The World Beyond [Gladis&Hideki](Private)

[-Hideki-]

“Good!” was the unyielding, cold answer he had for Zorya when the woman informed him that she had been able to hear what he had just told Elizabeth, his blue eyes looking down at her like icy daggers, waiting for her trying to defend herself to counter attack and give her the final hit. The response never came though since before anyone could say anymore Calum’s voice sounded through the living room everything else but amused. In fact the brunette male was angry, Ash could tell, as his lover repeatedly called out the word ‘No’ throwing him and the other Xenonian glances before he settled on the female, complaining about her and Ash’s behaviour while the woman’s husband was dying and Asher couldn’t deny that he had a point.

 

The Colonel looked suspiciously at the medical kit. Though they had stitched him back together and had nursed him back to health somehow he couldn’t remember it clearly nor had those ancient methods lost their fascination to him. On Xenon it were precise machines that did surgeries not to speak of the capsule of life that easily dealt with such injuries the man on the sofa had. And yet Asher was still alive so maybe this man had a chance too despite the insufficient medical knowledge and technology.

 

He couldn’t help but to like how Calum seemed to be in his element, doing what seemed to be his purpose, what he had been trained for, directing the people in the room to assist him. He didn’t even mind that it involved him whose purpose this was not as he was a soldier not a doctor but when asked to hold the man down if need be he just nodded and moved to the younger male’s side ready to do as he had been told.

 

As he was holding himself ready his eyes went from Calum to Elizabeth and it was clear to him that the brunette man was nervous maybe even anxious to make a mistake, to not be able to save the man and Asher would have liked to say something to encourage him but he had absolutely no idea what to say. He had never cared or tried to encourage or console someone in his entire life, he didn’t know how to handle this situation. Apparently so didn’t Elizabeth because she was saying something completely retarded that wasn’t possibly helpful or realistic when she wished for the gods to be with them. “There are no gods to be with us!” Ash said looking at her, Adam and then Calum. “There are no miracles either.” He added. “This man will only survive when it’s physiologically still possible to safe him and the right measures are taken now and the surgery will be correctly and effectively done. Otherwise he’s done for. There is no imaginary creature that will safe this man! It depends on us! His life is in your hands! It’s the actions of the people that count!” he said with a nod into the brunette’s direction. The truth was certainly better and more encouraging and motivating than a delusion!

 

The procedure took hours and the sofa they could only throw away now but the man was fortunately still alive although it had seemed that time and the odds had been against them considering how severe his injuries had been for the standards of a primitive planet like this one. Asher had stepped out of his combat suit as the thing needed to be washed down from all the blood that had gotten all over it but he didn’t feel like doing that now. Instead he was looking out of the window to see the foggy morning dawn and he noticed his lover on the terrace.

 

Asher stepped outside in his socks, the planks of the old terrace creaking under his weight. He came to a halt behind the smaller brunette man, laying his strong hands onto his shoulders, stroking them, his broader body touching the other male’s back. “You did incredibly well. This man lives thanks to you.” his voice sounded, his eyes staring into the yard. “You never told me that this was your true purpose, that you were specialised on this. You are a doctor. You safe your people’s life! It’s an important position in every society.” The Xenonian said getting aware of the irony their union constituted. While they were both protectors of their people, Ash protected Xenon by eliminating and taking the lives of enemies, by defeating and destroying, Calum did the opposite.

 

“Let’s go to sleep doctor. You deserve and are in need of some rest now.” he suggested, pressing his scarred, thin lips onto the males skin, letting them travel down his cervical vertebrae, a faint smile playing around them. “How could you ever think that with your specialisation you could possibly be a liability for this mission? Every unit and mission needs doctors.” He added, stepping away, holding out his hand to the other male for him to take it and leading him to the room they could sleep in, when he started to sneeze again, multiple times, realising that he was outside without his combat suit. “Damn it! What is it with this planet that makes me sneeze all the time.” He cursed.

[Gladis]

”Mmm…” Calum murmured, letting out a soft breath as he felt Asher’s hands on his shoulders, gently drawing him against his tall frame. ”We’re not through with him yet. Adam may be stable for now, but he’s still in a critical state. We may lose him yet.” It was the dreadful truth he had already been forced to accept the moment he agreed to help Zorya. The truth that despite his best efforts, he may not be able to save Adam. He knew that it wouldn’t be his fault, that he couldn’t blame himself for failing, and yet… the the thought of it still terrified him. It still made his chest feel tight and his head hurt. Because he knew what that would end up being like. He had seen it before – how people reacted to losing their loved ones. He had been there himself, when his...

 

Calum swallowed hard, shutting his eyes as he leaned into Asher.

 

”I’m not even really a doctor, you know. Doctors need proper qualifications to call themselves that. To study at an academy and stuff…” he sighed softly. ”All I know I learned from old nan’. Perhaps… perhaps if I was a real doctor, I could’ve done more to help Adam…” Calum bit down on his bottom lip, opening his eyes to squint up at Asher. His lips curled into a tired smile. ”Thank you, though. Your words mean a lot to me.”

 

He nodded his head in agreement to Asher’s suggestion, taking his lovers hand before allowing himself to be pulled along. A sleepy giggle spilled from his lips.

 

”I don’t know Asher, I’m not a doctor.” He reminded him, before pausing as he came to a realization. ”Perhaps you should ask Zorya about it tomorrow… tonight? She seemed to be doing fine… I mean, in case it really is planet related and all… it's probably some kind of allergy. Just don't know against what...” he closed the door and stifled a yawn, pulling the bloody shirt over his head before discarding it along with the trousers and socks on the floor. Normally he would have liked to wash up after an ordeal like this, but now he was too darn exhausted to even care. All he wanted was to do was curl up on that suspiciously large bed and sleep. Taking a couple of steps forward, he collapsed onto the mattress, hauling himself onto the bed until at last he found a pillow. He hugged it to his chest, pushed his face into the fabric and groaned. What a terribly long and exhausting day!

 

Calum waited for Asher to join him on the bed before snuggling up against him. However, by then he was already half asleep.

 

”Don’t let me sleep for too long or I feel like I will never get up. What’s up with this bed, anyway? It’s way too comfy…” he mumbled as he drifted off into a deep slumber.

[-Hideki-]

Asher didn’t say a word, he just listened when the other male told him how the man was still in a critical state, that he may still die and not make it. That was apparently true so there was nothing that the Xenonian could say or do about this. This society wasn’t equipped for something like this. On his planet it wouldn’t have been an issue. The man would have survived without a mark. But they didn’t have the technology nor did they have a Xenonian doctor, medical scientist or even only a biochemist or toxicologist here now. Zorya was an engineer and Asher was a soldier, they were both useless in this situation. The Colonel knew that the leading scientist of the mission had been a toxicologist and biochemist who had worked for the XWAI, the Xenonian Weapons and Arms Institute but he had the knowledge to either heal or destroy the human body regardless.

 

He felt the other leaning into him, the shut eyes, heard the sigh when he spoke and it was as though Asher could feel the other man’s worry and concern like this. What he learned was that Calum wasn’t a real doctor what led to the question as to what the man was then and that to be a real doctor he’d have to go to an academy. “If you aren’t a doctor what are you then?” he wanted to know. “And if there are academies on your planet, like the government training facilities on our planet, why didn’t you attend that academy?” the platinum head was interested.

 

On their way to bed, after the soldier had sneezed again, Calum once more told him he couldn’t tell him why he was sneezing like that on his planet as he wasn’t a doctor, advising him to ask Zorya about it as she seemed fine. That was indeed true; she had been running around without a combat suit or a gas mask and had not sneezed or gotten red eyes once. Then again the idea of asking that woman anything was highly displeasing. He didn’t want to ask her anything, he just wanted her to tell him why she had invited him already and what she wanted from him and then be gone again. The moments in which he disliked her outweighed the moments in which he could enjoy her company too much.

 

“An allergy?” he asked when the other suggested that it probably was some kind of allergy against something. “Where would I get this from?” he wanted to know with raised eyebrows. He had never heard of ‘allergies’ before. Xenonian’s didn’t have allergies. Well, on Xenon they had not.

 

As the door was closed Asher was starting to undress to go to bed but as Calum was doing the same his blue eyes went over the younger man’s back and torso, running over his figure and although he couldn’t really believe it himself in a situation like this, after such a day, but sexual thoughts and desire were popping up on his mind as he looked at the tempting silhouette of the other’s arse and the bulge in his underwear before he made himself look away and get out off his own trousers and his socks. Certainly Calum didn’t want to have sex with him now.

 

Just to make sure his blue eyes travelled over to him and looked into the tired green ones of the other man who had collapsed on the mattress. And although he was waiting for the Colonel to join him in bed it was definite that the man was not thinking about having sex with Asher at all. Why was Ash anyway? What was wrong with him? He asked himself as he was laying himself down onto the bed next to Calum who immediately snuggled up to him.

 

“Alright.” He said when the man told him to not let him sleep for too long before pointing out the comfort of the bed. “I think one could almost call it an actual bed.” The Xenonian said to whom this felt way better than what he had slept on the last two months in Calum’s house too. “The mattress however lacks a massage function, it doesn’t adjust properly to our bodies, it doesn’t switch temperature accordingly or in other words it’s still primitive and not ideally ergonomic.” The soldier said but he wasn’t so sure if his lover had heard any of it since the man fell asleep immediately.

 

Asher woke up around noon; he cleaned his combat suit, then washed himself and laid the table in the living room before he went back into the bedroom where Calum was still asleep. He had figured he’d give him some more time judging from how tired the male had been when they had gone to sleep. Stepping into the room he stood in front of the man’s bed for a few minutes thinking about how to go about this now as he thought it wouldn’t be appropriate to wake him up like his company, like he had woken up his men when he hadn’t had such a high rank and this had been one of his tasks. It had been everything but considerate and gentle, had involved a couple of insults and loud yelling. And although they were on a mission Calum was not his soldier. Also Calum was adorable when he slept, the man noticed, so how should he even go through with something like this? Had his men been that adorable too? Was he himself like this when he slept? He didn’t think so or at least he hadn’t noticed it.

 

Asher was climbing onto the bed again, moving towards the other, his eyes on his face before he reached out his hand and took away the blanket from the brunette, straddling the man, leaning down, pressing his lips against Calum’s, his hand roaming over the male’s torso. “Time to wake up!” he then said. “Breakfast should be ready any minute now.” He informed him not so sure what to do with his tone of voice so it was a mixture of strict military officer and gentle affection, what was incredibly weird.

[Gladis]

Luckily for Calum, he was granted a peaceful and dreamless nap – although there was no doubt that he would still be tired when eventually Asher woke him up. Not only had the last twenty-four hours been incredibly taxing on his physique and psyche, but his sleeping schedule had also been brought completely out of balance. Still, things could certainly have been worse, so perhaps he shouldn’t complain.

 

It was the feeling of weight shifting under him as Asher climbed onto the bed, and his warm breath on his face that gently stirred him awake. A soft groan slipped past his lips, and he instinctively wanted to turn on his side to shut whatever was trying to wake him out, yet instead he found himself trapped between Asher’s legs. A pair of rough lips pressed against his own, and he vaguely recognized the feeling of a hand stroking his chest. However, it was Asher’s voice that woke him up for real.

 

Squinting against the bright light that came streaming into the room through the large windows, Calum reached up to wrap his arms around his shoulders and pushed his face in the book of Asher’s neck.

 

”Mmm…” he mumbled, somewhat reluctant to get back, ”you smell nice, Asher. Did you shower?” Letting go, he allowed himself to sink back into the pillows so that he could gaze up at his lover. He remained like that for a moment, appearing to contemplate something before leaning up as though he intended to kiss him, yet right before their lips met he paused, once more catching Asher’s gaze.

 

”Hey Asher…” he mused, only half jokingly as he gently placed his hand on his lovers cheek. ”Couldn’t I just have you for breakfast?”

[-Hideki-]

Ash peered into those green eyes when Calum gazed up at him after nudging his neck, telling him that he smelled nice wanting to know if he had taken a shower. “Yes.” The man said and a shower it had been indeed. Almost a real one, just that there was only water running out of it without any different stages of added cleaning lotions, gels and then disinfection running out of it. After what he had had the last two month it had felt great though and there had been nice honey soap that had smelled good enough for the Xenonian to feel like wanting to lick on it but of course he knew better than to do that.

 

The brunette didn’t say anything further though instead he was looking at him intensely, almost staring, taking in every inch of the man who was sitting over him, looking down, asking himself why he was looked at like that. Suddenly Calum leaned up to him and from their previous experiences the soldier was positive that he’d be kissed but he wasn’t. The other’s face was so close though, his lips so tempting and it felt like he was being teased before the man spoke while touching his cheek, asking him whether he could just have him for breakfast.

 

“What?” the Colonel asked completely dumbfounded the pitiful remains of his eyebrows rose up in confusion and question, not even realising the jesting tone in the other’s voice. Did the man just ask if he could have him for breakfast? Like, eat him? Because that was obviously what one did with breakfast. That couldn’t be it because it made no sense and was completely crazy though but the Xenonian’s trouble, who tended to take things rather literal, with figurative speech and expressions was taking a toll on him now as his mind was rattling almost hearable when he was trying to make sense of it.

 

Then it suddenly clicked and it was as though someone had turned on a light on his mind and he at least thought he got what the other wanted from him. “Oh!” he expressed. “You want…” he nodded his head into the direction of his dick, his hand tugging on the hem of his own trousers. “And you want me to do this….” the platinum head was shifting a little and both of his hands grabbed the hem of Calum’s boxers pulling them down exposing his cock to the air in the room before he let his hand run over the flaccid length, toying it, pulling his foreskin and shoving his finger under it rubbing the glans as he was leaning down, his tongue vividly sliding over the man’s balls, then taking one after the other into his mouth, sucking on his balls while starting to stroke his cock.

 

There was a lewd sound to hear when the younger male’s left ball was popping out of his mouth and Ash ‘s tongue was slowly licking over the shaft of the brunette’s dick, pressing it against the sticking out veins until he reached the tip, shoving his tongue under Calum’s foreskin, letting it run in circles before he opened his mouth for the head of the other’s penis, starting to suck on it, inhaling the manly smell and tasting the other on his tongue, feeling how he was getting aroused by doing this, how it was turning him on to suck dick and how his blood was pumped into his own cock leading it to grow in his pants when he was gradually taking the brunette’s full length into his mouth, his teeth completely covered by the scars that were his lips, feeling the other’s cock in his throat.

[Gladis]

Calum had half expected that Asher wouldn’t immediately get it. After all, Asher seemed completely affluent in the world of metaphors and figurative speeches. Perhaps Calum was going too far with teasing him, but the dumbfounded look on his usually stern face was undeniably hilarious, if not even rather endearing.

 

”Right~" he mused, jade eyes glinting with amusement as closed the distance between them. ”I want you, Asher. All of you, like the delectable treat you are.” Chuckling softly, he playfully nabbed at Asher’s bottom lip with his teeth, sucking it into his mouth. That must have gotten his point across, because when they finally broke the kiss there was clarity in Asher’s pale blue eyes. The words and actions that followed only served to further confirm Calum’s suspicions. His lips curled into a pleased grin.

 

”You’ve got it, soldier!”

 

Calum let out a soft groan when he felt the rough palm of Asher’s hand against his cock, every movement sending a small electrifying tingle of pleasure into his abdomen. Saliva gathered in his mouth and his breathing was becoming heavier by the minute, his mind overflowing with dizzying arousal. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for Asher to bring out his full length. Shuddering, he heaved himself into a sitting position, spreading his legs slightly to allow for better access just as Asher moved down to take his balls into his mouth.

 

”By the gods, Asher,” he gasped as he felt Asher’s tongue slide underneath his foreskin, biting down on his bottom lip as his face contorted in pleasure. ”I swear, you’re getting better at this every time we do it…”

 

He was feeling great. No, not just great, but really fucking amazing – and by the looks of it, his lover was far from finished with him. Calum tilted his head back, parting his lips to let out a long, drawn out moan, and he reveled in the sensation of being engulfed by the wet, hot heat of Asher’s throat. Shuddering, he curled his hand in Asher’s short blonde hair. It was still somewhat damp from from the shower, and it felt cool against his skin.

 

”Fuck, that’s good, Asher…” he groaned, ”you’re too darn good at this… Oh gods, don’t stop. Please don’t stop…” subconsciously, he tightened his grip on Asher’s hair, his heart pounding hard in his chest as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through him. Calum felt hot and dizzy and he loved every second of what Asher was doing. The way his throat constricted around his pink hardness, how scarred lips rubbed against his sensitive skin – making him feel like he was drowning in pleasure. It was mesmerizing, almost hypnotic, and in a way it made Calum feel even more regretful for how badly he had managed when he tried to deepthroat Asher last time. He would have loved to make him feel the same. At the same time the thought of taking the full size of a cock that large was slightly terrifying. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to keep trying.

 

”A-asher…” Calum managed to stammer out, ”If you keep this up I-I'm gonna— hah..." he gasped, his hands quivering as he grabbed onto Asher's head with both hands.

[-Hideki-]

Needless to say Asher wasn’t exactly thrilled about his lover calling to his gods in pleasure while he was sucking him off but a) there was a cock in his mouth so he couldn’t make a remark or reprimand the other man for it and b) damn was the other hot and erotic drowning in pleasure like that, moaning, shouting his name, digging his hands into his hair and begging him to not stop what he was doing, so much so that the boiling heat, the throbbing in his hardening dick and arousal was much more prevalent and important to him in that moment than his objection to the ‘Oh gods’ calling. He just wanted to make the other go crazy from pleasure, make him forget anything else than Ash and their lust and desire for each other, his stupid non-existing gods, the upcoming war, the man whose life was in danger he wanted him to forget all that for now, as though it wouldn’t even matter, hence he frantically kept bobbing his head, his tongue sliding around the shaft as he was sucking the man off hard, as if he wanted to draw out every last bit of sperm.

 

It was a little absurd that he was feeling so turned on by sucking Calum’s dick but he only needed to see it and he wanted to lick and suck it already. It was a tempting, gorgeous cock the man had and convenient to suck on as it was of a smaller size and wasn’t too large. Somehow he found the idea of the brunette with a large cock unappealing, as in aesthetically and if it was so he’d probably not be so tempted to give him a blowjob. And when he was continuing to take the other deep into his throat, his hand squeezing and massaging the man’s balls the yearn to have his own cock stimulated, to be sucked off like that was getting stronger and stronger as he was getting more and more turned on.

 

However when the other had tried this the last time it had not worked out that well because Calum had not been able to do it. Then again Asher’s dick was huge, a lot larger than his lover’s and maybe the other really didn’t find his dick suckable or was just overwhelmed by the massiveness of it.

 

Subconsciously the soldier’s free hand was going down and he was rubbing over the large bulge where his cock was confined in now painfully tight pants to create some friction while he was deepthroating the younger man.

 

Then he heard the other male gasp out his name huskily followed by the information that he’d cum if Ash wasn’t going to stop but Asher, whose blue eyes peered up into those green ones wasn’t going to stop. He was doing anything but to stop. He wanted to make the man cum, felt a burning curiosity to what it’d be like to have the man cum while he was sucking him off and Calum had not even finished the sentence when he was moaning deeply and pleasured, those hands tightening their grip in his hair and he felt the man bucking up into his throat and the flex and twitch of the erupting cock in his mouth, shooting a load of sperm into his mouth and down his throat that the Xenonian automatically swallowed down, finding the taste needed some getting used to, as his lover’s cock was pumping another load of cum into his mouth.

 

Letting the now slippery dick slide out of his mouth he looked at Calum, licking over his scarred lips. Arousal and lust in his blue eyes, the tent in his pants as obvious as can be, his cock craving and demanding attention, making him feel as though he’d go crazy if he wasn’t touched there. He couldn’t bear those pants anymore and opened them, pulling them down together with his boxers, exposing his erection, the air feeling chilly around the hot skin. “Suck me!” he prompted the other. “I want to bury it into your tight throat as well!” the deep voice that was a little hoarse after he had had a cock in his throat just now sounded.

[Gladis]

If paradise was what awaited one after death, it had to be like this. Hot, lucious and overwhelmingly blissful – every thrust of his hips, ever movement Asher made sending shivers of pleasure into Calum’s abdomen. He was so close now. Calum could feel it, yet despite his warning it didn’t look like he would stop. His clouded, jade green gaze dropped down to meet icy blue, and he recognized the intent in those eyes. His cock twitched, his grip on Asher tightened and, completely forgetting himself in the moment – he bucked up into his lovers throat, crying out in pure ecstasy as his orgasm rippled through him.

 

For a few seconds, it almost felt like he was floating.

 

Then it was over, and breathing heavily he released Asher, taking a much needed moment to regain his composure. It was only upon hearing Asher’s voice, prompting him to return the favor that he realized he’d already undressed, exposing to Calum his erection in all of its hard and veiny glory. Moving to settle between Asher’s legs, he allowed his lips to curl into a bright smile.

 

”Well, there’s a beauty if I ever saw one!” He mused, diving down to place an adoring kiss on the tip of Asher’s cock, before wrapping his hand around the base, catching Asher’s icy blue gaze. ”Did I ever tell you, Asher? Your cock is absolutely magnificent, and it deserves every bit of love and attention I can give.” In other words; even if the prospect of doing so again scared him – he would try his best to grant him his wish. Parting his lips, he took the bulbous head into his mouth, sliding his tongue around it, teasing the slit while one hand worked its way up and down the remainder of his cock – the other playing with and squeezing his balls. Popping the glans out of his mouth, he flicked his tongue along the veiny length before taking them into his mouth, sucking on them, rubbing his tongue against them.

 

Calum seemed to be enjoying himself, but it was also undeniable that he was stalling. So, as soon as he had worked up the courage to give it a go, he pulled back, throwing Asher a nervous glance before taking a deep breath. With a racing heart he took the thick head into his mouth once more, but this time, he didn’t stop at just that. He kept going. Slowly, as not to make himself uncomfortable, working more and more of it into his mouth until it hit the ring of his throat. Already he could feel himself beginning to gag, but despite the discomfort he kept going, desperately wanting to please Asher. Even so, it was no good. His eyes were tearing up, and by the time he had about two thirds down, he was sputtering and coughing so much that he completely forgot to breathe through his nose, rather than his mouth. Face flushed, he pulled back abruptly, clasping onto the sheets as he gasped for air. A string of precum and drool spilled from his mouth, gleaming in the sunlight as it traveled down his chin.

 

”I’m sorry, Asher!” Calum blurted out, sounding every bit as frustrated as he felt. ”I don’t know. Maybe I’m doing it wrong. Or my throat is too tight or I… I don’t know. I’m sorry...” Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, he sat back, regarding his lover unhappily. But then he was struck by a thought and he paused, tilting his head slightly to the side. ”Maybe… maybe we should do it differently? Like, what if I lie on my back and tilt my head over the edge of the bed? That way my mouth will be aligned with my throat so it’ll go in straight, and you can thrust…” he trailed off, unsure whether to give Asher full control of the situation would help or just make it worse. In the past, he hadn’t exactly been the best at restraining himself. Then again, Calum did fully trust Asher not to hurt him. Not intentionally, anyway.

 

”I mean, it’s worth a shot at least, don’t you think? Worst case scenario I can’t manage that either and we’ll have established that I’m the absolutely worst at deep throating.” He smiled, although sadness glimmered in his eyes. Calum hated the fact that it was so incredibly difficult for him to give Asher what he wanted. To provide him with the kind of pleasure he had just been fortunate enough to experience himself. At this point Calum didn’t even care if he found it unpleasant. He just wished he could keep his head still for long enough to satisfy Asher. Perhaps that was part of the reason he had suggested a position that would not allow him to move, even if he wanted to. That, and because it was supposed to be easier on the gag reflexes.

 

”Just promise you’ll go easy on me.”

[-Hideki-]

Despite the horniness it made him give Calum a curious look when he was basically praising his cock as the most beautiful one he had ever seen because Asher wasn’t buying it. Two months earlier and he would have totally bought it but now the area was scarred as well, it had not magically stayed unaffected and the soldier was actually lucky that everything was intact and that he still had a dick and it wasn’t burned into disfiguration. The only thing gone completely was his pubic hair, that platinum-blond bush over his cock, what made the area look weird in his own eyes but the scarred skin was explanation enough for that general hairlessness of his body now. However he really couldn’t believe when the other said this was the most beautiful thing. Or maybe the brunette just hadn’t seen many dicks yet? His people were weird about nakedness in general and went bathing with towels around their waists so it was possible that the brunette hadn’t seen many penises other than his own. Ash on the other hand had seen plenty cocks throughout his life in shower and locker rooms because Xenonians had no problem stripping naked in front of each other, have conversations while being fully naked and not feeling much anything about it. He had seen dicks in all sizes and shapes!

 

There wasn’t much of the questioning left though when he felt the other man pressing his lips against the tip of his dick to kiss it, sending a small spark through him as he was anticipating more, feeling like he was being teased again with the other kissing his pulsing erection and staring at it that intensely but not going at it already, instead telling him how magnificent it was and that it deserved attention and love and on his mind Ash was just impatiently thinking ‘Then show it that love already instead of talking!’ but he didn’t say it. Finally then he felt the head of his cock being taken into the wet, hot mouth of the younger male, feeling the tongue sliding around it and the Colonel let out a sharp, aroused breath.

 

Sparks were starting to shoot through his nervous system and pleasure was slowly building up in him, his eyes taking in the side of the handsome fellow licking on his cock and fondling his balls as that was certainly hot to see the other taking care of the hard thick rod of his. Heat was pooling in his groin and spreading through his body from there and he was feeling it just when the brunette pulled back and looked up to him nervously. The Xenonian gave him an encouraging look and let his hand run through the brown strands of hair caressingly when the other man was working up the courage to give it another go. And the other was working himself up taking more and more of his length into his mouth making the soldier moan slightly when his dick hit the tightness of his throat, causing more intense pleasure to run through him and the man had to restrain himself from starting to move his hips again, from thrusting into the other’s throat because it was feeling that great and he wanted to feel that pleasure, wanted that pleasure to increase and consume his body but although he kept himself from moving it never came to this, they weren’t even getting as far as the last time since Calum was tearing up, starting to cough and to choke on his cock so that Ash was pulling it out on his own. There might have been men whom that would have been a turn on to but to him it wasn’t. Seeing his lover tear up, uncomfortable and choking from pain it caused to take his massive dick into his throat wasn’t sexy to him, he didn’t want to cause the man he liked discomfort and pain.

