Author's Note: This is part one my series "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" based on Lore/Sela.
I've wanted to write a Lore/Sela story for some time. I think they're the perfect dark power couple. I view both of them as very damaged people who have turned resentment and bitterness into fuel.
There's nothing healthy about either of them – or their relationship. I would like to make clear many of the activities present in this story are clearly fictional only and do not represent healthy practices of the kink community.
One-shot. Slow build (for a one-shot) with a lot of flirting. Smut.
If this is not your cuppa tea, then don't read.
The line 'Everything you like is a little bit darker, a little bit deadly, a little bit harmful for you.' Is paraphrased from Rufus Wainwright's Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk and I'll be dropping a different line from the song into all of the works in this series.
Thanks for reading, reviewing, favouriting, and dropping kudos!
"Commander, they've locked on a tractor beam," the Romulan helmsman advised.
Commander Sela got up from the command chair and stepped over to the tactical station on the bridge of her ship.
She had been on a routine information gathering mission for the Romulan military, cloaked, and conducting surveillance on a remote, unmanned Federation science station.
They had received a distress hail from a nearby unidentified ship and gone to investigate. Unfortunately, the mysterious ship had been sending out a series of energy pulses. It was a crude system, but it had allowed them to identify the cloaked vessel.
Before the Romulans had even known what was happening, they were locked in a graviton beam.
"Raise shields to maximum and fire a disruptor blast at their forward hull," Sela ordered.
"Their graviton beam is disrupting our weapons systems," her helmsman replied.
"Disruptors are offline. Warp capabilities are down. Life support systems are holding," her operations officer advised. "Shields are down!"
Without warning, Sela and her ship's complement were beamed off the bridge and found themselves standing in the cargo bay of a foreign ship.
"My disruptor is gone," her First Officer said as he felt his hip.
They were surrounded by a group of large aliens. They had round, pale faces and were dressed in thick, padded tunics.
"Hello," one of them said slowly.
"Your ship can hide," another one said.
"We would like to hide too," the first one added.
The aliens were armed. Their weapons appeared to be a mix of Klingon hand-held disruptors, Andorian plasma rifles, and Breen pulse guns.
"Are we prisoners?" Sela asked.
"Kill them," a commanding voice ordered from the shadows.
There was something about the voice that was different. Unlike the other aliens, this voice didn't seem to speak slowly or with the strange uncertainty that the others had.
But Sela didn't have time to think about that. As the aliens fired their first shots into the crowd of Romulans, Sela dove for alien in front of her.
It appeared they were not expecting this and didn't seem to be trained in resisting her attack. Several of her other Romulan troops made similar charges as they tried to secure the weapons from their attackers.
Her fist made contact with the alien's diaphragm, then her elbow found his jawline. Finally, she brought down a blow above his shoulder blade.
Sela had managed to wrestle a plasma rifle from the alien in front of her and had successfully used him as a shield to block a shot levelled in her direction.
Her tactical officer had been successful in overpowering another alien to nab a disruptor. She'd taken a hit to the abdomen a moment later, falling to the floor of the cargo bay.
She did not get back up.
A moment later, she felt a disruptor against her back. It was a feeling she was all too familiar with, but it was unwelcome, nonetheless.
One of the aliens hit the rifle out of her hands. A swift kick to the back of her legs brought her down to her knees as she hit the metal floor of the cargo bay hard.
Out of her peripheral vision, she could see as the alien with the pulse gun went down the line and executed her officers one by one.
As her Chief Medical officer fell next to her, the alien raised his weapon and trained it on her.
Sela maintained her cold demeanour. It wasn't worth giving them the satisfaction of seeing her react.
She wasn't afraid – just annoyed.
"Wait," the commanding voice called from the shadows.
She heard footfalls as they hit the metal floor beneath her as the figure emerged from the dark.
"Grelod, Hartiblod, get this room cleaned up," it ordered as he moved closer.
Sela didn't raise her eyes. She didn't want to show any sign that may be interpreted as curiosity or cooperation.
But from where she sat, her field of vision permitted her to see this individual was, indeed, different than the other aliens on this mysterious ship.
He was wearing the same padded clothing, but he was taller and slimmer that the other aliens – bordering on lanky.
"I know you," the figure said as he circled her.
"Then you have me at a disadvantage," she replied coolly.
"I have you at several disadvantages," he reminded her.
Sela didn't take the bait.
She cursed herself for responding in the first place. She knew better. She should have remained silent.
"So, tell me," he said as came to stand in front of her. "Are you a defector? Undercover for your precious Federation? Moonlighting?"
Now that caught her attention.
Falling back on her training, she put her faith in Romulan military practices.
"You might as well kill me and get this over with because I'm not going to tell you anything," she said.
"My question was genuine curiosity and not an attempt to seek valuable information," he assured her.
She didn't respond.
"I'm desperate for intelligent conversation," he pleaded. "Throw me a bone, here. Please Tasha."
It took all of her willpower to hide her shudder at her the use of her mother's name.
"Commander Sela," she corrected him.
"You can drop the act," he told her. "C'mon tell me what's new on the Enterprise. Is that petulant man-child still serving as has he been made captain yet? And what of Starfleet's golden boy?"
There was something sincere about his desire for information. Almost innocent in his need for discussion.
He gripped her chin and forced her to look up at him.
"You may be weak, fallible, and incapable of the physical perfection of my synthetic form," he smiled. "But I can understand what he sees in you."
Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. It would have gone unnoticed by a human or Romulan, but his android abilities allowed him to pick on her surprise.
She knew his face. She recognised his inhuman skin, android frame, and signature yellow eyes.
"For those that are capable of being tempted by human indulgences," he went on as he forced her to turn her head side to side.
Lore would never admit how much he was tempted by human pleasures. He had convinced himself that his motivations were merely power, manipulation, and the scientific experience. But deep down, at its most base level, Lore enjoyed humans and craved interaction.
"Commander Sela," she repeated through gritted teeth. "I'm not human."
Lore could tell he had touched a nerve and decided to exploit it.
