Alien Mine Ch. 07a

"No, we need her; she will play a pivotal role in the immediate future. But we need to be careful, remember, the people we choose will be with us for a long time if Bob is correct about how long we will live."

"We can't exactly ask for volunteers," Sandy pointed out, "if word got out, we would be attacked from every direction. Every government in the world would want to get their hands on us."

"You are right, of course," said Rhys, "but I want to limit recruitment; we need to evaluate the necessity of each one carefully."

Rhys could manipulate Kiania's emotions a little, and he had been doing it ruthlessly. Molding her behavior. It was much more effective than he had expected. The rewards, not just the sex, but the emotional tweaking he was doing was like a drug to her. Kiania craved it now and seemed willing to do whatever it took to get it.

She had gone from the willing whore to almost devoted lover. Not really a lover yet, but she worked so hard for his approval.

"It scares me how easy this is, you know, what I am doing to Kiania."

Sandy looked into his eyes for a moment; some part of her wishing it was she controlling Kiania. Shaking away the weird thought, she sat in his lap, straddling his legs, her lips almost touching his. The physical contact made her feel better as it always did.

"I know," she replied, "but it is necessary. It's strange, but I would have killed her without thought the first night if you had decided that was the right thing to do. I still would if you order me to, of course, but I don't want to now. The practical side of me says we need her, she is a killer, and her skill can help us. The emotional side of me likes her; likes her a lot, Rhys. I want her to stay, become one of us.

"I know, that's the danger in something like this. It's hard to be so intimate with someone and then kill them."

"Yes, but remember that's what she did, several times. I wonder how many people she killed."

"Bob thinks ten though it could be more. He scoured the records, but much of it is not digital, so who knows."

"You like her anyway, though, I can tell. You have made an excellent impression on her. I mean, in between orgasms, she is running combat exercises and not even complaining about it. Either she is an excellent actor, or she wants to impress you."

"The latter, I hope." Rhys paused for a moment, thinking about what Sandy had said. Reaching inward, he probed Sandy's emotions, looking for some clue, something to guide him with Kiania.

"Hmmm, that's so nice," she said, moving against him as she felt like something was softly brushing her mind.

Hold still for a second," he said with a smile, "more of that later, but let me check something." Rhys could see the emotions in Sandy; he was getting better at this. It looked like colored swirls, strong brush strokes, and lightly feathered lines looping around. The intense emotions were easy to pick out, love for him, and her current arousal, bright reds, and greens, pinks mixed in with ties running to what he guessed was Amancia. Different colors there, some browns, but lots of reds. There was another set that must be Kiania. Neutral colors with some yellows and pinks, still a tinge of black, though.

The colors were only an indication, but it seemed the ones associated with Kiania were becoming brighter. What was clear was that the emotional ties were strong. Certainly with Rhys and Amancia but even with Kiania. More substantial than he would expect from the short time Kiania had been with them. Am I doing this, or is it a result of the symbiont? Rhys sighed, knowing there was no right answer. He knew that soldiers who bonded together were more effective and fought harder because they were fighting for each other.

Ancient Thebes used elite units made solely of gay lovers. Only men, of course, but they recognized that men fought harder for their loved ones. The units had proven effective. He wondered if this was how the Drans constructed their combat teams; if the Symbiont's bound them emotionally. From what Bob had been able to tell him, it did not seem that way.

That worried him. He had been involved with Sandy before the symbionts, and he naturally fell in love with Amancia; at least that's what he thought. What if these emotions were not real, or, instead, they were a result of the symbiont? Rhys wasn't sure he would be able to tell the difference. But the more significant concern was being able to put women he loved in danger. What if he loved everyone he recruited, how could he possibly send them out to die against the Om? Would he fall in love with Leslie as well? He wondered, wincing at the thought. What a mess. He would need some long conversations with Bob, a symbiont who still had no real understanding of human emotions. Rhys could feel a headache coming on at the thought.

Sandy's arousal had not gone away, and Rhys' body began to respond despite his morbid thoughts. Pulling his mind back, he lifted Sandy's head from his shoulder and kissed her. "Come on,'' he said, "let's find the other two. I want to watch you, three girls, together. Rhys could feel the quick flash of lust in response to his words. It seemed Sandy liked the idea as well.

