The Oathkeepers Ch. 08

She sighed in her sleep and turned in the bed. Aegis lifted his eyes from his armor to watch her. She reached a hand and her sleeping face frowned as her fingers moved across the empty bed. Aegis swelled as he watched her reach for him. Her eyes opened slowly, heavy with sleep as they scanned and finally fell on him. And he couldn't resist her. He rose from the little table and crossed the room to her. Her face broke into a languid smile as she turned in the bed. He lowered himself behind her, pulling her close against his chest. He tucked her perfect little body against his and his cock sprang to attention as he pressed against her ass. She moaned, pressing herself back against him. His human was insatiable.

He sent his mind questing against hers, found her rippling with desire for him. She was getting better at controlling and reading the psychic energy around her. Several times over the last week he'd found himself spiraling into a pit of depression and grief over Paragon only for Zoe to suddenly be at his side, crawling into his lap. Each time she'd pull him out of it. And so, as he pressed against her and freed his aching member to again press it slowly into her waiting body, he wondered if perhaps he WAS underestimating the other humans. His Zoe was exceptional, but perhaps he was misjudging her people.

She moaned again, pulling his thoughts back to their bodies. Slowly, he took her, wrapping a hand around her waist to fondle her nipples, her swelling clit. She pressed her head back into his chest as he thrust into her, her little cries of pleasure told him everything he needed. She surrendered to him like she'd never done with Paragon. In every sense of the word this wild human belonged to him. Long into the night he stroked against her, letting her rise and fall against his throbbing cock. Her body was so heated, fit so perfectly against his.

When he finally released his seed deep within her, she arched back, mewling in satisfaction as she pulsed her hips back against him. As he clutched her to his chest and dropped his mouth to her trembling neck his only thoughts were how he needed to protect her. To protect this human he'd made his.

~~

Aegis watched the little research outpost. A duplicate to the one he and Zoe had spent the last week in blissful solitude. This station was currently manned by two Ivories from what he could tell. The cargo shuttle was scheduled to arrive any minute now to restock them in preparation for winter. Zoe crouched next to him, bundled in the Ivory snowsuit she'd hemmed to try to fit her human body. He hadn't been able to stop laughing when she'd pulled it on and she'd slapped at him in mock outrage as he'd roared at how ridiculous she'd looked. The good humor was gone now. Her eyes were intense, focused on the station as well.

The shuttle banked in low, a smooth black ship that barely ruffled the air around them. Aegis pushed Zoe down, telling her with his eyes to stay hidden. She pursed her lips but obeyed—for once. As the shuttle doors slid open, Aegis was already moving, stretching his wings to close the distance in the space of a heartbeat. Two Ivories were exiting the shuttle and both froze, shrinking from him as he landed, pulse blade held casually in his hand.

"I'm seizing this ship," he rumbled at them.

The smaller, nearly white one gulped as she nodded. "Warden Aegis, of course." They stumbled from the exit, nearly bowing as they moved out of his way.

He narrowed his eyes at them. This was supposed to be more difficult... "You know me?"

"Of course Warden," the other Ivory bobbed his head.

"What news of Bastion? Where is the fleet moving?"

The two exchanged a look. "He's put a price on your head, but has situated himself in the palace. The fleet is gathering still. The word is they will move within the month against the human worlds."

He studied the two. "What else?"

The male licked his lips as he glanced around, as if they'd be overheard in these frozen wastes. "He leads the Onyx but the lower colors are uneasy. They do not want war." His eyes flicked around. "But with the Gilded gone and with no other Onyx to challenge him..."

Aegis set his mouth. "Bastion is a betrayer and an Oathbreaker. I will not allow him to lead our people into war."

"So you ARE you returning?"

Aegis gritted his teeth and flicked his eyes back to where Zoe hid. "Soon. Paragon entrusted me with a task before his death and I must obey the final command of the last Gilded."

The Ivories both bowed their heads and Aegis sensed the grief rolling off them in waves. "So it's true? There are rumors that you carry the will of Paragon, Bastion works to discredit them though." The female's pale eyes sparkled with tears as she studied Aegis. "He says you fled, that you simply wanted Paragon's human for yourself."

