbed her forehead and groaned. “You’re still as vague and meandering as you were in University. And on this ship…and when we dated…”

“And I have the patience and the tranquilizers to put up with him,” quipped Sarah from her perch in a chair near a biological readout pattern. Alex and Marian both chuckled. “So what did you find annoyance-mine?”

“They showed huge amounts of contamination around mines. Old underground mines are all good and well. But it’s the underground mines that were direct hits from some of the bombs…” Alex smiled and pointed to several areas on the map around the ocean. “the metal – déanamh - is scattered across the ground here. Large chunks and small flecks.” He sighs. “But that’s not the worst part.” He points to the ocean. “The force of the nuclear reactions…it liquefied and vaporized the metal.”

“And the liquefied metal…would have settled somewhere near the bottom of the ocean. And leaked radiation all over the damn place…” Dr. Rashida whispered. She shook her head. “And if the metal particles in the water or scattered around in vapor particles were small enough…”

“Then they could be absorbed via evaporation and forced into acidic and radiated rain,” Sarah finished, her eyes darkening. “It’s the metal. We have to cleanse the metal.”

“The biggest problem that their word for this element means to build,” Alex whispered lightly. “Many of their older cities, those built before the bombs and up to one hundred years after, have this metal as the primary building material.” He sighs and shakes his head. “The newer cities and shields have a newer metal that is an alloy of this. The processes of combining déanamh with iron, cobalt, and sulfur removes the impurities.”

“What about a iron sulfide and cobalt phosphate solution?” Sarah asked lightly, quickly jumping back to her biological readouts. “If we administer it in doses of…say…ten parts per million over a three month period and bombard every 36 Garnetier hours with gravitic radiation…”

“Then that should begin to cleanse the radiation,” Marian said with a grin. “But we have to know exactly what the affects of that dosage will be on the environment and if it will be as affective as we hope.” She pushed a button and opened a channel to the environmental control center onboard the medical colony ship. “Mr. Lins, I need you to prep three of the terra biospheres for radiation isolation and contaminant processing. Retrieve samples of the radioactive metal from the planet and place in the three. Also, set up three aquis biospheres. Same procedures, but make sure the samples are from the seabed.” She smiled as Mr. Lins nodded and the view screen disappeared.

“So we have a game plan,” Alex mumbled lightly, slumping against the metallurgical console and smiling tiredly. “Does this mean I can finally take my lovely wife to bed?”

“Yes oh annoyance mine,” Sarah quipped, standing up and moving to kiss him lightly on the cheek. “We’ll leave Dr. Rashida to talk to the brat and the angry king on the sphere.” She smiled and pulled Alex up, walking back towards the room they were using on the Hippocrates.

“Great…” Marian sighed darkly and flopped down into a chair. “Control. Please connect me with Lord Réalta. I need to share some new…developments.” She smiled lightly and eyed the screen as the connection was established.

Reclaimer

“Incoming communication from the Horatio Nelson. Priority one.”

The computerized voice broke the silence in Cyric’s suite. A very disgruntled, very bed headed Reclaimer popped out of the bed.

“I’ll take it in my office,” Cyric mumbled, stumbling out of the bed and pulling blindly for a pair of silk pajama bottoms. Finding the clothing and stumbling into them, he dragged himself into the study and then into his office.

“Coffee, black,” the boy mumbled as he sank into his chair. “Computer, voice print and DNA scan. Open secure channel.” The computer hummed and a large view screen appeared in front of him.

“Hello little brother,” Adrian said with a smile. The golden eyes of the dark haired Reclaimer met with the violet eyes of his younger brother. “I take it you got my report?”

“Of course I did,” Cyric mumbled darkly, very happy when the mug of steaming coffee was lifted onto his desk. “Oh sweet merciful gods the coffee is done!” He takes a long sip and sighs deeply. “So to what do I owe the honor of this contact?” Cyric deadpanned, slowly becoming more awake and alert.

“I…wanted to warn you. 006 and 007 have found some…interesting transmissions between Earth, Lightforge Keep, and several fleets in the Garnet sector,” Adrian murmured lightly. Cyric arched an eyebrow.

“Hello Christina. Do get your husband to hurry up and tell me what’s so dire,” the boy quipped. Gold eyes danced with mirth as a silver haired woman appeared behind the elder Reclaimer.

“Hullo Cy,” the battle hardened marine smiled and hit her husband lightly. “Stop antagonizing him. He looks anxious to get back to bed.” She smirked at the twitch that ran through Cyric’s shoulders and the look of pure murder that flashed in his eyes. “Oh…accurate…so you do have someone back there…”

“Suddenly I’m intrigued…” Adrian chuckled, staring at Cyirc. “I dare say its not a woman…” Adrian paused and gold eyes flicked towards the door.

“What is going on Cyric?” Torii mumbled lightly, stumbling into the room, picking Cyric up, amidst much cursing and swatting at the bleary eyed guard, and settling into the chair, pulling the redhead into his lap. “Oooo…coffee…thank goodness,” he said as he grabbed the mug from the desk.

“Going to introduce us Cyric?” Adrian asked, the smugness in his tone practically leaking across the communications link. Torii blinked and looked over at the view screen, noticing for the first time the people smiling through the link.

“Who are you?” Torii asked quietly, steel eyes meeting gold. “You look like Cyric.”

