II. Samis and Tonda (1)

“And having clamped it onto your stand all you have to do is insert the panni like so, pull down the hand lever thus, and ... presto! As you can see pure panni juice is now flowing down the pipe and into the collector tank.”

“Simple yet deceptively clever! And just as I'd asked from you! Thank you!”

Tonda's right arm rested affectionately across Samis' shoulders. He was aware of the weight of it. Off duty she had abandoned her black dress uniform in favour of a metallic silver basque which displayed her torso and truly awesome mammaries to full advantage, together with a short black sectional skirt rather like illustrations of pre-historic Romans Samis recalled from history classes, and stylish silver boots which reached a little less than half way up her extremely muscular, but still too extremely shapely legs.

Tonda removed her arm and went to fetch two tall beakers from a wall unit within her Reception Quarter. Her private accommodation which occupied three floor levels in total was comfortably if simply furnished. As befitted a soldier of officer rank Samis considered. The outer walls of all three floor levels comprised of giant transparent light portals which, with their shields raised during Blue Sky Time, afforded breathtaking panoramic views across the Zone. Tonda returned and filled the two beakers from the tank of Samis' little contraption.

“Well, they do say the panni is supposed to be an aphrodisiac, don't they!”

Tonda downed her beaker full of the bright green liquid in a single swallow. Samis cautiously took a trial sip of his. Its taste was incredibly bitter.

“An aphrodisiac in as much as the panni fruit is claimed by some to be an aid to fertility,” Tonda corrected. “Now tell to me, Earthling, why so suddenly full of concern?”

Samis looked up at her. How could she know? “Have you been reading my thoughts? I thought these Mind Blockers ...”

Tonda held up a hand and smiled placatingly. She motioned to him to be seated. She took the seat the opposite side of the stand. “I've never tried to intercept your thought beams. For one thing The Law forbids it. But it's apparent to me that the earthling whom I care about has concerns which are troubling him.”

Samis debated whether to tell her about his interview that morning with old Quinn, but decided against it. “I passed a squad of your soldiers in their star shields and visors as I was coming in. I've never seen that before here.”

Tonda made no reply, and her expression gave nothing away. As with the Quinn business, maybe he shouldn't have raised a work related matter. There was still the awkward personal topic he did need to broach with her though.

“D'you remember our very first time, Ton?”

Tonda's face at once broke into the white toothed, creased cheek smile he so loved. She let out a high peal of laughter. “How could I ever forget! I thought you were going to expire on me! Could have led to a quite awkward diplomatic incident!”

The sound of her ready laughter and the tonic of her heart warming smile temporarly eased Samis' underlying anxieties. Encouraged, he smiled back to her. “And I suppose it just never occurred to you to warn me that Aeralians have such powerful muscles ... everywhere!”

“Well I'd known only Domos before, and they're trained neuter professionals. Anyway practice has made perfect now, wouldn't you agree?”

Samis hesitated but a moment longer: “Tonda seriously, do you have any problems with us? I mean the question of our being of different worlds?”

She laughed again. “What, with your alien seed and all that? Seriously, no I don't. I did consult the Regimental Medical Officer shortly after we became involved. She ran off a whole load of genetic jargon at me, and then said, and I quote her exact words: 'With an earthling no problem. Enjoy!' Which is precisely what I've been doing ever since!”

“You don't think it's wrong then, what we're doing, Ton?”

“Certainly not!”

Comforting words! Samis reflected: Maybe he was letting old Quinn get to him, and starting to blow things out of proportion? Tonda evidently liked him, and he was certainly enjoying her.

Tonda reached beneath the stand to re-fill her beaker from Samis' panni juicer. Just as before she downed the green liquid in one deep swallow, carefully licking the last of it (Samis could hardly fail to take the visual hint!) from her bronze tinted lips.

“So what now my beautiful Earthling? How about you and me run a comprehensive product test on this stuff to find out for ourselves if it really is as effective as the traders who sell it claim it to be?”

III. Aeralian Visual Receiver Images:19 1 13 9 19-13 21 3 8-20 15 14 4 1-12 15 22 5

The thought images simultaneously projected onto the pre-activated screens of the 26 5 14 4 1 18 18 1 One Security Protected Visual Receivers were of course identical: The multi-million thought beams they in turn provoked criss-crossed like fencer's blades.

Flashy:

Always was something of a stager:

Just good PR:

Quiet!

The sequence commenced high above a bog standard military barrack block in some back-water Zone way up in one of the northern Temperate Domes. The camera view zoomed downwards in a rapid clockwise spiralling motion, and appeared to enter the complex via one of the exhaust stacks.

Oh, please ...!

