Halfbreed Ch. 10 - End of Book One

And, most maddeningly of all: she was right half the time.

She drove him nuts, argued with him constantly. She was practically a hindrance to him in all the moments when the chips weren't down.

...And she was his goddess. He worshipped at her altar. Mike looked back at the blonde creature reclining on the bed behind him again, realizing for the first time in his life that there was, in fact, something in this galaxy that he was more afraid of losing than his beloved Halfbreed.

"Aly," He said, staring at his clenched hands as if they might somehow provide an answer to the impossible question floating through his mind. "I'm gonna say something to you, and I need you to listen."

Mike sighed. "I know why the Gwaith Tracking Authority assigned you to me: because working with a human as your direct superior for the last three years was meant to make you angry. You were supposed to chafe and grumble at being ordered around by some alien a third your age, instead of one of your own."

"I don't know what you did to piss off those people, but you know what? Those stuck up pricks were absolutely right about me."

Mike felt his chest constrict. "It's all my fault. I should never have dragged you into this. I'm your Captain, I have a responsibility to you to teach you everything I know about piloting a ship, running a legitimate business and managing a crew. Instead I've managed to crash my ship, implicate you in an illegal smuggling scheme, and almost get us both killed. All in the last week."

"I can't keep playing this game with you; I'm not going to ruin your life and your future career for the sake of a few years of fun." He shook his head, "We have an out: I make one vid-call to the Tracking Authority explaining what happened, how you had no idea about the shield generator till after we crash-landed on Votar, and you can be released from my service. I take the heat, lose my license, and you get to finish your service under the tutelage of someone more qualified than me."

He felt the bedsheets rustle as she sat up on the bed. He couldn't bear to look her in the eyes in this moment.

"...Your Uncle's home planet isn't too far from here. Assuming we can ditch the green menace snoring in the room next to us and keep our heads down long enough. He could send a shuttle to pick you up in a few days, get you the hell off of Charity. I'd pay your fare, but-" Mike let out a humorless chuckle, "I'm worried that might draw the Loupian Mafia's attention."

He put his head in his hands. "Heruen help me, I never thought I'd miss the homeworld slums."

He felt something, her chest press against his back, her arms reaching around to wrap him in a hug. "Why are you so afraid?" She asked in a quiet voice in his ear.

Mike laughed, feeling his breath shudder from his chest. "I'm not afraid, you silly Elf. Haven't you been listening?"

"You're terrified." She reached her arms around his torso to gently rub against the front of his chest, feeling for his heartbeat.

"It's not fear." He repeated, swallowing his unconvincing lie down his throat.

"It is." She said simply. "Where do you think I'm going to go, Michael? Where else in the galaxy would I be, but right here by your side?"

"You'd be somewhere safer."

"I feel safe with you." she responded, turning his head to face her firm expression. Her fingertips stroked his face. "I feel safer with you than I ever have with my own people."

"Aly," Mike whispered, "You've got your whole career ahead of you. You're going to finish your Gwaith Elen, get your own ship and-"

"And do what? Live the life you've always envisioned for me? I already tried that path with my father when I was a Navy Cadet." She asked, smiling that too wide smile again,"What makes you think I'd be any happier living in the core worlds?"

"You'd have stability, for a start." Mike joked, touching the hand she'd placed against his cheek. She laughed.

"That's half the reason I love you Michael: I never know what to expect."

Mike peeled her grasping fingers off of his body, pulling them down into her lap and holding them there. "This isn't a game, Aly. We could die."

She giggled. "You're one to talk about that. You would think having a shorter lifespan would make you more careful with the time you have left."

"Aly-"

"Michael." She retorted in a tone of finality. "I'm not leaving you to deal with this mess alone."

"You think I wouldn't take the first ship off this rock if I had the option?" He shrugged, "If I had the connections you do I'd be jumping ship too. As it is, I'll probably wait till the panic dies down and buy a junker to get off world."

Allynna cocked her head and smirked. "...Oh? And where would we go afterward?"

Mike scowled at her teasing expression. "Just cause you're drunk on mushroom gunk doesn't mean you have my permission to get cute with me, Aly. You're going to your Uncle."

