Earth And Beyond Ch 01

“This isn’t dangerous, not in the same way this group is used to. But take my word on it, boys, this requires respect and care. You’ve all heard the stories, and I’m going to go over them again to put them into fact,” the grizzled commanding officer barked. His group of soldiers, most barely out of high school, shifted and shrugged and generally looked nervous. Hell, they had every right to be nervous. They’d never dealt with a situation such as they were about to face. “There are women down there, of all ages and abilities. This is the first time most of you have seen a woman, and they’re to be handled delicately. You apes don’t touch them or speak loudly to them, they’re going to be frightened enough already. Is that clear?”

“Sir, yes, Sir!” the group’ affirmative echoed in the hall. They looked a bit more sure of themselves now-taking orders was something they knew. Dealing with females was not.

“You’re volunteers for this, but that doesn’t mean you can take liberties with them or me for your troubles. I know most of you just want to see what a woman looks like. I’ll warn you now; some of those women can cut you to pieces and not flinch, understand?”

“Sir, yes, Sir!”

“Excellent. Now, our goal is just to get everyone safely on board and into their quarters, before the Shards hit. We want to be out of this quadrant before nightfall, and unless someone fucks up massively, that’ll happen. If someone does happen to fuck up badly, I will be there to ride his ass all the way back to H Quadrant. Is that clear?”

“Sir, yes, Sir!” The young men were on edge, keyed up.

“I will now turn you over to our translator. She’ll fill you in on the rest. You will show her the same respect and deference you show me. Congratulations, boys, this is the first woman some of you will see.” The older officer stepped to the side and opened a door, stopping to confer for a moment with the translator. The young soldiers’ eyes moved, trying to catch a glimpse of her.

She stepped quickly into the room, regal in her uniform that she was just becoming used to. She was older, most noted, maybe mid-forties. To the regiment, she was exquisite, and the sound of breath escaping in a rush echoed around the hall. The boys were all eyes for her speech.

“I am Officer O’Donnell, formerly High Priestess Kirin of the Tume Lands.” Her introduction was inflected with her accent which, like her customs, she was beginning to shed. “Not four years ago I was in the same position as the people we are escorting today. They are centuries behind what you are accustomed to in technology. Their mannerisms and culture are vastly different, akin to your own historical period known as the “Middle Ages”. However, we are of the same species, and, as your officer has confirmed, there are those of the female gender. Undoubtedly you are all curious, but save your curiosity for a later date. Today is business.

“You will notice the different classes of people immediately. Priestesses, warriors, and the various occupations that make up the commoners. You have already been briefed on their dress and customs. Priestesses and priests are to be greeted in our ceremonial manner. Warriors, both male and female, receive the bow of the head and shoulders to indicate respect. Commoners are accustomed to a simple nod. I will go first to lay out the greetings and explanations. Our scouts have already explained the necessity of their leaving the home planet, so please be courteous, as most are in a state of shock and dismay. You have your stations and duties, please adhere to them.

“A final warning: do not lay a hand on the warriors. It is a sign of aggression to touch a warrior openly without being bidden. You have been warned already, but I must press the importance of this. You could well be killed. The warriors still carry their ceremonial daggers, and will not hesitate to retaliate if they are provoked. If you survive, you will be court marshaled accordingly.

“A final good luck, gentlemen. Many of you have elected to spend your leave time volunteering for the task of evacuating this planet, and we are grateful. In three years, when this group has been properly cultured and trained in your ways, many will choose to join the service to combat the Shards. Perhaps they will thank you. Regardless, what you do today will help to save not only my people, but your own.” With that, O’Donnell nodded and performed the ceremonial bow that once befitted her standing as a Priestess. She stepped to the side to allow the commanding officer center attention once again.

“Get to your stations! Dismissed!”

Private James Curtis stood in line against the steel wall of the Entrance Port at attention. His comrades did the same. No one spoke, so the cavernous hall was silent save for the steady breathing of the troops.

He felt ridiculously nervous. He had served in the military for a year now, had seen war with the Shards when he was first able to enlist. Those of Earth, his people, had been dying out before the war began. Two centuries before, the most of the women of Earth had fallen prey to what was now known to be a Shard disease. Their gender left them susceptible more so than men. By then, genetic engineering had been introduced, and children could be produced with only the frozen eggs of females. Male embryos survived at a rate much higher than females, and so society was comprised of mostly men. Females were few and far between, and to see one was pure luck.

The discovery of a planet solar systems away from Earth had renewed the hopes of Earth. The Shard disease had hit them perhaps millennia before, and the population of immune females had grown steadily to the point of balance. Earth had made contact with the various feudal-like kingdoms and begun the process of assimilation. The war effort against the Shard aggressors now had fresh troops after their initial training, and the military was beginning to see the first wave of foreign peoples swelling their ranks. Officer O’Donnell was proof.

Many soldiers simply wanted a woman. James was here, like many of his comrades, during leave. He had volunteered out of curiosity for this transport unit, and wondered what his odds were of actually speaking to a female. Their languages were different, but perhaps some kind of communication was possible…

“This could well be the last we see of home. Don’t you want to”-

“No, Alcira, I don’t.” Karine shook her head in amusement, ceremonial dagger shaking against her sleek thigh with her laughter. “Do you ever give up on me?”

Alcira considered her companion. Karine was a beauty. Long, dark hair with waves that glinted in the light, tan skin, lithe, tall body, and blue eyes that hinted at unblossomed sensuality. Alcira herself was very attractive; from the lands south, she possessed dark skin the color of soil, richly highlighted by the sun with copper, and while shorter than Karine, her body was fuller and more rounded. “Not until you’ve given me the opportunity to show you what another woman is capable of.”