 

Seeing Calum with a flushed face, clasping onto the bed with drool running out of his mouth gasping for air made the Colonel frown as it made him feel bad about this. Yes, he wanted his cock sucked; he wanted to feel the amazing tightness of his throat badly but not like this. There was a deep sigh coming from him when the other man was apologising to him, apparently as frustrated with the situation as Ash was but also frustrated with himself and that Asher was not, he wasn’t frustrated with the other man or mad or anything really. He let his hand run through the other’s hair, over his cheek to his jaw and lifted his face up, kissing those drool and precum coated lips of his. “Don’t worry your cute head about it. If you are physically unable to do this you can’t change it and it is what it is. Just as I can’t change the size of my cock as that is what it is too.” He said and shrugged although he definitely would have liked to have his dick sucked properly.

 

He watched the man wipe the tears from his eyes and he was feeling a little like an arse for thinking what to do with his ‘hard facts’ now as his cock was screaming for attention and he was sill aroused and in heat when Calum suddenly suggesting to lay down with his head over the edge of the bed and have Asher fuck his throat. It made the Xenonian raise his eyebrows in question as appealing and hot as that sounded because last time the man had been thrusting his cock into the other male’s throat the same thing as right now had happened, it had hurt Calum. “Are you sure?” he asked wanting to know whether the man was really wanting to try this. The brunette however seemed eager to go through with it and at least trying hence Ash nodded when he was told to go easy on him. “I’ll be careful.” He promised.

 

After the other had gone into the described position the Colonel was repositioning himself, his cock slowly sliding into the other’s mouth right up his throat, causing the man to gasp as he was considerately starting to move his hips, the whole length sliding in and out of that tight throat, the great, intense pleasure streaming through him, building up more and Ash was moving somewhat faster and deeper, trying not to thrust in hardly but wanting to increase that pleasure that was setting his body on fire, making his cock leak precum, deep growls coming from him, the pleasure to see on his face, his breathing laboured, his mouth slightly opened. Damn it felt good and he hoped it wouldn’t come to an abrupt end again because the other couldn’t bear it after all.

[Gladis]

The feeling of Asher gently combing his fingers through his hair was a comfort. So was the soft kiss on his lips, and the surprisingly sweet comment about how he shouldn’t beat himself up over it. Asher was right, of course. Calum knew that. Everyone has their limits, and this seemed to be his. Even so, he couldn’t help but wish that it was otherwise.

 

”I just want to make you feel good…” he said quietly, using his thumb to wipe the spit and precum off his chin. He offered Asher another smile. ”Thank you, though. You’re very kind, Asher.”

 

Upon being asked whether he was sure about trying again, he nodded his head without hesitation. Asher’s display of concern was very touching, and he appreciated it. At the same time he wouldn’t have suggested it in the first place, if he wasn’t already sure he wanted to give it another go. The discomfort he could handle, he thought, as long as they took it easy. Asher had already promised he would. If changing how his head was positioned could at least help to mitigate his troublesome gag reflexes… well, Calum would be all the happier for it.

 

”I trust you.” He said softly, gazing into Asher’s eyes as he reached up to gently touch his cheek. Then he laid back on the bed as he’d suggested, tilting his head over the edge of the bed as Asher aligned his huge cock with Calum’s mouth. Bracing himself for what was to come, he opened up wide, allowing the raging boner to almost effortlessly slide down his throat. This was good. They were off to a good start, at least. There was the usual scratchy, tingly sensation, but at least he didn’t feel like he was about to choke or throw up. And still it took every ounce of him not to panic like before. To remain calm. To remember that he was supposed to breathe. To relax.

 

To Asher’s credit though – he was being very considerate, giving Calum more than enough time to adjust. And although most would probably would have found this position worse for the lack of control it granted them, to Calum it was somewhat of a relief not also having to worry about moving his head. He was busy enough trying to keep himself under control.

[-Hideki-]

It took him all the self-discipline he had to not go with the flow and to ravage the other man’s face in an intense face fuck as the amazing feeling that was overtaking him was getting more intense and luckily if Asher had learned something and possessed something that was discipline. Hence he was restraining himself, careful not to hurt the other, to not make him gag and choke again since at the moment it seemed to go smoothly enough for them. The more pleasure was shooting up into his head turning his mind into mush the harder it was to even remind himself of this though and some of his thrusts came harder and faster as intended, making him growl out in pleasure as he was thrusting back in.

 

His body was a heated mess and he was panting heavier and heavier, moving his hips non-stop. “Shit!” he moaned as his cock was invading the deep tightness again and Asher was slowly feeling how his orgasm was starting to built up, leading to the penetration of the other’s throat to get more intense even though the Xenonian tried to hold back. “Fuck! I wanna cum in your mouth!” he exclaimed in a husky half moaning tone the urge and yearn to get himself over the edge and to cum, to make the other swallow his load was getting all consuming at this moment. He couldn’t think of anything else but the electrifying pleasure and wanting to cum. Ash was in bliss and ecstasy but he was too going rougher than at the beginning until he lost his rhythm completely and the muscles of his body that were mostly covered by a shirt were constricting, veins sticking out as he was bucking into the man’s throat really deep now, a roaring growl coming from him as he was cumming inside of the other’s mouth, shooting his load down his throat.

 

The soldier was pulling his dick out of the younger man’s mouth, not wanting him to have to bear with it longer than needed and he let himself fall to the side onto the bed breathing heavily, his chest sinking and falling and he closed his eyes for a moment trying to catch some breath. “Are you alright?” he asked turning his head to the younger man, checking on him although he was still feeling heavy and relaxed and his brain was pretty much mush still. What he did notice was that he was hungry though. “Let’s go and grab breakfast now doctor. She’s probably waiting for us already anyway.” He said out of breath making no attempt to actually move and to do as he had suggested. Which was partially due to the orgasm he had just had and partially because Zorya would certainly ruin his mood somehow. Then again he wanted to find out what she wanted from him, why she had invited him after all and for that he had to speak to her whether he liked her or not.

[Gladis]

This wasn’t quite as terrible as he had thought it would be. As he was slowly getting used to the feeling of Asher’s massive cock stretching his narrow throat, he became capable of appreciating the minor details of what they were doing. Like the way his throat would visibly bulge every time Asher thrust back in – something that to Calum would be felt rather than seen, but the thought of which still served as a turn on. Or the terribly lewd squelchy, gurgling noise they were making, which differed considerably from what he was used to. Or the way Asher was moaning and groaning in pleasure, indicating that he was enjoying himself thoroughly. Perhaps more than anything, that was what helped him endure even the less pleasant aspects of it, because of course it wasn’t all just a dance on roses.

 

Calum’s gag reflexes wouldn’t just suddenly, magically go away, and as Asher increased his pace, they began to make themselves very known – causing his throat to constrict and convulse around the invasion. He blubbered and he gurgled, squeezing his eyes shut as he tightened his grip on the sheets, reminding himself that he was supposed to breathe still. By then Asher’s thrusts had become very irregular, and Calum was sure it wouldn’t be long until he came. Sure enough – the raw, almost animalistic growl that erupted from Asher was almost immediately followed by a load of sticky cum. There wasn’t much for Calum except swallow – Asher was buried so deep inside him that most of it went straight down his throat anyway. Only some of it came back up in the wake of Asher pulling out, as he was overcome by another coughing fit, filling his mouth with a faintly bitter, salty taste.

 

”I-I’m fine!” He gasped hoarsely, rolling over to his side as he took a moment to recover. Although Calum really did mean it, he may not have seemed very convincing at the time. He was in fact feeling a little sick and dizzy, but that was all. Shifting so that he was facing Asher, he reached over to gently place his hand on Asher’s cheek. ”I did good, didn’t I?” He murmured, allowing his hand to slide down onto the mattress. Yes, perhaps he was fishing for praise, but this time he really did feel like he deserved it. Of course, he wasn’t the only one. ”Thank you for going easy on me.” Closing the distance between them, he rewarded Asher with a chaste kiss, his lips curling into a warm smile.

 

Upon hearing Asher’s suggestion that they go have so breakfast, however, he paused, a slight pout forming on his lips.

 

”In a moment…” he agreed, although it was clear that he was in no hurry to get up. ”Before you asked me why I haven’t trained to become a proper doctor, right? Well… as much as I’d like to, it just isn’t that simple. Getting an education costs money – something simple village folk like us don’t have a lot of. Especially since we mostly trade our grain for other goods that are of more use to us than little chunks of metal. Besides, I’d have to go very far from home, for several years to complete my training... and that’s why it never really happened, I suppose.”

[-Hideki-]

Although it wasn’t all too convincing when the younger man claimed that he was fine the other did seem well enough and not in pain for Ash to accept the answer, closing his eyes for a moment, his chest rising and falling, his breath and heart rate slowly calming down and getting to a normal level again. He only opened his eyes again when he felt a gentle hand on his cheek, caressing it, looking directly into those green orbs of Calum when the man asked him if he had done well and Asher realised that he apparently should have told the man how much he did in fact appreciated that he had done that for him and that it had felt great. “Certainly.” The Xenonian said, laying his hand onto the brunette’s neck, his thumb stroking over the warm and smooth skin. “It felt amazing. I really appreciate that you went through with it for me.” He told him and kissed his lips, knowing that it must have been unpleasant for the other.

 

Shaking his head he pulled the man a little closer when he was thanking him for going easy on him. “No need to. I told you I would.” He brushed it off. “It was only logical to do so after I have seen how much you were struggling to do that to begin with. It would have been egotistical of me to overlook your wellbeing for my personal pleasure and it wouldn’t have worked out then in the first place. This only works when we work together properly as a team.” the soldier told the other his really Xenonian view of the situation.

 

After he had suggested to go and grab breakfast but wasn’t moving to go anywhere the brunette told him to wait a moment and began to speak, reminding him of the question he had asked the younger male before they had headed to bed and that Calum had been too tired to answer, now telling him why he had never attended the academy to become a certificated doctor. What he learned was that the other would have liked to but that education cost something they called money and that the so called ‘simple people’ a term the other had once used before and that Ash still didn’t understand, couldn’t effort going to the academy to get that education.

 

The part about being away from home slipped his mind completely as he was frowning over the other part. “Your education costs money and those who don’t have it can’t get the education and hence won’t ever get the money?” he sorted that on his mind. “What kind of logically flawed and unjust, unfair system is that? Some people will always be incredibly disadvantaged and held down by that system.” he asked. “Not to mention that every person has the right to get their education in order to follow their purpose and to become a valuable, active member of society. To be a part of society and the big picture, to be productive and needed!” He found. “Working is an essential right! There needs to be work for every citizen!” The soldier said and then something was striking him. “You talk about this freedom all the time. Freedom here, freedom there, free choice here but how is one supposed to be free if one can’t even get an education and follow the own purpose because this is only available for people who own a lot of this money thing and not to other groups? How can one be free without the work that is your purpose? Your freedom can’t exist without the right to an education and to work. They are interconnected aren’t they? Work and education is making free!” Asher mused scratching his scarred chin thinking about this deeply and to him what he was thinking was making total sense.

 

Having remained there thinking about this for a while he remembered that he was hungry when his stomach rumbled and he dragged his body up, putting his boxers and trousers back on, prompting Calum to put on some trousers as well before he pulled the other with him into the dining room where the other’s were already sitting around the table but at least were still eating. It made Asher uncomfortable to not be on time, to be unpunctual but it was the second time Calum and him were late due to that kind of thing already and they really needed to prevent this from becoming a habit. A habit to be too late because they were busy fucking or sucking their cocks! Not to mention that last time everyone had seemed to know what they had been doing and why they had been late, what hadn’t really bothered him, but they had laughed about them and had made weird remarks what had been odd and it had embarrassed the brunette. And now there also was Zorya, a fellow Xenonian, what was a different situation entirely.

 

Hence he just greeted the others and then sat down on a chair without a comment, putting some food onto his plate greedily, pointing out how he was incredibly hungry but the smell of sex was still lingering around them and his hair also was messy from the brunette digging his fingers into it when he had given him head. “You still didn’t answer my question. Why did you invite me here exactly?” he broke the uncomfortable silence his blue eyes looking at Zorya.

[Gladis]

Even if he had practically asked for it, Asher’s compliment still brought a satisfied smile to Calum’s face.

 

”That’s all I wanted to hear.” He murmured, closing his eyes as Asher leaned in to kiss his lips. Sure, it hadn’t been the most pleasant thing in the world, but if enduring it meant he’d been able to make Asher feel good and that he’d get some praise out of it as well, it had been well worth it – and he would not hesitate to do it all again. When Asher went on to explain that this sort of thing was a team effort, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Wasn’t that exactly what he’d told Asher when he attempted to explain the point of sex just a couple of days ago?

 

”That’s the beauty of it though, don’t you think? That you can’t do it on your own – that you have to work together for it to be at its best. I suppose in that sense, learning about one another’s strengths and weaknesses – to understand each others limits and to respect them is simply a part of the process that brings us closer together.” The smile that graced his features was mild, and he raised his hand to gently trace the shape of Asher’s lips with the tip of his index finger.

 

Without a doubt, Asher’s comment about the injustice of Calum’s disposition – and his people’s way of life as a whole did throw his mind into a spin. He had never considered his situation to be unjust, or that he was less free because of it. Normally he would have brushed it off with ’because that’s how they gods have willed it’, but he knew full and well that Asher would neither like nor accept that kind of answer. This might just have been as well, because the Xenonian clearly seemed to have a couple of misconceptions about their society that did in fact warrant an explanation. After all, Calum’s situation wasn’t quite as hopeless as he might have made it seem.

 

”Asher,” he said, ”freedom is not about having every possibility in the world, or for everyone to be equal in everything. It is about being allowed to think and feel whatever you like. It is about having choices in the first place. That however does not mean you don’t have any responsibilities at all, or limitations that will affect said choices. In our world a purpose is not given to you at birth – it is something you must find for yourself. This can be difficult, at times perhaps even seem impossible… but it is the price you have to pay if you wish to be truly free. And personally… well, I suppose I’m at a bit of a crossroads. I haven’t quite figured out my place in the world yet.” He paused for a moment, breathing a soft sigh. ”Up until recently I wanted to become a Seeker and scour the waste for relics, like my father and Elizabeth… but I’m beginning to realize I’m not really cut out for that kind of work. Nan’ has trained me to follow in her footsteps but honestly – and I’m sure you will be happy to hear this – I don’t feel so connected to the gods that I really want to pursue priesthood. I’d still like to help people, though, so becoming a doctor seems like the perfect compromise. It’s just that… a thing can sound great in theory, but when it comes to actually doing it...well…” Sitting up, Calum ran his fingers through his messy brown hair.

 

”Let’s say I had the money and really did decide to leave the Myre so that I could become a doctor. Getting a degree would take between three to five years. That means three to five years away from my family and friends – away from the only life I’ve ever known. As… exciting the prospect of that may be, it’s also kind of scary to think about. For example – Nan’ is old. There’s no telling how much longer she’ll live. I don’t doubt that Sasha and Ellie would take care of her but… if I left, that may very well be the last time I ever get to see her. I would miss Anya and Tommen growing up, and the first five years of Ellie’s baby. I’d...well… I’d miss my home.” He admitted somewhat reluctantly, only to instantly regret it a moment later. Calum had no right to talk about missing his home. Not when he still had it, and Asher may have lost it forever.

 

”I-I’m sorry,” he added, feeling just a little bit guilty. ”I didn’t mean to…” he trailed off, suppressing another sigh.

 

”My point is – it’s not so much that it would be entirely impossible for me to do it, as that I simply haven’t mind up my mind yet. Sure, it wouldn’t be easy, but if I really set my heart on it, I could probably find a way. I could work for it, or find a sponsor, or ask to train under a certified doctor if going to an academy turns out to be impossible. If it came to it I’m sure the entire village would be more than happy to pitch in. That’s just how we’ve always done things. But the thing is… even if I don’t end up pursuing that vocation, it’s not like I won’t have a job. Like everyone at the Myre, I am first and foremost a farmer. Everyone in the village works – everyone contributes. Our community would fall apart if we didn’t.”

 

Allowing some time for his words to sink in, he got dressed, following Asher out into the kitchen where Micheal was already seated at the table. Zorya, up until that point had been carefully tending to her husband. When she finally did join them, she looked exhausted – even more so than last night, and Calum found himself wonder whether she had slept at all.

 

”Sorry for the delay,” he apologized somewhat bashfully, pulling out a chair, ”that was entirely my fault.”

 

Zorya managed a tired smile. ”Don’t worry about it.”

 

”What happened to your voice?” Asked Micheal, peering at him with large, curious blue eyes.

 

Though initially caught off guard by the question, Calum managed still managed a not entierly untrue response – delievered with an appropriate amount of mildly flustered snickers and an amused glance in Asher’s direction. ”I tried to swallow something very big.”

 

His ominous answer, however, did little to clear the quizzical look from Michael's face. ”Did you choke on it?” He asked with a frown.

 

”A little bit.” Mused Calum, just as Zorya placed a jar of glass filled with white pills in front of Asher.

 

”I told you in my letter, didn’t I? To answer any questions you may have.” She said, before tapping the lid of the jar. ”But also to give you this. They should help with your allergic reactions. Just make sure to take one every morning…” Zorya trailed off as she pulled out and took a seat of her own. ”If you want more, however, you’ll have to go get it yourself. Or have someone fetch it for you, like I do. The scientist who makes them runs a brothel in Kalua.”

[-Hideki-]

Sitting still and silent while someone else said something that he saw differently or where he had his doubts was a difficult thing for him to do and still the soldier sat there and listened to everything Calum had to say, his mind putting every piece of information in and running it through the Xenonian man’s system where he tried to make sense out of it and to get to the core of it. In the end he was left thinking that the brunette man’s freedom was even more useless than expected and that this system was still unjust and meant a massive disadvantage for people based on how much of that money they and their living group had.

 

“There is a massive imbalance how can you not see this.” he finally said as to Asher that was obvious. “You don’t have the same freedom to make choices and you don’t have the same possibilities and chances to follow your actual true purpose someone with more of that money has. There is no true equality of opportunity in your system! If you work something else next to attending the academy you will have to do a lot more to even be able to attend it and since you’ll have to focus on that work also you’ll be at a disadvantage compared to the person who can without a worry to get their hands on this money somehow focus on their education in the academy, hence this person will most certainly outperform you regardless of your actual potential and if your personal potential and your ability is way higher than theirs because your system doesn’t care for the ability of the people but only money. Hence the one born to the living group with more money will on average come out on top in your society without having more potential or a greater ability.” He told him, raising an eyebrow. “On Xenon everyone has equal opportunity. Everyone starts from the same place and gets the same education offered to them. Their ability and potential, who they are and how much they do for it will determine their success and outcome in their field and not some random environmental factors they couldn’t do anything for or against and have been born into, such as having a living group with a lot of that money or without.” Asher explained finding that once more their system was a lot superior needless to say. Not to mention that their society didn’t even need that stupid primitive money thing. What was it good for anyway?

 

Ash then decided to address another of the man’s points though. “Five years for an education and to follow your purpose isn’t long. On Xenon it starts when you leave your assigned adults and are given to the government’s education facilities until you are twenty-one years of age where you’ll be a highly specialised, qualified and trained member of society.” He let the other know. “And it’s not like you couldn’t visit your family.” The man didn’t see what was that scary about the prospect to leave to the academy. It wasn’t like there was no return. “You might miss your home but you aren’t far from it. It’s the same sky, the same language, the same culture, the same society and if you couldn’t bear it you could return.” The soldier said. “Every time I got into my battleship and left Xenon’s ground I knew that there is a chance I might never return, that I’d die a hero.” The platinum head told him. “Well…. and last time I didn’t return… although I’m not dead.” The man said and he felt that melancholic feeling, that homesickness rise within him again and he tried to shake it off. “Anyhow, are you sure there was a baby around? I never saw it? Where was it? Aren’t they usually loud and annoying and need constant attention?” he wondered.

 

As he was wordlessly putting food onto his plate Calum apologised and that apology was followed by the kid, whom apparently no one had told that it had been curiosity that had killed the cat, wanting to know why the brunette male’s voice was sour and hoarse and Asher let the food fall onto the plate a little abruptly, peering over to the both of them when Calum told the kid he had tried to swallow something big looking at the soldier who coughed before he confirmed:” He did.” That didn’t seem to be enough for the brat though because he too wanted to know if the brunette had choked on it with that weird obliviousness that was on one hand hilarious and on the other even more odd than the people laughing and making knowing remarks about them the last time.

 

After he had asked Zorya to finally tell him what she had invited him for she responded by telling him that the only intent had been to answer questions he might have and to the soldier it was rather weird but he decided to not question it further. His attention was grabbed by what was placed before him anyway and the man picked up the glass with the large white pills in it eyeing them sceptically when the woman already told him what they were for. Now he knew why the woman didn’t sneeze although she wasn’t wearing a combat suit or gas mask but just when he wanted to thank her she said something about the scientist who made them owning a brothel in a city called Kalua.

 

The two terms ‘scientist’ and ‘brothel’ didn’t want to fit together on Asher’s mind. Scientists were highly respected members of their society and what a brothel was the Xenonian only knew from ancient history and they had been described as temples of decay, places infested with the worst kind of degeneracy, a place where people were offered to others for sexual pleasure for payment, the mere idea was disgustingly outrageous and immoral to the average Xenonian citizen. “The scientist who makes them owns what?” the Colonel asked with a face that had gotten blank. “Who is that scien…. Wait! No!” the blank expression went from confused, to shocked, to vehement refusal of the mere possibility. “No! This can’t be! That, lady, is a lie! It has to be a lie!” he yelled his fist hitting the plate of the table. “This man is a national hero! How dare you! Number 997-919-791-779-1-XY, the creator of Hydra-12000, the toxicologist who enabled our glorious victory against Kriegan would never stoop so low as to engage in such a business, he’d never give in to his low instincts and indulge in lust and sex and get carried away by pleasure and desire…..” Asher abruptly stopped as he realised the irony of his rant that was an old thought pattern, based on the view of Xenon as the man had held it when he had first crashed onto Earth and the fact that he had just gotten late to breakfast because he had eagerly sucked on another man’s dick, swallowing his sperm, getting aroused by sucking cock leading to him fucking Calum’s throat, not to mention that he was more or less constantly thinking about sex, lusting over other men and wouldn’t mind doing it even more often. And if he, the number one combat pilot who had ruled the ranking list for such a long time before he had been shot down, was like this without the device, so could number 997-919-791-779-1-XY.

 

The Xenonian bit on his own bottom lip, throwing a glance at Zorya, coughing, before he spoke: “Nevermind!” as if one should just ignore that he had said anything at all and pretend he had not. “Rather tell me where that brothel and that Kalua place is! How quick can we be there if we leave after breakfast?” Asher wanted to know a flame starting to burn within him, ambition and motivation glowing in his eyes. “If we can win Hydra…, I mean 997-919-791-779-1-XY for our course we are indestructible on this planet.” He stated looking at Calum slamming his hand against his chest. “This man has developed one of the most beautiful and most deadly weapons you can imagine. He delivered and fulfilled exactly what was desired. It’s efficient, eliminates masses in an incredibly short amount of time over a wide range of land while assuring that the substance won’t stay inside of the atmosphere for too long so that the resources and the land can be used without loss of material and time and stays fully intact. “he explained. “Hydra-12000 is magnificent! And if we get him, we get all his knowledge and with it Hydra. If we can build a carrier those savages won’t get even close to the Myre. We can eliminate every single one of them with one strike, none of them will be left, and by doing so we’ll ensure history won’t repeat itself before they can count to ten! Your people, your home and village will be safe from those lunatic barbarians forever and it will be too feared by anyone to try to attack you again!” the soldier painted their victory delightedly looking like a child that had just gotten his favourite toy and a bunch of the sweetest candy as a present. His scarred lips were curled up happily as he was taking the antiallergenic swallowing down the fat pill without any water whatsoever without a problem since unlike Calum Asher almost lacked a gag reflex and could swallow basically everything.

[Gladis]

”What ’true purpose’, Asher? Didn’t I already tell you? There is no ’true purpose’. Whatever meaning, or significans your life ends up having is not determined for you by a system. It is something you must find, or perhaps even create for yourself. Unlike Xenon, there is no set path for you to follow. It is the choices you make that determine where you end up. And yes, that does mean not everyone is a hundred percent equal. It means that things aren’t always fair – but you know what? That’s life! Life isn’t fair. There will always be those that enjoy privileges others don’t, regardless of what their society is like. I bet that even on Xenon, where you claim everyone is equal, this is the case. Because tell me this, Asher – what is fair about a single person controlling the lives of millions of people? What is fair about this one individual deciding who lives and who dies? What is fair about one person micromanaging every aspect of your lives, attempting to strip you of your individuality, the right to love, to feel and to think freely – of everything that makes you human, just for the sake of creating that perfect equality of yours?”

 

There was a brief moment of silence, which Calum filled with a sigh. When he finally did speak, his voice was a lot quieter. Perhaps because he knew full and well he was entering a dangerous territory.

 

”Which I bet isn’t even as equal as you think. Or are you telling me that the man who proclaims himself your emperor enjoys the exact same living conditions as everyone else? That he lives by the same rules? That he has the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else? Because usually when someone holds the title of king, or lord, or emperor… that’s not the case.”

 

Realizing only too late that he might have spoken out of line, he shook his head, deciding to let the topic go.

 

”And no, I would not be able to go home. It takes at least a month to travel back and forth between the Myre and the nearest city alone. Do you really think I would be able to take that much time off, just to visit my family? No, if I decided to go, I would be gone for three years at least – five if I wish to specialize, and who knows how long thereafter if I’m lucky enough to land a city job. I don’t think you realize how big of a deal it is, really. It’s just not a choice that can be made lightly.”

 

He let out another heavy sigh, thoughtfully rubbing the back of his head only to stare at Asher in disbelief a moment later.

