Alien Legion: Arrows of Artemis

By C.S. Hayden

Alien Legion is the trademarked and copyrighted creative property of Carl Potts as published by Epic Comics/Marvel Entertainment 1984-1993. This is a work of fiction loosely based on the characters of Alien Legion and is unauthorized by its creator Carl Potts.

Plot and additional original characters copyrighted 2002 to Christi Smith Hayden

Arrows of Artemis

VII. In the Natatorium:

Humming to himself, Zeerod shifted the heavy case of bottles in his arms. There was nothing he liked better than coming back to base after a successful mission, even if he did have to make the grogh run. Major Sarigar was unlikely to notice a party in the barracks at present; Zeerod had left Nomad's commander in his office buried in administrative tasks. A pity, really, the old warrior mused to himself, because everyone knew that Sarigar's heart was somewhere else these days. He smirked knowingly as he approached the barracks for Artemis squad. A door slid open and a slim figure slithered out into the hallway.

"Captain Jaikira!" Zeerod crowed enthusiastically and picked up his pace to catch up to her. "Look at you! Up and about already!"

Clad in a dark red robe edged with gold embroidery, Jaikira managed a full torso rotation to look back at him. When he had last seen her, she had just been badly wounded by a plasma barrage - a mixed blessing because her injuries had been the catalyst that had made Sarigar admit his feelings for her. "Zeerod! Yeah, they kicked me out of the medical wing finally. You caught me on the way to my PT session."

Gallantly, Zeerod offered her his elbow. "Physical therapy, eh? You're headed for the natatorium, no doubt."

She laughed and her robe swished around little to reveal flashes of smooth azure skin as she glided besides him. "No, I always wander the barracks in my bathing suit."

"I dare say the major would be interested in seeing that." He winked at her.

"And how is he?" She turned her head artfully as though playing the coy young maiden but Zeerod could tell her golden eyes were dancing.

"Oh, he caught up on his sleep on the trip out, kicked considerable enemy arse, and then was increasingly anxious to get back to base." Zeerod chuckled. "He's going to be peeved that I saw you before he did."

"Well, I've got to be able to do at least twenty laps in the pool before they'll reinstate my field agent status so I'll be there for the next hour or so." Jaikira grinned impishly. "Just in case someone wants to tell him." She patted his arm affectionately.

"My dear lady," Zeerod said as they approached the juncture where their paths would part, "nothing would give me greater entertainment value."

By the time Zeerod made his way back to the Nomad barracks, he had it all sorted out in his mind just how to broach the subject. All he needed was the right straight man. Luckily he had just the volunteer...

"Zeerod, you old geezer!" Jugger complained loudly. "Did you have to brew that grogh yourself or were you just too feeble to haul it back here on your own?"

The old warrior stuck his snout in the air and sniffed indignantly while he scanned the room for Sarigar. The major's door was partially open and he could just see the viewscreen so he assumed that Sarigar was still catching up on his reports. "If you must know," he said, raising his voice dramatically, "I met a very attractive bathing beauty on the way here and you know - Captain Jaikira looks rather fetching in red." He began counting under his breath. Five seconds later, he was rewarded with the dull thump of a body colliding with a doorway.

"What!?!"

Zeerod turned and regarded his commanding officer mildly. "Oh, there you are, major," he commented. "Did you know that Jaikira's out of the medical wing? I just met her on her way to the natatorium for her physical therapy session. She's working on getting her field agent status back."

Sarigar's eyes looked almost boyish. "Does she look all right? How are her injuries?"

"She has a little bit of a limp, for want of a better word, on her left side and her tail was a bit blotchy." Zeerod set the kegs down and walked over to Sarigar to continue quietly, "I suspect that might be scarring but one doesn't ask a lady about such things."

"I'll try to remember that," Sarigar nodded and started back into his office.

Zeerod followed discreetly and before the major could sit back down at his desk, he spoke up. "Major, I think you've earned a break -- perhaps a nice refreshing swim?"

The tip of Sarigar's tail was quivering - a sure sign that the Jentekian was seriously considering his suggestion.

"Jaikira did make a point of telling me that she would be at the pool for the next hour or so." Zeerod scratched his chin and studied a spot on the wall. "Poor girl - I think she's bored to tears with doing laps all by herself." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sarigar disappear into the closet.

"And you know, not that I noticed, but that particular shade of red really makes her look radiant."

