Jack's Moonlighting Pt. 02

Laannaa moved to stand directly before Jack, blocking his view of Mara, and locked eyes with him. "What value is there in being connected to the Gate Network?" the High Priestess demanded.

Jack remained calm and smiled gently. "That's not for me to say. I have my reasons for why I believe in the Gate Network and the Tik who manage it. I know why I personally value it. Your people would have heard the Tik's offer if you'd been ready. As Juju just explained, the Tik don't typically contact a race until it has reached a level of technological advancement that suggests they are ready. The Dannt did reach that but was exposed to a Dannt-made plague which almost caused the extinction of your people." He glanced at Juju and then back to Laannaa. "If I'm correct, even though you were not at the required levels, the Tik proceeded with first contact because they were concerned you might yet become extinct."

"That is true," Juju said. "The Dannt's declining birth rates and infant mortalities were and still are concerning statistics. Conditions are worse on Danax and Danam, but Danat isn't exempt." This news obviously caught Mara by surprise, and she sent a sharp look at her High Priestess.

Jack continued as he saw Laannaa was still willing to listen. "The Tik's prime directive is to preserve and protect life, which I believe is the noblest of pursuits. But the Tik will not make any efforts to help the Dannt without explicit consent. They value self-determination as well. The Tik will not force survival of a species against their will."

Jack looked deeply into the High Priestess' eyes. "You have to want to live."

"We do want to live!" Mara insisted firmly. She looked at Laannaa. "Why haven't you told me about the declining numbers of our people!"

"The Goddess' will is not to be questioned! If she decides to prevent a conception or takes a born child, then we weren't worthy of having them," Laannaa said stiffly.

Jack struggled to calm his thoughts and keep his emotions to himself. Just the same, Mara must have caught the brief flash of outrage before he locked himself down as her lips darkened. He now understood this was a physical tell. Jack turned his head to face away from Mara as he didn't want to embarrass her any further. This was a discussion to be had between the leaders of the Dannt.

"It's been a long, emotionally draining day. Thank you for a delicious dinner. If you don't mind, I'll bid you goodnight and see you in the morning?" Jack smiled and looked once more at Queen Mara.

She seemed torn as she needed to speak to Laannaa, but she was looking at Jack with an expression blending disappointment and regret. Her Queen's duty took precedence and reasserted itself. She nodded to him. "Thank you. Have a pleasant sleep, and we will talk in the morning."

Jack bowed, patted the sides of Juju, TkaTken, and Tito, then headed around the tent to the front, where he slipped between the flaps to give himself a little privacy. Dennesh followed him in with two others from his detail.

"We will remain here in the seating area, Shadeem. Rest assured, the others will maintain a vigilant watch throughout the night."

"Oh! Uh, I leave the security requirements in your capable hands. Thanks!" Jack said. "Good night."

He prepared for bed, then slipped into bed after he confirmed his horn caps were securely in place.

Jack hoped Queen Mara had success in speaking with her religious advisor. The "never question the will of the gods" stance was hard to come back from.

-=-

Mara faced her childhood friend alone in her tent and took her hands as she looked into her eyes.

"We're dying. No one will be left to praise the Goddess if we allow that to happen," she said gently.

Laannaa made an exasperated sound. "You don't think I'm aware of that? I'm not causing the drop in birthrate! I'm not causing the babies to die! I'm just as much upset by these terrible events as you are. I pray to the Goddess every day to help us be better disciples."

"Perhaps she needs us to act to save ourselves. To prove we can! To prove we're worthy!" Mara said.

Laannaa looked at her suspiciously.

"We must learn why the plague was created. It has been proven that it was created in a lab on Danax. Why?" Mara asked.

"The Goddess' will!" Laannaa insisted.

"So, she punished us by almost causing our extinction?" Mara pushed.

"The worthy survived!" Laannaa snapped back.

"And we have followed her message from that day onwards, and we continue to die, just more slowly," Mara stated. "Perhaps we aren't meeting her expectations. Perhaps she needs us to pull ourselves out of this decline and rise up, wiser for her lesson."

The High Priestess glared at her Queen. "You are twisting her message!"