 

”Asher… you’re kidding me, right? Ellie’s baby – you know – the one in her tummy?” He patted his stomach in an attempt to illustrate his point. ”Don’t tell me you didn’t notice she’s like–” and then he cut himself off, his eyes widening as he came to a sudden realization. ”Oh, but of course… Asher, you’ve never seen a pregnant woman, have you? Well, of course you haven’t.” He added, chuckling at his own silliness. ”I forgot that your people grow babies tubes.”

 

***

 

The slightly awkward atmosphere around the breakfast table seemed to explode the moment Asher raised his voice, once again throwing out all kinds accusations that stunned the assembly into silence. Everyone’s eyes were on Asher, except for Elizabeth, who continued to poke at her food in silence. The curious look on Michael's face was quickly replaced by a combination of nervousness and anger, and Zorya simply raised an eyebrow, shaking her head as she folded her arms across her chest. Calum on the other hand kind of felt the need to point out the hypocrisy of Asher’s outbursts, but it seemed he came to his senses on his own, because a moment later he cut himself off, plunging the room into an even more awkward silence.

 

It was Asher that broke this silence, inquiring about where to find this man and how to get there, before going on to detail the achievements of this mystery scientist. And the more Calum heard, the less he actually felt like going. By the time Asher had finished talking, every last bit of color seemed to have drained from Calum’s features.

 

How could someone so proudly suggest that they wipe out an entire people – savages or not – by dropping a weapon of mass destruction on them? How could anyone call such a horrifying creation magnificent? Wasn’t it, amongst other things, those kinds of weapons that brought upon them the wrath of the gods and with it the apocalypse that eliminated the ancient world in the first place? That triggered the twenty-year winter?

 

Having suddenly lost his appetite, Calum laid down his fork with a quivering hand. He felt sick, almost as though he was about to throw up, and there was a part of him that wanted nothing more than to get out of there. Especially since he was the one Asher had been addressing, the one he was smiling at, as though looking for his approval. And that… that just wasn’t something he could give. Not for a plan like that.

 

”Calum, are you okay?” Asked Elizabeth with a mildly concerned expression.

 

He gave a vague nod of his head, rising from his seat. ”Y-yeah, I… uhm… I’m just gonna go check on Adam for a bit, if that’s alright…?” He threw a glance at Zorya, who nodded her head, in response to which he excused himself and quickly left the room.

 

Again the was an awkward silence, but this time Zorya was the one to break it.

 

”From here? About 16 days, on foot. Slightly faster on horseback, but not much if you can’t pay for relays. And Colonel? If you do decide to seek him out, I’d strongly recommend you don’t call him Hydra. 997-919-791-779-1-XY is not particularly fond of that name.”

[-Hideki-]

“I have understood that. But you said it was on the person to find and determine their own true purpose in life. Hence, the issue still remains. If you figured out your true purpose but pursuing it will be a lot more difficult if not impossible for you because you don’t have this money and are on a massive disadvantage compared to someone else who has found his true purpose and can go for it without any struggle.” The soldier said calmly even though he didn’t understand why the other wasn’t seeing it and didn’t understand what he meant.

 

Had he been calm and his attitude rather light it darkened the more the other man talked. His blue eyes were narrowed when he looked at the other and he raised his head high, looking down. “You always say that. ‘That’s life’, ‘that’s nature’, ‘that’s just how it is’ and you know what this is? Surrendering! It’s cowardice. You’re not even trying to improve, to make things better than they are, to progress. With this attitude things will remain as shitty as they are; your society will stagnate for eternity because apparently that is how it is. No, you’re just not doing anything. It’s a cheap excuse, it’s laziness, it’s primitiveness. Maybe it is impossible to ever reach perfection, maybe perfection doesn’t exist, fair enough, however things can be better and greater and more impressive than anything that has ever been. There always is room for improvement and progress and one shall always strive for progress, to be better, to be greater than the current status.” The man clearly stated, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

 

Calum however wasn’t finished yet, he was talking himself into rage and while Asher wanted to tell him that he had said that on Xenon everyone had equal opportunity, not that everyone was in fact equal or the same, the brunette man was attacking the core of Xenon’s system, the man who had created the Xenonian way of life and founded the empire, who had imagined their great society as it was, who had prevented them from decay, who had saved their people and led the way into a great future. There was shock written on his face when he heard the man speak about their leader like that, throwing all those accusations about the man he did not even know into Ash’s face and the Colonel was feeling hurt! He was feeling hurt because the other was attacking the emperor! The soldier identified with the emperor so strongly, he loved and admired him so much, that insulting him and making accusations about him felt like he was attacked personally. On Xenon he’d have reported everyone who had said something like that immediately but this was not Xenon and this was Calum and the fact that it was someone he liked made it even more hurtful and even more outrageous and infuriating.

 

His eyes were merely slits right now, his fists were forming, his muscles were getting tense, his carotid was sticking out and he crunched his teeth, looking to the ground. “Shut up!” he hissed quietly before he raised his head and his furious gaze was meeting those green eyes. “Shut up I said!” Asher yelled now. “You know and understand nothing at all! How dare you! How dare you talk about the greatest man who has ever lived like that celebrating your ignorance and insolence! All that we are we owe the emperor! He saved us, he founded Xenon, he built our society, he ensured that what happened on this shithole of a planet won’t ever repeat. He loves his people, he loves his empire and of course he respects and lives according to the same standards and laws of our glorious nation! He is the most humble, the most selfless man who has ever lived! He only lives and breathes for us! Everything he does, he does for Xenon! Everything! And you got the nerve to piss on a man like him? A man compared to whom you and I are nothing! You dishonoured yourself by what you just said! You should be ashamed of yourself!” the man shouted and only stopped when his voice cracked.

 

Although the Xenonian stopped yelling at the other because he had said something that was insulting to him, an opinion he could not bear, he could not tolerate, he had been taught to not tolerate, he wasn’t back to normal again. He had crossed his arms in front of his chest and there was a clear distance that had gotten back between them. As if one of the bridges they had built was on fire now. “If you aren’t even willing to sacrifice something for it, maybe it isn’t your purpose after all. Maybe you have no purpose or your purpose is to cling on your folks and assist them in fulfilling what they want because you’re too scared to even start your own journey.” The soldier found, all of this sounding like excuses as to why not to do it. He didn’t quite understand and right now, after what the man had said before, he didn’t care to try anymore either.

 

The soldier rolled his eyes when he heard the annoyed sigh and was stared at by the other like this when he had asked about that baby and he would have liked to remark that he too was annoyed by the brunette and that this feeling was apparently mutual but he didn’t, it would have been pointless. Maybe ‘they’ were pointless! Maybe there would never be a ‘they’! They might just be so incompatible that they couldn’t work together and much less be together as a couple. “No, I’m not kidding you!” he barked letting his annoyance shine through now as well when the other was treating him as if he was stupid what only pissed him off more. He was not stupid!

 

When the other was talking about the baby in her stomach he was raising his eyebrows though and the irritation was overthrown by baffled disbelieve. “What? You want to tell me there is a baby inside of her stomach? It’s in there and it lives in her?” he asked and his face was looking extremely crept out and disgusted. “That’s gruesome! Awful! Gross! I mean I saw that there was something wrong with her, I thought she was overeating, than that she might have had a parasite or that she was severely sick and I’ve seen it getting worse. I was worried she might die. I wanted to ask her but I didn’t know how because you Earth people are that sensitive about stuff like that.” Asher told him. “Then again, she does have a parasite of some kind…. It has all the attributes of a parasite. Yikes!” the man said and a shudder was overcoming him as he was shaking his body. “Does it break out of her stomach?” the man asked with a screwed up nose and an expression between being grossed out and a morbid fascination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gulping down the pill, delighted about how the tide had just turned into their favour and how they’d now even have the opportunity to make the Myre the centre and the strongest force of this planet, a superpower so to speak, he wasn’t paying attention to the other people around until he heard the knife hitting the table and the concerned voice of Elizabeth who asked the younger man if he was alright. That led Ash to turn his head back around to the brunette who looked even cranky now, like Ash had when he had caught that virus and had thrown up, that was what he looked like. He also looked unhappy, maybe even condemning of something and the stuttering way he excused himself was certainly weird as well, as if he couldn’t bear to sit next to Asher a second longer.

 

Examining the man as he left the room a questioning, confused look was to see on Asher’s face and he turned around to Zorya and Elizabeth again. “What’s wrong with him?” he asked shaking his head. “You present to him the ultimate solution to their savage problem and he gets mad at you and all weird.” The soldier genuinely was confused, before sighing, looking to Elizabeth specifically. “Sometimes you people are odd and I really don’t understand you. Like when you so vigorously refused that I’d fetch us some criminals to test the gas masks and weapons on!” he remembered, trying to figure out Calum’s reaction but no matter what not understanding it so he was glad when Zorya was addressing his question in regards to how fast they could get there.

 

Sixteen days was way too long. And although he was pretty opposed to the coward animals and sitting on their backs he was seriously considering it if it meant they’d only need ten days or so and could significantly shorten travel time by doing so. He was just weighing the options when Zorya added that she recommended him to not call the legendary scientist Hydra as he apparently wasn’t fond of being called by the name of his creation. “Huh?” he made. “Yeah, I know, that’s not his name. And I can see how it might have started to annoy him to be equated with his most astonishing accomplishment and his great service to our nation all the time so I’ll keep that in mind. But when we call him Hydra we certainly only mean it with the outmost respect possible. I mean, if you search for Hydra-12000 in the database, the entrance will have his photo right there upfront.” Asher was fancying the scientist or rather his accomplishments. “It’s a shame I’ve been to young back then. I would have loved to be one of the combat pilots to achieve this victory over one of our archenemies. It was legendary and historic!” the soldier said and then rose from his seat. “And now excuse me ladies, I need to get Calum to show me how to sit on the coward animals so that we can get to our destination as soon as possible.” He said, put some sausage into bread and left the room to find Calum in a really good mood and with a smile on his lips.

 

“You need to teach me to ride those coward animals to get to Kalua soon.” He said, chewing on the food, when he entered the room, his blue eyes laying on the brunette man. Then he figured he unfortunately couldn’t ignore the other’s weird acting and sighed in a burdened way. “What’s wrong? Why the hell are you mad at me? I just told you how to save your people!” he pointed out and then scratched the scarred skin on his chin. “Are you scared for the environment of your planet? But I told you it doesn’t negatively affect the environment and leaves everything intact. That’s the great thing about Hydra! No loss in resources or damage caused to the environment! It will only improve your planet by ridding it off of those disgusting, barbaric, lunatic savages! It’s a complete win for you!” Ash said and patted the other’s shoulder collegially, although a little hesitant because he wasn’t sure how the man would react if he touched him considering how he had basically fled from the table and he had not fled from Zorya, the kid or Elizabeth that much was for sure.

[Gladis]

The very moment Asher began to snap at him, Calum knew he had gone too far. And yet he was unable to retain himself, unable to stop those words from coming out of his mouth. Perhaps it was the way Asher always felt the need to criticize their way of life that had brought this on, or perhaps it was payback for their argument the other day. Whatever the reason, it made Calum feel miserable. Not because he thought he was wrong – he certainly didn’t, but rather because of the petty feelings that had urged him to voice his opinions. It was a defence mechanism of sorts, a way to deflect Asher’s criticism by pointing out the faults of the system he called his own.

 

Because as much as it hurt to admit, Asher did have a point. Calum was, at least in a sense, running running away. He was making excuses not to leave his home, and he always had. Some of them were legitimate, sure, but they were still excuses. Deep down, he knew that the only thing preventing him from pursuing his dreams was himself. He was afraid. Afraid to leave what he knew behind, to let go of the past and plunge head first into the unknown. Just as he had been afraid of getting into a new relationship. His life was just comfortable enough that maintaining the status quo was far easier than to set out on his own journey. And yes, there was no doubt that both laziness and a certain degree of cowardice lingered behind those feelings.

 

”I’m sorry.”

 

The hoarse apology was spoken so quietly that it was barely audible.

 

”I’m sorry, Asher. I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean to hurt you…” there was a brief pause, during which Calum kept his emerald green gaze fixed on the folded hands on his lap. ”Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps I don’t understand, and how could I? Unlike you I was not born and raised on Xenon. If I were, it is likely that I would have seen things differently. People always tell you not to jump to conclusions, and… well, I suppose that’s what I did now, and as such I apologize.” He glanced up to meet Asher’s gaze, a combination of embarrassment, sadness and regret painting his features. ”It is just that… the way I see it, a good leader who loves his people does not punish them for being human. He does not forbid them from creating interpersonal relationships, or lock them up for making love to another person. It…” Calum hesitated, but only briefly, his voice quivering with emotion as he continued. ”It bothers me, okay? The idea that you could get into trouble because of the things we’ve done. The idea that you could be punished for something that shouldn’t even be considered a crime in the first place. And yes, perhaps it’s unlikely that it will ever come to that, and maybe it’s not my place to worry about it… but it’s not like I can just forget the implications of what you’ve told me either, can I? So I do worry about it, whether I want to or not. I fear for you, Asher...” Pressing his lips together, he allowed his gaze to drop back down onto the sheets. ”I just don’t think it’s right, and it makes me mad in ways I can’t explain.”

 

Sighing, he shut his eyes briefly, rubbing his arms almost as though he felt cold.

 

”I realize that this is from the perspective of an outsider, but based on everything you have told me… to me, it doesn’t sound like your emperor loves you.” Once more he looked up to gaze into Asher’s eyes. ”It sounds like he fears you. It sounds like he has so little trust in your ability to think for yourself, to decide your own fates – that he feels the need to lord over and restrict every aspect of your lives. He sounds like a man who has was so traumatized by his past, so let down by humanity… that the only solution he could think of was to eradicate every last shred of it. And do you know what the worst part is?”

 

Calum laughed in pure self-deprecation, raking a hand through his messy brown hair.

 

”In a way, I can completely understand that sentiment. That longing for order and stability, to live in a world where every question has an answer, where people like me don’t even get the option to agonize over making life altering choices – because there are no choices to begin with. That fear of the unpredictable, the unknown, and the desire to establish and maintain a certain status quo. But… isn’t that exactly what you just called me out on? Telling me I’m lazy and a coward because I’m too scared to challenge my status quo? To go out and actually do something that matters? To start my own journey, and for once, to make a choice independent of my society's expectations and perceived limitations? Because you’re right, Asher. I am a coward. I have allowed my trauma and the fears born thereof control my life in ways that in the end, may have been far more destructive than productive. I have let it ruin friendships, potential relationships and limit the potential paths I can take. I even unfairly enough let it affect you, when – if you can recall, I rejected you in the beginning. I unintentionally ended up hurting your feelings, all because I was too darn scared to let you into my life. But you know what, Asher? At least I’m man enough to admit it.”

 

At this point Calum seemed neither angry nor upset. He was just calmly and honestly telling it as he saw it – both in regards to himself, and the emperor of Xenon.

 

”I don’t think your emperor is a bad person. I think he genuinely believes that what he does is for the best. He has to believe that his way is the only way. If he didn’t, I doubt Xenon could even have existed. And you know what? Even I have to agree that certain things you have told me about Xenon sound way better than what we have here on earth. But that doesn’t mean I agree with everything he does, just as you don’t agree with many aspects of our society. Criminalizing interpersonal relations and sex are two of those things. And yes, I remember your justification for the latter at least very well, but honestly? I call bullshit on that. With how advanced Xenon is, most illnesses should be treatable, if not outright preventable. You literally have the tools to alter your genetic makeup – you yourself are the product of that. So how come venereal disease is still a concern on Xenon? And pregnancies? Even we, the primitive earthlings have methods for permanently preventing those – all it takes is a minor medical procedure. Heck, I’m sure if your brilliant Xenonian scientists really put their minds to it, they could find ways to do it without even having to put anyone under the scalpel. So why in the world is not everyone on Xenon sterile? That would render the threat of unwanted pregnancies null and void.” He paused again, but only briefly this time. ”You know, I’ve been thinking a lot, and no matter how much I try to make sense of it something just doesn’t add up.”

 

Even Calum couldn’t help but feel mildly disgusted by the way Asher was talking about Ellie’s baby, his eyebrows knitting into a deep frown.

 

”It ain’t no parasyte – it’s a baby. You were one at some point one too, and even if your womb was artificial and Ellie’s is not it’s the same principal. And no, of course it doesn’t break out of her stomach. It comes out the same way it went in – simple as that.”

 

***

 

Whatever feelings of sickness had settled over Calum before were considerably less noticeable now that he had something else to focus on – namely, replacing Adam’s bandages. He was in the process of doing exactly that when Asher entered the room, telling him he’d have to teach him how to ride so that they could get to Kalua faster.

 

”We’re not going anywhere until I know for sure that Adam is getting better.”

 

There was a slightly cool edge to his voice – something Asher must have picked up on, because what followed was a question about why he was angry. Calum wasn’t angry. He just wasn’t sure how to deal with this situation – at all. Normally, one did not have to explain why wiping out an entire people isn’t a great solution – savages or not.

 

”I… I’m not mad at you.” He said after a moment of hesitation, just as he’d finished wrapping Adam’s torso. Leaning down, he picked up the old bandages from the floor, discarding them in the trash bin before turning to face Asher properly. ”I know your intentions are good, but there’s a stark difference between defending the Myre when – and if it’s attacked, and another entirely to suggest that we wipe out an entire people unprovoked. My brother may have referred to them as savages, and I don’t deny that they’re a threat… but they’re still people, you know? With lovers and families of their own. What about the women and the children and the men that don’t participate in the raids? Should they all just die too? Because they were born into a culture that differs from our own?” He paused, allowing for his words to sink in before continuing. ”Let’s say we did deploy this weapon of yours, and we kill them all just because some of them presented a potential threat to our people. How would that make us any less savage than them?”

 

Dipping his hands into the bowl of water on the low table by the sofa, he rinsed them off before drying them with a towel.

 

”The end result is more or less the same. Except… in their case they actually take prisoners and leave survivors, so does that actually make them better or worse?” It was a rhetorical question – not one Calum actually expected Asher to answer. He sighed softly. ”I’m a healer, Asher. I help people. I don’t like the idea of hurting them – even if I understand that sometimes it is necessary. The way you talked about that weapon… I’ve never seen anyone be so excited when talking about killing people. Maybe it comes with the job but… I don’t know… it scared me a little, to be frank. That’s all.”

 

Closing the distance between them, Calum reached out to gently take Asher’s hand in his – giving it a gentle squeeze as his lips curled into a vague smile.

 

”Regardless, I think we should go see that scientist of yours. He sounds like an interesting character, that’s for sure, and perhaps we could learn something from him. Besides, you’ll need more of those pills and...well…” he hesitated briefly, his gaze dropping down as a small blush crept across his cheeks. ”I was thinking that maybe I could check out the academy while we’re there.”

[-Hideki-]

Raising an eyebrow he looked at Calum when a hoarse noise was to hear that sounded a little as though the man had said he was sorry. Asher listened in closer and the next apology he could actually hear clearly and the tension and aggression in the Colonel’s body language was gradually lowering as the man told him that he shouldn’t have said that and didn’t mean to hurt him. “Yes, you shouldn’t have.” Ash stated clearly and nodded his head. It was followed with the other admitting that he did not understand and that he couldn’t as he wasn’t Xenonian and the soldier from the foreign planet thought the other would stop at that but he didn’t. And in the next moment it got clear to the platinum haired man that this was not an actual apology or at least not what he should apologise for because the man didn’t seem sorry for the outrageous things he had said.

 

With formed fists Ash raised from where he had sat, looking down at the brunette with narrowed eyes. “You claim to be sorry, you admit you don’t know shit and now you have the audacity to say that the emperor is not a good leader! That his judgements are flawed! This man is the best leader in the universe! His judgements and ways are just and I’m not going to sit here and listen as you spew this insolent garbage. I can’t keep you from expressing this shit here, I hold no such authority on your planet nor will anyone here report you for this but I’m not taking this from you even if delivered with such a non-apology.” He hissed and was about to leave the room when the brunette man then came out with that it bothered him, leading to Ash turning around, looking into the green eyes questioningly.

 

What he then heard was that the other couldn’t bear the idea that Asher might face judgement for the sex they had in the rare chance that he’d ever get back onto his planet again, that he feared for him and the soldier let out a sigh, making a step toward the man again, letting his hand run through the brown strands of hair. “I know that you think Xenon’s approach to the issue of sex is wrong and how you feel about those laws.” He said. “But there is no need to fear for me as I do not fear anything, I’m not regretting anything either and I know and knew full well which consequences may or may not occur to me if I were to ever see Xenon again that is. I am ready to take them. If I go to the retraining facility, I will. Whatever judgement the emperor will have for me it will be alright for me and I will honourable take it upon myself without feeling wronged by anyone and without any regret. I don’t mind! I’m fine with it! I’m not angry about it, not angry about the emperor or Xenon or our laws. I don’t need you to mind for me either.” He told him.

 

His hand was stroking the other’s head when Calum was rubbing his arms and shuddering from the mere idea of the Xenonian system. That hand froze though as did the whole man when his lover said something unspeakable, expressing that it didn’t sounded like the emperor loved them, Xenonian people. His hand was in the air for a moment and he said nothing as the words were hitting him like a shock. As something absurd! Something too absurd to even entertain this idea or question it! Standing there like a statue the soldier’s blue eyes were opened wide staring at the other man as he continued, stating that it sounded like the emperor feared them and mistrusted them! That the emperor was suffering trauma and Xenon was something built from trauma on a fundament of fear. The words he heard them but he was shielding himself from them, making them smash against a wall before his mind was to work with what he had heard there. Not only was this clearly dangerous, forbidden territory, the thought alone was too crumbling, too painful, too shattering to even let it through. It’d question Asher’s worldview in its fundament and it’d devastate him if the man he admired and loved and looked up to and dedicated his existence to would not love him and his fellow Xenonian brothers but fear them, mistrust them. What could they have done so wrong for him to mistrust them? How could they make up for it? What did they have to do to make the emperor love them again, to make him trust them again? He’d do everything! “The emperor doesn’t know fear! The emperor is the bravest man who has survived the downfall of mankind and the hordes of evil overtaking! And if we’d ever lose his trust and favour, we’d must have decayed and wronged him and it’d be our own fault and downfall and he deserved better than us!” he yelled, he yelled not out of anger but to drown out Calum’s words in his own head, wanting to convince himself more so than he wanted to convince the Earthling. ‘The emperor loves and lives for Xenon! The emperor loves us! The emperor loves me! He loves me! Loves me! Loves me! LOVES ME! ------- blank’

 

It was somewhere along the lines where Calum spoke about how Ash had called him out on standing in his own way, how he had spoken about preventing progress from happening, stagnation and limitation, laziness, that the Colonel’s system was going back online and he was actually realising that the other man was still talking and that he was still standing there. “Yes, I was right. I was however not talking about your societies expectations because I didn’t know your society even had any expectations about anything because I thought this place was just nihilist and arbitrary but you clinging onto your living group and environment and not fulfilling your purpose.” The man said. “The progress and stagnation part was in yet another context that was indeed about your society. However, this doesn’t imply to Xenon as we are not stagnating or standing still. We are constantly working for progress. We are constantly improving and advancing ourselves. This is a goal everyone on our planet works for. We progress scientifically, technologically, medically, militarily constantly and we have to be faster than or at least as fast as Zyan as our survival depends on it. There is no standing still, no laziness and no ‘it is what it is’ or ‘it’s just nature’ type of mentality on Xenon to begin with. We are encouraged to overcome limitations of nature and the boundaries of current technology and science by improving and getting better!” he explained to the other as he had a) mixed it up and b) not clearly understood as it seemed or Asher wasn’t understanding what the other was talking about because they had again been talking about two different things. “What is ‘you’re man enough to admit it’ supposed to tell me? That you are more man than I? Is there a measurement for that here or what? On Xenon there are no degrees of being a man. A man is, well a man and I am a man and that’s that.” he was not getting it and hence not feeling insulted by the insult.

 

His mind having crashed and gone blank for a moment had him be more calm again and he now listened when the other man talked about how he wasn’t thinking that their emperor was a bad person and that he thought he was genuinely doing what he thought was best – that Ash could accept – followed by him repeating he disagreed with some aspects of Xenon’s ways – he already knew that – just to emphasise the sex and reproduction policies they had again. And when he was told why the man said they were bullshit Asher looked at him baffled and not in an impressed way. “This is the most retarded argument I’ve ever heard. You can prevent many of the diseases and treat others so you should stop giving a shit and let the people just catch and spread transmittable diseases to then treat them. Hey, maybe you’ll come across some new, unknown fucking virus that way too or one has altered and developed then you can discover new treatments after a fucking epidemic and potential dead people!” he snorted. “Brilliant Calum! Please overthink your career choices again if you are that careless.” He added facepalming. “It’s also interesting that you focus solely on the medical and hygienic aspect and leave out the morale one and the stand on desire as an emotion and emotions as a whole but fine, cherry pick however you want.” The man said rolling his eyes, not that he was still in line with Xenon’s ways when it came to his own stand on sex but the other’s argument wasn’t the best.

 

Everything fell out of Asher’s face and then he screwed up his nose when the brunette suggested to sterilise all of them. It didn’t sit well with him at all! He couldn’t tell why but there was initial reject of the mere idea that someone was to castrate him within him no matter the means of how the procedure would be done. “Are you nuts!” he called out shaking his head making it clear that he didn’t want to be castrated, before he actually worked with what the other had said on an argumentative level. “If we were to be altered into sterile beings before we’re even born Xenon’d get out of NEW resources to reproduce and design NEW humans from. Everyone’s resources are regularly contributed to vita for reproduction purpose.” He told him. “Sure, we could be sterilised later on in our lives but a) we needed to have reached a certain age to that point without being and b) it’d be destroying a part of the body, taking a function away, disabling us in a way and that doesn’t align with our ethic views if such a procedure isn’t medically necessary and on Xenon it barely ever is.” he told him. “Additionally this would defeat one of the main purposes of the law and our way of life. Our goal is not to minimise the unfavourable outcome and consequences of people’s inconsiderate, egotistical, unrestricted, uncontrolled behaviour, enabling them to mindlessly do whatever they please without having to worry or think about it and hence even encouraging the behaviour, but to teach self-control, thoughtfulness, self-discipline, submitting to the greater good and caring about the collective first and foremost. Control and discipline and to teach the people an iron will and to stay in control of themselves is a major aspect of the Xenonian way! Taking a body function away and telling them there was no issue anymore wouldn’t bring us closer to that but further away from it, it would make more people fall out of line than keeping them in line if you understand.” He told him. “Something doesn’t add up because you’re thinking in circles only considering the aspects you cherry pick to deconstruct without understanding Xenon and our system as a whole, without seeing the bigger picture and what the fundament really is. And you can’t understand parts of the construction and why they are how they are if you can’t even see the fundament nor know the purpose for which the construction was built.”

