Supernova Ch. 04: The Longest Night

Orbital Mechanics 101 was Captain Serrah Joamo's least favourite course in college. Studying the Newtonian carousel motions of rocks and gas giants had felt so boring, especially compared to the more applied, interesting lessons on the Alcubierre-Kipthornian drive and Raychundrapan wormhole initializer. She'd slept through so many lectures that in the end, there had been no other option left for her than to sleep with the professor. That was the main reason why she now had to sit down, concentrate, and make a rough sketch on paper, when Haruntos reminded her that Tasim was in fact a binary star system.

The system had two extremes. Counter-intuitively, the darkest night occurred when both stars were at perigee, closest to the planets, since Beta would be obscured behind Alpha. In the following weeks it stayed mostly dark at midnight, with increasingly bright dawns, until suddenly, the brightest midnights came around, when Alpha and Beta formed a 90 degree angle as seen from the planets. After this, Beta moved further and further away from the inner, populated rocks, and at apogee, the red dwarf was nothing but a distant star. The whole cycle took about twelve years to complete, but when Beta was at apogee, it moved fast, so they were very lucky that tonight was the Darkest Night.

Lucky, because although officially they were the king's guests, in reality they were also the king's captives. As imperial representatives, they were not allowed to leave the castle.

So darkness was a friend.

Serrah had decided it would be best to go alone. She was the only one with knowledge about the location of the object, and the only one who could hack her way into the escape pod. Also, she wasn't jacked up on hormones, so she could think straight. Unlike someone else.

Sarantos, the friendly guard, had provided access to the castle's door lock schematics. Getting out of the castle had thus been the easy part. Now, she was hesitant. Before her lay the big open tarmac, usually full of activity, but currently silent and fairly empty. However, soldiers walked on scheduled patrols, with bright headlights and heavy plasma guns.

She was unarmed. She was also visible, her personal cloaking device floating somewhere in space after Lt. Meea Jaymes had pushed the self-destruct button of the "Queen Seleza". Having squeezed into a dark one-piece recon suit Haruntos had secretly secured her, Serrah was less visible than most people, but unfortunately she still reflected many photons. Usually, she loved her tallness and curves, but tonight, she almost wished she were been a petite, five foot girl.

When the closest patrol had passed by her, she made a silent dash for the hangar. The two hundred steps took forever to cross, but she made it. Squeezing herself up against the wall, she thanked her lucky star that the Tainees hadn't invested in surveillance cameras. They seemed to almost always prefer humans to machines.

The hangar was unprotected, with only a few ships still present. In one corner, their tiny escape pod. She almost couldn't believe that they'd survived for months in that fridge. With her butt pressed up against the heat sucking wall in the darkness, she waited. Waited. The big hall was empty. She walked with feline steps, carefully clinging to the wall until she reached the pod, then went for it. Unlocking it was easy, but you'd had to know. Her fingerprint or access code would make the whole thing self-destruct, she'd made sure of that in case someone tried to force her. The pod was full of imperial technology they just couldn't let the Tainees explore, not even as their allies. So she'd booby-trapped the lock. Literally.

Unzipping the recon catsuit, she whipped out her right breast and pressed the nipple and areola against the fingerprint reader. Only the exact match of her veins and nipple wrinkles would unlock the pod. The red light scanned her tit.

*blip*

*psssh*

The door opened. Serrah couldn't help herself, and smiled wickedly as she pulled the suit back on. As a child she'd always loved playing secret agent.

Entering the pod, she quickly turned on the amber night lights to have some vision without announcing to the world that she was inside.

It took her about two minutes to find the substance. Only fifty millibhroms left, but that would be more than enough, even considering the king's size. She smiled and wrapped it in an anti-biohazard skin, tightly enough that she could slip it into the one place she knew the guards wouldn't look if she got caught, even if they desperately wanted to.

--

Laena jerked awake in her room. It was pitch black, apart from the light entering from the tiny slit under the door. She heard footsteps.

"Hello, anyone there?"

No response. The footsteps faded.

The petite redhead got out of bed. The concrete was cold to her bare feet, but she didn't care. Someone had slipped an letter under the door.

"To L." it said, not "Yalen-2".

That was odd.