"How? How am I doing that? If she wanted to end us because we are inherently unworthy, she could have the Rakka swarm over us, kill off the crops, or allow the invading Krreegah to drop their weapons on us from space. That would expedite the process, but she did none of those things! I believe she wants us to live! The Krreegah themselves have destroyed the Rakka nest, our crops are abundant, and we have new friends who protected us from space."

Laannaa latched onto that last point. "One of these new friends seems to have caught your eye!"

Mara's lips flushed. "I-I won't deny I'm attracted to Jack. He is not physically unappealing, and his horns are... magnificent! Jordem was similarly strong and kind—"

"He's an off-worlder! He's not Dannt! Worse still, he's not a believer in the Goddess!" Laannaa exclaimed, growing agitated.

"The universe is a far more complex thing than we expected it to be. Do you know why Dannt females become fertile for only their chosen mate?"

"As a sign of devotion," Laannaa answered automatically.

Mara snorted softly. "Tell that to Evasha."

Laannaa jolted as she recalled their childhood friend and her reputation. Even though she'd chosen a mate the moment she reached sexual maturity, she had a roving eye and found partner after partner. Laannaa frowned. "She was the exception to the rule!"

Mara smiled at her friend. "That's my point. Perhaps there are no absolutes. No fixed rules in a universe of possibilities. Evasha mated with Franko, and they had a child, but she found happiness in the arms of many lovers. Franko raised their child but lived with Illiana, who'd lost her mate. They were happier for it—"

"That's not what the Goddess wants for us—"

"Happiness? Love? Children? Life?" Each word from Mara's mouth made Laannaa twitch. "What happened to the joy in your heart, Laannaa? I remember when you laughed and smiled at life's simple pleasures."

"Life is hard!" Laannaa shouted. "We aren't meeting the Goddess' expectations of us, and we are dying!"

Mara hugged her friend as she could feel the despair clouding her mind. "Dearest heart, life has always been hard. You have to work at it to mine its treasures. In my heart, I know we can grow strong again. We just need to visualize our place in this amazing new universe and seize it."

Laannaa was calming in her friend's arms, where she secretly wanted to remain forever, but new despair flared as she remembered the threat from the north who was on her way.

Mara felt this and knew where it was coming from. "This isn't the time for tears, Laannaa. I don't want to give false hope, but please don't give up on me yet."

Laannaa pulled back to look into her friend's eyes, confused. Mara could see her struggling to understand, so she kissed her forehead and felt her friend's love surge. "Get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning. I can promise you that."

The High Priestess nodded as she was worn out from recent events. She gave Mara a trembling smile and left the tent.

As she stood alone in her space, Mara contemplated her next move. This was well outside her comfort zone, but she knew time wasn't her ally. Clearing her mind, she reached out with her new emotional senses and felt the people around her. When she detected the spark of Bayly's emotions nearby, she... pulled. That was the best way she could describe the sensation.

As she felt Bayly moving closer, she smiled. This new capability was proving very useful!

"Queen Mara?" Bayly's voice asked quietly by the tent opening.

"Come in," Mara called out.

The young female slipped inside with wide eyes and bowed.

Mara smiled. "I need to ask a favor. Two, actually."

Bayly smiled. "Anything!"

Mara nodded thankfully. "First, I need you to ask Ambassador Danner to come see me immediately. Just him."

Bayly's emotions burst with excitement.

"And I need you to guide Warrez, Gruun, and Lena to the far side of the camp. This is embarrassing enough without knowing you will all feel my emotions. Jack's too," Mara admitted.

Bayly fought back a giggle but nodded quickly. She bowed again and rushed from the tent.

Mara went to freshen up. As she washed, she realized how nervous she was and recalled her first night with Jordem. Though she'd been a mature woman at the time, her inexperience had made her feel as young as Bayly.

Jack was another complete unknown to her, so she felt the same flutters in her stomach as she did that night.

Of course, Jack hadn't agreed to anything yet, and she wasn't even sure he was even attracted to her. While Bayly said he'd had children with the Altarian Queen and the Ishilon Sultessa, she knew the Dannt looked nothing like the diminutive Gee and Bal or the lithe but powerful Dennesh!

She looked down at her body and suddenly felt enormous and clumsy! She was powerfully muscled and taller than Jack... minus his horns—oh, those glorious and deadly horns! A zing snuck down her spine.

