Part I: Brothers in arms

I woke up that night and things were different. I wasn't in a barren landscape. I wasn't near-naked. The feeling I had is very hard to describe. It was like I was a spectator to everything around me, like I was watching a movie unfold right around me. Except, I was looking through the eyes of one of the characters. And this point of view would shift around between several characters, one of them which I knew of. It was Sorvaa'hr, Nathaniel's great grandfather and most importantly to me, Storm's original pilot. Was my metempsychosis skill trying to show me what happened before? Clearly, because I would learn that the events I was watching unfolded around 25 000 years B.C.E (Before Common Era), on the Sirian homeworld's capital city. I was looking through Sorvaa'hr's eyes, who was standing there in a mirror, seemingly spacing out. He was young at the time, and quite handsome. A beautiful, tall pitch black half-dragon with the body of an athlete, thick strong legs and arms, sturdy-looking wings tucked to his back and regal-looking slightly curved white horns. His copper colored eyes were looking back at me through the mirror. He stood some 9 feet or so and he was dressed in an urban camo-colored military combat uniform. He tucked away his sidearm and his main weapon - what I (correctly) figured was a standard issue assault rifle-type of weapon - into a mechanical-looking holster on his back. He looked fearsome, dressed for war. However, he had features that were unlike anything you would see on a soldier on Earth, such as the insignia being replaced by some kind of coat of arms and also having a holster for some unusual looking small rifle peeking out of a holster on his other leg.

The rest of this flashback would unfold with me looking through the eyes of Sorvaa'hr, as well as two other individuals. The events spanned chronologically over quite some time but it was only over a few nights for me.

• Sorv! Get your tail in gear, will you? If we're not down there in a few cycles, the Commander's going to have our hides!

The black dragon's characteristically impatient and grumpy tone resounded from the other side of the door as the banging filled the air.

• Yeah, yeah... I'm coming, Reiken. Stop getting your fins in a pinch all the damn time! And quit banging!

A soft beeping sound filled the air as the door slid open to an impatient looking anthropomorphic tiger shark, with rough skin looking nearly black with brownish reflections in the light and gray stripes. He was standing on his two very muscular legs with thick feet looking surprisingly mammalian in design, with four large toes and nails, tapping his foot impatiently. He seemed shorter than Sorvaa'hr by a foot or so but that was only because his burly, muscular body made up for his lack of height.

• It's about time! Damn it, Sorv, we'll be sanctioned again because of you!

Sorvaa'hr shrugged and sighed nonchalantly, following the shark as his strong-built legs made a dry thump each time he set a foot on the on the titanium floor of the base, the dragon getting slightly annoyed at it, as always.

• Whatever, Reiken. They're just being difficult, as usual. I couldn't care less what they want. Unlike you, I'm not some damn puppet. I do whatever I please. I just stay here because I feel at home in battle and they provide plenty of it. You should understand, you're considered an apex predator, for fuck's sake! Act like it, once in a while!

• You can do what you please when we've been briefed, alright? Now, move!

• Fine, fine...

Sorvaa'hr started making his way down the hall and inside the small, confined warp room. There were seemingly quite a few of these scattered all over, allowing practical moving around the large base. It was a naked cylindrical room, with nothing on the walls and a single platform in the middle, able to hold around a dozen beings the size of Sorvaa'hr and Reiken. He was closely followed by Reiken, who was clutching his trident-like spear and playing with it as they step into the room. The dragon made his way over to the small terminal on the side of the platform. He typed on it and entered some coordinates, a soft light filling the room and a low throbbing sound being heard, warping them to another sector of the military complex. They exited the room and were now heading down a wide open hallway towards the briefing room. He glared at Reiken who was still toying with his spear, turning its energy blades on and off, producing soft zapping sounds.

• Reiken! Will you stop playing with that damn thing? It's driving me insane!

• What's your problem? I like my spear. It's not as noisy as your damn rifle!

• Whatever. I like my rifle, I'll let you know. It's got better range! And I can incapacitate without killing!

• I can do that too, if I shoot the legs.

• Yeah and how do you interrogate if your target just keeps screaming in pain?

• You're just overthinking it! Stop trying to one-up me, toothy!

The two were always arguing but never truly fighting. They just teased each other. Some may had seen it as hostile behavior but that was their way of challenging each other and proving each other they were stronger than the other, boosting their morale. It was also their own way of showing respect for each other. Sorvaa'hr and Reiken soon entered the briefing room, getting glared at by the single human inside (that surprised me), dressed like an army's general, his uniform graced with many decorations, looking rather impatient and annoyed with their antics.

• Are you two always like that? Spend your energy on the battlefield instead of wasting your time on pointless arguing!

The two soon stood at attention as the human gave out a sigh and shook his head.

• Well anyway, you're not my problem anymore. Here are your orders.

He handed each of the two a folder.

• From this next mission, you two will be assigned to Second Fleet. You will descend to Terra and help assess the situation over there. You will report to Commander Alswaram at all times. Am I clear? That goes especially for you, Ol'rath! Your volatile nature will be your downfall, someday.

• Yes, Sir. Will keep that in mind, Sir.

The human turned to Reiken with an exasperated look.

• And you, Arvalan, keep your partner in check, would you. I need every Sirian head alive after this assignment!

Reiken nodded.

• Dismissed. Get your stuff and head to your new quarters.

Sorvaa'hr and Reiken answered in unison.

• Yes, Sir!

The duo soon made their way out, heading down to the living quarters of the military complex.

• Phew. He's always in a pissed off mood, that one. Second Fleet... that's new. Hey, Sorv? What do you think about Alswaram? He's the Commanding Officer of Second Fleet, isn't he?

• I don't think anything. He's just another superior. He's different, that's all. We still have to follow his orders.

• I know! But have you heard what they say? They say he likes machines more than other living beings!

• And?

-And? That's freaking weird!

• He's still our superior.

• You're really boring and cynical, you know that?

Reiken pouted and sighed at his friend's usual behavior, strapping his spear on his dorsal fin and keeping to himself as the two headed down to the quarters, suddenly interrupted by the intercom.

Sorvaa'hr Ol'rath and Reiken Arvalan, please head to sector 6, division 3. Repeat, Sorvaa'hr Ol'rath and Reiken Arvalan, report to sector 6, division 3.

Sorvaa'hr grumbled and sighed.

• Great... just what I needed. A CO that likes to socialize.

• He probably just wants to meet us. Quit seeing the worst in everyone!

• Well, aren't you the perspicacious one. Also, I'm not cynical, I'm just being careful. I know what they say about him. Rumors trail around here like damn rodents scurrying for shelter.

• Well, I'd rather meet him now and know what to expect from the get go.

Sorvaa'hr sighed.

• You make a good point on that front.

The two soon turned back and returned towards the warp room, entering the new coordinates and warping to the sector they were requested at. As they exited, they soon noticed a large open area with all sorts of craft littered around in a surprisingly organized way, doors lined up along the walls of the massive hangar-like area, each leading to individual quarters. It made the usual motorpool area pale in comparison. The two soon spotted a much larger dragon with royal blue scales seemingly overseeing operations on the crafts and other military machinery. It seemed unusual to them, seeing a CO around, mingling with everyone else. The large blue dragon spotted them after a moment and started to make his way towards them, the two stopping and saluting politely. He was standing quite tall, at nearly 10 feet, with his wings tucked behind him and making him seem almost equally wide. He was anthropomorphic in stature but his limbs and body were quite muscular built and from afar, that made him seem almost like more of a beast than an average half dragon, much more so than Sorvaa'hr.

• Ah, welcome to Second Fleet! You must be Sorvaa'hr and Reiken?

• Yes, Sir.

• And you must be the infamous Sorvaa'hr fellow I heard about. I was told you're a bit stiff. You don't have to worry about a thing here. I don't like formalities much. Relax and be at ease. I'll meet each of you individually later on for your initial briefing. For now, make yourselves comfortable and get acquainted to your new quarters. You can go get your stuff later. However, don't get too comfortable. You might want to get some rest, since we might be deployed soon.

The two seemed surprised. Reiken was first to speak, as usual.

• Deployed, Sir?

• Indeed. We'll be leaving for Terra. We're to assess the situation in Lemuria.

The shark acted innocent, trying to get as much intel as he could. That said, Reiken was still a little surprised and shaken, having never left his star system before.

• Terra? That's far! I've never gone that far before. I heard it's a fairly primitive planet compared to us. I hear my kind there are still ocean bound and have no legs!

• Don't you know anything, Reiken? They say it's pretty bad there right now. I'm supposing that something's wrong with the colonization process? Opposition party?

• That's right. We need to put back some order into things. Even I'm not exactly sure how bad it is there. All I know is some other Terran colony which seems fairly equal to Lemuria technology-wise has been causing tensions. We'll find out once we get there and we'll act accordingly. Now, if you'll excuse me... I have matters to attend to.

Sorvaa'hr sighed and grumbled. He clearly had no filter, no matter who was standing next to him. Alswaram gave each of them what looked like keycards with a number on each of them.

• Great... so we're basically going to be cleaning up the mess the colonists made?

The blue dragon laughed heartily.

• You sure live up to the reputation following you, Sorvaa'hr! That's correct... We're to help try to lower the tensions and if that does not work, we are authorized to defend the colony. And don't worry, I don't plan on getting in your way. I'm still holding on for dear life! Just follow orders, alright? Other than that, I'm glad to have you on board.