 

 

The disgusted expression on Asher’s face didn’t disappear when Calum claimed that this baby was not a parasite and the Xenonian soldier definitely disagreed. “It’s a parasite. She has a parasite. It lives off and in her body. That’s what a parasite does!” he repeated trying to make him see what he apparently refused to acknowledge. When the other then said he had been a baby once too and that it had been the same principle he shook his head violently after his body had shuddered by repulsion. “No! No I have been not like that. I might have been a baby once too but I have never been a parasite. I was never living off of nor in someone else’s body! Urgh!” he made and the repulsion only got worse when the other said it didn’t break out of her stomach but it came out the way it went in because that made him think about that very way and thus his body visibly cringed. “Gross!” he said another time the corners of his mouth going down. He had already always found it unpleasant to have to see the women soldiers naked in the shower rooms and had looked the other way.

 

 

 

 

 

Well, he hadn’t expected a warm greeting but being told off like this in such a cold way he had not really expected either, maybe he should have the way the other had left the room though. “I see.” He said. “Very well, if you fancy the idea of staying here although Zorya could perfectly manage without you at this point and you don’t even know when this is going to be, then go ahead. I’m not wasting my time here where I am not needed when I could be doing something useful and needed instead. So just teach me how to ride the coward animals regardless and I’ll be off with Elizabeth or alone if she too refuses to accompany me.” Ash made that clear when Calum said he was not going anywhere until the man had gotten better for certain.

 

To his question as to why the other was mad at him the man claimed to not be but Asher wasn’t really believing it, tapping his food impatiently for the man to give him a proper answer to this. Then the brunette finally turned around and at least looked him into his face, something the solider had not been too sure would happen because it had seemed like he couldn’t bear looking at him in that moment in the living room. What followed only made him laugh disdainfully and cynically though. “People…” he snorted. “Right.” He drily laughed. “You know shit.” He mumbled. “They aren’t people. They are barbaric and lunatic religious savages and they are not only a potential but an immediate threat to not only the Myre but the entire planet.” Ash stated and then he coughed. “’[…] who ever has looked them in the eyes and sees them operate and commit their disgusting atrocities in their religious ideology’s name possess the knowledge that they have ceased to be people long ago. They have been born as people but their religious indoctrination and insanity has stripped them of all that makes a human humane, of all that makes a person a person. They are in fact not human but monsters, not merely a time bomb, they are a nuclear bomb and if one lets them thrive and conquer, they will infect and infest everything, the streets will be covered in the blood of the innocent and they will destroy all civilisation and lead to the end of the species and the world. There is only one way to prevent history from repeating itself and to deal with them adequately, their insanity has to be exterminated for the greater good of humankind and the planet, this is the only way to ensure the survival of mankind and civilisation. […]’ Eugen Rochfort in ‘The Hordes of Evil’” the soldier quoted.

 

Shaking his head he sighed. “You don’t understand what this is about. You don’t understand what is on the line. You don’t understand what will happen if you don’t stop those religious fanatic lunatic savages! I have read the Hordes of Evil, I have seen the pictures in it, I know what I am talking about.” He told the other in hopes he’d start to see the urgency. “This has nothing to do with culture or their culture being different from yours or being different in the first place. No it does not mean that one has to fight everyone who has a different culture, of course not, that’s nonsense. It has to do with the fact that they, their ideology and their ways are a threat to humankind and the planet and they have to be stopped once and for all for the greater good of all the other people on this planet that they are threatening.” Asher pointed out finding that he had made himself clear enough now or so he hoped.

 

Apparently the other didn’t see his point though. No he was not, not seeing it, he was detesting his point and what followed when the other started out with a hypothetical scenario in which they got Hydra and implemented Asher’s plan was the greatest, deepest and hurtful insult that one had ever said to him! It was that massive of an insult that he didn’t even have the air to get angry because it knocked everything out of his lungs. The brunette was in all seriousness reducing him and Xenon to the same level as the savages and then even going as far as to call him worse and lower than those religious lunatic savage fanatics. “Did you just imply I and Xenon was less and worse than those monstrous garbage?” he asked and that too was a rhetoric question merely to express how indignant he was, shaking his head to himself, his heart aching and cramping in his chest to have the other say something like that to him. It was infuriating but it was more than anything hurtful! That was how Calum saw him, it shocked him and not only that it burned all bridges down immediately and pushed him away as far as it got.

 

At this point he didn’t know why he was even still in that room or why he was listening to the other. He felt a major disconnect to the man he had bonded with over the past two months and it felt like he didn’t know him in the slightest and the other didn’t know him either. But the brunette was just talking, saying how he was a healer, how he didn’t like the idea of hurting people, of how Asher being ‘exciting about killing people’ had scared him and that this was all. “Fair enough.” The soldier said his voice sounding distant and unaffected at this point. “I am a soldier, I always was and always will be. I protect, I defend, I fight, I defeat and I conquer. That’s what I do. And I take the protection of what is dear to me seriously.” He said. “Not that it’d make a difference but just for the record, I am not excited about the act of killing. I am excited over possibilities, strategic advantages and victories. To succeed and find ways to protect whom I fight to protect for.”

 

The other man apparently had not noticed the difference in Asher and he was seemingly thinking he could just insult him in the worst way someone possibly could have insulted him and the soldier would just let him and suck it up since he stepped forward, took his hand and smiled. The Xenonian pulled his hand away when the other spoke. “He sounds like an interesting character? Are you sure? Shouldn’t you say scary and worse and lower than savage garbage? He invented Hydra for its purpose after all.” he asked cynically. “I don’t care what you do. Whether you go or not. Or what you want to go for. I will go there, I will get Hydra and I will do what I must because after what I’ve survived I am not willing to die through the hands of this barbaric, fanatic scum or have to see what they do to other people on this planet, I’m not ready to let the history the emperor had to suffer on Earth repeat itself.” With that he turned around and headed towards the door. “You don’t have to teach me how to ride those animals anymore either. I don’t need you to. I’ll ask Zorya and if she refuses I’ll learn it autodidactic.” He let him know, opening the door, then he turned to the brunette another time. “You should visit that academy though. Not that the opinion of someone like me should matter to you considering as how low you see me and my planet.” With that he was out of the door, walking seemingly calmly back to where the two women were.

 

He approached Zorya and positioned himself in front of her. “I am asking you to show me to ride the coward animals. Thank you.” He said as the pain and anger was rioting within him about to break out onto the surface. And although he had turned around and was on his way out he didn’t make it out of the kitchen before it unloaded and he smashed the door of a cupboard with his fist and kicked a hole into the seat of a chair. “I’m sorry. I’ll repair it or get you replacement.” He apologised.

[Gladis]

That was it. He’d done it. Calum had definitely set a horse running he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he would not be able to stop. It was a cart wreck, an absolute disaster, and it made him wish he could just disappear. He had messed up. He had messed up so badly that even if he tried, he was not sure he’d be able to salvage this situation. Because how could he? He had just challenged everything Asher believed in. Obviously that wouldn’t go over well. Just like it had hurt terribly when Asher called him stupid when talking about the gods, it must have hurt to get his entire world view rattled like this.

 

Calum desperately wanted to make him see, to make him understand that there were more ways to look at things than one, but all he had achieved in the end was to rile Asher up further. And of course he had. The man was so fucking brainwashed that no amount of arguing would change his mind – on the contrary, the harder Calum tried to argue, the more defensive he would get. He knew full and well that he was going about this entirely the wrong way, but then, how else was he supposed to approach this topic? Was he always going to have to live with having his own way of life criticized, without ever even being allowed to question Xenon? Would he always have to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself, as not to upset Asher? What kind of relationship would they be having if they couldn’t even be open and honest with each other? In the long run, that kind of arrangement would only end up hurting both of them.

 

So then, what was he supposed to do?

 

Calum certainly couldn’t expect to talk his way out of this. Especially since he could barely get a word between all of Asher’s rambling – some of which, he had to admit, was justified. Calum had indeed mixed some of the arguments Asher had made up. Hardly surprising, considering what a mess his head had become at that point, but still.

 

”I… I never said… Asher… I...” his throat hurt, his head ached and his eyes burned with tears he refused to shed. Because he knew that crying would not solve anything. Sure, he could falter, give up, tell Asher he was right and beg him for forgiveness… but what was the point? Even if they somehow, miraculessly managed to smooth things over now, chances were they’d have this exact same argument again in the future. If they couldn’t even clear the air without getting at each other’s throats all the time – how the hell their relationship supposed to work out?

 

Breathing a long and deep sigh, he ran a tired hand through his hair, pulling at it slightly – almost as though he was physically trying to wreck his brain for an answer. Yet no matter how hard Calum thought about it, the way he saw this situation, there seemed to be only one way to end this argument. He would have to let it go.

 

”Asher I… this… this conversation is not going anywhere. All we’re achieving is hurting one another, so I… well, I cannot apologize for the way I feel or think, but I am sorry I hurt you. Now, you can take it or leave it, but as far as I’m concerned we’re done arguing.”

 

And so he finished buttoning up his shirt, and left.

 

***

 

Needless to say, the strained atmosphere from their previous argument carried over to the conversation at the table. It was not so strange then, that immediately after they would be riling each other up again.

 

And Calum was getting riled up, alright.

 

”Asher!” He snapped, ”Listen to yourself! These people; the southerners – you’ve never met them. You’ve never even seen them. And yet you’re conflating them with some group of people of the distant past, treating them like they’re the same thing. You keep bringing up religion for some reason, even though it’s not even relevant! We don’t know what, or even if these people worship anything. We literally know nothing about them! And yet here you are again, making assumptions! Based on what, exactly? The things Elizabeth and Sasha told you a couple of days ago? And that alone somehow justifies deploying that hydra weapon of yours? I don’t get you, Asher. I really don’t. Fend them off, send them a message – fine. There will be bloodshed – I realize that. But I cannot and will not condone a plan that hinges on the extermination of an entire populace. Especially not when there definitely has to be another way to do this.” Pressing his lips together to form a thin line, he stubbornly met Asher’s gaze, listening in dismay when Asher asked whether he had just implied that Asher and Xenon were no different than or even below the savages from the south. Almost as though someone had flipped a switch, his glare melted into an expression wrought with pure and utter confusion.

 

”What?”

 

Clearly, there had been some kind of miscommunication here, because that was not at all what he had meant at all. For one, as far as Calum was concerned Asher hadn’t actually committed such an heinous act – yet. And Xenon? Xenon had absolutely nothing to do with their argument! Except that it did, in ways Calum at the time could not possibility had phathomed.

 

”Asher… what… no! No, that’s not at all what I said!” Calum exclaimed, spreading his arms in exasperation. But by then it was too late. He couldn’t be sure what, but something told him that he had hurt Asher – and he had hurt him deeply – even more so than during their argument before, and it was becoming increasingly clear to him that no amount of clarifying or explaining himself would change that. So he pursed his lips and he straightened up and took a deep breath, trying his very best to remain calm.

 

”But frankly… if you choose to do this, then yes, it will be very difficult for me to see how your actions differ from theirs.”

 

It was in that very moment, that something between them broke. Like glass shattered by an explosion, its pieces scattering with the wind. And it hurt. It hurt to be pushed away, to see whatever trust they’d managed to build up between them crumble, and to feel the anger and hurt in Asher’s voice when he told him that he no longer needed his help. It hurt. And the worst part of it all? Calum felt too paralyzed, too numb and distraught, to even do anything about it.

 

And so when Asher left, all he could do was watch.

 

***

 

When Asher entered the kitchen, Zorya was in the midst of clearing the ’breakfast’ table. Micheal had already left to sit with his father, and Elizabeth had gone outside for a smoke. After placing the dishes on the counter she used a wet washcloth to wipe down the table, only the pause and glance up when she heard Asher’s voice.

 

”Coward animals?” She frowned, but then she seemed to realize what Asher was talking about. ”Oh, you mean a horse? I’m sorry to say, colonel, but I don’t have one. Only thing you’ll find out there is a couple of chickens and a goat. If it’s a horse you want, you’re gonna have to go back to the My-” Even cool and calm Zorya couldn’t help but jump slightly when Asher slammed the cupboard door, only to follow it up with smashing her chair. She grimaced, shooting him an annoyed glance and it almost looked like she was about to chide him for his behavior, but then she seemed to change her mind. Zorya let out a heavy sigh.

 

”Don’t worry about the chair, Asher. I’ll take care of it, alright?”

 

***

 

When Elizabeth first agreed to accompany Asher and Calum to the witch of the waste, she never thought she’d end up the unfortunate spectator of a lovers quarrel. Perhaps if she had known, she would have been wise enough to immediately turn them down, because the atmosphere that loomed over them for the entirety of the trip was near insufferable, and she hated almost every second of it. Monsters and savages she could deal with – put a bullet through their head and be done with it. Navigating the treacherous minefield that was Asher’s and Calum’s petty argument, however? Elizabeth wasn’t even going to try.

 

Honestly, it had been difficult enough to convince Calum to come along with them, as he had insisted on staying with Adam until he knew the man was on the track to recovery for sure. To Elizabeth it just sounded like an excuse to put some space between him and Asher. While that was perfectly understandable given their current circumstances, Elizabeth had promised his family that she would bring him back safely – a promise she was not ready to break. And so with a little help from Zorya, she had finally managed to talk some sense into him.

 

They arrived at the Myre around noon the following day. By then the village was already in full swing with festival preparations. Food was being cooked, tables set up, instruments tuned and barrels of mead and currant wine put into their respective places. Everyone seemed to be in a stellar mood – everyone except the trio that had just arrived, who despite everything were barely given room to breathe and wash up before a list of little tasks and errands that needed tending to was thrown upon them.

 

At the very least, it prevented Calum from dwelling further on his falling out with Asher. That was, until later that evening, as he was wedged between Sasha and Jack at the longtable, gingerly gnawing at a rib when suddenly he felt an arm sling around his shoulder.

 

”Hey Cal, what’s up? You’ve been acting kinda’ strange ever since you guys got back from the waste… did something happen while you were gone?”

 

Illuminated by the warm glow the large fire by the altar and the lantern lended the the feast, Calum recognized the wrinkles of concern on Jack’s forehead.

 

”No.” He replied, somewhat stiffly. The last thing he wanted to do right then was talk about it.

 

Jack arched an eyebrow. ”No?” And then, as if he didn’t want Sasha to hear, he lowered his voice slightly. ”Then prey tell, why is Asher seated all the way over there?” He nodded towards the other end of the table.

 

”His choice, not mine.”

 

Jack let out a heavy sigh, withdrawing his arm as he straightened up in his seat. Clearly, if he wanted to get any information out of Calum about at all, he would have to try a bit harder. ”Calum, look, I know I’ve been kind of-”

 

”I don’t want to talk about it, okay? I know you mean well, Jack, but I just don’t.” Dropping the half finished rib back onto his plate, he wiped his hands on a cloth before grabbing his half empty glass of currant wine. Then he rose to his feet, throwing another glance at Asher, only to regret it a moment later. He seemed to be doing fine – or at least fine enough to be engrossed in a conversation with one of the other villagers.

 

”Bottoms up.” He grumbled, draining the remainder of his glass in a single go before immediately filling it up anew.

 

This… this was not how he’d imagined they’d be spending the festival together. He had been looking forward so much to showing Asher how wonderful some of their traditions could be, and yet all it ended up becoming was this awkward, painful, frustrating mess.

 

Calum was just about to down that glass too, when suddenly it was plucked right out of his hands.

 

”Woah woah woah, hold on there buddy – that’s enough alcohol for you.”

 

Swinging his head around, he cast a murderous glance at Sasha, who was in the process of placing the glass as far out of his reach as he possibly could.

 

”I’m n-not druwk!” He slurred in protest, but all that earned him was a brotherly pat to the back – Sasha style. In other words, the sort that knocks the air right out of your lungs.

 

”The flush on your face tells me otherwise.”

 

”I’m not dwunk…” Calum repeated stubbornly, but this time with a lot less force. Almost as though he’d already given up. ”You’re so mean, Sasha.” He sniffed, his vision becoming blurry as tears welled onto his cheeks, ”Everyone’s so mean. It’s not my fault the idea of killing people makes me sick, is it? It’s not so w-why did it make him mad? I don’t understand-” hiccup, ”I down’t undastand…”

 

”There, there…” Sasha said softly, gently stroking his brothers back before shooting Jack a meaning glance. ”How about Jack and I get you home, alright? Come now, Calum. Don’t cry. I’m sure that whatever happened between you and Asher will work itself out, alright? There we go — careful now — that’s it — don’t worry Calum, we’ve got you-”

 

It was a group effort, but together Sasha and Jack managed to get him onto his feet and back to his grandmother’s house. He stumbled somewhat along the way, but as promised his brother and best friend were there to catch him. The following day, Calum would barely remember any of it – only the comforting sound of Sasha’s voice, and the feeling of being wrapped in linen and furrs as he drifted off to sleep.

[-Hideki-]

Cheer was in the air around him, the candles and their light creating a cosy atmosphere, joyful tunes and singing were to hear, the flame of the fire above which a pigling was rotating was caressing the pale scarred skin of his with its warmth, mountains of food were piling high on the tables that were placed outside and the people around him were chattering delightedly, some were dancing and boisterously enjoying the feast that was going on in the village while others were eating delicacies to their hearts desire. The Xenonian Colonel’s face looked as displaced as a snowman in the Sahara would though. There was nothing jolly about it in the slightest. His features were hard and cold, his eyebrows narrowed and the vibe he was giving off more than just gloomy.

 

One couldn’t resent him for that though, who in his place would have looked happier than that? When Calum had even repeated that immense insult of his, saying that if he chose to implement the usage of Hydra against the savages he’d indeed see him on that level it had been the final blow. They were done! Done for good! There was no ‘they’ anymore and there neither would nor could ever be a ‘they’ again. Asher certainly wouldn’t want to be with someone who thought about him like that but despite all the anger he felt, despite how he saw that as the only option considering where they were at and how things were between them it had hurt! It had fucking hurt! Hurt badly!

 

Not only that. He then had had to hear that Zorya didn’t have any coward animals and hence couldn’t teach him how to ride them and in the end the soldier couldn’t help but to think that the woman must have been incredibly thankful for their departure especially considering that she not only had to repair a chair but also had had to get Calum to leave again because that dude had behaved like a childish idiot who didn’t know his duties. But whom did that surprise right? The way back to the Myre had been a disaster. The atmosphere had not only been hostile and cold but also awkward and odd and generally unpleasant. Asher and Calum hadn’t said a word to each other, there was nothing left to say anyway, they had broken up after all, and Elizabeth was the one between the wall. The woman was a little like the Kriegans on their own planet which was divided into two parts. One Xenonian the other Zynian, both enemy nations and the Kriegans and their planet, who had surrendered decades ago after one of their basis on another planet had been attacked with Hydra by Xenon, stuck right within the whole mess against their will.

 

And now here he was. Back at the Myre. A feast, that feast Calum had been talking about, that he had been curious about, taking place and he wasn’t enjoying himself one bit. The man he had bonded with, he had cared about, had started to have deep feelings for was thinking of him as lowly as possible, his relationship was gone, didn’t exist anymore and with this the social circle he had been imbedded in was gone for him too because they were Calum’s living group and friends and not Ash’s and they’d stay on the brunette man’s side obviously, meaning that Asher was completely alone now, had no one anymore. His bonds were broken and if one’s bonds broke one didn’t have any group or support anymore on Earth. Another disadvantage of this planet. Getting excluded and left outside socially was something that could easily happen to people. On Xenon this didn’t happen. They were a collective, they didn’t leave anyone and their groups didn’t get divided in such a way because there were no such relationships and bonds and disagreements in the first place. He didn’t even have a clue where he was supposed to even sleep that night. None at all! Maybe he’d go to the ruins of his battleship and sleep there again, he mused, handing the potatoes over to the lady who was sitting to his left whom he didn’t really know.

 

Poking the food on his plate with his fork and shoving it from one side to the other he sighed and looked up from it only to see the younger man on the other side of the table between Jack and his brother drinking, apparently not minding in the slightest. Why would he mind? In the end he had not liked him after all! He had thought of him as literal garbage. No one was angry or upset because they had lost trash. Calum was the last person Ash wanted to be reminded of, wanted to see or wanted to think about. He had other issues to solve, where he’d sleep for one or who would now show him to ride one of the coward animals before he’d leave for Kalua the other day. The unfortunate thing was that it always brought him back as to why he was in that situation now. Left with nothing after that relationship’s end and the task to make new bonds and to make new friends! Fuck, sleeping at his battleship was one thing, learning how to ride those bloody animals himself was probably manageable as well but how the hell was he supposed to make friends without being imbedded in some group to begin with? Calum had been his ticket to get to know those people. He had bonded with them through him and now? Asher wasn’t exactly a people’s person. He had no idea how to make friends, none whatsoever. He’d probably stay alone on that planet until Xenon would find him, if they ever would. It was depressing! Incredibly depressing!

 

Turning his head away from Calum and his food that didn’t seem to get any less on his plate and was cold by now, hence not exactly tempting, his eyes fell on a tall, muscular frame and he identified the farm worker who had caused all of his blood to shoot out of his head and into his cock back on the field. And as his blue eyes took him in as the guy putting some different cakes onto his plate he once more realised just how hot he was! His shirt was tight enough to show his definition, his skin was white but a little bronzed from the sun, his hair had a dark, fox red colour, it was short at the sides and considerably longer and curly on top, his eyes had a deep brown tone, freckles were speckled wildly over his face like splashes of paint and he was smiling exuberantly at the prospect of eating those pieces of the cakes. And despite the fact that Asher felt like shit and would have liked to just drop his head onto the table and be left to rod there, his blood was doing the same thing it had on the field back then and started to boil as he found himself checking out the male’s arse, astonished about how he could feel horny and like crap at the same time.

 

He felt his pants getting tighter as he was imagining that man throwing the stuff off of the table crawling towards him completely naked when he suddenly heard a voice next to himself. “May I sit here?” the man asked pointing at the free chair to the Xenonian’s right and Ash nodded absent minded before he actually turned his head and saw that very man smirking into his face, the brown eyes staring into his blue ones and it was good that Asher had not intended to say a word because he’d otherwise had swallowed his own tongue due to the surprise. “You look so stressed out my friend. This is not the time to dwell or to worry your handsome head about whatever it is that you’re worrying about. Feasts are there to be celebrated.” He spoke and his deep voice was just as enticing as the whole man whose masculine smell he was inhaling. Shit! He was burning! Melting!

 

“Easier said than done when you don’t have a place to stay nor someone to show you how to ride those horse things!” he commented and had intended to sound gruff about it but fuck he couldn’t, he wanted to lick that bit of cream from his delicious lips … What the fuck was wrong with him? Seriously!? What? As he was trying to calm his shit and was hoping that his bloody erection would go away he felt the man who had noticed his stares right now and who had noticed his stares back on the field move closer to him and Ash inhaled sharply when he felt the guy’s hand on his thigh. “That’s no problem. You can stay at my place if you want. It’s no issue.” He offered and the soldier looked at him surprised. “Really? That’s really nice of you.” The man stated, trying to sound normal while his body temperature was rising and he felt like his pants were busting every second, feeling that strong, calloused, rough hand on his thigh. “You’re welcome.” The man grinned and moved a little closer. “I’m an incredibly good rider as well!” he breathed into his ear in a suggestive tone and with a laugh. Ash, who had not really caught on the tone of voice and was a little slow again, as he had no idea that the other man had caught up onto his stares and his signals because Asher wouldn’t have had situations been reversed, he turned his head towards him.” You’d teach me to ride the coward animals too? Grand!” the Colonel found as his problems had just disappeared. “Horse riding? Well, that I am good enough at too I suppose, so I can show you no problem.” He said and now Ash got it. “Oh…” he said. “Oh…” he repeated in another tone and a wide knowing, dirty smirk was forming on his face, his eyes blinking up as he met those brown ones which were lusting over him as much as he was lusting over the farm worker.

 

The red head was then offering him his hand. “I’m Leif by the way.” The man in his mid-thirties introduced himself and Ash took that hand, shook it, shook it long, bathing in his gaze. “Asher.” The Colonel said. “I know.” Leif grinned. “And now, let’s get your mind to more pleasant places and distract you from what’s bothering you shall we. How about a piece of cake! It’s incredible. This cake always lightens up my mood for sure.” And before Ash could mumble an excuse why he didn’t want any cake so that he didn’t have to get himself some and while doing so raise from his seat what would expose the tent in his pants his eyes were already squinting down onto a piece of cake offered to him by the man next to him and his lips parted almost automatically.

 

Leif held word, he certainly distracted his mind from all the unpleasant stuff it had been preoccupied with before because he was not wasting one thought about Calum and that whole thing that had happened between them in that moment. They laughed, touched each other and flirted but the more they did so the hornier he got and the more his dick screamed for attention and despite their fooling around and their amusing playful banter Asher was actually impatient for the man to finally say that they should go to his place now. Fortunately he didn’t have to wait that long for this to happen and when they both said ‘Good night’ to the people next to them and stood he saw that he was not the only one who had a raging hard on because so did Leif what only fuelled the arousal within the Xenonian man.

 

The door had merely closed behind them and in the next moment Asher pressed the farm worker’s athletic body against the wall, pinning him onto it, their erections rubbing against each other as he was shoving his tongue into his mouth and they were kissing lustfully and wild. There was pure heat and physical want between them, electric sparks all around them and they nearly ripped their clothes off of their bodies, exciting each other further with their touches and their kisses and it was nearly in a hurry, as though they were about to drown if they didn’t get to fuck each other like animals soon, that they were going through prep. With Leif’s back facing Ash and his chest pressed against the wall, standing with his legs spread and his delicate hole loosened the soldier was fucking the man against the wall, unrestrained, raw and rough and their deep pleasured noises were sounding through the room, mixing with the sound of skin on skin and balls smashing against the other’s arse as Asher’s cock was penetrating him, hammering against his prostate, the other man’s hips pushing back against him as his greedy arse was begging for it and oh was the Colonel giving it to him.

