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  I managed to look at the other two women. They were in the process of jerking in an arrhythmic pulse as we all stimulated each other’s pleasure points.

  In my essence, I saw the heart of the universe and what made it powerful. It was nothing I’d never suspected, but, at the same time, it was not easy to describe. I kept enough distance on my own reality that I could understand how this experience could fry someone’s brain, not to mention cause their tool to explode.

  When I returned to consciousness, I found myself naked in the bed with both women curled up to either side of me. I was in the center of the bed but sitting in an upright position. Rashina was behind me with her arms entwined around my waist. Zilpha was naked and lying across my lap. She had one arm curled around me, with her hand on Rashina. All of us were soaked in sweat, although the room felt cool.

  I looked over and saw the bed covers, along with sheets, scattered across the floor. Our clothes were scattered long the wall, having been kicked there at some point.

  Both women made sounds of fulfilment as they breathed slowly.

  “I think we all need a shower,” I told them. “Did anyone locate one?”

  “I found one after you two went outside,” Rashina asid as she scampered out of bed. Before she did, Rashina touched one finger to Zilpha’s open mouth.

  I watched Rashina’s nude form walk out of the room and into the corridor that ran between the other rooms. Soon came the sound of water running.

  “Do you have any memory of what happened between the times we touched each other and when we all woke up?” Zilpha asked.

  “Nope," I replied as I played with Zilpha’s smooth scalp. “I don’t know even know how we got our clothes off. We’re going to have to change the bedsheets; they’re soaked.”

  “So am I,” Zilpha murmured. “The way I feel, I must’ve squirted two or three times. I think it’s a record for me."

  “I saw something about Dentata,” I told Zilpha as I soaped up her back in the shower. Rashina was behind me working away. Eventually, she would start to wash me too.

  “What did you see?” Zilpha asked as she leaned back to me. She held onto my arms and brought them around to her breasts. “I’m guessing this was one of your impromptu visions related to that mind probe thing you do. Oh, you are excited, aren’t you?"

  “She was talking about me to someone on the phone again,” I described as I played with her nipples. “You know what I’ve got in mind?"

  “Damn it, I said that woman was a plant just as you thought,” she whispered into my ear. “I know what you’ve got in mind; it’s the same thing you always want when we’re in the shower. Guess we didn’t drain you dry.”

  “What I don’t know,” I continued, as Rashina’s hand slid down my backside, “is who she worked for. Could be a lot of people, but I wish I’d been able to find out. Tell you what, you can be the center of attention this time. You like that idea?”

  “It lends a lot to your idea that someone sent her into the hotel to meet you,” Zilpha commented. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I need to shave myself down there. I like to keep it smooth. Rashina can do it for me. You want to watch. I know you’ve watched me shave a woman down there before. Want to see how it’s done on me?"

  I leaned back to Rashina. “Do you mind doing her?” I asked.

  Rashina stood up and brought her hands over mine. “Not all,” she replied. “I like doing her. We don’t get very hirsute, but I know how to shave women who do. I’ve done it plenty of times before. There’s a kit in the cabinet that’s never been used. Let me do her, and we can play later. I know you’ll like that.” She reached down and grabbed my stiff member. “I see you’re already coming around to the idea.”

  At that moment, I was so goddamn hard I could’ve done one on top of the other. But I knew they wanted some time alone together, so I forced myself to head over to the other shower and, after drying myself off, returned to the bedroom. I watched them make love for a few minutes under the spray of the hot water.

  I was able to get clean sheets on the bed by the time they returned.

  Chapter Fifteen

  We spent the next hour exploring every corner of that bed. Which was very difficult with a circular bed. Finally, I let them know there was more to be done that day, and I still needed to figure out a plan to get us all to safety. After I let the girls cuddle for a while, we went back to the shower again.

  One thing I was troubled by was our lack of fresh clothes. I had no desire to wear that suit again. Rashina and Zilpha didn’t want to wear used clothes either.

  “I know what to do,” Rashina spoke, a towel wrapped around her naked form on the bed, “There’s a whole closet full of apparel for men and women in the next room.” She hopped off the bed and padded into the next room as we followed her.

  “Here it is,” Rashina announced as she opened the door to a walk-in closet and turned on a light. “This one fits most women. Just about every humanoid can wear what’s inside.” She stepped out of the way to let us have a look.

  It was filled with racks and cabinets. On the racks were all manners of dresses, blouses, slacks, and in all sizes. Zilpha slid inside and had a look at the cabinets. “Wow!” she exclaimed. “Check out these shoes!” She shifted around and discovered all manner of undergarments. Another cabinet held jewelry.

  “This is the men’s section,” Rashina showed me as she opened another closet door.

  I peered inside and saw an equally impressive amount of clothing for men. Someone made sure this safehouse was stocked at all time. This was no priest hole in the back of a warehouse.

  “Remembering some more things?” I asked Rashina.

  “Here and there,” she replied. “There’s still some things I don’t remember, but they’re coming back. I think that our connection helped a lot. That’s how we make love, in case you didn’t know.” She turned to me and ran one finger down my face, which caused an electrical spark to my cock.