Allynna rolled her eyes and crawled over him, reaching over to grab the room's communicator sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. She inadvertently elbowed him in the side as she made her clumsy way through him. "Ow, dammit! What are you doing?"

"Calling my Uncle." She said firmly. "You can tell him all this yourself."

A chill ran down Mike's spine. "Aly, your Uncle's a war hero, if he finds out I got you into this mess-" But she was already dialing the number.

A streak of panic struck the hapless smuggler as he twisted and reached for the communicator. "Aly, no! You're not in your right mind!" Allynna just giggled and rolled away from him. Apparently the addled Elf still possesses just enough of her normal grace to wriggle out of his grasp. Plopping herself stomach down on the bed next to him, she held up the communicator as a face appeared on the other side of the screen.

"...Hello? Who is this?"

Mike shifted position in a hurry, taking care to avoid direct physical contact with the Elf lounging next to him on the bed.

The face on the communicator turned out to be that of a middle-aged human woman, full in the face but well built, with the body of a worker. As she stared into the communicator, she folded her sleeveless arms together over her chest. Mike could see blue work overalls poking out over her broad shoulders.

She was covered in dust, dirt smudged across her face and nose. She looked like she had just finished working outside. The woman wore her rust-red hair in a functional ponytail, and as she peered into the communicator screen, Mike could just make out the green color of her squinting, inquisitive eyes.

"Auntie Susan!" Allynna exclaimed, a smile breaking out across her face. The light of the communicator lit her happy expression in the darkness of the room.

"Goodness, is that you, Allynna?" Susan cracked a smile and let out a little laugh. "Why hello, darlin'! Been a hot minute since we last spoke, hasn't it?"

"One month and thirteen cycles, to be precise." Allynna said in a proud tone. Mike shifted uncomfortably in his seat next to her. "I have counted the days."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, sweetheart." Susan said, her loud guffaw carrying though the communicator.

It was daytime where Susan was. Mike could make out the large panorama of an expansive Elven kitchen in the background, complete with a number of large spice plants hanging from the ceiling, ripe to be picked.

Susan cocked an eyebrow and folded her arms together. "...Did you just call me 'Auntie?' Now that's a new one."

"I've missed you, An'haela." Allynna said, her hand reaching out to stroke the screen. "It has been too long since we last spoke."

Susan grinned, "Don't you pull that 'Elven melancholy' malarkey with me, dear. I have enough trouble beating it out of your Uncle when he gets into one of his moods."

Allynna brightened at the mention of her Uncle. "How is he? Is he around?"

"You just missed him, Darlin'." Susan said, gesturing out the window behind her, "The old fool headed down to Archos for a day in the city. Probably stuffing his face with Foogle paste behind my back again. I've warned him a dozen times it'll go right to his gut, but does he listen?" Susan threw her head back and laughed at the very idea.

"It's okay," Allynna said, sounding a little disappointed. "Michael and I have some business to attend to anyway so we can't talk for long. I just had something I wanted to tell you both."

"Did you, now?" Susan asked, sounding bemused. She leaned in and squinted at the screen. "Is that the man himself sitting next to you?"

"It is!" Allynna said, shoving the communicator in Mike's face excitedly. "Say hello to my An'haela, Michael."

"Hello." Mike waved nervously at the communicator as Susan squinted one eye and took in the view of him.

She let out a contemplative hum. "So this is the infamous Captain Michael Koller, is it?"

"Just Mike, actually." Mike said, flashing her his trademark winning grin.

"Ah, of course." Susan rolled her eyes. "Always with the formality. Took me damn near ten years to get my husband to stop calling me "Susana."

Mike smiled. He was already starting to like Allynna's Aunt. "Pleased to meet you, Susan. Allynna's told me a lot about you and your husband."

"Probably more about that crotchety Elf than me, I expect." Susan grinned. "She's told me a lot about you, Michael. Half of its even good."

"Y-yeah." Mike said, feeling a tightness in the collar of his shirt. He swallowed down his nervousness.

"It's good to meet you, son. I was hoping to finally put a face to the name." Susan's expression hardened, taking the look of a stern, chiding parent. "You treating my niece well?"

"I'm managing." Mike joked, "Had to use plexi-tape to tie her to the bridge of the Halfbreed the other day when she got caught up in her meditations, but she's learning."

