“Why?” I was genuinely puzzled by this. “If you consider them so primitive...”
“Primitive and dangerous. To most other worlds the humans are, in essence, a pack of simple-minded yet easily-frightened hairless apes who are quick to anger, and who can't even traverse their own solar system yet have somehow managed to arm themselves with atom-splitting weaponry, narcotics that drive them whimsically insane, and brain-softening amusement devices. That's a bizarre set of circumstances that defies all logic and odds, completely unheard of in the rest of the galaxy. That's why the rules about approaching them are so strict. They make good slaves, so poaching them one or two at a time with extreme stealth is sometimes permitted. Even those among them who suspect what we're doing are dismissed by the others as fools or drunkards. But any attempt to engage with them directly – even to conquer the planet in a full-scale assault – could result in them destroying their own world while trying to defend themselves, leaving no people or resources for us to exploit.”
My mind whirled at what he'd told me. Putting aside his tremendously insulting description of my species, it seemed beyond belief that in a galaxy of fierce warriors and conquerors, we'd be seen as such scary and hazardous wild cards.
He took my hand. “You will see Earth again, Natalie. I promise you that. You will simply have to be patient, that's all. Meanwhile, I have an idea. Why don't we take a trip to Nort's surface?”
“I've seen that already, remember?” I said sourly.
“But you haven't seen it free of Pax rule,” he answered with a smile. “I suspect that now, the experience will be far more pleasant for you.”
20
Dashel
“I know you thought you were already familiar with this planet,” I said to Natalie, gesturing grandly at our surroundings, “but I don't suppose you ever had a chance to see this place while you were a slave in the mines, did you?”
“No,” she replied, looking around wide-eyed. “I certainly didn't.”
I grinned, delighted that I'd managed to please her. With the help of the Wyvern's sensor array (after it had been repaired from the heavy damage it sustained during the battle), I found a beautiful subterranean hot spring. It was just outside the boundaries of the N-3 camp, still wholly unspoiled by the Pax's mining equipment.
The rock formations were luminescent turquoise threaded with glowing wisps of purple and magenta, and the steaming waters were so clear and pure that the threads of gold and silver ore at the bottom were visible. The stalactites hanging above rapidly collected moisture from the air, sending it down in a warm and steady perpetual rain that kept the surfaces of the pond rippling endlessly. Due to the iridescent algae that grew and clung to the walls in lush curtains, the entire cavern smelled of wildflowers.
It was the most magical place I've ever encountered in a lifetime of space travel, and when I discovered it, I couldn't wait to show it to Natalie. It was difficult for me to fully understand why she was in such a hurry to return to a polluted and evolutionarily stunted world like Earth, but I hoped this might distract her from that, at least temporarily.
From the look on her face, it was apparent that I had succeeded.
I unlatched my space suit, stepping out of it and feeling the warm damp of the cave on my naked scales. A thousand tiny beads of moisture formed on them immediately, making their colors dance and shimmer even more than usual. I turned and caught Natalie staring at them.
“I love the way the light catches your skin,” she said.
“Good. Now why don't you show me how it catches yours as well?”
She batted her eyelashes at me suggestively – a peculiar mating ritual among humans, though it certainly managed to turn me on as well. One by one, she undid the latches on her suit, deliberately pausing for effect between each one as she maintained eye contact with me. When it fell to the ground at her feet, she hooked a toe into it, kicking it aside like a dancer in a Ba'Lexx burlesque house. She was certainly as lithe and graceful as one, her hips undulating smoothly as she teased me from a distance.
I sank into the pool with a deep and contented sigh, the healing waters saturating my entire body up to the neck, and gestured with a claw for her to join me.
Natalie stepped in delicately. I admired the sheen on her nude thighs and breasts – the warmth was already making her perspire, and the effect was immensely sensual. A blush bloomed on her cheeks, and her nipples were erect as they slipped beneath the water. She paddled toward me, her hair floating on the surface around her head like delicate strands of seaweed.
I had never wanted anyone – not even Qumarah – as much as I'd wanted her. I couldn't believe she was mine for the taking.
When she reached me, she straddled me, putting a hand beneath the surface to find my cock. Her fingers worked their way up and down, up and down, relishing the buoyancy and slipperiness the water provided. I was already harder than solid steel, and my claws caressed her breasts gently, skimming them lightly enough to scratch without drawing blood.
Her lips were parted, inches away from my own. I leaned forward to kiss her, but she reared back playfully, keeping her mouth just out of reach as her rhythm on my shaft quickened sharply.
I lowered a hand beneath the surface as well, finding the soft and willing folds of her pussy. They parted in