Aegis stiffened as he pinned the two with his hard gaze. He shouldn't be surprised, but the idea of Bastion casting doubt on his honor stoked a rage deep within his gut. "I do carry out Paragon's will and will return soon to remove Bastion from the Gilded throne. You will spread THAT rumor."

Behind him, he sensed the other two Ivories exit the station. Curiosity and intrigue swirled in the air around him as he sent his mind questing against the psychic energy of the other Oathkeepers. And then down, rippling beneath it all was obedience. It seemed the two in front of him told the truth. The Ivories at least did not want to follow Bastion. They looked to him instead, wanted him to step forward to lead them.

"We will be here when you return Warden," one nodded solemnly. She shared a look with the other Ivories then turned to the ship. "I'll update some of the ship communications. You can reach us directly here, under Bastion's nose."

He ground his teeth and again glanced towards where Zoe hid. He felt suddenly pulled in two directions. He told a half-truth, he did follow Paragon's last order. But it was to protect his human. In the middle of a war, when the fate of their civilization hung in the balance the little life of a human suddenly seemed so trivial. What had Paragon been thinking? Had he gone so mad in his last years? So obsessed with his humans?

"Good. I'll also need you to find a way to send a message to my crew, Wing and Scout. Find a way for me to communicate with them discreetly." As the Ivory female dipped her head seriously and returned into the ship, the two from the station hurried back inside to find him supplies for his mysterious journey. Aegis looked to the last. "Is there word on Forge, any of the other Onyx or Garnet leaders loyal to Paragon?"

The Ivory's face fell as he shook his head. "After Forge fell during the battle the rest of the leadership were forced to bow to Bastion. The Bronzes are stubborn and offer no support, but they cannot challenge him. The rest of the colors, we can do nothing but bow our heads to the Onyx. Please, you must return soon, Warden." Pleading filled the voice of the small Ivory. The delicate, pale Oathkeepers were at the mercy of the larger colors. They were fragile, yet clever and seemed the perfect allies now. Aegis was suddenly achingly grateful for the underestimated Ivories.

He turned and waved an arm in signal to Zoe. Beside him, the Ivory twitched in surprise as the little human rose and picked her way down the icy slope towards them. Aegis monitored his mood carefully. The Ivory glanced up to Aegis with wide, confused eyes. "You do have Paragon's human." His tone wasn't accusing, just curious.

"I do."

The other Ivories exited the station with several bags of supplies for the ship. They started as they watched the bundled up human trudge toward them, flicking their eyes back and forth between each other and her and Aegis. He felt he stood on a knife's edge. Would they begin to doubt him? To believe Bastion's lies that he'd just fled to keep her for himself? He broke the silence. "She was Paragon's prized possession and he ordered me to keep her from Bastion's greedy fingers. She is part of his will."

The Ivories shifted uncomfortably as Zoe came to stand next to Aegis. But then finally they nodded, their submission to the will of Paragon overriding any other doubts. They hurried onto the ship, dragging the several bags from the station behind them. Aegis followed, stalking onto the ship to find the last Ivory female finishing up re-wiring the communications. She jerked in surprise as Aegis stepped into the command center with Zoe at his back. His dark expression must have warned her off because she set her mouth and turned back to the controls.

"So I've added several layers of encryption and added a direct link to our station here. Any messages you want to send to your crew or anyone else on Homeworld we can route for you through our station. The manifest currently has us heading to Port next, so just keep on that route until you're out of range of Bastion's fleet and you shouldn't have any issues leaving Homeworld."

Aegis nodded, letting his eyes sweep over the little control room. The ship was basic, no real defenses as it was meant for only transport and supply runs, but it would do. "Thank you," he said seriously. "What's your name?"

He felt Zoe hovering at his side. He resisted the urge to throw an arm around her and pull her close. It wouldn't do for them to think Bastion's lies might have truth. He'd made her practice the last few days her mental guards and was pleased to see she was able to keep her energy locked down. The Ivories wouldn't sense their affection for each other, wouldn't be able to peek into her wild, human mind.

"Beam," the delicate Ivory said as she stood. "Good luck, Warden Aegis." She clasped his hand with a sharp nod. Her eyes slid to Zoe one last time, but then she was dropping her head and hurrying from the ship. It wasn't her place to second guess Paragon's will.