Alswaram headed off and left Sorvaa'hr and Reiken standing there. Sorvaa'hr looked to Reiken and made a sign with his hand pointing at the blue dragon.

• See? He's not that bad, is he?

• I guess not. One of the first I see that seems to like you. That's a surprise! He sure does seem to like machines, though. Just get a load of this place! I had heard Second Fleet was the most reliant on machinery and synthetics but this is beyond what I had in mind.

Sorvaa'hr shrugged.

• Well, I think it's pretty cool, sort of. It's got an oddly homey quality.

• I should have expected that kind of comment, with you carrying your rifle and all that techy gear all the time.

Sorvaa'hr shrugged again, showing his usual nonchalance.

• Need I remind you Rei, you're the one that looks almost naked here! I like to keep some degree of pride. Anyway, we should get to our quarters and rest. I'm not hyperactive like you so I need to rest sometimes, you know?

Reiken tapped his rump mockingly at him and headed towards his new quarters. Sorvaa'hr tailed him and soon followed suit, entering his quarters and finding his room quite nicely laid out, with a soft-looking bed and more than enough space to put all his weapons and gear. It was clear that Alswaram knew exactly who he was dealing with.

• Hmm... not bad after all, I guess. I could get used to this place.

Sorvaa'hr took off his gear and threw himself into bed, sighing and closing his eyes, falling asleep quickly.

• Whoa... get a load of this place! Jackpot! This is way better than the reserves!

Reiken looked over his room and swayed his flukes happily, producing a few soft squeals of glee, taking off his spear and laying it in bed besides him. He would always sleep with it, as if it would make him feel safer. After all, he went about basically naked, as he had nothing to hide. All he wore was a protective shell for his claspers and a harness around his body to hold what little gear he kept on him. Moreover, these claspers were alien to most other species, dismissing them as just another set of fins, so it passed by unnoticed. It didn't take too long before Reiken started drifting to sleep. He slept like a rock that night, dreaming of new adventures. As it were, Reiken was indeed a fierce warrior but at the core, he always was much more of an adventurer than a soldier. For him, being in the military was just a matter of convenience, allowing him easy access to various resources and the quickest way to explore uncharted territory. Even though he could handle himself around some the most fearsome soldiers around, he was more about treasure hunting and thrills than the heat of battle.

Part II: The Alswaram Way

A new day rose. Reiken rolled to his side, opening his eyes slowly and soon noticing the familiar blue dragon sitting at his bedside, as if waiting and observing him. He rose up and clutched his spear nervously. It didn't take long for him to notice that the dragon had taken off his gear... and wasn't wearing anything.

• Whoa! Easy there, shark warrior. Nervous one, aren't you?

Reiken blinked, looking at his new CO.

• Sir?

• I have a name, you know.

• Beg your pardon?"

• No, it's not that. It's Alswaram.

The dragon grinned, chuckling lightly at his own terrible joke.

• But...

• Listen to me, Reiken. When you're within these walls, formalities are useless. I always found ranks and nominations to be useless outside of battle and diplomatic situations. All they do is promote respect of a rank. You know what? There's a reason why I'm in command of the armada's Second Fleet: it's because of my actions. Actions speak louder than words, Reiken. I don't need everyone to call me "Sir" or "Commander" because I already know I'm the Commanding Officer and everyone here respects me as such. Catch my drift?

• I... guess?

Reiken was staring at the blue dragon, understandably confused at the situation.

• You're pretty different from the superiors I'm used to, is all...

• Heh, I get that a lot.

The dragon looked at the shark and smiled to him.

• Listen, I treat every member of my Fleet as a family member. All of the others, they know me and they know what I've accomplished. Hence, I know they respect me. I consider my daily task to be more of a unification kind than a rule by force. Everyone here is free to leave as they see fit. I will not force anyone to stay. I'll even write a recommendation if need be. I leave the rule by force to the iron fists above. All rabid animals, they are, sometimes...

• Sir...! With all due respect, you shouldn't talk about them that way!

• Why shouldn't I? Isn't it what you think as well? All they do is sit at their offices, smoke big fat expensive cigars and bark orders. They don't know how it is on the field. They never dared to look, either. Most of them wouldn't last a day on a battlefield! That's the truth that no one dares to speak. We do all the work for them and yet we get treated like expendable merchandise.

The shark chuckled, relaxing a bit, admitting that his words rang true, reminding him strongly of his own partner's sharp tongue.

• So, do you always wake up people standing at their bedside? Without any clothes on, on top if it... What did you want with me anyway?

• Whoa, settle down. I just like surprising recruits. It works, judging by your squirming and fidgeting. As for why I'm going around without clothes, I really don't see the big deal with this. Why should we hide? We are made this way, are we not? Moreover, my genitalia are internal, so I don't really have anything to hide. What about you? Your claspers are always hanging free, aren't they? All you have is this cheap shell cover."

• Well... t-that's true...

Reiken admitted to it, getting quite embarrassed now.

• Besides, if you objected to this, wouldn't you have already sent me out?

• Well... You're my CO...

The shark was blushing even more, now visibly flushing through his skin, realizing the situation he was caught in. He observed Alswaram as he got up and suddenly locked the doors from the inside. Reiken looked at him even more nervously, now.

• What are you doing?!

• Giving us some privacy, of course.

The dragon chuckled quietly, smiling at the shark.

• Privacy? But why...?

The shark was getting antsier at the awkward position he was being put in. And yet, as Alswaram had put it, he was not shouting for him to get out. He was strangely comfortable with it.

• Didn't you have questions for me, Reiken? I have some for you, as well.

Reiken was still clutching at his spear nervously, as if it was a nervous tic.

• Relax there, apex predator, I'm not going to hurt you. Far from it, actually. So what's on your mind, Reiken? I've noticed how you seemed to look at everything. Is it all the vessels and crafts around here? I suppose I do have that reputation, don't I? Well, what you heard about me is true. Well most of it, anyway; I do prefer machines to other living beings. Why, you'll ask? The answer is simple: it's because they don't judge unnecessarily and they don't pose judgment on anyone. Even artificial personas aren't programmed to judge their users or the one that's interacting with them."

• I see... I think I see your point. But you make it sound like you were persecuted in the past.

• Well, yes. I was. Not all agreed with my actions and some may even have been disadvantaged by them, so obviously, they sought to get back at me. Given my position, they could not do much so their only solution was to start idiotic rumors about me so that others would think I'm a freak. I suppose at times, it's not that far from the truth. I also got beaten a lot when I was younger and teased constantly about it. I was called a "machine lover" and I was stigmatized for always avoiding contact with others.

• But can't you do something? About them, I mean...

Reiken's words trailed off, starting to feel a bit sorry for Alswaram and already starting to look at him through different eyes.

• What good would that do? I don't have energy to waste on brainless corpses.

• Ouch. You're pretty sharp-tongued, aren't you? Reminds me of a certain someone...

• Truth isn't always pleasant to hear, Reiken. Perhaps he and I have more in common than you think.

• I think I see where you're coming from...

The shark nodded silently and thought to himself, knowing full well what the dragon was talking about, as he had himself long been pigeonholed as dangerous and aggressive in nature, solely for his species. And he knew no one would work with Sorvaa'hr, reputed for his ruthless renegade nature.

• So what about you, then? What do you think about me? Do you object having me as your Commanding Officer?

• No... well, I think I used to. Although, after having heard what you had to say, I don't mind anymore. I'm glad you're actually alive and all and not like a mechanical drone like some say. I can see you think for yourself, unlike some of those mindless soldiers that go into battle just for bloodshed, having no idea who or what they're fighting for...

• Are you talking about your friend, Sorvaa'hr?

• No, Sorv is different. He seems like he only cares for battle but I know he has reasons. He's not very talkative but he means well. He's saved my hide a few times. He may seem cold and calculating sometimes but deep down, he can be really friendly and he does worry about those he respects and cares for. He'll seem heartless for his tactical decisions but his skill is equal to none. That's why they put up with him; they don't have anyone that can outclass him. What about you, Sir? Why do you fight, anyway?

• I thought I told you to stop calling me that? Anyway, my entire family comes from a line of warriors and soldiers. So I guess it's in my blood. Just thinking about being in an office all day makes my hide crawl. I'd rather be in action. And if I can help things and make the lives of others better in the process, then it's even better.

• I see. That's pretty noble of you. Maybe a bit naive, too. So much for all the things we hear about you...

• I'm glad you're seeing things differently. Let me return you the question, though. Why are you here, Reiken?

• Well, that's a long story. Long story made short, my parents disowned me.

• What?! Why?

• Don't look so shocked... haven't you read my file yet?

• I don't care much for paper. I care for individuals... machines or not.

That made Reiken chuckle a bit. He was finally starting to relax but now he had to tell the truth. He could always lie but Alswaram would probably know. He was never good at lying, either. What would Alswaram think? Does he already know? Is that why he was there and locked the door? All sorts of things were going through his mind at the time.

• I understand... Well, you see, my parents were very traditional... very stuck up on traditions and on principles.

"I see. They disowned you because of your sexual preferences? That's so old-fashioned...

• Well, that's not it, exactly... Being male-inclined is one thing. The main problem was that they didn't agree on the first mate I had... he was a Kelva, like you.

• Excuse me? You lost me for a second there. A what?

• A Kelva. It's a pejorative expression in my native tongue for "surface people". In my family, they still follow the old traditions. They say we can't mate with "land-dwellers" or "air-travelers". They say it upsets the deities of water. I can't help it if my kind are boring and unattractive to me!