She tore the envelope open, almost damaging the contents. The handwriting suggested a woman had penned the letter. The one who had visited her. The letter was short; just half a page.

As the young tribute read, a smile began to form on her dry lips.

--

A Tainee soldier walked confidently down an empty hall. Dressed in a red, black and blue uniform, he looked just like any other private in the king's guard. If someone would look closely, they might notice that the name on the jacket matched a soldier who had been killed in a training accident last year. If someone would look really closely, they'd notice that the soldier seemed to be slightly uncomfortable with the tight groin of his pants.

But the soldier walked briskly and had a soldier's physique, so nobody paid him any attention. Only when he reached his destination, the guards stopped him.

"Halt, soldier! Where do you think you're going?"

"Special orders from the king," he replied, confidently.

He showed them the wrapped gift box in his hands.

"What the fuck is that?" the main guard asked.

"His pre-wedding gift to the bride," the newly arrived soldier explained, then leaned closer, as if to share a secret, "underwear from Peglix Bifuno".

The two guards in the back nodded and grinned, but the head honcho was unconvinced.

"I would almost say I wished I was the king myself," the newcomer added with a wink, "if it wasn't a crime. I hear the new queen is gorgeous."

"Hell yeah!" one of the grunts said with a grin, but shut up after the serious one turned to him and gave him a warning look.

The lone soldier took a step forward.

"If you don't mind, I'm just going to deliver this to the bride," he said.

The main guard grasped his arm, and held him in place.

"No, you're not."

"Okay, so I'll return to His Majesty and tell him...", he read his name tag, "Sgt. Famagustos would not let me deliver his gift to the bride."

His opponent hesitated for a few seconds.

"Fine, but you're not going in there alone," the sargeant said, "this guy is going with you. No shenanigans."

He pointed to the guy who had been grinning, and who now suddenly got a much less entertained look on his face.

"Oh man, why always me?" he complained.

The leader did not reply, just opened the door for the two instead. The newcomer and the reluctant guard walked through the door, which shut and locked behind them.

Finally, Stan thought. If only the other soldier wasn't there... They walked down a small hall and into the large room at the end. The other guy nudged him in the side with his elbow, then raised his eyebrows.

In the center of the room, the princess was busy doing yogarate. In tight fitting, stretchy pants and a top that struggled to contain her tits, her athletic, yet curvy body looked like a trillion dlaars.

The two soldiers stood in silence, watching her pull her leg into an impossible position over her head, and Stan could swear he saw the outline of her puffy pussy lips through the pink fabric. His cock started to get hard, but the tight pants contained it. As if they were true brothers in arms, the two men simultaneously sighed when the beautiful blonde girl turned quickly, jump kicked her punching bag and landed on her feet, all her good parts bounching.

"When you're done drooling, please state your business or get the hell out," she said, her back towards them. She went on, mixing slow, defensive poses and quick, hard-hitting jabs in the classic yogarate fighting style.

"We bring you a gift from the king," Stan said.

"Just put it on the table," she said and waved them off.

Stan was glad Serrah had given him some advice.

"Queen Seleza also sends her regards," he said, hoping the real guard didn't have extensive knowledge of the imperial family tree, nor space ship naming conventions.

"Seleza? Why would my grandm- oh, how nice!" she replied, her tone changing mid-sentence as she understood the hidden message.

She turned and gave Stan a warm smile. Then she saw the guard and hesitated.

"Hello again, Tuniklas. I see you brought a friend today. Would you like another cigarette?"

The other guard nodded shyly, though it seemed like they had been talking before.

"Help yourself," the princess said, and pointed to the open pack on the table, "but smoke it on the balcony."

The shy soldier mumbled a thanks, then headed out to light the rolled-up stick of dry leaves.

Stan and Yulia looked in each other's eyes from a distance, waiting until the guard was out of view and hearing distance. He suddenly realized how little he knew about the princess, and that she'd been a complete unknown to him, and vice versa, before their spaceship blew up.

"You smoke?" he finally said.

"No way!" she replied, her lips forming a wicked grin, "only the good stuff!"

Stan grinned back.

"You look ridiculous in that outfit," she said, laughing as she came closer.

"What?" he replied, "I kinda like it!"

"Ridiculous," she repeated, "and it seems uncomfortable too."