While sitting with him to watch the Tik's memories, Mara felt Jack's muscular leg pressed against hers, and he felt strong and fit. She wanted to know how he maintained his body. Being an Ambassador couldn't be a physically challenging endeavor, could it?

"Queen Mara?"

It was Jack's voice. Goddess, don't let me screw this up!

-=-

Jack stood outside the tent and waved Dennesh back. His security detail moved back reluctantly until they were out of sight.

Bayly had been excitable but explicit that Mara needed to speak with him privately. He'd been in his sleep shorts but pulled on the reaver silk robe he'd packed. Light-weight, cool, and super soft, it was also protection against small arms fire, though he expected none of that here.

"Queen Mara?" he called out through the tent flap.

There was a pause, and he was wondering if he should call out again when the tent flap moved, and he was looking up into her soft brown eyes. Her lips were quite dark, so she was... embarrassed? For a second, he wondered what it might be like to sense emotions.

"Ambassador, please come in," she said. "Thank you for seeing me at this late hour," she continued once he was inside.

Candles lit the inside of the tent with their warm but soft light, and Jack noted how lovely her dark complexion looked painted with the red tones. Then he realized how much of her skin he was seeing. She only had a sheer spaghetti strap tank top that stretched over her large breasts and exposed the hard ripples of her tummy muscles. Barely covering her waist to her upper thighs was a wrap made of the same sheer material. Jack's eyes widened with admiration and surprise.

"It's fine. I'm at your service," he said quietly, and her smile widened. He caught his words and wondered how she'd taken them.

"I hope the High Priestess' words haven't offended you. She's been trying to do a very difficult job for a long time with little assistance. As you've heard from the Tik, we're having... setbacks," Mara said gently.

"We will give you as much assistance as you need. All you need to do is ask," Jack insisted.

Mara smiled. "Not such an easy thing for those of our faith to accept."

Jack nodded but said nothing. It wasn't his place to criticize their institutions of faith.

Mara's lips were getting darker, and Jack couldn't look away as her expression was so sweet.

"I-I do have something I need to ask you," she managed to get out.

Jack nodded as he held her gaze.

"Do you... am I attractive to you?" she forced out.

He hadn't expected that question, so he froze as his mouth slowly opened.

"It's fine. Never mind—" she began and started to turn away.

Jack reached out a hand and caught hers, making her look at his fingers.

"Yes, I find you very attractive," he said, and she smiled tentatively.

"I'm nothing like the Altarians or the Ishilon," she said quickly.

Jack grinned. "I'm nothing like anyone. The only one of my kind. Do you find me attractive?" he asked awkwardly but with a smile.

Her answering smile hinted at her playfulness. "While I've been teased with glimpses, I haven't seen enough... yet.

Jack's smile remained as he nodded. "Fair enough." He undid the tie on his gown and slipped it off his broad shoulders, letting it fall slowly to pool at his bare feet.

Mara's eyes widened as she let her eyes roam down his chest to his waist and just a little further down.

"How do you maintain your fitness?" she managed to say.

"I like to run. The longer the distance, the better," Jack said with a happy sigh. "I hope to be able to go for a run here on Danat." She nodded with a smile. "Additionally, Gee and Bal are my personal trainers and my bodyguards. They ensure I maintain my fitness and drill me on combat techniques."

Mara smiled with delight. "Do Ambassadors get into combat situations frequently?"

Jack smiled self-consciously. "I can't speak for other Ambassadors, but I certainly find myself in them often enough to make the training necessary."

"But not this mission, right? You were safe on that large, scary spacecraft!" Mara insisted.

Jack winced at her description of Peacekeeper, but he couldn't really argue with her perception. The ship was daunting.

"To be completely open and honest, on our way to Danat, we stopped at Krreegah to determine how much of a problem they would be for the Dannt. We discovered the peaceful, elected officials were about to be overrun by a group of aggressive might-is-right idiots. Though it interfered with their internal governance, I beat up the alpha-male leader of the rebels in hand-to-hand combat before handing him over to their police." He gave her a defensive look. "I don't like bullies! Some people think that makes me a bad ambassador, but I believe you sometimes have to speak the language they understand the best."

"I certainly appreciate your form of diplomacy as it protected my people," she purred with a sexy smile, and Jack felt himself stiffening in his shorts. Her eyes sparkled with interest.