Susan laughed. "A smartass! Lord help me, I can actually work with this one." She cocked an eyebrow, "Don't you give this man an inch, Darlin'. You might be his Mool'Gwaith, but you're the boss here.

"Yes, An'haela." Allynna said in a solemn tone before devolving into a fit of giggles.

A momentary look of concern crossed Susan's face as she noted Allynna's unusual expression of emotion. "...Whereabouts are you two driftin' now? Last I heard you were heading towards Empire space."

"We're close to there, but still in Wild Space." Mike said, "In a colonized system called Charity."

"Charity?" Susan sucked on her upper lip as she thought. "Rings a bell. Not too far from our system. Isn't that the one with the aliens? Greenskins, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes ma'am." Mike nodded. "Even met a few. They're... different."

"As I'd expect any alien to be, son." Susan said, laughing.

"More than the usual, Miss." Mike said in a solemn tone. "Allynna can tell you all about it next time you see her."

"How is she doin' by the way, Mike?" Susan said, her large lips flattening. "She seems... perky this evening."

Before Mike could cobble together a response Allynna had pulled the communicator back in front of her face. "An'haela, look!" She reached behind her neck and pulled her braid to the fore, displaying it like a trophy for her adoptive Aunt to gawk at. Susan's jaw dropped.

"Is that... Allynna are you engaged?"

"To Michael!" Allynna exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement. She took Mikes hand in hers and threaded her fingers through his own. "I wanted to wait to tell you and Uncle together, but-"

Susan broke out into a wide grin. "Darlin' that's wonderful!"

"We consummated our union last night." Allynna said in a proud tone.

"Aly!" Mike blurted out, scandalized. Susan started to belly laugh.

"And I 'spose that's why you two are spending the night in a hotel together then, eh? You sound drunk, darlin'."

"We cut loose at the engagement party." Mike said, preempting Aly from inadvertently letting out the truth. He had to get her off this call, and fast.

"I am joyful beyond words, An'haela." Allynna said, pulling Mike's face to hers and planting a kiss upon his cheek. "Michael is a wonderful mate."

"So you've said, darlin'." Susan said, chuckling. "Well hell, we need to get you two down to Zemba V to give your Uncle the good news in person!"

"I would love that." Allynna murmured, cuddling closer to Mike.

"When we finish with this latest job we'll swing by." Mike promised, hoping to close out the conversation.

Susan turned her knowing eyes to Mike's direction. "And what about you, Captain Koller? Are you prepared to make an honest woman out of my niece?"

"I'd sure as hell like to try, Ma'am." Mike said, doing his best to ignore Allynna's groping hands all over his person. "She- ah, means a great deal to me."

"She means a lot to my husband and I, too." Susan said, fixing Mike with a look that told him in no uncertain terms what would happen if he betrayed that trust. "She's like a daughter to us. More than my brother in law ever managed to be a father to her."

"Auntie!" Allynna said in a chiding voice, though her heart wasn't in the complaint. "We do not speak ill of kin to kin."

But Susan didn't back down. "You know my feelings on your Daddy, darlin'. I expect your husband-to-be does, too. Have you told him yet?"

Allynna's expression fell. "No... I planned to wait to inform mother and father until the bonding had occurred."

Susan smiled. "Till it's too late for them to do anything about it. I figured as much." She shook her head, "but that's not what I meant." She pointed at Mike through the communicator. "Have you told him about-"

"No." Allynna said, overtaking her Aunt with a rushed tone. Her words dropped to a whisper. "Not yet."

Susan's expression softened. "It's okay, darlin'; it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Ashamed of what?" Mike asked, profoundly confused.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, Captain. She will tell you when she's good and ready." The look in Susan's eye told Mike it was probably best not to press the issue. "Where are you planning to hold the family ceremony?"

"At yours and uncle's home if you would have us." Allynna replied. Mike felt the subtle shift of her body language. She pulled into his arms, her hand stroking his back in sensual circles as her other hand reached lower. Mike felt his cheeks redden; She was no longer paying much attention to the vid call. "I always enjoyed The view of the pond at sunset. I was hoping to show Michael what it was like."

Susan laughed as Mike tried to pull Allynna's hand out of his pants. "I see I'm interrupting you two. Well, I'll be sure to tell your Uncle that you called, sweetheart. He'll be tickled pink at the news."