"All right, all right," Sarigar said hastily as he tucked a gym bag under his arm. "You win. I'm officially off duty. Try to keep things from turning into a drunken brawl here." He turned back at the corridor, a smile on his face. "And thanks."

"You're welcome, major." Zeerod smirked and there was a gleeful skip in his cybernetic step as he went to collect a well-deserved bottle of grogh.

* * * * *

Effortlessly, Jaikira glided through the still water with her body elongated in the undulating swimming style of her species. Sarigar paused in the doorway of the changing rooms to watch her. Zeerod had been right about one thing - she did look good in red. He'd corresponded with her while Nomad had been on assignment and knew how much she hated being on medical leave. That was evident in the determined way she was moving through the water. She reached the end of the pool, slapped the lap counter with her tail as she flipped around, and headed back.

As soon as she was a few lengths ahead, Sarigar slipped into her lane behind her. His nostrils closed instinctively as they had for his amphibian ancestors and he skimmed along the bottom of the pool, admiring her. The rippled shadows of the water's surface made it difficult to see any scarring but he decided that if there were any, it was barely worth noticing. Her form was supple and serpentine with each stroke and while the bathing suit was of a conservative, regulation cut -- it inspired him to pass beneath her and beat her to the side.

His head broke the surface just as she shot out her hand to slap the lap counter. Jaikira stared at him a moment, wide-eyed with rivulets of water on her face. She let her hand drop to his shoulder and he could feel it trembling - from excitement or exertion, he couldn't tell.

"I see Zeerod managed to deliver my message," she said breathlessly.

"He's useful for things like that," Sarigar replied. He glanced around. The only others using the pool were at the far end. He decided to risk it and pulled her to him for a kiss. The first was so good that he threaded his fingers into her hair and followed up with a second and a third. Their wet bodies melded together and if it hadn't been for the dim awareness that they weren't alone, there was no telling how far things could have gone.

When they broke apart, Jaikira was smiling. "Somebody missed me."

"You're still trembling," Sarigar murmured as he studied her. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine -- a little tired, maybe," she answered as her fingers traveled the length of his shoulders and back. "I managed to do fifteen laps today; that's two better than yesterday." Her eyes lit up. "And those were some very good kisses."

Sarigar looked sheepish. "Well, I owed you a few. I hated leaving like I did."

"I know. General Gokk explained why." She smiled and let her hands rest on his chest. "When duty calls, the Legion is there."

"I'd rather have been here." He sighed as he put his hands over hers and squeezed gently.

Jaikira rolled her eyes. "Trust me, watching me sitting around in a gel bath is boring. You had the better end of the deal -- at least you had something to shoot at. Zora took away all my weapons after I threatened the physical therapist."

"Is that why they let you out without a keeper?"

Gar!" She grinned at him. "That was almost a joke!"

He merely shrugged. "Zeerod suggested I go for a swim. Do you want to join me or are you too tired?"

"Well..." Jaikira looked speculatively at the far side of the pool. "If I can manage five more laps, I'll meet my fitness requirement. I'd love to get out of office duty and back into the field."

"Then let's race," Sarigar suggested. "If you finish your laps, I'll take you to dinner."

She pushed off and floated into the center of the lane. "And if I don't?"

"I'll still take you to dinner." He slipped into the next lane and coiled his tail against the wall. "But I get to pick where."

"You're on!" Jaikira ducked under the water and splashed him with her tail before Sarigar had a chance to say another word. He allowed her a bit of a headstart before going after her. She was a good two lengths ahead when she made her turn, but he caught up before she had made it through the second lap. He slowed down a bit in his turns but otherwise she kept up to his pace with a ferociously determined look on her face. It was both comical and alluring at the same time.

In the end, he let her edge an arm length ahead of him in the last few meters. The triumphant look that she gave him as she slapped the lap counter was well worth it.

"Ha!" Jaikira crowed. "So there!"

Sarigar swam over into her lane. "I knew you could do it." He slipped his arms around her waist under the water.

"Right." She kissed him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You have a bad habit of letting me win."

He shrugged. "I consider it a win-win situation."

"Funny how it always seems to work that way." Her tail gave a twitch and Jaikira winced.

"Are you all right?"

She didn't say anything but put her head down on his shoulder for a few minutes. He could feel her body tense up in his arms as a muscle spasm made her tail twitch and jerk on the surface of the water. Finally she let out a deep breath and lifted her head.

"I think it's time for me to get out now."

