Chapter One: The Crossroads
Dylan walked the Andromeda and smiled seeing Gaheris looking over a few files seeing him deeply involved in them. "What has got you in a concentrated bind?" He asked curiously. Gaheris looked up to his commanding officer and Captain and smiled in his own way. "My clan is going through renegotiations with others, arranged marriages have been started, and even I am to be arranged." Dylan arched a brow at him a bit confused, "and your happy to be arranged, don't you have several wives already?" He asked still not able to understand his friend but then again Nietzscheans were hard to understand as it was. "Of course, the clan I am to be arranged to has unique genetics that will help strengthen my pride." They walked the decks and got an alert of a situation that required High Guard assistance. Going to the bridge, they weren't the only ones the Warship Hades was heading to the same post.
Arriving they found slip fighters engaged with Kalderan raiders. They were in desperate pin, "There is a signature incoming." Rommie said showing the sun to see a slip fighter skimming the surface, slip runners deployed. "What are they doing?" Gaheris asked frowning only for Dylan to softly stare. "They are going to slip stream…" Indeed the slip fighter veered off and in a slingshot effect a drift opened and they disappeared in slip stream pulling Ion fire appearing suddenly in the melee cutting off Kalderans that exploded in the cross fire banking and barrel rolling the pilot moved through them opening fire. Helping contain the situation, "The pilot is a Nietzschean named Persephone of the Hades."
Andromeda confirmed the situation over. The Captain of the Hades came over and with him Persephone. She walked with a distinct grace that was predatory of a high alpha. Her blades were ivory and she had eyes that were amber like an actual wolf. Her hair long and braided back with leather bands the clip bearing the crest of her clan. Bangs streaking the sides down, in uniform, she inclined her head to Dylan but she looked at Gaheris and looked him from head to toe and back up. She was very attractive even Dylan had to admit it. He looked to Gaheris and found him still and staring too.
He blinked at him arching a brow. "Persephone 'Ers' Pendragon of Ragnarok?" She smirked, "Gaheris Rhade of Rhade." She was very soft spoken but carried authority. "You two know each other?" She lifted her arm her blades half extended palm half curled in show to Gaheris ignoring the captain; Gaheris did the same to rest his forearm against hers. "She's my future wife Captain." Dylan blinked and the surprise hit him unexpectedly but he stepped aside with the Captain of the Hades glancing to see her and Gaheris lower their arms but in doing so they walked around each other eyeing the other. Sizing the other up, this was the first time they had met in person it seemed.
Gaheris felt his blades half extend in meeting his future mate. She was very attractive and he had seen her piloting, she was far better than those he had seen so far, and intelligent. A warrior, he liked this. She wasn't like his other wives. They mostly came from a life of privilege and wouldn't fight unless needed but Persephone was a soldier in the High Guard. She had with her experience. That Experience would serve well and go a long way for his future offspring. It meant higher survival; higher survival meant his D.N.A would go on to future generations. Captain Hades ordered her to stay aboard the Andromeda after clearing it with Dylan. Gaheris felt his curiosity rise at this newfound opportunity to get to know his future mate in more intimate detail without the watchful eye of the Clan Matriarch.
She went on mission with him and Dylan and proved herself on the battlefield as an excellent tracker. Soon they would have to fight and the real test of her skills would come into play though he didn't understand why she carried two cylinder objects in her belt at her back. She moved and was gone out of sight as they moved in on the terrorist group. Everything seemed fine till a rookie misfired. Gaheris growled in annoyance of their job now made difficult. They were getting pinned in, Dylan pulled back with him taking cover only to blink and see Ers walk out and toward the enemies flank running across she slid against the leaves and between a man's legs turning throwing out concussion discs that sent a neural shock.
Not even watching him fall she was up and engaging the next blades out she had upholstered her lances and fired them before flipping one extended and she twisted around it boots meeting the face of a grunt she pushed off and flipped coming down and landing on the other grunt beside him out cold making the lance fold sheathing them in their holsters at her thigh she ran forward and threw her body. Diving and rolled to come up and yelling out threw her arms back blades going home. Pulling out and twisting around one of them using their dying body as a shield she used their own automatic pulse pistol taking several off their feet.
