Alien Mine Ch. 15

Yaneta believed her about the pain. She got out of bed and walked to a mirror, concerned they had left marks on her body and Dmitri would see. Her nipples looked swollen, but there were no marks other than the ring. She would tell Dmitri she got it as a surprise for him.

What to do about Nikita, though, how to keep him from Nelya. She shuddered at the thought of the pain she was promised if anything more happened to her. Nevertheless, she did know she was going to obey her orders, Nelya was off-limits, and somehow she had to stop Nikita from hurting her as well. Why they cared about that stupid slut she didn't know, but Yaneta would obey. Reaching down and touching the ring, she felt it push against her clit, even more now sensitive than it had been. It hurt, but it weirdly felt good too. Laying there trying to forget about last night, she tried to figure out an explanation that would explain her lack of pubic hair and the ring to Dmitri.

Rhys stood by the bar in the living room with his arms folded, looking off in the distance, drink in hand, not letting Bob kill the alcohol. Rhys didn't like the thoughts churning through his head; they meant that he'd crossed a forbidden line, one based on his most basic beliefs. He was afraid he was becoming what the Drans had originally intended, a warrior driven by hatred and a lust to slaughter his enemies and to grow stronger no matter what by forcing the symbiont on innocents. He'd cast aside his own rules of behavior and knew he was going to have to do so again.

None of the other women had a choice either, but they had been gentle or even willing seductions, but this had been different. This time there was an eagerness in him, a craving that needed to be filled. Part of him had reveled in his forceful domination, knowing he was creating another human/symbiont who would have to obey him. However, the driving need within him to be the 'One' had felt nothing but deep satisfaction, and the drive to dominate was strong and getting stronger. He had felt the fire within threatening to consume him when he took Yaneta, fucked her, raped her.

It would be easy to give in to the urge again, to turn her into a traditional Drans warrior that only existed to obey his commands. Rhys wasn't sure what drove his creators to devise a system like that, but slaves never made good warriors, cannon fodder perhaps, but not warriors. Rhys had often wondered if that's what he would have become if the Om had not intervened. Of course, he had no real idea what the Drans actually had in store for him, but based upon what he knew of them, he may not have liked it no matter their intentions.

"If you have overcome your inclination and not been overcome by it, you have reason to rejoice," Kiania said, walking into the living room. She came over to Rhys, took his drink out of his hand, took a sip, and then pressed herself against him.

"Where did you learn that," he asked with a smile.

"Titus Maccius Plautus, an older roman playwright. I came across several things of interest studying the campaigns of the Romans."

"And have I overcome my inclination?"

"Yes, you are tempted, but you resist. You love too much, love us too much for that to happen," she said, pressing herself closer, kissing him on the neck.

"Did Sandy send you?"

"Yes, she, we all knew you would be having second thoughts about Yaneta. You shouldn't, you know, she deserves much worse. It's ok that you enjoyed it, I think we all did except Bao perhaps, but even she used Yaneta. We all wanted to see her punished, and you could have made it worse. You didn't have to let us give off all those pheromones or let Sandy manipulate her emotions like that. It would have been much harder for her without it. You alleviated much of what she would have experienced if it was only us women."

"Why is that?"

"You know well that women are much more vindictive than men. If left to us, Yaneta would have gotten only degradation and shame, with a healthy dose of pain. Instead, she got her punishment, but not the emotional scars we would have given her. We know you, even though you will kill her if necessary, you don't want to. You hide it, but inside you want Yaneta to become a better person, one you might eventually love."

Rhys smiled ruefully, "perhaps," he said, ``but part of me, that part of being the 'One' wanted it; no, it was more than that; it demanded that I give her a symbiont and make her submit."

"However, you didn't give in."

"Not completely, but I enjoyed it, I enjoyed forcing her, and that scares me."