Gently, Sarigar lifted her up to sit on the edge of the pool. Before he could get out to join her, Jaikira managed to heave herself up and only looped her tail twice before falling. She looked up sheepishly from the floor. "I overdid it, huh?"

"I guess so," he replied as he dropped down next to her. His fingers ran quickly down her flank, checking the muscle groups along her caudal vertebrates. He located the muscle cluster that was knotted and began to massage it loose. A small gasp from her made him look up. "I'm sorry -- am I hurting you?"

"No." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Feels nice -- you have good hands."

Sarigar tried to continue on as if his face wasn't on fire. He'd had weeks to think about her and her skin was softer than he'd ever imagined it. Irrationally, he wondered what it would be like to run his hands all over her. "Any better?" he managed to ask.

"Mmm-hmm." Jaikira had her lips pressed together. She straightened the skirt of her bathing suit and attempted to stand but after moving a few feet, she wavered and fell into his arms.

"Here," he said gruffly and carried her to a lounge chair. "Where are your things?"

"Just there." She pointed to a neighboring chair.

Bringing them over for her, Sarigar said, "You wait here while I change and I'll take you back to your barracks."

"How?"

"I'll worry about that."

By the time Sarigar got back, Jaikira had dried off, put on her embroidered robe and was attempting futilely to re-braid her hair. Unruly wisps were escaping and springing into errant curls around her face and down the side of her neck. Her eyes lit up as he approached.

"The muscle spasms have passed," she said brightly. "I think perhaps I could move around now."

Sarigar slung his gym bag over his shoulder and held out his hands. "Let's try then."

Jaikira managed to get halfway back to the barracks before her hand on his arm began to tremble. Sarigar didn't let her risk another fall; he swept her up into his arms with her tail looped over his shoulders.

"Gar!" she protested. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Don't struggle," he advised her. "Just let me do this."

She opened her mouth, shut it, and then finally shook her head. "That's it. You've gone space happy."

"Nonsense, you enjoy being the center of attention." Sarigar glanced at her and saw her smiling at him. "What?"

Blushing, she hid her face behind her hand. "It's nothing."

He carried her into a lift and, as they were alone, took the opportunity to kiss her. Her body relaxed and she curved her hands around his face and into his hair. The tip of her tongue traced his lips; it startled him for a second but he soon returned it in kind, tasting her kisses on his tongue and growing hungrier for more. They broke apart breathlessly.

"I think you enjoy having me at your mercy like this," she whispered.

"Yes," he breathed back, "I do." His arms tightened around her.

"I think you can put me down now."

"No." He shook his head. "Not a chance."

"Why?"

"Because holding you is all I've wanted for the last six weeks."

Jaikira cocked her head and raised one brow ridge, holding back a smile.

"All right," Sarigar admitted, "it's just one of the things I've wanted. Happy?"

She cuddled up to him. "We'll see."

Unfortunately, the lift doors opened and they found themselves face-to-face with Zora Ree, the medic for Artemis squad. She immediately assumed the worst.

"Captain! What has happened?"

"It's nothing, Zora," Jaikira said soothingly. "It's just a muscle cramp." She patted Sarigar's shoulder. "Luckily, my own knight in Legion armor decided to show up."

Zora gave him a searching look but said nothing as she pulled a pocket scanner out for a quick check. "Hmm," the older female said finally, "nothing too serrrious, just a build up of lactic acid in the muscles. All rrright, majorrr, why don't you brrring herrr to our barrrracks and I'll take it frrrom herrre?"

Sarigar could have very cheerfully strangled Zora. He hadn't been this anxious to be with a female since his dating days at the University. Unfortunately, the felenoid was acting just like a old auntie, hovering about like a chaperone at a school dance. He said nothing however and followed her down the corridor into Jaikira's quarters. They were the standard officer's billet; like his rooms, they adjoined the squadron's office and from there, the barracks. There were a few feminine touches like the pile of colorful pillows on the bed as he set her down on it. He was pleased to see that it was just as wide as his and when Jaikira caught him looking it over, neither of them looked away.

Unfortunately, Zora came back into the room before either one of them could be tempted. "Thank you, majorrr," she said politely enough, "that will be all." Her manner was clearly one of dismissal.

Jaikira bit back a smile. "Call me later and we'll set up dinner sometime this week, all right?"

He scowled at the back of Zora's head. "All right."

"And Gar?" She gave him a gamine smile. "I'm glad you're back."

The unspoken promise of that look made it a little easier to go back to the Nomad barracks.

To be continued in "Part VIII: Poet/Soldier"