He let go of her chin. Gripping the front of her uniform, he pulled her off her knees. He lifted her off the ground until she was level was his face, toes dangling and inch above the cargo bay floor.
"Enough of this. I know who you are, Lieutenant. And I'm sure you're here on some mission for your precious Federation," he said. "Drop the act, Tasha."
"Commander Sela," she replied.
"Tasha Yar," he retorted.
"I am not Natasha Yar," she insisted angrily.
He laughed and informed her that his neural net is capable of cataloguing the most minute details of a lifeform. His optical receptors are capable of detecting the tiniest colour variations that would be imperceptible to the human eye.
"I know you, Lieutenant," he asserted. "Probably more than you realise."
When Lore had first been reactivated, Data had shared a series of information exchanges with him. Lore never knew if it was intentional or accidental, but the memories he shared included those of his dear brother's pathetic fixation with the Enterprise's Security Officer.
He brought his other hand up and wrapped his fingers around her throat applying enough pressure to send the message that he could crush her windpipe if he wanted to.
"I know who you are Commander Data," she said through a strained voice. "And I know your programming won't allow you to kill me."
"I am not Data," the android hissed.
"And I'm not Tasha Yar," she replied as she brought her hands up around his.
She knew it was futile, but somewhere in her subconscious something told her she had to try.
"Tasha Yar," she managed to choke out. "My mother."
He tightened his grip slightly.
"I may be an android, but I know that's not how it works," he commented as he eyed her up and down.
There was no possible way the woman he'd met aboard the Enterprise could be mother of the woman in front of him. She would have been a child at the time of this woman's birth.
"Can-prove," she gasped.
He dropped her and she fell to the ground.
"I don't believe you," Lore admitted.
"I can prove I'm not human," she insisted as she gently massaged her neck.
She knew it was going to leave a mark. Internally, she cursed her human mother for burdening her with her with fair skin.
Sela's mind was racing. If this android was not the famed Commander Data, it meant that Starfleet was in possession of at least two androids. It was a valuable find. But she had no way to communicate this information to her superiors and it was unlikely she would escape this cargo bay alive.
She knew she had only one option left.
"I can prove it," she repeated.
She put her hands up slowly to indicate that she was not going to attempt any resistance and he nodded in response.
Slowly, she reached down to her boot where she kept a Felodesine tablet. It was standard practise for Romulan military personnel and was used to quickly commit suicide in the event of capture.
Slipping her fingers into the edge of her boot she found the tablet. She was about to pull it out when he stopped her verbally.
"Hold out your hand," he ordered.
She did, revealing the small orange tablet that was her escape from this situation.
"It will prove I'm not human," she lied.
He scoffed and took the tablet from her hand.
"Death by Felodesine tablet hardly proves you aren't human. These things can kill a variety of humanoid species," he said as he crushed the tablet into dust between two fingers. "You should be careful. Quite dangerous."
"Fine," she told him. "I have a knife in my boot. I bleed green."
He quirked an eyebrow at her.
"I'm Romulan," she asserted as she reached for the knife she kept in her left boot.
"Uh huh. And you hate your pathetic little Federation too?" he teased.
Her fingers found the hilt of the knife and she began to pull it out from the side of her standard issue military boot when his hand caught her wrist.
"Ah, ah, ah," he said as he took the knife from her hand. "And allow you to take your own life? I don't think so."
Her mind reeled. How could he have possibly known that was her plan?
He roughly took her other hand and forced her palm up.
She bit her lip to stop a hiss when he pressed the blade into the mound of her palm.
"Fascinating," he commented as he watched green blood begin to pool around the open wound.
"Satisfied?" she asked cheekily.
To her surprise, he licked the wound. His head tilted to the side as if were evaluating a fine wine.
"Iron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen," he listed off.
He paused and smiled. His eyes grew wide with wonder.
"But higher concentration of copper and a trace of Romulanium," he said in disbelief. "Found only in Romulans."
"I told you I'm not human," she replied as she snatched her hand back from him.
"But you aren't entirely Romulan either," he pressed.
"My mother was human," she confessed. "And believe me- I hate the Federation. I hate humans. I agree with you. They are weak."
"How?" he asked her.
He didn't need to elaborate. She knew what he meant. It was a question she dreaded but also expected anytime she encountered Romulans that were not aware of her existence. As the Chief Security Officer aboard the Federation flagship, there were plenty of Romulan files on Tasha Yar.
There weren't many on her mother.
Sela was intelligent. She had long ago come to accept that somehow, someway her mother had travelled through time aboard a Federation starship and the rest was history.
She didn't know if her mother was the same person aboard the Enterprise, if she came from an alternate timeline that had never played out, or the events that led to her boarding the Enterprise-C had yet to play out in some future.
"It's complicated," Sela replied.
"Well then it's a good thing I've got a big brain," he replied, undeterred by her desire to skip the details.
"I don't know exactly," she admitted.
Why was she telling him this? She hated discussing the details of her parentage. It was an embarrassment.
"All I know is that at some point Captain Picard ordered Tasha Yar to board the Enterprise-C. That ship was destroyed twenty-four years ago, and I don't know why she- of all people- was sent on it," Sela explained. "But she was. And she survived its destruction."
"And decided to settle down on Romulus?" Lore asked sarcastically.
"She agreed to be my father's consort in exchange for the lives of the prisoners that survived," Sela told him.
There was an uncomfortable pause. She could feel the rage she carried about it building inside of her.
"She was an ungrateful fool. Brainwashed by the Federation," Sela spat. "My father gave her everything. She rejected our way of life. She rejected my father."
Sela trailed off before saying 'she rejected me.'
Lore sensed the same bitterness he felt surrounding his own fractured family. His father had never given him the same affection and attention as his brothers.
She was certainly better company than the Pakleds. Sure, they had found him and taken him in. His superior intelligence had quickly made him their de facto leader.
But Lore was lonely.
And there was something about this Romulan Commander that he felt drawn to.
Everything about her screamed that she understood him on a level the other humanoids would never be capable of grasping.
From her earlier behaviour, it was evident that she could be just as cold and calculating as he was.
It wasn't just the sharp cut of her uniform or the blunt, harsh line of her bangs that told him she was dangerous.