It may have been wrong, but Jack's instincts screamed at him, "Fool! Kiss the girl!"

So, he did.

It was a unique experience for Jack to stretch upwards to bring his lips into contact with Mara's. It was another to be embraced in powerful arms and lifted off the ground as the kiss continued. He was pressed against a very full bosom, and that felt incredible!

There was nothing to do but go with it. Mara was a passionate kisser, and Jack was definitely reaching an iron state in his shorts. This began to press against Mara's body, and she was aware of it as she ground back against him.

She suddenly turned and carried him into the next room in her tent through a curtain, and he felt himself being lowered onto cushions. They finally broke their kiss, and Mara looked into his eyes anxiously.

He raised an eyebrow in question.

"I would like to make love with you. Would... would you, with me?" she asked timidly.

Jack thought she looked absolutely adorable, and his desire surged. "I would love to, with you," he said with a smile, "but I didn't come prepared to do this. Do you have protection?" he asked.

It was her turn to give him a questioning look.

He continued. "Protection against pregnancy. I have to ask, as I've discovered with my Hybrid nature, I'm compatible with other races, and there is a potential there."

"Would that be a bad thing?" she asked quietly.

Jack blinked at her. "You could become pregnant. This doesn't concern you?"

She shook her head. "I would welcome it. I'm hoping I do. Would that be okay?"

Jack saw she was serious, and that rocked his world a little. She wanted his child? It was a long way to come to see his kid, but... with the Ishilon's assistance, he realized it was doable.

She was still waiting for his answer, so he slipped his fingers into her thick, soft mane and pulled her face to his for another kiss. She moaned a little, and her breathing sped up as she kissed him passionately in return.

Mara surfaced from her desire long enough to pull back and kneel before him as she pulled her top up and off.

Jack's eyes widened in awe when he saw her large, firm breasts and strong torso. He'd never been with someone carrying this much muscle mass. As she slipped her skirt off, Jack lifted his hips and pushed his shorts down.

"Oh! We are compatible!" Mara teased with a smile.

She wasted no more time lying down next to him and rolling onto her back as she pulled him on top.

It wasn't the move Jack expected from someone so physically dominant. Her body felt like it contained irresistible power. He'd thought she might have preferred to be on top.

Jack smiled and kissed her once more. He knew his way around a mouth with fangs, so he was in no danger. She pulled at his body, and he thought she might need a little preparation, so he kissed his way down her neck and across the top of her breasts as she gasped and cooed. He drew her pleasure up by worshipping her breasts and the flat ridges of her stomach, which trembled under his lips. Her breathing became louder, and she squirmed as her desire climbed.

She cried out blissfully when he explored her wet lower lips with his mouth and fingers. He learned what she liked best and quickly brought her to her first release, which exploded through her. Her hands clung to the back of his head as he eased her through the intense orgasm.

She was well lubricated now. He could feel her squirming begin again, so he moved up and pressed the thick head of his cock against her opening. She sighed as his heat pressed into her body deeper and deeper.

"Oh! Oh! Goddess, yes!" she sighed as he finally rested his body on hers. Her big hands slid down to his ass, and he felt her pulling him even deeper inside. He began to stroke in and out, and she pulled him tight with each thrust.

Jack moved faster until he was pounding his body against hers. He watched her face closely, but she was lost in her pleasure.

Jack didn't take long to build up to his own release. She gasped and shook, and he realized she was rocking through a prolonged orgasm. When his hot cum surged into her, Mara cried out at the sensation and pulled him tight against her. He moved side to side gently, and she trembled beneath him.

When Jack was finished, she pulled him down over her body, and he rested against her full breasts. He found that to be very stimulating. He watched her blissful smile until she opened her eyes.

"That was wonderful!" she sighed happily.

"It was pretty amazing for me, too!" he said, and she sucked in a breath as he rocked his hips.

"Oh! Goddess! Ah! What? Ah! What AH­—are you doing?" she managed to ask through her cries and trembles.

"Are you too sensitive to go again? Should I stop?" he asked in concern.

"You can do it again?" she said, staring at him wide-eyed.

"Uh, I could, but we don't have to if you find it unpleasant," Jack said gently as he slowly stirred her insides with his rebounding cock.

"Dannt males can do it once a day," Mara admitted.

"You aren't telling me to stop," he said with a sly smile.