***

Rhys had been pushing everyone's training as hard as possible. He was sure the Om would attack again, and they had to be ready. Amancia and Sandy had grasped the tac grid's potential, learning to communicate threats, targets, and even information instantly.

During combat training, Amancia started talking to him over the tactical grid, or perhaps more appropriately, the tactical network. Rhys had Bob controlling the maintenance bots acting as targets. Suddenly Amancia was telling him what she was seeing and suggesting an attack strategy. She wasn't talking over the come gear; it was direct.

Rhys replied the same way without thinking.

"What the fuck," Sandy said as Rhys and Amancia were suddenly speaking to her, but nothing came through the com gear.

Suddenly all three voices were in everyone's head as they all tried to talk.

"Hold on a second, stop talking," Rhys ordered verbally. "Bob, what just happened?"

"Direct communication via the Symbionts. Your mates have matured enough to allow direct communication."

"How is that possible," asked Amancia, broadcasting to Rhys and Sandy.

"Just as I have been able to speak with you. My clones have developed enough to facilitate communication between us. Previously I could only communicate to you, a one-way road to use a human analogy. Now communications are flowing both ways."

"Wow," said Sandy, "how does this work?"

"Quantum level exchanges of data. That is the way a Drans commander controls a combat team."

"Yes, I can see how it would be effective. Why did it just start?"

"The symbionts have been maturing faster now, and as they reach a level of complexity, it just happens spontaneously. I was aware that this improvement was imminent. Combat effectiveness will be improved."

That's an understatement, Rhys thought.

After experimenting for a few days, he found that they could hold conversations through the tactical grid. It was not telepathy, he could not read their minds, but they did not have to use the communication devices. It was as though they were uplinked through a computer, which in a sense they were. Normal conversation but only with their minds, symbiont to symbiont communication, their thoughts relayed. Not just thoughts, but emotions as well.

"Bob, you said the symbionts are maturing faster now. Does that include Kiania?"

"Yes. I made changes to my clones. However, that does not explain all the faster growth. I do not fully understand the ramifications of the mating process with humans. Still, her development is faster than the other two mates."

Rhys was already much more sensitive to her emotions. He was able to manipulate them with more precise control than he had with the others initially.

"What's going on?" Kiania asked as the comms had suddenly gone silent.

"Just a comms problem," Rhys said. "Now, where were we? Just a second while I start the sequence again."

***

*****

"What do you think?" Amancia asked, standing there in a black mat armor.

Rhys's first thought was the armor would be too heavy to move in, but the design was deceptive. As he looked closer, he could see that it was thin and a deep non-reflective black. The helmet was similar enough to current models, except Amancia's entire face was covered. Only her eyes were visible. A visor that looked like large sunglasses could drop over her eyes. He could even tell it was a woman inside.

"That's incredible; how were you able to make this. I have never seen anything like it."

"Amancia has been designing clothes," Sandy said. "So Bob was able to use the fabricators to make the armor out of a version of the Drans smart metal. A poor imitation of the shuttle's armor, but much stronger than what we had."

"With Bob's help, I redesigned the armor to make it lighter, more flexible, and able to withstand the equivalent of a 50 caliber machine gun bullet," Amancia said proudly.

"Why black?" Rhys asked.

"For nighttime operations. I can make it in different colors, even camouflage if you want."

"I don't suppose we could add some of the stealth that the shuttle uses?"

"Not until we figure out some of the tech, for now, it will have to be separate gear."

"How light is it," Rhys asked, concerned?

"Light enough for a normal Human. Kiania will be able to wear it if that is what you are worried about."

"I was, but that also means we could scale it up, make it much stronger for us."

"I don't see why not," Amancia said. "But it will take time. I am still learning, and material strengths are not my specialty."

"How many sets of armor did you make?"

"This is the first one; if it tests out well, I will start on the others."

"How long does it take," Rhys asked?

"A few days each."

"Well then, let's run it through as many tests as we can. I want all of us in armor when we go after Nazir.