She radiated bitterness.
"What are you?" she asked boldly.
"You may call me Lore," he told her.
"So, you're what then? Some kind of knock-off of Commander Data?" she inquired.
Lore snapped.
Picking her up by the front of her uniform he slammed her against one of the cargo containers. Her back made contact with the metal and it winded her.
"I am not Data," he spat inches from her face.
To her surprise, he seemed to be breathing heavier as if he were infuriated and trying to regain his composure. It shocked her that his artificial form could so carefully replicate humanoid behaviour.
"Are you breathing?" she asked astounded.
She could feel the rise and fall of his chest against her.
"I was so perfect that the humans on the colony where I was created became jealous of my abilities," he told her.
"And what? Exiled you to this ship of," she paused. "What are they?"
Her eyes drifted off to the side where several of the aliens were standing, watching them.
"Pakleds," Lore informed her.
"That is us," one of them said.
"We are the Pakleds," another added.
"That is us," a third one said as if unaware that he was repeating the first.
"Not my first choice," Lore whispered against her ear.
His hand lingered for a second too long on her lower back.
After a moment, he pulled back and held her gaze.
"Get us out of here," Lore commanded without looking away. "Take us in behind the second moon on Isilia II. That will ensure we are undetected."
The Pakleds shuffled out of the cargo bay leaving them alone.
Sela said nothing.
She should be dead by now.
'Unless he wants something from you.' Her brain rationalised.
She would die before revealing Romulan secrets, but she knew there were memory devices and extraction methods that wouldn't require her cooperation.
Ceti eels and Centaurian slugs could be used to gain information and were both equally horrifying. Romulan hypnotherapy coupled with a mental image enhancer was a method she was quite familiar with.
Hell, if he wanted to, he could split her open right there. Crack her skull with his bare hands, remove her brain tissue and use an Andorian memory extractor to pull every Romulan secret from her mind.
"I'm not going to cooperate," she said defiantly.
"And I'm not going to kill you," he replied as he shook as his head smiling softly.
"I don't believe you," she countered as she narrowed her eyes.
He chuckled and she found herself at a loss for words.
In a flash, he spun her around. Her face was smashed against the metal cargo container as he pulled her hands behind her.
She felt the familiar click of magnetised restraints.
"It's for your own good," he said in a low voice into her ear- artificial breath hot against her neck.
She inhaled sharply. She hadn't been expecting that.
The idea that he could be so human.
'You mean feel human.' She corrected herself internally.
He pulled her off the wall and began to escort her out of the cargo bay.
The turned down a corridor where some of the Pakled crew shuffled about.
"The Pakleds found me after the Federation abandoned me in open space," Lore explained.
He escorted her past the main engineering bay and canteen. Sela realised they were headed to the bridge.
"Those are Andorian disarmament scanners," Sela said as they passed through the device and stepped on the bridge properly.
"Also, Klingon antimatter torpedoes, Cardassian shields, a para-metallic hull reinforcement lifted from a Federation vessel, and more," he said.
"We look for things that make us go," the Pakled helmsman stated.
Sela looked him up and down and surmised he wasn't much of a threat.
She tried to use her limited time on the bridge as best she could to memorise the layout and take count of how many Pakleds were present.
Lore quickly steered her off the bridge and back into the corridor.
In a few steps, he directed her into a room that appeared to a be personal quarters of some kind.
The room was sparse.
There was a desk – barren – with not so much as a light source on the surface. In the corner was a bed that looked like it had rarely been touched. She deduced he had little need for conventional sleeping facilities.
"So, these Pakleds are scavengers?" she asked as she looked around the room.
"Not exactly," he said as he pulled a chair out for her and motioned for her to take a seat.
Tasha sat down in the chair. It wasn't exactly comfortable given that her hands were still restrained behind her back, but he made no move to release her.
"What Pakleds do best is acquire technology from other races," Lore explained.
"No offense to your," she struggled to find an appropriate word before settling on, "associates but they don't look like they could warp their way out of a simulation."
He smiled shyly and put his hands on his hips.
"I know they don't look like much. But they're much more devious then they appear. They only look helpless," Lore said as he described the Pakleds. "They make the idea of playing for sympathy an artform."
He took a seat across from her on the bed and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.
"You weren't exactly what I was expecting to catch when we sent out our phony distress hail," he told her.
"Sorry to disappoint," she replied without missing a beat.
He sighed and stood up. He walked lazily about the room as if waiting for her to react.
Sela didn't respond. In truth, she was unsure what to say.
There was something about this android that sent alarm bells off in her head. He was clever. If he possessed similar capacities to Commander Data, she knew he would possess a wealth of information.
But there was also something childlike about his mannerisms. He seemed to take pleasure in toying with her – alternating between asserting his control of the situation but also seeking affirmation.
At the core, there was darkness in him.
She didn't need any other confirmation about it.
Sela knew.
She could sense it – because she had the same darkness in herself.
Suddenly, his hand gripped her throat and pulled her back against him.
"I didn't say I was disappointed," he said dangerously, his face pressed next to hers.
Sela knew she was absolutely out of her mind, but she didn't pull away.
It felt dangerous and intoxicating.
As quickly as it came, it passed.
He let go and stepped away from her to register that he was speaking.
"I want the cloak from your ship," he repeated.
"You won't be able to remove the cloak," she told him.
It was mostly the truth.
The process of removing the cloaking technology would require several hours of work. Most importantly, it required the authorisation from three Romulan officers, or the ship would self-destruct.
She didn't know why she had warned him it wouldn't work. Had she been captured by Klingons or the Federation she wouldn't have said a word – content to let them blow themselves to oblivion in a misguided attempt to steal Romulan technology.
Lore pulled out a communicator.
"Fribnog, take a team over to the Romulan ship and start working on the cloak," Lore ordered.
He set the communicator down on the desk before sitting back down on the bed. He leaned back against the wall and pulled his leg up to rest his chin on his knee.
"I don't have much faith in your ship of fools," she confessed.
It was a risky statement to make, but she was testing the water.
"Don't underestimate us," he warned. "We're a little unconventional. But we're scrappy."