 

And their rough fuck that made Leif tremble so much that Asher had thought his legs were to give in - not that it had stopped him or made him go any easier while he had bathed in the pleasure and let out all his anger and stress and frustration onto that man’s body pulling his head back on his hair and biting his neck - was not the only way in which they would entangle their bodies that night, it was the beginning, heck, they hadn’t even made it past the corridor yet after all.

 

It was with Ash’s cum dripping down the other’s thigh that Leif guided him into the bedroom and the soldier was then pushed onto a bed, straddled, and pressed down into the mattress by strong arms as the man, who was a lot more experienced than Asher that was for certain, was lowering himself down on him and was starting to bounce on him as if there was no tomorrow, going insane on him and he had definitely not lied when he had stated he was an incredible rider as he was driving the Xenonian crazy when he felt that arse choking and milking his helpless dick another time, seeing that gorgeous man, whose body looked like a piece of art, dancing on him like that, throwing his head back that erotically, his mouth gaping, drops of sweat running over his body, those strong thighs moving him up and down.

 

After that they at least had a break but the night didn’t end with that. They did it in the arch position, doggy style in the kitchen, Asher basically sitting on the man’s arse while pressing him down on the sofa in the living room ravaging him and so forth until they later when they finally decided to go to sleep did it a last time lying on their sides, spooning each other. The night was a rush, a rush on pleasure, something ecstatic that knocked out their thoughts completely and left them in a universe where only their fucking and maximum pleasure counted, where nothing else existed than that. And it left their bodies in a deeply relaxed satisfied haze that made Ash fall asleep as soon as he had closed his eyes, still somewhat entangled with the other sweaty mess of a man next to him.

 

The morning had brought back his thoughts and his worries though and despite the amazing, mind-blowing blowjob he had gotten in the bathhouse from the ginger – he had thought he’d collapse from the intensity of pleasure that had made his vision go blank when that man’s skills had unfolded and his cock had been buried balls deep into that throat of his, seriously, that guy was a lot better than Asher was at this – he was pretty much back at the same point he had been prior to this encounter. And not even the fact that Leif had taught him how to ride that horse he was now sitting on riding to the place where he’d meet with whom he thought was going to be Elizabeth to ride to Kalua to get Hydra could change that fact.

 

The horse he was sitting on was a white horse. When Ash and Leif had approached the field the horses had ran away again and the man had again called them cowards but this one stallion had just stood there and continued to eat. “What’s with you? Aren’t you supposed to run away too you coward. You are a species full of sissies! Buh!” he made still not liking the horses but the stallion had just raised his head, looked at Ash and Leif, had snorted with his nostrils, had ignored them again and slapped Asher’s face with his tail what had amused Leif who had laughed and insisted that this was the Colonel’s horse what Ash had not been so sure of.

 

It had worked out though. Ash was sitting on the saddle although not exactly happily still but he was sitting and he managed to tell Luke - that was the horse - what he wanted from him and Luke at this point, more or less, did it too. Good thing that to get to the meeting point he only had to go straight ahead though because he wasn’t all too focussed. His mind was full, he was tired because he had not been able to get much sleep due to the two of them fucking like rabbits until morning and Asher was generally a little shitfaced. The night had been amazingly pleasurable, hot and exciting but although his body was still satisfied there was emptiness inside. It had left him feeling empty! He had never once felt like that after Calum and him had had sex. It had never left him empty and a little lost even like that.

 

It was overall different. When he had woken up next to Leif in the morning and had looked at him he had felt nothing other than to think ‘Damn he’s hot’. But there had been no affection, no wanting to kiss or hold him, to be close, nothing at all. They had acted normally towards each other; eaten together, bathed together where they had ended up with each other’s cocks in their mouths again with a clear difference in skills but there was nothing beyond the intense physical attraction and the intense sex. He had liked the mornings with Calum better, he thought and he was shaking that thought off as soon as it had appeared because he and Calum were done, they would never be anymore, there wouldn’t be any more mornings or kisses or sex for that matter so he should stop comparing this as well as his future sexual encounters to what had been between him and the brunette. There was nothing between them anymore after all so what did it matter what had been?

 

It still hurt! Shit! Why did it still hurt! He had hoped it wouldn’t. Hoped he’d just get over it and forget it but fucking their lights out had not made this vanish and become completely insignificant over night. The same shit he had distracted himself from was still there, remaining as it had. Annoyed about that fact he laid his head into his neck and sighed and then he arrived at the tree and his blue eyes widened and he kinda felt like he wanted to turn around and ride back the other way immediately and go to Kalua alone, when he saw that it was not Elizabeth who was waiting but Calum and his friend Jack on the back of their horses.

 

Splendid! He’d be treated like a villain for the whole journey and would probably be ignored by them. There was no way that Calum’s friend would act neutral now and would treat Asher fairly or politely. This was going to suck for him big time but although they both probably wouldn’t be, he would be professional about this. He was a professional and a soldier after all. Hence he was riding down to that tree and made Luke halt in front of the two men.”Good afternoon.” He greeted both of them but after his eyes had only brushed over Calum they were focussed solely on Jack whom he was looking into his eyes other than the brunette.

 

It had not been intended to ignore Calum but he couldn’t look him in the eyes without feeling weird and awkward…. No! That couldn’t be! He had been perfectly able to yesterday! Why couldn’t he look him in the eyes? There was no reason was there? But although there was nothing showing on his face he couldn’t help that awkward feeling and somehow, somewhere in his mind he got the notion that he should not have fucked Leif! Then again it wasn’t like he had cheated, he’d never do something like that, they weren’t a couple anymore, it was technically totally alright but he still couldn’t shake that feeling off that it had not been such a good idea to hook-up with that hot farm worker at the first opportunity he got after they had broken up and he also couldn’t help but to feel awkward, as if the other was judging him under the gaze of those green eyes despite the fact that Calum couldn’t know that Ash had had sex with Leif.

[Gladis]

Daylight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. One of the two beds – the one usually occupied by Asher – stood empty. The other was occupied by a messy bundle of furs and linen, that moved and groaned in misery.

 

That bundle was Calum.

 

If he had been miserable the night before, he felt completely and utterly wretched now. His head pounded like he’d hit it on something incredibly hard and unpleasant, and though he had barely eaten last night, he felt sick and dizzy. Yet that wasn’t even the worst of it. What really got to him were the feelings of anxiety, shame and regret that flooded his mind, gnawing away at him like a corpse eater on a rotting carcass. Not that he could pinpoint why exactly he felt these things – his memories of the festival last night were vague at best. All he knew was that nothing could convince him to get out of bed ever again.

 

Well, nothing except for perhaps the burning sensation in his throat. A burn that steadily grew stronger and more difficult to ignore with every passing moment.

 

Calum needed something to drink, and he needed it now. Groaning in defeat he pushed aside the sheets and blinked as the interior of his and Asher’s bedroom slowly came into focus.

 

His and Ashers…

 

It was almost involuntarily that his gaze landed upon the empty bed, adding another layer of heartache to his already impressive list of negative emotions. With a lump in his throat he shook his head slightly, getting up and stumbling over to the door. It was slightly ajar, through which he caught the low buzz of conversation.

 

”I don’t know, Jack. I know you mean well but don’t you think we should give them some space? Besides, they only just got back and with how much Calum drank last night – Calum dear, is that you?”

 

Guilty as charged. Allowing the door to fall open, he stepped into the living area, sweeping a groggy gaze over his grandmother and Jack.

 

”Mornin’,” he rasped hoarsely, sounding just about as miserable as he felt.

 

”Oh dear,” his grandmother gasped, ”Oh dear, honey, are you alright? You look absolutely terrible.”

 

”I’m fine,” He lied as he pulled out a seat at the table, ”I’m fine ’nan, just… could I have some water please?”

 

”But of course!”

 

As she hurried over to the bucket by the sink, Calum sat down at the table, casting a weary glance at his friend.

 

”You really do look terrible.” He mused, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

 

”Oh, shut up.”

 

Jack chuckled, but then the amusement on his face faded, replaced by a look more in line with brotherly concern. ”How are you?”

 

”Been better…” Calum admitted with a sigh before adding, ”Thanks ’nan.” When she set down the cup of water on the wooden surface in front of him.

 

His grandmother nodded. ”I’ll leave you boys to it. Berthold wants me to check in on his son – he’s been down with a terrible fever since last night.” She informed them, gathering her things before she left.

 

Picking up the cup, Calum pressed the wooden rim against his lips, parting them slightly to allow the cool liquid to wash down his throat. Though it did nothing to resolve the lump in his throat, it dampened the burning sensation considerably.

 

”Jack…” he hesitated, getting up to fill his empty cup anew. ”How… how bad was I last night?”

 

”Pretty Bad. Bad enough to throw up on me.”

 

Swirling around so suddenly that he nearly spilled the contents of his cup in the process, Calum pinned his friend with a skeptic glance. ”You’re kidding… right?”

 

”Sure wish I was.” Jack grimaced before shrugging his shoulders. ”Well, ain’t nothing you can do about it now.”

 

Despite his friends attempt to simply brush it off, a swath of heat rose to Calum’s cheeks. ”Ah damn it, Jack. I’m really sorry. I had no idea.”

 

”It’s fine. Like I said. Ain’t nothing you can do about it now. So… you and Asher, I take it you still don’t wanna talk about what happened?”

 

”Nope.”

 

”Dude… after what happened, don’t you think you owe me that much at least?”

 

Calum sighed, peering down at Jack long and hard. His expression did not waver.

 

”Fine.” He said at last, dropping back down into his seat. ”We had a falling out.”

 

”You don’t say.”

 

Calum pinned him with a glare. ”You were the one who asked.”

 

”Sorry Cal, go on.”

 

Calum sighed, running a hand through his hair. ”I don’t know. It was bad, just… really bad.” As he went on to detail the events of the last two days, Jack listened carefully to everything he had to say, though his expression remained uncharacteristically serious. By the time he was done, he didn’t exactly feel any less miserable – but at least it felt good to have gotten it off his chest. Now, there was only one more thing he wanted to know.

 

”Jack… did I really throw up on you last night?”

 

Jack’s lips curved into a cheeky grin. ”Nope- ouch!” He exclaimed as Calum’s foot bounced off his shin under the table.

 

”Fucking knew it.”

 

Leaning down to rub his leg where Calum had kicked him, Jack allowed a dry chuckle to slip past his lips. ”I guess I did kind of deserve that…”

 

”No shit you did.”

 

As Jack straightened up to meet his best friends gaze, he noticed that despite Calum’s harsh words, there was little to no animosity in his eyes. He simply looked sad, and tired. Perhaps Solveig was right. Perhaps Jack should not have stuck his nose into Calum’s business. At the same time, how could he not? He hated to see him this miserable, and he knew for a fact that moping around at the Myre all day would not make things better. If Asher and Calum kept on avoiding each other like they had recently, they would never be able to work things out.

 

Luckily for Jack, he knew the perfect way of bringing them back together.

 

”Hey Calum – pack up. You and I are going on a trip.”

 

***

 

When Jack first suggested that they go on a trip, Calum already had his suspicions of what this really was about. Suspicions that were entirely confirmed when a little more than an hour and a half later they were both seated on their horses – essentially ready to go, but held back by a comment from Jack.

 

”Hold on, we’re still waiting for someone.”

 

Calum arched an eyebrow, just about to ask who that someone could possibly be, when the sound of hooves clopping against the ground caused the words to get stuck right in his throat. It was Asher. Even from a distance he could tell that it was his lover who was awkwardly steering the white stallion towards them. Luke, huh? Calum couldn’t help but find it a somewhat odd choice. Although a beautiful creature indeed, Luke would certainly not have been his first choice for any beginner rider – even if said rider was a genetically engineered super soldier. Stallions tend to be rather temperamental, and even the most well-trained, well-behaved ones can become highly problematic without proper handling. A gelding or a mare would have been a much better choice. It made him wonder who the idiot was that had provided him with the horse – a thought that grated on him even more than Asher’s presence in and of itself.

 

Calum wanted to point it out, but then he noticed the way Asher very consciously seemed to avoid his gaze. That was odd. Before they hadn’t been on good terms, but Asher still hadn’t had any problems looking him in the eye. So what was different now? Was this some kind of punishment? To ignore him? Because if that was the case, it was certainly working.

 

To Calum, this it felt like a slap to the face. It hurt, and it reminded him of all the reasons he hadn’t even wanted to get up that morning. And so he kept his thoughts to himself, justifying his silence with: Well, he did say he doesn’t want my help. It was vindictive, yes, and perhaps even idiotic considering they were about to set out on a journey that would take days, but Calum felt miserable and hurt. This was definitely the last thing he wanted to do.

 

Almost as though sensing his frustration, Fay – his blood bay mare, began to trample on the spot. He reigned her in, leaning down to gently pat her neck. Then he straightened up in the saddle, shooting his friend a pointed glare.

 

”Jack, I know what you’re trying to do and I don’t approve.” He let him know, curtly, before turning Fay onto the road and spurring her on with his thighs.

 

”Calum, wait! Where are you going?” Jack called out after him.

 

”Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you at the crossroads!” He called back to as he leaned down over Fay’s long neck and spurred her on further, bringing her into galop. And before long, he had disappeared almost completely from their field of view.

 

Jack let out a heavy sigh, offering Asher a somewhat apologetic smile.

 

”Good afternoon to you as well, Asher.” He said without even a shred of hostility in his voice, ”Well, how about it? You ready to go? If we keep a steady pace, we should be in Viktor’s Hollow by nightfall. I hear The Black Cat is a descent inn, so we could stay there overnight.”

[-Hideki-]

Almost immediately after he had said his greetings he sensed hostility. That hostility didn’t merely come from Calum though but from the horse the brunette man was sitting on as well as it was getting uneasy and was trampling. He heard the other hissing at his friend that he got what the other was trying to do and that he disapproved of it before the man was spurring on his horse and was galloping away leaving his friend Jack and Asher behind just like that. And while Asher was trying to be professional and go about this whole thing rationally Calum was either not even trying to control his emotions or he was completely hopeless at it and incapable to.

 

Shaking his head disapprovingly the Colonel looked after the man disappearing from them acting as if he was some bitchy wench. “What’s wrong with him? He acts like a child.” the soldier commented half to himself and half towards Jack who greeted him normally and asked him if he was ready. “Sure am.” He confirmed and began the ride to Kalua with the blond pretty-boy on the horse next to his who told him that they shall make it to Vitoria’s Hollow informing him about the inn they could sleep in. The brunette however was long out of sight and the soldier was asking himself if the other would act that theatrical the whole damn time now and if he would be incapable of pulling himself together because if that was the case this whole trip would be even more disastrous than their return to the Myre and he already wanted to tell the man that he should ride back because that way he’d only be a massive pain in the arse. “No wonder he is so fond of the coward animals, he shows the same behavioural patterns. Running away when it gets slightly uncomfortable!” He mumbled grumpily and then turned towards Luke whose back he was sitting on. “Just like your species of cowards.” Ash hissed leaning forward and Luke threw his head back and bucked, leading Ash to widen his eyes in shock under the helmet of the combat suit as he was clinging onto the saddle to not fall down.

 

One good thing, despite the brunette man acting like a child and his horse apparently trying to kill him, was that he could talk to Jack normally, as if nothing had happened and the man seemed to hold no grudge or anything against him. This gave him reason to hope that the dispute between and break up of him and Calum wouldn’t mean that everyone in the village who was associated with the younger man would hate him now and declare war on him too because the brunette had done so with his insults. There seemed to be a difference between this type of relationship and situation and a nation your ally declaring war on one nation what then means that you have the duty to declare war on that nation as well because of the alliance or otherwise you’re a traitor. It seemed that Jack could stay on good terms with the Xenonian without being a traitor and if that was the case so could the others and that was taking at least one concern from him.

 

It had gotten dark already and there was a storm coming up when they had arrived at the inn and when Asher got off of horseback he felt like his arse had gone numb. He wasn’t used to riding and going from zero to almost a complete day was definitely quite the jump. And while Calum and Jack were already getting the horses cleaned up to bring them into the stable Asher was still trying to remember that knot Leif had shown him to tie Luke onto the beam accordingly. It took him three tries until he got it right and then he thought it’d get easier but it didn’t. The horse was definitely sabotaging him and Ash had to fight with the stallion over almost everything. Hence the two other men had long disappeared in the inn when the soldier was still having his troubles with the horse because Luke just didn’t want to give him his hooves. He pulled away, tried to kick Ash down with his arse and by the time the soldier finally was at the second hove thanks to pure physical strength and force thunder started to roar, the animal startled, pulled Ash over the ground and gave him a kick, this time not deliberately though but he sat on the ground when the sky broke loose and it started to bucket down on him.

 

By the time Luke was in the stable Ash was a drenched, exhausted mess and it was with a deep groan that he let himself fall onto the seat next to Jack who had already ordered. And the smell of food inside of the inn made his stomach rumble. “Fuck, I’m done. I don’t get why you people use those creatures for transportation, they are absolutely awful!” he complained as he had had his issues with the stallion quite a few times during the day. Grabbing the card that was laying on the table his eyes - he had put the helmet away- wandered over the menu and he wouldn’t even try to decide on one, he’d just have more than one.

 

When he had decided what he’d order though there was no menu card to distract him from Calum’s presence any longer, who sitting at the table and couldn’t run anymore, well he could go and sit elsewhere but that was perhaps even too ridiculous for him and hence - Ash was still ignoring the man, although the awkwardness he had initially felt in the morning had vanished and he could look him in the eyes again if he wanted to - he looked around in the restaurant, occupying himself with his surroundings.

 

His blue eyes got stuck on a gorgeous face that belonged to a waiter and they roamed over the male’s elegant body and his firm arse. He had shoulder length blond hair and almost translucent grey eyes, a well defined jaw-line, some stubble and a sexy smile. Nearly subconsciously he was elbowing Jack who was sitting next to him, “The waiter is quite the hottie huh? Look at that arse!”, without taking into account that the other man had previously told him something about being with some woman. The soldier couldn’t really think of someone seriously finding women attractive and not men to begin with, it was absurd on his mind.

 

Said hottie was walking over to their table, his pale eyes looking into Ash’s as he smiled at him. “Welcome to the Black Cat Sir, what can I bring you? “ he asked because he had already taken Calum’s and Jack’s orders. “How about… yourself!” Asher remarked with a smirk on his lips and the waiter began to chuckle. “I’m not on the menu. And engaged.” The man said pointing at the ring on his finger but despite looking rather amused and jolly he was actually not. He had heard it all dozens of times, it was awkward each time and internally he was just thinking ‘If that guy slaps my arse now I’m gonna drop something hot on him, I swear’. The Xenonian however didn’t touch the man unwanted and he didn’t say much other than ‘A pity’ and his actual order either, just taking the rejection as it was but it actually left him thinking.

 

Not about why that hot waiter wasn’t into him, he didn’t actually mind at all, but why he was even doing that now? Why was he hitting on some random bloke in the inn even with Calum around? In front of the man’s eyes?

He had had an eye on Leif ever since he had gotten that hard from watching him on the field, so that made sense, but this guy? What was he trying there? Was he trying to prove to himself that he didn’t care about this whole thing and Calum? Although he clearly cared! Not even about what Calum saw and thought about him? Was he trying to tell himself that he had not lost anything? That there were plenty men out there he could have, better guys perhaps than the brunette even? Was he trying to avoid spending the night alone so that he wouldn’t feel like he missed Calum? Did he want to force himself to be over it immediately? To pretend to himself that he wasn’t affected by what was indeed affecting him in the slightest? Was that why he felt like hitting on every hot arse he saw? Like he was on a cock hunt and wanted to hook-up and fuck whoever wasn’t Calum to forget the man and what had been between them and had built the last two months as soon as possible?

Deep in thought he looked a little confused and in surprise when the hottie was returning with their orders and he started to eat right away.

[Gladis]

Calum loved to ride.

 

He always had. As far as he was concerned, almost nothing compared to the feeling of galloping across a field, with the wind beating against his face and the rythmic sound of hooves beating against the ground filling his ears. Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump. There was nothing more liberating than to fly through the air, to feel the wind in his hair and the sun on his back. It was wonderful, and for a brief moment at least, it filled him so with joy that his problems seemed almost insignificant. Because what did it matter, when the world was filled to the brim with so many wonderful things?

 

Whenever Calum felt like he needed to clear his mind, this was what he did. He went for a ride. He galloped across the fields and trotted along the river. Sometimes, he’d be gone for hours. During his teenage years especially this was often the case. He would ride around for a bit, find some nice grove where he could take a nap, or go picking nuts and berries in the woods. Perhaps he would go dip his feet in the river, or when it was hot enough even bathe. And then when he felt ready, he would return back home.

 

But of course, this time he wasn’t going home. As much as he would have liked to stay by himself just a little bit longer, he met up with Jack and Asher at the crossroads, riding alongside them the rest of the way. At first his mood seemed to have improved significantly, and he even chatted with Jack for a bit. Yet as the day wore on and Asher continued to ignore him, the doom and gloom from before slowly began to set back in, until at last he felt almost as miserable as he had that morning. Only almost, though. By then most of his hangover had worn off, so he at least he was no longer suffering from that soul crushing headache. Whatever he ended up getting at the inn, it wouldn’t be mead or wine. That much was for sure.

 

Although, if he’d known how the scene at the Black Cat would play out, perhaps he would have decided differently.

 

It all began alright enough. Jack and Calum had gone ahead to order their dinner at the inns tavern, while Asher struggled to put Luke in the stable. Feeling moderately bad for him, Calum was half a mind to offer helping him out, but then he thought better of it. If Asher wanted help, he could ask for it. At least then he’d be talking to Calum.

 

But of course, Asher didn’t ask for help. He didn’t talk to Calum once he’d joined them at the table either. Instead he somehow thought it appropriate to make an off-hand comment about another guy’s butt. Even if Calum had to agree that he was a good looking chap, it did nothing to appease his already horrible mood. Now he was almost certain that Asher was trying to punish him. And Jack? Jack even had the guts to chuckle along and follow Asher’s gaze with great interest.

 

”Aw man, not bad, for a guy.”

 

Calum couldn’t be quite sure if Jack was being honest or diplomatic about it, but either way it pissed him off. Even more so when the handsome waiter stopped by their table and Asher had the audacity to hit on the guy right in front of him. Casually checking him out was one thing, but this? This was definitely taking it too far.

 

Calum’s hand slipped, driving his knife straight into his half eaten steak. Without even realizing it at first, but he was clutching the utensil so hard that his knuckles were beginning to turn white. Continuing to seethe in silent anger, he finished his stake and the potatoes as quickly as he could possibly manage, washing it all down with some light ale before promptly rising from his seat.

 

”This should be enough to cover your meal.” He said flatly, dropping a couple of coins onto the table in front of Asher. ”Tomorrow, I ride Luke and you take Fey. She’s a good natured horse and won’t give you even half as much trouble. I’m off to bed now. Goodnight.”

 

Without uttering even one more word, Calum left the dining area and headed up the stairs to where their room was located. They were sharing, but luckily for him there were three separate beds. Calum didn’t think he could bare sleeping next to Asher right then.

 

The rest of the journey was hardly any less unpleasant, or awkward for that matter. Asher and Calum were barely even on speaking terms, and Jack was left to somehow, carefully trying to bridge the gap between them. Unlike Elizabeth, however, he barely seemed to mind at all and remained in his usual jolly mood. At times Calum found this frustrating, but in the end it was probably the only thing that kept everything from falling apart completely. Jack was the glue that held them together, so to speak.

 

On the nights they were unable to find an inn or stay at a farm, they slept under the stars. While Calum gathered firewood and water, Jack taught Asher how to set rabbit snares and fish. Then they would cook whatever they’d manage to catch on a spit over the campfire, and it was almost nice, if not for the fact that the rift between him and Asher was still very much existed. And even though towards the end Calum’s bitterness towards the man had worn off considerably, he couldn’t help but feel incredibly saddened by the way things had turned out. He wanted to make it up to him somehow, yet he just didn’t know how. The only thing he did know was that the longer they allowed this to fester, the harder it would become to fix what had been broken.

 

On the 7th day of travel, they finally arrived outside the gate to Kalua. Unfortunately, that was also when the good fortune that had accompanied them on their travels ended, pitting them against their worst adversary yet; bureaucracy at its finest.

 

”I swear, I put them in here! I definitely did. I remember clearly that I put them in here before we left!”

 

There was a clear note of panic in Jack’s voice as he furiously rummaged through his bag, turning it inside and out for the third time that afternoon. They’d already spent the better part of an hour waiting in line to get into the city – a line they were now holding up as Jack desperately tried to locate their travel documents.

 

The fat, unpleasant little man at the gate kept tapping his foot impatiently, twirling his thick, black moustache between his index finger and thumb as he fixed the trio with a beady eyed glare. ”No permit, no entrance. Those are the rules.” He told them, and something told Calum the man was enjoying this.

 

”But I put them in here!” Jack exclaimed, breaking into a sweat.

 

”Jack,” Calum said calmly, placing a hand on his friends shoulder, ”Calm down for a moment and think. Did you, at any time after we received the documents take them out again? And if so, when?”

 

”No! No I didn’t! Why would I? That’d be so stupid – gods – I swear they’re supposed to-”

 

”Jack! Jack, you’re not listening to me. Calm down, alright? Now Think. If you didn’t take them out, could someone else have taken them?”