“He should,” Cyric grumbled, scowling and taking his coffee back. “Meet my eldest brother, Admiral Adrian Iso. Reclaimer 001.” Cyric took a sip from his coffee lightly. “Adrian, Christina. Meet Torii of Creideamh City of the planet Garnet.” The boy paused and met his brother’s calculating eyes. “My mate.”

There was a long pause of dead silence. Cyric glared. Adrian remained aloof, eyes cold and calculating. Christina smiled and looked over Torii with an appraising eye. Torii squirmed.

“I…um…it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Torii whispered, eyes quickly flashing down to the desk.

“Don’t feel uncomfortable dear,” Christina said with a smile, hitting Adrian again with a loud thwack. Cyric smirked. “These two boys just tend to but heads over everything.” She smiled, her fangs protruding and glimmering in the light. Torii blinked.

“You aren’t human,” he said bluntly. He blushed lightly and eyed the young woman. “I mean no disrespect…”

“Of course not darling,” Christina laughed lightly and waved hand distractedly. “It is an inbred genetic code of a Reclaimer to find people from other races to mate.” She shrugged lightly. “I’m a Liltarian. From the moon of Lillith, 3rd mood of Alpha Centari.” She smiles and nods. “And you’re from Garnet. I must say, you’re a better mate than any of the others have courted…”

“Thank you Christina,” Cyric barked out, eyes flashing dangerously. “Have something to say Adrian?” Torii’s eyes widened at the agitation that was evident in Cyric’s voice. “Care to critique my choice of men. Again?”

“Yes. You found someone that doesn’t appear to be a complete backbirth,” the Admiral quipped, his eyes flashing. “A royal guard. I read the reports.” He smiled. A genuine smile that caused Cyric to bite back whatever snide comment he was going to throw. “Welcome to the family Torii. I’ll pray for your sanity.” He smiled.

“I…um…thank you?” Torii was slightly confused. He shook his head and stole the coffee cup back from Cyric.

“Enough pleasantries!” the redhead yelled out. He scowled at his older brother. “I’m glad you like my lover, but can you please explain why the hell you’re beaming a direct long range radiation link?”

“Because you’re being targeted by several TUA fleets under the command of some Commander you pissed off on Garnet,” Adrian growled out, his eyes flashing darkly. “They want you dead Archimedes. They don’t want peace with Garnet.” Adrian sighed.

“Advise me big brother…” Cyric whispered lightly, eyes burning and hard. “What should I do?” the redhead asked again, looking up to meet the golden orbs on the other end of the connection.

“As of now, Reclaimers 001, 003, and 007 and their fleets are in route to your present location,” Adrian replied. A star chart appeared on a screen in front of Cyric. “The closest fleet to you is Richard’s Dove Fleet. They’re about three days out at high warp. 007 is about two days from Earth. We’re six days behind Richard.”

“I’d better brief Réalta,” Cyric said quietly. Torii arched an eyebrow. “I’d like to give him fair warning before nearly four hundred Terran ships, including the most powerful battleship in the Armada, take up close orbit around his planet.”

“Do that…and quickly,” Christina practically commanded. “We both know Dove Fleet doesn’t pack the offensive firepower to take down…well…anything. The best thing it has going for it are the four defense frigates she employs and the advanced anti missile systems. You may need to ask the Garnet king for fleet support.”

“If the report that Dr. Alex and Dr. Sarah and Dr. Mariah submitted is accurate and their findings do prove to be working in this little experiment they are working, then I am positive Réalta will be willing to assist this fleet,” Torii said quietly. Adrian raised an eyebrow.

“The Robanis and Dr. Rashida discovered what they believe to be the cause of the contamination on Garnet,” the redhead said tiredly, leaning heavily against the guard. “They’ve been testing the experiment for about a week in the biospheres on the Hippocrates. If it works…”

“Then we can save Garnet,” Adrian finished, a smile on his face. “I’m sure Regent will be happy to hear that. He’s got another two weeks before he leaves Janus 7. I’m sure the doctors still want his help to deal with some of the medical concerns planet side.” Adrian smiled and laced his fingers with Christina’s.

“It’s late…can we go back to bed now?” Cyric bemoaned lightly, eyes fluttering tiredly. Torii smiled and kissed the redhead’s temple gently. “Well Adrian?”

“Yes, we’ve sent as much information as possible to your computers and dispatched orders to ships in the area,” Adrian said softly. “Cyric, trust no one that isn’t in your inner circle or Heaven’s Fleet. Watch your back little brother.”

“See you in a week or so big brother,” the redhead murmured tiredly. The communication line went dead and the view screen disappeared. Violet eyes stared into the darkness of the room.

“Bed love?” Torii asked quietly, nuzzling the boy’s neck. “You look like you need it.”

“Yeah…yeah I do,” Cyric whispered, wrapping himself completely around Torii. “I’m worried.” The guard raised an eyebrow, looking down and staring at the boy cradled in his lap.

“I didn’t know you got afraid,” Torii replied, nuzzling the boy’s forehead. “Everything will work out.” He smiled and nodded confidently. “I’m sure of it.” Cyric stood and slowly padded his way towards their bedroom. He paused and wrapped his arms tightly around himself before whispering into the darkened room:

“And somehow…I have to doubt you…something in my gut…I can’t believe everything will be alright.”