"My ship is a D'deridex class cruiser. It's going to take a lot more than your team to get inside her," Sela cautioned.
Lore smiled and looked away for a moment before turning back to her.
"I wouldn't expect anything less. She certainly doesn't seem like the type to let just anyone in," he replied with a smirk.
"You can't just go inputting command functions and expect to get the cloaking device," she said.
"Then we'll need to be careful?" he asked.
"There's a procedure for removing the cloak and it has to be done precisely," Sela went on.
"Are you saying she needs to be properly stimulated?" Lore inquired.
Suddenly, this was all too full of insinuation. Too close to flirtation.
Sela decided she didn't want to be specific, but she felt she needed to make clear that his attempts to remove the cloak were likely to destroy her ship.
"The sequence requires command authorisation from three Romulan officers. Since you killed my crew there is no way to remove the device," she explained.
He pulled himself forward and scooted to the edge of the bed.
"Three officers?" he asked to clarify as he leaned forward.
She sat back in her chair as far as she could.
"Three officers," she replied softly.
"I'm an android with unlimited stamina," he said in low voice as he stopped inches from her face.
Sela swallowed hard.
"Why are you?" she didn't get a chance to finish her thought.
He put a finger to her lips.
"Because the last humanoid we picked up was a sweet little thing from a Triftiean supply ship. All she did was scream. Before that it was three Bajoran militia. All they did was pray," he said. "As I said, I'm starved for company."
His communicator dinged and Lore got up to answer it.
The Pakleds were having trouble with the command functions. They weren't responding to the Pakled's efforts to override the Romulan security lockouts.
"I told you," Sela said.
"I thought Romulans lived for conspiracy and lies," he said as he turned back to her.
"I just want my ship back," she told him.
It was partially the truth. She did want her ship back, but she was also incredibly curious about this android. And she wouldn't mind attempting to gain more information about him.
"What if you were to give me my ship back. Order your crew to drop your shields and you can accompany me back to Romulus," she suggested.
He threw his head back and laughed.
"And have some Romulan science officer rip me apart? No, thank you," Lore said in response. "I know what I'm worth, Commander. And it certainly isn't playing a table decoration."
"I think you'd look pretty good on my desk," she replied.
She didn't know what compelled her to respond in such a manner, but she enjoyed their banter.
"I have a better idea," he said suddenly as he hauled her to her feet and activated a personal transporter.
They re-emerged on the bridge of her ship where four Pakleds were fumbling around, attempting to override the system.
"You will give us your cloak," one of the Pakled said.
"And then we will hide," another one added.
Lore shot her a look out of the corner of his eye, and she bit back a grin.
She could understand how being around them for a long period of time would cause someone like him to crave the company of someone – anyone – else.
Lore sat down in the command chair. He leaned back and crossed his legs, running his hands along the arms.
"Feels nice," he commented.
"Don't get used to it," Sela said.
He hopped up and sauntered over to the operations console. He traced his fingers across the length of it, occasionally tapping buttons with a showy flair that gave the impression he was more interested in playing than working.
"As I said, it requires three Romulan officers," Sela reminded him. "You aren't going to be able to extract the cloak without triggering the self-destruct sequence."
He sat back on the console.
"But we could remove the self-destruct sequence," he replied. "Power down the main computer, take everything offline, reroute the sensors, remove the self-destruct, and then take the cloak."
She smiled in disbelief.
"Yes, it took me 4.7 seconds to deduce that from your operations panel," he boasted.
"It would take a team of people at least six hours," Sela replied. "Besides, it would require taking life support offline and I don't see your friends climbing into EV suits."
"I don't need life support," he shrugged.
"Fribnog, head down to main engineering and start removing the isolinear chips from the non-essential systems," Lore ordered. "Take Lukkog with you. You two, stay here and start stripping what you can from the tactical panel."
He turned his attention back to Sela who was standing several feet away, her arms still restrained behind her. They were starting to hurt, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of letting him in on that nugget of information.
"Don't think I forgot about you," he taunted.
He escorted her over to the operations console and asked for her security code. He was standing behind her and he was close.
Too close.
"I assume the computer will pick up your retinal scan whether your eye is attached to your optic nerve or not," he said as he traced up and down her upper arm with his fingers. "It would be a shame to force me to resort to that."
Sela had no doubt that his threat was serious.
She couldn't rationalise why she was so aroused by it.
He certainly had style.
And she admired his resolve.
"Four, nine, seven, delta, eight, one, one, three, zulu, seven, zed, two, delta, two, nine," she said aloud.
He reached around her to type in the command code and leaned forward. She found herself between Lore and the console.
She felt like her breathing had stopped.
He brought his other hand up on the opposite side of her and began to dial in to the main computer system control functions.
"The computer said no," one of the Pakleds said from the bridge.
Lore rolled his eyes in frustration.
"Remove the third isolinear chip down from the lockout chip," Lore instructed.
There was a long pause.
"The big red one," Lore said through gritted teeth.
He felt her laugh against him. She couldn't help it – the absurdity of the situation was too great.
"I'm glad we can amuse you, Commander," he said as he continued to work through the system, shutting down the nonessential functions one-by-one.
Sela watched his fingers dance across the screen as he deactivated the food replicators, lighting on the decks where the personal quarters were located, power to the cargo bays, and the canteen.
"Like what you see?" he said as he shifted his head to the other side, resting his chin on her shoulder.
Sela scoffed.
"My mistake," he said deviously. "My conclusion was based on your elevated heartrate and blood pressure."
He pressed against her to drive home his meaning and smiled to himself when he felt her sharp intake of breath.
"The computer says there are 193 plasma torpedoes," a voice said.
It was the same Pakled as before.
"How many should we take?" the Pakled asked.
"All of them," Lore ordered.
"So, 193?" the same Pakled asked.
Sela could feel Lore's body tense.
"Yes," he hissed.
Lore stepped away from the operations console. He needed to get into the command chair to pull life support on the main ship offline.
He escorted Sela to the helm and she sat down in the chair.
"Don't go anywhere," he winked.