 

Jack froze, and as though Calum’s words had suddenly flipped a switch, all color seemed to drain from his features. ”I-I… don’t think so…” he stammered out, not sounding particularly convinced. Then his eyes widened and he let out a loud groan, slapping the palm of his hand against his forehead. ”Ah darn it! At the tavern – that girl – argh!” He spat at the ground, pulling at his own hair in frustration. ”Fuck I’m stupid. I-”

 

The unpleasant little man cleared his throat, his beady eyes glittering with malice. ”Excuse me, gentlemen, but you are holding up the cue. If you don’t have a permit I must ask you to leave, or I will be forced to summon the city guard.” He smiled at them, which only made Calum want to punch him even more than he had before. Turning them down because they had been dumb enough to lose their permit was one thing – gloating at their miserly another. And damn was he gloating. Calum could see it in his eyes, and it grated at in ways he couldn’t explain. He didn’t think he’d ever met such an unpleasant little creature of a man before. He sighed, beginning to help Jack gather his things.

 

”Well, I suppose all there’s left for us to do is to travel back to Yarlford and get a new one.”

 

”But that’ll take days!” Jack exclaimed in protest.

 

Calum smiled grimly. ”Should’ve thought of that before you let your cock rule your brain. Here.” Pushing the bundle of clothes he’d gathered into Jack’s arms, he was just about to turn around and head back to the stable where they had left their horses, when he was alerted to clip-clop of approaching hooves.

 

Riding straight past the ever growing cue on the most magnificent gold champagne stead Calum had ever laid eyes on, was a man not much older himself. Shorter than Asher but taller than Calum, he was of a slender yet toned and well defined build. Long – the longest he’d ever seen on anyone, man or woman – silky black hair trailed down his back in a braid. His clothes too were very different from the simple rags Calum was used to. All of them were predominantly black, while red fabric and intricate metalwork made out the finer details. An equally adorned sword rested in a sheathe at his hip.

 

There was a soft thud as he dropped to the ground, leading his magnificent stead the rest of the way by her bridle. His dark brown gaze swept over the unfortunate trio, before finally coming to rest on the unpleasant little man.

 

”Is there a problem, sir?” Asked the stranger dressed in black. It didn’t escape Calum that the man spoke with a slight accent, though he couldn’t quite place what it. Of course he couldn't. He wasn’t used to hearing people with accents.

 

”Well, you see, milord,” said the unpleasant man, nervously wringing his hands together as he cast a scornful glance at the unfortunate trio. ”These idiots here seem to have lost their permit, and now they just won’t leave. Holding up the entire cue, they are!” He huffed, ”even though I very politely explained the rules to them.”

 

The young man arched an eyebrow, throwing another glance at Calum, Jack and Asher. His gaze seemed to linger on the last one, perhaps due to his combat suit, and something edging towards curiosity and fascination flitted through his gaze. Turning his attention back to the unpleasant little man, he scoffed.

 

”I don’t appreciate you calling my associates idiots.” He replied calmly, ”They’re here with me. Let them through, will you?”

 

The unpleasant little man’s eyes narrowed as he regarded the four of them skeptically. Clearly, he was not buying it. The black haired man must have noticed as much, because he added not entirely pleasantly:

 

”Unless of course you want the council to know you’re causing trouble for their esteemed guest.”

 

If the man had seemed agitated before, he was outright anxious now. His plump, very red cheeks suddenly turned very pale, and beads of sweat gathered on his forehead. ”Ah, I’m so very sorry. So very sorry! There must have been some kind of mistake, I’m sure. Please, go on in. Go on in!” He urged, bowing while simultaneously making a rather funny looking sweeping gesture towards the open gate.

 

Allowing a small, victorious smile to tug at the corners of his lips, the black haired man threw another glance at the trio before signalling for them to come along. Knowing what their only alternative was, they were more than happy to oblige. Only once they were out of the little man’s earshot did Jack finally vocalize what Calum was sure had to be on all of their minds.

 

”Dude! Thank you so much. You really saved our skins back there!”

 

The black haired man let out a soft chuckle, waving his hand in dismissal. ”No need to thank me. Now tell me, what brings such an interesting trio to the busy streets of Kalua?” And by interesting he probably meant ’the very intriguing man in a combat suit, and his two not so interesting, pretty normal looking companions’. Still, if that was what he was thinking, he was tactful enough to keep it to himself. Besides, it didn’t matter why he had helped them. Only that he did. And if he had been able to get them into the city, perhaps he would also be able to point them in the right direction.

 

”We’re looking for a man,” Calum explained, ”I think he goes by Hydra, or something? Dude runs a brothel, and that’s about the extent of what we know.”

 

The black haired man frowned, taking a moment to consider the information he had been given. ”I can’t say I’ve heard of this Hydra fellow, but if it’s a brothel you’re looking for the pleasure district is probably your best bet. I could take you there if you like?”

 

”Oh, that’s very kind of you, but after everything you’ve done for us we couldn’t possibly ask you to-”

 

”Don’t worry about it. I haven’t got much else planned for today. Besides, I know just the man who could help you out. Here, this way.” He said, as he led them down the crowded cobblestone street.

[-Hideki-]

Musingly eating in silence after he had been turned down by the attractive waiter analysing his own behaviour that seemed so untypical for him he didn’t realise how Calum was ripping apart his steak like an angry wolf nearly inhaling the thing despite him sensing the change in atmosphere around the table that had gotten considerably worse even. Asher startled and looked up confused, thrown out of his thoughts when the brunette was smacking some coins – that was the money stuff they had been talking about – onto the table in front of him talking to him as if he wanted to rip him into parts just like his steak when he told him those coins were enough to pay for the meal and that he’d swap horses with him the other day for some reason. “You have to pay this money thing for the food?” he commented perplexed and a little taken off guard by both the other’s attitude and obvious anger as well the info he got. He not only asked himself what was up with the younger man again - he had told him he was on the same level as human garbage not vice versa after all so he had no reason to be pissed now – but also why he wanted to swap horses with him and what difference that’d even make.

 

This was something that he figured out the other day though. The horse Calum gave him was a lot more submissive and obedient and reacted easily to the commands he gave it without needing a strict hand and riding was going a lot smoother although sitting in the saddle for that long still made his arse feel numb the first few days. It wasn’t a pleasant journey considering how things were but thanks to Jack and the opportunity to talk to him and to joke around it wasn’t quite as awful as it could have been or how it had been when they had returned to the Myre. And after Asher had realised why he was doing what he had been it had kind of defeated the whole purpose and he had stopped trying to hook-up with random strangers. Well, he still had flirted with one or the other but without the intention to get into their pants. This had left him with another issue though since the journey was quite long after all and he had to take care somehow. Jack, for the most part, was actually fucking some random people here and there and it indeed were women but Calum had still been around in the same room. Hence he had always waited until he had thought the man had been asleep before he had taken care of his hard cock masturbating himself to sleep, thinking about Leif and the amazing, hot sex they had had but despite wanting to focus on that Calum was sneaking himself into his sex fantasies from time to time and he was unable to get the man out of his mind and every time he had made himself cum to Calum on his mind he had been rather grumpy the first hours the other morning thinking about it.

 

Seven days had passed til they could see the city walls of Kalua where a long line of people was waiting to get inside. Asher however was paying more attention to the city wall and how it was constructed than towards the people who were waiting in line. “Not bad! Not bad at all!” he had remarked. “It could be more efficient of course but that’d already be a huge progress if built around the Myre. You should reconsider the wall idea.” The soldier found addressing Jack. The man had always liked walls and the concept of them. They provided strategic advantages, were great to defend a territory and to keep unwanted and dangerous people out and their mere presence provided a feeling of safety and Xenonians found safety extremely important.

 

He didn’t know for how long they had stood in that bloody line in front of the city’s gate but he realised how nervous Jack suddenly got when they were standing in front of a man who had physical proportions that distracted Asher because he had never seen someone who looked like that. He was weighing significantly too much for his small height, on Xenon he’d not look like this. However as the seconds passed and the blond realised that their papers had been stolen by one of the chicks he had had a fling with at some tavern it got clear that the fat man wouldn’t let them pass. Calum seemed angry with the man but Asher didn’t see why. He didn’t catch on the man’s facial expressions and to him that bloke was just doing his job and following the rules. If the Colonel would be in his position he’d turn them away as well! Rules were rules and they had to be followed. However these were not Xenonian rules meaning Asher had sworn no oath to follow them! Hence, while Calum and Jack were debating with the man Asher let J.O.S.H. scan and analyse the wall more closely, checking for everything there was to know about it and on his mind the soldier was searching for a solution to get inside without the papers. He’d certainly not travel all the way back to get those bloody papers. There was more than just one option to go about this, one was to wait until night when there were no people to get inside, to ambush whoever was guarding the gate and to enter unnoticed.

 

Being occupied with going through possible ways to enter the city without the papers he didn’t take note of the arrival of the strange looking man with hair longer than the emperors and he just got aware of his existence when the guy walked straight towards them and started to interact with the obese man who wouldn’t let them inside wanting an explanation of what the fuss was about. The behaviour of the man in front of the city wall changed and that was what made Asher take an interest in the black haired stranger and he noticed that he looked differently. Not only his features but his clothing too. And from how the guardsman’s attitude changed this man must have held a position of power. He certainly stood above the moustache guy in hierarchy and he was a guest to the cities council. But what was he? Was he a politician? A representative? Despite the sword he didn’t look like a soldier… Maybe…. Maybe this was a member of the working field ‘nobility’ Calum had mentioned before and the Xenonian hadn’t understood.

 

Ash eyed the guy with curiosity only to notice that this man was looking at him in the same manner and it seemed like this was the reason for this guy to lie to the obese now anxious and sweaty man and get him to grant the three of them entrance together with him, what made the soldier look down on the man who weighed too much for his height because he had bend in front of that man’s status and influence and not insisted on the rules of his city to be followed. On Xenon that’d have consequences for him and no pleasant ones. It wasn’t his problem though hence he followed suit and entered the gates of the city along with Calum and Jack and what unfolded before his eyes was entirely different from the Myre.

 

They were standing on a cobblestone street, ancient buildings in different colours and architecture styles were to their left and their right. Goods were neatly presented in windows and signs informed them of what one could find in each building. People were rushing through the streets, standing at the sides in front of the buildings with bags and baskets talking lively, stalls with more goods were standing here and there and crowds of people were forming in front of them and one could hear the clinking of the money coins that changed the owner. It was fascinating and confusing! It didn’t seem to follow an order, people came and went as they wanted to, they even walked chaotically. He had never seen something like that on Xenon where how and where to walk, how and where to drive and how and where to fly was strictly regulated, even walking speed was and it wasn’t allowed for more than two people to walk next to each other. Stopping and talking on the way was forbidden as well. But in this city the people didn’t seem to have a care in the world. That place seemed to have its own pulse, a vibe and while the architecture was much less impressive and large and intimidating than the colossal, monumental buildings in Xenon’s world capital the emperor had designed this city seemed to live and to flourish and in comparison Xenon’s capital had something sterile and industrial. As if it was a factory and the people were travelling over the production lines.

 

Compared to the city scene the stranger was completely uninteresting to him again and his eyes glued onto a man who was handing another man an incredibly large fish the size of Asher’s torso and the man was walking off with the fish. It was when the stranger spoke and wanted to know what had led an ‘interesting trio’ like them into the city that he turned back to him again and eyed him sceptically and with mistrust. There probably was a chop. There always was. He certainly had not helped them because he had wanted to be nice and the soldier intended to not tell him anything and make it very known that their mission was none of his business but the brunette was faster, informing the man about whom they were searching for and under the helmet of his combat suit Ash was throwing a displeased gaze towards his ex.

 

It turned out that the man didn’t know of someone who went by Hydra and after what Zorya had told him this didn’t surprise Ash in the slightest. The guy suggested that they may look in the pleasure district – and Ash had no idea what this was supposed to be – stated that he knew a guy who might be able to help them and that he could lead them there. It was incredibly suspicious just how helpful this stranger was and the Xenonian still didn’t trust him. He was odd. Looked weird. Was from who knew where and one shall never trust whom one didn’t know. That was something one learned on Xenon at an incredibly early age. Foreign people probably want to harm you! Then again he didn’t care to run into the completely wrong direction or to waste his time talking to some bloke who didn’t have a clue in the end afterwards and hence he brought himself to speak to the man for the first time. “His actual name is Charles!” Ash said and the black haired stranger turned around to him, smiling widely because finally Asher by whose foreignness he seemed more interested and fascinated than suspicious of, had said something for the first time. “Then we’re on the right way. The guy I’ve been talking about is called Charlie. That sounds similar. So it might be the guy you’re looking for.” He told them. “I’m Ren by the way! And who are you?”

 

Ren was leading them through the allies of the city and the Colonel tried to take in all the impressions but it was a lot too overwhelming and his eyes and brain couldn’t keep up that fast. At least he managed to remember the way they were walking. It took some time and they arrived at what the foreigner announced as ‘the pleasure district’ and it looked indeed … pertinent. Barely covered people were lingering around in front of buildings, presenting their bodies to them trying to lure them into the establishment they worked in and Ash couldn’t help but to find the whole atmosphere surrounding that district uncomfortable. However, the further they went down the street the less of that particularly smutty, nefarious vibe remained and the buildings and establishments seemed to get more and more upscale and the Xenonian couldn’t think of any reason why someone would go to the first ones if there were those other places further down the road.

 

It was at the very end where the pleasure district was ending and bordering on an upper-class district that a white building with impressive, artistic pillars at the entrance was to see. Two neatly trimmed lemon trees were standing in front of it and one could read ‘Nuage’ in golden, cursive letters invitingly stating the name of the establishment. In front of the door stood two marble statues of a naked man and a naked woman at each side and Asher’s eyes were resting on the handsome male, with the perfectly symmetric face, the defined and accentuated muscles and a cock that wouldn’t even have triggered Calum’s gag reflexes. It was stunning and the Xenonian looked at it closer and then he realised that it was looking back at him. Surveillance cameras were integrated into both the male statues and the female statues eyes and as he stared into the cameras a homely feeling overcame him. What was more Xenonian than surveillance cameras!? They definitely had come to the right address and now excitement was building up in him and he took off the helmet pushing the door open being the first to enter.

 

His restless, storming attitude didn’t fit the sensual, romantic music and atmosphere that he ran into. The hall he had entered was tiled with white marble and the whole room was light and white, the architecture and furnishing artistic and classicistic. Erotic fantasy artwork was presented on the walls, partially rather graphic sexual images and at the counter that they walked towards when entering the hall there was another statue in the same style holding a bowl filled with what looked like colourful rubber things to Ash and he had no idea what this was supposed to be. Nor did he understand what the pills were for that were presented on the counter itself. What he was recognising was the bottles with disinfection, as disinfection was something very Xenonian too, but then there were other bottles he didn’t understand the purpose of either. What struck him as typical Xenonian was a sign informing their noble costumers that they offered to test them on STDs and treat them if diagnosed with them. That was certainly something that the Earthlings couldn’t offer.

 

There was no one behind the counter though and the soldier looked around in the room. A way led further into the building and white circular stairs up to the first floor and when he turned to the side he saw a wide lounge with comfortable design upholstered furniture and at the lounge sat the employees and Asher blinked his eyes looking at them. They looked like out of a fantasy. Someone had made artwork out of them. Their hair was done in many different and difficult ways, some of them had unnatural hair colours, what they were wearing was resembling a fantastic character although what they wore only covered up as much of their bodies to not give away the illusion and eroticism. There were all different kinds of people, men and women, of all body types and shapes, with different features and of all colours. Monday midday didn’t seem to be their rush hour though because many of them were raking their heads, discretely waving at them, smiling and presenting themselves, almost glad that finally someone had walked in. Others of them had apparently been bored enough before that they had started to touch each other and thus the arriving group witnessed a pale, slender man who had the ears of an elf attached onto his in a way that looked incredibly realistic, painted lines onto his figure and wavy, long white dyed hair having his dick sucked by a toned, broader fellow who was hard as rock from sucking that gorgeous cock while the guy dressed like an elf was throwing his head back, moaning with a gaping mouth, his long fingers digging into the other man’s hair as he was thrusting his hips. And Asher’s blood was pumped into his dick as he stared, unable to look away and he felt how watching this aroused him and got him all hard and horny and he tried to force himself from looking away because a boner was certainly unwanted right now, he was in that brothel for a reason after all and that reason was not to make use of its services but to get Hydra. Yes, Hydra was what he was there for but when the handsome man who looked like a mythic creature ejaculated into the other guy’s mouth and cum was dripping from the other male’s bottom lip he badly wanted to be sucked off as well or to at least jerk off.

 

He could hear a door opening somewhere in the back and heavy steps echoed through the hall followed by a deep baritone voice. “Oh seriously! How many times do we have to remind you that you aren’t supposed to have sex in the lounge! That includes oral sex. Gosh, now better clean that up.” the two men were reprimanded and the man who had appeared in the hall then addressed the group that had just arrived. “Good day gentlemen! What can we offer you?” he asked and Asher turned around and he didn’t quite believe his eyes. In front of them stood a man taller than him by approximately five centimetres, he was just as broad, had dark brown, wavy long hair and a full beard. His features were rather hard and unyielding and his brown eyes observed them closely. The man however was stuck in a colourful sari in red, orange and yellow colours while at the same time wearing heavy combat boots. He looked odd… incredibly odd… but the Colonel wasn’t even realising this. “Commander Nate!” he expressed and suddenly he felt incredibly ashamed for the raging erection in his pants. Before him stood a man who had trained him back in the days when he had been a boy. He knew that the soldier had been part of the expedition to earth but he had never expected to see him.

 

It took a moment but then Nate seemed to remember and a grin formed on his face. “Asher. One of our most promising youths back then.” he stated punching Ash’s shoulder to greet him. “How? How did you end up here too?” the man in the women’s clothing was curious to learn and the Colonel was just telling him about the battle and how he had gotten shot down when a small, curvy woman was walking down the stairs, carrying a box with colourful weird things in them that Ash had never seen before. “That idiot. Spend too much time experimenting around with his own inventions again… now he blocks room C5” she hissed. The woman had caramel brown skin, long, thick black hair that she wore in a heavy braid that fell down to her knees. A red dot was to see on her forehead, she had a little diamond blinking at the side of her nose, wearing the same sari the man was wearing and was heading towards the counter, placing the box there mumbling something towards herself when her eyes fell onto Nate and her face looked highly displeased when she saw his dress.

 

“No way!” she exclaimed pointing at him. “You’re wearing the same clothes as me again! I can’t … I just can’t! Nate, these are women’s clothes! Why after all those years aren’t you finally understanding this!? Go change and wear the pants I bought you. This is terrible and so, so embarrassing!” the woman seemed desperate about having to have that conversation again and the Xenonian in the sari looked at her. “It’s fabric. Fabric has no gender. And I like how colourful it is and how much freedom my balls have in this and I’m not wearing those pants Raja, forget it! We’re having this conversation since years now and I will wear what I like love.” He made himself clear and she frowned. “It is made for a specific gender, namely women! That’s why you had to ask Charlie to make it for you in the first place because your body isn’t fitting into any of those clothes you are wearing because they are for women not for men. You make a fool out of us. Why don’t you understand this! Can’t you see that it is not fitting you, that I wear this a lot better.” she was almost pleading and Nate looked at her really obviously not understanding this in the slightest. “You make absolutely no sense Raja but I love you anyway.” He said and patted her hand, pressing his lips against it gently. “And I think I look totally badass in this.” he found and the woman looked defeated.

 

“Now I don’t get why anyone would want to wear something as impractical anyway but I think the Commander looks more appealing!” Ash stated looking at them and she threw a death glare towards Asher. “Another Xenonian, great.” She grumbled. “Don’t encourage him! And you’re bloody gay if you actually think this!” she barked, shook her head, threw a bottle of disinfection into the box, took it and was walking away mumbling:” My dad warned me, don’t marry this foreigner, marry someone of your own kind, his culture is weird, it’ll be difficult but I had to fall in love with this stupid Xenonian and now I have a masculine husband who wears the same clothes as me and doesn’t have a concept of gender roles.” Although she was speaking to herself Nate called after her:”I know all about the gender roles and things, I’m a man, I have a beard and stuff!” And it only frustrated her more as she disappeared in another room.

 

Nate sighed and turned to Asher who was looking in thought. “How did she know that I am gay!” he then finally asked. “Until a while ago I didn’t even know I was myself.” He said and his former trainer turned towards him. “You actually are?” He found it amusing. “She didn’t know. She just said it because you being gay would leave her pride intact which would somehow have gotten hurt if a straight man found that I looked better in this sari than her. Earth is a peculiar little planet with a lot of weird illogical social conventions the people established. A lot more difficult to not step on their feet or hurt their egos than on Xenon, trust me man!” he explained and Asher nodded. “Yeah, I have noticed that as well.” he mused and then shook his head. “Anyway, I am searching for number 997-919-791-779-1-XY and it’s urgent. The future of this planet depends on it. This guy said we’ll find him here.” The soldier told the other warrior type why they were here pointing at Ren. Nate felt like the other was probably exaggerating but that was something to decide on when he knew what it was about. “He’s been in the salon/studio I think… or at least he said he was going to be there. Just follow me.” He gesticulated Asher and the others Ren excusing himself because he wanted to search for someone special heading to where the employees sat.

 

Nate led them into a large room that was a little chaotic and served several purposes at once. On the right wall there were several seats and large mirrors, wigs, hair stuff, make-up and all kinds of things flying around, there were wardrobes with different kinds of fancy, fashionable costumes, mannequins that wore clothes that weren’t finishes yet, canvas stands with pictures on it, finished pictures standing in a corner, buckets of paint and a large desk. Behind the desk sat a man. He was pale, light blond with a messy undercut, had round horn-rimmed glasses, was wearing a woollen scarf inside and was hanging over a large book that was filled with numbers. He was twenty-nine, way too young to be the man they were looking for and he seemed to be extremely focussed on the numbers, calculating and writing new numbers into the book. On one of the leather seats in front of the mirror sat Raja who was disinfecting the obscure gadgets from the box and in the middle of it all stood a naked woman, looking at her glittering plastic nails impatiently.

 

She had turquoise dyed long curls that were arranged in an extravagant pinned up hairstyle with pearls. Her figure was slender, skin pale and sprayed with a luminous, shimmering colour. She had a scale stole wrapped around her thin arms and her accessory and make-up had something of a mermaid. Clams and pearls tracing down her body from her neck to her toes like a ribbon but the line was broken as some clams and pearls had fallen off. Now the hair and the art and the paint on her face was certainly fascinating. Asher had never seen a person looking like that but her parts were still unappealing to him and ruining the aesthetic, well at least she had only small tits so he didn’t have to find that gross at least. As his eyes were stuck on the stuff that was glued onto the ladies body he couldn’t help but to notice that she was hairless. Completely smooth and it appeared to him that women’s bodies were truly boring. Men’s bodies were a lot more interesting and diverse. Asher liked to see the difference in muscle definition, how the veins stuck out or not, how wiry the body was and how the men’s body hair looked and grew like, what texture it had, which colour, where there were the colour differences. He had found it extremely erotic how Leifs red hair had grown from his cock up to his navel like a wild flame or the red curly fuzz around the man’s rosy anus. This woman had none of that and without the painting she’d be completely plain, boring with body parts that he was averse to.

 

“Miran where is Charlie? I thought he’s been in here.” Nate asked and the blond man looked up from his book for a second. “He went upstairs a while ago to search for something. Sara’s last costumer ruined the outfit and you know how that freaks him out. “ he told the man with the full beard with a disinterested shrug, turning back to the numbers again. The woman, Sara, was moving from her toes onto her heels as she waited, her small breasts moving leading Asher to avert his eyes somewhere else for good. “You know what freaks me out? Three costumers already, the last one makes a mess out of me but did either of them make me cum? No!” she hissed annoyed with a roll of her eyes. Nate sat down on one of the seats telling them that they had to wait but they didn’t have to wait for long.

 

The door went open and in stormed a man, his long coat that was made out of different coloured patches from aubergine-coloured over different shades of blue swaying after him. He was over 1,80m but shorter than Ash, his bone structure was ectomorphic, he had pale blue eyes and formally straw blond short hair that had ashen and grey patches by now as well as his three-day beard. The man was close to his fiftieth birthday, had some wrinkles around his eyes and wore a black turtle neck shirt and bluish-grey rather tight trousers under that self-made coat of his. He didn’t look left or right and was walking straight towards the woman who was standing in the middle, noticing there were new people in the room but not paying them any mind because he was on a mission right now. “Did you know that Simon had been wanking with his newest invention until he passed out?” he asked taking the glue beginning to put the pearls and calms he had gotten from some decoration upstairs to fill the gaps in the row on Sara’s body. “Yes. He crashes in C5.” Raja nodded.

 

Ash didn’t pay any mind to the conversation. His intense blue eyes were stuck on the man in awe as if he was a fan meeting his idol. He took in every centimetre of the middle aged man who was kneeling before the young prostitute to complete his artwork again unable to deal with incompletion. Without paying any mind whom he was grabbing the Colonel’s hand closed tight around Calum’s lower arm. “It’s Hydra!” he whispered acknowledging but not low enough to go unheard by ‘Hydra’.

 

Charlie could hear the word clearly and the little hairs in his neck were standing immediately and he was remaining as he was, not moving for a moment, freezing as a shudder was creeping up his neck not realising that his face in that moment was at the same height as Sara’s privates. “Boss….” Sara pointed out and he shook his head confused. “Huh?” before he noticed. “Oh, sorry hun.” He apologised about to continue when he heard that deep unknown voice again. “The scientist who opened the path to victory over Kriegan!!! This man is a living legend!” the Colonel praised and Charlie paused another moment before he sighed and continued to glue the stuff back on feeling like he unfortunately couldn’t just ignore it. “Listen young man, Hyra is dead! I know what you see me as, I know who you think I am but first off, you got it terribly wrong as you got everything terribly wrong but that is hardly your fault and second of all, I am not a scientist, not a toxicologist anymore. I don’t really do that work any longer. I am now a businessman, a fairly successful one I can humbly say and an artist.”

 

It felt as though someone had thrown something against his head and the man wasn’t even looking at him as he said those things and Asher started to think that maybe he just needed to be reminded, that he had lost track after all that time he had spend on that planet. “With all due respect, Sir, you were born a scientist! Breed to be one! You will always be a scientist! You are not an artist or whatever else! You are a scientist nothing else! And Hydra will never die! It remains unreached till this day.” The Xenonian soldier stated in a clear tone of voice and a cynic snort was to hear from Charlie who peered to the side as he mumbled:”That’s exactly why I hate Xenonians!” Leading to Sara looking at the man kneeling there a little confused, “But aren’t you Xenonian too?” She wanted to know and Charlie nodded. “Yes, that’s why I hate them. It’s impossible to be from Xenon and to not hate them.” He whispered before he raised and stood, then finally turning around to the three men examining them closely with his calculative eyes.