• I see. Don't you love those stuck on creeds and beliefs? I'm so sorry for you, Reiken. Of course, your parents meant no harm, of that I'm certain. One question, though. May I ask what happened to that mate you had...?

• Well, truthfully, we were just very close friends. We played intimately a few times but we never went very far into it. I think he was intimidated or something because of my claspers being a bit alien to him... Anyway, he was going to medic school and I chose military school. So eventually, we drifted apart. It happened gradually but at one point, we agreed it was better for us to go our separate ways. I never really sought another mate since then. Besides, it's not like I have the time for this, either...

Alswaram nodded and smiled a bit, almost as if it was arranging him.

• I see. Don't you get lonely, sometimes?

Alswaram asked the fatal question as he was now moving a bit and sitting on the bed. It didn't take long for Reiken to realize what was transpiring. A part of him wanted to push him back but another didn't want to resist. Reiken had tried so hard to get closer to Sorvaa'hr but all his efforts seemed to be in vain. He was always denied. They were like brothers but Sorvaa'hr fear of engagement and reluctance for intimacy kept them within the "business" type of relationship. And now, this dragon - his superior on top of it, was propositioning him? He knew very well that this could give him major sanctions from the military board but if Alswaram was making the first step, that probably meant he wasn't going to tell anyone. Reiken's blood was rushing, now. It had been so long since he mated with one of Alswaram's kind, one of the Kelva! His heart was pounding. He tried to say something but all that he came out with was unintelligible blabber.

• Sir... I...

• For the last time, my name is Alswaram. Unless you wish to call me "Sir" intimately, that's fine with me...

Alswaram chuckled and winked to Reiken, getting blatantly suggestive.

Reiken blinked, even though he already knew. He was propositioning him! He was suggestively passing his tail over his body, too... and that made Reiken shiver uncontrollably. He bit his lip and suddenly shuddered, blurting out a nearly incomprehensible string of words.

It took a split-second for Alswaram to make it out and when he did, he contented himself of chuckling and he slowly took Reiken's weapon, setting it aside as he lay down next to him, looking at him straight in the eyes, his tail slowly feeling Reiken's rather thin flukes, a trait typical of most sharks. That's when he really started to let his eyes wander over the shark's body. He marveled at his curves and his skin, so smooth on his belly side and slightly rougher on his back side. Somehow, he has always found dorsal fins and flukes to be somehow cute and attractive. He always wanted to have a friend - or better yet, a mate - from the age-old, sea-faring Hilandra race, the race of shark morphs Reiken was a member of. Reiken's dorsal fin wasn't overly large but unlike his flukes, it was fairly thick and strong-looking. Being a tiger shark, the lighter-colored striped pattern on his backside was also quite appealing to the dragon. He gazed at the shark a moment, losing himself in his pitch-black, almost hypnotic eyes.

• I don't think you'll need your spear for a moment, Reiken...

Reiken looked back at him, shivering still as he slowly moved against him. Being a shark, he had long picked up his scent and as he finally started to put more attention to it, he quickly noticed it was quite different from anything he had picked up before. His musk was not too different from the usual dragons he knew, bearing deep wooden hints and spicy undertones. But something was different about Alswaram. It was an unusual, faint sweetness that came from the oil often finding its way on his skin from the machinery. Reiken found it nice and appealing. The dragon was not even paying attention to the shark's exploring and analyzing as he rolled on his side for a moment, grinning to Reiken and suddenly moving onto him, leaning in and giving a slow lick, his tongue zigzagging his way up his belly to his beak. Reiken was still not moving, unsure of what to do and flushing with a dark blush at the position he was in.

• What is it? Are you embarrassed? Indeed, that's quite a position you're in, Reiken. So what now? Will you listen to what military school taught you and resist or give in to your superior? I think the former is not very likely. So why don't you show a bit of desire instead of staying there looking paralyzed...

Reiken blushed even more but he knew what his body wanted and at that time, he pretty much wanted it as well. He had never found himself in such a position before and deep down, he was deeply aroused by it... enough so to have his claspers gorging up slowly. Alswaram was getting even more in control now as he leaned down and slid his tail slowly to the shark's claspers and felt around them slowly and around his tail slit.

• Hm. You're fairly different from what I'm used to. This should be interesting!

Alswaram licked over the shark's lips and slid down a bit to his upper chest, not quite biting but nipping a few times roughly enough for the shark's instincts to ignite and make him feel a bit more driven... and it was working rather well, since the shark reacted quickly and shivered, groaning softly at the dragon's move and reaching up to grasp him. But shark or not, Alswaram wasn't going to let him do as he pleased. He was the superior, after all! And so, he moved suddenly and in an attempt to make the shark react, he slid his already half-emerging cock against the shark's claspers, grinding to stimulate him. The shark grinned at this, seeming to have waited for this very moment as he suddenly got rid of his shyness, moving and contracting his legs together while his claspers followed the motion and trapped the dragon's throbbing and stiffening cock between them. Alswaram yelped and his eyes widened at Reiken's bold move, wanting to turn the situation but Reiken soon grasped him and Alswaram found him to be quite stronger than he's anticipated.

• You should know better than to try to top a shark.

The shark grinned. His grasp was tight and powerful and Alswaram found himself struggling to keep his position. It took a while but the shark finally rolled him over and he soon grinned toothily to the dragon below him, flashing his teeth and now slowly grinding his claspers while massaging Alswaram's cock with them and effectively stimulating him. Alswaram seemed to struggle still, not being very comfortable with being a bottom and growling lowly in protest, only stimulating the shark in going further. Reiken was greatly enjoying the dragon's predicament. He had to struggle with his own instincts not to roughen him as he began grinding even deeper, his claspers starting to throb as his pleasure built up making him tremble and chitter, surprising the dragon with cute, high-pitch sounds he didn't expect from a shark. Reiken was grinding even deeper now, driving the dragon to climax with his unbearable massaging and grinding. Alswaram roared out as his climax washed over him fairly quickly, tensing up as his cock erupted and splattered generous ropy tendrils of his sticky cum over the shark's groin and claspers. Reiken reacted and groaned, chittering and squealing softly as he moved and slowly angled so one of his stiff claspers pressed to the dragon's tail hole, drawing out a sudden, deep moan from him.

• Ohhh... Reiken, you feel so different!

Reiken's instincts were taking over. His dominant, predatory nature peeked out as he pressed down to the dragon.

• Mmm! Hah! I thought you were the commander here, Alswaram? Did you think I was going to let you dominate over a shark? In your dreams, maybe!

The shark grinned to him, almost as if mocking him playfully as he pressed the single clasper deep into Alswaram's tail, causing the dragon and moan again, hissing and growling deeply at the alien sensation of the shark's smooth clasper stimulating him quite effectively still, drawing some moans from his muzzle.

• So smooth and warm... Reiken, you feel incredible!

The shark smiled at the encouragement, starting a deep thrusting rhythm, soon riding the dragon progressively deeper and faster, putting a bit more vigor in his thrusts as he started to pant lightly, which surprised Alswaram a bit. He knew Reiken's race could breathe outside of water but he wasn't sure how. Hilandrans had evolved far beyond the average seafaring species into full amphibians, having grown a set of lung-like organs to breathe while out of the water and strong legs to outrun a wide variety of land-dwellers. Reiken's gills fluttered lightly in time with his increased breathing, leaking natural oily mucus which the dragon was quick to spot and lap at. He found the taste to be bitter, slightly reminiscent of some tangy acidic fruits from Terra that he had tasted a few times. The shark groaned and rubbed him encouragingly, the dragon's tongue over his ultra-sensitive gills making him shiver deeply. Alswaram's reaction was to quickly reach down and take hold of the shark's free clasper, stroking it like it was just a normal cock, getting rewarded by the shark's clear fluids. Reiken was equally quick to react at this, moaning and tensing up, having never felt anyone get this intimate with him, much less stimulate both claspers at once! Reiken felt overwhelmed and was reveling in the constant waves of pleasure flowing through him. He sped up his thrusting and picked up a bit of force, nearly pounding the dragon as he snorted and squealed softly every few moments until he shuddered and squealed out suddenly, both of his claspers erupting at once and spurting several streams of his watery seed one after the other in a rhythmic fashion. The dragon moaned out at the feeling of having his bowels coated and washed with the shark's surprisingly warm seed and soon wrapped his arms around him, purring deeply. Reiken cooed softly and smiled to Alswaram, slowly stroking his chest with his thick, strong human-like hands.

• So, who's the Commander now, hotshot?

Alswaram replied to him in a sultry tone, purring lightly as he recovered from his climax.

• Mmm... don't get used to it. I'll get you back for this, Reiken.

• I think I'll like it here...

• That's good to hear. Later I'll have to get your friend to warm up. He's kind of stiff, isn't he?

• You mean Sorv? I think you'll hit a wall with him. He's very difficult to get to like you. He won't be like I am, I can tell you that much. Forget trying to get into his pants. You'll have to either gain his trust at the least and perhaps also his respect, somehow... Also, as far as I know, he prefers females when it comes to other dragons. But I know he can go both ways...

• I see. And you know this by experience?

• Well... maybe...