"It shouldn't. Yaneta deserved far worse, and you know we all enjoyed it; you weren't the only one. Nevertheless, we didn't let it overwhelm us; we knew what we were doing and what happened to Yaneta was measured; controlled. It should achieve the desired goal of protecting Nelya; remember that. Besides, watching you like that made us all aroused. Of course, you play games with us, with Amancia, but you are never as dominating as you were then. It touched something inside me, probably the others, exciting in ways I had not expected; even when you were paying me to be your whore you did not use me like that."

"I know; I never wanted to hurt you."

"No, you don't know. You gave me a life with meaning, and you love me, something I never expected, and for that, I will always love you more than life itself. However, when I watched you taking Yaneta, sensed the beast, your dragon inside you, I wanted to be her right then. I wanted to be taken that way, to be yours so completely, and I wasn't the only one," she said with a smile. Kiania kissed him gently, handed him back his drink, and turned to walk out of the room. "Leslie," she said, looking over her shoulder. "She is very confused. She linked immediately afterward with Amancia, and they have been very quiet. You need to find some time to talk to her."

***

"So, anything new with our mysterious rescuers?" the Mossad Director asked.

"A couple of things," Joseph answered. First, we have gone over and over the video, and one thing stands out. These two women came in last, shot the one holding Mika less than a 10^th of a second after the man did. Unprofessional, as you noted, since he was already dead or dying, but then they covered the rest of the room, killing everyone before they could get a shot off. We think they had to know in advance where everyone in the room was, suggesting some kind of surveillance that we didn't pick up. Also, watch the order the other six men are killed."

"What's important about that?" he asked.

"Note how they split up the room. Somehow the two of them divided up the targets in the most efficient way possible, and each of the terrorists was killed with a single shot, most to the head.

You can review every record we and the army have of situations in confined spaces, and it never goes as straightforward or as planned. This was so efficient it was like swatting flies, and the one whose head was chopped off, well, it was like that stroke had been practiced for years. We've refined the video a bit; watch the woman with the sword." Even in slow motion, it seemed to just appear in her hand. Joseph stopped the video. "There," he said, see, it's like the blade is springing out of the handle." The woman was turning, her hand moving upward as the edge extended, her movements smooth and sure. The video moved frame by frame. Now it's almost a meter long, and she swings it backhanded, but it cuts through his neck and spine as if it's paper."

"So we're back to the alien hypothesis," he asked sarcastically.

"No, we just don't know how they did that. Those were definitely women; we just don't know where they came from. So we have been following up on the Miranda Group as you requested, and the interesting thing about it is the complete silence from our American friends."

"Why, there is plenty they don't tell us and vice versa."

"Because we were asked as part of a search several months ago about Miranda, but now they are silent, our inquiries go nowhere. In addition, one of their high-level directors was actively involved in the search and has fallen completely off the radar. Rumors suggest the former Director of Clandestine Services was involved and is no longer there. She was also tied to the rumors concerning the robots in Iraq, and there were unexplained attacks on her more recently."

"What about here? We know this man, a former army officer Rhys Smith who appears to be the CEO, has been meeting with Mika, and there are several new investments."

"Ahh, yes, and that individual and two more are here in town meeting with Mika as we speak."

"Is she covered?"

We have surveillance gear covering her apartment and her office. We also have two teams following them."

What about this name, the 'Miranda Group'? Where does it come from? Isn't that a character in a Shakespeare play?" the Director said suddenly.

"Yes, it's also the name of one of Uranus's moons."

That bit of information made him pause. Something in his mind clicked, some memory that suddenly came to him. "Remember that sudden pulse of light everyone reported last year? Do we know anything about it?"

"I don't know; let me check." Joseph searched his computer, looking for the files. "Here it is, still unexplained, possibly two asteroids colliding though there is no firm evidence to support the conclusion. There have not been any other sightings since then."

"Where was it located?" He asked carefully.

"Just a second, it looks like it was in the outer solar system, out toward Uranus," Joseph said.

The director didn't like that answer; it was too coincidental. Miranda orbited Uranus. He thought for a minute staring off into space.

"OK, keep me informed, and let's not get caught spying on our own government. I'd like to keep my job." The director walked back to his office, lost in thought. It seemed impossible, but so was what had happened. I would like to meet this man Rhys Smith, he thought.