 

A cold smile was tugging at the corner of his lips when he made a step forward towards Asher. “Uh, a warrior type…” he whistled sarcastically. “Let me spill the beans for you here real quickly, from the eyes of a scientist.” And he was sucking on his thin lower lip deliberately. “No one is born a scientist. A scientist is nothing biological. It’s a category that newborns are sorted into on Xenon as this is how the system works. Do you know what you are born as through the eyes of science? A carbon-based life form! A bunch of cells I can manipulate with certain substances and interferences. Do you think when I tested a substance that it was relevant what Xenonian breeding category the person fell into I tested it on? It was not! You, carbon-based life form, aren’t born as anything other than just that, no one is born with a purpose! Life has no purpose, scientifically speaking. You need philosophy for that my dear. What Xenon assigned to you, to me, to anyone else, has no objective value nor is it a fact or in any way true, it only becomes a reality or a truth if you believe in it and make it your truth deciding to let them determine you instead of determining yourself!” Charlie paused when he saw the wide eyes that were staring at him in bewilderment. “I am running a business and creating art. I am not working for the weapon industry as a toxicologist. That is a fact, that is reality and that reality makes me a businessman and an artist and not a scientist.” He ended the explanation and got back to work on Sara’s body, turning her to the side but he continued to speak.

 

“I only use my knowledge occasionally for medical purposes. To help where I can and where it is needed. Science has merely become a hobby for me.” He told the other. “Yes, a hobby. That’s something you do because you want to, choose to, because you like to and you have fun to do so. I now have hobbies. Not only do I have hobbies, I own this business, I own property, I own things. They are mine, I have a legal right to them and they don’t belong to the government and the public but to me alone. I have capital, I can invest it into whatever I like, make a change in the way I deem important, it’s called capitalism and freedom and I love it.” Charlie said and his eyes began to shine. “And you know what we have here too, a way where you can contribute to the greater good without being merely a wheel in the system and having to run into the same direction as everyone else. It’s called taxes! I love taxes! You give them to the state and they reinvest it into things like education, hospitals, infrastructure and all those things for the public.” The blond man said and smiled seemingly forgetting that Asher had been rubbing him the wrong way at the beginning.

 

“I can confirm he really is excited about the taxation system… I didn’t believe it at first too. I thought he was kidding and mocking me. Then I thought he was batshit insane… then I found his insanity rather endearing…” the light blond man named Miran behind the desk said looking at Charlie with utmost affection in his eyes behind the thick glasses and Charlie returned the twenty years younger man’s gaze in the same warm, loving way. “Miran works for the taxation office. That’s how we met because I didn’t know about taxes and that I had to pay them you see. It was a really nice encounter with him and those two fellows that accompanied him, I learned a lot about life on Earth and Kaluas system I hadn’t known prior to it. He really does have an amazing job.” He nodded happily and Miran looked at Asher, Calum and Jack and spoke in a rather dry tone of voice. “ Don’t listen to him. I hate my job.” He said. “Everyone in my family is a chevalier. But I have a limp, a cardiac defect, asthma and am almost blind, so I got that job because no one wants it and I am fairly good with numbers. Those two guys he mentioned are my bodyguards. People hate you when you collect taxes…. You get stuff thrown at you, chased from their properties, yelled at, now imagine my surprise when this lovely idiot got all excited about it.” The light blond man said and Charlie grinned at him widely. “Yeah, I even visited him in the taxation office for him to show me around and because I was crushing on him and needed an excuse to see him again. He nearly jumped from his chair and whispered ‘There is the crazy guy I told you about’ towards his colleague. When I visited I noticed that he had trouble with that monocle and the magnifier he hung over the books with so I took the opportunity to invite him over and make some glasses for him in cooperation with Simon which gave me another reason to get over to the taxation office again to give him the glasses. I placed them onto his lovely face and hoped he’d not jump from his chair again this time because he found me outrageously ugly or something but he didn’t, he just blushed looking at me and thanked me so I took the liberty to kiss him. We’ve been together since and he now is my book-keeper too.”

 

There was utter confusion written all over Asher’s face who was looking at his planets hero who was nothing like he had imagined him to be. If he thought about it he looked nothing like his younger self on the photo in the database entry about Hydra anymore either. The information flung into his direction was too much to gasp and not deep enough to communicate an understanding of what it all meant to him but it at least gave him some change of perspective about life on Earth and there were questions streaming through his mind that temporarily distracted him from what he had wanted to ask the scientist the moment he’d lay eyes on him initially and he had just shaken off the questions he had about this whole taxation thing and wanted to get to the point of asking for the pills Zorya had given him and explain the situation with the savages, the Myre and the need to revive Hydra as the man had said it was dead to him to the middle aged blond man who had apparently given up on his purpose when the door to the studio was opened and the stranger who had helped them to get into the city was stepping inside.

 

“Where is Sara? I searched for her, even walked in on some costumer, but I couldn’t find her.” Ren asked and one could see the greenish-blue eyes of the woman sparkle as she saw him. “Ren!” she called out sweetly, waving at him in a coy way, swaying her hips as she stepped from one foot onto the other the moment she saw the black haired man. “There she is!” he exclaimed happily, a smile forming on his face. “You’re gorgeous.” He complemented. “Thank you!” said Charlie in a jesting voice and Sara shot him a glare because he was ruining her moment there. “Charlie! Hey, how’s it going!” the man greeted him and Charlie took the hand offered, hugging the guy, slapping each other’s backs. “Good to see you Ren! The conference?” he asked and the foreigner nodded. A deep voice roared through the room then as Nate, who was hanging in one of the seats, one of his legs kicked up on the tray in front of the mirror, almost ripping the fabric of the sari apart once more but at least that piece of clothing was long enough to cover his manhood when he sat like that because he too found underwear too restricting. “You know that guy?” he asked the brothel owner and the blond nodded.

 

“Yes. That’s Ren. Do you remember that masquerade we were organising for the birthday party of the prince? It must have been roughly ten years ago or so. Ren and his older cousin were the prince’s guests. I met him there.” The blond explained and Ren grinned. “It were quite the circumstances. I was about to get intimate with our gorgeous Sara and searched for a room for where we could be more private, I’m a little old fashioned, I don’t like to do it in front of people you see. And when I opened one of the doors I found my cousin Yuki sitting on Charlie’s face. It was quite the surprise considering that our family wanted for her to get engaged to the prince for alliance purposes and she had not only lost her virginity to this guy but also refused to get married to the prince afterwards. It was a mess.” He remembered and the blond man laughed. “Yes,Yuki! She was a pretty thing indeed.”

 

Now Asher didn’t even get the basics anymore. He shook his head and stuttered. “Wait, what? I thought you were with the crippled guy?” he pointed at Miran. “But he said you had sex with his cousin who seemingly is a woman or isn’t she?” the Colonel asked. “Definitely a woman.” Ren confirmed and Ash looked over to Charlie. “So what is actually the truth now?” he wanted to know and Charlie’s pale blue eyes looked into the intense one’s. “Both!” he said. “I am attracted to men and women. I like to have sex with both genders. I like to bottom and to top. I like to get face fucked by a guy and have him cum all over my face and I like to have some hot chick sitting on my face with my tongue buried in her. Let’s say I’m sexually flexible and enjoy experimentation.” the man who was supposedly a legend answered and when the soldier heard him say he liked to have his face covered in sperm he couldn’t help but to think that the scientist who had invented Hydra, who was a brilliant mind without a question was a complete pervert as it seemed by the way he spoke. Then again if he pictured it he found the idea of cumming all over some guys face rather hot as well, so maybe he was some pervert too. “I too had a wild phase when I first arrived here. I had to discover everything, wanted to a new life, to experience everything, didn’t want to miss out. I was very promiscuous. It tamed down gradually but I continued to have fluctuating sexual partners until I actually fell in love for the first time, felt romantic feelings for someone and that was with Miran. I haven’t slept with anyone else since the day I met him and I don’t want to either.” The man explained and Charlie’s younger boyfriend looked directly into the other’s eyes. “And you better don’t if you know what’s good for you.” He stated and somehow hearing this made a shudder of guilt overcome Ash although he had no idea why.

 

“However much I enjoy to listen to Charlie’s stories I’d like to abduct my beautiful Sara now.” Ren said, reaching out his hand and Nate took the word abducting rather literally and jumped from the seat, kicking it quite some distance through the studio with enormous strength stating:”You won’t!” but the brothel owner was waving his hand to gesticulate him to calm down again. “I’m afraid that has to wait my friend. It’s a working day for her. So unless you want to pay for her company she can’t go with you.” He explained. Ren’s mood didn’t seem to darken, he kept on smiling. “I’ll pay for the next three days.” He said cheerfully, pulling out a black velvet bag filled with gold coins which he threw into Miran’s direction. The bag flew through the air and hit Miran’s collar bones and the man’s face flinched. “Ouch, that shit’s heavy!” he complained. “And you are a noble man, a part of the governing class and not even a citizen of Kalua, I work for your kind of people, the government, the state. I get it if outraged working class people throw stuff and money at my head but you have no reason to whatsoever.” He barked displeased and Ren chuckled amused. “Bro, I didn’t intend to hit you…” he now outright laughed. “I wanted you to catch it…” he needed to breathe. “I couldn’t know that you were like… too gay to catch!” the foreign noble man was finding it hilarious Miran not so much as he looked completely displeased especially when he saw his boyfriend laughing too.

 

“What do you laugh about!? We’re a couple. You’re quite gay as well.” he pointed out and Charlie held his head up high. “Yes and I’d never deny how much I love to have my arse ravaged and my body destroyed by you in bed but I have strong reflexes and can catch everything.” The middle aged man said and Miran rolled his eyes, grabbed a notebook and flung it Charles’s way, whose arms waved around as the notebook hit his forehead. “Arse!” Charlie hissed at his boyfriend who now laughed when he saw Ren taking Sara by her hand leading the giggling woman to the door. “Hey! Wait! There are still some calms and pearls missing! And I have to refresh the paint. It’s not finished yet” he protested. “I don’t care.” Ren said. “But this ruins the artwork if it is not complete…” he insisted. “Don’t care.” Ren repeated and off he was. “No sense for the arts this bloke.” Charlie huffed crossing his arms in front of his chest.

 

Asher coughed and made a step forward finally getting the attention of the Xenonian hero. “I recently visited Zorya and she gave me some pills against my allergic reactions to this environment and she said that I needed to see you if I needed more of those.” He started and wanted to get to explain the threat posed onto the Myre when Charlie was saying. “Oh yes, yes… Wait…” but there was something clearly off. The man’s eyes had narrowed when he had seen the blinking lights on the control panel on the arm of his combat suit and without a warning Charlie pulled the bottle of disinfection out of Raja’s hands, stepped forward, ripped the panel open as he knew how they opened and poured the liquid out over the technology. It frizzled and crackled, sparks were spraying, it stank burned and smoke was clouding their vision. “What in the name of the emperor have you done? Are you insane! Do you know how long it took to repair this!?” Asher shouted and his carotid was sticking out again, pulsing dangerously, his hands forming fists as he was standing in the smoke. Why? Why did this guy do that? Had this man somehow lost his mind? He was said to have been a genius but meeting him now this man made no sense. He was nothing like a Xenonian hero or a genius.

 

“Your suit was online. In that state it sent signals to Xenonian control centres and they can detect your vital data as well as your location. And I don’t want Xenon’s attention to be brought onto my place or this planet for that matter.” He calmly explained but his expression was serious and his eyes narrowed as the smoke revealed his figure to Ash and his companions again. “You mean the signals could have gotten through! That it still worked!” Ash’s eye widened and there was a hope being born within him only to die again right away because Charlie had just destroyed the system his suit was running on and his face went dark.” Why did you do this! Why! This would have meant that they might have come to get us! That we’d have had a chance to return! You ruined this chance! Ruined that they’ll find us.” The Colonel accused the man and Charlie laughed but it was an unhappy, cold laugh again.

 

“Alright, here is the deal! I’d rather hang myself than to return to Xenon ever again! I don’t want them to come to this planet and ruin it as they do with every place they lay their hands on and implement their gross totalitarian ideology and system on. And after I destroyed every single means of communication, every technology that they could detect and cut off all the ties to Xenon I’m not going to let some stranded Xenonian brainwashed soldier ruin everything I have built because he runs around sending every piece of information about his activities and whereabouts to Xenon.” The man let him know, speaking in a firm, unyielding tone of voice. “I hate Xenon! The only thing I hate more than Xenon is Eugene Rochfort! That little insane, warmongering, paranoid, narcissistic, controlling cockroach with a god complex!” Charlie talked himself into rage and one could see Nate getting visibly uncomfortable, anxious even, flinching in his chair, looking over his shoulder as if he expected the inner division to suddenly appear and arrest them for it.

 

Ash’s face was blank. He wanted to grab that man. Grab that man and smash his head against the wall to make him stop talking, to shut him up but he was too shocked, too devastated by the words that left the mouth of a man who was deemed a hero on his planet, who was born on the same planet he was, who was a Xenonian as well, someone he had admired that he was lost for words and frozen where he stood. When he did speak though it was to his own surprise not an angry yell but it was incomprehension, a pure lack of understanding of why this was something that man would say, an inability to put the pieces that didn’t seem to fit together. “Do you really think that Xenon is wrong on everything!? And that this place is in all points superior!? That it couldn’t benefit or learn from Xenon?” He demanded an explanation and Charlie chuckled joylessly. “No.” he said.

 

“There are general opinions and stands of Xenon which I agree with. I agree with Xenon’s stand on religion for instance.” He told the Colonel. “I however disagree with the implementation, the system, the authoritarianism as a whole and entirely. The death penalty for religious beliefs, relearning facilities for having an opinion that the emperor doesn’t like, the policing of people’s private lives and decisions. Where is the difference between that totalitarian fascist ideology and a religious ideology? They are all brainwashing, barbaric, morally corrupted, fascist and authoritarian, totalitarian, inhumane and intolerant of differences and other viewpoints. They are similar. Religious ideologies are born by some insane fuckwit writing his crazy ideas into a book, claiming it to be the law and word of a non-existing god to control people and that everyone has to follow it without exception. Eugene Rochfort too is a crazy man who wrote his worldview down in a book, claimed it to be the only truth and demanded everyone to follow it if they didn’t want to get punished for disobedience. I detest such ideologies! Be they religious or political!” he explained. “They are cancer to humanity, progress and society. And yes, Xenon allows scientific, medical and technological progress and research but there is no intellectual and social progress because there is no room for ideas or free thought. For a society to flourish wholly a free, diverse marketplace of ideas, free thought, speech and a free, creative, unafraid populace is needed. If a way to view the world, an ideology, a leader, is not allowed to be questioned, if the people live in constant threat to ever remotely step out of line and question the government there will be stagnation and even regress.” Charlie spoke and it made Ash shudder, he felt sick, so sick that he felt like he needed to throw up again like that one time he had been sick and he could recognise some similarities between what the man of his own kind said there and what Calum had told him previously.

 

“Something has certainly gone wrong with you, I can tell. Did you get hit on the head too hard?” Ash said and tried to shove what he had heard there away. “I think that what you said there should have consequences for you but we don’t have the luxury to waste a capable scientist on this planet. And I need you! The Myre, Kalua, this planet they are threatened by lunatic savages and we have to safe this land from damnation. They are many! And if we won’t do something they’ll overrun and kill everyone at the Myre. And we need Hydra for this! With Hydra we can defeat them in no time once and for all! They won’t pose a threat to everyone again!” the soldier eagerly stated with a stern, determined, stoic expression on his face and Charlie’s face went dark, a bitter grin forming on his lips though.

 

“I told you Hydra was dead!” he repeated, sounding distant. “The situation seems dangerous and I wish you the best of luck with the defence. I am willing to help you out in whatever way I can too, with medicine, influence in this city, money, whatever it is but I won’t create Hydra again. I am its father, it is my child and I wish I could have killed it on Xenon already and I will not bring the monster because of which I left Xenon onto Earth. I refuse to do that.” Charlie clearly said and as Asher looked at him something got very clear to him and suddenly made sense. “You!” He shouted pointing at him. “It was never an expedition! You never intended to get back to Xenon! You faked the disappearance and death of the expedition crew and told them that it was a Xenonian conspiracy, that the emperor had abandoned them for you to be able to commit your treason without getting caught!” the Colonel said and rage was now boiling in him and he’d like to exterminate Charlie for his treason, especially when he saw the man smiling at him without feeling guilty about having deserted Xenon. “Exactly!” he confirmed confidentially instead. “You traitorous scum!” Asher yelled and then he turned his head when he heard Nate’s voice, loud and clear, talking over his.

 

“That’s the same words I screamed at him when I found out about what he had done.” The fellow warrior type remembered. “I yelled insults at him while flung my fists into his face like against a punching ball. I was kicking and hitting and yelling. That his nose is broken and looks like that now is my fault. The scar on his forehead, me. I broke his arm, his rips, I literally beat him into a bleeding pulp and I left him lying on the ground to rod there in his own blood. Then I walked, I walked for hours my head was spinning I was so furious and then terrified when I realised that he’s been right. That my behaviour was prove of it. And I ran back hoping he’d still be alive. Hoping that I hadn’t only thrown away our friendship but killed my best friend because I couldn’t deal with the views he expressed, because they made me furious, because they were blasphemy against the emperor and questioned the fundament of my own worldview. I was damn lucky that day. Damn lucky to find him still breathing! I hugged him so hard that I nearly broke another of his rips and I apologised, I’d have done everything, literally everything for him to forgive me. Everything! But when I was clumsily trying to nurse him and put back together what I’ve broken he didn’t want anything from me and just said ‘I can forgive you Nate, if you can forgive me.’” The man with the wavy brown hair said scratching his beard and listening to this only made Asher feel more helpless, more lost, more confused and in turn angrier.

 

“Tell me why! The emperor was proud of you! Xenon was proud of you! Xenon loved you! You were a hero! Why would a hero of Xenon abandon it? Why would he hate it?” Asher demanded answers and he heard a snort coming from the creator of Hydra. “A hero!” he shook his head in a mocking tone. “I am not a hero!” he disagreed. “I am a murderer! Hydra killed people! I killed people! My work always only killed people!” the man spoke in a calm but cynic, disdainful tone of voice, as though it wasn’t the emperor he hated the most of all things in the universe but if that was no one else but himself. “What?” a sharp and shocked voice sounded and it was not the Xenonian soldier’s voice but Miran’s and Charlie could feel the man’s eyes piercing into his back.

 

Turning around there was a pained, troubled expression on his face and his voice sounded less cynic but heavy and tortured when he saw the eyes of the man he loved looking betrayed and shocked. “I am a mass murderer! It’s true.” He had never wanted Miran to look at him like that. Never wanted the man to see him as this, to think about him like this! To look into the face of Hydra! He never wanted him to know about Hydra, to hear that name. “You told me you’ve been a scientist. That you researched the biochemical processes in people’s bodies and the effect of substances onto the human body.” The light blond man said and Charlie nodded. “I did all that. It wasn’t a lie. Just that the substances unlike the medicine I make for you weren’t meant to heal but to harm, to break, to torture and to exterminate.” He told him, looking into those eyes that went more shocked and more disappointed the more he spoke but Charlie kept speaking.

 

“I never wanted to work for the weapon industry but I thought what I wanted didn’t matter. I thought that this was what and who I was. That I was born a toxicologist, born to do exactly that work, that this was my purpose that I couldn’t even be anything else, that this was something I dare not even question. Like this moron here so carelessly stated when he told me I was not an artist and not a businessman but was born a scientist and could never be anything else. I wholeheartedly believed that as well! I was certain that this was fact! So I did what I was told to and I was good at it. Incredibly good at it. Hence at a really young age I got to lead one of the most important projects. I was told to design an efficient weapon of mass destruction that’d wipe away the entire populace of a smaller planet within minutes without damage to the environment. And I should have said no, I should have refused the order, even if they had killed me then but I did not. I designed what they wanted from me and that’s when I became responsible, when it became my fault. Not even when I ordered assistants of the inner division to bring us some criminals to experiment on so that we could test and improve the poison I questioned or saw something wrong with it. I told myself that they were criminals anyway. I never looked them in the eyes or saw them die. I sat behind a screen, I pushed a button, unleashed Hydra, I tracked down their physical functions, what the poison did in the organism and was focussed on the numbers. They were just data to me at that point.” Charlie took a breather and Miran wasn’t even looking at him anymore at that point, he couldn’t and it crippled the older man but he’d not want to have to look at himself either so he understood.

 

“When the day came that Hydra was ready to be used in battle, the day of the attack onto the Kriegan military base I, as Hydra’s father, was invited to watch the attack life on screen with high ranking generals, the leader of the inner division and Eugene Rochfort himself. And then I saw what I had done! Then I realised it! 500.000 Kriegan soldiers plus the native populace to that planet who were sacrificed as collateral damage, people like those two,” he pointed at Calum and Jack, “suffering and dying in a means of minutes, their bodies changing colours, their faces and limps twisted, disfigured…. dead…” Charlie’s voice cracked and it seemed like the whole man crumbled and that he’d not speak any further but he did. He just went on, forced himself to. Went on telling what he had never talked about with a cracking, pained voice and wet blue eyes as if he was confessing at a trial. “ And who knows how many Xenon has exterminated with Hydra since. I wanted to run. Wanted to hide myself from the world. But I had to stay. I was congratulated because the weapon had been a success. Kriegan then capitulated as the cleaning division was still ‘tiding up’ the planet from the corpses and I was declared a hero to Xenon for having had a part in defeating Kriegan one of our mortal enemies since decades…..I hadn’t slept in days though, I was constantly throwing up at home when I thought about what I had done, what I had brought to the universe, I wanted to kill myself, I didn’t have the courage so I planned my escape from Xenon, to never have to face this again, to never hear the word ‘Hydra’ again, to forget, forget all of it. Although I was unable to forget no matter how hard I tried.” He ended his explanation and turned from his lover who was looking like a piece of chalk and as if he wanted to throw up now back to Asher.

 

“That’s why your ‘hero’ fled Xenon. “ Charlie ended with a self-loathing laugh and Asher couldn’t, he just couldn’t. It was too much, way too much. It was getting through, he was struggling against it, trying to shove it away and not let it get through but it got through. He couldn’t fight against this. He had no means to. There was no rebuttal for this that Xenon had equipped him with that could have made him immune to this. He just tried to ignore it. Hoped that if he’d ignore it, kept stubborn, kept going through with what he had wanted to get through with that the worldview of his which was at this point a house of card about to collapse survive this. “Fine. Doesn’t matter.” He hissed. “What matters is that we prevent the end of Earth. And that we need Hydra for. So get over your stupid sensibilities stop whining and cooperate or I’ll have to result to different means.” He said but although carrying himself in a threatening way he doubted himself.

 

Charlie grinned, it was an unhappy, tired grin, that died off when his hand shot out and closed around Asher’s throat, his glistering eyes widening as he was choking him with all strength he had in his body and Asher’s eyes widened in shock as he was gasping for air hopelessly. “Hydra makes your cells implode, it makes your lungs fill with blood and while you’re suffocating and drowning in your own blood, your body will painfully cramp and squirm around when it destroys your nervous system and your brain. It doesn’t take long before you’re dead but it’ll be the most painful torture you can imagine.” Charlie had just in an absent voice finished those words when a fist hit his face and one could hear his jaw crack, blood running out of his nose and his mouth, forcing him to let go of Ash’s throat before the platinum head grabbed the former scientist by his collar. “What the fuck is wrong with you!” he yelled, shaking him, holding Charlie up in the air as if he was weighing nothing at all. “I thought a demonstration might be helpful.” The man pressed some words out, his now wracked, bleeding face hurting like hell as he spoke.

 

“You can do with me whatever you want. Kill me, torture me, I don’t care. I have stopped to care long ago. But I will not, never, create Hydra again!!!” the scientist spoke and it was pissing Asher off but then there was another voice speaking. “I care!” it was Miran. “I fucking care you dumb egotistical arsehole!” He now yelled angrily. “You do?” Charlie asked and his heart was starting to beat faster in his chest. “Yes. I don’t know who you’ve been, I don’t want to know anymore of it and it doesn’t matter. I don’t want your past, I want your present and your future Charlie.” The man stated and it was the only way for Miran to deal with the information he just had gotten. It was clear that he couldn’t possibly love the man Charlie had been on Xenon but he loved who he was now and to deal with that he had to separate the past Charlie from the present Charlie. The book-keeper had risen from his seat and was standing now, pointing at Asher. “Don’t you dare to hurt him any further I’ll…. Probably die trying to keep you form hurting him because you’re way stronger than I am but you get the point!”

 

Ash raised an eyebrow obviously not able to find Miran in anyway threatening in the slightest but it was Nate who said something of interest again. “Didn’t you make some milder stuff to kill off the slugs that ruined the vegetables in the garden during summer? You said you made it so that it wouldn’t affect the environment or the vegetables negatively. Isn’t that an alternative?” he thought out loud and Charlie frowned. “Fucking idiot!” he hissed and then Nate realised it too.”Oh! Shit! Sorry!” he said but Asher dropped Charlie making the man let out a painful noise when he was hitting the ground and Miran walked over to him, limping, pulling his boyfriend up from the ground, handing him a handkerchief to wipe away the blood from his face, wrapping his arms around the older male’s hips, kissing his neck.

 

The Colonel at this point was determined to get this poison that was probably similar to Hydra just to get through with it because everything else would feel not only like defeat but he’d have to acknowledge what he had learned in the last couple of hours, what Calum had said to him and he was storming around searching the room, willing to tear apart the entire building, opening one cupboard after the other, shoving around furniture and was just about to lever out planks from the ground just to not have to face this when Charlie intervened. “Gosh, they should have probably put you in the inner division, you’d have been a natural talent.” He shook his head. “Hands off of the mahogany floor in my studio you brute. I don’t want you to ruin my whole establishment. The storage room is right over there. We don’t hide anything; there is no need to here unlike on fucking Xenon.”