The young, gorgeous blonde put her hand in his groin and leaned up for a kiss. He had to bend down to give her one, and as they passionately made out, his heavy cock grew rock hard against the thick pant material.

The princess pulled back and looked at him with hungry eyes.

"Damn. Could you be a dear and push that guard off the balcony? I'm like so fucking horny, and you're making it ten times worse with that bulge of yours."

She bit her lips and looked him in the eye. Stan didn't even think about it for one second, just went for the balcony. The princess grabbed his arm.

"I'm kidding... sort of," she said, sighing. "We need to wait until after you've rescued me."

Stan suddenly got serious.

"We can't. You have to marry him. Orders from your father."

"What? No, I can't marry that fat, disgusting pig!" she protested, her tits shaking distractingly as she whisper-yelled to him.

"He kills his wives! Did you know that?! And he keeps whores!"

"We know," Stan replied, "but you have to get pregnant and give birth to a legitimate heir to the throne."

"WHAT?! No way am I sleeping with that evil, ugly man. You can tell my father I refuse!"

She turned away and surprised Stan by beginning to sob. He was unsure what to do. Oh yeah, the gift.

"Princess, there is a solution that makes both things possible. Here, read the letter from the captain."

He handed her the package, but she wouldn't take it. Meanwhile, the guard had finished smoking and was motioning for them to go.

"You should try it on," he shouted as he left, "especially the bra!"

Unsure if she was in on the plan, Stan left the room with Tuniklas, and went back to his own quarters.

--

The princess quietly cried on the bed for a while. How could her father care so little about her? And her mother too...

Eventually she opened the damn present. It was satin underwear, true enough, but bad quality and not even her size. The panties were OK, though slightly too big, but the bra belonged to someone with at least two cup sizes smaller. Also, it made an annoying noise, like someone had stuffed paper inside th-

She swiftly found a knife and split the fabric apart. Inside was a small, hand-written note. As the young, coveted, imperial princess read the note, her tears dried up and a bad-girl-smile formed on her lips.

--

Weddings were a big deal on Tasim-4. A royal wedding even bigger. Stan was told that maybe 90% of the kingdom's 30 billion subjects would be watching the ceremony on the farcast screens. The remainder seemed to be present here in the capital, he thought, as he watched the huge crowd from a balcony in the royal castle. He guessed that they didn't have much choice. This was, by all definitions, a dictatorship.

King Assertos was already 54 years old, Stan had learned, and it would appear that Serrah's harsh description had not given him disservice. The wealth and power seemed to have corrupted him from birth. In the hours leading up to the wedding, Stan had witnessed many times how the monarch threated common people like trash. His physical appearance hinted a life of gluttony and sloth. He was despised by most of the staff at the castle, but the noblemen and rich protected him to keep the Tainee empire stable. With no heir, they feared civil war would erupt if the well-established king was removed. Propaganda kept the majority of the population on the king's side, disgruntled locals had said.

Although the king had been married four times already, no heir had been born, and thus all of the wives had been thrown off the main bedroom balcony as punishment for their supposed infertility. Officially, they were considered "unfortunate accidents".

Luckily, the king could find some comfort in his harem. Since the year of his crowning, Assertos had ordered each planet under his rule to send him their finest young woman. If a tribute disappointed him, the planet was harshly punished. Needless to say, those unfortunate girls were the king's to exploit as he wished.

Still, at least they didn't have to give birth to the king's illegitimate children. A strict regime kept them on birth control. Apparently, a woman named Myrah took care of the harem, and handled any problems with the girls.

Suddenly, bells started ringing, so Stan quietly entered the cathedral. Now they were just waiting for the bride to show up. He knew Serrah was with her, helping prepare the fallback tactics, in case plan A didn't work. He put his hand in his right pocket and made sure plan A was safe.

--

The whole cathedral, with 50 000 seats, had gasped when the bride had entered. Yulia looked stunning, her unreal body tightly filling out the traditional white wedding dress she'd been given. She gave a big smile to the people. Captain Serrah, representing the Empire, walked her up the aisle, in her uniform. The king waited in his galla uniform, his big belly pushing it to its limits. When Princess Yulia finally arrived at his side, she blushed, then gave him her warmest look. "Damn, she is a hell of an actress," Stan thought.