Gaheris watched her and shivered. She pulled the twin objects and threw out her arms a chime went out as the metal unfolded to solidify he stared. SWORDS! She twirled both and moved from behind the main boulder and kept moving the blades they became light and caught the pulse fire deflecting off and hitting owners as she kept running to spin around ducking her body and swinging out her arms the bolts cut in fourths and hit the high snipers and she kept the motion to jump up against the wall and twisted her body time slowed as fire passed under and above her landing and impaling two pulling out and slipping across leaves cutting down two. The action didn't stop as she pivoted on her heel causing her body to spin around impaling the terrorist leader but not fatally but enough he couldn't help but scream and drop his weapon. Time catching up she leaned forward a shot missed her she had her lance out and sighted down it.
Firing and throwing out her arm curving her wrist as she did it went straight for her fellow officer only to curve around last second and hit the metallic sediment and ricocheted off not once but twice and caught the sniper between the eyes in a one shot one kill he fell from his perch. He and Dylan had been able to lay down support suppressive fire. It was over and with little to no causality. She twirled her lance and holstered it and then the sword collapsed also put away. Ers moved her blade out and like knives were at his neck stopping him from trying anything. Gaheris watched her conviction and how she had operated. Oh yes a warrior is what she was. He felt a tingle go through him that a shiver traced down his spine and he felt his blades half extend.
His attraction grew more. Commanding the terrorist to be taken into custody he walked with her back for the carrier. She quoted their progenitor and other philosophers as she walked he felt soft warmth in him. She was smart! He looked to her. "Would you spar me?" He almost rushed his question but he was eager to test her himself. She looked to him and found his brown eyes set on her and the eagerness there she smirked. "Of course." He smiled at her yes and scheduled it for that day as soon as they reported. Meeting her in the training room he made sure no one could come in and locked it down. She was in just her comfortable black workout pants and a tank shirt. Barefoot. Gaheris watched her slip under the rope to the mat, could see how her body moved, muscles moved to the flow of the motion in a flex. She had a tight stomach, and lithe curved body.
She had normal leather bracers on that framed her pure ivory blades. The purity so rare, so where her eyes. He had looked up the scans of her genetics and she had good genes. Qualities that coupled with his would produce strong alphas. She also struck chords in him, chords from her beauty, voice, warrior spirit and intelligence. She circled him as he did her. In sweats and tank. He watched her move as she walked, waiting to engage her. She moved and so did he they caught each other in a cross and fought to overpower the other. She eventually caught him off balance and she pinned him. Hooking her legs around his and gripping his wrists, keeping him to the mat trying to not let him get a footing.
He had to struggle a lot harder than he had originally intended to. He could feel her body above his, the tenseness of control in her coiled muscles, the smell of Lilly and honey on her that was her skin. He gritted his teeth trying harder till she caressed his blades and her touch in the right pressure wasn't pain, no far from it. He gasped and felt them extend on their own against his will. Almost breaking out of her control. She realized his weakness and caressed his blades on purpose he arched as his back bowed. She rolled off and pulled him into her arms and smiled. "I think that means I win." She giggled more.
She caressed his blades in smooth deep circles starting from the tips to the base. Gaheris felt his heart leap in his chest he gripped her pants and arched, head throwing back, he moaned. "Ers…" She let lips trace his ear down to his neck. She didn't stop her treatment of his blades he gripped harder they were fully extended and straight like knives, his breathing uneven, and his composure gone. "W-why?" He asked shakily, he felt her smile before her delicate fingers traced softly. "Because I want to, but more so because I am attracted to you. I wasn't happy to be arranged to be honest, I want love as well as genetics for my future but without that love there is no future."
He considered her words and shivered in her arms. None of his wives ever felt that way; it was tradition and what was expected of them. He looked up to her, eyes meeting. He didn't ask but leaned and up their lips met. She kissed him stopping on his blades he turned and caressed her cheek pulling her into the kiss. Breaking it and walking with her back to their quarters before he pulled her into his quarters and kissed her again. She shivered and leaned kissing back and softly deepened it to pull at his clothes. Gaheris did too and wanted them off. He wanted to release his lust. To be with Ers.
She kissed him and leaned lying back in his bed feeling him lean over her body to caress and explore. Breathing heated and deeper, it was just passion. Grabbing her thigh and moving he took her and was her first. Mating with Persephone the sex was more meaningful and never before had he wanted to procreate with another female then he did right now. Bodies moving and tugging. Breathing and moaning, experiencing each other, he felt a sense of want and obligations come to him that wasn't really an obligation at all. He wanted Persephone.
TBC: The Fall of Gaheris and Rise of Telemachus