On into a large and well appointed Mating Quarter now, tumbling from corner to corner, ceiling to floor and back to ceiling again. Finally the dizzying motions stilled, and the camera view panned slowly down onto an Aeralian of Military Class High Noble Birth, and a pale skinned alien male, lying post-coital upon a de luxe model mating platform.

Very Good: But there is still no certainty of success:

We are playing for incredibly high stakes here:

Always has been super-ambitious: Always: Even as an infant!

MOTHER? FATHER?

Let us remain focused here! This is not happy family time!

Regional Council would have to acknowledge: It is as according to The Law:

Ah, but The Law is a fickle mistress at the best of times ...

There is absolutely no legal precedent for it ...

Constitutional debate could go on for aeons ...

What is proposed is nothing more nor less than a schemed up circumvention of The Law!

Do we have a dissenter ...?

A Military Class cannot attain Royal status:

Ah, but custom and practice only: The Law does not state so:

Medical Express - Priority One: Optimum chance next centi-cyclot: Recommend Option Green:

That will be local Gold Sky Time ...

Medical Express, confirm 'Recommend Option Green' please?

Medical Express - Priority One: Confirm recommend Option Green:

House of Zendarra may never have such a window of opportunity again: Are we agreed?

Agreed: Agreed (with reservation): (Agreed): (Agreed ...)

This is it then ...

IV. Samis and Tonda (2)

Samis felt ready to burst with happiness! The tip of his nose was just, with a little neck stretching, within touching distance of Tonda's. She'd unlocked her legs from around him to allow him to bring his face closer to hers. Those incredibly strong yet always infinitely gentle lower limbs, over which she always retained absolute control even during the heat of the most intense passion. Samis held eye contact as they exchanged tender, unhurried, kisses.

“All that loving's left me a little dehydrated! Did we bring any of your panni juice up with us?”

Samis continued to mentally swim in the gentian pools of Tonda's irises. “I think we left it behind in your Reception Quarter. Shall I go and fetch a beaker up for you?”

“No!” Tonda's voice, coming even via the UT, carried a slight edge. “I'll summon a drone.”

She carefully eased him from out of her arm embrace, hauled herself up into a sitting position, and leaned over from the nearby side of the immense bed - it was really more of a gigantic silvery-gold coloured mattress covering an area equal to a typical Earth dwelling - affording Samis a bonus view of her rippling shoulder blade muscles and the dead straight line of her jet black hair across the back of her tall, broad neck.

She worked the buttons of a hand communicator she had on the floor. On the large thought imaging screen high above the bed Samis watched the loop of their most recent lovemaking, rolling all over the expansive surface and being automatically turned back in again whenever they got too close to one of its edges. But they had turned the sound play off. Tonda's 'Orgstar Meter' mounted on the wall immediately above the bed-head - “It came as an introductory gift from a Domo club ...” - still displayed their most recent (and highest yet!) score of 8.8.

A few Earth-seconds later, and the silver coloured screen of the entry port monitor flashed on. A younger than average drone in one of their familiar white smocks stood revealed. Samis looked again. “Hey, I know that one! Well, that is to say he tried saying something to me in the corridor just before I got here today.”

Tonda glanced up at the monitor, then pushed the entry port lock remote control. “Really? It's the one I don't like. Nimro his name is.” She raised the hand communicator to her mouth. “Beaker: Green liquid: Reception Quarter: To Mating Quarter.”

Samis was greatly surprised. “You know a drone by name? Why don't you like him, Ton?”

Tonda resumed an upright sitting pose, and looked sideways down at Samis. Her right shoulder and mammaries loomed high from his angle of vision. “I ran a check on him at Zone Security (Drones) five cyclots ago. I've no official contacts there, but one's mother isn't a retired Lieutenant-General for nothing. He thinks bad thoughts.”

“Bad thoughts?”

“Very.” A single electronic 'beep' came from the Mating Quarter's entry port. Tonda immediately re-raised the hand communicator to her mouth. “Wait!”

“As a mere earthling I can't of course understand at first hand the way Arelians communicate by telepathy. But surely, Ton, not even a drone can be condemned just for thinking?”

Tonda eyed him grimly. Samis was both surprised at this sudden and hitherto unknown Tonda emotion, and more than a little intrigued by it. “That drone is a sex pest. You understand what I'm saying?”

“I think I follow you.” Samis couldn't resist a grin. “You've never been tempted then, I take it?”

Tonda's expression hardened as fast as Samis realized his error. “I am a serving army officer of Military Class High Noble Birth from the House of Tona-Zendarra! I do not sleep with drones!”

Samis rapidly raised himself into a sitting position alongside her. “No, of course you don't. I still have much to learn about Planet Aeralia. Please Tonda, to pardon the ignorance of my last remark.”