 

Asher’s eye fell onto a door and he walked towards it disappearing in the storage room returning in a couple of seconds rolling a rusty, yellow barrel with the skull for ‘deadly’ on its front before himself heading towards the exit of the room wanting to leave Charlie and that brothel behind as soon as he could as this man who was nothing like he had imagined him was making him highly uncomfortable, incredibly uncomfortable.

 

“Do you really want to let him take this just like that?” Miran asked his lover and the middle aged man nodded, leaning over to whisper into his boyfriend’s ear. “Yes. Because it’s not the poison! The poison is in the tiny one with the smiling slug on it and he wouldn’t achieve anything with it, well, maybe a few of the savages would get dizzy and cough a lot for a few days.” He told him chuckling amused and the man working for the taxation office raised an eyebrow. “Babe, what is in that one then?” he asked and Charlie tried hard not to laugh. “Nate’s wife’s cooking!” he said and now Miran chuckled as well. It was the noise of the barrel being turned and placed vertically that threw them out of their little inside joke and they saw that something was leaking out of the barrel what Asher had seen too and what had made him pause in the first place.

 

The Colonel looked at the reddish, orange liquid and the pieces of meat and vegetables that were streaming out of the barrel together with a sharp awful stench. “That is not Hydra! It’s also not similar to Hydra! What the hell is that shit?” he demanded to know and now Charlie couldn’t hold back the laughter what caused him severe pain because his jaw was demolished and he held onto Miran’s chest. “Hydra definitely didn’t stink like that!” the business owner jested and Ash wasn’t amused in the slightest as he raised the remains of his eyebrows and looked at the man in annoyance. And Charles just wanted to answer him when the small woman with the brown skin rose from the seat she had been sitting on, walking towards the barrel, looking at the liquid flowing over the ground. “That’s my soup!” she exclaimed. “And that’s my casserole.” She pointed at the next swell leaking out of the rusty old barrel, her dark, almost black eyes looking at the skull painted onto it with hurt in them. “This is my cooking!” she said turning around to Charlie, Miran and her husband who all sensed danger now.

 

“You arseholes! You fucking arseholes!” she screamed at them, made a step forward and grabbed Charlie by his collar, pulling him down towards her height. “Do you know how much effort and passion it takes to make those for you and you throw it away like that, lying to me, pretending to eat it and then throwing it into a barrel with the sign for deadly? Do you think that I am a bad housewife and insult my qualities as a woman?” she cried out shaking the already wracked man who held the swollen side of his face. “Answer me! I’m working my ass off for this and you’ve got the never to insult me like that.” she went on and Charles raised both of his hands to show he didn’t want to fight. “Raja, I’m sorry. No offence but you really are horrible at this! Last time I ate something you cooked I couldn’t taste anything for a week because my mouth had gone numb from it. You just are a terrible cook and not the best in doing the household. You even shrinked that amazing shirt I gave Miran for his birthday.” He honestly said and that was a mistake.

 

There was a flame of rage burning in the woman’s eyes and she glared at Charlie as if she wanted to rip his head off with her bare hands. “How dare you! How dare you say I am a failure as a woman!” she shouted and Miran held his ears shut because her high-pitched voice was anything but pleasant. “I am dealing with enough as it is. I am three months pregnant and I have a husband who is weeping because the condom ripped and addresses reproaches onto me because I didn’t take those pills anymore after I got those side effects because all the thought of me being pregnant and us having a child together creates in him is horror and he freaks out when he thinks about it, feels guilty, calls it uncontrolled reproduction and other such things before he literally suggested that I should kill our unborn child! He wants me to murder our baby! Even asked for his stupid ass friend to make it possible and I got offered a pill that’d kill my kid. I have absolutely zero support, I have to take care of him and his panicking because I’m pregnant on top of it. He doesn’t even want to touch me anymore because he thinks I could get even more pregnant then. And now you, you stupid bastard tell me that I am a bad housewife, can’t cook and will be a terrible mother!” She screamed, let go of Charlie, waved her hands in front of her face as she was slightly hyperventilating, tears running out of her eyes.

 

“I didn’t say you should murder our kid. I just think you should have an abortion. It’s too dangerous to get this. It’s not controlled, not engineered, it could be sick and suffer some cruel disorder and I don’t want this. This would be awful! What we’d do to that kid would not be right.” Nate said. Charlie’s features went a little softer as he saw her crying like that. “It’s not a child yet. It’s cells that would develop further into a child. And I was just putting that option out there for you. It’s your decision to make.” He told her and it didn’t help. “It’s my child! Don’t call my child cells! Putting the option out there to kill my baby! You are crazy! Even the idea that I could consider this is the worst insult. What kind of woman would I be to consider this! You’re all sick! Stay away from me, my cooking and my baby!” she yelled and ran away from them, out of the room and upstairs, Nate following. “Hun, wait! Don’t cry, please! I really didn’t mean it like that! Charlie didn’t either! I love you! Look I’ll even wear those pants you bought and put off the sari.” He called after her undressing right there on the way out.

 

“Damn, she can be a dragon.” Charles said and Miran shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, there is no need for the hysteria but it’s probably her hormones. Aside from that I have my doubts about the abortion pill you created as well.” he stated and the blond looked at him curiously. “It’s not that I think it’s murder per-se but the idea that someone would have given my parents the option to abort me because I’m physically disabled isn’t a pleasant one, especially considering how ashamed my noble chevalier parent’s are of me they’d never have given me a chance to live. And despite the fact that it’s tough sometimes, that I am occasionally am in horrible pain and ask myself what I did to deserve all that awful stuff I never once wanted to die or thought that my life was not worth living. I am glad that my parents weren’t given the option to choose another kid instead of me or to remove me.” He said and Charlie looked at him in thought and apologetically. “I’m … I never saw it like that… I love you Miran! I’d have been horrible if they had aborted you.”

 

Aside from Charlie who was pressing his busted, bleeding lips onto his boyfriend’s someone else was now outright staring at the man with the glasses. Asher’s jaw had dropped to the ground and his eyes looked at him as if he had seen a ghost. “Wait? You’re a cripple and you don’t think it’s not worth living and wouldn’t think it’d be a blessing if someone ended your suffering?” he asked the idea being completely new to him, never even have deemed that possible. “I sometimes suffer but my live doesn’t merely consist out of suffering, there is a lot of good things in my life that I don’t want to miss. I like to live; I don’t want to be murdered, no.”

 

For a moment Ash looked at the guy just like that, then he ran his hand over his face, through his hair, shook his head. This was one too much. “Fuck!” he yelled and kicked the barrel that busted leading to the cooking spilling out all over the floor. “I need to get out of here.” The Colonel said and left the room and the brothel, leaving Calum and Jack behind with Miran and Charlie. The book-keeper seemed confused as he watched the other disappear while Charlie didn’t seem confused in the slightest. He stepped closer to Calum and Jack, his gaze focussed on Calum though. “You should go after him. Talk to him. I know it’s probably difficult for you to handle him now but it’s even tougher for him, I’ve been through it, Nate has, it’s as if someone pulls away the ground under your feet and you’re falling, it’s helpful if there is someone who catches you.” He told the other man. “It’ll be worth it in the end if you actually care for him and it’ll get easier.” Charlie patted his shoulder. He wasn’t so sure what the two of them were but he had sensed some kind of connection between them, it was obvious from the way they looked at each other. It too was obvious that it was complicated.

 

“Take some time, then come back here. You guys are probably hungry. We’ll make some dinner, relax, then I’ll see how I can help you with your issue at the Myre. No Hydra or other chemical weapon though.” he told him. “And you, you could help us out in the kitchen.” He told Jack, before he looked down onto the ground, seeing that he was standing in the mess the old food from the barrel had made off his wonderful floor. “Splendid. Who’s gonna clean that up now?” he sighed. “Raja!” He then called as loud as he could.

 

Asher was rushing through the streets of the city heedlessly without a clue where he was going. His head felt as if it was about to explode and his stomach was feeling weird. He wanted to turn off his thoughts but they were spinning wildly. He constantly saw the faces of Calum and Jack as potential collateral damage of a Xenonian or Zynian attack. Imagined them getting killed by Hydra. And then there was what this guy had said. That despite the pain he found his life worth living, that he didn’t want to die, not getting murdered. With that in mind, what did it mean when they executed every kid born through uncontrolled reproduction to keep the national corpus pure? What did this make them and their system?

 

He was feeling sick and his heart was beating way too fast in his chest, he was breaking out in a sweat, he felt dizzy and the voices of the people seemed louder, their faces closer, his body was pumped full with adrenaline without there being an actual threat around him, he felt like he couldn’t breathe anymore, his hand reached to his throat, he pulled on his collar but it didn’t help anything. Trying to breath, feeling unable to he was looking around where the people all suddenly seemed to invade his personal space when he saw a bench in front of one of the buildings and he let himself sink onto it, leaning his body against the wall, the sweat glistering on his upper lip and his forehead.

 

 

 

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Somewhere In Space; Xenonian Space Ship

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Number 556-802-479-515—8-XY simplified identification code Emmanuel was standing in the wide galley of the giant transporter space ship, holding his wrist against the scanner of the robot behind the counter to enable the artificial intelligence to read the data that showed it what nutrition he got for lunch. While the robot was showing its mechanical smile that it wore twenty-four-seven Emmanuel’s face with the brown doe eyes was looking absolutely displeased and unhappy. And he was. The geologist had not wanted to be a part of the investigation troops send to Earth. He didn’t want to go to Earth and he didn’t want to be on that bloody space ship away from the research he had been working on and much less had he wanted to be the leading scientist of the investigation to Earth. But he was and he had an idea as to why. Not because he was the only or best one for the job, hell he was not, he had zero experience with working abroad and outside, but because he had seen the emperor’s medical state back then in the leaders office and now they wanted him to get as far away from Xenon as possible. And if Earth turned out dangerous and he’d die, well at least the knowledge Emmanuel had but shouldn’t have would die with him.

 

He took the plate the robot handed him his eyes falling onto the purple paste and the white bar on it that looked like square shaped frozen sperm if one asked him and walked away from the counter, comparing the purple paste with the large stain on his laboratory coat that had the same colour and that he just had not been able to wash out of it although it had been two days ago that this moron of a soldier from the space force had thrown that stuff at him because he had mistaken him for a member of the inner division and the coat had been cleansed. The dude had apologised when he had realised that Emmanuel had not been a part of the inner division but the geologist had really asked himself whether they should have decided to dye their laboratory coats black when the emperor had given their colour to the inner division. It was a nuisance that the troop that had been send for the investigation and to get that bloody Colonel back consisted out of the space force and the inner division on the same transportation ship. Yes, it was common practise to send both onto a planet they would conquer or investigate and that usually caused enough misunderstandings and conflict on those planet between the two as it was but this was the first time they had been lunched together onto the same space ship and the result one could witness on the scientist’s laboratory coat. But when the emperor had asked the general of the space force and the leader of the inner division and had introduced that as a great and efficient idea they both had nodded and declared that it was absolutely no problem although they’d had liked to murder each other.

 

Standing there with his plate he was looking around in the room, his eyes searching for a not too crowded place at one of the long tables but he was rather late. While the scientists sat wherever in-between whoever there seemed to be a strict segregation between the inner division and the space force and a more loose one in ranks and hierarchy. And no one, not even the regular members of the inner division, seemed to want to sit next or close to the hooded, masked, secret service of the inner division who were also called ‘phantoms’ and who were even more feared on Xenon than the inner division itself and although he needed a place to sit he’d certainly not sit next to them either. Heck, how about sitting as far away from them as possible. That made his eyes wander to the left side of the room and there indeed was a table that wasn’t that full yet.

 

Around it sat Lieutenant Colonel Björn, a man with buzzed dark-blond borderline brown hair, round grey eyes, a square jaw and figure and strong shoulders who was the highest ranking official of the space force on the mission . He looked like he could crush Emmanuel into a half in the blink of an eye but he didn’t look like he would do it as he smiled and laughed rather casually. Next to him there was First Lieutenant Taarja a toned, slim woman with a boyish figure. She had a leg kicked up on the bench, had ebony coloured short hair, pale white skin, blue eyes and thick red lips. If her hair wasn’t that short and she wasn’t dressed in the utilitarian male’s uniform that every Xenonian soldier wore she’d have looked like a more muscular version of Snow White. Both Taarja and Björn were the same age the missing Colonel was and opposite of Björn there was a male about ten years younger who was the assistant of Björn. Ramon had a cheeky looking expression and seemed to struggle to keep it serious. His chestnut coloured hair was short but messy and curly and his green eyes had a playful shine in them. He was athletic but not as broad as Asher and definitely unlike Björn.

 

“Good day Emmanuel!” Björn greeted when the geologist sat down next to Ramon and the man with the dirty blond hair returned the greeting. “Oi!” it came from Taarja who slammed her hand onto the table. “Will you listen and pay attention when I’m showing you how to not assault my ears during the singing of the anthem anymore. I had almost finally forgotten how horrible your singing voice was.” She barked and Björn laughed as she screwed up her nose. “Not everyone can be blessed with a talent to sing First Lieutenant!” he said in a rather mild tone of voice that exuded calm and maybe that was why Emmanuel liked Björn the most out of all the soldiers on board.

 

Taarja grumbled though, she wasn’t thrilled about the mission. “Why do we need to get back Asher anyway? The top fighter pilot on the ranking list.” She imitated mockingly. “Call me crazy but a top fighter pilot is not supposed to get shot down! If you get shot down and you need to be rescued you can’t be that fucking great can you? I mean, you are great soldier if you don’t get shot down or captured or whatnot. But I already see him and his smug face when he tells how he survived.” She ranted and let herself fall onto the bench, Björn giving her an awkward look while Ramon mused. “But he shot down the most enemies, his vitae is full of successes, he’s a Colonel, he’s been invited to dine with the emperor, he’s quite the impressive dude.” He listed and Taarja didn’t like that at all. “Shut up Ramon no one asked your opinion!” she hissed bitterly.

 

And bitter she was especially when it came to Asher. Taarja, Asher and Björn had not only been in the same class but they too had been amongst the ten best students together. And Taarja and Asher had had a strong rivalry going on. Well, at least Taarja had felt that way whereas Asher had just found her annoying and not taken her seriously as competition. When Taarja had complained that Ash and Björn had been snoring and she couldn’t sleep they had ridiculed her and Asher had said she had probably been on her period and well, it had been true but it had only pissed her off more and she had physically attacked him. But those had not been the only moments; it had gone deeper than that. Taarja had been ambitious and she had wanted to be the best among the best. She had done everything she could, she had been perfect in theory and technicality and yet she had never made it past Asher. He had beaten her in athletics and combats every time. She had been destroyed by the man due to his physiological advantages no matter how hard she had tried and Asher didn’t even have to try hard to win against her.

 

Even when her scientist had been incredibly proud of her and had bragged in front of Asher’s scientist because she had managed to design her without a libido, without a sexuality and she didn’t need the device and she had been incredibly proud of herself too and had rubbed it into Asher’s face because everyone had known that he already incredibly early on had to run to the medical station to use said device it had not held for too long because Ash’s scientist had rubbed every accomplishment of Asher into her scientist’s face and no matter how hard Taarja had tried to make her proud again and grant her another victory over Ash’s scientist all she had done was to fail. And Asher that jerk had not even noticed her hateful death glares she would have liked to kill him with in the shower room because this moron had looked at Björn as if Björn’s body had been a piece of art.

 

The climax of her bitterness and grudge had been reached when they had had the opportunity to compete in the Galaxy Tournament that took part every six years only where all planets competed in athletics against each other. It was a large event, an event where one could make the whole nation proud. And since Xenon didn’t have professional athletes there always was one generation of warrior types every six years who got the opportunity to compete. Their generation had been the one. The one it had even depended on to reinstall Xenon’s pride at the Tournament because six years prior they had been destroyed by Zyan because Zyan always aced running and the emperor had raged at the humiliation. And Taarja had wanted to be in the tournament, she had wanted to be one of the three to represent Xenon, but she had not even made it under the top three within the students of the space force. Asher, Björn, they all had destroyed her in sports and not only her, not a single woman had made it and not only in the space force but amongst those of the space force, inner division and police force who competed then to figure out who the three best of Xenon were had not been a single woman.

 

In the end Asher, Björn and a guy from the inner division had represented Xenon and they had been drilled mercilessly to win this time. To run faster than the Zynians. They had trained and competed against robots, scientists and doctors had examined and supervised their training and neither of the three men had had any significant amount of body fat left and one could have learned anatomy on them because their muscle definition had been showing that clearly. In the end it had worked out. Asher and the honey blond guy from the inner division had been on top in all disciplines, even at running and had won the tournament with the man from the inner division on first place and Asher on second. And although the man had not run as fast as the Zynians the third place had been a guy from Kriegan who had outperformed the Zynian athletes in every other discipline than running. Exhausted, nearly collapsing Asher and the man from the inner division had hung in each other’s arms despite space force and inner division rivalry and they had even smiled at the Kriegan man and had patted his back what had crept the guy out completely as they had been enemies. “What was that for…” he had asked sceptically and the two others had simultaneously said “You aren’t Zynian!”

 

The emperor had been proud and pleased and it had been a delight for Eugene Rochfort to receive the trophy from the Zynian president as the previous victor whose planet had not even been represented on the winner’s podium that time but Taarja who should have been happy for the victory of her planet had not been because she had wanted to compete, she had just found it utterly unfair that there was no separate category for women to compete without men in it so that they got to represent their planets too as they didn’t get to this way. But when she had advocated for this she had been met with ridicule and outrage just like when she had demanded separate bed and shower rooms after having been mocked by Asher and Björn about the whole period thing again. Even when she had brought the issue to the government because the superiors in the space force hadn’t taken her seriously she had after dozens of applications and bureaucracy gotten an official message from a high ranking official named John that had read:”Xenon recognises the biological gender differences in a scientific and medical way and for health care purposes. The empire however strongly rejects any separation or differences in treatment based upon biological factors in everyday life as we treat our citizens equally and classification is solely based on performance and achievement. We reject your application as unxenonian and request you to introduce yourself in room 111.9, floor 7, building 89 of the Xenonian retraining, relearning and rehabilitation facility– Signed Number 255-037-629-001-2-XY; John”

 

Having barely escaped being locked into the retraining facility by talking herself out of it she had then shut up about it and had never ever mentioned it again and just given up on it but the bitterness had manifested as well as her hate against Asher who was now not merely a rival anymore but a symbol of what went wrong from her view and she couldn’t say that she found that they needed him back and while she was wallowing in her grudge Björn tried to overplay and change the atmosphere she had turned into an awkward one asking the geologist questions about the environment on Earth, saying that he had heard a lot about something called the North Sea and if it really came and went and if there was salt in its water and somehow Emmanuel was happy that the soldier talked to him even if his questions were, well, in his eyes a little naïve and he found himself trying to impress him with his answers.

 

Trying to make the Earthen North Sea sound incredibly exciting the geologist was cut off in his executions by Ramon who leaned forward. “Hey, Lieutenant Colonel, our favourite person is advancing!” he gave him heads up and Björn looked up and saw a lean man in a white uniform approaching followed by a small ginger female who was walking next to him like his lapdog. “Great.” Björn said sarcastically. “I can’t wait to know what he wants.” The Lieutenant Colonel rose from his seat, making himself tall and as broad as possible when the lean man arrived at their table.

 

He was pale enough for his blood vessels to shine through his skin giving it a rosy tone, his hair was golden, slick back and covered by the white hat with the platinum lion on it. His eyes were narrow and pierced through his surroundings like icy daggers. His face was pointed and he had high, defined cheek-bones and his lips were thin and had a cold rosy shade. He was taller than Björn and yet his athletic built was a lot more elegant and his distant, cold and calculative expression could not have been any more different. The man was holding his head high, knowing his status, as he was looking down on the people before him as though they were merely peasants.

 

The guy’s eyes made a shudder run through Emmanuel and he regretted that he had sat down at this place now. He knew who this guy was. Ansgar was the inner division’s equivalent of a Colonel and not only that, he had been breed to one day become the next leader of the inner division. He had not gotten assigned to some adults as a kid but had been given to the leader of the inner division and had grown up around the highest ranking people of Xenon. There even was a photo where he had been sitting on the lap of the emperor while Eugene Rochfort had read a book to him. Ansgar was a medical and scientific experiment; he had been designed to make the perfect secret service agent and the perfect leader of the inner division. He was an experiment that, if one asked Emmanuel, had completely failed! The guy was a nutcase! To him that had been obvious when it had become known that Ansgar had shot a civilian into her foot because her shoes had been dirty from out of the window of his apartment. But all they had done had been tinkering with his psyche some more and they had called it fixed.

 

Coming to a halt Ansgar spoke in a nasally voice as if someone was pegging his nose:”Lieutenant Colonel Björn of the space force it has been brought to my attention that your men throw and play around with food, yell and jostle in the locker and shower rooms and don’t stick to the dress code on board.” He accused sharply his cold eyes peering at Taarja who was sitting around with her uniform jacket opened so that one could see the muscle shirt underneath, her nipples perking through the fabric. “No!? Really?” Björn said shocked in a mocking way and Ansgar screwed up his nose while the ginger woman next to him looked as if her head was about to explode. “How dare you! Do you know who you are talking to here! He is the heir to the leader of the inner division, acquainted with the emperor himself, show some respect!” she yelled the accurate, orderly short bob she wore her hair in moving in an odd way.

 

Ansgar’s face didn’t do anything. He merely raised his hand to gesticulate the woman from the inner division to shut it and she did so immediately like an incredibly well trained puppy. “Now, although I’d call it obvious ills within the space force it is not my responsibility to remedy them this is an issue of the space force’s officials. But I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour while my men and yours share premises. My men are elite soldiers, they are highly disciplined and I don’t want them to see and get infected by this kind of misbehaviour and low level of manners.” He clearly stated and Taarja snorted. “That depends on ones definition of what a soldier is and apparently ours differ.” She remarked and the woman from the inner division wanted to yell again but Ansgar was just sucking on his thin bottom lip. “Frig, take note of that.” he ordered the woman and she immediately typed it into the device she was carrying.

 

“I won’t ask you another time. I want this issue solved. It’s disgraceful enough that we have to search for your missing Colonel Björn, don’t you think.” He said and was about to leave before his cold eyes watched over Emmanuel and he looked offended at the scientist’s appearance. “You have a purple stain on your laboratory coat! Fix that!” he ordered and turned to Frig again. “Take note of his sloppy appearance too!”

 

 

 

It hadn’t stayed the only time Emmanuel had been around Björn and Ansgar that day of their travel since at one point, while he had been analysing some data from Earth, he had realised that all of a sudden the signal of the Colonel’s combat suit had died and his vital data disappeared. The remaining signal was coming from the battle ship – or the ruins of the battle ship – and the geologist had called for the two men in charge on the mission right away although he could have passed on the icy glare of the man from the inner division. After the man had said that judging by the data he doubted that the Colonel of the space force was dead and that the dying of the signal has occurred in a way that was rather odd and that once there he’d definitely figure out how this had happened, in a sceptical tone of voice, another issue had arisen.

 

The captain flying the space ship had turned around to them and his clear voice had sounded through the room, leading the three men to turn their heads towards him. “Zynian trader ahead! Awaiting instruction!” he informed them and both Ansgar and Björn approached the man at the same time. “Head towards it and shoot it down!” Björn ordered. “No! Fly above it and bomb it down!” Ansgar disagreed and gave another order. “No, shoot it down!” Björn said stubbornly. “Bomb it!” Ansgar barked and the captain was moving his head from Ansgar to Björn from Björn back to Ansgar and he started to get dizzy. “We’re getting closer, we will appear on their radar soon, I need to know what I should do now!” the captain called out to them but the two of them weren’t listening as they were fighting and he had no idea whom he should obey because the inner division had weirdly called ranks and hence he had no idea which of them had a higher rank now. “Avoid it and their radar and then return to our route!” Emmanuel ordered and the captain nodded, doing as the geologist had said who had actually no authority to give any orders to him.

 

They were turning and avoiding the Zynian trader and both Ansgar and Björn were sending accusatory glares towards Emmanuel. “What were you doing?” “You can’t just interfere!” “You can’t give orders!” And the scientist who was yelled at by the two military men was feeling uncomfortable in his skin in that situation but he was still speaking up. “Someone had to say something because you weren’t giving orders you were bickering like children.” He told them and while Ansgar got offended about the audacity that the man criticized him Björn saw that he had a point. “Great and because of your incompetent order the trader is now still flying and transporting the goods to our enemies, getting away and not only that it might have caught our position.” The golden haired man hissed and Emmanuel straightened on his chair, trying to be brave and to not yield under the threatening eyes of that man. “Who said that we have to let it get away?” he asked and both Björn and Ansgar were looking at him curiously now.

 

Emmanuel called the nearest Xenonian basis and when someone picked up at the other end he was holding his nose close with two fingers, threw his head back in his neck and put on a superior facial expression to feel himself into the role before he spoke:” Here 91859-A, Earth Investigation Troop, the heir of the leader of the inner division Ansgar. I demand the immediate destruction of the Zynian trader at the following coordinates……. If it won’t disappear from my screen in the next two minutes the emperor will hear of this and you’ll have to answer for this!” And after an intimidated hurried voice had said ‘Roger that’ he had hung up and turned around to the two men behind him after his little impersonation and Björn was laughing. He tried to hold it, tried to remain at least one bit professional but he couldn’t. That impersonation had been too accurate. Ansgar on the other hand was red as a traffic light out of anger, his whole body was tense, shaking and his hands formed into fists. “Just you wait you bloody bastard! The emperor will hear of your unauthorised, insolent behaviour! This will have consequences for you.” He threatened and Emmanuel was getting chalk white when the man from the inner division strutted out of the room.

 

“That was pure gold man! Pure gold!” Björn complimented, still laughing in amusement, tears of joy flowing out of his eyes. “Thank you Lieutenant Colonel.” Emmanuel said with a slight blush on his cheeks when Björn was slapping his shoulder. “But… he won’t …ähm… report me to the emperor will he?” the geologist worried and the soldier of the space force shook his head. “In that case, no, it’d be way to embarrassing for him!”