Karine cocked her eyebrow. “You know two warriors are bound together, apart from others, if they share the same bed, even for a night. It’s no different if those warriors are women.”

“It doesn’t need to be in a bed, and no one needs to know. Karine, you’re beautiful. I’m not asking for your pledge, just your attentions for a night.” Alcira stepped closer to her companion, concealing her actions from the crowd of villagers milling about. She smiled, slow and dark, and gripped Karine’s waist with one hand. The other trailed from her neck to chest, stopping at the peaks of her nipple, barely concealed by tight brown leather. Alcira ran a practiced thumb over her, feeling her harden. She stopped and toyed with the laces holding the top together.

Karine’s face never lost its calm, droll expression. “I would be disrespecting you, Alcira. I intend to pledge myself to those I pleasure. You, being a warrior, don’t need my pledge.”

“No pledges, my friend. Just a bit of time and fun is all I ask,” her smiled turned teasing and she pushed Karine into the shadows of the forest.

Karine allowed herself to land on her back, and propped her torso up on her elbows. She looked serious suddenly. “I’ve never”-

“I know. That’s probably why I want you so much.” Alcira paused. “Why haven’t you partaken of the flesh? Many have expressed their interest. It’s not like we warriors don’t do it all the time.”

From her resting place on the ground, Karine shrugged. “I wanted to observe our customs. To please another warrior for a night means a lifelong pledge, and I’m not ready for that yet.”

“But you’ve never taken a commoner, either, and they don’t require a pledge. A priestess or priest like Callya gives it freely, never allowed to make pledges or give them. They would’ve served the same purpose.” Alcira waited for an answer as her friend considered.

“Not ready, I suppose. I wanted to concentrate on becoming a seasoned warrior before dallying in other things.”

Alcira smiled again. “You should with me, now. We’re leaving our world, Karine. If we see it again, it won’t be the same. We’ve all heard rumors; the strange weapons and worlds of those from Earth. It will change us, whether they mean to or not. Look upon this land and experience it in pleasure as you are now. We will no longer be warriors for our people. Everything we know is coming to an end. As you look out over our land with what you know now and what you will come to know, you will not regret my offer. We will never be the same again.”

Karine nodded. “I never considered it to be so. Come to me, friend. Let us remember our last moments on our world in a pleasure I never indulged in.” She stood up and began to walk deeper into the forest. Alcira smiled in triumph and followed.

Karine found an empty clearing and knelt down, beginning to untie her shirt’s laces. Alcira knelt down and stopped her hands. “Let me,” she instructed.

Alcira’s quick fingers removed Karine’s top, exposing her small, delicious breasts to the open air. Her thumbs rubbed the pink peaks, hardening them into pebbles. The darker woman leaned in and licked at Karine’s bottom lip, then nipping and eliciting a gasp. Without warning, Alcira pushed Karine to the ground and held herself above her. “I am older, Karine. Let me show you what pleasure is.”

Karine nodded in awe. She watched as her friend removed her loincloth and tossed it to the side. Out of respect, Alcira left the ceremonial dagger in its sheath on her thigh, as well as her tall laced boots. She lay naked, exposed, beneath Alcira.

Long dark fingers ran themselves up her naked torso, smoothing and caressing. Karine found herself moistening between her legs, and parted them to let the air soothe her. Her skin was hot and her muscled quaked. Alcira noticed and directed her fingers downward, letting one digit ease between her now-slick folds. Karine moaned low in her throat and urged her body downward, trying to capture more of the sensation.

Alcira laughed and eased a second finger inside her hot opening, moving and teasing her clit. Karine’s fingers dug into the ground and she heaved with pleasure. “Alcira, oh, Goddess, I need more…”

Alcira stopped and removed her own clothing. Her dark body glistened with sweat and desire and she used both hands to kneed Karin’s thighs. “Not so fast, friend. Like you are hunting, control yourself.”

Karine had no intention of obeying. She growled in frustration and shoved Alcira to the ground, sliding her tight body against her friends’. Her mouth went to her breasts, lathing the nipple of one and then the other. Alcira moaned and stretched beneath her. Mimicking her earlier movements, Karine slid fingers into Alcira’s dark nether curls, then smoothed them over the ridges of her pussy. Teasingly, she allowed one finger into her slit, finding the spot that made Alcira moan and writhe. She leaned forward and bit at one dark nipple while plunging her questing fingers deeper. Alcira’s thighs were shaking and her hips were tossing. Her eyes opened wide and she moaned, low and long, grabbing Karine’s hand and forcing it deeper as she came. She fell backward, gasping.

Karine’s frustration was at a crescendo. She worked her own fingers into her slit, finding the spot Alcira had touch on. She laid back and closed her eyes in concentration when she felt a hand bat her away from her nether lips. Knowing it was Alcira, she allowed it and felt a warm tongue sliding in place, lapping at her flowing juices. Her body tightened up and she felt a rush of heat in her belly, spreading to her pussy. It built until she screamed, slamming a fist into the ground and throwing her head back. She came in seconds, panting and feeling Alcira rubbing her pubic mound soothingly.

They lay for a few moments, then rose on shaking legs. Alcira smiled indulgently. “Worth it?”

“Goddess, absolutely. Why hadn’t I done that before?”

“I was always trying to figure that out.”

Karine sighed. “People will wonder where we are. We’ve got to get back before the ship arrives. Alcira nodded and dressed, as did Karine.

They slipped in amongst the villagers, wearing identical smiles of satisfaction. They, like the rest, turned their faces up to the sky to watch for their impending destiny.