NSFW

Part I:

RAKKA

continued

Casnar looks up at her as he pulls his ba'tran off and drops it on the floor grill, his boots kicked to the entrance to the crew cabin. He moves forward quickly and undoes her zipper, pulling both sides of the uniform over her shoulders in one sudden movement to expose her breasts in a tight white bra.

"Casnar—"

"Miranda," he says succinctly, most professionally, moving down his hands to her bra strap behind her back, to undo it as she pulls his crests and neck down to kiss him on the mouth. Breathing fast, his erection out, he jerks her uniform over her hips and turns her, his body primed, lining with her backside as he gropes the front of her smooth belly and soft breasts, bends her forward by moving his hand to her spine between the shoulder blades, pushing and simultaneously tugging her hips to him.

"Thane does it that way," Miranda says, cold and distant in her delivery of this remark.

The air suddenly feels much colder in the cabin.

Casnar stops and takes his hands off her hips. "What? Why…" He realizes how much of a prick he's behaving, and steps from her. "Why did you bring that up."

She turns and sits on the bench beside the bed…They were not even going to lay down nor face each other…It was not what she wanted and she palms her brow with vexation, "…This is stupid…Why am I here," she grabs her clothes and stands, moving to the door and brushing by him. "Thane, you, Jacob…Everyone wants to only fuck," she says with such a spiteful malevolence in her voice, it sounds most out of character, "…Everyone wants to fuck the perfect human woman…Bloody…Jack should be saying this, not me," she grumbles as she reaches for the door's keypad.

Casnar turns and restrains her with his words, "…I love Braith, Miranda," not quite what will make anyone in that cabin feel any better about their intentions a moment ago, "…I care about you," he goes on, "…I don't know why we're back here—as if there were some hope for us?…Did Thane set you up?"

Miranda glares at him and he shuts it.

"I came when I heard it was you who needed help…Not just…"

He gestures to everything around him, aimlessly and confused, "…Why?"

"We've been through this," she says, hanging by the door—halfway between leaving and hoping someone might care about her for more than a taste of her body. "Braith's important too," she says almost defensively, due to her former answer sounding so selfish to her own ears, "…Kasumi is a former colleague…Thane—we're together and not…Same bullshit Braith used to complain about…" She doesn't add for the brother to hear Irikah is always to blame for the hangups, the screwups with Thane…Now it is different, but before this mission?

Braith did lament her condition…Impossible for that woman to die…I can't believe that…And as she thinks this, she sees Casnar as something unachievable—even for her…The perfect woman…How does she compare to the most fucked-up one of all?…

What is it about Braith that everyone wants to help and put back together?…Goddamn it!

Casnar picks up his ba'tran and hides his erection, "…I realize maybe…" He hedges, "…maybe we're holding onto something, an idea of…" He shrugs, lost for words.

Miranda pushes her arm through the sleeve of her uniform as she has stepped into the legs and now brings the top half up to cover herself. "I suppose you're right, but Casnar," she brings his eyes from his clothes—with the genuine concern in her tone, "…What if you die after everything," she purses her lips, "…Will this matter?"

"No," he whispers, coiling up the silks in his hands like rope, he is gripping it so tight, "…No…It won't."

She hesitates as she brings the zipper halfway-up, stops. "I wish it had been different."

He nods, "…Yes…Me too…"

She reaches for the zipper again…

…But Casnar's hand stops hers.

"…But we have right now," his eyes earnest, "…Both of us are seeing eye to eye on this…For the love of our…Miranda, come fuck with me…" She smiles at his vulgarity, and Casnar hesitates a grin that shrivels into a serious line, "…I'll show you how I would have done it for you—back before everything had to go the way it…it had to." He places her hand aside and unzips her uniform once more then lets his arms hang as she looks searchingly into his face. "I haven't had sex for a while so…" His tebris opens and closes against his neck, the briefest shimmer of violet, blue, and silver seen. Casnar suddenly smiles in that shy, embarrassed way she remembers him, when she used to befuddle the drell as she had him in her sights back then, in an orbital just off Kahje for species to collaborate with the Illuminated Primacy's agents of Drell.

She smiles a little as his arm raises above her shoulder, and he depresses the lock key on the door's pad, "…Okay, Casnar. Show me…Braith won't come after me, will she…"

He glances from the keypad to her face as his arm drops and he cups her cheek with his opposite fingers, "…I don't know…Maybe she'll skin both of us?…She's been with Ylyssus, and I haven't figured out how that's going to work…" His fleeting good humor is lost. "Miranda, I've seen things…no one else has, and I still…I can't tell what's going to happen…but I want her back," his eyes are wettening, and the emeralds take on a fine, memorable sheen that truly makes them look like jewels. "I can't…I can't tell if she'll kill me…" He gusts out, "…or use me for her progeny…" His mouth works and for a time nothing comes…Miranda can see he doesn't know what to say. "I don't know what's going to happen," he finally chokes off and leans back to sit on the bed, his hands over his face.

"I've never seen you like this, Casnar," she echoes Yvona Caratoda as she walks over and kneels down, "…but I'm here…I'm here for you…I know Braith would want…someone she cared for to…have a friend."

He blinks at her before him, looking at his face from her kneel and eye-level. "Thanks, Lawson." He inexplicably smiles—more out of awkwardness and her sudden huffing chuckle as she takes amusement from her own embarrassing words, embarrassing him, one of the most chauvinistic drells she has ever come to know. "Now that you've got my prick out, would you suck me off, too, while you're down here—Ouch!" He hides himself protectively from her sharp slap on his thigh, "…Don't be mean to me…I'm vulnerable," he pouts, but Miranda's not fooled...

"Friends still fuck," she whispers, moving up from her position—to unzip the uniform the rest of the way down to her navel, "…but fuck me, not my body…"

His eyes lift upwards as she removes her bra and he focuses only on her face. "Whatever you say…Miranda."

She steps forward over his knees, as Casnar straightens back and holds his hands out to support her elbows, helping her warmth down to his bare lap…Looking in each other's eyes, and holding onto that gaze from each, Miranda sighs in such a beautiful way…as she feels him enter her body, winding his golden arms around her waist to hold her with each hand on opposite sides of her perfect curves. "Just once," he murmurs, his eyes wincing in what looks to be pain, "…just this once, Miranda…"