  “Watch that,” I told her, “you’re getting me turned on again. I take it you don’t do men very often?" I had to know.

  “No," she confirmed. “We only connect like the three of us did last night to people in our immediate circle. Most of us can’t have children, so those who can get the honor of breeding. The rest spend time with their circle.”

  I wanted to ask more about the circle thing but decided not to push further. Besides, I needed to get changed.

  We spent a few more hours together in the kitchen on a couch that faced a blank wall.

  I needed to come up with something, but, right now, I was happy to spend time with the two women. We still had the soft afterglow that comes with a round of hot sex, even though what we’d already taken intimacy to the ultimate level. The three of us were on a couch. Rashina leaned back on me as I massaged her shoulders. Not an easy thing to do when you have to work your way around a set of wings. She had her top off so that I could do the job better. On the other end of the couch, Zilpha worked on Rashina’s foot. She had it in her lap. Zilpha was falling hard for the Angelika woman, and I wasn’t sure how this would all play out in the end.

  “This is so nice,” Rashina spoke as I looked down and noted her jeans were unsnapped. I slid my hand down them and found her smooth wetness. Maybe we had a bit more time today...

  And that was when the wall began to blink.

  “The hell is that?” Zilpha asked and placed Rashina’s foot down.

  “You’ll see,” Rashina answered as she gently took my hand out of her pants. She laid it to one side and snapped the front of her jeans up. Next, she sat up from the couch, went to the nearest table, tossed her sheer top back on, and touched one corner of the table.

  The entire wall next to us turned into a screen. This explained why it was blank.

  “Security alarm,” Rashina explained as she laced up her top, much to our disappointment. Once more, reality had intervened in our fantasy love-fest.

  The screen showed a squad of Irunian
Marines at the exterior of the office. Guess the safehouse wasn’t as secure as we’d assumed. They all had on battle armor and the helms to match. The visor of the commander’s helm was up. The 10 marines behind him all carried impact guns. They were armored up too but had their visors in the down position. I could see the gleam of the metal in the light of the cavern outside, now turned up to midday brilliance.

  I noticed the commander’s long and short sword attached to the white belt that went around his armor. Two swords meant someone of importance, usually from a distinguished family line. His face caught my attention right away.

  The man, who had the same pointed ears and silver hair of all Irunians, couldn’t be more than 30 years old. Why the hell did the Irunian military let someone that young command a squad of battle-hardened marines?

  Then, I noticed the shoulder boards welded into his armor. The insignia on it denoted his rank.

  The youngster out there was a full general! Not a field marshal but with a high rank just the same.

  “This is Commander-General Ryo Vopalis," he announced to no one in particular. “You have 30 seconds to let us in, or we blast our way inside.”

  At that moment, I had a plan. This had to be about the Byzantium. If I revealed the location and set him up with Korth to get it out of here, there might be a way to end this standoff with no bloodshed. It wasn’t a sure thing, but I couldn’t come up with anything better. There was also another matter I needed to address.

  “How did you know that wall was a screen?” I asked Rashina. “I thought most of your memory was still gone.”

  “Bits come back when I need them,” she explained.

  Oh, how convenient, I thought, butI needed to deal with the situation at hand.

  By now, Zilpha was off the couch and standing next to us. She put one arm around Rashina protectively. Whatever vibe Rashina sent out had an immediate effect on her. I felt the heart tug toward the Angelika woman too, but, at least, I understood why. Zilpha, on the other hand, was ready to move her into my place.

  “Can you operate that door?” I asked Rashina while I watched the Irunian commander-general fold his arms. Our time was running out.

  “Yes," Rashina answered. I could tell she was a little confused about my train of thought. “There’s also an emergency exit that takes us down to the lower sewer system, and if we run fast, we....”

  “Forget that," I told her. “Those jackbooters will have us torched if they think we’re trying to escape.”

  “Then, what do you want me to do?”

  “Unlock the front door,” I told her. “But wait until I’m out in that front office. You and Zilpha stay here and watch what happens from the cameras. If it appears I can’t talk them out of whatever they want to do, then hit that subterranean escape hatch. But give me a chance to talk some sense into our good Commander-General.”

  Zilpha placed one hand on my shoulder. “You sure that’s such a good idea?” she questioned. “That Irunian has enough firepower out there to burn you alive 10 times over. I’d go with Rashina’s plan. It gives us all a chance to get out of here alive.”

  “No," I responded. “This gives you a chance to escape. Matter of fact, why don’t both of you try to leave? If this all pans out, I’ll find a way to contact you later. He may be after Rashina. By now, everyone probably knows she has some secret technology they all want. No need for her to get her head cleaned out when they get it.”

  “They won’t dare,” Rashina spoke. “Too many war conventions against that sort of thing.” She was remembering a lot now, or so it seemed.

  “If they want it, they’ll find a way to justify the act,” I let her know. “Drez did a lot of damage that was fixable because he didn’t have access to one of the better machines. I’m guessing the commander and friends have the latest model on the market. When they’re done with you, there won’t be anything left to salvage. I know they’ll eliminate you when they finish. I wouldn’t put it past them.”