"Thank you, An'haela." The Elf said, her eyes fixed to Mike's in a low, sexual manner.

Susan smirked and moved to hit the communicator's power button. "Have fun you crazy kids." Susan said. "I'll see you soo-" the communicator went dark as Allynna switched it off, all but shoving herself into Mikes arms as she embraced him.

And just like that the Elf was in his arms. She took him by his face as if she meant to snap his neck. But instead she planted her lips against his own, her tongue slipping between his teeth and dancing around his own. Allynna kissed him with wild abandon, like an insatiable animal she couldn't hold herself back.

Mike felt the breath steal from his lungs as he promptly forgot about the cares and worries of the day's events. An Elf's lips were a surprisingly effective motivator. Aly was moving fast, far faster than their previous two experiences. He still hadn't quite gotten used to the feeling of her delicate frame in his arms.

She was tugging at his shirt even as she did her best to devour his mouth. Mike had to pull away, falling back onto the bed with his elbows to escape her grasp. He laughed as he caught his breath, seeing the dangerous look in her eye.

"What's gotten into you?" He asked in a joking tone, "Is that dust an aphrodisiac?"

Allynna didn't answer. She stared at him with an expression approaching outright avarice. She wanted him; she wanted him in a hungry way, in a possessive way. Mike swallowed his nervousness down his throat as the Elf slinked off the bed, turning away from him walking towards the door. Mike states after her, enchanted by the noticeable sway in her hips and heart shaped ass.

Click went the lock. Allynna turned around and put her back against the door, affixing him with an intense, unblinking stare. Mike felt his cheeks redden. She reached up, taking hold of the zipper on her bodysuit and pulling it down in a single, smooth movement down to her navel.

Mike watched, transfixed as Allynna disrobed, exposing her pale skin and perky breasts. She shed the white bodysuit like a second skin above her waist, exposing herself with a casual nudity that shocked Mike to his core. She paused to run her hands down her sides, reading something in Mike's gaze when it lingered on her generous hips.

The Elf walked towards him with slow, soft footsteps, hooking her thumbs into the seam of her bodysuit at her hips and pulling them down. In one, graceful movement she stepped out of her outfit with first one leg, then another. She continued her walk towards him with no pause in her step. It had all happened in one fluid motion.

Mike lay on the bed, staring in disbelief at the woman who approached him. He still couldn't quite fathom that Aly was naked in front of him.

She bent down at the waist, her pale breasts hanging beneath her like ripe fruits ready for plucking. Allynna planted her hands on either side of his knees, crawling forward in a smooth motion so that the naked Elf hovered over her Human. The blonde tip of her braid draped across her shoulder and hung in the space between them.

Mike reached up to caress her braid at the same time she bent down to kiss him. Their lips met, their tongues shifting back and forth and trading places. She didn't lay a hand on him. She didn't need to: her very presence made his tongue thicken and his groin harden. Mike could taste her like a sweet flavor in his mouth. The air grew heavy between them, her body heat radiating across him like an effervescent blanket.

Allynna pulled back from their passionate kiss, quirking an eyebrow. There was a deep, sexual smile on her face. She indicated downwards with her eyes, and Mike tilted his head down to see. She had unbuttoned his pants without him noticing, her nimble fingers pulling down his zipper with the lightness of a pickpocket.

He reached down to take hold of her hand, but she was already crawling over him, swaying her hips this way and that. Mike watched, mesmerized as her groin leveled with his face a foot or so above his head.

She paused on all fours, hovering over him. The pink folds of her pussy were wet and glistening. She wiggled her rump, and he caught a glimpse of her clit through the hood of her feminine lips.

Mike fumbled with his pants, rushing to pull them off as the teasing Elf crawled forward past him on the bed. Mike rolled to his side and kicked off his drawers, glancing up in time to see a truly wondrous sight.

Aly was bent at the end of the bed, facing the wall. Her hands were clutching the headboard, her ass sticking out behind her like a juicy, wet trophy. She tilted her hips in a feminine angle, leaning back so that her end was exposed in its totality to him.

She turned back to look at him. Her cheeks were red. Her eyes were smoldering. She pursed her lips and stared over her shoulder at him with a desperate, almost pleading look.