Aegis followed the little group of Ivories to the hatch of the ship. The four pale Oathkeepers all waved an arm in goodbye as he swiped the door closed. He sent a surge of psychic energy at them and they all stumbled back, reeling and clutching at each other. His gratitude and promise to return washed over them, the overwhelming presence of the Onyx that they were helpless against. He gritted his teeth and turned to prepare to leave Homeworld.

~~

Zoe dropped the small bag of meager supplies and spare clothes she'd packed on the ground and perched on one of the chairs in the command center as Aegis stalked away with the other Oathkeepers. Just the few minutes of holding down her emotions, of keeping a laser-focus on her psychic energy left her drained. The image of Aegis interacting with the Ivories was so strange. She somehow forgot he was an alien. But the group of aliens talking in their hissing, guttural language quickly reminded her.

Aegis padded back into the little command center a few moments later and quickly set about engaging the lift-off sequence for the ship. Zoe watched him, wary and unsure if she was allowed to drop her focus on her mental energy. Could the Ivories feel her from here? Were they probing at her as she sat staring at Aegis?

He glanced to her. "You can relax," he said as if he read her mind. Because he did.

Zoe sighed and slumped back in the chair as Aegis turned back to the controls. Smoothly, the ship lifted from the icy continent. Higher and higher and then they were breaking atmosphere. In minutes Homeworld would be a blue orb floating like any other blue orb in space. "That went smoother than expected," she finally broke the silence.

"It did." He swiveled to her and relaxed slightly. "It did," he repeated. "Things are more promising than I could have hoped. It seems Bastion only has control of the Oathkeepers by threat of his Onyx. The rest of the colors do not want to stand with him but have little choice." That foreign emotion of hope wafted through the cabin around them.

"That's good," she nodded. Hope is such a tricky thing. Like that shifting image at the corner of your eye. Try to swivel your head to stare at it straight on and its likely to disappear like smoke. So Zoe held it down, didn't let it bloom within her. She nodded seriously and leaned towards Aegis. "Where to now?"

He watched her for a long moment, his violet and black eyes reading her easily. "Well, now is the most dangerous part. We just have to make it past Bastion's fleet and we'll keep on this ship's scheduled route to Port for the next few days so as to not arouse any suspicion."

Zoe nodded, trying to wrack her brain for anything she could remember about the small Oathkeeper border station. "Will we actually stop at Port?"

Aegis shuffled his wings at his back as he debated. "We could. It would keep suspicion off us longer if we just keep on this transport's normal route." He stood abruptly. "For now though, let's get situated. They packed us some supplies. I want to inventory and see what we're working with."

Zoe reluctantly followed Aegis from the command center. The large port window was a strangely comforting sight that she hadn't realized she'd missed. The blackness of the sky, the gleaming stars were like old friend's to Zoe's pilot heart. But follow Aegis she did. The little transport ship was a different class from the one Aegis had captained when he'd captured her. Was it really barely a month ago?

Aegis poked his head in a couple of the small bunks, passed through a little common area with kitchen and lounge, down a long corridor to the yawning cargo bay. It was only half full and Aegis quickly began running his hands along the large containers. He glanced to her. "Looks like mostly supplies for these research outposts. Food. Medical. Some equipment upgrades."

"You're looking for weapons." She said as it dawned on her.

He nodded. "No such luck, though I didn't figure we would." He finally paused in his inventorying, realized she fidgeted next to him. "You're bored," he chuckled. "Go and pick us a room and get us settled. I'll be down here for a bit."

"What about Bastion's fleet? What if they suspect something?"

Aegis tapped his wristguard. "I've connected with the ship. I can monitor our route and communications from here." He suddenly stepped close to her, pulled her into a hug. "It'll be fine Zoe. You'll be out of his reach soon and then we'll find you somewhere safe to stay." He rested his head on hers, lifting her gently so she hung tight against his chest, her feet dangling several inches from the ground as he held her.

As she gripped at him, she held tight to her own thoughts as well. She pushed down every thought she didn't want Aegis to know. With an iron grip she held that piece down and away from her Onyx. He could not know what she planned.

~~

Aegis paced at back and forth across the cargo bay. It was the only space in the small ship that he didn't feel claustrophobic. Beam had finally found Scout for him and was setting up a connection between them. And it was taking forever. There were only a few days out from Port and the trip had been blessedly quiet so far. From Port though...he debated on where to take Zoe. Where could he leave her that she'd be safe, hidden from Bastion? Word of a human on an Oathkeeper world was bound to cause talk.

