"Your drinks, gentlemen," Desirée said, placing three frosty glasses of Ybarran beer on the floating cooler tray that hovered over the pool. "Or, should I say, officers."
The three young Lorthlei, wearing the rank badges of second lieutenant in the Confederation Navy, swam over to take their beers. They thanked her as they hoisted their glasses but deliberately waited for Desirée to fetch her drink. She could feel their hot stares on her back and she deliberately let her hips sway a little more as she walked towards the dispenser several feet from poolside.
Not for the first time, she appreciated the strenuous exercise program Guild Law forced her to follow in order to maintain peak physical fitness. Desirée's pale skin glowed with health and her body was taut yet curvaceous. She wore a skimpy bikini in the Guild colours of red and gold, and her hair hung down almost to the dimples above her buttocks. The aquatic Lorthlei were hairless and they clearly found both her long, bare legs and sandy blonde hair intriguing.
She returned with her glass of Swantahlian ambrosia -- a dark beverage similar to a Merlot -- and sat on the ramp that led into the pool, letting the warm waves lap her hips. The Lorthlei men slid onto the ramp around her, their heavily-muscled tails slowly churning the clear water. The Lorthlei's iridescent scales caught the light, creating gorgeous patterns of colour. They were close enough that she could feel the heat from their bodies; the planet Lorth had a climate much like Earth's -- except it was 95% water - and its people were well adapted to surviving for weeks even in ice-choked oceans.
"To your new careers," she said, raising her glass in a toast. "The Confederation is proud to have you defending her borders."
The three officers clinked glasses with her and drank deeply. After sipping her drink, she placed her glass on the cooler, next to the bottle of water-resistant lubricant and other toys that rested on the hover tray. The three had successfully completed their midshipman cruise and were now commissioned officers in the Confederation Navy. As a graduation present to themselves, the second lieutenants had pooled their funds to purchase a Guild courtesan's services for the afternoon. Some courtesans would have sneered at having to entertain a trio of low-ranking naval officers, but Desirée enjoyed their charmingly awkward politeness. They gathered around her, answering her questions about the Navy and their experiences during their first cruise.
The Lorthlei resembled the mermen of Earth myth. Desirée noticed the gills under their ear holes were dormant while they breathed through their mouths and nose slits. Other than their equipment belts and the rank badges hanging from their necks, they were nude. Not surprisingly, the three were in peak physical condition; their bodies were ripped and corded under their tiny scales. The only off-putting aspect were their mouths: hinged like a cod's and filled with several rows of razor-sharp teeth. But Desirée was able to ignore that once she became absorbed in their conversation.
"Since there's no real conflict right now, most of our work will involve routine patrols, escorting merchant convoys, updating star charts, that sort of thing," one of them was telling her, her UTD translating his otherwise inaudible clicks and squeaks into something she could understand.
"Although things might heat up in the Kahlis System soon," another said. "Oh come on!" he protested when the first one shot him a warning look. "It's not like it's any great secret that someone's going to have to do something about General Xerkis!"
"I wish they would," the third Lorthlei commented. "The longer we wait, the more dangerous he's going to become."
"I heard about how General Xerkis called elections simply as an excuse to flush out dissidents for his secret police," Desirée said. "From all I've heard, it's only his control of the armed forces that allows him to stay in power."
"Pretty much, yes," the second admitted. "He's made a few concessions to keep public support but mainly rules through fear and a very well-oiled propaganda machine."
"The Central Government's deadlocked on how to proceed," the first one said. "Every time there's a vote in the Chamber to pursue more aggressive action, someone exercises their veto power and blocks it. The last couple of times it's been the Naghra: no one's sure if they're prolonging the instability in order to embarrass the Confederation or to wring more concessions from Xerkis."
"But can't our ambassador in the System simply declare a state of emergency?" Desirée asked. "That should bypass any debate in the Lower Chamber, and allow Confederation ships to move into the system in force."
The first Lorthlei blinked, surprised at her knowledge of interstellar law. "That would do it, but Ambassador Norshown still hasn't given the word. I'm sure he has his reasons," Desirée hid a smile; he was clearly trying to be diplomatic, "and he's senior enough that no one else in the Foreign Service is willing to over-ride his authority. Until then, we're locked in a stalemate, unless something happens to break the situation wide open."
"I wish something would," grumbled the second Lorthlei.
"The last time the Confederation was involved in a shooting war was with the Asmodii Purist Faction almost thirty standard years ago," the first officer said sternly. Desirée suppressed a shudder; she knew all too well what the Asmodii Purists had been fighting for. "No one wants a repeat of that mess."
"Very true," she said, defusing any possible argument between the two aliens. "I'd prefer that three such gallant officers would have long and successful careers in our Navy without risking life and limb in a war no one needs. Besides, I'm feeling a little chilled," she shivered theatrically. Ordinarily, she was allowed to take as long as she liked with a guest. But the Lorthlei had paid a reduced rate for her companionship, which meant they had a limited time with her. And the clock was ticking. "Can one of you fine gentlemen think of a way to warm me up?"
The three officers looked at one another. As she suspected, the first one reached out and stroked her leg, sliding his webbed fingers along the inside of her calf. She smiled, shifting herself closer to the young Lorthlei, waves lapping at the silky cloth covering her pussy. His hand was feverishly warm on her flesh, the tiny scales surprisingly soft to the touch. He tentatively reached up to caress her knee; she encouraged him with another smile, running her left hand over his muscular shoulders and chest.
More confident now, his hand roamed up her inner thigh, leaving a trail of heat on her soft skin. Fingertips brushed the sim-silk stretched taut across her pussy. She gasped and shuddered from the contact, encouraging further caresses. She could see his nine-inch penis darkening as it hardened.