***

Major Jack Miller ducked and jumped as gunfire pinged off his armor. First section left he ordered, heavy drones forward, cover right," he added while jumping what he would have considered an impossible distance just a week ago.

"They are pushing our center," Captain Cunningham said, the tension in her voice evident.

"Second section, fall back and cover center, first section, pivot right, use drones to cover rear." The Major watched as his center section of five men was decimated in seconds; the Trangrods, "roaches' as they were known, overwhelmed the center before they could fall back. Cursing, he pulled the first section back, but it was too late; the five men in the center had been overwhelmed and killed. God Damn-it he muttered under his breath as the simulation came to a close. They were so fast, he wasn't used to the quickness of his opponent. Humans moved slower, the aliens much, much quicker. At least the woman, 'Major Kiania, didn't smile or look condescending.

"Good," she said, "your timing is improving. It takes a while to get used to the speed of the battlefield and using the powered armor. Amanda, good job coordinating the drones, but the integration between you and the Major needs work. The drones can support us and be sacrificed when needed, Major, but if you let a section get isolated, they will always lose against the Trangrods. Think of the Trangrods like enemy mini armored vehicles, but ones that move much faster. They are not that smart, so learning to anticipate their moves is critical. Now let's go over the battle in detail."

The Major parked his ego, swallowed his pride, and went through the fight with Kiania. It was difficult to admit, but she was much better at this than he was. Her grasp of tactics surprised him; she had an intuitive understanding of how to fight the Trangrods. The captain was doing an excellent job with the drones, but, again, she was better at it than he was, quicker to see the utility provided by these mobile assault units. She had been surprised at the intelligence built into them, and they had been told the next upgrade would help their independence.

Jack and Amanda sat down with Kiania to critique the scenario; a hologram sprang up at the wave of her hand as she started leading them through the failed attack. The major was still in awe of Kiania; after seeing them in action, superhuman didn't begin to describe it, but he was determined to master the new weapons and tactics. He listened as she dissected the battle; at least I am being taught by a beautiful woman. She was better looking than any instructor he had ever had. They still had a lot of work to do, the first ten men would be arriving in four days, and they needed to be ready to train them.

Amanda watched Kiania equally fascinated, and she agreed with the Major; Kiania was smart, smarter than anyone she had ever known. The uniforms Kiania wore fit her like a glove, and you could see the muscles move as she flowed through the exercises. Moreover, she carried herself with an irresistible grace that belied the strength underneath. Amanda had known soldiers, but never anyone so deadly and so sexy and beautiful at the same time.

There was something special about Kiania, all of them, she didn't know exactly what it was, but they were all so beautiful. The way they walked, smiled, and interacted with each other; it was like they were all lovers or something. Amanda found herself very attracted to them, but it was a strange arrangement, the women and one man. They all seemed to be madly in love with Rhys from what she had seen, but that was unlikely. That many women fawning over one man would surely result in jealous fights, but instead, they all seemed very happy with the arrangement, whatever it was. Amanda focused on what Kiania was saying, but in the back of her mind, she wondered how she could become like her.

***

Rhys had to admit their new jet was awesome. Fully convertible from an attack jet to an ultra-luxurious corporate jet, complete with a Miranda logo on the tail. The plane could fly itself because Thea had built in an AI. Kiania had surprised him by wanting to learn to fly it and had appointed herself the new pilot. It made sense since she was generally along for security. The shuttle had completed its repairs, and the AI seemed fully functional again. Sandy still preferred direct contact but now could turn over control to the AI when she wanted to. "We need to make a supply run to Miranda, it's livable now, but it needs a human touch. Can you spare a fabricator? We need to reproduce the spaces we have here."

"Sure, they are underutilized right now; we really don't use them to capacity for our own needs." The AI is the problem, though, we have one there, but it's not nearly as capable. I don't know if I can reproduce the one from the base, but I can try, "she said while running through the implications in her mind.