"You have been working on the rifles as well," Sandy asked?

"I have," Rhys said. "The new rounds will go through anything but a battle tank. I upgraded the grenade launcher as well. I just hope it is good enough for any surprises the Om throw at us."

"We need an engineer," Sandy said. "I think the sooner, the better."

"Yeah," Rhys paused for a minute; his thoughts seemed to be jumbled like he was unable to make a choice. What's the matter, he thought as his mind seemed to be racing. It was as if he couldn't make a decision.. but then his mind chose, and everything seemed normal. "Get her here as soon as you can. Time to quit screwing around," he said decisively.

Rhys' statement surprised himself as much as it did Sandy and Amancia. He had been so hesitant about recruiting just the day before. "Get her here as soon as you can," was clearly an order.

"Yes, Sir," Sandy and Amancia replied, wondering what had changed.

At least the girls will be better protected in the new armor, he thought. But he did not intend to rely only on their rifles and armor; Sandy would be providing air cover in the shuttle. That should be able to handle any surprises.

Bob was pleased. It had not been able to directly influence its host before. When Rhys' mind warred with itself over the decision, he was able to exert influence. His host did not seem aware.

"That's strange," Amancia said to Sandy. "One minute, he is worried about recruiting, and the next, he wants an engineer here immediately."

I know, but we have to follow his commands. I will see about getting the one we discussed here for an 'interview' as soon as possible."

"At least it feels good following commands," Amancia said with a sigh.

"That it does," Sandy replied, "that it does."

...

Kiania enjoyed the training, it was hard work, and Rhys drove them all day and into the night. Night tactics were critical she thought to herself; that's when she had done most of her work as well. She had known a little about guns, how to shoot. But had always preferred a knife for her kills; it was more personal that way like her uncle. She thought about him every time she had killed a man, picturing him instead of whomever the victim was.

What she could not understand was why she was doing this. She was hired to be a whore, but here she was training as if for combat and enjoying it. She had not signed on for this. But every time Rhys told her to do something, she swore her ovaries jumped for joy.

But Kiania felt like she was drowning in indecision. Rhys was the problem, and Sandy and Amancia, she guessed. Surprisingly she did not resent them nearly as much, a little jealous still. But after all, I am having sex with them regularly now, Kiania mused. Even the defenses that she had erected years ago to protect herself were beginning to crumble. I am in love with Rhys; she finally admitted to herself. It seemed stupid; she had barely known him for ten days.

God, what am I going to do? She asked herself? And this morning, she just couldn't help herself. The others had a ritual. They kissed each other and said, I love you- even the two girls. She had never participated, but suddenly she leaned in and kissed Rhys after the other two.

And then Sandy had said do we get one too, and leaned in and kissed her. Then Amancia as well. She couldn't understand it; it just felt so good. Then Rhys called her a good girl, and she got so excited.

"Makes you hot, doesn't it," Sandy had said with a smile, and then Rhys took her in his arms and fucked her.

Later that day, Kiania swallowed her pride and decided to talk to Amancia about it. She was less intimidating than Sandy.

***

The director for clandestine activities sat at her desk, going over the last few days in her mind. Incredible did not even begin to describe it. She could not have imagined a more unlikely scenario, and she was starting to wonder about her sanity.

She had not told anyone what happened, just that the woman got into the window and gave her the USB drive. She was vague and would not answer any other questions, finally just glaring at everyone and telling them to stop asking.

The thought of the alien symbiont weighed heavily. Guilt plagued her. It was all she could do not to report it even though she was duty-bound to do so. Could it all have been an elaborate ruse to keep her quiet? Was she playing into their hands? Was it a danger? That seemed obvious, but still. Why go to the trouble to seduce her like that? They could have just given her a shot or put it in her coffee.

Fuck, I want to talk to Rhys and ask him some questions, preferably from behind a pistol pointed at his head. Leslie had come to one decision; she wanted more information. Her deputy knocked and stepped into her office.

"Rick, get me everything you can find on someone known as Rhys Smith. Look for any connection to a woman named Sandy and another named Amancia, no last names. Do it all off-site, no trace back to the agency, and no records."