Lore made his way to the command chair where he used her authorisation code to access the functions necessary to begin isolating life support systems.
Sela kicked her feet up onto the helm. She tried to make it look like it was casual, but there was a practical purpose to the position. She wanted to slip her hands around her legs to try and bring them to the front of her body.
"You aren't nearly as subtle as you think you are," he said as he watched her. "But don't let me stop you."
She sighed in frustration.
"So, you're not going to stop me from escaping?" she asked.
"You won't escape," he assured her. "But I like watching you squirm."
Sela stopped and leaned back in the chair.
She wasn't going to give him the pleasure of watching her futile attempt at escaping the hand restraints.
Once he was finished, Lore moved to the helm and leaned over her as he input her command code and deactivated all of the ship propulsion systems. They weren't currently running due to the tractor beam, but they were still online and drawing power.
"I almost feel bad for you," he said as he kept his attention focused on the helm.
"Why?" she demanded.
"I'm sure your arms are tired," he replied. "After all, you may be part Romulan but you're still an organic lifeform. Weakened by physical imperfection."
"I'm fine," Sela asserted.
"Can I turn on the life support?" one of the Pakled asked.
"Where and why?" Lore needed to know.
He was agitated.
"We are hungry," the first Pakled explained.
Lore rolled his head around his shoulders.
"And I have to go," the second Pakled stated.
"Where?" Lore demanded.
"To go," the Pakled clarified.
Lore slammed his fist into the helm. It punched through the console and into the control matrix below causing sparks to fly before it glitched and lost power.
He hated this aspect of the working with organic lifeforms. They were always needing nutritional sustenance and rest. Their organic forms required constant maintenance in order to operate.
It was pitiful.
"Go. Go back to the ship," Lore ordered.
"Our ship?" the first Pakled asked.
"Yes! Go back to our ship," Lore snarled. "And take the guys down in engineering with you."
A moment later the Pakled team beamed off the Romulan ship and back to their own vessel.
Sela found herself alone on the bridge with Lore.
There was a quiet hum from the life support system and the occasional beep from their ongoing communications array.
Lore stood up and ran his hand back through his hair.
The communications array beeped again. It wasn't a direct communication – just an ongoing monitoring of all subspace communications in the area.
"Shut it off," Lore instructed her.
He pulled her to her feet, and she made her way back to the appropriate station.
She verbally input her command code and waited for the computer system to recognise it.
"Computer, shut off the long-distance subspace monitoring apparatus," she instructed.
"Unable to comply," the computer responded.
"Computer, terminate all subspace communication monitoring activities," she tried.
"Unbale to comply," the computer repeated. "Manual override required as main systems have been taken offline."
She needed her hands.
"Trouble?" Lore said as he came up behind her.
She hated to admit she was getting entirely too used to the idea of him in that position.
"You will need to manually input the commands," Sela explained.
He placed his hands on either side of the console.
"So, you need my help," he stated.
"Or release me and I can do it for you," she said, attempting to level the situation in her favour.
He rocked against her.
"Must be difficult for you. So used to being in command to be in a position like this," he said. "Like an itch you can't scratch."
Sela was tired of playing this game. After all, it was his own fault for restraining her hands behind her. She decided it was high time she used it to her advantage – especially if he was going to leave himself wide open to the opportunity.
She pressed her hands against him and found her target. Pressing her hands together she shifted her shoulders and ran her hands up and down the length of his cock.
Lore's breath hitched as he felt his sexuality programme try to activate.
He turned her around she suddenly felt incredibly small as she stared up at him, unable to read the look on his face.
Was it fury? Desire?
Sela couldn't be sure.
He looked like he was struggling for words.
"You know my brother and your mother," he said, unable to finish the thought.
He cocked his head to the side and smirked. It appeared the thought amused him.
"That's disgusting," Sela said forcefully.
It was evident to both of them that her statement couldn't be further from the truth. She was compensating for the fact that his hands were pushing all the right buttons on her body.
"That's the lying Romulan I wanted to hear," he replied.
He gripped the back of her head and kissed her.
Lore's neural net was overcome with processing the buzz of their lips against each other. He found that his preoccupation meant he had failed to calculate the amount of pressure necessary for a typical humanoid kiss.
It was rougher than he'd intended but Sela loved second of it.
'Everything you like is a little bit darker, a little bit deadly, a little bit harmful for you,' her roommate at the Romulan military academy had told her after the first time she'd seen the marks on her body when she'd come home one evening.
It had started simple enough. Sela liked rough sex. She liked feeling breathless and used. She liked the reminder that the bruises gave her – days later – sitting in class or working out in the fitness centre.
Romulans were passionate. They conquered what they wanted. They were a souvenir, a token of each experience.
But it hadn't been enough.
She'd found there was something liberating about putting herself in the hands of another, submitting to someone she chose, at their mercy for both pain and pleasure.
In time, she'd come to realise she was drawn to it because she enjoyed stepping out of the dominate role of Centurion and, eventually, Commander.
It was so different from the part she had to play every other waking moment of her existence. Sela was responsible for the lives of many Romulan personnel, a wealth of military secrets, and the success or failure of her empire.
Sex and submission allowed her a sense of freedom she didn't experience elsewhere. She could let her mind go blank – no high-stakes calls, or life-or-death decisions, or risk of dishonour.
Eventually, she also came to realise she enjoyed both submitting and, from time-to-time, dominating others.
That's why you're drawn to him. Her inner psychologist told her.
Lore was an equal partner. They shared the same bitterness, the same passion.
And he could give better than he got.
He broke the kiss and paused to look at her – lips swollen, panting, cheeks flushed with desire.
He turned her around she felt a rush of excitement at the prospect that he might bend her over the console and take her right there.
Instead, she felt a mixture of relief and disappointment as he unlatched the restraints on her hands and began to massage her wrists.
"Now, get the long-distance subspace monitoring system taken care of," he said.
Lore walked over to the tactical station behind her and resumed work where his Pakled crew had left off.
As Sela punched away at the communications array she noticed a piece of titanium rod that one of the Pakled's must have dropped while stripping the bridge.