  This got their attention. I could that see my last few words were making them stop and think. Prior to that, the women had wanted to flee and take me with them. At least, they’d listened to reason.

  “Fine," Zilpha responded. “You go out there and talk to them. We’ll stay here and wait to see what happens.”

  I’d reached a stalemate, but, at least, there was the possibility the women would get out alive. Now, I had to go out there and delay the Irunians. Maybe even talk them out of what they had in mind, although that possibility faded quickly.

  Vopalis held up a watch to the camera. The time was up.

  “Can you get me on audio out there?” I asked Rashina.

  She walked back to the table again and touched another corner. Then, she looked back at me and nodded.

  “You just wait a minute, Commander-General!” I yelled at the image. “This is a private establishment, and you are not in imperial territory.”

  The face smiled. “Commander will do,” he said. “I don’t like repetitions, sounds silly.” He turned back to the marines. “Okay, boys, blow her open.”

  “Hold your fire!” I yelled. “I’m unlocking the door right now!” The marines, all of whom had their impact guns aimed at the office front, waited for Vopalis to drop his hand.

  “At ease,” he told them and turned around to me. “ I don’t like to be kept waiting. Any more delays, and I’ll let my boys have fun.”

  I dashed through the secure door to the office area. Obviously, no one was coming in today. I had to convince him that I was the office manager or supervisor. Then, I could get him to see reason.

  The second the door locked behind me as Rashina unlocked the main entrance door. I hurried over to it and stood directly in front. With my arms crossed, I hoped he’d think again about using the building for target practice.

  The door flew open the moment I heard it unlock. In marched High Commander Vopalis and his squad. As I was expecting, the first four marines came in and held me at bay until their officer marched in behind them. I stood there with four guns aimed at me until Vopalis was in the building.

  “Close the door,” he ordered the six marines who followed. There was a click as the lock was turned in the door. They didn’t know that Rashina still controlled the lock. I prayed those women would get the fuck out of the safehouse before Vopalis figured out the entire operation was a front. If he didn’t know already.

  “There are a lot of people who want to find you, Mr. Klaver,” he told me, the grin still on his boyish face.

  “So I’m told,” I replied. “You never did explain how it is that you can operate on Nyx Station. This isn’t some small town on one of the empress’ planets where you can burn the grain stores until you get the information you want.”

  “That is no concern of yours,” he told me.

  “So, then, what brings you here?” I asked him with the greatest politeness. As if it would do me any good.

  “Originally,” he began, “I wanted to find an Angelika woman who’s been see on your scenic streets. There is the matter of a mission objective she knows about. However, I understand she may not be very useful. Along the way, I found out some better intelligence from a Morbashi-Terran metice. He told me many useful things. The most useful piece of information being that you have the real device everyone is trying to find. The switch that turns on a certain derelict ship that was brought to Nyx Station in the past few days.”

  I kept one eye on the marines. I could see their faces inside the helms. I didn’t have to know what was behind those blank metal faces. They were watching me, waiting for Vopalis to give the order to open fire. At this range, I’d be dead in seconds. One sign from him, and every gun would fire, tearing my body apart and allowing them to see the safehouse hidden behind the wall. Rashina and Zilpha might be able to get out, but I doubted it. I had to buy them as much time as I could.

  “I knew the Morbashi metice” I told him. “I killed him yesterday.”

  Vopalis blinked. He hadn’t expected
to hear this. Then, he regained his composure. Here was the product of a long line of men who expected to be followed when they gave the order.

  “That is such a pity,” he murmured to me. “The fool did provide a lot of useful information. I suppose it would be a good idea to know why you killed him.”

  “He tried to kill me,” I explained. “He pulled a knife on me, but I was faster with mine.”

  “All so pointless,” the commander spoke. “I hate to see such waste. Now, please come along with us; you have an important person to see down at the legation. Don’t think about calling for help. There’s a truck outside I was forced to rent to bring us all here. We’ll use the same one to take you back."

  “And then, you’ll never get the key to activate that starship,” I told him. Now was the time for my big gamble.

  My intuition, augmented by my esper abilities, told me that he wanted the glory of bringing the Byzantium home alone. Vopalis was not someone who liked to share the glory of a job well done. I was willing to bet he had an entire room in his palace devoted to the many trophies he’d accumulated.

  “If you have that information,” the commander told me, “then why shouldn’t I make you give it to me right now? I’m not talking about torture. One word, and my men will leave your worthless husk full of holes.”

  The commander had a way with words, the prick. But so did I.

  “Then neither you nor anyone else will have the key,” I countered. “You’ll never have possession of the Byzantium, because the Fathers will have it cut up for scrap if they can’t turn it on."

  “And you’ll be dead."

  “Any you’ll have to leave Nyx Station with nothing to show for your efforts. Such a shame. The crowning achievement of a fabulous career, all wasted because you couldn’t do one simple job. Furthermore, I don’t have it."