The shark blushed and giggled embarrassingly at this. Reiken knew Sorvaa'hr well enough to have had the chance to see (and feel) the tenderhearted side behind the cold, calculating soldier. Alswaram quickly picked up on this and smiled to Reiken, nodding. He now knew that he would have to do more than just barge into his room to get his way with him. Alswaram and Reiken held each other for a while, nuzzling and lightly kissing each other, feeling warm together and now relieved of their respective sexual tension.

• Mmm... I'd better get back, Reiken. If I could, I'd be laying here with you for days. Let's do this again sometime. Sexual tension or frustration isn't a good thing on the field.

• Is that the only reason why you did this? You were horny?

• No... I did it also because I wanted to. I always wanted to have my way with a shark. Is that what you wanted to hear?

• Yeah... it is. You felt really good, too. Thank you, Commander.

Reiken kissed him again and hugged him. Alswaram returned the motion and slid off, shaking himself up a bit to look casual as he headed out of the room and to the showers to clean up the thick smell of sex that still lingered on him. As he entered, he stumbled upon Sorvaa'hr, silently showering and seeming to not even notice him. He observed him for a while as he himself proceeded to rinse and wash. Sorvaa'hr finally looked over at him after a while.

• What are you looking at? Didn't get enough of Reiken?

• What? I don't know what you're talking about...

• Oh, come on... You think I'm stupid? It reeked of sex when you came in here. Don't worry; I couldn't care less what you do with him so I won't tell anyone. I don't like the higher-ups any more than you do, so I won't sell the scoop. Besides, I know Reiken likes our race. He seems to have a soft spot for our kind. He's actually very sweet... definitely naive, though.

• Thanks for keeping this between these walls. He sure is... So what about you, then? Don't you ever get sexually frustrated?

• Sometimes yeah, like everyone does. I'm alive, you know. That said, I do prefer females myself.

• And male humans, from what Reiken said...

• He said that?! I'll skin him alive...!

The dragon sighed and grumbled a bit, seemingly embarrassed at the other dragon's revelation.

• Anyway, yes. I do like them. Is it a problem?

• Not at all. I have my own twisted desires.

• So I smell. Oil, isn't it?

• Yeah... you can tell? Reiken couldn't...

• I'm sure he could but ignored it. He's got a very sensitive sense of smell. The smell seems to linger on you for a while. That's because I used to repair machines myself, so I know that smell very well. Guess it suits you, considering...

• Wow. You actually said something nice!

• Very funny... Don't get used to it. Anyway, I'm off. I'll see you tomorrow.

• Alright, Sorvaa'hr... Sleep well.

• Same to you, Commander.

And on this, Sorvaa'hr left the shower room and headed back to his room. Sorvaa'hr seemed a little less of a stone wall, now. Alswaram finished showering and also returned to his own quarters - which were separate from everyone else's for a good reason. He exited the complex and headed to a nearby hangar area, where some AI-equipped vehicles and mechs stayed. As he entered, all of them greeted him as if they knew him since forever. Alswaram made his way to the back where a single slightly larger Hunter-class battle unit - about the size of a large tank in width and length and the height of a two-story building, rested and waved to him. The mech was built much like a dragon, bearing the same limbs and the same structure, only much larger. His wings were heavily modified, bearing what looked like jet engines. As a Hunter-class, he was also heavily armed and clearly designed to be a fearsome opponent. His shiny, dark metallic blue hull reflected the light as he moved with soft mechanical clicks and squeals, following Alswaram with his shiny turquoise eyes. The intense, earthy and slightly sulfurous smell of the mech's exhaust filled the air. That smell along that of the mech's heavy oil was always comforting to Alswaram, who relaxed immediately and made his way over to him.

• Hi there, big guy... is everything ok?

The mech looked down to him.

• ~ Hello, Alswaram. I could ask you the same question. You are late tonight. ~

• I know. I'm sorry, big guy. I made a new friend today.

• ~ A new friend? Is your new friend an organic? ~

• Yes, he is. He's called Reiken. He's a shark! He's really sweet and I think he likes me...

• ~ This is good to hear. Do you like him more than me, then? ~

The mech chuckled at Alswaram's slightly vexed response.

• Don't be silly, now! I still feel more natural and comfortable with you... But Reiken was nice to me and he doesn't seem to mind my... quirkiness.

• ~ Is being attracted to me quirky for organics? ~

• Well, to other organics, it is. Most don't like machines. They think you don't feel or smell good.

• ~ Why is that quirky? I find it rather nice. Most think we are only good for battle. You treat me like a friend. ~

• You're more than a friend! Just don't listen to them. They're all imbeciles... they think because you're just AIs, it doesn't matter if you get hurt or anything... they're just using you as shields.

• ~ Is that not what we were made for? ~

• That's what they want you to believe! They're just being close-minded and stuck up, as always! I'll never let them get close to you.

Alswaram stroked the mech's leg and snuggled. The mech soon responded by lowering his stance and holding him in his much larger arms, as he usually did. That was their private snuggle time. However, before he could fall asleep, he was surprised by Sorvaa'hr, who had followed him there without Alswaram knowing it. Admittedly, as fearsome a soldier as he was, Alswaram had rather poor acknowledgment of his surroundings.

• So that's where you go... I see. So you are as they say.

• Sorvaa'hr?? Are you spying on me or something?

• No. I was curious as to where your own living quarters were. You don't have any, do you?

• No... I stay here with Lancer.

• Lancer? That's your mech's name?

• Yeah.

• ~ Pleased to meet you. Sorvaa'hr, is it? ~

• Yeah. Hello, Lancer. So, Commander Alswaram is your battle partner, then?"

• ~ Yes. When he goes into battle, I follow. ~

• I see... interesting. Pretty loyal, aren't you? That's to be expected from your kind.

• ~ You have nothing bad to say? You don't seem hindered by my exhaust, either... ~

• No. I'm well used to this smell. I used to be a mechanic. And yours is nowhere as terrible as some old rust-laden machines I had to put up with from useless operators and pilots. You're quite unusual for a Hunter. Immaculate and very well maintained as well. Thanks to the Commander, I suppose. Guess I should be heading back for now. Sorry for the unexpected entrance.

It was already highly unusual for Sorvaa'hr to apologize about anything, much less be so casual about it. Alswaram felt an instant connection to him. After all, he treated his partner like a living being and not like an inert mechanical tool.

• Oh? Leaving so soon?

• Yeah. I was just curious as to where you stayed, since I didn't see your name anywhere on the dorm's registry. Oh, and you better take care of Reiken, you hear me? He's really sensitive and naive. If you hurt him, I don't care what rank you are, I'll hunt you down and rip your heart out.

• Really? Are you hostile like that all the time? Don't worry, I've got Reiken covered. I feel something for him... my heart spins when he's near.

• Is that so? Good to hear you weren't just using him as a fuck toy, because I might have a word to say in this. Good night, Commander.

Sorvaa'hr began to make his way out, stopped by Lancer's voice booming out.

• ~ Sorvaa'hr, please wait! I barely ever get any organics visit besides Alswaram, and even then I only do when I am in critical need of maintenance. Would you stay? With us? ~

• I don't know what you're implying, but I'm not into males... and not into mechs, either. Well I am into machines, but not to this level, sorry.

• ~ I'm not asking for intimacy! I'm asking for companionship. As a friend. ~

"Friend". That word was always one that Sorvaa'hr liked to avoid using. It always felt so alienating to him. And yet, Lancer seemed honest and something in his soft, surprisingly gentle voice made Sorvaa'hr consider his offer, at least for a moment.

• Maybe some other time, alright...? Thank you for having me. Good night to you both.

Lancer seemed sad and Alswaram did his best not to show disappointment as well as Sorvaa'hr headed off and went back to his room, where he slowly drifted to sleep. Alswaram slept with his mechanical friend, as he usually did. Lancer had picked him up and held him close to his chest plate, where a hidden half-cylinder-shaped platform would slide out of a panel for the dragon to curl up in and against his partner's warm iridium-alloy plates, lulled to sleep by the gentle humming of his systems and soon snoring peacefully.

Part III: Chaos and confusion

-- The following day, 0600 hours.

Alswaram woke up in Lancer's arms. He nuzzled him and quickly noticed how they were the only ones in the hangar, he heard nothing else and saw no one. He looked up to Lancer quizzically. Lancer looked back at him. He noticed his surroundings were not the same as when he went to sleep, and he wasn't just still half-asleep.

• Lancer...?

• ~ I know. Something is very wrong. I booted up from standby two hours ago and everyone was gone. This is not our hangar, either. My scans are unable to locate us and I am missing nine hours in my data log. It's as if there was an inexplicable lapse in my memory bank. A deliberate deletion of data. I do not detect any tampering but after some deep scanning, some coding seems to hint at my systems being shut down temporarily. I was waiting for you to wake to assess the situation any further. I detect several life forms nearby. ~

• Life forms? Organics?

~ Yes. I believe they have us surrounded. What did you do, this time? ~

• Nothing... I did nothing at all, I assure you!

• ~ What would they want with us then? ~

• I noticed Nero and Kristana were missing last night, too...

• ~ Yes, so I noticed. I cannot seem to find their beacons, either. ~

Alswaram cursed and growled.

• This is getting a little distressing. No one touches my MAUs and gets away with it. Can you warp us out, Lancer?

• ~ Afraid not. There is a force field keeping me from using any kind of warp or gravitic jump. ~

• Crap. This is not good... I'll go check it out myself.

• ~ It's probably a trap, you know... ~

• I know that! Of course it is a trap! But do we have another choice, at this point?"