She wanted her ship back. She also wanted this android – whether that meant accompanying her willingly back to Romulus or taking him back to Romulus on her own.
She could tell he wasn't satisfied with these Pakleds – and she could hardly blame him.
He had so much more potential than stripping ships for parts with Tweedledee and Tweedledum.
Sela knew she lacked the physical strength to incapacitate him on her own with just a whack to the head. However, if she could weaken him first, she might stand a chance.
Using the communications array that she was working at, she tapped in the command to reroute power from the science stations to tactical. It would cause a build-up and surge.
A few seconds later, he seized as the console released an energy charge that fed into his neural net and temporarily disabled his movement capabilities.
Sela made a move for the rod on the ground and gripped it firmly.
Turning back, she found him standing there, unphased by the shock.
He laughed and began to approach her.
Seeing no other option, she swung the titanium rod as hard as she could, smacking him across the face.
As it made contact with his bioplast, it forced him to turn his head. He turned back a second later, completely undeterred. Lore looked at the rod and pulled it from her hand. She watched as he bent it in half effortlessly.
The metal fell unceremoniously to the floor with a loud clang as he descended on her.
She was almost to the wall of the bridge, and she realised the full weight of his promise that she would not be able to escape.
"Kill me or fuck me. Either way, get it over with," Sela demanded firmly.
His lips captured her mouth as her back hit the wall.
Lore's hands found their way under her uniform shirt and snaked up to her breasts. His bioplast felt no different than human skin – perhaps smoother. In contrast, his grip was rough as he kneaded them.
With her hands finally free to explore, she made a move for the tie around his padded vest. Pakled clothing was thick, and she was curious to know exactly what he looked like underneath the large jumper he sported.
He bit down harshly on her lower lip and proceeded to kiss her chin and down the side of her neck.
Lore didn't know if the activation of his full sexuality programme was due to true desire or simply a programmed reaction to the visual, sensory, and audio cues she gave him.
Lore liked human interaction. He especially enjoyed sexual interaction and intimacy. There was something about it that made him feel almost human.
And in that moment, the audio cues his receptors were picking up on were enough to convince him this was lust rather than programming.
"Don't be shy," he instructed, his breath hot against her ear. "I want to hear you."
She keened, so unexpected from the hardened Romulan Commander that sent a surge through his system.
He was frustrated by high collar on her uniform. He gave her breasts a hard squeeze to indicate that he was going to pull his hands back and she felt a sense of loss at their absence.
"I hate these clothes," he told her as he slipped out of his vest.
Lore pulled the heavy jumper over his head and cast it to the floor.
"I only wear them because most humanoid species consider nudity a social faux pas," he explained. "But I've never been one for modesty."
Sela stared greedily at the definition of his lean arms and sculpted chest. He was shockingly pale, yet surprisingly human – right down to the hair on his forearms and chest.
She wanted to touch. As she reached out, he caught her hand and put it back down.
Sela didn't need telling twice.
He lifted the metallic sash she wore over her head before dropping it off to the side.
Next, he turned to her uniform.
Without regard for consequence, he gripped her tunic below her neck, tore it open, and slipped it down over her shoulders.
His face dove into her exposed flesh as his mouth assaulted her shoulders.
He bit at her collarbone and worked his way across her skin.
Lore nipped at the swell of her breast with just the right amount of pressure, marking her with the kind of bites and bruises she longed for.
He took her left nipple into his mouth, suckling and sending her mind to a headspace of hedonistic euphoria.
She felt floaty.
He placed a tender kiss between her breasts before his hands found her hips and made quick work of removing the belt on her uniform trousers.
One of his arms snaked around her waist. Without warning, he tipped her forward over his shoulder. Sela felt her feet leave the ground as he removed her boots, throwing them wherever they may land.
Lore set her back down against the wall. He slipped her trousers and knickers down her thighs and guided her feet to step out of each leg.
He rose back up slowly, his fingers delicately tracing along the back of her knee. He placed a series of tender kisses along the inside of her thigh and then bit hard on the last one before turning to give her other leg equal attention.
Lore slipped his arms under her legs, bringing them up over his shoulders. His hands cupped her arse as he stood.
She gasped slightly as he hoisted her up against the wall. With the slightest movement she could fall.
"I've got you," he assured her as he watched her hands flatten against the wall.
His mouth was inches from her cunt, and she felt vulnerable and exposed in a way that made it tingle.
He looked up at her, eyes wide with anticipation.
For a brief moment they held each other's gaze and Sela felt something more than just arousal.
She felt shy.
She never felt shy.
The way he looked up at her – as if she were the centre of his universe, and he would take care her – felt comfortable. She felt like she could trust herself to let go.
Sela bit her lip, nervous with anticipation.
"I said I want to hear you," Lore growled.
He flattened his tongue and ran it up the length of her once- slow, sloppy, lewd.
The sound of her whimper when his tongue hit her clitoris made his cock twitch.
To his delight, she twisted her fingers into his hair, spurring him along with each gasp and sob.
Lore meant every word when said he wanted to hear her. The tenor of her voice drove him wild. It was smoky and smooth, and he wanted to be the reason she cried out.
After some time, he could feel her legs start to shake. The fingers in his hair tightened, strong enough that the pain would have caused any humanoid to stop but nothing that his android physique couldn't handle.
She was whimpering now, unabashed, each breath rapid and shallow as his tongue worked to drive her to release.
Lore felt her tense as she climaxed. Sela tried to pull back from him as the stimulation was too great. But trapped between the wall and his face, there was no relief from his tongue as her hips bucked against him.
She squirmed. He tightened his grip, digging in hard enough that his fingers would leave marks on her arse.
"Lore."
He stopped and smiled against her as his name fell from her lips.
That's what he'd been waiting to hear.
Lore smiled up at her as she stroked his hair. He looked like an imp, and she felt like she'd been devoured by the devil himself.
He licked at her a few times, long and languid, as she came down.
Lore brought one of his hands off her arse. He traced across her- teasing and lubricating himself with her slick before he slipped one finger inside her. He pushed into her slowly for a moment before adding a second digit.
He rested his head against her thigh and murmured something imperceptible and sweet.