After a long and excruciatingly boring seremony, Yulia was crowned Queen and the two were officially married. Stan had to look away as the greasy-faced king kissed his new wife. Now it was time for the feast.

Stan slipped out of the cathedral and made his way to the kitchen. In his borrowed uniform, nobody questioned him when he entered.

"Where's the head chef?" he asked a boy who was busy cutting green polinniums. The boy, not even lifting his head, pointed at the tall guy in the back.

"Hello, special delivery from Myrah," Stan said, and grinned.

"What?" the chef took him to the side and whispered.

"Your colleague was already here with the powder. We've put it in his soup as usual."

"You need to throw that out," Stan replied and winked.

"Extraordinary occasion, extraordinary measures."

With every dinner, the king was given a dose of an orgasm-postponing drug by Myrah, so that he could go on longer than usual with his wife, or harem girls. It was unclear to the empire if the king was aware of this fact. Tonight, however, he would be getting something else.

The chef groaned and took the small bag from Stan.

"Hmm, smells funny," he said, holding it up to his nose.

"Somewhat musky? Are you sure it's okay?"

"Hey, I'm just Myrah's delivery boy, how could I know?" Stan replied.

"Just remember that this one must go in his dessert, not the soup. That's what I was told to say."

The chef groaned again, and handed him the king's bowl of soup.

"Tell the boy to wash this, and get out! If I see another soldier, I'm serving him for mains!"

Stan grinned and slowly retreated. The bowl of timmonius soup smelled delicious, and he would hate for it to go to waste. It wasn't part of the plan, but hell, he was hungry, and it couldn't hurt.

"Here," he said and gave the empty bowl to the boy, who scratched his head and put it in the sink.

--

The wedding feast was huge, but as local custom would have it, the newlyweds quickly retired to their room. The king certainly did not complain about that. Serrah and Stan stealthily followed the pair as they walked down the halls together, guarded by no less than ten armed soldiers.

"Damn, this will not be easy," Serrah said.

They stayed in the shadows, out of sight. Finally, King Assertos and Queen Yulia reached the Royal Chambers. A guardsman closed the large doors behind them. From the shadows, the pair saw the ten men draw straws. Soon seven of the guards returned down the hall towards the feast, laughing and joking. Serrah and Stan hid as they walked past.

"Three left, that should make it easier," Serrah continued. "Ok, here's what we'll do..."

--

In the chambers, Yulia hoped plan A would kick into action soon. The king was all over her as soon as the door closed, his slobbering kisses and needy hands all over her hot body.

"Finally! You're mine now, baby!" he laughed.

"I've waited so long for you, my king!"

She played along, fearing what would happen if she didn't. The king wasted no time, and started to unzip her wedding dress.

"It's about time I get to see those beauties!"

"They've been especially grown for you, my strong, handsome husband!"

Slightly drunk, he started fumbling and wasn't able to get her dress off as fast as he wanted to. He growled and tried to rip it off, but the fabric was enhanced with laserproof nanotech for endurance and safety.

"Take it off, now!" he ordered his new bride as he realized his failure.

Yulia had no choice but to comply.

"Of course, my king!" she said in her most playful voice and gently pushed him onto a reclining chair next to the bed.

"Just sit back and relax!"

She unzipped the dress with ease and let it fall to the floor. The king made a creepy grin as he saw her in the lacy white underwear. The young beauty stepped out of the huge bundle of clothes, displaying her long, slender legs in heels.

"Am I worthy of you, my king?" she said and spun around, showing off her perfectly sculpted bubble butt.

"Nnngh, yeah!" the fat man said, now visibly sweating and showing signs of dizziness. Yulia reached back and unclasped her bra.

--

Outside the Chambers, the three guardsmen were jolted from their half-sleep when a woman suddenly stepped out of the shadows. She was stark naked!

"Oh, hello boys!" she teased, walking slowly towards them on bare feet, her perky tits swaying gently with each step.

Damn, she was hottest thing they'd ever seen! She came to a full stop in front of the men.

"Such big, strong soldiers!" she giggled and stroked the main soldier's arm.

"Could you pleeeease help me? All this wine has made me soooo horny. I really need to suck some dick toniiiight," she purred.

"You've come to the right place!" the commanding soldier said and began to unzip his pants.