"Ok," he nodded with only a slightly raised eyebrow. "I will get someone on it immediately, perhaps Rachel; she is good with a challenge."

"Fine, but just keep this between the three of us, no one else, no electronic records."

Rick just nodded. His boss had been acting funny since Kansas City, he didn't know what was going on, but he knew when to obey an order.

"We did find something on that company you asked about, Miranda Group? Pretty grandiose name, but they do not seem to have any assets we can track down. They have been making acquisitions or at least investments—Nordic Missile Systems in Norway and Enterprise Arms Manufacturing here in the US. We think a drone manufacturer located in Israel. There may be others, but they hide the transactions very well."

"We can't tell if they own the companies outright or are just investing. There were also rumors of an investment in a couple of start-up companies aimed at mining asteroids, one here and one in Europe, and some nibbles at Chinese companies."

Rick went on, "there is very little to go on though, they are hiding their tracks very well, but they don't have any history. It is as if they just suddenly appear and start buying medium and small arms companies."

Leslie just nodded, thinking that was an understatement.

"One other thing," Rick said, looking at her. "When NSA finally tracked down an online trace, there was only a note about a new board member."

"Well," said Leslie, "does that help us?"

"Not sure, the announcement said the new board member was Leslie Clarke, and it had your picture."

"Well fuck" said Leslie, "they are still screwing with us."

"That's not all," said Rick, "NSA could not even pull the image; it just showed up, then went away, no trace to be found."

Leslie just sat there thinking. Finally, she said, "It was a warning, quit trying to find them. By putting my picture there, they deflect attention, and now I will have to spend my time explaining that."

"Are you sure you want to pursue the information on this guy Rhys?" he asked.

"Yes, he was in the Army, and he did work for us. This section used him for two missions after he got out of the Army. I want to know everything about him, who his parents are, what he did before he went into the Army, who he slept with, everything," she said.

"Ok boss, I will sick Rachel on it," he said.

"Wait, I want a complete rundown on those companies you mentioned. Look for any changes to board members, significant hires, etc. Let's rip them apart."

"Ok, I will ask our contacts as SEC and the FBI, perhaps the defense department as well.

"Great, keep me informed," Leslie said, dismissing him.

Leslie sat there, thinking about what she was doing. Fuck she thought, he has gotten into my head. Professionally she wanted to know everything about this man; Leslie was all about preparation; knowing your enemy allowed you to anticipate and counter their actions.

But she had to admit she also wanted to know more about the man who had made love to her, who had made her want to masturbate every time she thought about what happened. It was embarrassing, but her sex drive had shifted into overdrive.

She had never had sex like that, her body completely out of control. And those other women!

It made her blush thinking about how she had even had sex with them. "Shit," she swore as a vision of Sandy's pussy, the clit ring, and her tongue sprang into her mind. I can't believe I did that; what got into me? Rhys did, over and over. Oh, God, she said again as she could not stop herself from replaying those moments. Rhys had mounted her from behind, and there had been a tongue swirling around her clit. Leslie knew the tongue belonged to a woman, but right then, she did not care.

She had been so hot, so out of control. "More, please more," she remembered moaning, her cries hoarse and guttural as Rhys pushed that wonderful cock inside her. She had thrust back, shamelessly, "Deep, I want it as deep as it will go." She cried out in shock and lust as Rhys thrust hard into her, filling her pussy and her mind as she couldn't think about anything else.

"Fuck me, Fuck me," Please, she had begged, and laughing Rhys had obliged. The tongue on her clit continued to circle, then licking her clit. Vaguely she wondered who it belonged to but hadn't cared, her mind lost under the assault on her body and the delightful smells. That was when Sandy was suddenly in front of her, her pussy inches from her face. Then Sandy's hands were guiding her face into the wet sex.

"Lick her," she heard Rhys say. Leslie wasn't into women and just shook her head. "Please, Rhys, I'm about to cum," she said instead with a loud moan. His hands gripped her hips holding her still as his clock slid out of her channel. She mewled in frustration, arching her back, wanting the cock in her. The tongue on her clit was withdrawn, and she wiggled, trying to make contact with it.