"Aegis! You made it out!" Scout's voice snapped over his wristguard speaker

Aegis allowed himself a grin of relief hearing his friend's voice. "Scout. Yes, though I hear Forge wasn't as lucky."

A long silence stretched and Aegis wasn't sure if it was the connection or his friend pausing. Finally his voice crackled again. "No, it was a massacre. Bastion holds down the other colors with his Onyx fist. He's gathering the fleet and will push towards the Forked Band soon. Wing and I have been assigned scouting duties. We're shipping out in a couple days."

Aegis grimaced. The Forked Band was the obvious choice. The closest human system on the edge of Oathkeeper space. Bastion would run through their defenses in a matter of days and continue on into their core systems. Like an inevitable tide. And of course, Port lay right in Bastion's path. One of the last waypoints before the human worlds.

"It's as I thought," he said over the comm. "I'm nearing Port now. Will it be safe for us to rendezvous if you're being sent ahead of the fleet?"

"Just send the coordinates. We'll make it work." Scout's voice was excited.

"I have one stop to make after Port," he paused, unsure if he should divulge his mission with Zoe. "Paragon instructed me to safeguard his human. I'm looking for a safe place to drop her before I can return to deal with Bastion."

Another long pause from Scout. Then a new voice sounded over the comm. "Take her to Little Cross," Wing said. "I have family there, they'll be discreet."

Aegis pondered. Little Cross was close. Only another few days' flight from Port. "Thank you Wing. Send Beam the details and she'll route us there." He swallowed. "I'll see you in soon and together we'll avenge Paragon."

He closed the connection and let himself slump on one of the containers. A quick stop in Port and then they'd be on to Little Cross. And then he'd have to leave Zoe. He had to believe he would be successful...and yet a tiny, despairing part of him whispered that these were his last days with her. That the end was near. He glanced around the cargo bay. Zoe had situated herself in command most days, her eyes took in the stars as they flew. She was also an avid student of the ship. His little human pilot was intrigued by Oathkeeper tech and was constantly fiddling with the ship controls and settings.

He paced back through the ship and found her, as expected, bent over the UI. She started and whipped around as he let out a low chuckle behind her. She smirked, turning to face him fully. He'd thought...just for a moment he'd caught something strange rippling in her mind. But now it was gone. A fleeting thought.

"News?" she asked.

"Yes. Wing has a place for you to stay. Do you know Little Cross?"

Zoe cocked her head as she considered. "The moon of Crosswind?" Her eyes went slightly unfocused as she tried to remember star maps. "It's in this system, not too far?"

Aegis nodded. "It's a cozy little world. You'll like it." He stepped towards her, running a hand down her arm as he glanced at what she'd been working on on the console.

She grabbed his hand, pulling his eyes back to her. "And you're sure you have to leave me? Maybe I can help—"

"No. I will not risk you." He leaned down to brush his lips against hers. "And Paragon ordered me to protect you. I will obey his last order."

Zoe sighed as she let him pull her against him. He lifted her from the chair and she wrapped her legs around her waist. He walked slowly back through the ship, peppering her with kisses. If these were his last few days with her, he would spend them inside her.

~~

Aegis took in the little Port. The remote space station floated, an island among the stars. So far everything seemed normal. He'd docked and spoken with the Sapphire that headed the little waypoint. Luckily Beam and Wing had already prepared him for the surprise of an Onyx arriving instead of his normal Ivory crewed cargo ship. On one hand, he worried that his little, secret mission was quickly becoming not-so-secret. On the other hand, it seemed everywhere he turned was a resistance to Bastion. It gave him heart to know most of his people didn't share Bastion's barbarism.

Still, he couldn't risk them seeing Zoe so she was tucked away in command while he helped the Sapphire unload their supplies. He had to chuckle. The first Warden of the last Gilded, relegated to making supply runs for remote outposts. As he waved a hand to the old Sapphire through the hatch window and turned back to the ship. His wristband vibrated with an incoming message. Swiping at it, Beam's voice crackled over speaker, "Aegis, ... losing contact ... ship. ... locking me out. ... respond. ... outgoing transmission before ... lockdown ...—"