"How is Bao doing," he asked, looking at Bao and Mei, who were focused on a hologram full of equations arranged three-dimensionally.

"Fine," she said laughing, "as you know well."

"Mei was very insistent we recruit her and yet was reluctant once she got here. Also, there is something different between Bao and Mei and Mei and the rest of you." Rhys said with concern in his voice.

"You mean sexually? Thea said with a grin.

"Yes, but it is more than that. I know you try and involve Bao, but Mei is more comfortable when she is not involved, especially sexually," Rhys added. "But otherwise, they seem to be just fine."

"I know," Thea agreed, "Bao is unhappy about it; she feels rejected sometimes."

Rhys nodded, "It's going to be your problem; it's your team, so think about how to solve it. When Bao's symbiont matures, you can try ordering them."

Thea looked at in surprise, "I am going to be in control of both of them?"

"Of course, you already are in control of Mei; she does what you say. I never told you, but Mei has been under your control for some time now. Surely you noticed, I have seen the two of you together; Mei is eager to please you, Bao will also be," he said firmly.

"I want you to build them into a team; the three of you will be working on Miranda soon enough. You will lead the effort to reproduce the Drans technology, to build the kind of ships we need to defend Earth. Miranda will initially be a research station, but it will also be the primary base to protect against the Om. Hundreds of scientists and engineers will be working there in a few years, and you three will provide the core knowledge."

"Right now, we need weapons to exterminate them from the Earth, but later we will need the ability to explore the surrounding stars and craft weapons capable of defeating the Home Hive Nests'. Bao's symbiont will mature in a few days, and I will tie them both to you," Rhys said while carefully watching Thea's symbiont. The response surprised him; it was entirely different from Sandy or Leslie. Eagerness, ambition, excitement, but no challenge, nothing like Rhys had expected. "What do you think, beautiful," Rhys had been sharing the conversation with Sandy as he usually did.

"She is different from us; her focus is building things. Her ambition lies not in power, but rather in the creation of things," Sandy said. "You were right to give her this control, I wonder what talents she will develop, or will it be the three of them that develop together?"

"I have no idea," he said, holding a suddenly very enthusiastic Thea in his arms.

"What are we going to do about the Mossad? They are getting suspicious after the rescue; they learned a lot more about us than I expected?"

"I know," Rhys said, "and now they are suspicious of Mika, though Leslie is monitoring the situation, but it is becoming difficult. We may have to pay the director a visit like we did Carl."

"Mika's symbiont is growing; it won't be long before it matures. She is starting to notice changes to her body, sleeping less, and increased energy. She needs to be told soon before the changes become too great to brush aside," Sandy said.

"I agree, so we will pick her up next week in our new jet and bring her here for a few days. After that, we need to set up our satellite system and place the new weapons in orbit."

"Rhys," Sandy said in a playful voice. "I have been a good girl lately; I think I deserve a reward."

"I agree," he said with a laugh, "bring Kania with you."

"Yes, Sir," she replied," right away."

Rhys looked down on what appeared to be a demarcation line between the Om infestation in Kazakhstan and anything living. All that was left was a line of bleached sticks, remnants of trees, like the bones of desiccated land animals long ago devoured by predators and left to bleach in the sun. Inside the boundary, there was nothing. Not even a blade of grass marred the bleakness. "This is what the earth will look like if we lose," he said to everyone.

He had chosen this one to test their tactics against. The drones stayed well back; Rhys did not want to provoke a reaction yet; he wanted everything in place first. The Om had been too quiet, and while he wasn't ready to strike, he wanted their attention focused, and he needed an idea of what to expect from these new nests. When in doubt, provoke. It was a principle he had learned in Afghanistan, and it had worked for him there.

He likened these Om nests to fire ant colonies, the invasive stinging ants found throughout the southern United States. Most ant species feed on specific types of food, but fire ants will and do feed on everything, from plants and seeds to small mammals. Like the Om, they form nests in the ground, usually containing thousands. After learning several painful lessons as a child, Rhys knew to stand back and poke the nest with a stick to see if it was still alive. That was what he intended to do here.