Her head fell back against the wall.
She was dead.
She had to be.
She died in that cargo bay along with the rest of her crew and everything that had happened since was the imaginative creation of some type of afterlife. She had dedicated her life to serving her beloved Empire. Had fate seen fit to reward her with a pleasurable post-life existence?
'You're probably bleeding on the floor of that cargo bay. This is likely head trauma.' A little voice inside her reasoned.
Sela was convinced this must be the case.
She was pulled back as he drew his fingers out of her.
He gently slid her off his shoulders and down the wall, though he did not let go of her. She was grateful, as her legs were wobbly.
Supporting her with one lanky arm around her waist, he pulled her in for a filthy kiss.
"Good girl," he said softly as he tucked her hair back behind her ear.
He was hard. She could feel it beneath his trousers, pressed against her. She found herself aching for it.
"Patience is a virtue," he chided her as she rocked against him.
He peppered kisses across her chest and along her shoulders.
Lore loosened his hold on her, and she stood on her own.
He took a step back from her and she watched as he deftly undid the crude buckle on his trousers – not removing them but releasing his cock.
He stepped back against her. She chuckled softly and his breath hitched as her fingers wrapped around it. She pulled hard.
"Play nice," he said as she tightened her grip.
"I think you like it," Sela replied and then threw his own words from earlier back at him. "I think you're tempted by human indulgences."
He groaned as she squeezed his balls and bit the spot on his neck next to his Adam's apple.
"I could put you on your knees, Commander," he said in a warning tone. "Keep you there. A plaything. Show you how I treat my toys."
She tugged him sharply in response.
"You'd like that wouldn't you? Someone to take care of you," he teased her as he brushed his thumbs across her nipples. "You're thinking about it right now. How good it would feel to be my little fuck toy. My good girl. So wet for me, begging for it."
"I'm thinking about taking you to Romulus," she snarled. "Dreaming of tearing you apart."
He grinned and grabbed the back of her head, forcing his tongue into her mouth for a short, hot kiss.
Before she could enjoy it, he pulled back and nuzzled against her neck.
"I'll ruin you," he cautioned.
"I'll break you, android," she moaned.
Sela let go of his cock. She tugged his trousers down over his bony hips, amazed they had managed to stay in place at all. The lithe figure he cut belied his strength.
Sela gripped his arse hard and tried to pull him closer.
He stayed still, inches away from what she needed.
Before she could move against him, he started to rub her clit with his fingers.
"Don't tease," she snapped.
With inhuman strength he had her back against the wall, hands under her knees to hold her legs up spreading her before him.
He rubbed the head of his cock against her clitoris.
"You don't know the meaning of being teased," he said.
She keened.
"If you can be a good girl and beg me for what you want," he told her, "I'll give you what you need."
"Please," she said.
She tried to wrap her legs around him, and he let her in favour of moving one hand to her arse and another to grip his cock.
"Please," she repeated.
He slapped his cock against her a few times, and she relished in the feeling of each tap as it slapped against her swollen clit.
Lore began to rub against her again.
"Lore, please," she implored him as she gripped his shoulders.
"I told you, you don't know the meaning of being teased," he said as he pinched one of her nipples.
Her eyes watered. She didn't want to come like this.
Sela squeezed her eyes shut and tried to slow her breathing – anything to keep from thinking about the growing feeling of her tingling clit.
"You want it so bad, don't you?" he said as he continued. "You want me to take you? Have daddy fill your greedy little cunt?"
She opened her eyes and looked up at him, blue eyes pleading for relief.
"Such a perfect little slut," he told her as brought one his hands to her clitoris.
He started to rub furiously, so fast it bordered on vibration – a speed which she assumed his android nature permitted him.
"You promised," she panted.
"I told you I would give you what you need," he corrected her. "Not necessarily what you want."
She tried to respond but was unable to formulate a response, choking on her words as they came out as tiny, a high-pitched sob instead.
Lore couldn't help but moan in response.
"You sound so sweet, so pathetic. You can't even speak, can you?" he said as he increased the pressure against her. "Be a good girl for daddy and let yourself go."
"Ah," she whimpered quietly as she came.
As soon as he felt her shudder, he kissed her and pinched her clit tightly between two of his fingers.
Without warning he thrust into her gently causing her to moan against his mouth.
He took his time, one thrust just slow enough to give her a chance to ease onto him, all the while still holding her clit between his fingers.
His skin felt sensational against her, her breasts pressed against the lean musculature of his chest.
And his cock. His glorious cock.
Sela nuzzled against him, wanting to show him how grateful she was.
Lore let go of her clitoris and gave her a few leisurely thrusts, allowing her to savour the stretch.
"You like that, don't you sweet thing?" he said as he ran his hand along her back.
She moaned in the affirmative as she scratched gently, running her nails along the bioplast that covered his shoulder blades.
Lore couldn't help but think how their bodies fit together so well as she clenched around him.
He rolled his hips against her and then started to fuck her.
It was messy. Chaotic. The kind of desperate sex they both needed.
He rested his head on her shoulder as he drove into her, his balls slapping against her arse causing an obscene sound to fill the bridge and making her feel ravished.
Lore lowered his head, burrowing it into the tender flesh of her tits - worshipping them as licked and bit, lapping at her nipples before his tongue skimmed along the curve.
"My perfect little slut," he said as he nuzzled his nose in space between her breasts.
Lore brought his hand up to clutch the back of her neck. He rested his forehead against hers as he began pump into her harder.
"Ah, ah, ah, close," Sela managed to say as his fingers gripped into her hair.
"Look at me," he commanded.
She opened her eyes and held his gaze.
"Good, ah, girl," he panted.
He held her there, eyes locked on one another as he pumped into her.
"You make daddy feel so good," he said, his voice strained as she felt him empty himself inside her.
She had been working her way to her third orgasm. She hadn't come yet, but the feeling was wonderful, nonetheless.
He paused briefly and placed a tender kiss on her lips.
"So very good," he whispered.
This time when he kissed her it was deep and full of gratitude as if he were trying to convey how wonderful she felt.