To Samis' not inconsiderable relief the white teeth flashed as the smile creases re-appeared to the sides of Tonda's mouth. “We both have much to learn of one another yet, Earthling. More than you could ever imagine I think. And that's part of the fun really, don't you think?”

Samis maneuvered himself up into a kneeling posture alongside her, and reached across to place a sincere kiss upon her star tanned cheek. “I am truly sorry, Tonda. We're friends still?”

Tonda turned her head and gifted him back two of her own, one in the region of his right eye socket, the other squarely on the bridge of his nose. “Friends and much more besides, Earthling!” At close quarters the true proportions of Tonda's features relative to his own became more than ever apparent to Samis.

Samis sought to affect a suitably light-hearted reply. “Yes, ma'am!”

Mentally though Samis admonished himself for his careless crassness. He really didn't think himself worthy of her at all at times like this. And besides, even in a situation such as theirs two major worlds were still exploring relatively new contact.

A second electronic 'beep' came from the closed port. “I said wait didn't I!” Tonda turned back to Samis. “So what did that drone say to you in the corridor earlier?”

“Nothing in truth. Just seemed to step into my path. I walked by him anyway. He might have called out 'Diplomat!' after me. But that was all.”

“Hmm ...” Tonda's brows knitted for a few microts. Samis observed her expression altering to one of conspiratorial scheming. “Now, about learning more of one another, yeah? How'd you like to see a different side of me you've not encountered so far?”

Samis was a little taken aback by the bluntness of the question. But still very much intrigued by it. “Uh, yes? What would this different side be called then?”

Tonda laughed, perfect teeth flashing. “Oh ... let's call her ... 'Bad Girl' ...!”

Tonda took Samis' face firmly between her hands. He must have kissed with her literally hundreds of times by now, but what followed was electrifying as never before! And its effect upon his only recently marathoned loins was as immediate as it was scarcely believable!

And then, quite as suddenly, Tonda stopped again.

She flung back a hand to manually re-activate the ridiculous Orgstar device. It began to make its familiar sounds and issue its pheromone scents. Samis felt the first co-ordinated vibrations coming through his buttocks from the surface of the bed. Then to Samis' first bewilderment and then horror Tonda used her telepathic override to raise the shield over the light portal maybe a couple of inches from the floor. An auto alarm at once began whooping loudly.

“Tonda! What the hell are you doing? That's illegal! It's Gold Sky Time now, and will soon be Red!”

The floor of the Mating Quarter and the lowest parts of its walls were at once flooded by a carpet of intensely bright golden light. Samis instinctively screwed up his eyes and tried to look away.

“Enter ...!” Samis heard the hum of the entry port opening. Followed by a smashing of glass and the clatter of a metallic tray. To his utter relief he also made out the unmistakable hum and clunk of the light portal shield snapping shut once more. The alarm abruptly ceased. Samis re-opened his eyes. The hapless drone Nimro stood rooted by the port, the bright green panni juice liquid from the dropped beaker splashed down the lower part of his smock. Auto re-programmed now not to look at the floor until re-configured, he was instead compelled to watch wide eyed and open mouthed the action taking place on the mating platform in front of him.

Up on the wall the seductive, feminine tones of the Orgstar announced: 'Advanced Lovers Level Four. Programme Two. Initiating ...' Faster than Samis had ever known her to do it before Tonda pulled him to her and locked her legs around him with an emphatic click of their joints. Her mouth and tongue which seemed to be everywhere at once momentarily fetched up by his left ear: “Now,” came her jubilant hiss, “let's see if we can't really blow that little shit's bad thoughts right into the heart of Great Mother Star!”

Samis could scarcely believe what she'd just done - yet alone her motive for doing it! The total, absolute cow! Yet, as his wildly racing thoughts were persisting in telling him, if were possible to right now he knew that he'd be grinning from ear to ear right along with her! And wickedly cruel as the whole maneuver undoubtedly was, the revelation that Tonda had orchestrated it certainly made for one hell of a further turn-on ... as if any could actually be necessary where she was concerned anyway!

They set of together around the vast platform once more, not rolling this time but somersaulting in their ecstatic union! In a tiny corner of Samis' all but overwhelmed senses a further realization was arrived at: Never mind about Quinn, the sneak Garrard, The Trade Mission, the authorities back on Earth. Never mind about anything at all. That he was in love - heart, body, mind and soul - madly - insanely - in love with this incredible being was all that mattered now, and ever would matter for all of time.

Pushing their enforced audience from his mind, Samis caught a deep breath and set about applying himself to giving her the most memorable experience of her life to date.