• ~ I guess not... ~

• I'll be right back, don't worry.

Alswaram took a kinetic-energy powered pistol stored within his mechanical friend's inner hull and headed out slowly. He was soon greeted by members of a secret Sirian organization, seven to be exact. Each of them was of a different species, pointing weapons at him. This organization was more of an urban legend to scare children from wandering the streets at night. They were reportedly operating undercover and taking orders strictly from the Sirian council and was seemingly made up of the top individuals from each of Sirius's four sentient races: the Kelva, a race of anthropomorphic draconic-like reptilian beings with a corpulent stature; the Elvani, a race of mundane-looking, evolved humans with sharper senses than most animals; the Balmodan, a race of beastmen with traits of humans but bearing strains of various animal DNA making them look slightly different depending on the species and finally, the Hilandra, a race of seafarers that have evolved into both land and sea dwellers, bearing the limbs of land-dwellers and the characteristic traits of sea-faring apex predators such as gills, flukes, fins and the like. Most were either of the shark and cetacean genus. While the Hilandra were still primarily seafarers, resistant to social evolution and generally considered old-fashioned - especially those of the shark genus - for the past centuries, they had become an active part of the council and were considered a full-fledged sentient race of the Sirius super-cluster.

Even the top ranking military personnel only heard rumors of this elusive organization and truly, their existence was often made to be a spooky bedtime story for rookie soldiers. Their name is difficult to pronounce for Terrans but the closest pronunciation would be "lax-dhoul", roughly meaning "Visionaries" in the native Sirian dialect. One of them - a gruff looking human and the one who was likely to be the highest-ranked, stepped forward and lowered his weapon.

• Commander Alswaram Osdanil? I expected something more... impressive.

• Well, aren't you the arrogant one... and who's asking, pray tell?

• My name or our operating name is irrelevant to you. You will come with us.

• You don't tell me your name and you act arrogant on my own territory and then ask me to follow you? Give me one reason why I should listen to the likes of you?

• You are a bit outnumbered to be the one asking the questions, wouldn't you say?

• That's irrelevant, my arrogant friend. I don't need any numbers; I have my friend Lancer, ready to blow your heads off.

• Your threats are empty, Commander. Your friend is in a bad position. The field we placed locks up all of his systems, including his weaponry and defenses. It's a miracle, and much of an enigma as to how he could boot up in the first place. Yet, he will not be of much help to you this time. If he intervenes or even manages to move out of this hangar, we will shut him down. We have the power to do so.

Alswaram heard a zap and a groan coming from inside.

• You bastards! Fine! Take me wherever you want... but don't you dare touch Lancer again or I'll bite your heads off myself!

• Such fervor of spirit and violence, you show us. Typical Kelva, that is certain. Fret not, he will not be harmed. All we need is you and your shark friend."

• Reiken?! If you lay a finger on him...

• Oh, not at all. I would never dream of it. My orders were only to take him in, like you. He was much more cooperative than you.

• Why are you doing this? What's your problem? Are you just some fucking racist group?

• We will have none of your accusations! Enough questions! Now, drop your weapon and surrender! Otherwise, your friend will not be in such safety for long!

The human was getting impatient and Alswaram heard the loading of weapons behind him. Alswaram growled and threw his pistol away, knowing it wouldn't do him any good. This was a carefully planned coup. How did they remove everything and everyone without his knowledge? Did they have such advanced weaponry? Or perhaps they warped them with some massive warp drive? Speculations were useless. The main thing in his mind at that precise moment was Reiken. Did someone from his close entourage betray him? Was it Sorvaa'hr? He showed some odd behavior and he knew what happened... and yet, he told him to take care of him and Alswaram knew his track record was spotless, so it made no sense. His mind was rushing, torn between leaving his mechanical friend and being taken to a place he had no idea about, with his newly found recruit - whom he was now seriously considering to be a potential mate - in the grasp of an organization no one knew anything about. Then, suddenly, he felt a hit at the back of his head and crashed to the ground, nearly passing out. He groaned as he felt a painful sting in his arm, recognizing the feeling of an injection. They had sedated him and they were taking him somewhere. He quickly got weaker and started to fight to stay conscious. The last thing he remembered was hearing the deep throb of a spacecraft's engines. He found the sound as soothing as always but he knew the situation he was in and he couldn't help having a deep sense of dread take control of him. He tried focusing on the soothing rumble as he finally slipped into unconsciousness.

-- Meanwhile, back at Second Fleet's HQ

Sorvaa'hr groaned and stretched. It was daylight already? The dragon slowly got up, dressing up and strapping his gear on, remembering what Alswaram had said and he thought he could use some physical training and shooting practice. He headed out, seeing nothing and no one. All the crafts and vehicles were gone. The place was empty. He was alone.

• Where is everybody...? Did they all head somewhere and left me behind? Fuck!

He headed to Reiken's room, banging as usual. No answer. He looked everywhere and found nothing. He went back to his room to pick up the rest of his gear and suddenly, he spotted a hologram generator on his bedside table.

• Hmm? What's that? A holo-vid? Who put it there? Did Alswaram leave it for me? Damn it, maybe they're already gone and I was left behind! SHIT!"

He took the holo-vid and started it, seeing unfamiliar faces appear, and most importantly seeing his shark partner and the familiar blue dragon strapped in a cell like room.

"Greetings, Sorvaa'hr Ol'rath. You may not know us but we know you. We have your precious partner and your commanding officer. As you may notice, you are alone. You are the only one left. The others have been taken somewhere else. They will have no memory of what happened when this is over. We had no need for them. If you want to see your friends alive, you had better act fast. At the time you see this, we are already several star systems away. There is a shuttle waiting for you in Bay 4. The coordinates are entered by default. Engage the auto-pilot and when you finally get here, the main scene of our grandiloquent play will unfold. Everything is carefully planned out. The only character in the play left missing is you."

Sorvaa'hr growled. His usual collected self was giving way to anger and maybe a hint of panic.

• What the hell is this shit?! Who the hell are these clowns? What do they even want? Damn it all, Reiken!

He worked himself up even more, kicking at the air.

• "It'll be fun in Second Fleet!" he said... Yeah, it's really fun, Reiken! How the hell did you ever let yourself get caught? Now I have to go rescue you again!

It wasn't the first time Reiken got into hot water, as it were. Sorvaa'hr sighed loudly, taking the small holo-vid orb and checking his gear, ready for anything. Sorvaa'hr was generally slightly hot-tempered but most of the time he was quite collected and calculating. The only exception to this was when someone messed with his favorite sidekick. Then, anything between him and his shark would get obliterated. He was making his way to the docking bays when he stumbled upon the reeling dragon mech before getting to the shuttle.

• Lancer?!

• ~ Sorvaa'hr! I was looking for you... ~

• For me? It's about Alswaram, isn't it?

~ Yes... he was taken away. I am going to get him. ~

• You? Looking at you, I don't think you're in a state to go anywhere. Did they mess up your systems? I can maybe help you out a bit.

• ~ I will be fine. They just weakened me a bit. I had to overload a jamming field to escape. I assure you, they were quite upset! They thought it would disable me but thankfully, Alswaram had installed an auto-repairing nano-generator a while ago and I could restore my full core capacity in a short time. This overload shorted it out, however. ~

• Nanites? Interesting... He does know more about machines than he lets on.

• ~ Indeed, he does. Much more than you think. Will you help me? ~

• Me? How would I be of any help? You have firestorm cannons, kinetic rifles and missile launchers everywhere!

• ~ I do. However, I would feel more at ease with someone else to fall back on in case of emergency. Not to worry, I will take care of the piloting. For now, all you need to do is to climb inside and settle in. ~

• I've never really done this kind of thing before...

• ~ Are you afraid? ~

Lancer took a slightly smug tone.

• Don't be stupid! I'm not scared of anything. I'm just not very comfortable with space flight, that's all.

• ~ Very well, then. Climb inside. ~

The mech opened his plates with a long, deep hissing sound and some mechanical squealing. Sorvaa'hr's eyes widened at this. He was looking at the open plates, unsure of what to do. He secretly always looked at mech pilots in admiration and saw them as higher than him skill-wise and now an AI-equipped mobile unit was offering him a ride. He was a bit unsure and worried but he was not going to show it, being too prideful to show any weakness, as always. He slowly moved and stepped in. He found the mech to be a perfect fit and felt thick anti-G padding all over around him as the plates closed back around him, making him feel quite comfortable and safe. He felt warm and the soft droning from the mech's systems was strangely relaxing to him.

• ~ Are you comfortable? ~

• Well... yeah. You actually feel pretty good. I'm ready. Do you even know where they went?

The mech chuckled quietly.

• ~ As a matter of fact, I do. I placed a tracking beacon on them. We're leaving. ~

• A tracking device? That's it?? They really fell for an old trick like that? That's pretty ironic...

Both chuckled.

~ I suppose they just did not expect me to break out of the EM field. ~

Sorvaa'hr felt a sudden deep vibration and groaned. He knew what was coming. Loud whining filled the air as the mech's quad reactors boomed and launched them off the hangar's magnetic ramp and into the sky, where the mech activated his shields and cloaking systems. When they exited Sirian space, the mech opened a hyperspace rift and jumped through, warping to a seemingly empty area in deep space.

• There's nothing here...

• ~ All is not as it seems. At the precise coordinates ahead of us is a small space station. ~

• You can tell even in the depths of space?