Without breaking the kiss, he lowered them both to the ground. He guided her to her knees, and she found herself straddling him.
"I know you are close," he whispered. "Go ahead."
She realised he was still hard inside her.
"No fatigue," he reminded her. "Android. Remember?"
He leaned back against the floor of the bridge, folding his hands behind his head.
Lore grinned up at her.
Sela was at a loss. He had controlled the whole tempo up to this point and now he wanted her to go at her own pace.
Sensing her hesitation, he reached up and stroked her cheek.
"You've been such a good girl," he said. "Take what you need, Sweetling."
Sela didn't respond.
"I want to watch you," he said, encouraging her. "Take what you need from daddy, and he'll give you a reward."
He brought his hand back down and settled it behind him.
"Well, go on," he said shortly.
She started to ride him, setting a pace that felt comfortable. Looking down she saw him sigh and smile up at her as he watched her with awe.
"Mmmmhmm," he grinned. "You're doing so well."
Spurred on by his praise, she relaxed a little and started to give herself over to the feeling.
For some unfathomable reason, every soft word from his mouth coupled with a hint of degradation made her feel alive.
"Lean back," he instructed her. "Let me see you bounce on daddy's cock."
She wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, but his words led her to the conclusion that he enjoyed watching her.
So, Sela complied.
But as she did so, she toyed with him.
As she leaned back, she ran her hands up her stomach agonisingly slow to cup her breasts and was rewarded with a soft gasp from Lore.
She traced over them delicately with her fingers as she threw her head back. She dropped one arm back to give him a good view and brought the other one up along her neck until her fingers were in her mouth.
Sela bit down and moaned causing Lore's neural net to surge.
Dropping her hands to her ankles, she arched her back and began to ride him frantically.
When he'd sent his distress façade earlier, he no idea he would be so lucky in finding someone like her.
He wasn't going to stay with the Pakleds.
As he watched her tits bounce above him, he knew that much.
They had fit so well in his hands. They were worthy of devotion, praise from lips and his tongue.
Hell, he'd lick her very boots for the chance to worship them again.
He had no intention of accompanying her to Romulus, but he was done drifting around as king of those dim-witted scrappers.
This felt too good.
Lore brought his hands to her hips, taking control and driving into her.
"Come here," he instructed her as he sat up and pulled her close, one hand behind her head and the other finding her clitoris.
He matched her thrust for thrust. As his fingers worked the overstimulated organ, she felt her orgasm start to build.
"You've been so good for me," he praised as he kissed along her jawline.
She had been. And she felt good – every gasp, grunt, and word of admiration from his pale lips giving her the kind of dissociation from the world that she needed.
He brought his lips to her left ear and nibbled at the lobe. Then he dropped his voice back to the same low, assertive tone he had used when he'd captured her crew.
"Now come for me," he ordered. "And I want to hear you."
She put her head in the crook of his neck as Lore ran his hand down her back to the base of it. Pushing her on with encouragements she felt emboldened to verbalise everything she was feeling.
Lore sensed her clench around him. Having complete control over his sexual programming, he shot another load of biofluid into her, and she cried out at the sensation.
He fucked her gently through it, pumping slowly as she rode the feeling.
Then he stilled.
He held her against him as she came down to him petting her hair and softly tracing circles on her thigh.
It felt good having him buried inside her, his skin against hers.
"What now?" she asked, finally working up the courage to say it.
"I know I said I could put you on your knees and keep you there, but I don't want a pet," he said as kissed her shoulder. "Humans require so much care. I would have to feed you, make sure your weak form is properly hydrated, get you a bed."
He trailed off in favour of sprinkling tender kisses up to the pulse point of her neck.
"I'm not human," she protested weakly.
"No, you're not," he replied with a satisfied growl.
"My offer stands," she said sincerely. "You could come with me."
It was tainted with just a hint of desperation as she ran her hands along his back.
She didn't want to lose him.
"You're afraid?" he said he cocked his head to the side.
Sela bit her lip. She couldn't admit it aloud.
"Oh, sweetling. Don't be. You were so good for me. My perfect little slut," he said, eyes full of adoration. "I intend to do this again. Soon."
Her smiled dropped as he deactivated his sexuality programme. Sela had to stop herself from pouting as she lost the feeling of fullness.
"I won't let the Romulan scientists touch you," she promised as she kissed his forehead. "I won't let them tear you apart."
"Would you let me tear you apart?" he asked her. "Tear you apart and mmhm-"
He kissed the top her left breast.
"-and put-"
He placed another kiss atop her right breast.
"-mmhm put you-"
He kissed the side of her neck.
"-oh sweetheart, put you back to together?"
She tipped her head back as he marked the soft spot where her jaw met her ear.
"Anything for you," she replied.
He pulled away and tipped them back so that she was on all fours above him.
He looked up at her, grinning from ear to ear.
"Good girl," he said slowly as he stretched out his left arm along the floor of the bridge, his hand fumbling and feeling for his clothes.
"You don't have to go back there," she said.
"I don't intend to," he replied.
His fingers found the pants he discarded earlier, and he activated the site-to-site transporter.
Before she knew what was happening, Sela found herself naked on the same metal floor of the cargo bay aboard the Pakled ship.
A second later, the stupid padded vest he had worn shimmered into focus as it rematerialised on the floor in front of her, Lore having transferred it over from her ship.
She slammed her fist down against the hard metal of the floor and cried out, enraged that he had taken off with her ship.
She closed her eyes and dropped to the floor, angry with herself for letting it happen.
She flopped onto her back and sighed, lolling her head side to side.
For several minutes, Sela lay there staring at the lights on the ceiling above her.
Right now, she longed to enjoy the used feeling of the marks he'd left on her body and his fluid leaking from her cunt.
Yet, it was hard to enjoy it knowing what lay ahead.
Romulan high command was going to have her head for losing a battlecruiser.
His words echoed in her head.
"I told you I would give you what you need. Not necessarily what you want."
But she couldn't be mad at him.
As she traced her fingers along the bite marks that marred her breasts, she couldn't find it in herself to stay angry with him for taking her ship.
After all, it was exactly the sort of thing she would have done.