~ I have sensors, my friend. They are much more able than your own. ~

• So I see. Very well, let's go.

~ There is a problem with that. I will not be able to go. I am too large and will get us noticed in no time. I will warp you in there in what I believe to be a safe room. That said, keep your guard up. You will have to deal with things on your own from there. I will give you a beacon and stay in touch, however. ~

• Wonderful... Alright, Lancer. I'm ready. Send me in."

The dragon got warped by the mech into what seemed like a small isolation cell with drab gray walls and nothing but a tiny bunk, hearing noises from all over around him. He sighed, reaching for his sidearm and steadying his breathing, thinking to himself in an angry state of mind:

• I'll kill you all, you traitorous snakes! Reiken, Commander... I'm coming!

Part IV: Search and rescue

-- 25 000 B.C.E, within a complex disguised as an artificial satellite in the middle of nowhere

Sorvaa'hr was advancing carefully through what seemed like an endless matrix of corridors, crossing paths several times with other beings, mostly Elvani dressed in medic gear. Staying under a constant cloak provided by a small device on his wrist, he sneaked on each of them and either broke their necks or shot them. He felt fortunate they lacked the means to detect him. He did so for every last one of them, without mercy. Mercy wasn't in Sorvaa'hr's vocabulary; he was ruthless, even more so now that he was made angry and worried about his partner Reiken. The place actually looked more like a medical facility than anything else. He made his way through several wings where various rooms - which were really more like cells, bare with rudimentary amenities - were lined up. Most of the subjects seemed to be in a fairly bad shape. He was feeling even more worried now, thinking the same fate might be in store for his partner and his new commanding officer. For one of the rare times, he felt urgency. He thought to himself:

-That's just my luck... talk about a great way to begin my service in Second Fleet.

Sorvaa'hr heard some chatting and made his way towards the source of the voices and found what seemed like a commons area for guards - and those did look more like soldiers than doctors - fully dressed in combat gear, not that much different from his own.

• I'd better watch myself around here. Being outnumbered could be a bad thing...

Still in cloaking, he proceeded to look around the room, being stealthy and careful not to make any noise that could startle or attract someone's attention. He rummaged through some paperwork, soon finding a plan of the area he was in, taking it with him and looking at it, soon finding a familiar name next to one of the holding cells in a nearby wing.

• Marek?! Why is he here, of all people? Whatever, I could use the help, right now.

He didn't necessarily feel like going but a familiar face would be welcome to him, even if it wasn't exactly a friendly one. He started making his way through the empty wing, spotting the room with the number he was looking for. He was surprised there was not any more surveillance than this. That was suspicious and made him extra careful. He leaned in and slid the small panel to peek inside, spotting the lone human laying on the floor, shaking violently and shivering, almost as if he was convulsing or fighting something. He was quite different from what he remembered. Sorvaa'hr whispered, trying to avoid attention.

• What have they done to you...?

The human turned to him, his eyes glazed over and looking almost mechanical.

• What do you want now, fuzz man?

• It is you, after all... Marek, it's me, Sorvaa'hr.

The human slowly got up, looking and trying to see where the voice was from, seeing nothing but spotting something behind the door. Sorvaa'hr then realized just how different he was! Several cybernetic parts were added to him and visibly, his body was rejecting the changes quite vigorously. He was seemingly in a state of toxic shock.

• By the gods... Is this really you?

• That voice... Ol'rath? So now they've drawn you here to laugh at me...

Even his voice was different now, sounding deeper and rawer with a tinge of reverb.

• What are you talking about, Marek? What the hell are you doing here, anyway? And how did you spot me while I'm cloaked?

• Can't you tell? Are you just blind? I've got keener senses than yours, now.

• What did they do to you...?

• That's none of your concern. You can't stay here. Listen, I don't care what you think. I wouldn't wish this even to my enemy. You're free, aren't you? Get out of here before they get you!

The human made soft mechanical sounds as he moved, the cybernetic parts attached to his body and seemingly integrated to his vital organs. He liked tinkering with machines, but the vision of all this made the dragon shudder as he looked at him. They used to be rivals but now, he was feeling sorry for the human and feeling the way he did, he actually wanted to hold him. Even as rivals, Sorvaa'hr had deep respect for Marek's strength and now, he felt that it was his responsibility to get him out. Marek and Sorvaa'hr had once served together and became rivals as Marek got promoted before him for a much lesser assignment. He knew some strings were pulled. But at that moment, he wanted to have the only one he knew which could ever keep up to him besides Reiken.

• Marek, I will be back for you... I promise.

• For me? Don't be stupid. You fucking hate my guts. Get out of here, you moron. Go!

• I can't. Not yet. I need to find my friends. They're being held here too. Have you seen a shark or another Kelva around here?"

• I heard they brought the commander of Second Fleet here, a while ago. They plan on using him for the MA project.

• That's him! Wait, MA project? What's that?"

• Yeah. It's an experimental military program. That's what it did to me.

• Are you trying to say my partner and my commanding officer are going to be used in some kind of sick experiments? This is some kind of classified research lab?

• It'd be too long to explain here. You risk getting spotted. Now, go! In aisle 3 of the East wing, you'll find an archive room. You should find the outline for the MA project.

• Forget it. I hate reading. What about you? You sure seem to know this place...

• Well, this change has its perks... I remotely hacked into the main database.

• What? How the hell did you do that from here?

• I can remotely hack... damn, too late! You have to go now! A guard is coming this way.

• Shit, shit, shit! Alright, then. I'll be back for you, you hear? Hang tight and don't get yourself killed. I still have questions.

• You've changed, Sorvaa'hr. You've grown soft. You'd have killed me, before.

• Shut your trap! I haven't changed, I'm just trying to get things back on track. Stay alive, you hear me?

Sorvaa'hr headed back down the halls, shuddering and feeling rather angry at what he had just seen. What were they trying to accomplish? What was the purpose of this "MA project" Marek had spoken of? A new kind of weapon, perhaps? He had no time to look for the project's outlines. He was there to rescue his partner and commanding officer and now a third body had added itself to the list.

• This is just getting better and better...

Sorvaa'hr thought to himself as he made his way down the corridors, following his plan but almost getting lost nonetheless, finding the corridors to all look the same, confusing him quite a bit. He crossed a transparent glass tunnel between two wings and heard a familiar voice. He made his way to a nearby ventilation shaft and listened in. It was Reiken's voice, he was sure of it. He looked around and made his way to a nearby room. He swiftly snapped the neck of the only soldier inside the room and looked around at all the monitors. A security room! For once, his luck seemed to have had taken a good turn. Flipping through the cameras, he suddenly spotted his shark partner in a large lab area below him, seemingly getting interrogated or interviewed by what seemed like doctors and medics. This made Sorvaa'hr shudder as a cold chill was sent down his spine. What did these blue coats want with him, exactly? Sorvaa'hr looked at his plan and memorized the path to head there. He made his way down a flight of stairs and through a fortunately empty hall. Once he did get there, he found that he could not get into the room and he couldn't hear what was going on inside. All he could do was to wait for them to come out and follow them. And so, he did. The shark eventually came out, escorted by several guards and was lead back to his cell. Sorvaa'hr had taken the opportunity to sneak into the cell with him. Once the guards had left and were nowhere to be seen, Sorvaa'hr let out a sigh of relief, which the shark heard. Reiken looked around himself, thinking he was hearing things but then the dragon stretched his head out of the cloaking field. Reiken's eyes widened and he almost gave him out as he blurted out his name.

"Sorv! Thank the Ocean Mother... you came!"

"Well, of course I did. Did you think I was going to leave you here? Anyway, the guards would get annoyed at your constant whining. I bet that's why they left."

"Hey...!"

Reiken nipped at him playfully and then Sorvaa'hr sat next to him, not even thinking about anything and reaching out to place a gentle kiss on his beak. Reiken sighed softly, feeling suddenly relieved that his partner had come for him. Then questions quickly arose.

• How did you get here? Where did you get the cloaking? Now what? How do you plan on getting us out?

• Relax. One thing at a time. First of all, I got here with the Commander's mobile unit. He gave me the cloaking device. As for the last question, I'm not sure yet. Do you know where they took the Commander?

Reiken suddenly shuddered and trembled a bit, suddenly looking alarmed.

• Oh no! Alswaram... Oh gods, Sorv! They took him in and they're going to try and give him the treatment!

• Treatment? For what? He's not sick, is he?

• No, dumbass! Does this look like a hospital to you? They're going to administer the gene therapy to turn him into a mechanical activator!

• A what? What are you talking about?

• You haven't figured it out yet? This place is a special unit development facility! It's like a medical center but they actually produce super soldiers here! The MA project is just one of the divisions...

• Again with this MA thing... What is it, exactly?

Reiken sighed impatiently. Where as Sorvaa'hr was constantly getting himself up to date with the latest developments in firearms and war tactics, Reiken was into other things. He was a gossip queen. Reiken seemed to know everything that was going on on Sirius. He was constantly using his PDA to read up on the latest rumors.

• I'm not surprised you wouldn't know. All you care about is battle... You've heard about the food shortage for the civvies, right?

• Yeah. The military's getting the most of the food... and all the civilians get are scraps. I think that's a load of crap. It's the council conspiring, again.

• You're probably right. Either way, they're trying to find a way to cut the food expenses for the military. One of the ways is gene therapy. They're trying to either eliminate the need for food somehow or to change the source.

• Change the source?

• That's right. They're trying to find other food sources. The MA project was first developed for mobile unit pilots. The acronym "MA" stands for "mechanical activator". They're trying to modify the body of the pilots to make them able to consume the same things as their mechanical partners.

• What? You don't mean...!

• Yup. Raw fuel.

• Ack! That's wicked... I don't get why, though.

• I didn't think so... a hardcore soldier like you wouldn't know this kind of thing. How many calories do you think you can out of a pint of refined fuel?"

• Calories out of fuel? How should I know... 1000? But your body can't do anything with it though, right?

• Make it nearly 8000 calories.

• What? Are you serious? That's a lot of energy..."

• Damn right it is, that's more than twice your daily average intake. And usually that would be true, except they're modifying the very molecular structure of the subjects and forcing intense chemical therapy on them to convert them and force them to adapt. It has devastating side effects...

• That's fucking messed up! It's genetic conversion from your worse nightmare.

• Yeah. The body's unable to do anything with it. It's too acidic and damages tissue. If they could make the body able to consume it without tissue damage and convert it to energy, it would save a lot of food, since controlling mobile suits require direct connection through the cerebral cortex and that creates hunger. As you may know, mobile unit pilots eat nearly three times more than a normal soldier. They're also trying to stick implants in them that would allow them to control machines at a distance through EM manipulation and through modifications in the body's bio-electric field. That's where the name "activator" is from. They "activate" machinery and can "commune" with them, to a much deeper level than a normal organic.

Sorvaa'hr didn't know but Reiken originally was going into molecular biology and medicine rather than the military. Unfortunately, conservatism and narrow-mindedness had him ruled out of the field because of his Hilandra heritage. He was forced to resign to military work but he was always reading and kept himself in touch with the advancements in medicine and biology fields.

• You sure know a lot about all that stuff.

• Yeah, well it's a field of interest for me. But never mind that! They'll be trying to make Alswaram into one of them!

• ...SHIT! And you can bet he's already got predispositions or some shit, being a machine lover!

• Exactly! About time you got it. The Commander is in danger, Sorv. So far, I heard a lot of the test subjects didn't make it through the last phases of the conversion.

• I've got to get to him! Hey, tell me, why did they need you, anyway? Because you know so much or something?

• I don't know, honestly... all they did was interview me and ask me weird questions about machines and stuff. Maybe they thought I was like him... or that they could use me to threaten Alswaram if he doesn't agree to their terms. Use me as leverage, as it were. Wouldn't be surprising...

• You're telling me... Do you know where the Commander is?

• I think he's being held in a special place. He's not in a cell like me. They probably took him to some examination room of sorts. That's what they said when I asked them about him.

• Alright... I've got a plan of this place and judging by what you say, there's only one of two places I can think of where they might have taken him. There's a hangar area but I went by there earlier and there was nothing. The only other place is the treatment aisle. It should be in the other wing, where I haven't gone to yet."

• That sounds good. When you get him, then what?

• Lancer is in orbit. We'll figure something out. I found someone else we need to pull out, as well.

• Oh?

• Yeah... Marek.

• You're kidding... He's here?

• Yes, and judging by things, they might have tried this treatment on him and it didn't work. He's got various mechanical parts etched in his body like a cyber but his body's rejecting them. He might be a lot of trouble if he's left here. I think he was in shock.

• I see. You do have a heart, after all...

Reiken grinned teasingly and Sorvaa'hr frowned.

• Shut up, Reiken. Anyway, I need to figure out how to get back out there. As for you, just don't let yourself get in trouble, you hear me?

• I know. Leave that to me, ok? See you later, Sorv.

Reiken suddenly got up and started to act sick, groaning and making vomiting sounds. The noise soon attracted a guard, who checked in to see. Reiken said he was sick and said he thinks it was something they gave him and faked fainting. The human opened the door and Sorvaa'hr could take advantage of that moment to escape. Reiken was given sedatives and eventually passed out to sleep, hoping his partner would have everything under control and as usual, placing his trust in him.

Sorvaa'hr headed down the halls, following his plan while being almost unable to keep his mind off the thoughts of what they could be doing to Alswaram or especially to Reiken. "If they touch Reiken, they will all die a horrible death!", he told himself. He headed through yet another translucent glass tunnel, giving him slight vertigo from the warped depth perspective it created. Once in the other wing, he headed to what looked like a larger room on the plan. He crossed an overpass and below, what he saw made his spine twist... Alswaram was in there! However, the situation he was in made Sorvaa'hr feel nearly completely helpless (and that didn't happen very often). He saw Alswaram with unusual cybernetic-looking veins etched into his fully spread wings. The rest of his body looked untouched but he seemed to be hooked to several monitors and a few hoses and tubes. What were they doing to him? He didn't look like he was being tortured, as he didn't roar, twitch or whine but Sorvaa'hr was not liking the sight of this. There were doctors and medics all over the place at various terminals, monitoring everything.

Sorvaa'hr made his way down the halls, looking at his plan and soon making his way to the room where Alswaram was held. He waited until someone came in to sneak inside without being noticed. He spent a little while watching what was going on and trying to wrap his head around the situation. Admittedly, that was much beyond his simple mind. He did however come to the conclusion that they were doing the same thing to Alswaram that they tried to do on Marek. He felt helpless at the time; this situation was not one he was ready to handle. Battle or action, he could handle... but this? He just stood there and thought he should probably take Alswaram off there and get him out but then what? He couldn't leave Reiken and Marek behind. He was indeed a stoic, cold-blooded soldier but he firmly believed in the "leave no one behind" motto. He was way outnumbered to do anything rash. Then, before he could think any further, some medics moved in and took the dragon off the hooks. Alswaram crashed to the ground, seemingly dizzy and lightheaded. He did not realize it but by the time Sorvaa'hr had gotten there, Alswaram had already received the gene therapy several times, and the change was progressing along.

Alswaram was taken back to his holding place. He wasn't in a cell like the others; like Reiken, he had a roomier, slightly better-looking place, as if he was more important than others. Sorvaa'hr sneaked in as they took him in, using the same stratagem as he did with Reiken. When everyone had left, Sorvaa'hr made himself visible again and that made Alswaram growl out.

• Sorvaa'hr?!

• Yes. Why so surprised? You didn't think I'd leave you or Reiken behind, did you?

• Well...

• Oh, please. I have more loyalty than that. Anyway... how are you feeling?

• Well...

• Well what? Speak up or something! You're driving me crazy!

• They changed me...

• Changed you? Well, besides the slick new wings, you pretty much look the same to me."

• Thanks, I suppose. But it's inside that the changes are more apparent...

• How so?

• Have you heard about the MA project?

• This again... I heard from Reiken.

• You were with Reiken?! Is he alright?!

• He was alright. It seemed like they wanted to use him as bait for you or some means of leverage to make you do things for them... but it looks like you didn't need any convincing. Why did you let yourself do, anyway?

• Well... they said it would be good for me.

• What? That's why you let them do this to you?! Have you gone fucking insane?

• They said I would be able to drink oil and fuel freely and that I could bathe in a mech's scent without limitation. And that I could pilot Lancer even more easily! They said I could handle any kind of machine like it was something innate...

• I see... I suppose that for you, this would be a good thing. Most would deem it as torture. How did you get involved with them, anyway?

• I filled an application. It promised a mech pilot to be able to be closer to their partner and all sorts of other attractive advantages.

• You goddamn fool! They're killing people to do this! Marek is here and he's not got long before he dies from this shit. And I saw many others listed as dead already! You're damn lucky your body is reacting well to it. Probably from inhaling Lancer's exhaust all the fucking time, too! Talk about irony...

• Lancer! I hope he's alright...

• He's here. I came with him. He's probably orbiting around this place right now.

• Oh, Lancer... I was so worried!

• Heh, you worry more about him than about living beings, don't you?

• Well... maybe a little, sometimes...

• Anyway, it's good that you're alright. We're busting out of this hole!

• How?

Sorvaa'hr grinned, like anyone should have expected his next sentence.

• That's my favorite part. We're forcing our way out!

• I should have known...

• Care to suggest something else, genius? We don't exactly have many options here.

• Fair enough...

• Well then. Let's move!

• They had warned me you weren't necessarily very good as a subordinate..."

• Do we really have time for this? Maybe I should gag your muzzle...

• Come on, I jest, I jest! Can't you take a small joke? Let's go, already.

Alswaram thought of the same scheme that Reiken used. He acted sick and when a guard came and opened the doors, the cloaked Sorvaa'hr lunged at him and knocked him out. They started to make their way down the halls, knocking down the guards they came up against before they could sound an alarm. They made their way back towards the other wings and Sorvaa'hr led the way to Reiken's cell. There was now an even bigger problem... Reiken was gone. Sorvaa'hr was quick to react, soon getting angry and impatient. He grabbed at one of the guards and slammed him against the wall, nearly splitting his skull in half from the impact.

• Where did you take my friend? Answer me, you bastard!

• W-What are you talking about?

The human squirmed, shaking and fearing for his life.

• I'm talking about the shark that was here. Where did they take him?

• They took him to the main lab! They're going to use his brain data to implant it into a new mobile unit! Please don't kill me!

Sorvaa'hr was not feeling merciful. Had Alswaram not held his hand, he would have crushed the human's skull.

• Stop whining! Worthless sacks of flesh and bones, all of you!

Sorvaa'hr threw the human aside as if he weighed nothing, knocking him unconscious. Alswaram was following closely behind and realized how Sorvaa'hr cared for Reiken. He also realized why the higher ups didn't dare to go against him. Sorvaa'hr was a dangerous weapon but he was hardly controllable. Yet, through his anger, Alswaram could see some care and even a hint of fear, for one of the very rare times. Sorvaa'hr headed down the halls, cleaning up the way for them. They had no idea where Reiken was taken to and time was running out. They had to think and act fast.

• Commander, head back to Lancer. We'll have to plan carefully and come back for Reiken. I'll meet you there shortly. I've got someone else to look out for.

• "Someone to look out for"? You?

• Quit the idiocy and go! Take this to get back to Lancer.

Sorvaa'hr handed Alswaram his map.

• Alright, sorry. Also, I don't need your map, I can access the security system to map my way and follow Lancer's beacon out of here. I have new senses, now. Here, I'll mark Reiken's last known location on your map.

• I see... handy. Very well, we'll meet you back on the ramp."

Alswaram headed off, making his way back towards his mechanical friend while Sorvaa'hr took off in another direction, heading back to another wing to pick up his human "friend". Once he got there, he was relieved to find the human still in his cell, although he wished he was in a better state. He was reeling and getting worse. Sorvaa'hr told him to step back - which Marek quickly did - then he pulled out his sidearm and shot the door hinges with several powerful piercing bullets.

• Let's go. Move!

The human was in struck with disbelief. He came back for him!

• Wait, Sorvaa'hr... What about your friends?

• Commander Alswaram is likely already with our ride home as we speak and as for Reiken, I'll have to come back for him with Lancer. Let's go!

• Okay...

• Can you hold yourself? I'll open the way, you just keep moving!

The two stormed down the halls, a loud alarm suddenly being heard.

• Shit. I knew that was going to happen sooner or later! Let's get the hell out of this joint!

• I agree. Lead the way!

And so, Sorvaa'hr led the way, rifle fire being heard throughout the complex as they made their way back to where Alswaram was waiting with Lancer. Alswaram seemed disappointed that Sorvaa'hr didn't bring back Reiken with him but he knew that was too much to ask for the time being. He looked at the two and nodded.

• Are we set? Who's your friend?

• My name is Marek, Commander Alswaram. I used to belong to First Fleet before I retired to do independent contracts.

• I see. A hired gun, then?

• You could say that. More like a free sword, really.

• You'll get no judgment from me. Sorvaa'hr, what about...?

• I know, I know! I'll come back for him when we get home. We're going to get him back!

Alswaram nodded, obviously looking concerned but knowing they couldn't stay there for long. He then stepped off the mech and looked to the dragon and his human companion.

• You two go home with Lancer. I'll go.

• Commander? This is too dangerous for you alone!

• Oh? You worry about me, Sorvaa'hr?

• Don't be stupid! Stop being such a smartass and don't play hero. This is a suicide mission you're taking on!

• I know. I'm aware of that. But I have to try! Reiken is probably scared and alone somewhere in here. Look, I have plenty of followers that will take my place. For now, I need to get back Reiken. I'm the only one that can do this!"

Sorvaa'hr looked at him for a moment, knowing full well that Alswaram had feelings for Reiken. A part of him was telling him to let him go but the calculating soldier was telling him to knock him out and take him back. Sorvaa'hr had feelings for Reiken, too. Different feelings, granted... brotherly love, rather than romantic. But still, he felt for him. Sorvaa'hr nodded to him and took off his rifle and the cloaking device, giving them to Alswaram.

• Use them. The rifle's modified with high-velocity rounds, so it's highly effective against pretty much any kind of target. Take good care of her, I built her myself. And don't get yourself killed, you hear me?

• Loud and clear, Commander Ol'rath...

• That's not funny, you asshole. Now go!

Alswaram took off quickly and Sorvaa'hr growled angrily.

• ~ Do not worry so much, Sorvaa'hr. Alswaram is a survivor. ~

• Thanks for trying to comfort me, Lancer... I'll be fine. Let's go.

• ~ Indeed. ~

The mech moved and opened his plates and let the two inside. It was a snug fit for the two of them but it would have to work. Sorvaa'hr would never deign say a word but he sort of liked the feeling of Marek so close against him. The mech rumbled loudly as his systems growled to life, his reactors booming and launching them off the ramp soon thrusting the three into space and having to dodge several debris and obstacles at high speed before they could turn back and look at the artificial satellite.

• Lancer, can we stay here at all and wait for them?

• ~ No. It is too risky being detected and we do not know if they have long-range weapons like rail guns... or worse. ~

• I know, but...

• ~ I will come back for them. ~

Sorvaa'hr was angry. Angrier than he had ever been before.

"Damn it... DAMN IT ALL! I feel so powerless!"

• ~ I know. As do I, in all honesty. It will be alright. I have faith in my partner. ~

The human managed to stutter some words, his hands discreetly moving in a gentle hold around Sorvaa'hr.

• Hey, I'm sure your Commander will be alright, Sorvaa'hr. After all, he's got a pretty big reputation preceding him.

• Yeah... I know. I hope you're right, Marek...

The mech opened a subspace window and jumped through, coming out at the other end in orbit around the familiar small planet. He took the two back to the complex, where Sorvaa'hr and Marek climbed off.

• Thanks, Lancer... Now, go get back Reiken and the Commander! Hurry!

• ~ I will be back soon enough. I need a bit of maintenance and I will get right back there. ~

Sorvaa'hr sighed and shuddered, nodding as the mech quickly took off again for the maintenance area. Sorvaa'hr led Marek to his room, where they chatted and talked for hours on end, reminiscing and talking about the events that led them to the present moment. They ended up passing out from exhaustion against each other.

Part V: Twist of fate

-- Meanwhile, back at the artificial satellite

Alswaram was panting from running around so much. He had been able to make a rough mental map of the complex from his connection to the network and was following it through the many wings to a spot on the map he had deemed as a possible place where they could be. The alarm was still going off and by now he had figured it wasn't meant for him. Actually, there was nearly no one left anywhere. They were all gone to another place, it seemed... and that made Alswaram even more worried.

He kept going until he reached a large open area looking much like a test area. He was surprised at how many people were gathered and it didn't take him long to notice the massive black mech that was standing at the back of the room, connected to a multitude of hoses and monitors. He scanned the area and his heart skipped more than a few beats as he spotted the familiar shark, hooked to some systems and looking unconscious. He felt like rushing in but he knew that was suicide. All he could do was watch and try to understand what was happening. After a while, he managed to sneak into the area and stood there silently, listening in on the conversations. A man which seemed to be the one in charge stepped in in front of the others.

• There we have it, men! It's ready! This will teach the confederation not to mess with us!

• Doctor, are you sure it'll work?

• This mobile unit is our new secret weapon! It's programmed to react to any aggression and it's powered by a direct copy of the entire memories and identity of this here Hilandra soldier. Reiken Arvalan is said to be the most powerful and focused soldier of his race. He has been the longtime partner of Sorvaa'hr Ol'rath. That alone should prove his worth. The primal instincts of the Hilandra are perfect for it. Are we ready?

• Yes, Sir! Transferring power to the main operations center!

The shark groaned and squealed in pain, the last ounces of his very own vital energy and identity being slowly taken away from him in an instant, everything being transferred into the massive mobile unit whose eyes lit up after a while as the shark slumped to the ground. His eyes were glazed over and his body looked limp and empty of life, like he had just been struck by lightning.

• It worked! It's awake!

They all cheered and clapped, like it was some kind of show.

• Good work, everyone!

• Sir, what should we call this new mobile unit?

• We will call it after the project's codename. His name will be: Storm.

Alswaram shuddered and wanted to scream. He rushed out and vomited his entire guts. He had just watched his potential mate be drained of life in front of his eyes! Mechanical activator or not, he could not bear to think his shark was gone and no mobile unit was going to be able to make up for this. A part of him wanted to stay and watch and perhaps even attempt to take control of the new mobile unit to turn it against them and avenge his shark but the rest of him just felt too empty to do so. At that time, he felt like letting himself die but he knew some were waiting for him back home. He headed off, making his way back to where Lancer would be waiting for him. Lancer quickly noticed how upset and shaken up he was. Alswaram barely had to say anything before Lancer added up the rest and had a good idea of what had transpired. He injected a powerful sedative to Alswaram, who passed out cold fairly quickly, crying himself into unconsciousness. Lancer took them back home, where Alswaram stayed sound asleep for nearly two days.

---

--

-

When Alswaram finally got up and spread the horrifying news, Sorvaa'hr went into a blind rage. Alswaram thought Sorvaa'hr would have his head and put the blame on him... but all he did was roar, thrash everything around him and storm out. He was never seen again after that. The shock was too much to bear and he was later filed as MIA. Alswaram was equally shaken. He ultimately quit his position as Commander of the Sirian Second Fleet and left with Lancer for Lemuria, Terra's colony, as originally planned in an attempt to begin anew. Marek tried to follow Sorvaa'hr but was turned back vehemently and threatened by the dragon's utterly broken psyche. Marek's broken body eventually got too much to bear and took his own life. He was found dead in a small loft of the Sirian capital.

Everything had gone south. Everyone was torn apart by the events. Many questions remained unanswered, at the time:

What would happen, now that the core of Second Fleet had imploded?

What about this "Storm"? What was he built for? What was his true purpose?

Where did Sorvaa'hr go?

What would Alswaram do on Terra?

TO BE CONTINUED...